RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE 33RD GST COUNCIL MEETING
Real estate sector is one
of the largest contributors to the national GDP and provides employment
opportunity to large numbers of people. Housing for All by 2022 envisions that
every citizen would have a house and the urban areas would be free of slums.
There are reports of slowdown in the sector and low off-take of
under-construction houses which needs to be addressed. To boost the residential
segment of the real estate sector, following recommendations were made by the
GST Council in its 33rd meeting held today:
GST rate
·
GST shall be levied at
effective GST rate of 5% without ITC on residential properties outside
affordable segment;
·
GST shall be levied at
effective GST of 1% without ITC on affordable housing properties.
Effective date
The new rate shall become
applicable from 1st of April, 2019.
Definition of affordable
housing shall be
·
A residential house/flat
of carpet area of upto 90 sqm in non-metropolitan cities/towns and 60 sqm in
metropolitan cities having value upto Rs. 45 lacs (both for metropolitan and
non-metropolitan cities).
·
Metropolitan Cities are
Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi NCR (limited to Delhi, Noida, Greater Noida,
Ghaziabad, Gurgaon, Faridabad), Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai (whole of MMR).
GST exemption on TDR/ JDA,
long term lease (premium), FSI
Intermediate tax on
development right, such as TDR, JDA, lease (premium), FSI shall be exempted
only for such residential property on which GST is payable.
Details of the scheme
shall be worked out by an officers committee and shall be approved by the GST
Council in a meeting to be called specifically for this purpose.
Advantages of the
recommendations made
The new tax rate in
principle was approved by the Council taking into consideration the following
advantages:-
·
The buyer of house gets a
fair price and affordable housing gets very attractive with GST @ 1%.
·
Interest of the buyer/consumer
gets protected; ITC benefits not being passed to them shall become a non-issue.
·
Cash flow problem for the
sector is addressed by exemption of GST on development rights, long term lease
(premium), FSI etc.
·
Unutilized ITC, which used
to become cost at the end of the project gets removed and should lead to better
pricing.
·
Tax structure and tax
compliance becomes simpler for builders.
GST Council decided that
the issue of tax rate on lottery needs further discussion in the GoM
constituted in this regard. The decisions of the GST Council have been
presented in this note in simple language for easy understanding. The same
would be given effect to through Gazette notifications/ circulars which alone
shall have force of law.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
CENTRAL BOARD OF INDIRECT TAXES AND CUSTOMS (CBIC) CONSTITUTES
THREE WORKING GROUPS
The Central Board of
Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has constituted three Working Groups to study
and recommend measures to facilitate trade, promote exports and improve
compliance The Working Groups will focus on:-
·
improving the legislative
structure of customs tariff and update it to suit the emerging and future needs
of the economy and industry. Special focus would be given to create a
comprehensive export tariff structure to enhance India’s export competitiveness
·
export promotion and
facilitation with emphasis on boosting exports through e-commerce, addressing
the trade facilitation barriers faced in India’s export markets and improving
the quality of logistics services for exporters.
·
enhancing compliance,
plugging loopholes to improve revenue collection on customs and curb IGST
refund frauds
The groups will consult
the stakeholders extensively, including the Export Promotion Councils and
relevant wings of the Ministry of Commerce and industry. The Groups will submit
their report within a period of two months.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
RELIEF FOR START-UPS WITH TAX NOTICE
About 300 start-ups which
had received tax payment orders due to issues related to ‘angel tax’ may soon
get relief, as the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has asked industry
representatives to submit the names and PAN details of all the affected
start-ups Once the list is handed over, the CBDT, which met industry
representatives on Friday, may issue directives to its officers for expeditious
disposal of appeals.
Exemption certificates.bWe
have requested the CBDT to consider issuing exemption certificates to start-ups
having a demand order/in appeal, Sachin Taparia, told. He added that the CBDT
had requested them for the PAN details and names of all start-ups having orders
and LocalCircles, along with industry think-tank iSPIRT, would submit the same
early next week. Mr. Taparia added that industry representatives have
recommended that, In case, the demand has been levied against Section 56 (2)
(vii-b) and the start-up has furnished its Startup India exemption certificate,
it should be deemed as satisfactory explanation as long as it is within the
limits stated in the DPIIT notification. In case the demand had been levied
against Section 68 of the I-T Act and the start-up had furnished the details of
the investors together with the PAN of the investor and its Startup India
exemption certificate, it should be deemed as satisfactory explanation, he
said. Due to the sensitive nature of the documents [bank statements, income tax
returns and financial statements], concerning creditworthiness and genuineness
of the investor, many are reluctant to submit it to the start-up, but are
willing to submit it directly to the assessing officer, Mr. Taparia explained.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
WEST BENGAL FM AMIT MITRA WANTS 1% GST RATE FOR HOUSES UP TO
RS 40 LAKH
Ahead of the second round
of the GST Council meet on real estate on Sunday, West Bengal finance minister
Amit Mitra has come out with his proposal on tax rates – which ranges from one
per cent to 7 per cent. In a letter to Union finance minister Arun Jailtey, he
also raised certain contentious issues such as the fate of input tax credit if
a proposal by a group of ministers (GoM) on real estate is implemented. He also
asked how a GST regime will treat a complex issue that contains both
residential and commercial real estate. The GoM had recommended bringing down
GST rate from 12 per cent with input tax credit to 5 per cent without the tax
credit for under-construction houses and from eight per cent with the tax
credit to 3 per cent without it for the affordable housing segment (costing up
to Rs 30 lakh in non-metro areas and Rs 45 lakh in metro cities). Mitra
contested this, saying that actual incidence of tax for affordable housing is
actually one per cent at present, according to an agenda note circulated to
state finance ministers. Therefore, the suggested rate of 3 per cent by the GoM
will actually increase the tax burden on house buyers, he said. Mitra quoted
the agenda note to say that actual tax incidence on houses other than
affordable ones is 5 per cent in the medium range and 7 per cent in the premium
category. Pointing out that 70 per cent of houses registered in West Bengal
have a cost not exceeding Rs 40 lakh, the state finance minister said that
these categories of houses should not draw more than one per cent tax. There
should be GST rate of not more than 5 per cent on houses costing above Rs 40
lakh and up to Rs 1 crore, he added. Houses costlier than this category could
attract 7 per cent tax rate, Mitra proposed. Mitra suggested that artificial
distinction between houses in metro and non-metro cities be dropped to avoid
definitional complications and lend simplicity to the tax structure. In fact,
any artificial segregation of housing, contiguous to the metro cities, could
lead to serious interpretational issues and open up possibilities for rent
seeking, he said. He also suggested exempting long-term lease of land (more
than 30 years) from GST on the lines of those for industrial uses. Mitra also
wanted to know whether the new GST scheme for the real estate sector is
optional or mandatory. The council meet could not arrive at a consensus on the
issue of taxing real estate players at its meeting on Wednesday. The meeting
was deferred to Sunday after some states wanted a face-to-face meeting with the
Centre.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
GST: ICE CREAM, TOBACCO, PAN MASALA TO BE EXCLUDED FROM HIGHER
THRESHOLD LIMIT
Entities engaged in
businesses of ice cream, pan masala and tobacco will not be eligible for the
proposed higher threshold limit for mandatory registration and new composition
scheme for services under the Goods and Services Tax (GST). The new proposals
will come into effect from April 1. Under the new mechanism, threshold for
goods suppliers in 20 States and the one Union Territory (with Assembly), i.e.
Delhi, for mandatory registration will be ₹40 lakh, against the
present ₹20 lakh. Similarly for the seven North-Eastern States (barring
Assam) and the hilly State of Uttarakhand, threshold for mandatory registration
will be ₹20 lakh as against ₹10 lakh as of now.
Telangana and the Union Territory of Puducherry will continue to have threshold
of ₹20 lakh. It has also been decided to introduce a new
Composition Scheme for services. Businesses (both services alone and mix, that
is goods and services supplier) with annual turnover up to ₹50
lakh will be eligible for the new scheme. According to the draft notifications,
businesses of three categories of goods and their supply have been excluded. The
first category is ice cream and other ice, whether or not containing cocoa,
while the second category is of pan masala and the third category comprises
tobacco and manufactured tobacco substitutes. While ice cream attracts GST at
the rate of 18 per cent, tobacco and pan masala attract GST at the rate of 28
per cent. There is also a cess on tobacco.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
NO GST FINE LEVIED ON MANAGEMENT OF PRASADS
The management of Prasads
has stated that the multiplex has not been fined by the GST anti-profiteering
wing for not passing on the benefit of GST reduction to movie-goers Mr Ramesh
Prasad, responding to a report in these columns on February 9, explained the
problems that theatres were facing. After the GST rate on cinemas was reduced
from 28 per cent to 18, GST officials visited our office and inquired whether
or not we had reduced the price in line with the anti-profiteering provision of
the GST law. The pre-GST rate of entertainment tax was 15 per cent for Telugu
movies and 20 per cent for other language movies. The average rate used to work
out to around 17 per cent, Mr Prasad said. With the implementation of the GST,
the rate on cinema tickets went up to 28 per cent. Theatres were not allowed by
the state government to increase the ticket price in line with the increased
rate of tax, Mr Prasad said. All theatres absorbed this increased tax for 18
months. After the GST rates were revised, the government did not reduce
admission rates. The present rate of 18 per cent was almost the same as 17 per
cent earlier and there was no profit, Mr Prasad said. It only reduced the
additional tax burden on us and hence no reduction in rate of admission is
warranted. Mr Prasad said that considering this explanation, the GST
authorities had sought the details which were provided to the GST principal
commissioner on February 4. Prasads also reduced the ticket price in line with
the reduction effected by some other multiplexes and requested him to confirm
that the multiplex had made no profit.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
13 INDIAN BANKS SEEK DETAILS OF VIJAY MALLYA’S ASSETS IN
BRITAIN
The 13 state-owned Indian
banks which are trying to claw back the Rs 10,000 crore that Vijay Mallya owes
them by legally seizing assets he owns in England are facing delays as many of
the assets they were hoping to get their hands on are not in his name. The
banks have now made an application in London’s high court for various banks and
entities in possession of documents relating to the ownership structures of
assets they believe are ultimately his — which include two super-yachts and a
string of racing cars — to disclose them. The UK high court had given
permission on May 8, 2018 for the Bengaluru DRT judgment to be registered in
English courts, allowing high court enforcement officers to seize up to £1.14
billion (Rs 10,499 crore) of Mallya’s assets held in England and Wales. But so
far there are many assets the banks believe belong to the indebted tycoon that
they have not been able to seize. Indeed last year at Silverstone, Mallya had
shrugged off the high court judgment saying there was not much he owned here
apart from a few cars and items of jewellery as his Tewin estate belonged to
his children and his London town house to his mother. The hearing in this case
was meant to take place on Friday but on Wednesday the beleaguered former
liquor baron made an application seeking to stay the entire proceedings of the
seizing of his assets in England stating that the Indian banks have also filed
a bankruptcy petition against him which has not been heard yet. That is
expected to be heard later in the year. As a result of Mallya’s application and
other evidence arriving late, the hearing was adjourned. High court judge Christopher
Hancock QC ruled that Mallya’s application for a stay would be heard first,
followed by the application by the banks. The date is yet to be fixed. Many of
Dr Mallya’s assets are subject to complex ownership structures which might take
years to unravel. There is the risk that, in the meantime, Dr Mallya might be
declared bankrupt, given that other creditors are pursuing him, the banks’
submissions to the High Court last year had stated. The court heard on Friday
that Indian Empress Ltd had filed evidence in respect of the Maltese
proceedings about a luxury yacht. Barclays Bank is the lead party in the case
against the vessel in Malta’s civil court first hall, being the main secured
creditor, having lent two mortgages in 2008 and 2018 against it, worth just
under €25 million (about Rs 201 crore today). The next hearing in that case
will take place on April 9. His other yacht, the 50-metre super-yacht Force
India, has been arrested in Southampton also over disputes relating to crew
wages and a claim from a Qatari-owned bank for €5.2 million (approximately Rs
42 crore now).
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
DELHI COURT DIRECTS ED TO PROVIDE COPIES OF SEIZED DOCUMENTS
TO ROBERT VADRA
A Delhi court Monday
directed the Enforcement Directorate to provide Robert Vadra soft and hard
copies of documents seized by it during raids conducted at his offices last
year in a money laundering case. Special Judge Arvind Kumar directed the Enforcement
Directorate (ED) to provide documents to Vadra, facing probe in cases relating
to purchase of alleged illegal assets abroad and an alleged land scam in
Bikaner, Rajasthan. Vadra, who is the brother-in-law of Congress President
Rahul Gandhi, had said in the application moved by him on Saturday that the ED
has been interrogating him based on seized documents and, therefore, their
copies should be provided to him.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
INCOME TAX DEPARTMENT TO SHARE INFORMATION WITH MINISTRY OF
HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS
The Central Government
issued a notification empowering the income tax department to share information
with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. The present notification by the
Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) specified that the Joint Secretary (PMAY),
Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India, as the designating
authority for purposes of section 138(1)(a) of the Income Tax Act. Section 138
of the Income Tax empowers the tax department to share information with other
authorities dealing with laws related to any tax, duty, cess or foreign
exchange or to other notified authorities subject to certain conditions. Recently,
the IT department had paved the way for the seamless exchange of information
between various government agencies to check illegal wealth by amending the
2003 notification, seeking to remove any ambiguity about sharing of taxpayer
information by the tax department with other government agencies. Accordingly,
the CBDT has issued Notification allowing the Income Tax Department to furnish
the details of income tax returns and Tax Audit reports with the Ministry of
Corporate Affairs among other information as per furnishing bulk information
under section 138 of the Income Tax Act, 1961. Further, a separate notification
was also issued to share information with the National Intelligence Grid.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
BUSINESSMAN HELD FOR GST FRAUD
The Goods and Service Tax
Commissionerate officials of Medchal arrested Harkara Karthi Chakravarthi,
managing director partner of M/s. Laxmi Ganesh Enterprises, Quthbullapur for indulging
in issuance of fake GST invoices without supplying the goods to enable the
recipient taxpayers to take fraudulent ineligible Input Tax Credit (ITC) of ₹25
crore Chakravarthi with an intention to supply fake GST invoices to various
firms, had floated three firms, M/s Laxmi Ganesh Enterprises, M/s Manikanta
Enterprises and M/s Harkara Iron Steel and Cements Pvt. Ltd. and was filing
fictitious GSTR-3B returns which is actually mandatory for all those who have
registered for GST. The case originated based on the data analytics of the
department, where it indicated that there was huge variation in the GSTR-3B
returns and details contained in GSTR-2A, a statement of ITC, a press release
said. He had generated fake GST invoices for ₹260 crore and filed
fictitious GST returns for supplying fake invoices of ₹
25 crore to defraud the government exchequer and to pass on the fraudulent ITC
to various firms in both the Telugu States, the press release added.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
IL&FS EMPLOYEE WELFARE TRUST UNDER ED LENS
The Enforcement
Directorate (ED) is investigating the IL&FS Employee Welfare Trust (EWT)
over possible irregularities, extending its probe into alleged money laundering
related to subsidiaries of Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services
(IL&FS). As much as 13.64% shareholding of IL&FS is held by the
employee trust, of which the principal beneficiaries are the senior management
of IL&FS, including its former CMD Ravi Parthasarathy, former director Hari
Sankaran and others, stated the February 19 enforcement case information report
(ECIR). The accused Ravi Parthasarathy, Hari Sankaran and others, in order to
increase the fund base and investor base and to lure them into making
investments at each stage and sub-stage, have created a myriad, complex and
non-transparent structure and a web of companies which have been initially
promoted by IL&FS and subsequently by those companies itself. A case under
the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) has been
registered against ILFS Rail Ltd, ILF Transportation Networks Ltd,
Parthasarathy and Sankaran. According to the ED, the persons involved floated
shell companies to award contracts and allegedly siphoned off Rs 74 crore that
was used to purchase assets. The shell companies were allegedly given a
commission of 0.5% of the amount routed through them. While this case deals
with subsidiaries, people with knowledge of the matter said the probe into it
will widen to include IL&FS and its entire debt burden of Rs 91,000 crore.
EWT was floated with a purpose to provide subsidised loans, housing facilities,
medical, health and education relief to enlist a few, to needy employees.
However, the probe has revealed that, especially post-2006 after amendment to
the trust indenture was carried out, EWT has been dominated by the accused and
other prominent board members, said one of the persons cited above. It was used
to further decisions taken by them and also to profit themselves at the cost of
the IL&FS group companies. Prima facie, from the transactions carried out
by the trust, it looks like it was created for the purpose of creating
individual wealth and our probe will focus on unearthing this. ED is not the
only agency probing IL&FS EWT. The Serious Fraud Investigation Office
(SFIO) detailed alleged irregularities in the trust in its interim report
submitted to the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) in November last year. According
to the SFIO report, less Rs 2.91 crore (1%) was paid toward welfare of needy
employees, while Rs 280 crore was the profit realised by select employees on
shares distributed by the trust. The trust has outstanding debt of Rs 500
crore. SFIO, which is now in the process of preparing its final report, is also
examining the role of a leading private bank in advancing a loan of Rs 94.76
crore. According to the agency, the security against the said loan were shares
that the bank had sold to EWT. The bank had given a secured loan with an asset
coverage of less than 100%, that too against unlisted equity shares. When the
loan was repaid in 2015, a fresh loan of Rs 95 crore was granted within a month
against the same shares pledged as security without any fresh valuation,
according to the SFIO findings. Meanwhile, the ED plans to write to the SFIO
for a copy of the interim report. Since they have already investigated and
detailed out the irregularities in EWT, we will write to them to share their
findings. This will help us to link the present case probed by us to other
subsidiaries and also how EWT was misused, said an ED official with knowledge
of the matter. According to the SFIO findings, EWT distributed around 3.1
million shares of IL&FS to select employees and managerial personnel under
an employee stock option (ESOP) scheme.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
IL&FS IN DOCK FOR MISUSE OF RS 70 CR FUNDS
The Enforcement
Directorate (ED) has registered a money laundering case against top officers of
Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL&FS), to investigate
alleged financial irregularities. The agency conducted searches at six
locations in National Capital Region (NCR) and Mumbai on Wednesday. The case
was registered based on an FIR lodged by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of
the Delhi Police. Ashish Begwani, director of Enso Infrastructures Pvt Ltd,
filed the case against IL&FS officials for allegedly causing Rs 70 crore loss
to his company. Begwani had alleged, in an August 2010 complaint, that he was
approached by two IL&FS officials with a proposal, following which he
invested Rs 170 crore in IL&FS Rail, a special purpose vehicle for the
Gurugram Metro project. He was promised 15 per cent shares in this. However,
the complainant later observed that the company was not performing profitably
and funds are being misused, an EOW official had said, quoting Begwani's
complaint. It was also alleged that IL&FS Rail issued bogus contract works
to inflate expenses. It was alleged in the FIR that the group had sought
investments on the basis of false projections, and has also been involved in
forging account books, providing loans to subsidiaries and related companies,
thereby layering and routing funds, the agency said.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
DKS FILED FALSE AFFIDAVIT ON ASSETS, I-T DEPT TELLS EC
Tightening the screws on
Karnataka water resources minister D K Shivakumar, the income tax department
has written to the Election Commission seeking action against the minister for
false disclosure of assets and sources of income in his affidavit filed in the
2018 assembly elections. The department has also urged the Securities and
Exchange Board of India (Sebi) to act against construction major Sobha Limited
for siphoning off public money for the benefit of Shivakumar, his family
members and close associates. The I-T department’s move comes days before the
announcement of Lok Sabha elections, leaving political circles abuzz with
speculation about the consequences for the Congress veteran, including
disqualification. Per se, the false affidavit does not attract direct
disqualification But if the person is found guilty of perjury and is punished,
then his fate is decided on the gravity of the case, said Subhash C Kashyap, a
constitutional expert and former secretary-general of the Lok Sabha. It is up
to the Election Commission to take up the case in a court of law for
disqualification if necessary. While the crime of falsification of affidavit
attracts imprisonment from six months to seven years under IPC Section 193
(punishment for false evidence), a legislator is liable for disqualification if
he or she is sentenced to more than six years in jail.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
MUMBAI EOW CALLS 100 BROKERS TO PROBE ROLE IN NSEL TRADES
A Mumbai police arm
dealing with financial crimes has called about 100 brokers to ascertain their
alleged roles in illegal contracts traded on the National Spot Exchange (NSEL),
taking forward the probe into a complaint of mass irregularities at the
mothballed commodities bourse. The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has already
questioned about 15 of these brokers in the past two days, official sources
told. We have started summoning the brokers said an official. Their statements
will be compared with the documents sent by the market regulator and the
findings of the auditors. If needed, they could be called again.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
SUBRAMANIAN SWAMY SEEKS STAY ON AIRASIA APPLICATION FOR
INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS; HC TO HEAR PLEA IN MARCH
The Delhi High Court
Friday said it would hear in March a plea by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy
seeking interim stay on AirAsia India’s application for a licence to fly
internationally. Swamy has also filed another application seeking to know the
status of the investigation conducted by the CBI in a case relating to alleged
lobbying by AirAsia India while trying to get international flying licence by
manipulating policies and violation of foreign investment norms. A bench of
Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V K Rao said it would hear the matter
on March 29, by when the respondents, including the Centre and AirAsia, can
file their objections to both the applications. In the first plea, Swamy sought
a stay on the application filed by AirAsia India seeking an international
permissions/ licence to fly internationally. It sought directions to the Union
of India not to process the application of AirAsia until the final disposal of
the present writ petition. The legality and validity of the principal licence
which is the domestic licence of AirAsia (India) Ltd have been challenged in
the present writ petition, therefore, a licence to fly internationally which
should emanate from the factum of the principal licence out not to be granted,
the matter concerning the validity and legality of principal/domestic licence
is being heard and considered by this court and is therefore sub-judice, it
said.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
INX MEDIA: CBI TO FILE CHARGE SHEET AGAINST P CHIDAMBARAM
The CBI is likely to file
a chargesheet in the INX media foreign investment clearance case as it has
received sanction from the Centre to prosecute former finance minister P
Chidambaram, under whose tenure approval for it was given, officials said
Friday. They said after clearance from the Centre, giving a go-ahead to the
agency to press charges against Chidambaram, the CBI might soon proceed with
the filing of the chargesheet. The CBI had registered an FIR on May 15, 2017
against alleged irregularities in the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB)
clearance to INX Media for receiving overseas funds to the tune of Rs 305 crore
in 2007, when Chidambaram was the finance minister. The Law Ministry had told
the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) that there was no legal infirmity in the
agency's request seeking prosecution sanction. The violation prompted an Income
Tax Department probe. INX Media claimed that the investment was done as per
FIPB conditions, it had said. In order to wriggle out of the situation without
any punitive action, INX Media entered into a criminal conspiracy with Karti
whose father was the finance minister of the country, the agency has alleged.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
MAJOR CRACKDOWN AFTER PULWAMA TERROR ATTACK, JKLF CHIEF YASIN
MALIK DETAINED
Police swooped on
Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir members in Kashmir during the intervening
night of Friday and Saturday, and detained around two dozen of its cadres
including its chief Abdul Hamid Fayaz, officials said. Though police termed the
detentions as routine, officials privy to the developments said this is the first
major crackdown on the organisation that is part of the Tehreek-e-Hurriyat, a
separatist conglomerate. The Jamaat issued a statement condemning the
detentions and said, The move is a well designed conspiracy to pave way for
further uncertainty in the region. The Jamaat claimed that during the
intervening night of February 22 and February 23, police and other agencies
launched a mass arrest drive and raided many houses in the Valley, wherein
dozens of its central and district level leaders were arrested, including its
Ameer (chief) Jamaat Dr Abdul Hamid Fayaz and advocate Zahid Ali
(spokesperson). The Jamaat cadres were picked up from various places, including
Anantnag, Pahalgham, Dialgam, Tral — all in south Kashmir. The Jamaat termed
the raids as fishy at a time when the Supreme Court is to hear a petition
regarding Article 35A of the Constitution, which grants special status to Jammu
and Kashmir.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
RAHUL ASKS CONGRESS CMS TO FILE REVIEW PETITION AGAINST
TRIBALS' EVICTION
Indian National Congress
president Rahul Gandhi has written to chief ministers of all Congress-governed
states to file review petitions in the Supreme Court against mass-scale evictions
of tribals and other forest-dwellers. In separate letters with similar guidance
to all Congress chief ministers, Gandhi said, In order to pre-empt large-scale
evictions, it would be expedient to file a review petition and take any other
action you may deem fit. The Union tribal affairs ministry has pointed out that
forest staff often raised frivolous objections leading to rejections. In this
backdrop, evictions based on rejected claims alone, without a proper review and
appeal process violets the due process of law, he added. A day before that, on
February 22, responding to the apex court order, on February 22, the Union
tribal affairs ministry had said, It’s clarified that Govt of India, Ministry
of Tribal Affairs is well aware of its responsibilities of defending the
constitutional validity of the Forest Rights Act and the Ministry will do
everything at its disposal to safeguard the interests of the tribals as it has
been doing so far. From the key states in central India with high levels of tribal
populations, Chhattisgarh was the first to take concrete steps to prevent
evictions. State chief minister Bhupesh Baghel tweeted, The state government
shall put up its own lawyer to defend the Forest Rights Act before the Supreme
Court on the next hearing. If need be, a review petition would also be filed.
In the adjoining state of Jharkhand where 26.3 per cent of the population is
tribal, the opposition party Jharkhand Mukti Morcha prepared to hold protests
in all districts and convene a larger inter-state meeting to ramp up pressure.
The party's executive president and former Chief Minister Hemant Soren told
Business Standard, We cannot allow this to happen to tribals in our state.
Historically they have anyway being evicted for development and industrial
projects. We are beginning our protests and will take whatever steps we can to
prevent any forced evictions by the state government. This includes taking all
legal recourses that may be required. BJP is in power in Jharkhand.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
SC DISMISSES PIL SEEKING PROBE INTO ALLEGED CONSPIRACY BEHIND
PULWAMA TERROR ATTACK
The Supreme Court Monday
dismissed a plea seeking probe into alleged larger conspiracy behind the
February 14 Pulwama terror attack. A bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan
Gogoi and Justice Sanjiv Khanna was hearing a PIL filed by lawyer Vineet
Dhanda, seeking probe into alleged larger conspiracy in the attack in which 40
CRPF personnel were killed. The PIL submitted that nearly 370 kg of RDX was
used in the terror attack and it required a through probe.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
SHABIR SHAH, ALL OTHER INMATES FROM KASHMIR & PAKISTAN FIT
& FINE IN TIHAR, PRISON CAUTIONS AGAINST FAKE NEWS IN MEDIA
Tihar prison authorities
in Delhi have denied occurrence of any untoward incident or mishap involving
inmate Shabir Shah from Jammu and Kashmir. Refuting fake news circulating in a
section of media, DIG Tihar Prison, Shri Shailendra Parihar said Shabir Shah is
absolutely fit and fine. He said all other inmates from J&K and Pakistan
are also fine. The Prison authorities appealed to all to be cautious against fake
news.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
SC AGREES TO HEAR PLEA SEEKING PROTECTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS OF
SECURITY FORCES
The Supreme Court Monday
agreed to examine a plea seeking protection of human rights of security force
personnel, who are being attacked by mobs while performing duties. A bench
comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Sanjiv Khanna also issued
notices to the Union of India, Ministry of Defence, Jammu and Kashmir and
National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on a plea, filed by 19-year-old Preeti
Kedar Gokhale and 20-year-old Kajal Mishra. The plea sought formulation of a
policy to curb human rights violations of security force personnel, who are being
attacked by mobs while performing duties.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
LOK SABHA POLLS DATES SOON AFTER EC TEAM’S KASHMIR VISIT
The Election Commission of
India (ECI) will visit J&K on March 4-5 and take a final call on the
possibility of holding state elections either along with the Lok Sabha polls or
soon after it. The EC will reach J&K after visiting Maharashtra and UP, and
is likely to announce the Lok Sabha election schedule and its decision on
J&K polls soon after the visit. Two ‘security requirement’ scenarios have
been shared with the EC and the home ministry –– of holding assembly polls
along with the Lok Sabha elections or of holding it soon after the Lok Sabha
elections are completed and before the President’s rule in the state ends on
June 20. Meanwhile, the home ministry is learnt to have indicated that it may
be possible to bring in heavier security deployment to enable multi-phase polls
in J&K. The state is learnt to have estimated that 800 companies of
paramilitary forces may be required for conducting assembly elections along
with the Lok Sabha polls in the state. It is assessed that about 200 companies
of additional forces will be needed for the assembly polls alone as security
requirements will increase with more candidates in the fray. Over 80% of the
polling stations in the Valley are already designated as hyper sensitive. This
could rise following recent incidents like Pulwama and necessitate more paramilitary
presence. The first move has already been made with 100 companies of central
paramilitary force moving into the state over the weekend. Over 400 additional
companies are already in the state since the panchayat elections which
concluded recently. During 2014 assembly polls, about 400 companies were
deployed. The 2009 polls had seen deployment of over 600 companies. The EC is
bound by the 2002 SC verdict that states that whenever a House is dissolved
prematurely, the EC is required to initiate steps to hold elections to
constitute the assembly on the first occasion and in any case within six months
from date of premature dissolution.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
SC TO HEAR PLEA CHALLENGING VALIDITY OF ARTICLE 35-A FROM FEB
26-28
Supreme Court has agreed
to hear a bunch of petitions challenging constitutional validity of Article
35-A amid rumours that Centre is considering a change in its stand to put an
end to special privilege enjoyed by the Jammu and Kashmir state. The apex court
will hear the petitions from February 26-28. The petitioners have challenged
the constitutional validity of Article 35-A saying that it was introduced in
the Constitution by way of President Order. This has become a big political
issue after the Pulwama incident, where 44 CRPF personnel died in a terror
attack.
What is Article 35A?
Article 35A was added to
the Indian Constitution in 1954 as part of the deal between the Maharaja of
Kashmir, Hari Singh, and the Republic of India to protect the privileges of
Kashmiri residents. It has a provision that gives J&K Assembly the power to
decide who all are the 'permanent residents' of the state that can have
permanent settlement rights in the state, get scholarships, receive public aid
and acquire immovable property. It also empowers the state legislature to frame
laws without any challenge on grounds of violating the constitution or any
other law of the land.
When was it introduced?
Introduced in 1954 by a
Presidential Order, the Article has provision under which the President of
India can make certain exceptions and modifications for the benefit of ‘State
subjects’ of Jammu and Kashmir.
Why is it being challenged
at court?
According to the petitioners,
the provision was unconstitutionally added to the Constitution. The
Constitution does not allow the President to add or change existing provisions.
This can only be done by the legislature after such change stands approved
within the Parliament by the elected leaders of the country. In the case of
Artcile 35A, the provision was added without getting a nod from the Parliament.
Why is labelled as
discriminatory against J&K women?
Petitioners claim that
Article 35A is discriminatory against women. If a Woman native to Kashmir,
marries a man not holding a permanent resident certificate, her children are
denied a permanent resident certificate, which makes them ineligible to hold
immovable property in the state. At first, it disqualified women who married
non-permanent residents, from their rights as state subjects. However, in 2002,
the J&K high court ruled that woman who married non-residents will not lose
their rights.
Why do Kashmiris want
Article 35A?
Those defending the
provision say that Article 35A is part of a historical pact between Kashmir and
India allowing the state a special status in India. During the time of
accession, it was agreed that the state would be endowed such status. Today,
J&K derives its special status from two key constitutional provisions-
Article 370 and Article 35A. Those in favour of retaining Article 35A fear that
its repeal would lead to further erosion of J&K's autonomy and trigger
demographic change in the Muslim majority valley by a possibility of Hindus
'flooding' the valley. PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti last year asserted Article 35A
should not be tinkered with, saying there would be no one to hold the tricolour
if provisions regarding special status to J&K residents were altered.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
RAKSHA MANTRI VISITS THE SITE OF FIRE INCIDENT
Raksha Mantri Smt Nirmala
Sitharaman visited the site of fire incident of Aero India 2019, which is
currently in progress at Yelahanka Air Force Base. Officials from Indian Air
Force, State Fire Services and State police were present at the spot. She was
briefed about the incident by the officials and was given account of first hand
witnesses. RM enquired about the steps being taken to facilitate the insurance
claims by the owners of the vehicles. RM directed officials to ensure that RTO
helpdesk to have representatives from Insurance companies to facilitate the
insurance claims by people. Later in the day Raksha Mantri is scheduled to have
a meeting with the CM of Karnataka along with AOC in C, Commissioner of Police,
DG Fire Services and other senior officials. Raksha Mantri Smt Sitharaman was
briefed about the quick action taken by the Operational Control Centre (OCC) of
Aero India at Air Force Station, Yelahanka in controlling the rapid spread of
fire at P4 parking area. The rapid spread of fire was aided by strong winds
reaching in excess of 30 Kmph and the fact many vehicles were parked in
direction of wind. The OCC Commander along with State Fire Department put into
action together more than thirteen fire tenders, seven water bowsers and 33
Agni Varuna vehicles to douse the fire. Additionally, six Crash Fire Tenders
(CFT) of IAF, which is used in case of Aircraft Crash, was used to control the
rapid spread of fire and the entire fire was doused within 45 Minutes and more
than 3000 litres of foam was used. These timely actions ensured that the damage
was limited to a small area and larger damage was avoided. IAF also launched
one helicopter immediately for aerial assessment which aided in giving
effective directions to fight the fire. At the time of the incident more than
3000 vehicles were parked in the parking area. Vehicles in the line of fire
were removed from the area by breaking the glass windows and releasing the
parking brakes as drivers were not present and these cars were pushed to
safety. This action also created a gap between the parked vehicles and stopped
further spread of the fire. In total 278 cars were fully damaged, 73 cars
partially damaged (16 due to fire and 57 due to breaking of glass). The OCC
effectively coordinated for Quick replenishment of the Fire Tenders by
regulating traffic on NH7 with the help of Traffic police. This ensured
unhindered access of these Fire Tenders to Static Water Tanks for replenishing
of the tenders. Alternate parking area was identified immediately for the
people who were visiting the Aero India. Due to the swift action and smooth
coordination among various agencies involved, afternoon show was conducted as
per schedule without any hindrance. The incident resulted in no loss of life or
injuries to anyone.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
GIVE PEACE A CHANCE: PAKISTAN'S IMRAN KHAN TELLS PM MODI
Pakistan Prime Minister
Imran Khan on Sunday asked his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi to give peace a
chance and assured him that he stands by his words and will immediately act if
New Delhi provides Islamabad with actionable intelligence on the Pulwama
attack. Khan's remarks came a day after Modi in a rally in Rajasthan said,
There is consensus in the entire world against terrorism. We are moving ahead
with strength to punish the perpetrators of terrorism.The scores will be
settled this time, settled for good. This is a changed India, this pain will
not be tolerated. We know how to crush terrorism. Recalling his conversation
with Khan during a congratulatory call after he became Pakistan's premier, Modi
said he told him let us fight against poverty and illiteracy and Khan gave his
word - saying he is a Pathan's son - but went back on it. A statement released
by the Pakistan Prime Minister's Office said, PM Imran Khan stand by his words
that if India gives us actionable intelligence, we will immediately act.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
INDO-PAK BILATERAL TRADE GROWS 5% IN LAST 7 MONTHS DESPITE
TENSIONS: REPORT
The volume of trade between
India and Pakistan posted a growth of nearly five per cent in the first seven
months of the current fiscal year from a year ago despite border tensions,
according to report media report on Sunday. Following the Pulwama terror, India
withdrew the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status to Pakistan, which was granted
in 1995. The grant of this status means that a country will treat all WTO
member states equally in matters of tariffs on imports. A day later, it slapped
200 per cent import duty on Pakistani goods. The attack by Pakistan-based
Jaish-e-Mohammad terror group on February 14 has left 40 CRPF personnel dead.
However, the Indian government's decision to impose 200pc additional duty will
bring them no tangible results as Pakistan' annual exports to the country are
worth few million dollars, Dawn newspaper said. Trade statistics show a
complete picture that New Delhi will feel the pinch of the current stand-off.
The total aggregate volume of bilateral trade between July-January 2018-19 has
reached to $1.122 billion, up by 4.96pc from $1.069 billion over the
corresponding period of last year, it said. The first seven-month data of this
fiscal year shows that Indian exports to Pakistan constitute 79.33 per cent of
the total bilateral trade volume. Pakistan imports from India between July-Jan
2018-19 have reached to $890.05 million from $871.71 million over the
corresponding period of last year, showing an increase of 2.11pc. Pakistan's
imports have already entered negative growth with almost all countries except
India, the report said. In the year 2017-18, Indian exports to Pakistan have
reached $1.84 billion as against $1.64 billion over the previous year, showing
an increase of 12.2 per cent, it said.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
IRRIGATION PROJECTS HAVE RS 1.2-TRN COST OVERRUNS - THAT'S
WORTH 72 RAFALES
Of the centrally funded
minor irrigation projects, 64% were completed in these ten years. AIBP was
launched more than two decades ago as a central assistance programme for large
incomplete projects that could not be funded by states. The reasons for the
failure of the programme can be traced to delayed payments fraudulence and
diversion of funds, the report concluded. Nearly 60% agriculture in India is
rainfed, and in a country where 600 million people live on farming, efficient
irrigation becomes critical for agriculture productivity. The all-India
percentage of net irrigated area to total cultivated area is 34.5%, Economic Survey
2017-18 noted. The AIBP started with Rs 500 crore in 1996-97. Over the next
three years, the AIBP spent Rs 1,440 crore, IndiaSpend reported on March 14,
2016. In the same period, the expenditure on irrigation projects not funded by
the AIBP was Rs 700 crore. In 2015-16, AIBP was made one of the four components
of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (prime minister’s irrigation
programme) which was launched in 2015 to improve on the efficiency of farm
water-use, expand cultivable area under assured irrigation and introduce
sustainable water conservation practises. The audit sampled 118 major to medium
irrigation projects for a decade ending 2017 and found that the cost overrun
for 84 of them was Rs 120,772 crore, enough to buy 72 Rafale fighter jets at a
cost of Rs 1,667 crore a jet or two times the 2019 interim budget for rural
jobs programme. The Rafale price is based on the government's purchase of 36
Rafale fighter jets for Rs 60,000 reported by India Today on February 15, 2019.
The government’s auditor also audited 335 minor ones and found cost overrun of
nearly Rs 62 crore. Between 2008-17, only 31% of 201 big projects and 71% of
11,291 minor schemes have been completed. Together, in a decade, the sanctioned
cost of the projects amounted to Rs 239,000 crore. In 14 years till 2014-15,
the net irrigated area in India increased 20% to 68.4 million hectares or twice
the land area of Germany, according to 2018 government data on irrigation. (In
this data, the figures for 2014-15 are provisional.) Meanwhile, 13 of the last
18 years witnessed below-normal rains and saw seven drought years -- 2002,
2004, 2009, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017, Down To Earth reported on October 1,
2018. Nearly 60% of India’s irrigation is dependent on groundwater. India is the
world’s largest consumer of groundwater, extracting twice as much as China, the
world’s most populous country, IndiaSpend reported on May 7, 2018. India
extracted 250 cubic kilometre of groundwater in 2010--1.2 times the capacity of
Kariba, the world’s biggest dam in Zimbabwe--of which 89% was used for
irrigation. Canal management needs to be improved. Many states have not hired
irrigation engineers in almost three decades, Tushaar Shah, economist and
public policy specialist, told. Resources must be allocated for the management
of dams and canals. Large irrigation systems in Punjab and Gujarat are running
without such measures. Nine states accounted for about 75% of projects covered
under AIBP--Maharashtra (48); Madhya Pradesh (19); Karnataka (17); Telangana
(13); Jammu and Kashmir (13); Andhra Pradesh (12); Odisha (11); Uttar Pradesh
(nine) and Jharkhand (eight). Although central assistance provided to states
for the programme during the period was Rs 41,143 crore (including Rs 2,421
crore as loan from NABARD in 2016-17), there were delays in release of central
assistance to states between 2008-09 to 2016-17, the report noted. The ministry
released Rs 5,717.23 crore for 53 big projects in 16 states, 30% of the total
release of funds to these projects, at the very end of the FY, i.e. in the
month of March, the report noted. In addition, in 11 instances pertaining to
the years 2008-09 and 2009-10, funds amounting to Rs 1,030.41 crore were
released after the close of the FY.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
TELL PARTIES NOT TO FIELD CANDIDATES WITH MORE THAN 2 KIDS? SC
REJECTS PLEA
The Supreme Court on
Monday refused to entertain a PIL seeking a direction to political parties not
to give tickets to those who have more than two children. A bench comprising
Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Sanjiv Khanna was hearing a plea seeking
a direction that political parties should comply with the 'two-child norm' and
not field candidates having more than two children. The plea, filed by BJP
leader and lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay, sought declaration of the 'two-child norm'
as a mandatory criteria for government jobs, aids and subsidies and urged that
the law, dealing with the condition for recognition of a state or national
party be suitably amended. The plea said non-compliance of the norm should lead
to withdrawal of citizens' statutory rights including right to vote and contest
elections.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
PREPARING PLAN FOR $100 BILLION FDI INFLOW: SURESH PRABHU
Commerce and industry
minister Suresh Prabhu on Saturday said that the government is working on a
blueprint to increase FDI inflows to $100 billion through a targeted approach.
We have removed almost all sectoral restrictions. I have asked Invest India to
identify those who can get that amount. I am getting research done on companies
who have the cash, where they will invest, what is the sectoral intent and I am
personally talking to Fortune 500 companies and requesting them to come. We
will make sure that we will take it to a new level, he said at the Global
Business Summit. In 2017-18, FDI flows into India were estimated at over $61 billion.
Prabhu also said that India’s merchandise exports are expected to close the
financial year at a record high and for the first time goods and services
exports could top the $500 billion mark. The minister outlined his strategy to
create a win-win partnership with other countries and retain the focus on a
collaborative approach to global trade at a time when countries such as the US
were seeking to undermine the relevance of the World Trade Organisation. We are
now working in partnership with Russia to import diamonds, which will give us
access to raw material and work together. With the Middle East, we are working
on creating a supply chain where we will invest, they will invest and we will
export it back to them. We will forge strong ties that will benefit India and
the world, he said, while adding that the collaboration with West Asia was for
food products.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
ADANI WINS BIDS TO OPERATE 5 AAI AIRPORTS
The Adani group has won
bids to upgrade and operate 5 out of 6 airports that the Airports Authority of
India (AAI) has put our for bids. Sources said the Adani Group, which has bid
for all six airports, have won to upgrade and operate five of them of for a
period of 50 years. The airports that the group has won are Lucknow, Jaipur,
Ahmedabad, Mangalore & Trivandrum. Bids for sixth airport - Guwahati- has
not been opened yet, sources added. These airport projects will mark the entry
of the Adani Group in aviation. The group is trying to enter airport business
and has been in talks with GVK fir a possible takeover of its stake in Mumbai
airport.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
INDIA CAN BECOME 2ND LARGEST 5G MARKET IN 10 YEARS: HUAWEI
Chinese telecom gear maker
Huawei said that India has the potential to become the largest 5G market after
China for the whole industry in the coming 10 years. We know India is important
emerging market. From the long term perspective, I personally believe that the
Indian 5G market will be a huge market and will be second only to China, James
Wu, president, Southern said. The long-term perspective can be 10 years. The
executive said that Hong Kong will be the first market to deploy 5G technology
in the South-East Asia region. Thailand, India and Vietnam will, follow Hong
Kong and launch 5G, he added. Huawei said that it is working with Indian
telecom operators in validating the technology that is core to 5G in the
future. It is also working with local telcos for 5G field trials that may
happen in the second half of the year. The company along with its telecom
operator partners is awaiting approval for spectrum allotment. It said it is
ready to talk to all stakeholders in India and engage with them through
extensive consultations to allay any security-related concerns. It is said that
the investments in the country will continue to grow as part of the long-term
strategy for the strategically important market. India market is challenging
and unique, but it is very important to market for Huawei. India has a large
population and huge telecom demand. Indian government’ push on 5G will help
economic performance… Huawei has a long-term strategy in India...our investment
will continue to grow, said Wu. Wu said that Huawei’s local teams have
contacted government bodies and telecom operators in India for negotiations and
discussions around the security-related concerns emerging from some western
markets like the US.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
INDIA TO GET 5G BY 2021, BAN ON CERTAIN VENDORS WON'T DELAY
ROLL OUT: NOKIA
Finnish telecom gear maker
Nokia said the ban on certain vendors being discussed in and around Europe will
not delay its 5G rollout plan The company's CEO Rajeev Suri said that after
leading markets like the US, South Korea, China, emerging markets including
India, Latin America, and certain developed markets will see roll out of the
next generation technology by 2021, where million of trade secrets will flow on
the network; and security will be a top priority for businesses. Suri said,
Bluntly, the fact just do not support the claim. After all, 5G is an ecosystem.
It is not a copyright. There have been reports that the ban on Chinese vendor
Huawei may lead to rise in cost of 5G services and delay roll out of network.
Certain countries have blocked purchase of 5G equipment from Huawei. According
to third party reports, the Chinese firm has taken lead over its rival in
getting highest number of patents that will be required for 5G services, and
cited attempt to block purchase if its equipment due to global politics rather
than security concerns. No single company decides how and when it (5G)
develops; and its deployment is not dependent on any one company. It certainly
seems sounds illogical to me to suggest that Nokia can meet requirements of the
US, but cannot meet needs of European countries, Suri said here on Sunday.
According to Nokia, 5G is expected to deliver 25 times faster speed of 1
gigabit per second compared to 4G. Suri said that according to Nokia Bell lab
study, countries like India which have seen skirmishes with China, haven't
taken stand to ban Huawei, but allowed the company to take part in 5G trials.
He said security will be top priority when 5G services are rolled out.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
PFRDA WORKING ON MINIMUM ASSURED RETURN SCHEME FOR NPS
SUBSCRIBERS
Pension fund regulator
PFRDA is working on a minimum assured return scheme (MARS) for subscribers of
the flagship social security programme -- National Pension System. NPS is a
contributory retirement savings scheme and seeks to inculcate the habit of
saving for old age among the citizens. NPS, having an asset under management
(AUM) of Rs 2.91 trillion, had subscriber base of 1.21 at the end of January.
The regulator is in the process of designing and developing MARS, according to
a document of the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA).
Some aspects, including what kind of guarantee -- absolute return guarantees or
relative rate of return guarantees (sector and benchmark-based) -- can be
reasonably provided by the pension funds with recommendation of suitable
proposals, need to be examined, said the expression of interest (EOI) floated
by it. The applicant, the EOI said, can be a government organisation/ public
sector unit/partnership firm/ limited liability partnership/ private limited
company in existence for at least 5 years.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
ONLY NINE CROPS ACCOUNT FOR TWO-THIRDS OF GLOBAL FOOD OUTPUT,
FINDS FAO REPORT
As few as nine crops
account for two-thirds of the global food output and on-farm crop diversity has
declined significantly over the decades as farmers have switched from
traditional production systems that utilise farmers’ varieties and landraces to
modern production systems depending on officially released varieties, shows a
report on global biodiversity of food and agriculture, released on Friday.
Globally, there are approximately 3,82,000 species of vascular plants of which
a little over 6,000 have been cultivated for food. Of these, as of 2014, fewer
than 200 species had significant production levels globally with only nine
(sugarcane, maize, rice, wheat, potatoes, soyabeans, oil-palm fruit, sugar beet
and cassava) accounting for over 66 per cent of all crop production by weight,
said the first-ever State of the World’s Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture
report, released by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). According
to the report, which analysed country reports presented by 187 nations, the
overall diversity present in farmers’ fields has declined and threats to
diversity are increasing, even though the situation varies greatly depending on
the country, location and type of production system. Although it is not
possible to make definite statements about global trends, evidence suggests
that overall, the diversity present in farmers’ fields has declined and that
threats to diversity are getting stronger, the report released in Rome said.
However, it also added that since a widely applicable indicator for monitoring
within-species diversity was still missing, the precise extent of such
diversity is difficult to quantify. As of 2018, 7,745 out of 8,803 reported
livestock breeds were classified as local and 593 of these breeds are extinct.
Among the extant local breeds, 26 per cent are considered to be at risk of
extinction, while the risk status of 67 per cent is unknown. While wild water
buffalo and banteng, jungle cattle present in South-East Asia, are classified
as endangered, Indian bison, wild yak and wild goats are among vulnerable
species. Though 31,000 species of finfish, 52,000 species of aquatic molluscs,
64,000 species of aquatic crustaceans and 14,000 species of aquatic plants have
been reported, global capture fisheries harvested in 2016 was limited to 1,800
marine species. The report, however, added that there are numerous genetically
distinct stocks and phenotypes within these thousands of species.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
GUJARAT: HC NOTICE TO BAR COUNCILS OVER COMPETENCY OF LAWYERS
The Gujarat High Court on
Friday sought a reply from the Bar Council of India (BCI), Bar Council of
Gujarat (BCG), and the state government, over public interest litigation (PIL)
questioning the lack of rules to ascertain the competency of advocates in
conducting cases before the court. The division bench of Acting Chief Justice
AS Dave and Justice Biren issued a notice to BCI, BCG and government seeking
their reply in the matter by March 20. Notably, the high court administration
instituted the PIL after a judgment delivered by the single-judge bench of
Justice Bela Trivedi Vaishnav against a lawyer Girish Das for the latter’s
failure to conduct his matter properly before the court. Justice Trivedi had
directed the registry to place the matter before the Acting Chief Justice as a
PIL. The PIL seeks a two-fold solution to the problem of lack of competency of
lawyers—one is to frame rules in this regard and the second is to organise
regular training for lawyers on how to conduct matters, and the ethics and
etiquettes they need to follow in the courtroom. Justice Trivedi in her
judgment pronounced on January 11 had imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 for his
failure to conduct the case of his clients and entering into useless arguments
despite being issued several warnings. The judgment provides that although the
case filed by Das was related to a notice issued under the Town Planning Act,
yet Das kept on arguing on the provisions of the Land Acquisition Act. It also
provides that Das was completely ignorant about the facts of the case as well
as the laws applicable to it.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
MAKE JUDICIOUS USE OF WATER, SAYS GUJARAT DEPUTY CM NITIN
PATEL
The members of the Gujarat
assembly on Friday showed concern over the water shortage that is looming over
the state due to the insufficient rainfall in the last monsoon. On the last day
of the assembly, the Congress members had brought a resolution on the issue
seeking actions from Gujarat government. Kantibhai Sodhaparmar said, There was
insufficient rainfall in Saurashtra-Kutch and North Gujarat regions. People in
rural areas are forced to leave and the cases have been increasing because
there is no water available for drinking and irrigation purpose. Fodder for
cattle is also not available and cultivable lands have been decreasing. There
is a need to provide electricity at decreased rates and irrigation water,
fertilizers and seed to farmers should be given for free to ease the burden on
them. The government should take appropriate actions in scarcity-hit areas for
relief but unfortunately, the administration is showing total apathy toward the
issue. Replying to the resolution, the deputy chief minister Nitin Patel said,
The increasing population has increased the requirement of water in the state.
The winter season is almost over and the situation may worsen in summer. People
in scarcity-hit areas will have to make judicious use of water. Our government
is sensitively towards relief work and water management by the state is the
best one. No tough situation has arisen in the state in past because of Narmada
Project, but we all have to face a tough situation in days to come, Nitin Patel
added. The resolution could not pass as the majority of votes from the ruling
party were against it.
#For Source of Information copy and paste the heading in google.
Thanks & Regards,
CS Meetesh Shiroya
Thanks & Regards,
CS Meetesh Shiroya
No comments:
Post a Comment