News18 India’s Sting exposes Corruption in Uttar Pradesh

 

News18 India’s Sting exposes Corruption in Uttar Pradesh’s Mining Department

New Delhi, August  2017: The issue of illegal mining in Uttar Pradesh and the corruption in the state mining department has been an open secret. During the state assembly electionsheld earlier this year, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had slammed then CM Akhilesh Yadav’s government over the rampant illegal mining in the state. After coming to power, the firebrand Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath gave strict warning to the mining mafias and even brought a new mining policy. But the new government’s vision of the corruption-free state is proving to be difficult to implement. News18 India carried out aninvestigative operation exposingthe fact that the unauthorized mining activities are still being carried out in the state.

The channel’s undercover team of reporters contacted some mining mafias involved in illegal mining activities in the Mirzapur district of Uttar Pradesh. The mining mafias revealed how they are hand in gloves with many officials of state departments &police and how these corrupt officials and police personnel help them in facilitatingthese unlawful mining operations.

News18 India’s team went to the SDM office&police station and caughtofficials red-handedon their spy camera asking for money in lieu of granting permission for mining. The officials disclosed that there is an alleged rate card for undertaking such operations. If the mining is legal, the officials ask for anywhere between Rs. 8000 to 10000 and if the activities are illegal, then the bribery amount increasesuptoRs. 15,000.

In spite of the change in government, corruption is still rampant in the state. The new policies may have had some impact but there still remain gaps in terms of achieving the goal of a corruption free state.

The sting operation – ‘Yogi Ji, KripyaDhyaanDein’ will be aired at 10 PM today on News18 India

About TV18

TV18 Broadcast Limited [BSE: 532800, NSE: TV18BRDCST] (“TV18”) is a part of Network18 Group. Network18 Group is a media and entertainment group with interests in television, internet, films, e-commerce, magazines, mobile content and allied businesses. Through its subsidiary, TV18, the group operates news channels such as CNBC-TV18, CNBC Awaaz, CNBC-TV18 Prime HD, CNN-NEWS18, and News18 India. TV18 also operates a joint venture with Viacom called Viacom18, which houses a portfolio of popular entertainment channels such as Colors, Colors HD, Rishtey, MTV India, MTV Indies, Comedy Central, Vh1, Nick, Sonic, Nick Jr and Viacom18 Motion Pictures, the group’s filmed entertainment business. TV18 has also forayed into the Indian factual entertainment space through a joint venture with A+E Networks and operates History TV18. In the regional space, the group operates a Gujarati business news channel – CNBC Bajar, a Marathi general news channel – IBN Lokmat and operates ten regional news channels under the ETV umbrella and five regional entertainment channels under the Colors brand. The group also operates a 24 hour an Indian news channel in English – News18, targeting global audiences. TV18 and Viacom18 have formed a strategic joint venture called IndiaCast, a multi-platform 'content asset monetization' entity that drives domestic and international channel distribution, placement services and content syndication for the bouquet of channels from the group and third parties. For more information, log on to www.network18online.com