IF PAN CARD IS NOT LINKED WITH AADHAAR, WE MAY CANCEL THE PAN
ALSO, WARNS CBDT CHAIRMAN
Ahead of the March 31
deadline to link PAN card numbers with biometric ID Aadhaar CBDT Chairman
Sushil Chandra said that those who fail to do so might risk losing their PAN
numbers Chandra said that the Income Tax department has so far issued 42 crore
Permanent Account Numbers (PAN), of which 23 crore have been linked with
Aadhaar The Supreme Court has made it mandatory that Income Tax returns will be
filed with Aadhaar and the last date for linking PAN with Aadhaar is March 31.
By linking with Aadhaar, we will know whether there are any duplicate PAN or
not. And there are certain duplicate PANs If it is not linked, we may cancel
the PAN also Chandra said. Chandra said, once Aadhaar is linked with PAN and
PAN is linked with bank account, the I-T department can find out spending
pattern and other details of the assessee. Also since many agencies are linked
with Aadhaar, it would be easier to gauge whether the benefits of welfare
schemes are availed by eligible persons. Chandra said, so far this year 6.31
crore returns have been filed which is much more than 5.44 crore persons who
had filed last year. So far 95 lakh new taxpayers have been added by
department. It is not absolutely true that if we reduce tax rates, compliance
goes up. During this year we have followed the policy of finding the
non-filers. We have got third party information and we are checking whether
persons are filing returns or not, whether adequate income being shown, he
said. Under the Non-filers monitoring system (NMS) individuals who have carried
out high value transactions but have not filed their income tax returns are
sent intimation by the I-T department giving them 21 days time to submit their
responses. From last month again we have rolled out NMS and in 15 days 33,000
more taxpayers have been added. A person has made foreign remittance of Rs 10
lakh but you have not filed returns, purchased property of Rs 30 lakh but not
filed return. We are showing them the mirror and information, and asking what
do you have to say about it, Chandra said. He said in the last 15 days, more
than 3 lakh persons visited their e-filing website and of that 33,000 have
already filed returns. He regretted that in a country with 125 crore population
and an economic growth rate of 7.5 per cent only 1.5 lakh returns are being
filed showing income of over Rs 1 crore. It is a very sorry state of affair
that in this country when he say that GDP, expenditure, consumption is growing,
all 5 star hotels are full, but if you ask somebody how many persons are filing
returns more than Rs 1 crore? It is really pathetic, Chandra said. This year so
far 1.5 lakh persons have filed returns of income above Rs 1 crore, higher than
88,000 filed in 2013-14. Chandra said that the I-T department is getting
information about foreign assets held by persons but have not disclosed them in
their income tax returns. Today I have information about so many person which
have come under CRS (Common Reporting Standard). I was really surprised that so
many persons are there who have a foreign asset and not disclosing in ITRs. By not
declaring your asset in FA schedule you are making yourself prone for
prosecution he said. Under the black money act, non-disclosure of foreign
asset, even if it is from an explained source of income, would attract 3-year
prosecution. If the asset is from an income for which source cannot be
explained, then prosecution would be for 7 years. It should be our endeavour
that honest taxpayers will have to be cared by the department but tax evaders
should be dealt strictly he said.
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1.2 BN INDIANS, BUT JUST 150,000 DECLARED INCOME OF OVER RS 1
CRORE: CBDT
Only 150,000 income tax
filers have declared earnings of more than Rs 1 crore in the current assessment
year, a majority of them being salaried individuals and not companies, said
Sushil Chandra. It is a very sorry state of affairs that in a country with 1.2
billion people, and economic growth at 7 per cent, with rising consumption,
where all the 5-star hotels are running full, only 150,000 people have declared
incomes of more than Rs 1 crore, Chandra said. He expressed surprise at the low
turnout of companies filing returns with incomes of more than Rs 1 crore. If
companies do not come forward by self-motivation, the tax department would need
to take stringent measures, he said. Income tax filers’ data maintained by the tax
department showed that the number of crorepatis (including companies) was only
marginally higher than nearly 140,000 returns by crorepatis filed in the
assessment year (AY) 2017-18. However, while the number of individual
crorepatis grew by 68 per cent from 2014-15 to 2017-18, companies with gross
total income more than Rs 1 crore grew at a slower rate — 40 per cent over
three years. Besides salaries, individual income includes that from business,
property and other sources. We are chasing those persons (and companies evading
income tax payments) looking at their consumption patterns. We want India to
become a high compliance moderate tax society, he said. He said that under the
new non-filer management system, the CBDT is facilitating return filing for those
who do not file returns despite carrying out high-value transactions. In less
than a month, about 300,000 people have visited the e-filing portal for the
same, and about 33,000 of those have already filed I-T returns, he said. On
black money and foreign assets, he said that if a domestic or foreign asset is
not disclosed, the current data analytics system recognises the incorrectness
of the returns, which the CBDT then uses to generate accurate demands. Chandra
said that from the Automatic Exchange of Information system, under treaties
with various countries, mind-boggling information has been obtained and it has
given an impetus to catch hold of persons with undeclared foreign assets. A large
number of high-profile corporates are currently facing prosecution by the tax
department on account of defaulting on TDS payments. Chandra said a tough stand
is required in such cases. Some corporate taxpayers are using the leverage of
low-interest rate and delaying their payments. Some of them have filed returns,
but haven’t deposited the money, he said. With regard to the new system for
single-day return processing, he said that service providers who will process
returns within 24 hours for taxpayers would get some incentives. While personal
income tax is projected to remain at the level of the Budget estimates at Rs
5.29 trillion in the current financial year, corporate tax is expected to grow
by Rs 50,000 crore in the revised estimates. It is the latter that is expected
the revenue gap created by lower goods and services tax collection.
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CBDT CHAIRMAN ASSURES QUICK SOLUTION TO STARTUPS' TAX ISSUES
The government may soon
find a solution to address the tax concerns of startups Central Board of Direct
Taxes (CBDT) chairman Sushil Chandra said. Very shortly, we will find out a
solution on the basis of the suggestions we have received. We will have to
decide which startups are real startups and how they can be exempted from
Section 56 (2) of the Income Tax Act, he said. Various startups had raised
concerns over the notices sent to them under this section to pay tax on angel
investments. The CBDT chief said any startup recognised by the Department for
Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade is exempt from Section 56 (2) and the
tax notices sent to startups have been stayed. Last week, officials from the
department, along with tax department officials, met startup industry
representatives to hear their suggestions. Section 56 (2) provides that the
amount raised by a startup in excess of its fair market value would be deemed
income from other sources and taxed at 30%. It’s also been dubbed the angel
tax.
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EFFECT OF ANGEL TAX ON INDIAN STARTUP ECOSYSTEM
The Government of India
has continuously engaged with all stakeholders to address relevant issues
related to the Indian Startup eco-system. The Department for Promotion of
Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) issued notification in April 2018 for easing
the norms for providing tax exemption to the Startup companies and further
amended the notification on 4th February 2019. As per the notification, an entity
is considered as a Startup
·
Upto a period of seven
years from the date of incorporation/registration, if it is incorporated as a
private limited company (as defined in the Companies Act, 2013) or registered
as a partnership firm (registered under section 59 of the Partnership Act,
1932) or a limited liability partnership (under the Limited Liability
Partnership Act, 2008) in India. In the case of Startups in the biotechnology
sector, the period shall be upto ten years from the date of its incorporation
and registration.
·
Turnover of the entity for
any of the financial years since incorporation/ registration has not exceeded
Rs. 25 crore
·
Entity is working towards
innovation, development or improvement of products or processes or services, or
if it is a scalable business model with a high potential of employment
generation or wealth creation.
Provided that an entity
formed by splitting up or reconstruction of an existing business shall not be
considered a ‘Startup’.
A Startup which is
recognised by DPIIT is eligible to apply for approval for the shares already
issued or proposed to be issued if the following conditions are fulfilled
(i) aggregate amount of
paid up share capital and share premium of the startup after the proposed issue
of share, if any, does not exceed ten crore rupees.
(ii) The investor or
proposed investor shall have —
(a) returned income of Rs.
50 lakh or more for the financial year preceding the year of investment or
proposed investment; and
(b) net worth exceeding
Rs. 2 crore or the amount of investment made/proposed to be made in the
startup, whichever is higher, as on the last date of the financial year preceding
the year of investment or proposed investment.
Provided that in case the approval
is requested for shares already issued by the Startup no application shall be
made if assessment order has been passed by assessing officer for the relevant
financial year. The application, accompanied by the documents specified
therein, shall be transmitted by DPIIT to CBDT with the necessary documents. CBDT
within a period of 45 days from the date of receipt of application from DPIIT
may grant approval to the Startup or decline to grant such approval The
Government has not conducted any survey to assess the adverse effects of angel
tax on the Indian startup ecosystem.
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JURISDICTION OF CBI
In exercise of powers
under Section 2 (1) of Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) Act, 1946, the
Central Government constitutes a Special Police Force for investigation in any
Union Territory of offences notified under Section 3 of DSPE Act, 1946. The
power and jurisdiction of this Special Force can be extended by virtue of
Section 5 of DSPE Act, 1946 to any other areas/State not being Union Territory
for investigation of any offences or classes of offences notified under Section
3 of DSPE Act, 1946 with the consent of the Government of that State. Further,
Constitutional courts can also entrust any case or class of case for
investigation in exercise of inherent jurisdiction even without the consent of
the respective State Government. Once general or specific consent is granted
under Section 6 of DSPE Act, 1946 by the State Government where the case is
registered; or when the case is entrusted by the Constitutional courts, the
powers and jurisdiction of members of the DSPE (CBI) may extend for
investigation as stipulated under Section 5 of DSPE Act, 1946. Withdrawal of
consent, if any, by a State Government can be effected prospectively and not
retrospectively. Further, in the cases which are referred by the Constitutional
Courts, the entry of CBI cannot be denied by that State as these do not require
the consent of the State.
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RS 7.8 LAKH CRORE TAX REVENUES STUCK IN DISPUTES
Even as the government struggles
to mop up enough revenues to meet its social and capital expenses, it is unable
to realise tax revenues of around Rs 7.8 lakh crore (as of March 2018) as the amount
is stuck in different tax disputes This was revealed in the budget document
presented this year. Of the Rs 7.8 lakh crore, Rs 6.2 lakh crore was raised
from direct taxes and the rest Rs 1.6 lakh crore from indirect taxes. Other
than those stuck in disputes, Rs 1.22 lakh crore taxes have not been realised due
to reasons other than disputes The budget documents show that taxes worth Rs 9
lakh crore has been raised but not realised as of March 2018. Some of these
disputes date back to over 10 years, but a bulk of the amount stuck is from
recent years. Of the Rs 7.8 lakh crore, disputes involving Rs 7 lakh crore are
less than five years old. In disputes related to direct taxes, corporate taxes
account for Rs 4 lakh crore and income taxes account for Rs 2.2 lakh crore. In
indirect taxes, service taxes accounted for the bulk of the disputed amount
with Rs 88,000 crore services taxes stuck in disputes followed by Rs 55,000
crore central excise and Rs 10,000 crore stuck in disputes related to customs
duty. Over the last five years, the amount of taxes unrealised due to disputes
have grown from Rs 4.1 lakh crore in 2012-13 to Rs 7.8 lakh crore in 2017-18,
registering a 14 per cent growth year-on-year.
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GUJARAT: RULE CHANGE IN GST TO CAUSE CASH BURN OF BUSINESSMEN
The new rule is applicable
from February 1 onward. City-based tax expert Monish Bhalla said that most
businesses will be affected as the share of inter-state businesses and imports
are mostly higher than intra-state business. IGST is levied over inter-state
trade and imports. As per the previous practice, excess tax credit of IGST was
equally adjusted with tax liability under CGST and SGST. Businesses had to pay
only the excess tax liability under CGST and SGST. As per the latest amendment,
now excess IGST credit will be adjusted only against CGST It means that if
there is an excess tax credit pending under IGST, it will not be adjusted under
SGST So businesses will have to shell out additional cash even though they are
entitled for credit from the government. The matter has been studied by the tax
practitioners but it is the businessmen who will be adversely affected Now it
is up to industry bodies to represent the case to the government, said Sunil
Keswani. Bhalla attributes the amendment to the distrust between the Centre and
the states. The reason for the same is trust deficit between states and the
centre. This will result into less balance of IGST for state — Central
adjustments and more cash revenue to the SGST state kitty directly, said
Bhalla. Businessmen will be able to make amendments in previously filed monthly
returns of GSTR 1 and GSTR-3B as well, as per a recent order of the government.
This will help them get tax refunds, that has been blocked for so long.
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EXPORTERS WANT CENTRE TO REFUND STATE LEVIES TO STAY
COMPETITIVE
With India’s eligibility
to extend direct sops to exporters coming under the World Trade Organisation
(WTO) scanner, the government is examining the industry’s suggestion of
expanding the scope and coverage of the Rebate of State Levies (RoSL), a scheme
which does not flout global trade rules as it involves refund of taxes and
levies paid by exporters, and is not a subsidy. At the consultations between
exporters and the government, exporters made a case for extension of RoSL
scheme to more sectors as the policymakers are not too keen on giving more
direct export subsidies such as the Merchandise Export Incentive Scheme. The
suggestion for RoSL extension is under consideration, a government official
said. The RoSL, a scheme under which exporters can claim refunds from the
Centre for all the levies and duties they pay at the State level, is extended
only to exporters of apparel and made-ups. Exporters argue that due to the
current State levies and duties on various products including embedded taxes, a
substantial amount of working capital gets blocked and exports becomes
uncompetitive. Since the government is not keen on giving more direct export
subsidies such as the one given under the MEIS, the ROSL becomes more relevant.
At present, bulk of the incentives to exporters is under the popular MEIS
wherein the government gives incentives to exporters equivalent to a certain
percentage of their export value in the form of duty credit scrips that can be
used to pay customs duties and are freely transferable. But with the WTO now
ruling that since India’s per capita Gross National Income is over $1,000 it is
no longer eligible to give direct subsidies such as the ones offered under
MEIS, such schemes have to be phased out. India’s exports have posted a growth
of 10 per cent in the first three quarters and there are expectations that
exports will touch an all-time high of $325 billion in 2018-19. The government
wants to take all steps to ensure that growth doesn’t go off-track, the
official said.
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KERALA TO SLASH TAX ON AVIATION FUEL TO 5 PERCENT FOR DOMESTIC
AIRLINES: MINISTER
The Kerala government will
slash the tax on aviation fuel to 5 percent from the current 28.75 percent for
domestic airlines, state T M Thomas Isaac said Wednesday. Isaac made the
significant announcement in the assembly during the discussion on the state
budget for 2019-20. The tax on ATF will be reduced to 5 percent from the
existing 28.75 percent for domestic airlines operating service from the state
airports. A revenue loss of Rs 100 crore is expected through this, he said. Aviation
fuel accounts for a major portion of operating cost for airlines. Not only
airports under the UDAN (regional connectivity scheme), but non-UDAN airports
would also get the new tax breather, Isaac said.
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LATE FILING: HYDERABAD GST COMMISSIONERATE ORDERS INTEREST
LEVY ON INPUT TAX CREDIT
In case of delayed GST
return filing a taxpayer is liable to pay interest not only on the outstanding
tax liability but also on the input tax credit (ITC) balance in the electronic
credit ledger maintained on the GST Network portal, a Hyderabad GST
commissionerate order said. This has raised the heckles of the industry as it
goes against the proposed amendment in the GST law and may even be replicated
by other commissionerates, tax experts said. A regular GST taxpayer has to pay
a late fee of Rs 100 per day along with 18% interest on the tax liability. The
order was issued despite the GST Council’s decision in its 31st meeting on
December 22 last year, which said interest should be charged only on net tax
liability of the taxpayer, after taking into account the admissible input tax
credit. This means that interest would be levied only on the amount payable
through the electronic cash ledger, and not on any amount payable through the
electronic credit ledger. However, the said decision of the GST Council has not
been made effective yet, since it requires amendment in the GST Act. In its
order, the Hyderabad commissionerate said that the ITC balance can’t be treated
as tax paid, unless it is debited in the said credit ledger while filing the
GST return. Accordingly, the order directed field officers to ensure that
interest liability is paid by taxpayers not only on the cash component, but
also on the credit component of tax paid, which otherwise becomes a recoverable
arrears for the purpose of initiating recovery under GST laws. The central
government may consider issuing suitable instruction/clarification to provide
that in line with the amendment proposed under Section 50, no such recovery
proceedings should be initiated by any state government where the taxpayer had
sufficient credit balance to discharge GST liability.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___
GST DEPT LEVIES RS 19 LAKHS AS PENALTY SINCE LORRY RUNS 7 KM
IN WRONG PATH: MADRAS HC REDUCES FINE
The Goods and Services Tax
department has levied a fine of Rs 18,96,000 on a lorry that deviated just
seven kilometers from the right path on its way to Tamil Nadu from Pune. When
the petitioner approached the Madras High Court challenging the action taken by
Tamil Nadu GST department, the fine was reduced to Rs 5000 A two-wheeler dealer
from Virudhunagar in Tamil Nadu approached the court. A lorry that was carrying
40 two-wheelers from Pune to Tamil Nadu reached Sivakasi after the driver lost
his way. The GST officials seized the lorry and its driver and directed to levy
a fine of Rs 18,96,000. The officers informed the court that the lorry driver
did not cooperate during interrogation which is why the lorry was seized. But
the court found out that the GST officers spoke only English and Tamil whereas
the lorry driver Badrinath Bhandari, hailing from Maharashtra, knew only
Marathi and Hindi which is why he could not respond. Following this, the court
ordered to release the lorry and goods charging a fine of Rs 5,000. It also
warned the GST officers not to misuse their authority.
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GUJARAT: AMC BUDGET REVISED TO RS 8,000 CRORE
The Ahmedabad Municipal
Corporation has finalised its Rs 8,051 crore budget for 2019-20. This year, the
total budget is 15 per cent more than last year's budget. While presenting the
budget standing committee chairman Amul Bhatt said the budget will focus on the
development aspect of city. Ahmedabad is grown engine of Gujarat and model for
development for many cities and state. Being the only heritage city of the
country, with this budget we will explore new parameters of development, said
the chairman. The main highlight of Wednesday's budget announcement was five
flyovers. The Commissioner while presenting his budget had not mentioned about
these new proposed flyovers. For this fiscal year, Rs 30 crore has been
proposed for the flyovers While for the health facility, at the LG Hospital a
new IVF facility centre will come up. Bhat has allocated Rs 1 crore for the
next fiscal. Keeping in mind the upcoming general election, the BJP-run civic
body has emphasised on inclusive development. The budget has provision for the
official residents of the AMC staff from class one to class four. Two new
competitions announced for the citizens which includes a women's cricket
championship and photography competition themed on Ahmedabad's Heritage. This
budget is for the city's development and welfare of the citizens. With holistic
development approach, the budget has all the realistic projects. Next year,
being the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, we will install a statue
of Mahatma Gandhi at Riverfront behind the Sabarmati Ashram, said Bhatt.
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TN GOVT PRESENTS 2019-20 BUDGET WITH NO NEW TAXES
The Tamil Nadu government
on Friday presented the state budget for financial year 2019-20 with no new
taxes and said the revenue deficit will reduce in the coming year. O
Panneerselvam, who holds the finance portfolio, the government proposed no new
taxes but said the revenue deficit was estimated to be around Rs 14,300 crore.
With higher SOTR (state’s own tax revenue) growth, coupled with the phasing out
of the impact of Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana (Uday) and pay revision, the
state expects to bring down the revenue deficit in the coming years, he said.
The government also announced a number of initiatives in various sectors
including implementing a Rs 2,000 crore comprehensive parking management
project. It will have underground parking facilities, multilevel parking
facilities and on-lane smart parking to accommodate two lakh four-wheelers and
an equal number of two-wheelers, Panneerselvam said.
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TAMIL NADU EXPECTS REVENUE DEFICIT TO DROP TO RS 14,315 CRORE
IN 2019-20
Tamil Nadu expects revenue
deficit to come down to Rs 14,315 crore in 2019-20 on positive trends in tax
receipts. The projected revenue deficit in the revised budget estimates for
2018-19 is Rs 19,319 crore. Tamil Nadu Finance Minister O Panneerselvam said
that higher growth of state's own tax revenue (SOTR), coupled with the phasing
out of the impact of UDAY and pay revision, the state expects to bring down the
revenue deficit in the coming years. The SOTR was 9.07 per cent during 2017-18
and is expected to exceed 14 per cent during 2018-19. He added, Tamil Nadu has
been one of the best performing states in implementing GST and has achieved
good growth in GST revenues. However, the state is yet to receive its due share
of IGST to the tune fo Rs 5,454 crore as well as the assured GST compensation
of Rs 455.16 crore for 2017-18. The delay in the release of these dues by the
Union government is frustrating the state's finances, he said. Tamil Nadu's
advance estimates projected a growth rate of gross state development product
(GSDP) for 2017-18 at 8.09 per cent in real terms compared to the country's
projected growth rate of 7.20 per cent. The GSDP growth in 2018-19 was expected
to be 8.16 per cent according to budget estimates. The state's per capita
income has grown from Rs 1,03,600 in 2011-12 to Rs 1,42,267 in 2017-18 in real
terms.
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INDIA’S DEFENCE BUDGET: INVULNERABLE SECURITY NOT ONLY A
MILITARY REQUIREMENT BUT A NATIONAL IMPERATIVE
The interim Union Budget
presented by the interim Finance Minister on 1st February 2019 maintained the
remarkable consistency this government has shown in short-changing the Armed
Forces for the fifth successive year. The interim Finance Minister’s statement
that this is the first time the defence budget has crossed Rupees 3 lakh crores
implying that he had given it the importance it deserved sounded as hollow as
the thought behind it and gave credence to the famous quote which Mark Twain
attributed to Benjamin Disraeli There are three kinds of lies – lies, damned
lies and statistics. This statement fell in the third kind which Wikipedia
describes as the use of statistics to bolster weak arguments. While it has been
repeatedly articulated that a GDP share of 3% would be the aspiration, the
current figure is hovering around the 1.5 % mark which is even less than those
countries that do not have any immediate threat to their territorial integrity.
India on the other hand has two belligerent and adversarial nuclear armed
neighbours with an unholy nexus between them. Both of these have defence
budgets much higher than ours in percentage of GDP terms. (China’s defence
budget is almost four times that of India’s in real terms also and this is
evident in their aggressive posture in establishing their presence wherever they
deem it necessary to do so}. When this government came to power with a massive
mandate in 2014 there was an expectation that the nation’s security challenges
both external and internal, would be adequately addressed and the equipment
shortfall that had occurred during the 10 years of the UPA regime would be
reduced. However, in its five years, this government has actually reduced the
defence budget, both, in real terms and also as a percentage of the country’s
GDP while expecting the Armed Forces to meet greater challenges than ever
before. If one were to assess the increase in GDP in this decade (almost 140%)
the increase in defence budget has been just a little over half of that
(approximately 78%). This in itself is a telling statistic! In the last five
years the country has been projected as an emerging power. The Prime Minister’s
proactive foreign policy initiatives and his strategic defence relationships
with most countries in the region and beyond has led to the Indian Armed Forces
operating at an unprecedented tempo while resources have been dwindling. This
dual challenge has placed a tremendous strain on them, the effects of which are
already discernible and will soon become increasingly obvious. In the last
couple of years this concern has been voiced by the senior brass of the Armed
Forces at various fora; the Vice Chief of the Army made a scathing presentation
on this in parliament ; the Air Chief on more than one occasion has lamented
the reduction in aircraft numbers – the IAF is down to 26 squadrons from the
sanctioned 42 with little sign of recovery in the next few years, the impending
arrival of 36 Rafale jets notwithstanding. The Chief of the Naval Staff who is
also the current Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee has alluded to the
shortfall in resources and even went so far as to convey that the delay in the
shipbuilding programmes may actually not be such a bad thing. This is despite
the fact that the Indian Navy did not commission a single ship in 2018 (despite
almost 40 ships on order or being built in Indian shipyards) at a time when the
21st century is being termed the maritime century with the Indo-Pacific being
the global geo-economic centre of gravity. India, as the predominant Indian
Ocean power is expected to play a leading role in ensuring the safety and
stability of not only its own but also the region’s maritime interests and the
safety of trade that transits through these waters (close to 100,000 ships per
year). Indian has also mandated itself as a provider of net security in the
region. A strong well balanced full spectrum capable navy is therefore a
national imperative. However, a capacity and capability deficit exists which,
regrettably, is widening by the day. To draw a broad comparison with the other
Asian power and a possible competitor, the Chinese navy has added more ships to
its Fleet in two years than Indian has in twenty! With its increasing focus on
the navy being the primary instrument in its plans for global supremacy, the
gap between our two navies is already unbridgeable. The constant reassurance
that the PLA(Navy)’s ability to operate in the Indian Ocean poses little threat
to the Indian Navy may well be a thing of the past sooner than we can expect. However,
this year’s budget allocation is further indication of the indifference towards
a clear and emerging threat which is quite inexplicable. Armed Forces don’t get
built in a day – it takes time to build the requisite capacity and capability
to ensure that they are trained, equipped and ready to operate from a position
of strength. Operating at the extremes of material and physical endurance due
to constrained resources is not the best way of doing so. However, the
inability of the political leadership to appreciate this, which in turn is
being advised by a generalist bureaucracy that is impervious to anything beyond
their domain of limited expertise, is a malaise that has pervaded the hallowed
corridors of South Block since independence. The problem actually is two-fold.
On the one hand, the fund allocation is in itself inadequate to address the
country’s existing and emerging defence requirements. This can perhaps be
justified to some extent by the eternal guns versus butter debate for a
developing economy like ours. However, on the other hand, what is inexcusable
is the tardy decision making of the Ministry of Defence, the inefficiency of
the state-owned defence industrial complex which the MoD controls and the
repeated inability of the country’s gargantuan Defence Research and Development
Organisation to deliver on its lofty promises. The consequent sub-optimal
utilisation of the already limited funds further exacerbates the situation.
This often leads to allocated funds being returned unspent. The long term 15
year plan and the more immediate 5 year plans drawn up by the Armed Forces to
meet their requirements (and which have the MoD’s approval) are more often than
not redundant even before the ink has dried on them. In a macro-context, the
problem stems from the organisational structure of the Ministry of Defence. As
per the government’s rules, the Armed Forces Headquarters are not an integral
part of the MoD and therefore have little say in decision making. It is the
Armed Forces which are the end users and have the professional knowledge to
determine the country’s military requirements. They are therefore the best
placed to plan and prioritise within the budget that is allotted to them.
However, the MoD is manned and staffed by civilian generalists drawn from
various government departments other than the Armed Forces. The only concession
made to the Armed Forces is the inclusion of a single Joint Secretary level
officer from each service as a Technical Manager in the Acquisition Wing of the
MoD. The exclusion of the Armed Forces from the decision making structure of
the Defence Ministry is an organisational dysfunctionality that begs reform but
is rarely addressed. A common refrain heard very often is that the pay and
pension bill strains the limited resources of the armed Forces. However, little
is spoken of the huge civilian work force being paid from the Defence Services
Estimates. Inefficient organisations with little relevance in a contemporary
tech savvy environment continue to have a bloated work force which can and
should be reviewed and reduced. This civilian element accounts for a
substantial portion of the pay and pensions bill. There is also no denying the
fact that there is perhaps room for optimising the military’s strength in the
emerging security environment where technology should be harnessed as an
effective force multiplier. However, a military cannot be structured for the
21st century equipped with 20th century legacy systems. An inadequate defence
budget is a reality that the country must come to terms with. There is little
chance of this changing drastically in the near future. A comprehensive review
of the existing organisational structures in the MoD and the need to align with
best global practices to promote efficiency is therefore essential to get the
maximum bang for the limited buck. Capability gaps in our defence preparedness
which are reaching alarming levels need to be addressed with the urgency they
deserve. If India indeed aspires to establish itself as a regional power and
wishes to shape the future of the global order, an invulnerable security
architecture is not only a military requirement but a national imperative.
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MAHARASHTRA GOVT TO CONFISCATE SUGAR IN TRANSIT TO CLEAR CANE
ARREARS
Faced with dozens of sugar
mills in Maharashtra defaulting cane payment wilfully amid expectations of relaxation
from the Centre the state government is planning to confiscate sugar in the
supply pipeline from the factory gate to warehouses. Sugar mills, specially in
Kolhapur, Sangli had offered to give sugar to farmers in lieu of cash. However,
later on mills said they will give sugar which they will start producing now
and not from existing stock. This had led to the state officials consider harsh
actions. A number of co-operative and private sugar mills in Maharashtra have not
paid sugar dues at all despite having crushed tonnes of cane during the
four-month period of the current crushing season (beginning October 2018). This
violates the Sugarcane (Control) Order, 1966, governing cane farmers and sugar
mills. Under the law, sugar mills are required to pay 20 per cent of cane value
at the time of procurement while the remaining amount needs to be cleared
within 14 days failing which 15 per cent interest is applicable. Industry
sources estimate that seven mills across Maharashtra including state
cooperatives and private ones have not paid a single penny while nearly 40
mills have paid less than 20 per cent of the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP).
Many mills in Maharashtra have issued public notices requesting farmers to
register their demand with local agricultural circle offices in seven days
effective February 6. We will wait for this period to get over. With cane
arrears mounting to around Rs 5000 crore in Maharashtra alone, farmers and
mills are at loggerheads. Facing pressure from farmers, the government of
Maharashtra has directed district collectors to act harsh on defaulters.
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CONGRESS SAYS WILL SCRAP TRIPLE TALAQ BILL IF IT COMES TO
POWER
In a significant
announcement, Mahila Congress president Sushmita Dev on Thursday said that the party
would abolish the Triple Talaq law if it was voted to power in the 2019 Lok
Sabha elections. Rahul Gandhi, Dev said the focus of the Triple Talaq Bill was
not to empower Muslim women but to penalise Muslim men. I promise that the
Congress party will come to power in 2019 and will scrap the Triple Talaq law.
The law is just another weapon of the Modi government to arrest and harass
Muslim men and put them in prison, Dev said. The Muslim Women (Protection of
Rights on Marriage) Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha in the Winter Session of Parliament
last year but has faced roadblocks in the Rajya Sabha. The Opposition has
demanded that the bill be sent to a select committee. BJP spokesperson Sambit
Patra termed it as Congress’ appeasement politics. Rahul Gandhi says that if
Congress comes to power, it will scrap triple talaq law. It is nothing but
appeasement politics, he said. Training her guns on the government over the
Citizenship Bill, which has lead to unrest in the North-east, Dev said the
legislation was unconstitutional and the Congress would oppose it tooth and nail.
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ED FOCUS ON LONDON, UAE-BASED COMPANIES 'USED FOR ROUTING
KICKBACKS'
The questioning of Robert
Vadra, brother-in-law of Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, on the first two days
focused on his alleged undeclared properties abroad on which hinges the charge
of channeling illegally obtained wealth. The Enforcement Directorate quizzed
Vadra for over eight hours on Thursday. After questioning, Vadra. While all
properties under the scanner are in London, the ED hopes that the questioning
may throw light on other suspect properties at different places. Investigators
alleged that transactions have passed through several layers involving many
companies. The ED questioned Vadra on the ultimate beneficiary of the London mansions
and six flats, which the agencies alleged were purchased by his associates
through a web of companies. Vadra, agency sources said, has remained evasive
and denied knowledge or association with any of the said properties in London.
His lawyer, however, said Vadra has answered all the questions and that he was
being harassed by the ED officials. The ED has alleged that many of these
suspect companies, largely based in London and the UAE, were used for routing
kickbacks and round-tripping illegal wealth. These companies, investigators
alleged, were used to purchase properties in London. The agency is likely to
write to authorities in London and the UAE to gather more information about the
companies, particularly their ownership details. According to the agency, the
two mansions and six flats in London, which are now under probe, are valued in
current market terms at over £10 million. Some of the said properties were
purchased through company’ shares, said people with direct knowledge of the
matter. They added some of the companies involved are owned and controlled by
absconding arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari and the UAE-based NRI businessman CC
Thampi, the alleged associates of Vadra. Sources told that a close relative of
Bhandari is also on the radar for allegedly routing kickbacks received for a
Petroleum deal in 2009 and a defence deal in 2005. As per available
information, the ownership of the London mansion property changed twice in 2010
and 2014. Both Thampi and Bhandari are being probed by the ED for alleged
violations of the Foreign Exchange Management Act. The ED, in 2017, had also
attached Bhandari’s assets worth over Rs 26 crore.
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ROBERT VADRA QUESTIONING: BJP LISTS NINE EMAILS REGARDING
LONDON PROPERTIES
Keeping the heat on
Congress party in relation to Robert Vadra's questioning by Enforcement
Directorate (ED), the BJP on Thursday listed nine emails that the party alleged
were exchanged between Vadra and Sumit Chadha, a relative of arms dealer Sanjay
Bhandari, regarding properties in London. Alleging that the Gandhi family owns
five properties in London, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said these emails were
exchanged between March 8, 2010 and April 17, 2010. The first email has been
sent by Sumit Chadha, who is relative of arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari. He has
sent it to Robert Vadra only. What tiles should be used in kitchen? How would
the bathroom look? All of it is in this email, Patra said. The email also
discussed issues related to painting at one property in London, Patra added.
Vadra, husband of Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, has denied allegations
of possessing illegal foreign assets and termed the charges a political witch
hunt against him. He has said he was being hounded and harassed to subserve
political ends. After first day of his questioning by ED, his lawyer had said
Wednesday night that Vadra had replied to every question put to him. All
charges against him are wrong. We will cooperate with the agency 100 per cent
He will come whenever he is called, lawyer Suman Jyoti Khaitan had told. As
Vadra's questioning continued for second day Thursday, Patra also talked about
another email allegedly sent by Vadra on April 15, 2010, saying Congress leader
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's husband wrote in that email: Hi, was not aware that
nothing has reached you. Will look into it at the morning and let Manoj sort it
out. Will be in London soon too. You take care.
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CBI ASKS KOLKATA POLICE CHIEF TO APPEAR ON FEB 9 IN SHILLONG
The CBI has summoned
Kolkata police commissioner Rajeev Kumar to appear for questioning on February
9 in Shillong The Supreme Court had directed Kumar to appear before the CBI
while restricting the agency from taking any coercive action. CBI sources said
they would grill Kumar on the documents, pen drives, hard drives and statements
of various persons which were not provided by the West Bengal SIT, headed by
him before the probe was transferred to the central agency. The agency has claimed
that the SIT deliberately hid or destroyed crucial evidence in the multi-crore
Saradha and Rose Valley scams, in which several Trinamool Congress leaders are
under the scanner. The agency on Thursday attached 10 officers from its Delhi,
Bhopal and Lucknow units to its Kolkata office till February 20 to provide
additional manpower during questioning of some high profile suspects, including
Kumar.
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ED SEEKS AIRBUS PROBE INFORMATION FROM FRENCH AGENCY
Enlarging its probe into
the allegation of kickbacks in the purchase of 43 Airbus aircraft in 2005
during the first UPA government, the Enforcement Directorate has approached the
French authorities for relevant evidence from their ongoing probe against aerospace
giant Airbus. France opened probe on various overseas Airbus deals on the basis
of a whistleblower complaint about a year ago. The ED has written to the
National Financial Prosecutor, Paris, seeking information. French authorities
are in possession of crucial emails involving Airbus officials The said
evidence will be used by Indian agencies to buttress their pending probe
against Airbus, said people with knowledge of the matter. Sources told that the
ongoing investigation by the CBI and ED has found that over $175 million were
fraudulently transferred. This was the cost for a training centre and
maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) to be established by Airbus. The 2005
Cabinet had approved the purchase of aircraft from Airbus on the mandatory condition
that it (Airbus) will set up the centres.
Investigations, people
cited above said, are focused on establishing the charge that the Cabinet
approval was fraudulently amended by officials at the civil aviation ministry
and Indian Airlines. This relates to the mandatory condition of setting up the
two MRO centres, which was apparently removed from the final purchase order.
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P CHIDAMBARAM APPEARS BEFORE ED IN MONEY LAUNDERING CASE
Former finance minister P
Chidambaram appeared before the Enforcement Directorate on Friday in connection
with a money laundering probe related to INX Media. The Congress leader, who
was summoned to record his statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering
Act (PMLA), arrived at the agency's office in central Delhi at about 11 am.
Chidambaram has been grilled a number of times in this case in the past. His
son Karti was questioned by the agency in the same case on Thursday for about
six hours. The ED attached Karti's assets worth an estimated Rs 54 crore,
located in India and abroad, in the case last year.
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MODI’S WAR ON INFLATION MAY HURT HIS OWN ABILITY TO FULFIL
BUDGET PROMISES
With an eye on elections,
the Modi government in budget 2019 — its last for this term — announced several
fiscal sops such as income support scheme for farmers, raised income tax
ceiling, exemptions for real estate sector and others. However, the promises
and grand announcements beg an answer to the obvious question: where would the
money come from? Amartya Lahiri, pointed out towards the ambitious revenue
targets of the government in the budget 2019. The budget expects the total tax
revenues to grow by 13.5 per cent in FY19, on the back of 15 per cent growth in
both GST and corporate tax. This is on the back of an assumption of 11.5 per
cent growth in nominal GDP in 2019-20, taking it to Rs 210 lakh crore, wrote
Lahiri. However, according to the CSO data released earlier in January this
year, the projected nominal GDP for 2018-19 is Rs 188.4 lakh crore, assuming a
nominal growth of 12.3 per cent. With CSO forecasting a 7.2 per cent growth in
real GDP for 2018-19, this implies a GDP deflator inflation of 5.1 per cent for
the same year. This is in contradiction with all the CPI inflation numbers
predicted for 2018-19 which are around 3 per cent. Since, the CPI and GDP
deflator always move together, this seems strange. A lower inflation rate may
reduce nominal GDP in 2018-19 which would have fiscal implications, Lahiri
wrote in his article. Therefore, there are concerns if nominal GDP numbers are
going to hold up with subsequent releases. The prediction becomes difficult as
there was an upward revision of both real and nominal GDP growth for 2016-17,
while a downward revisions in others. With the downside risk to the deficit
being huge, it is a risky budgeting, said Lahiri. There has likely been a large
fiscal slippage this year that has been camouflaged and the combined public
sector deficit including central, states and PSUs is above 8 per cent, said
Lahiri. Moreover, the income support scheme which amounts to Rs 500 per month
for those having landholdings below two hectares seems rather low to have any
tangible electoral payoff, Lahiri wrote. He further pointed out towards the
silence of budget on the subject of jobs, adding that the budget may not
satisfy either the middle-class urban voters or the distressed agrarian sector.
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MAMATA BANERJEE VS CENTRE: CENTRE WRITES TO WEST BENGAL GOVT,
SEEKS ACTION AGAINST IPS OFFICIALS WHO JOINED DHARNA AGAINST CBI
The Centre has asked the
West Bengal government to initiate disciplinary action against IPS officers who
joined West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at a sit-in protest against
the Central Bureau of Investigation’s attempt to question Kolkata Police
Commissioner Rajeev Kumar in the Saradha and Rose Valley chit fund scams. The
Ministry of Home Affiars led by Rajnath Singh has asked the state Shief
Secretary to take action against five of them who shared the stage with
Banerjee. The MHA’s action came a day ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s
visit to Jalpaiguri in West Bengal where he is slated to address a mega rally.
According to some reports, the Centre is also mulling to crack the whip against
these officials for violation of the service rules. Among actions reportedly
being considered are stripping them of their medals and barring them from
central deputation. In an extraordinary situation that followed after the CBI
came knocking at Kumar’s door last Sunday, the Kolkata Police detained some CBI
officials. Banerjee, alleging interference on part of the Centre in
institutions, sat on a protest for three days and only ended her sit-in after
the Supreme Court asked the Kolkata Police chief to appear in person before the
CBI in Shillong before February 20. It also barred the CBI from arresting the
top cop during the course of the probe. The Home Ministry, in its letter to
West Bengal chief secretary Malay Kumar De, also sought action against DGP
Virendra Kumar. Apart from Kolkata, the five IPS officers were also believed to
be part of sit-in by chief minister Mamata Banerjee. They also reportedly
received a commendation from the Chief Minister during a ceremony. IPS officers
refused to comment when contacted. They said that the matter is between the
Centre and state government.
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SITHARAMAN RUBBISHES MEDIA REPORT ON RAFALE DEAL AS 'FLOGGING
A DEAD HORSE'
Defence Minister Nirmala
Sitharaman Friday dismissed the media report on the Rafale jet deal as flogging
a dead horse and accused the opposition of playing into the hands of
multinational companies and vested interests. Sitharaman's suo motu statement
came in Lok Sabha in the wake of protests by Congress and other opposition over
the report which claimed that the Defence Ministry had protested to the PMO
over the mechanism being adopted for the Rafale deal. They are flogging a dead
horse. Periodical enquiries by the PMO cannot be construed as interference the
minister said during the Zero Hour. The Defence Minister charged the opposition
with playing into the hands of multinational companies and vested interests and
not working in the interests of the Indian Air Force. Referring to the report,
which claimed that the then Defence Secretary had objected to the PMO allegedly
conducting price negotiations with the French company, Sitharaman said the then
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had replied to the letter asking the official
to remain calm as everything was alright.
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ED SEEKS EXTENSION OF CUSTODY OF CORPORATE LOBBYIST BY 7 DAYS
The Enforcement
Directorate Thursday sought from a Delhi court extension of custody for
corporate lobbyist Deepak Talwar by seven days in a money laundering case. The
court had earlier allowed ED to quiz in custody for seven days Talwar, after
the probe agency alleged that he acted as middleman in negotiations to favour
foreign private airlines causing the loss to national carrier Air India. ED had
told the court that by interrogating Talwar it has to find out the names of
officials of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, National Aviation Company of India
Ltd and Air India, who favoured foreign airlines, including Qatar Airways,
Emirates and Air Arabia, by making national carrier, gave up profit making
routes and profit making timings. Talwar, who is in ED custody, was deported
from Dubai on January 30 and was arrested by the agency after landing here.
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AHMEDABAD: I-T RAID CONTINUES ON KUSHAL GROUP ON DAY 2, GOLD
WORTH RS 5 CR SEIZED
Raids by the Income Tax
department on Ahmedabad-based Kushal Ltd continued on the second day as well,
said sources in the department. Tax officials have seized more gold and the
search and seizure operations are likely to continue on Thursday too.
Well-placed sources said that the value of the gold recovered is estimated at
Rs 5 crore Sources said that experts have been roped in to evaluate the value
of unaccounted assets. The scenario is likely to get clearer on Thursday or
Friday. The I-T department conducted raids on 22 locations of the company.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___
VK SINGH WRITES TO PM MODI WITH REQUEST FOR HIGH-LEVEL INQUIRY
INTO 2012 COUP REPORTS
Army chief VK Singh on
Thursday requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to order a high-level inquiry
into the alleged planting of fallacious stories to the media about an attempted
coup in 2012. At that time also (in 2012), in clear words I had said that the
Indian Army will never do a thing which is unconstitutional. We were very clear
on it. The sentiment was echoed by the then Defence Minister AK Antony, who
denied in both houses of the Parliament that something like this has happened.
He reiterated the same in Rajya Sabha. There was no doubt that there were some
who went to town for some ulterior motive, Singh told. Singh's remarks come a
day after the BJP accused the previous government of allegedly leaking to the
media an inaccurate story about a coup. In a press conference, BJP leader GVL
Narasimha Rao sought to know the identity of the minister who leaked the story.
Singh, who was the chief of the Army then said he had written about the issue
in 2012 to then Home Minister urging for an investigation needs to be
investigated because this is treason. You cannot accuse the armed forces of a
thing like this. However, nothing happened to those complaints I sent to the
MHA. Now this expose has come out, he said. I have written to Prime Minister
Narendra Modi on Wednesday stating that this needs to be investigated at the
highest level to expose these people, who have committed treason against the
country. Let's leave it to the judgement of the Prime Minister, the Union
Minister said. He has made attempts to raise the morale of the armed forces,
while in 2012, people were trying to bring down the morale of the forces and
they were working against the country by planting stories which were absolutely
fallacious. There needs to be an inquiry at the highest level, he added.
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GOVT TO FILE REVIEW PETITION IN SC ON FACULTY RESERVATION IN
UNIVERSITIES
The government Tuesday
said in Rajya Sabha that it is fully committed to reservation and will soon
file a review petition in the Supreme Court on reservation mechanism for
faculties in universities. The Upper House took up a short discussion on
notices given by SP, BSP, RJD and CPI members regarding the reservation issue
in universities. Opposition parties demanded that the government bring a
separate law to protect the interest of scheduled castes (SC) scheduled tribes
(ST) and other backward classes (OBC) instead of filing review petition in the
apex court. Prakash Javadekar said, We are sensitive to the issue raised in the
House because we are part of the reservation campaign. We want reservation to
continue. The department-wise roster has not been brought by the government but
it had to be brought following the court's direction. We were not in agreement
with the court's direction and therefore filed a special leave petition (SLP). The
government has put forth its views strongly during the hearing of SLP, the
minister said and added the SLP was filed after conducting a study in 30-40
universities to ascertain how department-wise reservation to faculty would
affect SC, ST and OBCs. We are 100 per cent committed towards reservation he
said, and expressed confidence of getting a favourable judgement in the review
petition. On the University Grant Commission (UGC) circular on appointments,
the minister said it has not withdrawn the circular. We are taking a legal
opinion to seek a stay on the circular. Opposition members were not satisfied
with the reply and were up on their feet. Amid uproar, Chairman M Venkaiah
Naidu adjourned the House till 2 PM. Yadav said 13 universities have come out
with advertisement for 706 posts. Of which, 18 are for SCs, 57 for OBCs and
none for ST and 640 for general category. If this is the situation, then the
reservation provided in the Constitution and the Indra Sahani case being said
as valid -- will make no sense, he said.
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KOLKATA COPS TO FACE PUNITIVE ACTION FOR PARTICIPATING IN
MAMATA'S PROTEST
The Centre is likely to take
punitive action against five senior police officers of West Bengal, including
DGP Virendra Kumar, for taking part in the dharna of Chief Minister Mamata
Banerjee, officials said. This may include stripping off meritorious awards and
removing the officers from the list of seniority. A similar action is also
expected against Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar. The Union Home
Ministry has sought action against Rajeev Kumar for sitting at the dharna of
Banerjee. The central government has taken a dim view of serving officers of
uniformed forces allegedly taking part in sit-in protests and dharnas of the
chief minister in Kolkata on February 4, a home ministry official said. The
home ministry is also believed to have asked the West Bengal government to take
action against them for alleged violation of All India Service Rules. The
Centre is contemplating issuing an advisory to all states to ensure that
officers of uniformed forces adhere to conduct rules and maintain decorum,
another official said.
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ARUN JAITLEY REMINDS RAHUL GANDHI ABOUT HIS FATHER'S MONUMENTAL
MISTAKE ON TRIPLE TALAQ BILL
Arun Jaitley reminded
Rahul Gandhi of his father's monumental mistake on triple talaq and said that
Bareilly Nikah-Halala type incidents, which shook conscience of people, ought
to be made unconstitutional The late Rajiv Gandhi committed a monumental
mistake in legislatively overturning the Shah Bano judgment of the Supreme
Court which guaranteed maintenance to all muslim women. He allowed deserted
women to be driven to poverty and destitution. Thirty-two years later his son
has taken another retrograde step to drive them not merely into destitution but
also to live a life which is an antithesis of human existence, Jaitley wrote in
a Facebook blog post. Jaitley's statement came amid reports of a woman, who was
divorced twice by her husband in Bareilly, was forced to undergo nikah-halala
as per the Islamic law - on first occasion with her father-in-law and on the
subsequent occasion with her brother-in-law. Under nikah-halala, a man cannot
remarry his former wife unless she marries another man, consummates the
marriage, gets a divorce and observes a period of separation period called
'iddat'. Unfortunately, when human conscience should have been repelled while
reading this news in the morning newspapers; the AICC President Rahul Gandhi
and his coterie, Jaitley said in the Facebook post titled ‘Does the Bareilly
Nikah-Halala not shock your conscience?' Votes are important, so is fairness.
Political opportunists only look at the next day's headlines. Nation-builders
look at the next century.
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NGT DISMISSES REVIEW PLEA, STATE HAS TO DEPOSIT RS 500 CRORE
TO REVIVE LAKE
The National Green
Tribunal (NGT) on Thursday dismissed the Karnataka government’s plea to review
the tribunal’s earlier order directing the state to deposit Rs 500 crore in an
escrow account to rejuvenate Bellandur lake. The New Delhi bench of the NGT,
before pronouncing the December 6 order, had taken exception to the state
government’s negligence of Bellandur, Varthur and Agara lakes. The order had
directed the Karnataka government to deposit the amount in an escrow account to
be utilised for execution of action plans to clean the water bodies as per the
Panjwani Committee report. The bench had also directed the state government and
the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to deposit an environmental
compensation of Rs 75 crore. The state, in its review petition, contended that
the direction to create a Rs 500- crore escrow account is beyond the statutory
jurisdiction of the tribunal. The tribunal dismissed the plea saying it does
have the powers of a civil court and could issue such directions. The previous
order was passed after dealing with the facts and circumstances of the case in
detail right from 2014, the NGT said, In its last order, the NGT had also
formed a committee chaired by former Lokayukta Justice N Santosh Hegde to monitor
implementation of lake development plan. The panel, which had its first meeting
towards the end of January, has decided to do a field inspection on February
17.
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AYODHYA GETS RS 300-CR ALLOCATION IN UP ANNUAL BUDGET AHEAD OF
2019 POLLS
Ahead of the Lok Sabha
elections, Ayodhya on Thursday got a significant share in the Uttar Pradesh
Budget, including Rs 200 crore for an airport and Rs 101 crore for the
development of tourist spots in the city. As part of its focus on development
and beautification of religious places in the state, the UP government has
selected Ayodhya, Varanasi, Mathura and Allahabad while earmarking funds in the
annual budget for 2019-20. The allocation for Ayodhya comes amid pressure on
the BJP-led government at the Centre and in the state over the construction of
a Ram temple at the disputed site in the city, as the Lok Sabha elections near.
Rajesh Agarwal said Shri Kashi Vishwanath Special Area Development Board has
been set up to ensure implementation of Shri Kashi Vishwanath Mandir Expansion
Scheme in Varanasi. He said Rs 207 crore has been pegged for the expansion and
beautification of the road from the Ganga bank to Vishwanath Temple in
Varanasi. A budgetary provision of Rs 16 crore has been made to set up a Vaidik
Vigyan Kendra in Kashi Hindu Vishwavidyalaya in the city and Rs 27 crore has
been set aside for integrated development of major tourist places in Garh
Mukteshwar. While Rs 8.38 crore has been proposed to get an auditorium
constructed between Mathura-Vridavan, a provision of Rs 5 crore has been made
for the construction of boundary walls around public Ramlila grounds. A provision
of Rs 1 crore has been made to strengthen Vrindavan Shodh Sansthan and Rs 125
crore allocated for infrastructural facilities in Uttar Pradesh Brij Tirtha. The
minister said Rs 70 crore has been marked for implementation of Tourism
Policy-2018 and another Rs 50 crore for pro-poor tourism. Of total Rs 1,000
crore allocated for construction, expansion and strengthening of airstrips in
Uttar Pradesh, Rs 800 crore have been proposed to acquire land for the Jewar
airport.
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SUPREME COURT RAPS CBI FOR TRANSFERRING OFFICER PROBING BIHAR
SHELTER HOME CASES
The Supreme Court Thursday
came down heavily on CBI for transferring its former Joint Director A K Sharma,
who was probing Bihar's shelter home cases, out of the agency in violation of
the court's order and directed its then interim chief M Nageswara Rao to personally
appear before it on February 12. A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi took
serious note of violation of two earlier orders of the apex court and issued
contempt notice to Rao for transferring Sharma to the CRPF on January 17
without taking prior permission from the court. The bench, which also comprised
Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna, directed CBI Director Rishi Kumar
Shukla to give the names of officers who were part of the process in
transferring Sharma out of the probe agency.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___
NO FIR AGAINST 21 DISQUALIFIED BMC CORPORATORS YET: RTI REPLY
Although 21 corporators of
the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) have been disqualified since 2007,
almost all of them for submitting fake caste certificates, no case has been
registered against any of them so far, answer to an RTI query has revealed.
City-based activist Anil Galgali had filed the Right to Information (RTI) query
with the civic body, seeking details of the action taken against the
disqualified corporators. Officer of BMC's legal department, S D Fulsunge, in
her reply given recently, said no case has been filed against any corporator
ever since their disqualification She also said that the legal department
forwards the election petitions to the Small Causes Court. The election
department said that 20 out of the 21 corporators were disqualified for
submitting fake caste certificates, while one of them was disqualified for
flouting the two-child norm. They were elected in 2007, 2012 and 2017 civic
polls. In a separate reply, deputy law officer of the Small Causes Court, Anant
Kajrolkar, also said that no FIR has been registered against any disqualified
corporators so far.
#For Source of Information copy and paste the heading in google.
Thanks & Regards,
CS Meetesh Shiroya
Thanks & Regards,
CS Meetesh Shiroya
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