GOVERNMENT EXTENDS IGST, COMPENSATION CESS EXEMPTION UNDER
VARIOUS EXPORT PROMOTION PLANS
Giving relief to
exporters, the government has extended IGST (Integrated Goods and Service Tax)
and compensation cess exemptions for goods procurement under certain export
promotion schemes till March 2020. These exemptions have been extended for
exporters buying inputs domestically or importing for export purposes under
export oriented unit (EOU) scheme, Export Promotion Capital Goods (EPCG) scheme
and advance authorisation. On the other hand, advance authorisation is issued
to allow duty free import of inputs, which is physically incorporated in export
product. The move was aimed at giving
relief to exporters as they do not have to pay IGST at the initial point
itself. In the GST regime, they have to pay the indirect tax and then seek
refund, which is a cumbersome process. In a notification, the Directorate
General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has said that exemption from integrated GST and
compensation cess under advance authorisation scheme, EOU, and EPCG scheme of
foreign trade policy 2015-20 "is extended up to March 31, 2020".
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I-T VERIFICATION STARTS, 11 LAKH TAX NOTICES ON THE WAY
The Income Tax
Department's newly set-up Centralised Verification Centre (CenVC) is planning
to send the first set of e-tax notices to 'non-filers' starting this week.
There are a total of about 11 lakh cases under scanner where I-T returns have
not been filed. The notices will be issued under section 133C of the Income-Tax
Act, which was notified last week. The first set of notices are being sent to
the non-filers who have made a financial transaction but haven't filed their
tax returns. A large number of these cases are from the demonetisation period.
If we don't get any response, the cases would be referred to the assessing
officer for scrutiny said I-T department sources. Right now, the vetting is
going on to eliminate the cases in which some kind of response has come. About
70,000 people had also filed income tax returns, sources added. The CenVC has
been tasked with the verification of all the income returns filed by the
taxpayers in the country. As many as 6.44 crore taxpayers have filed their
income tax returns so far during this year. If you haven't shown bank deposits,
mutual fund investments or property transactions in your income tax return, you
could soon be getting a tax notice to pay up. Our estimation is that there
would be around 50-60 lakh returns which may come up for verification, the
official said. The cases would be red flagged by the system for verification on
the basis of 200-odd parameters. The returns filed during the Assessment Year
2017-18 (or financial year 2016-17) are being dealt with first. All the returns
filed by the taxpayers during that year will be verified by the CVC. We now
have the capacity to verify 100% returns. Earlier, there was no way of doing
it. So, most potential cases were out of the tax net. Only a minuscule
percentage (0.5%) of the total returns filed were being picked up every year
for scrutiny through a random selection process, a senior official said. The
CenVC will send e-mail notices with a set of structured questions. The assessee
will be given 10 days to respond The entire process will be faceless without
any human interaction taking place between the taxman and the assessee. The
questionnaire, as well as the response of the taxpayer, will be in a
machine-readable format. So far, 3.17 lakh cases have been referred for
scrutiny during this year. More cases would be referred for scrutiny now with
the setting up of the new verification centre. The CenVC will rummage through
all the financial data available in its database and match it with the returns
filed by the taxpayers. The information from various sources such as Registrar
of Companies, banks, insurance companies and other financial institutions is
already there with the department.
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2.2 LAKH INCOME TAX CASES IN DEMONETISATION SCRUTINY;
GOVERNMENT CHASING RS 2,200 CRORE BOUNTY
The government is hoping
to mop up at least Rs 2,200 crore in income tax collections from 2.2 lakh cases
related to demonetisation, which are currently being scrutinised by the
department, a Ministry of Finance official told. Those cases have been picked
up for assessment which have high chances of tax evasion the official said
requesting anonymity. Some high value deposit cases may even fetch the
government as much as up to Rs 20 crore each, he said. The government has
picked up only high-value deposit cases as it lacks enough resources to
scrutinise all the demonetisation cases. We picked up those cases which involve
high quantum of cash. There are 2.2 lakh cases which have some issues and need
verification. These cases may translate into some decent addition to the
revenue kitty of government, the official cited above told. Scrutiny is a long
process and will likely get completed in the month of December 2019. Further,
the tax collected from these cases would be accounted in the revenue of the
next financial year 2019-20. The assesses will be served demand notice and they
will be given 30 days time to pay their dues. Apart from the above
demonetisation cases, there are other 1.3 lakh corporate cases too which are
currently under scrutiny as a regular exercise of the income tax department,
the official said.
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CBDT GIVES 90 STARTUPS IMMUNITY FROM ANGEL TAX
In what will give relief
to 90 startups from taxman’s questioning their valuation during fund raising
rounds and slapping angel tax, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has
given them a written assurance and registered them for Startup India Action
Plan, according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter. Under the
Startup India Action Plan, a Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion
(DIPP) initiative, the startups were asked to submit all details related to
capital raising and promoters, and if accepted, they get an immunity from
future tax demands under section 56(2)viib of the Income Tax Act. The angel tax
and the income tax section deals with premiums paid by investors while they
invest in unlisted companies. The DIPP leeway only pertains to tax demands
where valuations of startups have been questioned. Industry trackers say that
while the DIPP registration is a start, there may still be some glitches before
the startups to get a complete reprieve from angel tax. The acknowledgement
emails that have been sent by CBDT in regards to investment declaration for
exemption from Section 56(2) viib seemed incomplete and we have outlined the
same to CBDT, said Sachin Taparia. CBDT has agreed to enhance the
acknowledgement & both Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal
Trade (DPIIT) and CBDT have assured us that soon they will have an integration
allowing digital information exchange, through which all such exempted startups
will be identified in the CBDT system so no new scrutiny notice generation
happens against them in case there is a share premium event, said Taparia. CBDT
had sent an email and said receipt of form 2 in CBDT is acknowledged.
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BLOW FOR I-T DEPARTMENT’S YEAR-END TAX RECOVERY DRIVE
The income tax
department’s plans to arm itself with an SC order to boost year-end recoveries
have hit a roadblock. The authorities had approached appellate tribunals over
the past few weeks, seeking to challenge stay orders granted to assessees that
are over six months old, based on an apex court judgment in March last year
that stay orders will not extend beyond six months, irrespective of whether a
case is civil or criminal. However, in a ruling on March 15, the income tax
appellate tribunal (ITAT) dismissed an appeal by the tax department seeking to
vacate a stay granted to Piramal Enterprises in a matter where the latter has
disputed a demand made by the department. The ITAT noted in its judgment that
the stay orders had been granted to Piramal Enterprises as the case was still
pending adjudication and that the delay was not attributable to the company,
thereby clearing the grounds for grant of the stay. This judgement will be a relief
to genuine tax payers who have been granted a stay and wherever the delay is
not on account of the assessee the tribunal will be able to grant stays beyond
365 days, said Ronak Doshi. Since ITAT is not a court and proceedings are not
trial, the faint attempt by the department to upset the judicial order to meet
target is also not justified. The intent of the apex court’s judgment is to
ensure that people don’t use flimsy grounds for delaying payments by getting
stay orders, Transactions Square’s founder Girish Vanvari said. Even the apex
court has noted in its judgment that in exceptional circumstances a stay can be
granted. The tax departments desperation stems from a stiff target of Rs 12
lakh crore fixed in the interim budget. Total net collection as on March 7,
2019 was a little over Rs 8.45 lakh crore. The move to approach ITAT was
endorsed by PC Mody, chairman at Central Board of Direct Taxes. Appeals against
tax demands are usually made by an assessee at the office of the commissioner
of IT appeals where it has to deposit 20% of the demand amount at the time of obtaining
a stay.
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IT DEPARTMENT GEARED UP TO CURB USE OF BLACK MONEY/CASH
INDUCEMENTS IN 2019 ELECTIONS
The Director General (DG)
of Income Tax (Investigation) Shri K. K. Vyawahare during a press conference on
poll preparedness for General Elections 2019 stated that in order to encourage
the residents of Mumbai to contribute to the process of ensuring clean and fair
elections, a 24X7 Control Room has been established by Income Tax Department
Mumbai. To report any movement of cash or valuables likely / suspected to be
used for electoral purposes, the residents can contact the Toll Free Number
1800221510. What is vital is that the information received is credible and
actionable. Responding to a query, the DG added that callers to the control
room need not disclose any personal details, such as name or other details of
identity. In addition to the toll free number, citizens can report cases
requiring investigation at the landline number 022-22820562, mobile / Whatsapp
number 9372727823/24, and also by email at
cleanmumbaielection@incometax.gov.in.
For swift and quick
response to any intelligence / actionable information received, Six Quick
Response Teams (QRT) – one for each of the six parliamentary constituencies of
Mumbai –have been deployed. The QRTs are extremely quick during the election
process; they are able to reach the location within an hour of receipt of
information and conclude the process in around 6-7 hours. In total, around 200
officers and officials have been deputed for undertaking investigation for the
six parliamentary constituencies of Mumbai City and Mumbai Suburban districts.
Manpower is not a constraint; additional staff will be deployed as necessitated
by the volume of intelligence received. The deployments will be augmented once
nominations are filed. In addition to the above, Air Intelligence Units have
been stationed at all the Air Bases of Mumbai – namely Mumbai International
Airport, Mumbai Domestic Airport, Juhu airport and Vakola – to keep a strict
vigil over any movement of cash. A Standard Operating Procedure is in place,
which is followed for responding to different types of information. The Income
Tax Department, Mumbai is also closely coordinating with other state and
Central agencies so as to gather actionable information and take necessary
steps to ensure that the elections are conducted in a free and fair manner.
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CANNOT TAKE COERCIVE ACTION IN CIRCULAR TRADING CASES: BOMBAY
HC
The Bombay High Court on
Wednesday ruled that no coercive action will be taken against a person charged
with issuing fake invoices and circular trading pending final order. The ad
interim order came amid many cases of arrests over the allegations of circular
trading, which experts said could instil fear among the business community. The
petitioner, whose business is in dealing with MS ingots, had filed a plea in
court for personal liberty enshrined in the constitution. Abhishek Rastogi,
counsel for the petitioner, contended that the GST officials are not following
procedures while dealing with those charged with fake invoices and circular
trading. He had argued that he procured metallic scrap from vendors for
manufacturing products and that all transactions were genuine and there was no
case of circular trading or fake invoice. Only a particular variety of scrap is
used in the process. In case scrap does not meet the requirement, it is sold
with the by-product that arises from the smelting process, technically known as
Runner Riser.
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‘SOLAR HEATER PARTS TAXED AT 18%’
Despite the government and
the GST Council repeatedly clarifying that all solar power-based devices should
be taxed at 5% players in the solar water heater space say that their
components are still being taxed at the higher 18%, which is leading to higher
input costs. The GST Council had, in 2017, reduced the rate on inputs for solar
components to 5% from the previous 18%, adding that all solar equipment and its
parts would attract 5% GST. The Solar Thermal Federation of India, however, has
alleged that some Customs officials in Chennai and Bengaluru are denying the 5%
rate for solar evacuated tubes, which are exclusively used in solar water
heaters, on the basis that the tubes do not generate electricity themselves.
The officials have instead classified the tubes as glass products and taxed
them at 18%. What is happening is that inputs for solar water heaters are being
taxed at 18%, but the solar water heater itself has to be sold at 5%, a
spokesperson for the STFI told The Hindu. This is unnecessarily adding to our
costs. The spokesperson said that STFI and other industry bodies had approached
the GST officials to rectify this situation.
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FOR BISCUIT COMPANIES, THIS IS HOW THE COOKIE CRUMBLES POST
GST
Leading biscuit companies
are seeing smaller and local players eat into their sales since the new goods
and tax regime came into force, and they claim that these companies, mostly
unbranded ones, offer higher retail margins and lower price points since they
are not GST compliant. With the Rs 35,000-crore biscuit market the largest
category within FMCG, a single percentage drop is as big as sales loss of Rs
350 crore. Many players are not tax-compliant and have low operating cost which
helps give high margins to retailers who push brands mostly in rural areas,
said Mayank Shah, category head, Parle Products. He said they are seeking a tax
reduction from 18% for biscuits below Rs 100/kg to 5% bracket. Britannia, Parle
and ITC control nearly 69% of the biscuit market in the country. In fact, the
top 15 players including Mondelez, Anmol and Saj Industries put together
account for 92% of the segment. While Nielsen data, sourced from officials,
suggests 1% share drop for Parle and ITC each over the past two years, Parle
said the market researcher doesn’t track regional brands, which are restricted
to just one district. This is in contrast on what most companies expected
during the new tax regime in 2017. Analysts too anticipated an increase in
market share of organised players over their unorganised rivals as the price
differential of products was likely to reduce while making tax evasion
incrementally difficult with a significant compliance cost burden. Biscuits are
a staple and the most basic packaged food products in the country. Rate should
be reduced to 12% so that it can be effectively passed through price-cuts,
which in turn, will boost consumption and make it level playing field, said
Varun Berry, managing director at Britannia Industries, the country's largest
biscuit maker.
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CHARTERED ACCOUNTANT GUILTY OF LOAN FRAUD CASE REMOVED FROM
ICAI ROLLS
The Disciplinary Committee
of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) has removed a
Chartered Accountant from its register after finding him guilty in a loan fraud
case. The disciplinary committee found that the CA is guilty of professional
misconduct. The proceedings were initiated by the ICAI following the report of
economic offenses wing (EOW) of the Crime Branch, Bhubaneswar. The EOW had
found Parida guilty in a loan fraud case. According to EOW sources, Sibani
Construction managing director Siba Narayan Chhotaray along with Parida and
employee Laxmidhar Sathya had cheated the State Bank of Travancore in the city.
The arrest was made on October 27, 2014 following which the Secretary, ICAI was
moved by EOW, Bhubaneswar for taking disciplinary action against him. After
conducting a detailed inquiry at Regional Head Office, Kolkata, the ICAI
disciplinary committee found Kulamani Parida guilty of professional conduct and
ordered the removal of his name from the Register of Members for one year. The
investigation of the case is complete and meanwhile, the court has taken
cognizance against the accused persons including the accused CA. During 2018-19
(till October 17), 365 cases were executed under the disciplinary directorate
of ICAI. Moreover, the council of ICAI has disciplinary hearings through
video-conferencing (e-hearing).
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ASSET MANAGEMENT COMPANY ELIGIBLE TO CLAIM BUSINESS DEDUCTIONS
AFTER GETTING APPROVAL FROM SEBI TO COMMENCE BUSINESS: ITAT
The Income Tax Appellate
Tribunal (ITAT), Mumbai has held that an asset management company was not
eligible to claim business deductions from the day the Securities and Exchange
Board of India (SEBI) granted approval to commence business. The assessee, an asset
management company incorporated on 8th August 2011, required to obtain
Securities and Exchange Board of India approval for undertaking such business.
However, the approval was finally granted on 17.10.2012. The AO observed that
the assessee has declared income from interest of Rs. 1,29,75,114/- and Rs.
2,44,479/- from sale of investments, which income were declared by the assessee
in its return of income as income from other sources. The AO was of the view
that the above expenses cannot be allowed as business/revenue expenses before
17.10.2012 on the ground that the assessee has no business activity as it has
not obtained necessary approvals to initiate business activities. Relying on
the decision of the ITAT, Delhi in the case of GNG Stock Holdings Private
Limited, the Tribunal held that the assessee-Company shall be entitled to claim
expenses w.e.f. 17.10.2012 as deduction as business expenses provided other
ingredients of allowability of these expenses are met as laid down in the
relevant provisions of the 1961 Act. The Tribunal held that the business of the
assessee before us was set up and ready to commence its business on 17.10.2012
when it got approval from SEBI vide Sub regulation (2) of Regulation 21 of the
1996 Regulation. We, therefore, hold that the assessee is entitled to a
deduction of admissible business expenses incurred by it on or after 17.10.2012
when the business can be said to have been set up by the assessee. We,
therefore, direct the Assessing Officer to quantify the amount of expenses in
the light of our decision above and allow the same as per law after examining
and verifying the genuineness of the expenses and their admissibility under the
provisions of Income-tax Act which were incurred post 17.10.2012 till the end
of the relevant previous year under consideration before us.
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NON-TARIFF CHARGES EXCEPT CHEQUE DISHONOUR FEE IS EXEMPTED
FROM GST: AAAR
While re-considering an
appeal against the advance ruling, the Appellate Authority for Advance Ruling
(AAAR) has held that the non-tariff charges are generally not taxable under the
Goods and Services Tax ( GST ) Act, 2017. The appeal filed by the Tata Power
Ajmer Distribution (TPADL) challenged the order of the AAR wherein it was held
that 18 percent GST is applicable on the non-tariff charges in the Electricity
Bill. Non-tariff charges, includes the application fee for releasing the
connection, rentals charged against metering equipment and labour charges for
shifting of meters and service lines, are liable to tax at 18% under the GST,
the authority said. Hearing the appeal, the Appellate authority said that the
value of supply is the consideration charged by the appellants from the
consumers of electricity on account of consumption of electricity by them.
Coming to the taxability of the supply of electricity, we find that electrical
energy has been classified under tariff item No. 27160000 under Customs Tariff
Act, 1975 and value of its supply has been exempted vide entry No.104 of the notification
No. 02/2017- Central Tax (Rate) dated 28.06.2017. As per Section 15(2) ibid,
delayed payment charges should form part of the value of the supply of
electricity. When the value of supply of itself stands exempted by virtue of
the above exemption notification dated 28.06.2017, the authority said. With
regard to the question whether the cheque dishonour fee collected by the
appellants is liable to GST or not, the authority observed that the appellants
is collecting this fee from those consumers of electricity whose cheque upon
presenting to the bank are being dishonoured. The appellants have pleaded that
since the bank is charging penalty from them when any cheque gets dishonoured,
this fee is nothing but compensation for penal charges paid by them to the
bank. if any person tolerates any act or a situation and recovers a certain
amount for such tolerance then it is the supply of service. In the instant
case, the appellants is tolerating the situation of dishonour of cheques,
tendered by the consumers of electricity for payment of electricity bill, by
charging a certain amount from the consumers, hence, it is a supply of ,Mge41);
s of the above clause 5( e) . Needless to mention that Banks are also paying
GST on whatever name) received from customers when their cheques get
dishonoured. Therefore, cheque dishonour charges, being a supply of service and
not exempted anywhere, °mate’ 6: chargeable on the value of its supply.
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GST FAVOURS COAL POWER OVER SOLAR GENERATION: STUDY
The introduction of Goods
& Services Tax (GST) has thrown a spanner in India's clean energy
transition, implicitly favouring coal-fired power over solar photo voltaic (PV)
generation and incentivising greater take up of coal based sources, a study
shows. The study commissioned by Canada based International Institute for
Sustainable Development (IISD) and Council on Energy, Environment & Water
(CEEW) says post the roll out of GST, the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) for
existing coal-based thermal power stations has fallen by one or two per cent,
depending on the share of imported coal used. On the contrary, LCOE for solar
PV has risen six per cent. This does not take into account the cost of
uncertainty for solar PV developers, who have not known how their projects
would be treated under the new taxation system until the recent clarification
in December 2018 by the GST Council. The LCOE computation for coal-fired
thermal power was done assuming a typical 500 Mw capacity. A significant
proportion of such plants between 2003 and 2016 are 500 Mw in size, influenced
by both fixed and variable costs. Overall, the variable LCOE of a coal thermal
power plan, assuming that it uses only domestic coal decreased by almost 1.6
per cent post-GST reform Plants using a mix of domestic and imported coal would
see a smaller decrease of one per cent, largely due to the influence of higher
taxes on imported coal. While the total tax subsidies for both solar PV and
coal-fired thermal power have been slashed, the absolute size of the subsidy to
coal power exceeds that of solar. The absolute size of the subsidy to
coal-based power generation remains Rs 7685 crore higher than solar PV in
FY2018. India has reformed a number of subsidies for petroleum products since
2014. Over the same time period, government support for renewable energy has
increased significantly but the scale of subsidies for coal has remained
largely unchanged, the study noted. The study foresees GST is likely to lead to
a significant increase in the cost of generation for new solar PV plants. In
contrast, existing coal-fired thermal power plants are likely to experience
reduced variable costs under the GST.
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HOURS AFTER ARREST, NIRAV MODI DENIED BAIL; NEXT HEARING ON
MARCH 29
The Westminster court in
London denied bail to Nirav Modi, the main accused in the USD 2 billion PNB
scam case. The next hearing will take place on March 29, said the court. Modi
was arrested after a London court issued an arrest warrant against him in
response to a request by the Enforcement Directorate for his extradition in a
money laundering case.
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ED TO SELL 173 PAINTINGS, 11 VEHICLES OF NIRAV MODI
The Enforcement
Directorate will sell 173 paintings and 11 vehicles beneficially owned by Nirav
Modi after it obtained permission from a special court in Mumbai on Wednesday,
officials said. The same court, they said, also issued a non-bailable warrant against
his wife Ami after the ED recently filed a supplementary charge sheet
underlining her role in the $2 billion PNB scam. The ED will put on sale the
173 paintings of Modi which are valued at Rs 57.72 crore and eleven vehicles
that include Rolls Royce, Porsche, Mercedes and Toyota Fortuner. A public
auction will be held later this month, the officials said. The court, they
said, also allowed the Income Tax Department to sell another 68 paintings
seized by it as part of its separate probe against the absconding diamantaire.
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ROBERT VADRA MOVES HC SEEKING QUASHING OF MONEY LAUNDERING
CASE BY ED
Robert Vadra Wednesday
moved the Delhi High Court seeking quashing of an FIR registered by the
Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case in which he has been
questioned by the probe agency. Vadra, brother-in-law of Congress President
Rahul Gandhi, has also sought to declare various provisions of the Prevention
of Money Laundering Act, 2002 as ultra vires to the Constitution. His plea has
been listed for hearing on March 25. A Delhi court had on Tuesday extended
Vadra's interim protection from arrest till March 25 in the case.
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ASSETS WORTH RS 225 CRORE BELONGING TO MAYAWATI’S FORMER
SECRETARY NET RAM ATTACHED
The Income Tax department
has attached assets worth Rs 225 crore of retired Uttar Pradesh IAS officer Net
Ram and his associates as part of an alleged tax evasion probe against them,
officials said Wednesday. They said a provisional order under section 132(9B)
(power to attach) of the I-T Act has been issued and 20 immovable assets in
Delhi, Mumbai, Noida and Kolkata have been attached and three luxury cars found
at the residence of the officer in Lucknow have been impounded. Cash worth over
Rs 1.64 crore, Montblanc pens valued at Rs 50 lakh, four luxury SUVs and
documents indicating ‘benami’ assets of Rs 300 crore were recovered during
income tax raids on the premises linked to the retired IAS officer.
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DEFENCE MINISTRY CLEARS PROPOSAL TO BUY 10 LAKH 'MADE IN
INDIA' HAND GRENADES FOR ARMY
Defence Ministry on
Wednesday cleared a major project for the Indian Army for the acquisition of 10
lakh 'Made in India' multi-mode hand grenades sources said. The new hand
grenades will replace the existing inventory, HE-36 grenades manufactured by
the Ordnance Factory Board. The multi-mode grenades have been developed by the
DRDO and a production agency has been selected to manufacture them in large
numbers. The project worth more than Rs 500 crore proposal was critical as the
government has already taken care of the main personal weapon requirements of
the Army soldiers by signing two contracts for modern rifles.
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GODHRA TRAIN CARNAGE CASE: SIT COURT GIVES CONVICT YAKUB
PATALIYA LIFE SENTENCE
A special SIT court in
Gujarat on Wednesday sentenced a man to life imprisonment in the 2002 Godhra
train carnage case. The court of Special SIT judge H.C. Vora convicted Yakub
Pataliya based on submissions made earlier in the case by five other accused.
Pataliya was arrested by the Godhra Police in January 2018, nearly 16 years
after being booked in connection with the incident in which 59 ‘karsevaks’ were
burnt alive in two coaches of the Sabarmati Express. His trial was held at a
special court set up at the Sabarmati Central Jail in Ahmedabad. He was accused
of being a part of the mob that torched the coaches of Sabarmati Express near
the Godhra railway station on February 27, 2002, killing 59 ‘karsevaks’ and
triggering state-wide riots. Earlier, the special SIT court convicted 31 people
in the case on March 1, 2011. It later awarded death sentence to 11 of them and
life imprisonment to 20 others.
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SAMJHAUTA BLAST CASE: ALL FOUR ACCUSED ACQUITTED BY NIA COURT
Panchkula special NIA
court on Wednesday acquitted Swami Aseemanand, Lokesh Sharma, Kamal Chauhan and
Rajender Chaudhary, in connection with Samjhauta blast case. The special
National Investigation Agency (NIA) court also rejected Pakistani national
Rakhila Vakil’s plea, in connection with case. Pakistani national Rahila Vakil,
who is the daughter of one of the deceased Muhammad Vakil, had moved an application
through her advocate Momin Malik and requested the court to record her
statement NIA had also submitted before court that Rahila is not among 13
Pakistani nationals, who were prosecution witnesses in Samjhauta blasts case.
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INDIA MAY EXTEND ANTI-DUMPING DUTY ON JUTE BAGS FROM
BANGLADESH
The commerce ministry has recommended
extension of anti-dumping duty on jute sacking bags from Bangladesh to guard
domestic players from cheap imports. The ministry’s investigation arm
Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) in its probe has concluded that
imports of sacking cloth have increased after the imposition of anti-dumping
duty. The authority recommends extension of the existing anti-dumping duty on sacking
bags imposed on January 5, 2017, the directorate has said in a notification.
Currently, the duty exists on jute yarn, sacking bags and hessian fabric (made
from skin of jute plant). The duty imposed is in the range of USD 6.3 per tonne
to USD 351.7 per tonne. The Indian Jute Mills Association has filed an
application for initiation of anti-circumvention investigation concerning
import of the product exported from Bangladesh. It has requested for extension
of the existing anti-dumping duties on the imports, alleging circumvention of
the duty. The duty is aimed at ensuring fair trading practices and creating a
level-playing field for domestic producers vis-a-vis foreign producers and
exporters.
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INDIA EXPRESSES CONCERN OVER WIDENING TRADE DEFICIT WITH CHINA
India on Wednesday expressed
concern over the widening trade deficit with China which has ballooned to over
USD 58 billion with the country's new envoy here saying that addressing the
issue would be his top priority. India's Ambassador to China Vikram Misri, who
assumed charge on January 8 at a time when the two Asian giants were trying to
boost their bilateral ties, told the state-run Global Times that India is
working with the Chinese side for ensuring greater market access to the Indian
agricultural products. He expressed concern over the growing trade deficit,
which has now crossed over USD 58 billion in over USD 80 billion trade. The
bilateral trade will cross the USD 100 billion mark this year, he said. However,
this figure includes a deficit of USD 58 billion for India and this deficit has
been increasing over the years. Addressing this trade deficit would be one of
my priorities because it is not really sustainable in the long term, Misri
said. India is working with the Chinese side for ensuring greater market access
to the Indian agricultural products such as sugar and rice, as well as various
fruits and vegetables, besides pharmaceuticals and IT, which are India's
strengths, he said. Progress has been made in some of these areas, but
translating this progress into actual and sustained exports is important. We
hope that in this regard, we will receive support from the Chinese side and
expand our trade basket. In addition, we also need to address the barriers for
greater access to the Indian pharmaceuticals and IT products and services in
the Chinese market, Misri said. He said that the growth in bilateral
investments has not kept pace with the expanding trade volume between the two
countries. While both countries have emerged as the top investment destinations
for the rest of the world, mutual investment growth is yet to catch up. We
would also like to see more Chinese investment in infrastructure, such as roads
and railways, industrial parks and in the food processing sector, Misri said.
Mirsi said that one of the main reasons for the low number of Chinese tourists
visiting India could simply be lack of information.
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INDIA SLAMS SECURITY COUNCIL FOR PROGRESSIVELY UNDERMINING
UNGA'S AUTHORITY
India has said the UN
General Assembly must take lead in finding solutions to the challenges faced by
the world, slamming the Security Council for progressively undermining the
authority of the 193-member global body. K Nagaraj Naidu said on Monday the
growing number of complex challenges facing the world, like those related to
peace and security, climate change and sustainable development that cut across
boundaries and regions can be addressed only through a genuine multilateral and
participative process. The General Assembly, which is the closest institution
to a world parliament, must take the lead in setting the global agenda and in
restoring the centrality of the UN in formulating multilateral approaches to
resolving transnational issues, he said. Naidu said the revitalisation process
must also restore the primacy of the United Nations in development matters. The
prerogatives and authority of the General Assembly have been progressively
undermined by the Security Council through its frequent attempts to redefine
its scope of competence through wider and permissive interpretations of what
constitutes a threat to international peace and security and by engaging in
discussions on issues that clearly fall within the purview of the General
Assembly, he said. A part of the blame for this situation must also be taken by
the General Assembly and its member states for focusing on procedures rather
than addressing the substantive issues, he said in a statement. The General Assembly
must be in the vanguard of global agenda-setting and lead the multilateral
process for finding solutions to the challenges faced by the world, Naidu said.
He said the political will and commitment of member states were required to
reinforce the role and authority of the General Assembly as mandated by the UN
Charter. A revitalised General Assembly must focus on substantive deliberations
rather than spending considerable time and resources on procedural issues,
Naidu said. India has criticised the UN Security Council's veto-wielding
members in the past for obstructing the designation of terrorists without
giving any explanation, apparently hitting out at China for repeatedly blocking
its bid to list Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as a global
terrorist.
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PAKISTAN TRIES TO FLEX MUSCLES; CREATES PAF’S AGGRESSOR
SQUADRON ALONG THE BORDER WITH INDIA IN THE MUSHAF AREA
After the major hit by the
Indian Air Force (IAF) on the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror camps min Balakot,
Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has decided that it will increase the number of
fighter planes near the border with India Confirming this, highly placed
sources said the PAF is now coming up with a new squadron of F-16 fighter
aircraft along the border with India, in Mushaf Air Base. The new squadron
number 29 has been named ‘Aggressor’. The ‘Squadron 29’ is expected to have a
total of 8 F-16 fighter planes, which can be used against India in case in any
emergency. The Mushaf Base is a Pakistan Air Force airbase at Sargodha in the
Punjab province of Pakistan and it is the headquarters of the PAF Central Air
Command. The base already has Squadron 9, equipped with F-16 fighter machines.
By adding another Squadron of F-16s, sources said that Pakistan is sending
signals that it is getting ready to take aggressive actions against India. While
Pakistan has just 30 squadrons, IAF as has been reported as having only 34
squadrons and is in the process of phasing out MiG-21 and MiG-27 in 2019-20,
which will deplete the numbers down to 33. The IAF needs at least 42 squadrons
in case of a two front war with Pakistan and China.
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PAKISTAN GOVERNMENT BELIEVES USD 11 BILLION STASHED ABROAD BY
PAKISTANIS: REPORT
Pakistani nationals having
more than 152,500 offshore bank accounts could have stashed away a hefty sum of
USD 11 billion abroad, a mind-boggling amount half of which is undeclared, a
top minister was quoted. Hammad Azhar told businessmen at the Lahore Chamber of
Commerce and Industry (LCCI) that the number of offshore accounts was
mind-boggling. So is the amount involved and the names of account holders,
Azhar was quoted as saying by the Dawn newspaper. All of these offshore account
holders are resident Pakistanis and more than half of the hard currency stashed
away by them is undeclared, he said. The minister said many of these offshore
account holders did not have legitimate, documented business. That should be enough
to underscore the scale of tax evasion (in the country). We wouldn't have to
beg if we could bring this money back home, he said. Azhar said the offshore
account holders were under the watch of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR). The
information about the offshore bank accounts of Pakistani nationals was shared
with the government by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD). Azhar said the government had deployed technology using
database of the National Database and Registration Authority, Federal
Investigation Agency, State Bank of Pakistan and the FBR to profile potential
taxpayers in Pakistan. Almost half the work is already done and by the end of
April the profiling of such tax evaders will be completed, he said. Around 400
account holders are believed to have cash of USD 1 million or above in their
accounts and the FBR has so far been able to recover USD 1.2 million from one
individual as tax since the OECD shared the information with the country's top
tax agency.
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JEM OPERATIVE SAJJAD KHAN ARRESTED IN DELHI
More than a month after a
suicide blast by the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) killed 40 Central Reserve Police
Force (CRPF) personnel in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district, the special
cell of the Delhi police arrested JeM operative Sajjad Khan from the capital’s
Red Fort area late on Thursday night. Sajjad Khan, a close associate of Pulwama
attack mastermind 23-year-old Mudassir Ahmed Khan, who had been eliminated by
the army earlier this month, was nabbed from the Red Fort area, where he had
been masquerading as a shawl seller, police officials confirmed. The crackdown
comes as part of a series on ongoing operations in Jammu and Kashmir and New
Delhi, with Mudassir Khan being the latest to be gunned down. The Pulwama
attack took place on 14 February with JeM operative Adil Ahmad Dar ramming an
explosive-packed SUV into a CRPF convoy along the Jammu-Srinagar highway in
Pulwama’s Lethpora.
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PAWAN KALYAN DECLARES ASSETS WORTH RS 52 CRORE
Telugu actor and Jana Sena
leader Pawan Kalyan, who is making his electoral debut in next month's Andhra
Pradesh Assembly polls, has declared assets worth over Rs 52 crore The actor,
who filed the nomination from Gajuwaka constituency in Visakhapatnam district
on Thursday, also revealed that his liabilities were to the tune of Rs 33
crore. Kalyan, in the affidavit submitted to the Returning Officer along with
his nomination papers, mentioned that his movable assets including bank
deposits, vehicles and jewellery were worth Rs 12 crore. He had Rs 4.76 lakh
cash in hand while his wife Anna Lezhneva had Rs 1.53 lakh cash. The
50-year-old, who is contesting from two Assembly constituencies - Bhimavaram
and Gajuwaka, revealed that his immovable assets were worth Rs 40.81 crore. His
income during 2017-18 was Rs 9.60 crore, down from Rs 15.28 crore in the
previous year.
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PAK NATIONAL DAY: INDIA WILL NOT SEND ANY REPRESENTATIVE OWING
TO INVITATION TO HURRIYAT
India will not be sending
any representative at the Pakistan National Day reception that will take place
on Friday at the Pakistani High Commission. The reason behind this that the
High Commission has invited Hurriyat representatives to the reception irking
New Delhi. Pakistani national day is marked on 23rd March every year. The
development comes in the backdrop of Pulwama terror attack on 14th February
whose responsibility was claimed by Pakistan based United Nations listed
Jaish-e-Mohammed. The attack, the worst on Indian security personnel in 2
decades, killed 40 CRPF personnel. In the past years, India has sent Minister
of state in the ministry of external affairs Gen VK Singh, Former minister of
state in the ministry of external affairs MJ Akbar and minister of state in
agriculture ministry Gajendra Singh Shekhawat as its representative to the
national day.
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HINDI WORD 'CHUDDIES' NOW INCLUDED IN OXFORD ENGLISH
DICTIONARY
Chuddies, the Indian
English word for underwear, is among 650 new entries recognized as official
English words by the definitive Oxford English Dictionary' (OED) in the latest
update released on Thursday. Chuddies made popular in the UK by the popular
sitcom starring British Indian actors Meera Syal and Sanjeev Bhaskar Goodness
Gracious Me', is defined as short trousers, shorts. Now usually: underwear,
underpants. Each new and revised entry has been painstakingly researched, and
at no point have our editors simply mailed it in, Jonathan Dent, OED Senior
Assistant Editor, said.
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CAN UK BECOME A TOP DESTINATION FOR INDIAN STUDENTS AGAIN?
The United Kingdom is
likely to become one of the preferred destinations for Indian students opting
to study abroad as it recently decided to permit overseas students work longer
after completion of their studies, believe experts. Stringent visa norms limit
a student’s options to generate a positive return on investment within a
realistic time-frame. Companies avoid hiring overseas students given these
norms. Very often, this makes students think twice before applying to top
institutions in the UK, said Vibha Kagzi. The UK recently announced that it
will allow overseas masters and undergraduate students to work for six months
after the completion of their degree, while doctoral students will get a year
to work. The country — which was once a sought after destination for the Indian
students after the US — in 2012 scrapped the two year post work visa leading to
students looking for options elsewhere.
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INDIA TAKING LEAD IN SETTING TIMELINE TO ELIMINATE SINGLE-USE
PLASTIC: UN ENVIRONMENT ACTING HEAD
UN Environment acting
executive director Joyce Msuya congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking
the lead in putting a timeline to eliminate the consumption of single-use
plastic by 2022. Still, the Indian government, she feels, needs to take tough
decisions to confront the burning issue of air and water pollution. Msuya spoke
extensively about the environmental challenges faced by India, which, she
stressed, can set an example to others in the region if it addresses these
challenges urgently. While plastic pollution has become a major concern
worldwide, few nations have shown the resolve to tackle the issue. But on
Friday, the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA), which concluded in Nairobi,
reviewed a roadmap for a plastic-free planet. To reach this target, many
countries, including India, have offered to share knowhow, and develop and
implement legislation against the use of harmful single-use plastic and
micro-plastics. While talking about India's role in the South Asia region,
Msuya said, With a large talented human capital and technological innovation,
India has a big potential in resolving environmental issues. As India continues
to play a leadership role in many segments, this is high time the country plays
a leadership role in dealing with environmental challenges in the region. Msuya
appreciated the civil society in India for working as a pressure group to
address various environmental concerns. I often travel to New Delhi and notice
that there is a lot of awareness among people on rising air pollution Civil
society puts pressure on politicians as they are taxpayers or future taxpayers.
They are continuously raising their voice for clean air and environmental
protection. We also see that Indian citizens are quite enthusiastic on social
media. Many times they use social media to press the authorities to save the
environment and bring technological innovation to address environmental issues.
All of this is a really positive sign, she said.
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RELIANCE SELLING FUELS FROM INDIA TO VENEZUELA TO AVOID U.S.
SANCTIONS
India's Reliance
Industries, operator of the world's biggest refining complex, has turned to
selling fuels to Venezuela from India and Europe to circumvent sanctions that
bar U.S.-based companies from dealing with state-run PDVSA, according to
trading sources and Refinitiv Eikon data. Reliance had been supplying alkylate,
diluent naphtha, and other fuel to Venezuela though its U.S.-based subsidiary
before Washington in late January imposed sanctions aimed at curbing the OPEC
member's oil exports and ousting Socialist President Nicolas Maduro. At least
three vessels chartered by the Indian conglomerate supplied refined products to
Venezuela in recent weeks, and another vessel carrying gasoil is expected to
set sail to the South American nation as well, according to the sources and
data. Reliance, an Indian conglomerate controlled by billionaire Mukesh Ambani,
has significant exposure to the financial system of the United States, where it
operates subsidiaries linked to its oil and telecom businesses, among others.
The Indian market is crucial for Venezuela's economy because it has
historically been the second-largest cash-paying customer for the OPEC
country's crude, behind the United States. Additional sanctions against
Venezuela are possible in the future, as U.S. President Donald Trump's
administration has not yet tried to prevent companies based outside the United
States from buying Venezuelan oil, a strategy known as secondary sanctions.
Refinitiv Eikon trade data shows that Reliance shipped alkylate, a component
for motor gasoline, to Venezuela on vessels Torm Mary and Torm Anabel in recent
weeks. Those originated in India and passed through the Suez Canal. It also shipped
a gasoline cargo using tanker Torm Troilus to Venezuela and is preparing to
send 35,000 tonnes of gasoil in a vessel called Vukovar to the South American
nation. Venezuela has overall imported some 160,000 barrels per day of fuel and
diluents for its extra heavy oil output since the U.S. measures were imposed,
according to PDVSA and Refinitiv data, below levels prior to the sanctions but
still enough to supply gas stations and power plants.
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ANOTHER TERROR ATTACK ON INDIA WILL BE EXTREMELY PROBLEMATIC,
US WARNS PAK
The United States has
asked Pakistan to take sustained, verifiable and irreversible action against
the perpetrators of terrorism, while warning the country that another terror
attack on India will prove to be extremely problematic. We need to see Pakistan
taking concrete and sustained action to reign in the terrorist groups mainly
the Jaish-e-Mohammed and the Lashkar-e-Taiba in order to ensure that we don't
have re-escalation (of tension) in the region, a senior administration official
told reporters at the White House on Wednesday. And, if there's any additional
terrorist attack without Pakistan having made a sustained, sincere effort
against these groups, it would be extremely problematic for Pakistan and it
would cause re-escalation of tensions, which is dangerous for both countries,
the official said on the condition of anonymity. Asked about the steps being
taken by Pakistan in the aftermath of the Balakot air strike by Indian fighter
jets, the official said the US and the international community needed to see
irreversible and sustained action against the terror groups. It's early to make
a full assessment, the official said. In the recent days, the official said
Pakistan has taken some initial actions. They have frozen the assets of some
terrorist groups and made some arrests. They have taken administrative control
of some of the JeM facilities, the official added. But we clearly need to see
more. We need to see irreversible action because in the past, what we've seen
is they made some arrests and then a few months later, they released these
individuals. The terrorist leaders are sometimes still allowed to travel around
the country, hold rallies, the official said. Pakistan needs to decide if it wants
to be viewed as a responsible international player and have access to all the
financial mechanisms that are available or is it going to continue to fail to
take the steps necessary against these terrorist groups and see itself further
isolated. The choice is Pakistan's, the senior administration official
asserted. While the situation between the two south Asian neighbours have
de-escalated, the two armies are still on high alert and that concerns the US,
the official said. So, we realize that if there, God forbid, would be another
terrorist attack that you could quickly see the escalation in the situation
once again. So that's why, we're making clear that any additional military
action by either side runs an unacceptably high risk, for both countries and
for the region, the official said. The Trump Administration, the official said,
has taken sort of a zero tolerance policy on the issue of safe havens to
terrorists.
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IMRAN KHAN SAYS NO ROOM FOR 'JIHADI OUTFITS AND CULTURE' IN
PAKISTAN
There was no room for
jihadi outfits and jihadi culture in Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has
said amidst intense global pressure on his government to rein in the terrorist
outfits operating from its soil after the Pulwama attack. He warned that the
security risk at the Line of Control (LoC) persists until elections are held in
India and asked the nation to be prepared at all times. The armed forces of the
country are ever ready and would give a befitting response in case of any
military aggression, the prime minister said. Khan said that all the political
parties have agreed to the National Action Plan and by now the militant groups
have been proscribed. Further action was being taken against them as his
government could not allow any such activity on the soil of Pakistan. Tracing
the history of jihadi outfits and jihadi culture, he said these groups have
existed since the days of the US-led Afghan war against the Soviets in
Afghanistan, and have operated from here for decades, Dawn news reported. He
said that there was no room now for any such group in the country as Pakistan
would like the world to believe that it was not only a peace-loving country but
it was sincere in eradicating this culture of jihadism and terrorism through
short-term and long-term policies. Khan said that India was trying to push
Pakistan in the blacklist of Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and if that
happened, the country would be facing a lot of economic problems. Khan said
that banned organisations should have been eliminated a long time ago, but it
was his government which was taking action against them. He said that the
government was spending huge amount of money to bring them into the mainstream.
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OVER 1 MILLION SIGN PETITION TO REVERSE BREXIT AS THERESA MAY
SEEKS DELAY
An online petition seeking
to reverse Brexit hit the 1-million mark on Thursday after a flurry of
signatures following British Prime Minister Theresa May's latest intervention
announcing that she would be seeking a short delay on the March 29 Brexit
deadline. The sudden deluge of signatures attracted by the Revoke Article 50
and remain in the EU' petition crashed the Parliament's petitions site as May
arrived in Brussels on Thursday for a two-day European Council meeting, where
she will canvas EU leaders for a short delay to Brexit until June 30. A short
extension gives us that opportunity to decide to leave the European Union, to
deliver on that result of that referendum and I sincerely hope that will be
with a negotiated deal, she said from Brussels, a day after she addressed the
nation from Downing Street to lay the blame for the delay squarely on British
MPs. You are tired of the infighting, tired of the political games and the
arcane procedural rows, tired of MPs talking about nothing else but Brexit You
want this stage of the Brexit process to be over and done with. I agree. I am
on your side, she said in her statement. It invoked fury among her own MPs and
from across party lines, many of whom blamed her leadership over Brexit and
were among those sharing a link to the anti-Brexit online petition on social
media. The petition reads: The government repeatedly claims exiting the EU is
'the will of the people'. We need to put a stop to this claim by proving the
strength of public support now, for remaining in the EU. A People's Vote may
not happen so vote now. The UK Parliament considers all petitions that get more
than 100,000 signatures for a debate, which means the petition now qualifies
and might be among those listed for a parliamentary debate in coming
days.However, House of Commons leader Andrea Leadsom, herself a Brexiteer,
dismissed the petition as not being on the same scale as the pro-Brexit vote in
the June 2016 referendum, when 17.4 million people voted to leave the EU.Should
it reach 17.4 million respondents then I am sure there will be a very clear
case for taking action, she told MPs. Brussels remains open to a longer
extension, although May has indicated that she will resign if MPs demand a
significant delay to the withdrawal process and the UK is forced to contest the
EU elections scheduled for May 23.The EU heads of state and government will
hold a discussion on Thursday afternoon after being addressed by Theresa May,
and will have to agree unanimously on any extension on March 29 to be written
into their European Council summit communique.
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ATTEMPTS TO SUBSUME SOUTH-SOUTH COOPERATION IN GLOBAL AID
ARCHITECTURE NOT HELPFUL: INDIA
India has cautioned that
attempts to subsume the South-South cooperation in the international aid
architecture are not helpful and do no justice to the future potential of
cooperation between developing nations. South–South cooperation is about
developing countries working together to find solutions to common development
challenges, according to the United Nations Office for South–South Cooperation.
It describes the exchange of resources, technology and knowledge between
developing countries. India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador
Syed Akbaruddin said: More and better South-South cooperation now is on account
of the global South enjoying more rapid and sustained economic growth. Yet,
South-South cooperation retains its distinct nature and values, as well as
diversity of forms and flows. It defies easy categorisation. The trajectory of
global growth and the declining share of ODA (official development assistance)
during the last decade or so has seen attempts to subsume South-South cooperation
in the international aid architecture, he said on Thursday at the second
high-level United Nations Conference on South-South cooperation in Buenos
Aires. Such efforts are not helpful They do no justice to either its historical
heritage or its future potential. Let us not venture to strait jacket
South-South cooperation into a format that it cannot fit into, Akbaruddin said.
He told the conference that over the last decade, India has extended Lines of
Credit of about USD 25 billion to more than 60 countries of the South. All
projects follow universally recognised norms and do not create unsustainable
debt burdens while ensuring skill and technology transfer to help local
communities maintain and sustain assets created, the envoy said. He noted that
as opportunities for sharing the fruits of knowledge, technology and growth
have changed, nations are now seeking new channels of cooperation, rather than
conflict; new pathways for development, rather than destruction.
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NEARLY 300% JUMP IN NUMBER OF INDIANS APPLYING FOR EB-5 VISAS
IN US
Promising foreigners a faster
route to permanent residency in the US, the number of Indians getting EB-5
visas has jumped almost four-fold since 2017, according to statistics issued by
the US Department of State. The EB-5 Visa promises a green card provided the
applicant invest the one-time stipulated amount ( $1,000,000) in a
government-approved EB-5 business or create 10 full-time jobs in the country. A
total of 10,000 visas are up for grabs every year with no country allowed more
than seven per cent of all visas, or 700 slots, in the first instance.The time
it takes to receive conditional permanent resident status approval is 24 months
while the permanent green card takes 18 to 24 months. At least 585 EB-5 Visas
were issued to Indians during the 12-month period ending September 2018,
against 174 in 2017, the Times of India reported. Compared to 149 in 2016, that
is a massive hike of 293% over a two-year period. The number of Indian applicants
currently rank just behind China and Vietnam. India is the fourth-largest
market for the visa category after China, Vietnam, and South Korea.
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GOOGLE TWEAKS SEARCH ENGINE RESULTS TO PLACATE EU ANTITRUST
REGULATORS
Google has unveiled a
series of tweaks to its European search engine results in an effort to avoid
further fines from the EU's top anti-trust regulator. The effort to placate the
Europan Commission comes as the EU executive is set to slap the tech giant with
a fresh fine over unfair competition practices later on Wednesday. Tuesday's
announced changes to Google search are intended to help the Sillicon Valley
giant avoid a repeat of 2017 when Brussels fined Google 2.4 billion euros for
favouring its Google Shopping price comparison service in search results. Kent
Walker, said since then the company has been listening carefully to feedback
we're getting, both from the European Commission and others. As a result, over
the next few months, we'll be making further updates to our products in Europe,
he said in a blog. Google's search results are prized internet real estate with
the US giant controlling roughly 90 per cent of the search market in Europe,
according to EU data.
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MOSQUE ATTACK: FACEBOOK SAYS NO ONE FLAGGED NEW ZEALAND
SHOOTING LIVE STREAM
Facebook says none of the
200 or so people who watched live video of the New Zealand mosque shooting
flagged it to moderators, underlining the challenge tech companies face in
policing violent or disturbing content in real time. The social media giant released
new details about its response to the video in a blog post. It said the
gunman's live 17-minute broadcast was viewed fewer than 200 times and the first
user report didn't come in until 12 minutes after it ended. 50 people were
killed at two mosques in Christchurch. Facebook removed the video within
minutes' of being notified by police, said Chris Sonderby, Facebook's deputy
general counsel. No users reported the video during the live broadcast, and it
was watched about 4,000 times in total before being taken down, Sonderby said.
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AL-AZIZIA STEEL MILLS CASE: PAK SC POSTPONES VERDICT ON FORMER
PM NAWAZ SHARIF'S BAIL PLEA TILL MARCH 26
Pakistan's Supreme Court
on Tuesday postponed the verdict of jailed former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's
application seeking bail on medical grounds till March 26, according to media
reports. Sharif filed an appeal on March 6 against a judgment by the Islamabad
High Court (IHC) which on February 25 rejected his bail application on medical
grounds in the Al-Azizia steel mills case. During the hearing on Tuesday, a
three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa issued a notice to
National Accountability Bureau to submit a reply in the matter in the next
hearing fixed for March 26. The apex court will announce the judgment on the
same day, the Express Tribune reported. We know that Nawaz Sharif receives
medical care in London. We want to know whether his health deteriorated in
prison, the paper quoted the chief justice questioning the counsel during the
hearing of the petition. The chief justice further remarked that the reports
from London were not provided to the doctors in Pakistan and that the court
would examine the medical reports of tests conducted at Pakistan Institute of
Medical Sciences in Islamabad, the Geo News reported. In January, he filed the
application in the IHC for bail on medical reasons as he developed heart-related
medical complications in jail but it was dismissed.
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UN RECEIVED 259 ALLEGATIONS OF SEXUAL EXPLOITATION, ABUSE IN
2018: REPORT
The UN received a total of
259 allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse committed by the staff working
in its agencies and their partner organisations in 2018, an increase of more
than a 100 in such incidents from the previous year, according to a report
presented by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The report, presented to the
General Assembly, said that from January 1 to December 31, 2018, the UN
received a total of 148 sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) allegations
directly involving UN workers, and 111 involving staff from partner
organisations implementing UN programmes. This represents an increase in the
total number of incidents reported in 2017, when 138 allegations were made, and
165 allegations made in 2016, it said. According to the report, not all the
allegations have been fully verified and many are still under investigation or
are still in a preliminary assessment phase. While 103 SEA incidents were
reported in 2016, only 54 allegations were made in 2018, the report said.
Despite this improvement in the UN's peacekeeping wing, the number of
allegations went up against personnel in other UN entities, with 94 allegations
received in 2018, compared with 50 in 2017. This entails more than 90,000 staff
in more than 30 entities and more than 100,000 uniformed personnel.
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Thanks & Regards,
CS Meetesh Shiroya
Thanks & Regards,
CS Meetesh Shiroya
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