Sambhal:

The Uttar Pradesh power department has fined a former district president of the Samajwadi Party Rs 54 lakh in connection with an electricity theft case, an official said on Friday.

The case against Firoz Khan was registered on October 20 in Sambhal, Executive Engineer Naveen Gautam of the power department said.

“During an inspection on October 20 in Pakka Bagh, Hayatnagar, electricity theft was detected at Firoz Khan’s private office,” he said.

Consequently, an FIR was filed against Firoz Khan under Section 135 of the Electricity Act, 2003, at the Anti-Power Theft Police Station, he said.

“The investigation revealed there had been no metre installed since 2012, and there was no valid electricity connection. After approval of the inspection report, a penalty of Rs 54 lakh has been imposed,” Gautam said.

Firoz Khan has been sent a notice to present his case within 15 days.

“I have a generator, which is the source of electricity,” Firoz Khan had told PTI on October 21.

“This case has been filed due to political motives to entangle me under false charges,” he said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Lucknow:

Uttar Pradesh on Thursday received Rs 31,962 crore advance installment from the central government, the largest share among all states, as part of tax devolution ahead of the festive season.

The central government disbursed Rs 1,78,173 crore in tax devolution to the state governments.

According to an official statement, the central government’s allocation is intended to bolster the economic stability of the states ahead of the festive season.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the financial support.

“Heartfelt gratitude to Hon. PM Shri @narendramodi Ji and @FinMinIndia for the timely release of Rs 31,962 crore to UP as part of tax devolution. This advance instalment will significantly boost our festive season preparations and accelerate development and welfare initiatives across the state. Together, we are building a stronger and more prosperous Uttar Pradesh,” Adityanath wrote on his social media account X.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)