Lalu Prasad to undergo heart surgery
Mumbai: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad will undergo cardiac surgery, a doctor said. “Based on the preliminary (medical) reports, we can now confirm that cardiac surgery is needed,” said Vijay D’Silva, medical director of Asian Heart Institute (AHI) here. “The details of what kind of surgery is needed will be available only after a few pending reports are available,” he added. But he said that Lalu Prasad was “fundamentally a healthy person as can be seen form the intense campaigning he has done” for the Aug 21 Bihar assembly by-elections. The 66-year-old leader was Monday admitted to AHI for what was described as a routine check up and underwent a series of medical tests. “There is nothing to worry,” an AHI spokesperson told IANS Monday. (IANS)
Minor girl ‘rescued’ by auto driver
Thane: A 14-year-old girl who ran away from her home after flunking her exams was ‘rescued’ by a handicapped auto-rickshaw driver, who helped her reunite with her Mumbai-based family, police said on Tuesday. According to Thane city Police Inspector Madan Ballal, the girl was spotted by auto-driver Suresh Kawle on August 23 around 10.30 PM here. Sensing something amiss, Kawle enquired the girl about her whereabouts on which she claimed to be an orphan from Ajmer who was brought to Thane by a woman for employment, police said. However, suspecting that girl was lying, Kawle handed her to the Kopri Police Station, which swung into action and flashed the details as well as the pictures of the teenager on a messaging app. Fortunately, Mumbai police contacted their Kopri counterparts on the basis of a missing person complaint following which her parents were traced to suburban Kurla. The girl reunited with her family on August 24. The girl decided to run away after her father reprimanded her for failing in her school exams, police said. The Good Samaritan was felicitated here last evening by Sena MLA Pratap Sarnaik for saving the girl. (PTI)
Larger contributions sought for PM’s National Relief Fund
New Delhi: Seeking larger contributions for the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund, the PMO has asked all central ministries to display the message on their websites and inform the common man that such donations enjoy tax benefits. In its August 20 circular to all Union Ministries, the PMO has directed that a caption mentioning that all such donations made to the fund enjoy 100 per cent deduction from taxable income under Section 80 (G) of the tax law should be displayed on the home pages. While all contributions towards the PMNRF are already exempted from Income Tax under Section 80(G) of the Income Tax Act, the message on government websites will help increase contributions. According to Section 80 (G), the deduction to certain funds and charitable institutions is allowed to any taxpayer, on the qualifying amount that is limited to 10 per cent of gross total income of the assessee reduced by income deducted under any section. Last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had directed that the Gujarat model should be emulated in selection of beneficiaries, giving priority to the poor and children while granting aid from the PMNRF. Assistance from PMNRF is also rendered for medical treatment like heart surgeries, kidney transplantation and cancer treatment. The PMNRF fund consists entirely of public contributions and does not get any budgetary support. (PTI)