GENERAL UPDATES 06.02.2019

RBI SLAPS PENALTIES ON AXIS BANK, UCO BANK AND SYNDICATE BANK

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Tuesday said it has imposed a total penalty of Rs 2.2 crore on private sector lender Axis Bank in two separate cases. A penalty of Rs 2 crore has also been imposed on UCO Bank and Rs 1 crore on Syndicate Bank for violation of norms. The RBI said penalty of Rs 2 crore has been imposed each on Axis Bank and UCO Bank for non-compliance of norms related to payment through cheques. In another case, a penalty of Rs 20 lakh has been imposed on Axis Bank for contravention of the directions related to detection and impounding of counterfeit notes. The penalty on Syndicate Bank has been imposed for violation of guidelines related to checking fraud and managing risk. The RBI, however, said the action on banks is based on deficiencies in regulatory compliance and is not intended to pronounce upon the validity of any transaction or agreement entered into by the bank with its customers.

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GOVT EXPECTS RS 69,000 CR IN DIVIDEND FROM RBI IN 2019-20: REPORT

The Indian government expects the central bank to pay a dividend of Rs 69,000 crore ($9.63 billion) in the next financial year beginning April 2019, a senior finance ministry source, who requested anonymity, told.

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COME OUT WITH EFFECTIVE SOLUTIONS AGAINST FAKE NEWS: GOVT TO WHATSAPP

In the wake of spread of fake news, the Centre has directed the messaging platform WhatsApp to come out with effective solutions that can bring in accountability and facilitate enforcement of law against dissemination of wrong information. Hansraj Ahir said in Lok Sabha that the government has taken note of reports about spread of fake news, misinformation or disinformation on Internet, particularly using WhatsApp platform. Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology issued notices to WhatsApp conveying that they need to come out with effective solutions that can bring in accountability and facilitate enforcement of law in addition to labelling forwards and weeding out fake news, he said. Ahir said WhatsApp has conveyed that a number of steps have been taken by it to address the issue of fake news propagated using the platform. Meetings with law enforcement agencies and intermediaries are held on regular basis to strengthen the coordination framework for better enforcement of the law, he said.

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EASE OF DOING AGRI-BUSINESS INDEX

The Government has been reorienting the agriculture sector by focusing on an income-centeredness which goes beyond achieving merely the targeted production. The income approach focuses on achieving high productivity, reduced cost of cultivation and remunerative price on the produce, with a view to earn higher profits from farming. To ensure that the reform agenda of Government is implemented at a desired pace by all States/UTs, a need is felt to develop a competitive spirit between the States. Keeping this in mind to rank the States through an Index i.e. Ease of Doing Agri-Business, a concept note alongwith parameters for developing an Index has been circulated to all States/UTs inviting their views. The concept is to consider farming not solely as a production oriented activity carried out to achieve food security for the country, but as a business activity carried out by farmer as entrepreneur. The proposed index has taken the aspects of increasing production/productivity, increasing price realization of agri produce and decreasing input costs of production, risk mitigation and investment related attributes. Agriculture being a State subject, the State Governments undertakes development of perspective plans and ensures effective implementation of the programmes/ schemes. Also, Government of India supplements the efforts of the State Governments through various Schemes/ Programmes. The index will obviously help in fostering agriculture among States by promoting a competitive spirit amongst the States.

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NUMBER OF START-UPS IN INDIA HAS GROWN 7-FOLD TO 50,000 IN 10 YEARS: KPMG

The number of start-ups in India has grown seven-fold from around 7,000 in 2008 to around 50,000 by the end-2018, according to a report. Consultancy firm KPMG, in its latest report on India’s start-up ecosystem, has said an explosion of the Internet, higher literacy rates and greater exposure to outside working has fuelled sector-based innovation and, hence, start-ups originating in IT, artificial intelligence, IoT, finance, healthcare, biotechnology, education, agriculture, and logistics, amongst others. To this effect, we are seeing the emergence of multiple start-up hubs within the country, including Mumbai, and other metropolitan cities, KPMG said in the report.It added that the country has witnessring significant growth in the number of start-ups in tier-II and III cities such as Jaipur, Kochi, Ahmedabad and Pune. Of the 14,565-odd start-ups approved under the country’s ‘Start-up India’ initiative in 2018, the highest number are from Maharashtra. Globally, Mumbai was ranked seventh in terms of growth in VC deals secured in 2015–2017, as compared to the 2010–2012 period. It further added that India is the third largest start-up base globally with about 7,200 start-ups based in India.

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FINANCE MINISTRY SEEKS LABOUR MINISTRY HELP TO FUND PROPOSED HIKE IN MINIMUM EPS PENSION

Having announced guaranteed pension of Rs 3,000 per month for 100 million unorganised workers the finance ministry has asked the labour ministry to see if it could fund the proposed hike in minimum pension under the Employee Pension Scheme (EPS) for its subscribers from its own kitty rather than seeking funds from the Centre The move comes in the wake of tremendous pressure being built up on the government to raise minimum pension of EPS subscribers in line with guaranteed pension for the unorganised workers. A high-powered committee on pension had recommended that the government increase the minimum pension to Rs 2,000 from Rs 1,000. The move would have benefitted 4 million subscribers, but would cost the exchequer Rs 3,000 crore over and above the annual outgo of Rs 9,000 crore. “The finance ministry has written to Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) to know what it did to reduce the deficit and whether it could fund the proposed minimum pension hike,” a senior government official told. “The pension kitty cannot fund this increased pension amount and we will communicate the same to finance ministry soon,” the official said, adding that this dillydallying on the part of the Centre has delayed the process. “However, we are optimistic it will come through before the elections,” the official said. The recommendations of the committee will be placed before the sub-committee meeting on Wednesday, following which it will be tabled before the central board of trustees of the EPFO on its next board meeting scheduled for February 21. Under the Employees’ Pension Scheme (EPS), 1995, a minimum pension of Rs 1,000 per month is given to pensioners since 2014. However, beneficiaries entitled to the minimum pension do not have to contribute to this pension kitty. Employees are automatically enrolled into the EPS scheme if they are members of the Employees’ Provident Fund scheme. Twelve percent of the employees’ salary every month goes to the EPF account while 12% of the employer's contribution is divided into 3.67% for EPF, 8.33% for EPS, 0.5% for EDLI and rest for administrative charges. Even the central government contributes 1.16% of the employee’s basic salary plus daily allowance.

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OUR BIOMETRIC INFORMATION NOT SUITABLE FOR FORENSIC USE: UIDAI

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) on Tuesday told the Delhi High Court that it does not collect biometric information suitable for forensic purposes and hence Aadhaar cannot be used for identification of bodies. In an affidavit, the UIDAI submitted it does not collect biometric information such as iris scan and fingerprints, based on technologies, standards or procedures that are suitable for forensic purposes. “Therefore using the biometric data for identification of dead bodies may not be technologically feasible,” it said. Advocate Sahni referred to recent news reports, in which the UIDAI has claimed to have traced over 500 children using Aadhaar biometrics. Aadhaar data cannot be legally utilised in the manner Advocate Sahni is asking it to be used for. It referred to a Supreme Court verdict which ruled that no core biometrics information could be used for any other purpose than that permitted in the Aadhaar Act. The UIDAI added, “The Aadhaar technology only permits biometric authentication which are done on a 1:1 basis for which it is necessary to have the Aadhaar number of the individual.” “Therefore, 1:N search if an unidentified body [with no Aadhaar number, no demographic details, and only partial or latent biometrics], as requested by the petitioner, is beyond the mandate and scope of UIDAI and technologically unfeasible,” it added.

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GOVT ACCUSES AMAZON, FLIPKART OF VIOLATING E-COMM FDI RULES

The government has defended its decision to rework the rules for marketplace model accusing the country’s top e-tailers Flipkart and Amazon of operating “hybrid” marketplaces, which were anchored by inventory-based operations through a network of controlled sellers. This is the first time since the new rules were announced on December 26, there is clarity on how the e-tailers, who were lobbying at all levels in the government, were “circumventing” the previous rules. “Flipkart and Amazon were influencing prices of goods on their platforms through various means, including direct price discounts, covering marketing expenses (marketing campaigns, EMI, exchange offers) and extending concessional logistics services (packaging, courier, returns) wallet cash backs,” a source told. “Both Flipkart and Amazon involved various intermediaries and group entities in the chain to divide these discounts and spread losses, which impact the domestic retail sector.”

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SMALL SELLERS CALLING IT QUITS ON AMAZON

Over a dozen small, fringe sellers have begun exiting or suspending their accounts on Amazon, unable to manage logistics and order deliveries on their own after norms for online marketplaces kicked in on February 1. This move, however, is unlikely to affect the e-commerce giant’s revenue Most of these entities sold products through Amazon-owned Cloudtail and Appario, companies that helped in fulfilling orders and have now stopped operations due to restrictions. In the absence of guidelines and directions from Amazon, the small sellers have started leaving. “There has been no communication and direction to us from Amazon on the matter. It’s practically impossible to sustain logistics and deliveries on our own; the procedures are too tedious,” a New Delhi-based mid-sized apparel seller said. “Amazon remains committed to enable a large number of sellers (400,000+ sellers) on its marketplace to offer the widest selection to our customers,” an Amazon India spokesperson said. “We have introduced several initiatives and services such as Easy Ship and Service Provider Network to ensure a robust marketplace for sellers of all sizes to sell and grow. We continue to work backwards from seller needs and offer services.”

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GOVT REJECTS TRAI'S PROPOSAL OF FREE INTERNET FOR POOR

The government has shot down a proposal to offer free data to the poor with telecom commission (TC), the top decision-making body on telecom matters, refusing to agree to a recommendation to this effect made by regulator Trai. The TC, which is an inter-ministerial body, did not find merit in Trai's proposal in view of the already-low mobile tariffs across the country, and also because of the strong penetration of internet across subscribers. The regulator had suggested giving out 100 MB of free data every month, and had said that the move could be funded by the Universal Service Fund (USOF) that has been created to spread the telecom services in remote areas. Also, Trai had suggested a model where 'data aggregators' could offer the free data through telco-agnostic schemes in a non-discriminatory manner. Aruna Sundararajan, TC chairperson and also the secretary of the telecom ministry, said that the high-powered body did not support the idea of setting up data aggregators The TC also felt that data and voice tariffs in India are currently the lowest in the world, and thus there is "no need to incentivise them further" to push their growth.

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NITI V-C RAJIV KUMAR CALLS ON RBI TO CUT INTEREST RATES TO FIRE UP ECONOMY

India is calling on its central bank to cut interest rates to fire up the economy, after a federal budget announced steps to spur consumption. The Reserve Bank of India will “hopefully” reduce policy rates by a quarter percentage point and switch to a neutral stance, Rajiv Kumar, said. “This is the right time for RBI to think about a rate cut and give investment a boost so that all engines start firing,” said Kumar. “The ball is in the RBI’s court.” The central bank, which last year adopted a calibrated tightening stance after back-to-back rate increases in June and August, has reasons to abandon its hawkish bias: inflation is at an 18-month low, consumer demand is cooling and global risks are mounting. Still, the government’s expansionary budget is bound to pose a challenge for Governor Shaktikanta Das, who’s chairing his first Monetary Policy Committee meeting that began Tuesday. The decision is due to be announced Feb. 7.

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PROPOSAL TO SCRAP SEDITION LAW IS NOT UNDER CONSIDERATION: GOVT TELLS LS

The government informed the Lok Sabha on Tuesday that there is no proposal to scrap the sedition law, under which the maximum punishment is life imprisonment Hansraj Ahir said amendments in criminal laws are a continuous process and are made in consultation with various stakeholders, including the state governments. No such proposal is under consideration of the government, he said, replying to a written question on whether the government is mulling to scrap the colonial-era sedition law.

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GOVT TO MAKE ADDITIONAL BORROWING OF RS 36,000 CRORE IN FY19

The government has decided to raise additional Rs 36,000 crore through dated securities to fund its expenses during the current financial year. As per the calender issued previously, the last tranche for borrowing through government bonds was to complete in the week ending March 8, 2019. However, the government has decided to borrow additional Rs 36,000 crore through two tranches of Rs 18,000 crore each during March 11-15 and March 18-22. To enable institutional and retail investors plan their investments efficiently and provide transparency and stability to the government securities market, an indicative calendar for issuance of government dated securities for the remaining period of the fiscal year 2018-19 (February 4 to March 31) has been prepared in consultation with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), an official statement said.

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MSME UNITS PROVIDED JOBS TO 10 CRORE PEOPLE IN PAST 4 YEARS: GOVT

Giriraj Singh on Tuesday said micro, small and medium enterprises in the country have provided jobs to 10 crore people between 2014-18, terming it a tight slap on people raising a propaganda to defame MSMEs. Singh, observed that between 2014 and 2018, 18 lakh entrepreneurs availed loans under the credit guarantee scheme, as against only 11 lakh entrepreneurs between 2010-14. He also said two lakh entrepreneurs benefited from the Prime Minister's Employment Guarantee Programme between 2014-18 taking the overall number to 20 lakh. According to him, existing MSME units gave employment to a minimum seven crore people while enterprises set up by new entrepreneurs provided jobs to three crore people. How is employment falling when 20 lakh entrepreneurs are standing up. If someone says it is night now I will not agree because I am talking during the day. With full confidence and full evidence I say that a situation to spread confusion is being created in the country, he said. MSMEs have provided jobs to 10 crore people in the past four years. This is not word of mouth but based on a survey. It is a tight slap on the names of people who are raising a propaganda to defame MSMEs. When the GDP is rising, inflation is falling, how can the employment fall, Singh said.

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INCLUSION OF CASTES IN OBC LISTS

Inclusion of castes/communities in the Central List of OBCs is a continuous process. Proposals have been received from various States during the years 2016, 2017 and 2018 for inclusion of castes/communities in the Central List of OBCs. At present, no proposal for inclusion of caste/community from State/UT is pending with the Government. The National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) constituted w.e.f. 15.08.2018 by insertion of new article viz. article 338B in the Constitution, similar to article 338, applicable for National Commission for Scheduled Castes and article 338A applicable for National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, would have the powers and responsibilities that of NCSC for SCs and NCST for STs including power to advice on inclusion in the Central List of OBCs. No such advice received from erstwhile National Commission for Backward Classes is pending with the Government. The Commission to Examine Sub-categorization of Other Backward Classes is mandated to submit its report by 31.05.2019.

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GOVERNMENT EXPECTS 7.5% GDP GROWTH IN FY20

The finance ministry expects economic growth to accelerate to 7.5 per cent in 2019-20 from 7.2 per cent projected for the current fiscal. We are looking at nominal growth of 11.5 per cent (for 2019-20). Our assumption is 7.5 per cent real growth and 4 per cent inflation. We have been reasonable, Subhash Chandra Garg told. The past five years have seen India being universally recognised as a bright spot of the global economy, he said, adding that the country witnessed its best phase of macro-economic stability during this period. We are the fastest growing major economy in the world with an annual average GDP growth during last five years higher than the growth achieved by any government since economic reforms began in 1991, he had said. Elucidating focus of the Budget 2019-20, Garg said it has tried to touch a major portion of population of the country in some way or the other. Second is the conviction of the government that don't give doles but invest in the long-term asset creation with a view to make life of people better. Invest in the real factors, which build the life, which can make things more and more productive. The other distinguishing feature is that there should be fiscal consolidation and no expansionary policy, otherwise, it fuels inflation and crowd out private investment, Garg said.

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MP GOVT MAKES IT COMPULSORY FOR INDUSTRIES TO PROVIDE 70% JOBS TO LOCAL YOUTHS UNDER NEW INDUSTRIAL POLICY

Fulfilling the poll promises, the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh made it mandatory for industries to provide 70% employment to local youth in the state. In a tweet, MP Chief Minister Kamal Nath said Fulfilling our manifesto promise, we have made 70% jobs mandatory for locals across industries facilitated by state government. Mohammad Suleman said that the new industrial policy has been made effective and all industries who seek incentive and advantages from the state must provide 70% jobs to local youth. He said We have not received any proposal turning down incentives provided by the government hence all industries covered under this policy will have to mandatorily follow the rule. The state’s new industrial policy was introduced in December last year.

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E-COMMERCE BUSINESS

As per the Economic Survey 2017-18, the electronic commerce (e-commerce) market in India is estimated at USD 33 billion, with a 19.1 percent growth rate in 2016-17. As per the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) Strategic Review 2018, in the Information Technology and Business Process Management (IT-BPM) sector in India, the Indian e-commerce market was USD 33 billion in 2017-18 and reached USD 38.5 billion, growing at a rate of about 17% in the financial year 2018-19. It has come to the notice of the Government through the complaints lodged by the consumers in the National Consumer Helpline being run by the Department of Consumer Affairs that the consumers have grievances relating to payment, quality and quantity issues, manufacturing defects, non-providing of services, etc relating to e-commerce. The complaints of the consumers are transferred through the system software to the companies concerned for redressal. In cases where consumers are not satisfied with the redressal they are advised to approach a Consumer Forum of appropriate jurisdiction for redressal of their grievances. The consumer fora are empowered to give relief of a specific nature and award, wherever appropriate, compensation to consumers.

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GOVERNMENT COMMITTED TO COMPLETE THE NRC PROCESS WITHIN THE STIPULATED TIME, SAYS UNION HOME MINISTER

Rajnath Singh has said the Government is committed to complete the NRC process within the stipulated time and ensure that neither any Indian national’s name is excluded nor any foreigner’s name included in the Final NRC. He said that the Government led by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has carried forward the NRC process. After signing of the Assam Accord in 1985, he said the Centre and the State Government of Assam have completed the NRC work that remained pending for more than thirty years and took it to the final stage. The Home Minister added that the complete NRC draft was published on July 30, 2018 and thereafter the Claims and Objections process has also been completed by December 31, 2018. Shri Rajnath Singh said that the Home Ministry has made available necessary funds and resources to the State Government so that the NRC work is completed in a time bound and impartial manner. He added that Central Armed Forces in required numbers have been deployed in the State over the last one-and-a-half years to maintain law and order in view of the enormity of the NRC exercise.

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CENTRE HELL BENT ON NOT ALLOWING ASSAM NRC PROCESS TO CONTINUE, SAYS SC

The Supreme Court Tuesday came down heavily on the Centre over the Assam National Register of Citizens (NRC) process and said it is hell bent on not allowing the work to continue The top court rapped Ministry of Home Affairs for its plea seeking to stall the NRC work for two weeks keeping in mind the role of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) in the election duty. Reiterating that July 31 deadline for the completion of NRC exercise will not be extended, a bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said the Centre is not cooperating in the NRC process and it seems the entire effort of the MHA is to destroy the NRC process. The apex court asked the Election Commission to consider exempting certain state officers from election duty to ensure that NRC process continues.

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CASH TRANSFERS TO FARMERS, SHG WOMEN IN ANDHRA'S VOTE-ON-ACCOUNT BUDGET

With assembly elections around the corner, the Andhra Pradesh government on Tuesday presented a vote-on-account budget with an estimated expenditure of Rs 2.26 trillion for the financial year 2019-20, up 18.38 per cent over the revised estimates of the current year. Despite the announcement of new schemes and increased allocations to existing social sector programmes, the government was able to project a revenue surplus -- of Rs 2,099.47 crore in this budget -- for the first time since the bifurcation of the state. The budget estimates include Rs 1.80 trillion in revenue expenditure and Rs 29,596 crore in capital expenditure. Of the total revenue receipts, the state's own tax revenue is pegged at Rs 75,438 crore. In a Rs 60,782-crore bill, 'salaries and pensions' is the major head of account under revenue expenditure. Among the other highlights, the government announced a new scheme for farmers called 'Annadata Sukheebhava (Best wishes to the provider of food to the world)', which is similar to the direct cash transfer scheme launched by the Centre. The scheme has been allocated a sum of Rs 5,000 crore in the budget. The state government also announced cash transfer of Rs 10,000 to each of the nine million self-help group (SHG) women members in three instalments between February-April, with a budgetary provision of Rs 6,400 crore. Presenting the budget to the legislative assembly in Amaravati, finance minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu said the state has made a formidable progress that no one expected five years ago on multiple fronts under the leadership of chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu despite all odds post bifurcation. The state achieved an average growth rate of 10.66 per cent in the last four years and is well ahead of all-India growth in all the three sectors of the economy, according to the minister. The government had more than doubled allocation to social security pensions, to Rs 12,819 crore, in line with the recent announcement of chief minister Naidu that all the social security pensions will be increased to Rs 2,000 per month from the present Rs 1,000 level. The government has also raised the unemployment allowance to jobless youth to Rs 2000 from Rs 1,000. Among the new schemes, the government announced a Rs 1,000 crore scheme for MSMEs, under which Rs 400 crore is earmarked for incentives to new units Rs 100 crore towards the revival of stressed units and the remaining Rs 500 crore for establishment of new MSME industrial parks. Though the state had treaded a path of high revenue deficit in the initial three years with revenue deficit as high as Rs 16,151 crore in 2017-18, the government was able to bring down this revenue gap to Rs 2,494 crore in 2018-19, according to the budget numbers. The revenue and fiscal deficit, which stood at 2.01 per cent and 4.03 per cent respectively in 2017-18, declined to 0.27 per cent and 3.14 per cent in the current year. The finance minister said the projected fiscal deficit of Rs 32,390 crore would be 3.03 percent of the GSDP in year 2019-20. The state government debt rose to Rs 2.24 trillion in the last four years from the level of Rs 1.49 trillion in the year 2014-15.

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CONSUMER DISPUTES REDRESSAL

Enactment of Consumer Protection Act, 1986 has set in motion a veritable consumer movement in the country. Under the Consumer Protection Act, 1986, a three tier quasi-judiciary machinery has been set up at District, State and National levels for better protection of the interests of consumers and to provide simple and speedy redressal of consumer disputes. At present, 647 District Fora, 35 State Commissions and at the apex level National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) are functioning. As on 31.12.2018, a total of 50,89,368 cases have been filed and 46,34,698 cases have been disposed of in all these Consumer Fora since their inception, thereby achieving a disposal rate of over 91%.

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NEW SCIENTIFIC STANDARD OF KG

The prototype of one kilogram (NPK-57) is already available in India and placed at National Physical Laboratory New Delhi as per the provisions made under the Legal Metrology (National Standards) Rules, 2011. There is no such proposal at present before the Government to achieve the new prototype of kilogram through physical constants. The previous definition of kilogram was based on the mass of the international prototype ‘kilogram’ which is an artefact, however, the new definition is based on physical constants of nature. The change is in the definition of kilogram and will not have any practical implications.

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NITI AAYOG TASK FORCE TO FIND LONG-TERM SOLUTION TO SUGAR SECTOR WOES: RAM VILAS PASWAN

The government think-tank Niti Aayog has constituted a task force on the sugar industry to find a long-term solution to the problems faced by the sector, Parliament was informed Tuesday. With a view to find long-term solution for the sugarcane and sugar industry so as to rationalise their dependence on states' assistance while at the same time encourage farm diversification to reduce adverse impact on the water sector, a task force on sugarcane and sugar industry has been constituted he said. Stating that the sugar industry is cyclic in nature, Paswan said every few years of high sugar production are followed by low production periods. In surplus phase, ex-mill price of sugar in the domestic market gets depressed leading to low realisation resulting in accumulation of cane price arrears of farmers, he added. The minister also mentioned that the government has to intervene regularly to boost liquidity of sugar mills for clearing the huge cane arrears. Paswan highlighted that the government has taken many long-term measures such as fixing minimum selling price to help millers and allowing production of ethanol from B-heavy molasses and cane juices. These measures are expected to minimise the support required by the sugar industry from the government, he added.

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GOVERNMENT TO CONDUCT SURVEY TO ASSESS PLIGHT OF FARMERS THIS YEAR

To assess the plight of farmers, the government will conduct a pan-India survey to ascertain their income and indebtedness among other issues for the current crop year (July-June). Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said that the 'Situation Assessment Survey of Agricultural Households' will be conducted during the 77th round of the National Sample Survey in the current calendar year. The survey aims to provide a comprehensive assessment of the situation of agricultural households in the country, including their income, expenditure and indebtedness, he added. The last such survey was conducted for the reference year 2012-13 (crop year). Thereafter, the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) has not conducted any such survey.

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JOBS PLAN IS MISSING LINK IN MODI'S INTERIM BUDGET AMID DRAMA OVER DATA

India’s budget provided plenty of giveaways to farmers and middle-class voters, but was short on detail on one of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s key promises: creating jobs The issue has become a politically sensitive one ahead of elections due by May, with the government accused of deliberately withholding the most recent labor report because of the possible bad news it presents. A local newspaper published leaked details of the report a day before the budget, showing the unemployment rate reached a four-decade high of 6.1 percent in the year to June 2018. Modi swept to power in May 2014 with the biggest electoral mandate in three decades after promising to create 10 million jobs each year. Finance Minister Piyush Goyal said in his budget speech last week that 20 million employment opportunities were added in two years. Yet no official labor survey has been published since 2016, when the unemployment rate was reported at 5 percent. Much of the budget focused on consumer stimulus -- such as the $10.6 billion-plan to pay cash to farmers -- with few specific measures to help boost businesses to create opportunities for about 12 million young people who enter the job market each year. Some jobs will be created said Arun Kumar, referring to the populist programs announced in the budget. However, you need a much bigger push. It’s nothing compared to what’s needed. With more than 90 percent of the labor force employed in the informal economy the government has struggled to produce reliable data to get an accurate read on the level of joblessness in India. For now, the government has rejected the findings of the leaked jobs data, saying they aren’t final. There’s lots of evidence to show jobs have been created in the last four years, Rajiv Kumar, said.

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COMMERCE & INDUSTRY MINISTER RELEASES COMPENDIUM OF CEMENT INDUSTRY

Suresh Prabhu released the compendium on The Cement Industry – India 2018 in New Delhi. The compendium has been prepared by National Council for Cement and Building Materials (NCCBM), in association with cement section of Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). It contains key information about technology development, challenges and opportunities for Indian cement industry along with an exhaustive directory of cement plants in India. The Indian cement industry is the second largest in the world with an installed capacity of 509 million tonnes per annum in 2018 and cement production of 298 million tonnes in 2018 with 143 integrated cement plants, 102 grinding units, 5 clinkerisation units and 62 mini cement plants in the country. Suresh Prabhu emphasized on improving energy efficiency, environmental excellence and quality standards in the Indian cement industry. He observed that cement consumption in India is still around 235 kg per capita against global average of 520 kg per capita, which shows significant potential for the growth of industry.

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COMMERCE MINISTRY MEETS EXPORT PROMOTION COUNCILS TO BOOST EXPORTS

A meeting with export promotion councils and other key exporters was held in New Delhi to discuss various issues being faced by exporters and examine ways by which India’s merchandise exports may reach USD 325 billion by March 2019. India recorded growth of 13.31 per cent in overall exports (Merchandise and Services combined) in 2017-18 over the same period last year. Overall exports stood at USD 498.61 billion in 2017-18 of which USD 303.53 billion was from merchandise exports. After achieving a turnaround from the initial shock and reaching a peak export figure of USD 314.4 billion in 2013-14, India’s exports came under immense pressure again in the post 2013-14 period due to accentuation of the global economic and financial crisis in the second phase when countries like China also got adversely affected. However, since then concerted efforts through improved logistics, trade facilitation, increased digitization to reduce human interface and increase transparency, implementation of GST and capacity building through skilling the Government has been able to arrest the downturn affecting India. As a result, our merchandise exports have been growing since 2016-17 for almost three years and are likely to reach a new peak in 2018-19. In the period April to Dec 2018 in FY2018-19, merchandise exports have grown by about 10% over the same period in the previous financial year.

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1,000 ELECTRIC BUSES BY JULY: DELHI GOVT TO SC

Delhi government on Monday assured the Supreme Court that 3,000 buses would be procured within eight months in a phased manner, including 1,000 electric buses which would be rolled out by July, to augment the public transport system in the capital. As the state government failed to meet the deadline of December 31 to increase the fleet of buses to 10,000, its counsel Wasim Ahmed Qadri requested a bench of Justices Arun Mishra and Deepak Gupta to grant more time to comply with the order. The number of buses running on Delhi roads is only 5,400 against the requirement of 10,000 and the Supreme Court had last year fixed a deadline of December 31, 2018 to increase the fleet of buses. There are 1,275 low-floor AC buses, 2,506 low-floor non-AC buses, 101 green standard-floor non-AC buses and 1,672 orange-coloured standard low-floor buses. Quadri told the Supreme Court bench that it was not possible to purchase a large number of buses in a short time as it was also difficult for the automobile company to manufacture them on short notice. He added that the government is taking all steps to augment the fleet of buses and it would be done in a phased manner. The government said 1,000 buses would be rolled out in May in the first phase and in second phase another 1,000 buses would be inducted in September. In an affidavit filed in the apex court, the Delhi government said 1,000 electric buses would be rolled out in July. The bench, after a brief hearing, allowed the plea of Delhi government and extended the time for procurement of buses. “Hopefully we will have electric buses this year,” the bench said.

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DOT TO SEEK TRAI VIEW ON ALLOCATING SPECTRUM TO RAILWAYS WITHOUT AUCTION

The Digital Communications Commission on Tuesday directed the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to seek views from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) on the allocation of 700 MHz premium spectrum worth Rs 65,000 crore to the Railways for signalling purposes without auction "Indian Railways has asked for 10 MHz of spectrum in 700 MHz band for setting up public safety and security service. The Digital Communications Commission has decided that the DoT should take views of Trai in the matter," Telecom Secretary Aruna Sundararajan told. The radio waves in 700 MHz band are considered a premium for long-distance mobile communications as they require less number of mobile towers to provide services compared to 3G and 4G services. Trai has recommended base price of Rs 6,568 crore per megahertz of radiowaves in 700 MHz band, implying the total value of airwaves at Rs 65,680 crore at the reserve price. The frequency band is earmarked for mobile services and allocating it to Indian Railways for non-commercial use may adversely impact levies like adjusted gross revenue, spectrum usage charges and licence fee. Besides, the DCC, formerly Telecom Commission, in its meeting also decided to allow Telecommunications Consultants India Limited (TCIL), the government's engineering and consultancy firm, to raise funds by diluting 25 per cent stake. “The DCC decision is in line with that of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs to disinvest 25 per cent in the company. TCIL had requested to carry on piggyback transactions of 10 per cent, which the DCC approved. TCIL has been allowed to retain funds raised from 10 per cent stake sale for working capital and the money raised from the sale of the rest 15 per cent will go to the government," Sundararajan said. In a move to boost the setting up of VSAT-based network, the DCC reduced entry fee on VSAT to Rs 15 lakh from Rs 30 lakh, and waived a fee of Rs 16 lakh that organisations required to pay for each VSAT hub thereafter.

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PAY FLYING ALLOWANCES BY FEB 10 OR WE WON’T FOLLOW CHANGES IN DUTY ROSTER: AI PILOT UNIONS

Pilot unions of Air India have written to the company asking that their flying allowances be paid by February 10 otherwise they will not accept any changes in the duty roster, which has already been issued for February. Flying allowance is paid to a pilot on the basis of the number of flight hours he or she has clocked in the month. “If flying allowance is not paid by 10th of February 2019, we will not take any changes in roster and will maintain CMS (crew management roster) printed roster already issued for the month of February,” stated a letter written on February 3 by the Indian Commercial Pilots’ Association (ICPA) and Indian Pilots’ Guild (IPG). According to airline sources, the monthly duty roster has to be changed at last minute if a flight crew member does not show up because of various reasons such as health issues. In such an eventuality, an employee on standby mode has to be called in as a replacement, the sources added. The ICPA represents the pilots who fly the narrow-body aircraft of Air India whereas IPG is the union of pilots who fly wide-body aircraft of the national carrier. “Over the past one year, the delay in salary and flying allowance has mounted our financial instability and we are unable to cope with the financial stress,” the February 3 letter of the two unions stated. The Air India had failed to pay to its over 20,000 employees on time for most of the months last year. Like other public sector enterprises, the airline is supposed to pay the salaries on the last day of the month. The government will provide a total of Rs 3,900 crore for servicing Air India’s loans transferred to a special purpose vehicle, according to Budget documents released on February 1.

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GET READY TO PAY UP TO 25% MORE FOR FLYING IN AND OUT OF MUMBAI

Flying in and out of Mumbai on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays till March 30, 2019, is going to cost anywhere up to 25% more than regular fares The Mumbai airport will see no flight movement between 11am and 5am on these days till March-end, except March 21, (Thursday, when it will operate full day) due to runway repairs. The six-hour closure means reduced flights on the affected days, due to which fares have spiked for those days, said. "We are witnessing a sharp fare hike on days when a reduced number of flights will operate due to runway closure at Mumbai airport," Dhall said. John Nair, said: "The Mumbai airport closure has led to a spike in airfares. Mumbai is the busiest (single runway) airport and any curtailment of flights have a big impact on airfares. We see a 15% to 20% hike in airfares. This (hike percentage) will go up as corporate travel is usually last-minute and it will lead to increased demand in the face of limited inventory."

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DUTIES ON KEY MOBILE HANDSET PARTS REMOVED FROM FEBRUARY 1

The government withdrew a notification levying duties on key mobile handset components such as LCD displays, touch panels and vibrator motors from February 1. People familiar with the matter said this could be the first step toward deferring the levy by a year — to April 1, 2020 — giving relief to handset makers such as Samsung. It will give them more time to get in place an ecosystem for locally manufacturing such components, they said. Samsung and other handset manufacturers had said a February 1 deadline would increase the cost of locally made mobile phones, making it cheaper to import them, putting about 100 plants already set up for assembly out of work. The likes of Apple will also be relieved as the levies would have made devices dearer at a time the Cupertino-based company struggles to push sales in the price-sensitive Indian market, also the world’s fastest-growing one, experts said. “It is prudent not to impose duty at this moment. This is specifically so because there is serious stress in the industry and it won't be able to absorb any additional cost,” said Pankaj Mohindroo.

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400,000 BID FOR FUEL PUMPS; INVESTMENT OF RS 90,000 CRORE EXPECTED

To hold on to their market monopoly against the aggressive expansion of private fuel retailers like Nayara Energy and Reliance Industries, state-run oil marketing companies (OMCs) are set to more than double their retail outlets in the next three years. This is likely to see an investment of about Rs 80,000-90,000 crore in the sector. The three OMCs — Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL) — have got bids for 95 per cent of the 78,493 sites they had offered late last year for new retail outlets. The three companies put together got over 400,000 bids for the areas on offer. “All the three companies are getting enthusiastic response from across the country. We have received offers for over 95 per cent of the locations on offer. IOC is likely to roll out over 37,000 new outlets under this auction, while rest will be shared by other companies,” confirmed Gurmeet Singh, director (marketing), IOC. Bidders have shown interest in 74,608 locations, while 3,885 sites did not get bids. Singh added the winners of the current round of bidding will be finalised by March 31. Based on the December data available with the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, India has 64,050 retail outlets now - of which 27,459 belong to IOC, 15,357 to HPCL and 14,651 to BPCL. The remaining outlets are shared between private players like Nayara (5,033), Reliance Industries (1,400), Shell (144) and six by other small players. Last year, Nayara Energy (erstwhile Essar) has added over 1,500 outlets, going for an expansion against OMCs that have market monopoly. On the other hand, the three OMCs together added close to 900 fuel pumps in 2018-19.

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STEPS TAKEN BY GOVERNMENT FOR CONSERVATION AND PROMOTION OF MEDICINAL PLANTS

As per information of the Botanical Survey of India (BSI), an organization under Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change estimated more than 8,000 species of medicinal plants are found in India The National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB), Ministry of AYUSH is presently implementing following schemes to encourage farming / cultivation, conservation, processing and promotion of medicinal plants throughout the country:

·       Centrally Sponsored Scheme of National AYUSH Mission (NAM). Under ‘Medicinal Plants’ component of the NAM scheme the large scale farming / cultivation of medicinal plants is being supported. As per the scheme guidelines, the support is provided for:

1.     Cultivation of prioritized medicinal plants on farmer’s land.

2.   Establishment of nurseries for supply of quality planting material.

3.   Post-harvest management.

4.   Primary processing, marketing infrastructure etc.

5.    For cultivation, the support is provided as subsidy to farmers @ 30%, 50% and 75% based on cost of cultivation.

·       Central Sector Scheme on Conservation, Development and Sustainable Management of Medicinal Plants. Under the scheme, the project based support is provided for following activities:

1.     In-situ conservation through development of Medicinal Plants Conservation and Development Areas (MPCDAs).

2.   In-situ/Ex-situ resource augmentation.

3.   Ex-situ conservation through establishment of herbal gardens.

4.   Livelihood linkages with Joint Forest Management Committees (JFMCs) / Panchayats / Van Panchayats / Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) / Self Help Groups (SHGs).

5.    IEC activities like Training / workshops / Seminars/ Conferences etc.

6.   Research & Development.

7.    Promotion of marketing and trade of medicinal plants produce.

8.   Voluntary Certification Scheme for Medicinal Plants Produce (VCSMPP). The scheme is aimed to encourage Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) and Good Field Collection Practices (GFCPs) in medicinal plants and enhance quality and safety of their produce.

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INCREASE IN SOWING AREA OF OILSEEDS

As per the fourth advance estimates 2017-18, the area under oilseeds in the country decreased to 246.45 lakh hectares as compared to 261.77 lakh hectares in 2016-17. To increase productivity and production of oilseeds, Government of India is implementing National Mission on Oilseeds and Oil Palm (NMOOP) a Centrally Sponsored Scheme since 2014-15. NMOOP scheme is implemented on sharing of expenditure between Central and State Government in the ratio of 60:40 for general category of states, and 90:10 for North Eastern and Himalayan states. The NMOOP scheme has been subsumed under National Food Security Mission (NFSM) with effect from 2018-19, and interventions of NMOOP are taken as sub-components of NFSM. Modern technologies like improved varieties, ridge-furrow methods of planting, effective water management, application of bio-fertilizers, inter cropping with cereals/pulses, eco-friendly plant protection measures etc. are promoted through cluster demonstrations In addition, Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) of oilseeds have been increased over the years to encourage farmers to grow more oilseeds.

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AGRO METEOROLOGICAL ADVISORIES

5.13 crore farmers are receiving agro meteorological advisories through m-kisan portal (https://m-kisan.gov.in). 25 centres of All India Coordinated Research Project on Agrometeorology (AICRPAM) located in State Agriculture Universities, distributed across the country have made efforts to issue Agromet advisories through Radio, TV, Newspapers etc. in local languages. Agromet bulletins to Line Departments of various state Governments are also distributed by the AICRPAM. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and India Meteorological Department (IMD) have jointly planned to augment the Agromet Advisory System (AAS) network to sub-district (block) level. Under this plan, 200 Krishi Vigyan Kendras including the 110 Aspirational districts have been identified for setting up of District Agro-Met Units (DAMUs) to provide Agromet services to farmers. The initial fund of Rs. 2.4 cr. (@ Rs.1.2 lakh per unit) has been sanctioned for establishing the required facilities to start the advisory services. Further, several awareness campaigns have been undertaken to encourage farmers to register themselves on m-kisan portal and receive crop and weather specific advisories. Many farmers have been registered through Kisan Call Centre also. Farmers can call and get themselves registered for receiving crop advisories. Extension workers have also played an important role in increasing the registration of farmers. They explain the process of registration and benefits of getting registered to the farmers thereby helping farmers to receive crop and weather based advisories. Expenditure of Rs.26,31,73,386/- has been incurred during the last three years i.e. 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18, on sending advisories through SMS to farmers registered on m-kisan portal.

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CATEGORISATION OF FARMERS

The operational holdings are also classified in three social groups viz., Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Others. To improve production/productivity of various agricultural crops, the Government is promoting adoption of modern technologies and practices like multiple cropping, intercropping and integrated farming systems etc. In the India Rural Development Report 2012-13 prepared by the IDFC Rural Development Network, it has been observed that Small farms are more efficient, especially in cultivating labour-intensive crops or tending livestock, but land holdings are too small to generate sufficient household income. With a view to improve the condition of Small and Marginal farmers and to double the income of farmers by 2022, Government is realigning its interventions from production-centric approach to farmers' income-centric initiatives, with focus on better and new technological solutions.

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GUJARAT: 70,000 PRIVATE JOBS ON OFFER, ONLY 50% ENROLL FOR GOVT’S PLACEMENT CAMP

Even as the state government boasts of organising the first ever 15-day mega-placement camp across the state, less than 50 per cent of the final year students have registered for getting the private jobs. Out of the 1.25 lakh students from 514 colleges — government, grant-in-aid, technical and non-technical — who will graduate in June this year, only 60,000 have registered for the jobs with the state Education Department. The department was expecting at least 1 lakh registrations. Baffled by the lack of interest among students to sit for placements arranged by the state government, the Education Department is set to conduct a survey to ascertain why the students did not apply for jobs through the placement camps. The department will conduct a feedback and survey from students and faculty members on reasons why all students did not enrol for the placement camps. The mega-placement camps, divided among six zones and totalling 23, have been scheduled from January 28 till February 13. Monday was the first day of camps organised at Vadodara, Bharuch, while it was third day of camps in Surat and Himmatnagar.

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CAPACITY BUILDING FOR DEVELOPING TRAUMA CARE FACILITIES ON NATIONAL HIGHWAYS

Under the scheme ‘Assistance for Capacity Building for developing Trauma Care Facilities in Government Hospitals on National Highways’, 116 Trauma Care Facilities (TCFs) have been identified and funded in 17 states along the Golden Quadrilateral highway as well as North-South & East-west Corridors during the 11 Five year plan (FYP). During 12th FYP, under the scheme ‘Capacity Building for developing Trauma Care Facilities in Government Hospitals on National Highways’, 85 TCFs have been identified and approved. As per available information, 3% decrease in deaths due to road accidents has been reported from 1,50,785 deaths in 2016 to 1,47,913 in 2017. With establishment of more TCF’s, further reduction in preventable due to road accidents could be achieved. State Governments were asked to prepare State Action Plan for establishing more Trauma Care Facilities. Some of the State Governments have identified the locations and included such locations in their State Action Plan.

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BENEFICIARIES OF SCHEMES OPERATED BY NATIONAL MINORITIES DEVELOPMENT AND FINANCE CORPORATION

National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation (NMDFC) is concerned, its schemes are being implemented for the socio-economic development of the ‘backward sections’ amongst the notified minorities through the State Channelising Agencies (SCAs) nominated by the respective State Governments/UT Administration. For availing assistance under NMDFC schemes, the annual family income eligibility criterion under Credit Line-1 is Rs.98,000 for rural areas & Rs.1.20 lacs for urban areas. Higher annual family income eligibility criterion of upto Rs.6.00 lacs has also been introduced as Credit Line-2, for increasing coverage of beneficiaries under NMDFC schemes. So far, NMDFC has been able to extend credit to over 15.25 lacs house holds (as on 28.01.2019) under its financing program. As per the utilization details furnished by the State Channelizing Agencies (SCAs), Muslim constitute 78.13%, Christian 19.00%, Sikh 2.23%, Buddhist 0.43% and Jains 0.21% of the total beneficiaries financed under the schemes of NMDFC.

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DEVELOPMENT OF BORDER VILLAGES

Government of India is implementing the Border Area Development Programme (BADP) through the State Governments, in 396 border blocks of 111 border districts in 17 States as a major intervention to meet the developmental needs and well being of the people living near the international border. The Programme was a 100% centrally sponsored gap filling programme till 2015-16. However, from 2016-17, on the recommendations of the Sub-Group of Chief Ministers, it has been classified as a Core Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) and is now part of the National Development Agenda. The funding pattern of BADP (like other Core CSSs), in respect of 8 North Eastern States (viz. Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura) & 3 Himalayan States (viz. Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand) is in the ratio 90:10 (Centre Share : State Share) and in respect of 6 other States (viz. Bihar, Gujarat, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal) is in the ratio 60:40. The new funding pattern has been implemented from the financial year 2016-17.

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RISE IN PRICES OF ETHANOL

For ethanol supply year 2018-19 (December- November) Government has increased the ex-mill price of ethanol derived from C-heavy molasses to Rs. 43.46 per litre from Rs.40.85 per litre being paid for ethanol supply year 2017-18. For the first time, Government has also fixed the ex-mill price of ethanol derived from B-heavy molasses/partial sugarcane juice at Rs.52.43 per litre and from 100% sugarcane juice at Rs. 59.19 per litre for ethanol supply year 2018-19. Government is extending soft loans of Rs. 6139 crore through banks to the sugar mills for setting up new distilleries and installation of incineration boilers to augment ethanol production capacity for which Government will bear interest subvention of Rs. 1332 crore. Further, Government has also created a buffer stock of 30 LMT to be maintained by sugar mills w.e.f. 01.07.2018 to 30.06.2019 for which Government will reimburse carrying cost in terms of interest, insurance & storage charges of about Rs. 1175 crore towards maintenance of buffer stock.

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FUNCTIONING OF NCDRC

The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) is functioning well as can be seen from the number of cases filed, which, since inception is 126369, out of which 106570 has been disposed The NCDRC has been safe guarding the interests and rights of the consumers. Complaints where the value of goods or services & compensation claimed is beyond Rs. 1 crore are filed before the NCDRC. It also hears appeals against orders of the State Commissions.

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TARGETS FOR TB ELIMINATION

For the year 2018 the following has been achieved:

·       In 2018 year, 5, 36,752 TB patients have been notified from private sector. There has been 40% increase in TB notification from private sector as compared to 2017.

·       44,517 (8%) TB patients were given anti-TB drugs from the programme.

·       As per State reports till 25.01.2019, 40% notified TB patients, 35% treatment supporters and 8% private practitioners have been paid incentives through DBT.

The shortfall in stated targets, reasons thereof and strategies are as follows:

·       A massive partnership with the private sector has been initiated as Joint Effort for Elimination of Tuberculosis (JEET) for the elimination of TB by 2025, five years ahead of the global schedule Though the MoU was signed in March 2018, the project was launched in May 2018 and has picked up from October 2018.

·       To increase in notification from private sector, public private support agency approach has been initiated in 85 districts from May 2018 onwards; Indian Medial Association has been engaged for large scale sensitization and advocacy with private practitioners with standardised digital material.

·       States have been supplied anti-TB drugs to covering TB patients notified from private sector based on demand.

·       States have been guided to keep programme provided anti-TB drugs at private practitioner’s clinic or pharmacy

·       Invalid or dormant bank accounts or holding of account in a branch which is yet to be integrated with PFMS (Public Finance Management System) are a few challenges being faced in scheme implementation.

·       To overcome these issues and to ensure that beneficiaries of the schemes are not denied of DBT benefit, flexibility of providing the benefit through existing bank account of a blood relative has been given. States have also been advised to facilitate opening of zero balance accounts for TB patients, if necessary, under the PradhanMantri Jan DhanYojana (PMJDY) and Indian Postal Bank.

·       The Government is committed to achieve the target of TB elimination by 2025 and not considering any revision in targets.

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HIV AWARENESS

The Government implements 360 degree multimedia campaigns along with mass media supported by outdoor media such as hoardings, bus panels, information kiosks, folk performances and exhibition vans to create awareness on HIV/AIDS and promoting services/facilities across the country. At the inter-personal level, training and sensitization programmes for Self-Help Groups, Anganwadi workers, ASHA, members of Panchayati Raj Institutions and other key stakeholders are also being organised to spread awareness about treatment and other facilities. In addition, awareness activities are conducted amongst High Risk Groups. The Government of India has enacted the HIV & AIDS (Prevention and Control) Act, 2017. The Act addresses discrimination against People Living with HIV (PLHIV) at workplace, education setting, health setting and public places. The Act also provides a robust grievance redressal mechanism where compliant against discrimination would be disposed by Ombudsman at the state level. The steps taken by Government to track the patients through HIV diagnosis to care and treatment include adoption of Test and Treat policy under which all patients diagnosed with HIV are put on Anti Retro Viral Treatment irrespective of their CD4 Count; Launch of Mission Sampark to reach out to all the lost to follow patients living with HIV and linking them back as much as possible to Anti Retro Viral Treatment. In addition, there is software to maintain the details of the patients to enable them on regular treatment. Also, counsellors ensure tracking of HIV positive patients through telephone and home visits in the case of those who drop out between diagnosis and treatment to maintain their adherence to treatment.

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HARYANA GOVERNMENT TO DOUBLE MONTHLY HONORARIUM OF LAMBARDARS TO RS 3,000

The Haryana government on Monday decided to double the monthly honorarium given to ‘Lambardars’ (tax collectors) from Rs 1,500 to Rs 3,000. The state cabinet, which met under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, approved the proposal of enhancement of the honorarium of tax collectors in the villages, according to an official release. The cabinet also approved the proposal of providing mobile phones to them, it stated. In another decision, the cabinet approved the policy for allotment of government land for social/religious/charitable/community purposes to the charitable trusts/private institutions. The policy has been framed to provide land of any government department for social, religious, charitable trusts or institutions for the construction of worship places, dharamshalas and community centres. At present, 5,500 SPOs are already working in the state police on monthly remuneration of Rs 14,000. The decision to enhance their honorarium will put a burden of Rs 21.60 crore on state exchequer. Meanwhile, the budget session of Haryana Vidhan Sabha will commence on February 20.

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IMPLEMENTATION OF PMJAY

Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) is being implemented through the State Governments/UTs. The State Governments have been given flexibility to implement PMJAY either through insurance companies, or directly through trust/society, or in a mixed mode. The payments for treatmentis done on pre-defined package rate basis. Keeping in view the State specific requirements, States/UTs have the flexibility to modify these rates within a limited bandwidth. Grievances can be registered on the portal or through the National Call Centre 14555 or through mail, letter, fax etc., which are acknowledged, recorded, escalated & resolved as per well-defined process through a three tier grievance redressal structure. Further, a multi-prong approach has been adopted by putting in place a fraud control mechanism.

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SENSITISATION REGARDING MENTAL ILLNESS

To address the burden of mental disorders, the Government of India is implementing the National Mental Health Programme (NMHP) since 1982. Under this Programme, the Government is supporting implementation of the District Mental Health Programme (DMHP) in 517 districts of the country for detection, management and treatment of mental disorders/ illness. At the district level, funds are provided to each district under the DMHP for sensitization training of Community Health Workers and elected representatives of community at District Hospital/ Community Health Centre for awareness generation regarding early signs and community health seeking behavior for mental illness. Further, the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017 provides that the appropriate Government shall take all measures to ensure that the Government Officials including police officers and other officers of the Government are given periodic sensitization and awareness training. Health being a State subject, it is the responsibility of the respective State Government to establish health facilities and hospitals in the State. However, as per available information there are 40 State run mental health Institutions in the country. Besides, three Central Mental Health Institutions viz. National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Bangalore, Lokopriya Gopinath Bordoloi Regional Institute of Mental Health, Tezpur and Central Institute of Psychiatry, Ranchi have been strengthened for augmenting the human resources in the areas of mental health and to provide quality mental health services in the country. Further, with a view to increase the number of qualified mental health professionals in the country, the Government, under the NMHP, is implementing manpower development schemes for establishment of Centres of Excellence and strengthening/ establishment of Post Graduate (PG) Departments in mental health specialties. Till date, financial support has been provided for establishment of 25 Centres of Excellence and strengthening/ establishment of 47 Post Graduate (PG) Departments in mental health specialties in the country. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare regularly reviews and monitors the functioning of the three Central Mental Health Institutions and the Institutions supported under manpower development schemes of NMHP.

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TUBERCULOSIS ERADICATION

RNTCP is aware of the study. As per the study, modelling was done and forecasted the percentage of MDR tuberculosis among incident cases of tuberculosis to increase, reaching 12·4% (95% prediction interval 9·4–16·2) in India by 2040. However, based on data from the National Drug Resistance Survey 2015-16, among all TB, MDR-TB is 6.2% which is in line with global average. The Government has taken up many certain steps in order to tackle the problem of TB by 2025:

-Early diagnosis of all the TB patients, prompt treatment with quality assured daily treatment regimen along with suitable patient support systems to promote adherence to prevent the development of drug resistance among any patient. To identify the drug resistance at early stage, all TB patient are being screened for detection of resistance under Universal Drug Susceptible Testing (U-DST).

- Revised guidelines for Programmatic Management of Drug Resistant TB (PMDT) are being implemented since December 2017

-Increase in diagnostic and management capacity for early detection and consequent earlier initiation of treatment. This will aid in decreasing mortality and cutting down transmission of the infection.

The country has 1180 functional CBNAAT sites, 89 Culture and Drug Susceptibility Testing (C-DST) laboratories certified in various technologies for drug resistance-TB detection. Newer evidence-based regimens have been introduced to improve the treatment outcomes of drug resistance TB patients. The Shorter MDR Regimen for MDR/RR TB patients (9-11 months of regimen instead of 24 months of conventional regimen)

Newer drugs (Bedaquiline) containing regimen has also been introduced country-wide under the program and made accessible to all districts during 2018. Newer drugs (Delamanid) containing regimen has been introduced in 7 states

- Various interventions like Integrated mechanism for management of Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs), provision of patients & family counselling at the time of diagnosis and during the course of treatment, airborne infection control as well as grievance redressal mechanism have been introduced to improve patient compliance.

- The Nikshay Poshan Yojana provides 500 INR monthly to all TB notified TB patients in order to provide nutritional support and aid in the treatment of TB.

- Private sector engagement is being promoted to reach out to all patients who are seeking treatment in the private sector and efforts are being made to provide them all diagnostic, treatment and care facilities, including public health action such as counselling, nutritional support, contact tracing etc.

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RASHTRIYA VAYOSHRI YOJANA

The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has introduced a scheme for providing physical aids and Assisted Living Devices for Senior Citizens belonging to BPL category named Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana (RVY) on 1st April, 2017 with the objective of providing Senior Citizens, belonging to BPL category and suffering from age related disabilities/ infirmities, with such physical aids and assisted living devices which can restore near normalcy in their bodily functions. Under the Scheme, assisted living devices such as Walking Sticks, Elbow Crutches, Walkers/ Crutches, Tripods/ Quadpods, Hearing Aids, Wheelchairs, Artificial Dentures and Spectacles are provided free of cost to the beneficiary senior citizens. The Scheme is being implemented through the Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation (ALIMCO), a Public Sector Undertaking under the Ministry of SJ&E, as the sole Implementing Agency. The devices are distributed in the camp mode. The beneficiaries are identified through Assessment Camps organised in collaboration with the respective State Government/District Administration and the devices are distributed in Distribution Camps organised in the selected districts. For the senior citizens aged 80 years or more, the devices are provided at their doorsteps. At present, a total of 325 Districts have been selected for the implementation of Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana. The assessment camps to identify the beneficiaries have been completed in 135 districts of which as on 25.01.2019, 77 distribution camps have been organised benefitting 70939 senior citizens belonging to BPL Category.

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DATA ON LTVS

As per the existing guidelines Long Term Visas (LTVs) are granted to specific categories of nationals of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. As per available information, figure of LTVs granted by Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to Pakistan and Bangladesh nationals are available since 2011 and during the years 2011 to 2018, a total of 36610 and 236 LTVs have been granted to Pakistan and Bangladesh nationals respectively. Policy regarding grant of LTV to Afghan nationals has come into effect w.e.f. 17.07.2017 and till date no LTV has been granted in respect of Afghan nationals.

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LYNCHING INCIDENTS DUE TO COW SLAUGHTER

State Governments have enacted legislations on the subject and some State Governments allow slaughter of cow with varying conditions ‘Police’ and ‘Public Order’ are State subjects under the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India and State Governments are responsible for prevention, detection, registration and investigation of crime and for prosecuting the criminals through their law enforcement agencies. State Governments are also competent to enact legislation in this behalf. The Ministry of Home Affairs have issued advisories to States and UTs from time to time, to maintain law and order and ensure that any person who takes law into his/her own hand is punished promptly as per law. The Ministry of Home Affairs have issued an advisory on 09.08.2016 to all States/UTs for taking prompt and strict action against miscreants who take law into their own hands in the name of protection of cow. Further, advisories dated 23.07.2018 and 25.09.2018 were issued to the State Governments/UTs Administration in pursuance to the Hon’ble Supreme Court’s Judgement dated 17.07.2018 in Writ Petition (Civil) No. 754/2016, incorporating the key directions of the Hon’ble Supreme Court for taking measures by States/UTs to curb incidents of mob lynching in the country. Government through audio-visual media has generated public awareness to curb the menace of mob lynching.

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SENTINELESE TRIBE

The Government has promulgated various laws/regulations from time to time to ensure that the rights and well being of the Sentinelese are safeguarded. These are being strictly implemented and enforced by the UT Administration. These Laws/Regulation include

i) A &N Islands (PAT) Regulation 1956,

ii) Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989,

iii) Restrictions under Foreigner (Restricted Area) Orders, 1963,

iv) Visa Manual Conditions/Passport Act 1920, and v) Indian Forest Act, 1927 and Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

Besides, some major steps taken to ensure the protection of Sentinelese are

·       The entire North Sentinel Island along with 5 km coastal sea from high water mark is notified as tribal reserve.

·       The Sentinelese are still in isolation practicing primordial hunting and gathering way of life. The Government respects their way of life style, therefore, has adopted an ‘eyes-on and hands-off’ practice to protect and safeguard the Sentinelese tribe.

·       A protocol of circumnavigation of the North Sentinel Island has been notified. The ships and aircrafts of Coast Guard and boats of Marine Police make sorties around North Sentinel to keep surveillance.

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VACANCIES IN CAPF

Vacancies in CAPFs and AR arise due to retirement, resignation, death, new raisings/ creation of new posts etc. The vacancies are filled up by various modes viz. Direct Recruitment, promotion and by deputation as per the extant provisions of Recruitment Rules. For the recruitment year 2018, notification for recruitment of 54,953 posts for Constable (General Duty) has been issued by Staff Selection Commission (SSC) and Computer based written examination is scheduled to be held with effect from 11.02.2019 to 11.03.2019. Further, an indent of 1073 vacancies in respect of Sub-Inspector (GD) has also been reported to SSC for the year 2018. The examination is scheduled to be conducted with effect from 12.03.2019 to 16.03.2019. Also an indent of 466 vacancies in respect of Assistant Commandant (GD) has been placed on UPSC and the written examination has already been conducted.

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SAFE CITY PROJECT

Empowered Committee of Officers for Nirbhaya funds scheme has approved pilot Safe City projects in eight selected metropolitan cities namely, Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Lucknow with a view to provide safety to women in public places at a total cost of Rs. 2919.55 crore. Out of these, funds have been released to States for five projects. The cost of the projects is shared between the Central Government and the concerned States in 60:40 ratio. The Safe City Project in Delhi is fully funded by the Central Government. The criteria for selection of next batch of cities for the project have not been decided.

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AMENDMENT OF WAQF PROPERTIES' LEASE RULES, 2014

In order to comprehensively review the implementation, assess the impact on the ground and to examine the challenges faced in the implementation of Waqf Properties Lease Rules (WPLRs), 2014 (notified on 5.6.2014 and modified on 26.8.2015), a Committee headed by Justice (Retd) Zaki Ullah Khan, of Allahabad High Court was constituted by the Ministry of Minority Affairs on 7th March, 2018. As per Waqf Management System of India (WAMSI) on line portal, 5,76,457 waqf properties are registered with Waqf Boards. As per information received from Central Waqf Council, 24,831 cases pertaining to waqf properties are pending in different courts. Justice Zaki Ullah Khan Committee, in its report submitted on 17.1.2019, has made several recommendations which inter-alia include enhancement of competitive bids limit for lease of waqf property from Rs.1000/- to Rs.3000 per month; reduction in reserve price per square feet for lease of waqf property from 2% per annum to 1% per annum for hospitals, educational institutions and social sectors and from 2.5% per annum to 1.5% per annum for commercial activities; reduction in security deposit payable on tenancy periods; increase in lease tenure period in case of shops from 5 years to 10 years and so on.

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INDIA BECOMES WORLD'S 2ND LARGEST LPG CONSUMER AFTER GOVT'S UJJAWLA PUSH

The government's push to provide clean cooking fuel to every household has turned India into the world's second largest LPG consumer whose demand is projected to rise 34 per cent by 2025, Oil Secretary M M Kutty said Tuesday. He said active LPG consumers have grown at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15 per cent - from 14.8 crore in 2014-15 to 22.4 crore in 2017-18. Rapid increase in population combined with LPG penetration in rural areas has resulted in an average growth of 8.4 per cent in LPG consumption, making India the second largest consumer of LPG in the world at 22.5 million tonnes. As per (oil) ministry's projections and forecasts, LPG consumption is expected to grow to 30.3 million tonnes by 2025 and 40.6 million tonnes by 2040, he said. The government, he said, has taken a number of initiatives to promote usage of LPG across the country especially in rural households which otherwise depend on traditional fuels that are hazardous to health and polluting in nature. Under Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) of providing free cooking gas (LPG) connection to poor, over 6.31 crore connections have been provided since the launch of the scheme on May 1, 2016. Before March 31, 2020, we will provide LPG connections to 8 crore households under PMUY, he said, adding that LPG connection is issued in the name of the women member of the household. Dharmendra Pradhan said the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana was launched in May 2016 with the objective of providing free LPG connections to 5 crore women belonging to poor households over a period of three years. With the successful implementation of this programme, this scheme has been revised to target 8 crore LPG connections by the financial year 2020. With the revised targets, the scheme now covers all the vulnerable and disadvantaged sections of the society having no LPG connections, he said. With estimated imports of above 12 million metric tonnes in the financial year 2018-19, India stands as world's second largest importer of LPG, after China. The country's LPG imports have registered remarkable trend in the last five years, growing at a healthy CAGR of 12.5 per cent, surpassing import volumes of Japan in the financial year 2017, he said.

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NTPC MAY CUT POWER TO 3 SOUTHERN STATES OVER NON-PAYMENT; UP NEXT IN LIST

Due to non-payment and outstanding dues for more than two months NTPC Ltd has issued notices to Telangana, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh for 'regulating power supply' from February 9 onwards. NTPC currently has total outstanding dues of Rs 7,859 crore from all states across the country. Of this, J&K, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh are biggest laggards, said executives. The three southern states have not paid their bills for over two months now. The total outstanding from these states is Rs 4,890 crore. NTPC, while issuing notice to these state, said it will regulate power to these states from February 9 onwards. The initial regulation would for three months or till the clearing of the dues, said the notice. During H1FY19, several power distribution companies have gone back in red, even after implementing the reform scheme for — UDAY. Telangana had loss to the tune of Rs 8,904 crore, Karnataka Rs 804 crore. Uttar Pradesh had the highest losses — Rs 30,943 crore. The total outstanding of UP stands at Rs 6,127 crore, as per the PRAAPTI data portal of ministry of power. There are worse states — Rajasthan with Rs 2404 crore, Punjab with Rs 1,041 crore due over 500 days.

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JOINT STATEMENT FOLLOWING THE RESULTS OF THE 1ST INDIA-RUSSIA STRATEGIC ECONOMIC DIALOGUE

Following is the full text of Joint Statement following the results of the 1st India-Russia Strategic Economic Dialogue held in St. Petersburg on November 25-26, 2018, chaired by Mr. Maxim Oreshkin, Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, and Dr. Rajiv Kumar, Vice-Chairman, National Institution for Transforming India NITI Aayog -

1. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between National Institution for Transforming India and the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation during the 19th edition of the Annual India-Russia Bilateral Summit, which was held on October 5, 2018, in New Delhi. Under the agreements stipulated in MoU, the first India-Russia Strategic Economic Dialogue (IRSED) was held in St. Petersburg on November 25-26, 2018, chaired by Mr. Maxim Oreshkin, Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, and Dr. Rajiv Kumar, Vice-Chairman, National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog).

2. The meeting of the First India-Russia Strategic Economic Dialogue was focused on five core areas of cooperation namely- Development of Transport Infrastructure and Technologies; Development of Agriculture and Agro-Processing sector; Small and Medium Business support; Digital Transformation and Frontier Technologies; Industrial Cooperation and Trade. The meeting was held with the objective to identify the most promising areas to improve bilateral trade, economic and investment cooperation, and to define joint projects in the framework of national programs. Discussions were held in the atmosphere of friendship and cooperation characteristic of India-Russia relations. Representatives of federal and region authorities, academic and business communities participated from both Sides in IRSED.

Development of Transport Infrastructure and Technologies

3. The Sides noted the need to improve multi-modal transport connectivity system between India and Russia. For this purpose, they agreed to develop the system of digital documentation and satellite technologies for cargo-movement monitoring and its unimpeded and safe border crossings in the framework of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC).

4. The Sides highlighted the possibility of participation of Russian investors in projects for development of waterways, roadways, railways, airports of India in collaboration with National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF), India, and Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), Russia.

5. Particularly, the Sides agreed to explore the possibility of construction of shallow draft vessels and development of engine technology, as well as to focus on shipbuilding and establishment of special techno-park/industrial corridors.

Development of Agriculture and Agro-Processing Sectors

6. The Indian Side suggested establishing a Working Group to resolve the issues of access to the markets of both counties in such sectors as agriculture, textiles and diamonds.

7. In order to increase trade in agriculture, the Sides agreed to explore the possibility of increasing supplies for the following commodity items: wheat, leguminous and dried vegetables, sunflower and rapeseed oil from the Russian Federation and meat, poultry and dairy products from the Republic of India.

8. The Sides discussed the possibility for attracting Russian investments in the agro-processing and food processing sectors, particularly, vegetables, fruits and marine products in India.

9. The Sides noted the reduction in the number of students enrolled in Agricultural Universities. In order to address this, the Sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in the field of exchange of students and highly-qualified personnel in the agriculture sphere, implementation of joint projects and researches.

Small and Medium Business Support

10. The Sides noted that to improve the quality of support to the Small and Medium Business it is required to institutionalize knowledge sharing and exchanging best practices through constituting a Joint Working Group. The establishment of SME information portal could facilitate the dissemination of relevant information in the sector, identification of partners, access to credits, technologies and markets for Small and Medium Enterprises.

11. The Sides agreed to facilitate B2B communication by means of sharing information regarding calendar of exhibitions. The Sides also agreed to explore the possibility of organization of business event, dedicated to the development of Small and Medium Business, in the framework of SPIEF-2019.

12. The Sides noted the need to conclude bilateral agreements to overcome customs related barriers and to protect investments made by small and medium enterprises.

Digital transformation and Frontier Technologies

13. The Sides emphasized on the need to collaborate at both the federal and regional levels in the field of the development of digital transformation, particularly in the following areas: digital governance (specifically e-governance); smart cities, intelligent transportation system, digital industry.

14. The Sides highlighted the importance of increasing collaboration in the areas of Blockchain technologies, Financial Technologies, Artificial Intelligence, quantum cryptography, as well as implementation of pilot projects in these areas. The Indian Side suggested to consider the possibility of organization of joint work on pilot projects in the fields of Healthcare, Education and Agriculture.

15. The Russian Side proposed to combine the efforts of development institutions and Business Associations of Russia and India (REC, VEB, EDB, SREI, NASSCOM, RUSSOFT, etc.) to support complex projects and involve a wide expert community to evaluate promising projects that require support, including integrated cross-border projects and infrastructure projects Eurasian Quantum Way and Financial Platform.

16. Indian Side proposed to create a Joint Working Group on Technologies, aimed at coordination of activities in the field, establishment of B2B contacts and stimulation of other forms of cooperation.

17. Russian Side proposed to elaborate joint study programs for training of digital transformation leaders of Russia, India and related markets. On behalf of the Russian Side such programs may be carried out on the platform of RANEPA, MSU named after M.V. Lomonosov, HSE, ITMO University, Peter the Great SPbPU, MIPT, BMSTU.

Industrial cooperation and trade

18. The Sides underlined the importance of creating of mechanisms of support to the companies operating on both countries’ markets in the Single Window format in order to find solutions for emerging problems in a timely manner and at minimal cost.

19. The Sides agreed to explore the possibility of creating of industrial parks in Russia and in India. The first project of this kind may be implemented in India with the support of Srei Indian group of companies. A proposal was made to create joint managing company to work with this kind of parks on bilateral basis.

20. The Sides underlined the necessity of adopting focus-start-ups and innovative alternative investment mechanisms such as venture capital and umbrella funds enabled by new technologies. The Russian Side highlighted the possibility of conducting roadshows.

21. The Indian Side underscored the role that the Russian Federation could play in joint project development of tourist sites, creation of investment zones and joint collaboration and development in third countries.

22. In the concluding session the Sides expressed their satisfaction at the conduct and outcomes of the Dialogue and noted their shared interests and the need for the IRSED mechanism to further strengthen and carry their economic relationship forward. They reaffirmed their commitment to closely cooperate and address outstanding issues in a time-bound and mutually beneficial way.

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AUSTRALIAN DELEGATION MET DR THAAWARCHAND GEHLOT FOR COOPERATION IN DISABILITY SECTOR

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for Cooperation in Disability Sector was signed between the Government of India and the Government of Australia on 22.11.2018 during the visit of the President of India to Australia. As a follow up of taking forward implementation of this MoU, an Australian Delegation headed by Prof. Welcoming the Australian Delegation, Union Minister highlighted the action taken by the Government for empowerment of persons with disabilities including enactment of the RPwD Act, 2016. He emphasised the need for the two countries to work in the direction of community sensitisation, research in disability sector with special focus on mental health rehabilitation and inclusive education. The Australian Delegation appreciated the efforts of the Government in empowerment of persons with disabilities in India. They have noted significant synergy in activities in the disability sector in India as compared to their country.

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INDIAN VISA APPLICANTS TO FRANCE INCREASE BY 180 PER CENT IN PAST 5 YEARS

Indian visa applications to France registered a +180% increase over the past five years, a sharp rise demonstrating that France is growing in popularity. In 2018, the number of visa applications grew with more than 200 000 visas applications for the second consecutive year (+240 000 in 2018), and with a +43% increase in applications from South India (Consulate of Puducherry). France has become the top European destination for Indian tourists. The notable upsurge in student visa applications echoes this general growth. In just a year, from 2017 to 2018, there was a hike of over 54.5% in the number of visas issued to Indian students headed for France. In the field of higher education, over 8, 000 Indian students and scientists chose France in 2018. During President Emmanuel Macron’s historic State visit to India in March 2018, the goal of reaching 10,000 Indian students leaving for France annually by 2020 was set. A month short of this one year anniversary, the figures reflect great eagerness for studying in France, surpassing the most optimistic expectations. Therefore, the 10,000 students 2020 target should be reached by late summer 2019.

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NGT SLAPS RS 25 LAKH FINE ON UP GOVT FOR FAILING TO STOP DIRTY WATER DISCHARGE INTO GANGA CANAL

Dumping of sewage in water bodies is an offence, the National Green Tribunal said Tuesday while slapping a penalty of Rs 25 lakh on the Uttar Pradesh government for its failure to stop discharge of dirty water into Upper Ganga canal A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel said adequate steps have not been taken for proper waste management and its treatment. The green panel said that clean environment is a fundamental right and the apathy by the authorities has to be dealt with coercive action. It noted the submission of the state government that a sewage treatment plant at Niwari will be completed within six months and asked the urban development ministry to give an undertaking with a performance guarantee of 35 lakh. The chief secretary may furnish progress report to this tribunal. Having regard to the serious implication on public health, the matter must be seen with due attention from the highest level of authorities instead of being left to the lowest level, the tribunal said.

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Thanks & Regards,
CS Meetesh Shiroya