Guwahati, April 10: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Thursday that over 43 lakh persons, including a large section of women, are set to benefit from the state government’s cash transfer scheme.

Taking to social media platform X, CM Sarma wrote, “It’s the 10th of April and like every month, today is Pension and Orunodoi Day in Assam, our most comprehensive Jan Kalyan effort. Over 43 lakh people, mostly women will get over ₹384cr directly in their bank accounts to enable them to fulfill their basic necessities.”

Under the Orunodoi scheme, the state government provides financial assistance to women on the 10th of every month.

The CM earlier also asserted that to prevent fraudulent claims, the Orunodoi scheme is being linked with ration cards. The state administration has distributed at least 20 lakh new ration cards to the beneficiaries across the state recently.

CM Sarma highlighted the steadfast commitment of the current state government to ensure that the needy have regular access to rice.

He noted that the National Food Security Act (NFSA) was implemented in Assam in December 2015, with the aim of safeguarding the nutritional needs of approximately 2.51 crore beneficiaries.

He emphasised that 85 per cent of rural residents and 60 per cent of urban inhabitants should be entitled to ration cards.

The CM said that following the linking of ration cards with Aadhaar, an additional 60 lakh cards have been issued, thus facilitating the distribution of free rice via biometric verification.

He commended the successful implementation of the ‘One Nation, One Ration Card’ scheme, which has been in place for the past three years, allowing beneficiaries to access provisions from anywhere in the country.

The Chief Minister clarified that ration cards must be collected between the 1st and 10th of each month and reassured the public that no fraudulent claims would be entertained, as the government has made substantial efforts to ensure that deserving families receive their entitlements.

CM Sarma stated that in the 2023-24 fiscal year, 42,85,745 new beneficiaries have been included, with 10,73,489 new families receiving ration cards in January alone, benefitting more than 52 lakh people. The Chief Minister also said that families holding ration cards would be eligible for free medical treatment up to Rs five lakh at government hospitals under the Ayushman Bharat and Ayushman Assam schemes.

Patna, April 10: In a significant development in the ongoing investigation into the NEET-UG 2024 question paper leak, the Bihar Police have announced a reward of Rs 3 lakh for any information leading to the arrest of Sanjeev Kumar Singh alias Sanjeev Mukhiya, the alleged mastermind behind the scandal.

A formal letter was issued from the office of Kundan Krishnan, Additional Director General (ADG) of Bihar Police Headquarters, notifying the public about the bounty. A reward has also been announced for two others accused.

The officials said that police personnel or any individual who successfully helps to arrest the absconding accused will get the reward.

The notification will be valid for two years, which means if any police personnel arrest these three criminals within two years, they are entitled to the reward amount.

The other two accused are Shubham Kumar and Rajkishore Kumar. Bihar Police announced a bounty of Rs 1 lakh each on their heads. Subham is a resident of Beechbazar under the jurisdiction of Sohsarai Police Station in the Nalanda district and is involved in two cases.

Raj Kishore Kumar was also involved in two cases and is a resident of Bakhtari village under the Karpi Police station limit in the Arwal district.

The police have urged the public to come forward with credible information about the whereabouts of the absconding accused.

All identities of informants will be kept strictly confidential, and they will be entitled to the announced rewards, the officials have said.

Sanjeev Kumar Singh, alias Sanjeev Mukhiya, is an accused in the NEET-UG 2024 paper leak case registered initially in Shastri Nagar Police Station (Case No. 358/2024), Constable Recruitment scam, Teachers Recruitment scam, and another pending case. Mukhiya is a native of Shahpur Balwa village under the limit of Nagarnausa Police Station in Nalanda district.

The NEET-UG paper leak scandal was unearthed on May 5, 2024, when the Patna Police detected irregularities during the nationwide medical entrance exam.

The investigation was first handled by the Shastri Nagar police, then transferred to the Economic Offences Unit (EOU), and finally handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on June 23, 2024.

The CBI’s FIR named eight accused, including Sanjeev Mukhiya, Ayush Raj, Rocky, Amit Anand, Nitish Kumar, Bittu, Akhilesh, and Sikandar Yadavendu. Sanjeev Mukhiya has a known history of orchestrating high-profile examination frauds and is now among the most wanted criminals in Bihar.

Kolkata, April 10: The Kolkata Police have registered two cases against the teaching and non-teaching staff, who lost jobs after the Supreme Court order, for staging protests.

The teachers were severely beaten up by the cops on Wednesday after they protested against the job loss in front of the office of the district inspector of schools at Kasba in South Kolkata.

Of the two cases, one has been registered suo motu by the city police. The second case was registered on the basis of a complaint filed by the office of the district inspector of schools.

The job losers, all reportedly “genuine” ones, protested in front of the district inspector of schools at Kasba in South Kolkata, demanding immediate action by the state government and WBSSC in segregating the “genuine” candidates from the “tainted” ones. The tainted ones got the jobs against payment of money.

Last week, the Supreme Court upheld a previous order by a division bench of the Calcutta High Court in April 2024, cancelling the entire panel of 25,753 teaching and non-teaching jobs on the grounds that the state government and the commission failed to segregate the “genuine” candidates from the “tainted” ones.

On Wednesday, the situation turned serious in front of the office of the district inspector of schools at Kasba as the protesters tried to enter the office by removing the police barricades and breaking open the lock at the main gate.

The police resorted to a lathi charge, which resulted in injuries to several protesters. However, state Education Minister Bratya Basu, Chief Secretary, and Kolkata Police Commissioner justified the police action, and the commissioner even went to the extent of claiming that the police were forced to take “mild action” to keep the situation under control and prevent additional damages.

As the information surfaced that two separate cases had been registered against the protesters, the state government came under scathing criticism from the opposition parties.

Leaders from both the BJP and CPI(M) have claimed that the development has exposed the insensitive face of the current state administration. At the time the report was filed, there was no reaction from any Trinamool Congress leader in the matter.