Bail plea of Sisodia aide
A Delhi court is scheduled to take up on Saturday the bail plea of Gopal Krishna Madhav, an officer on special duty to Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia. Madhav was arrested on February 7 by the CBI on charges of taking a bribe of Rs 2 lakh for allegedly settling a tax evasion case. The arrest had triggered a political controversy in the run-up to the Delhi polls even though Sisodia said the CBI had acted in the right manner.
According to the CBI, Madhav, posted in the GST department of Delhi government, was arrested on the basis of the information provided by a middleman, who allegedly collected bribes from transporters on his behalf.
Madhav, who joined service as head clerk in August 2003 in the education department, had been posted as officer on special duty (OSD) in Sisodia's office since 2015. In his bail plea, Madhav claimed he had been the target of a botched-up investigation.
Portugal president in Goa
Portugal President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa will arrive in Goa on Saturday on a two-day visit during which an MoU on water management and sewerage will be signed. De Sousa is expected to arrive by 5pm in Panaji.
Portugal will provide technical assistance to the state's Public Works Department for operational efficiency of 'Goa water system'. Goa Public Works Department Minister Deepak Pauskar told mediapersons that Portugal will provide consultancy for augmenting the water and sewerage system of the state, and the agreement will be signed between Portugal based 'Aguas de Portugal' and Goa Public Works Department.
RSS chief in Gujarat
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat is scheduled to be in Gujarat for two days from Saturday. On Saturday, Bhagwat will inaugurate the new RSS state headquarters in Maninagar area of Ahmedabad. The building has been constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 5 crore.
Later on Saturday, Bhagwat would address a gathering of intellectuals at Dinesh Hall in the city.
On Sunday, the RSS chief would meet and address RSS workers at TransStadia, a private stadium in Maninagar.
Hong Kong to begin mandatory quarantine for all arrivals from China
The authorities in Hong Kong will from Saturday begin enforcing a mandatory two-week quarantine for all persons arriving from China to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
The move comes even as Hong Kong has announced cash subsidies for businesses in the city, which have been crippled by the coronavirus outbreak. The drop in tourist arrivals and dip in businesses has pushed many small establishments towards bankruptcy.
The assistance will be provided to licensed travel agencies, small retailers and restaurants and street hawkers as well as 200,000 lower-income families.
