Forty-one soldiers have lost their lives in Siachen Glacier since 2013, the government said today. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar in a written reply in Lok Sabha said 10 soldiers were killed in 2013, eight and nine in 2014 and 2015, respectively. Till March 31, 14 soldiers have died this year, Parrikar said, adding medical equipment existed in all posts for emergencies. pti
25,000 dowry deaths during 2012-14
Around 25,000 women were either killed or committed suicide due to dowry harassment by their in-laws between 2012 and 2014, Union Minister Maneka Gandhi said in the Lok Sabha on Friday. Around 30,000 cases of dowry were registered during the same time, she said in a written reply on implementation of the Dowry Prohibition Act. PTI
Temples, trusts deposit 1,512 kg gold
Banks have collected about 1,500 kg of gold from temples and trusts under the Gold Monetisation Scheme (GMS) since its launch last November. Under the GMS, 2015 approximately 1,512 kg of gold has so far been deposited by temples or trusts, Minister of State for Finance Jayant Sinha said in a written reply to Lok Sabha Friday. PTi
11,997 cases of cyber frauds
Nearly 12,000 cases related to credit/debit cards and net banking were reported during April- December 2015. As many aas 13,083 and 11,997 cases related to ATM, credit, and debit cards and net banking frauds were reported by the banks during 2014-15 and 2015-16 (up to December 2015), respectively, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said in a written reply to Rajya Sabha. PTI
Notices to those named in Panama Papers
Responding to questions on tax evasion and black money, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Friday said in the Panama Papers leak case, notices had been issued to all those whose names had appeared. The minister said Section 138 of the Income Tax Act barred the proceedings of a case to be made public till a case was filed in a court. PTI
Ruckus over killing of cattle traders
The Rajya Sabha witnessed ruckus during zero hour over the killing of two Muslim cattle traders in Jharkand in March. The issue was raised by JD(U)’s Ghulam Rasool Balyavi who got emotional during the debate. He was supported by Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad who said, “Houses have been burnt, minorities have been beaten up... This is extremely sad.” TNS