The Delhi government’s Women and Child Development and Health departments on Wednesday issued public notices clarifying that they are not associated with the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) proposed initiatives to provide Rs 2,100 to women and offer free healthcare for senior citizens. This announcement has sparked controversy ahead of the upcoming assembly elections.

The notices warned the public against sharing personal information under the pretense of registering for “non-existent” schemes, emphasizing that any individual or political party collecting such information is acting fraudulently and without proper authorization.

This announcement followed a recent registration campaign led by AAP leaders for the Mukhya Mantri Mahila Samman Yojana and Sanjeevani Yojana, which has left AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal angry.

Kejriwal accused the BJP of being unsettled by these programs, suggesting that Chief Minister Atishi might be targeted with a “fake” legal case in the near future. “They are completely rattled by the Mahila Samman Yojana and Sanjeevani Yojana. They have devised a scheme to fabricate a case against Chief Minister Atishi and arrest her soon,” he asserted on X, alleging that raids would also be conducted against senior AAP officials prior to Atishi’s potential arrest.

BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj claimed on Tuesday that she had spoken with the health secretary of the Delhi government, who confirmed that no Sanjeevani Yojna currently exists.

Both schemes were announced by Kejriwal in advance of the Assembly polls scheduled for February next year, with AAP actively promoting the registration process. Party leaders are optimistic that these initiatives will attract voters, as similar programs have reportedly helped ruling parties maintain power in various state elections.

The notice from the Department of Women and Child Development stated: “Media reports and social media posts have brought to our attention that a political party is claiming to provide Rs 2,100 per month under the Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojana to women in Delhi. It is clarified that no such scheme has been officially announced by the Government of Delhi.”

The department indicated that should the scheme be initiated, a digital portal would be created for eligible individuals to apply online according to established guidelines. The notice further stated that since no such scheme exists, there is no basis for any physical registration forms.

It also cautioned the public that sharing personal information—such as PAN account numbers, phone numbers, or Voter IDs—in connection with this non-existent scheme could expose them to various crimes, including cyber and banking fraud. Individuals were advised to disregard any misleading claims about the scheme and to be vigilant about sharing personal details.

The Mahila Samman Yojna was proposed in the AAP’s budget for 2024-25 to grant Rs 1,000 per month to eligible women over the age of 18 in Delhi. Kejriwal has recently pledged to increase this amount to Rs 2,100 if AAP is re-elected.

The Health and Family Department also issued a notice warning about the purported Sanjeevani Yojna, which was meant to provide free medical treatment for senior citizens over 60 at both government and private hospitals. The notice revealed that some political volunteers had begun a door-to-door campaign to collect information from elderly residents for this scheme, providing them with documents described as “Health/Sanjeevani Scheme Cards.”

The notice indicated that these volunteers were requesting personal details such as phone numbers, addresses, Aadhar numbers, and bank account information. Many elderly citizens had begun inquiring about the scheme at government hospitals and offices.

The Health and Family Department reiterated that there is currently no recognized “Sanjeevani Yojna” and emphasised that no individuals or political parties have been authorized to gather personal information from seniors on behalf of this scheme.

In a shocking incident, a man from Delhi was arrested on Sunday for stabbing a girl multiple times with a knife in the Mukherjee Nagar area in broad daylight. The incident was captured on CCTV and has been shared widely on the internet.

According to reports, the incident took place on March 22. The passers-by intervened and tried to stop and catch the accused. Although, the girl did not suffer grievous injuries in this attack and is out of danger.

The police have identified the accused as Aman. In the CCTV footage, the 22-year-old could be seen stabbing the girl with the knife several times.

It has been known that students in Mukherjee Nagar used to make fun of the accused, Aman, and call him mentally ill as he used to keep roaming in the area, without doing anything.

The woman he targeted would visit Mukherjee Nagar to study in a library. In the surveillance video, the man can be observed sprinting towards the woman, forcefully knocking her down, and subsequently striking her several times.

The man who is under arrest told the police that she ridiculed him, causing him to take a knife from a nearby vegetable vendor and launch an attack on her in a fit of rage.

Last year in April, another incident was reported from Northeast Delhi’s Karawal Nagar where a man killed his live-in partner and dumped her body 12 lm away from a house with the help of his sister.

Police, later, found the body of Rohina Naz alias Mahi, a resident of Uttarakhand’s Mirajpur, lying near Krishna Public School. The police arrested the sister of the accused in this case.

According to the police, the accused, identified as Vineet, was on the run while his sister Parul was arrested for helping him conspire the murder and hide the body.

The 25-year-old Mahi and Vineet eloped four years ago the date of the crime and were living together in Delhi. Deputy Commissioner of Police Joy Tirkey had said that Mahi was pressuring him for marriage and because of this, the couple used to fight frequently.

Delhi Metro services will begin at 2:30 pm from terminal stations on all lines on the occasion of Holi, March 25, and will continue normally thereafter.

The Delhi Metro on X, said that the metro train services to start at 2:30 pm on the day of the Holi festival, March 25 (Monday), adding that it said metro services will not be available till 2:30 pm on all Lines of the Delhi Metro including Rapid Metro/Airport Express Line.

Earlier on March 14, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of two additional corridors of Delhi Metro’s Phase 4 at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Thursday. The cost of these 2 corridors of the Delhi Metro Phase 4 project is Rs 8,399 crore. These 2 lines will be 20.762 km long. The construction of these projects is slated for completion by March 2026.

During the press release, the government said that the Inderlok- Indraprastha corridor will be an extension of the Green Line and will provide interchange with the Blue, Violet, Magenta and Airport Line, Yellow and Red lines, while the Lajpat Nagar- Saket G Block corridor will connect Violet, Pink, Magenta and Silver lines.

Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar- Saket G Block corridor will be entirely elevated and have 8 stations, as per the reports. The Inderlok- Indraprastha corridor will have 10 stations. The Prime Minister also interacted with beneficiaries of the PM SVANidhi scheme. He distributed loans under the scheme to 1 lakh street vendors (SVs) including 5000 SVs from Delhi.

According to official records, till now up to Rs 82 lakh loans which amount to Rs 10, 978 crore have been disbursed to more than 62 lakh street vendors all over India. Speaking to the media at the event earlier, the Prime Minister said that the program PM SVANidhi Mahotsav was dedicated to those who are always around us and without whom one cannot imagine our lives.

As the new financial year begins on April 1, 2025, several key financial and regulatory changes will come into effect that will impact salaried individuals, pensioners, UPI users, and businesses alike.

Revised income tax slabs bring relief to middle-income earners

Under the new tax regime announced in the Union Budget, individuals earning up to ₹12 lakh annually will be exempt from paying income tax. The revised slab also includes a standard deduction of ₹75,000, effectively exempting those with an annual salary up to ₹12.75 lakh from taxes.

Here is the new tax structure:

• Up to Rs 4 lakh – No tax
• Rs 4 lakh to Rs 8 lakh – 5%
• Rs 8 lakh to Rs 12 lakh – 10%
• Rs 12 lakh to Rs 16 lakh – 15%
• Rs 16 lakh to Rs 20 lakh – 20%
• Rs 20 lakh to Rs 24 lakh – 25%
• Above Rs 24 lakh – 30%
  

Unified Pension Scheme promises post-retirement stability for government staff

The Unified Pension Scheme (UPS), launched in August 2024, will come into force from April 1. The scheme is aimed at benefiting around 23 lakh central government employees. Those who have served for 25 years or more will be entitled to a pension equal to 50% of their average basic salary over the last 12 months, offering a more secure retirement.

UPI security tightened with inactive number purge

To enhance digital payment security, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has issued guidelines for banks and UPI service providers to phase out inactive mobile numbers linked with UPI.

From April 1, UPI platforms are mandated to use the Mobile Number Revocation List (MNRL) and Digital Intelligence Platform (DIP) to regularly update user data—at least once a week. Users with inactive numbers are advised to update their mobile details with their banks to prevent loss of UPI access or potential misuse.

GST filing and authentication norms become stricter

In the GST domain, multi-factor authentication (MFA) will become mandatory for users logging into the GST portal, improving data security. Further updates include:

• E-Way Bills (EWB) will be restricted to documents not older than 180 days.
• GSTR-7 filings for Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) must now be filed in sequence with no skipping of months.
  Promoters and directors will be required to visit a GST Suvidha Kendra for biometric verification.

These changes are part of broader efforts to streamline compliance and secure financial systems as the country enters the new fiscal year.

Former UP Shia Waqf Board chief Jitendra Narayan Tyagi (formerly Wasim Rizvi) has approached the Supreme Court seeking the clubbing of multiple criminal cases filed against him in Uttarakhand and Jammu & Kashmir for alleged hate speeches and derogatory remarks against Islam and the Muslim community.

The Supreme Court bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta on Friday issued notices to the governments of Uttarakhand and the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir, asking for a reply within four weeks.

Tyagi, who is facing at least four separate cases, including FIRs and private complaints, has requested that all proceedings be consolidated at a single location, citing grave security threats if he is forced to travel, especially to Jammu & Kashmir. In his plea, he stated that he has only two security guards despite “serious life threats” and that “appearing before the courts in J&K could be fatal.”

During the hearing, Tyagi’s lawyer Anurag Kishore sought interim protection from the court, citing life threats. However, the bench declined the request, remarking that “threats exist everywhere.”

Initially hesitant, the court agreed to examine the plea and issue formal notices to the respective state authorities.

Background of the cases

Tyagi is currently facing multiple criminal proceedings:

An FIR in Haridwar for allegedly making defamatory remarks about Prophet Muhammad during the release of his book Muhammad in June 2021.

A private complaint in Srinagar, J&K, over alleged insulting remarks against Islam made in a July 2021 TV broadcast from Lucknow.

An FIR in Haridwar from December 2021 for statements made at the Dharma Sansad, a religious event.

A third FIR in January 2022 also in Uttarakhand, based on similar allegations.

Tyagi, who converted from Islam to Hinduism, has been a controversial figure and has previously made inflammatory remarks, triggering legal and public backlash.

His legal team, comprising Anurag Kishore, Lakhan Kumar Mishra, and Ritika Shrivastava, argued that the multiplicity of cases and summons across different states poses not only a logistical burden but also a serious threat to his safety.

By Mohammad Javed Rasheedi

US President Donald Trump has praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and expressed confidence in India-US trade ties, even as his administration moves forward with a 25% import tariff on all vehicles, effective April 2.

Calling India “one of the highest tariffing nations in the world,” Trump noted the issue remains central to trade negotiations. However, he also stressed the strength of his personal rapport with PM Modi, saying: “He is a very smart man and a great friend of mine.”

Trump added that his recent discussions with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi had gone well and expressed optimism, saying: “I think it’s going to work out very well between India and our country.”

Trump, who has long criticized India’s trade practices, reiterated that the country remains one of the highest tariff-imposing nations. His declaration of “reciprocal tariffs” suggests countries like India should brace for economic pushback. “They charge us, we charge them,” Trump said recently.

But despite the aggressive rhetoric, Trump’s remarks about PM Modi paint a completely different picture — one of camaraderie, not confrontation. “We had very good talks. I think it’s going to work out very well between India and our country,” he added.

The vehicle tariff, which Trump announced earlier this week, is expected to impact nearly half of all vehicles sold in the US, including those built abroad by American companies. The move is part of the administration’s broader push for “reciprocal tariffs”, with Trump asserting: “They charge us, we charge them.”

Praise, pressure, and political convenience?

Trump’s warm words for Modi come just weeks after the Indian PM visited Washington DC in February. The two leaders launched “Mission 500”, a goal to double India-US trade to $500 billion by 2030. But while the mission sounds ambitious, it’s unclear how it aligns with a 25% import duty on a key sector like automobiles.

Critics argue that Trump’s approach — praising allies while penalizing them economically — reflects a broader pattern of political double-speak. On one hand, the US demands fairer access to foreign markets. On the other, it escalates trade tensions through blanket tariffs.

Vehicle tariffs: protection or provocation?

The new tariff, set to hit half of all vehicles sold in the US — including American-made cars assembled abroad — has already raised concerns among automakers and trade analysts. If India chooses to respond, the so-called “good talks” Trump refers to could quickly turn sour.

While the White House pitches the move as pro-jobs and pro-fairness, its timing — coupled with contradictory praise — raises doubt about the coherence of US trade policy, especially toward close allies like India.

The US and India have long had friction over tariff imbalances, but the tone from both sides remains constructive, with trade fairness, national security, and job creation identified as shared goals.