Raipur Diary

Haryana Cong MLAs chilling at Mayfair 
The 28 Congress MLAs from Haryana, who were herded to Raipur to insulate them from horse-trading attempts for the June 10 Rajya Sabha polls, are believed to be having a good time in the most expensive resort of the Chhattisgarh capital. None of them are allowed to speak to any outsider, including the media. The buzz is that ‘dialogues’ inside the Mayfair resort are taking place as part of ‘confidence building measure’. Congress general secretary Ajay Maken, who has filed nomination from Haryana, is not willing to take any risk and has also arrived. He is personally interacting with each ‘guest’. “All’s well. They (Haryana MLAs) are receiving training here,” said CM Bhupesh Baghel.

I-T tribunal bench at Secretariat building
Raipur has got its first full-fledged Income Tax Appellate Tribunal bench at Nava Raipur-based Central Secretariat building. It will be inaugurated by Kiran Rijiju, Union Law Minister, on June 4. The Tribunal functions as a quasi-judicial authority and specialises in dealing with appeals under the Direct Tax Acts. ITAT has 63 benches across the country. The appeals can be filed against the orders of income tax authorities. During Covid-19, ITAT had disposed of over 60,000 cases through virtual hearings. An e-filing portal facility is also maintained by ITAT. The tribunal is entrusted with the task of deciding intricate questions of law and fact. 

Govt pats self for low unemployment rate 
The Congress government in Chhattisgarh has got one more reason to pat its own back. The latest data of the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy shows the state’s unemployment rate to be 0.7% in May as against the national average of 7.1%. The Bhupesh Baghel government credited its model of development claiming the policies and programmes introduced by it have generated employment opportunities, particularly for the youth, and boosted the rural economy. The government has launched a mission to create 15 lakh new job opportunities in the next five years. “It’s for everyone to see why there’s a consistent decline in unemployment rate in the state,” CM Baghel said. 

Ejaz Kaiser
Our correspondent in Chhattisgarh ejaz@newindianexpress.com