GENERAL UPDATES 23.04.2019

JOB CREATION DOWN 1.7% IN FEB TO 1.50 MN, SHOWS EMPLOYEE STATE PAYROLL DATA

Job creation dropped by 1.73 per cent in February to 1.50 million compared to 1.53 million in the same month last year, according to the latest payroll data of the Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC). The data showed that during September 2017 to February 2019, nearly 30 million new subscribers joined the ESIC scheme. According to the data, the gross new subscribers addition remained the highest at 1.98 million in July 2018. The data showed that 234,000 women subscribers joined the ESIC scheme in February 2019 while around 1 men enrolled under the scheme. However, contrary the ESIC data, the retirement fund body EPFO's latest payroll data showed that net employment generation in the formal sector almost trebled to 861,000 in February compared to 287,000 in the same month of last year. The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation has also been releasing payroll data from April 2018, covering the period starting September 2017.

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DTH PLAYERS VIOLATING NEW NORMS TO FACE STRICT ACTION : TRAI CHIEF

Telecom regulator Trai on Monday warned of strict action against those cable TV and DTH players who are found violating its new tariff order and regulatory regime The watchdog also promised to shortly begin audit of subscriber management and other IT systems of errant operators. Trai Chairman R S Sharma said consumer choice and consumer interest are non negotiable and cannot be compromised and that companies not adhering to rules will have to face the consequences. We have received complaints about inconvenience to customers These complaints relate to software and systems put in place by distributors not enabling true choice for consumers, which is the aim of the whole framework. If choice of channels is restricted then basic intention seems to be to push packs and bouquets and push your own agenda. That is not the spirit of the regulatory framework, Sharma told. It is okay for consumers to choose packs or bouquets but the choice for TV viewing has to remain with customers, and they should be enabled to do so, he said. If you disable consumers from exercising their choice then it is a true violation of the framework. We have taken these things seriously, and we have issued showcause notices to a number of distributors, the Trai chief said. Trai will come down heavily on any entity which comes in the way of true implementation of its tariff order or causes any inconvenience to consumers, Sharma said terming consumer choice as the 'central theme' of new norms for cable and broadcasting sector. If you somehow try to circumvent that or negate it (consumer choice) then we are going to apply full regulatory strength to ensure that the entities comply, Sharma said. We have issued directions to nine companies and issued showcause to five. Soon we will be auditing systems of various service providers to ensure compliance with the new regulatory framework, he said.

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DOT FLOATS DRAFT PROPOSAL ON 4G SPECTRUM TO BSNL, MTNL

The Department of Telecom is learnt to have circulated a draft cabinet note for the allocation of 4G spectrum to BSNL and MTNL and implementation of a voluntary retirement scheme at the two loss-making telecom PSUs. The department has sought comments of the key ministries on the proposals, an official source told. The Department of Telecom has sent a draft cabinet note on 4G spectrum allocation to BSNL and MTNL and implementation of voluntary retirement scheme in these organisation. Comments from some of the key ministries are awaited, an official source told. Both the companies have also sought spectrum for 4G services through equity infusion from the government. BSNL, which has the lowest debt of Rs 14,000 crore among all telecom operators, has sought 4G spectrum across India through equity infusion of Rs 7,000 crore. The total spectrum will cost the firm Rs 14,000 crore.

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STATE BANK ISSUES ELECTORAL BONDS WORTH RS 2,772 CRORE

State Bank of India — the only bank authorised to issue and encash Electoral Bonds by the government — has issued bonds worth Rs 2,772.78 crore for funding political parties, since the scheme was launched on March 1 last year. Almost half of the amount came in March this year when SBI issued Electoral Bonds worth Rs 1,365.69 during the sale window of March 1-15 this year, the bank said in its reply to the Right to Information application filed by The Indian Express. Out of 2,742 bonds which were issued during the 15-day period, 1,264 bonds were valued at Rs 1 crore and above, SBI — the country’s largest public sector bank — said. During the sales window of January 1-10 this year, 937 bonds worth Rs 350.36 crore issued. During the period October 1-10, 2018, SBI sold 733 bonds valued at Rs 401.73 crore ahead of the state elections in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Telengana. The Mumbai main branch of SBI issued Electoral Bonds worth Rs 471.30 crore, followed by Rs 179.92 crore in Delhi and Rs 176.92 crore in Kolkata during the period of March 1-15 this year.

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DOT LIKELY TO AGREE AROUND YEARLONG 5G TRIAL PERIOD

The stalemate over duration of 5G trials between telecom operators and the Department of Telecom is moving towards a resolution with the DoT possibly agreeing to a one year period of network testing, sources said, adding the trials would happen any time in the second half of the current calendar year. We are looking at a resolved scenario. As of now, the 90-day period has not been relaxed. But it is likely to be relaxed. It could be any time in the second half of the year, a source said. The 90-day period refers to the current DoT norm of network testing, but the telecom firms, have through industry body COAI, have been demanding a full year of 5G trials, reasoning that allocation of the trial spectrum merely for 90 days is for too short a time and will not serve the desired purpose. Another source said if it is not 12 months, there will be very little difference between what period will be offered to the telcos maybe 10 months, but it will be over three months, the source said. The DoT wireless planning wing's current rules say that free spectrum for 5G trials can be allocated only for 90 days. 5G trials are needed to test operations, use of different applications and for familiarity with full-scale deployment later in 2020.

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AADHAAR JUST AN ID, SAYS NANDAN NILEKANI

Nandan Nilekani Monday said Aadhaar did not qualify as a tool for surveillance and privacy and it was just an ID. Defending Aadhaar, the Infosys co-founder said it never collected data on individual. It (Aadhaar) is a much simpler system because the privacy problem becomes more acute when there is an organisation collecting data on you. Aadhaar was never collecting data on you. All that Aadhaar was doing was giving an ID and doing verification. So, it is not really a great candidate for this (surveillance), Nilekani said. According to him, privacy is different from surveillance. Elaborating further, Nilekani said surveillance was more a state concern, in which state knows too much about the individuals and then uses it. Nilekani said mobile phone qualified on keeping a tab on any individuals privacy because it is with people round the clock and listens to every conversation. Acknowledging the concern that if Aadhaar becomes ubiquitous, is used in multiple applications and then somebody combines them, Nilekani said the important feature of the ID system is that private firms cannot store the Aadhaar number.

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REGULATORY SANDBOX WILL HELP FINTECH DISRUPT WITHOUT FEARS

The draft guidelines on a ‘regulatory sandbox’ for the fintech industry has the potential to usher in disruptions in sectors such as ‘challenger banks’ and ‘open banking’, and promote innovation within the industry, say entrepreneurs. A ‘sandbox’ environment allows disruptive technology to be used within a specified protected data set, where multiple innovations can be tested and failures analysed without causing any form of systemic risk. Financial services companies, including in payments, lending, remote customer onboarding and others, hope to use this opportunity to test their products and scale up in a limited environment within the compliance framework set up by the Reserve Bank of India, said fintech industry insiders. Being a regulated space, startups are often at the mercy of financial institutions to understand compliance issues, which slows down the pace of innovation. A sandbox feature from the regulator could help smoothen the process, they said. The RBI sandbox initiative will help early stage fintech startups in a major way. Today, these companies struggle to test out any new products for customers as regulatory overload is very challenging. This initiative provides the right framework for all stakeholders to come together and innovate, said Nikhil Kumar. Fintech players, however, have to ensure entrepreneurs are on the right side of the law, as larger financial institutions face a huge risk while working with untested technology since errors can attract regulatory ire as well as inconvenience consumers. The draft proposed by the RBI will allow commercial testing under limited regulations and ample customer exposure, which will give the startups a whole new experience of testing products. This will also ensure shorter pilot duration and smooth launch of newer products, said Sampad Swain.

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LOKPAL TO WORK FROM DELHI'S 5-STAR LUXURY HOTEL

The country's first Lokpal, the anti-corruption ombudsman, will work from a five-star luxury hotel in Delhi, officials said Monday. The Lokpal chairperson, all of its eight members and support staff are being allocated space in the hotel premises, they said. The office of Lokpal will work from 'The Ashok' hotel in Chanakyapuri, the officials said, adding that it would act as its temporary office.

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COST OF 1,424 CENTRAL INFRA PROJECTS SURGES 17% TO RS 2,134 CRORE ON DELAYS

The cost of 1,424 Central government infrastructure projects across the country has spiked by 17.4 per cent owing to delays in implementation. The cost of the projects has surged from Rs 1,817 crore estimated initially to Rs 2,134 crore on account of time overruns. Data sourced from the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation shows 37.8 per cent of the anticipated cost or Rs 8.07 billion has been already incurred. Of the total pool of 1,424 projects, 444 are major ones with investment size exceeding Rs 1,000 crore. Their combined cost constitutes 80 per cent of the envisaged outlay. The power, roads, railways and petroleum sectors had the maximum number of completed projects. Eighty five of the 101 projects in these sectors were commissioned by the end of December 2018. Delayed (projects) or projects without a definitive timeline of completion make up almost 75 per cent of the total projects under implementation. A total of 384 projects are delayed and 686 have no definitive timeline of implementation, a report by CARE Ratings noted. The report says there are 686 projects sans any definitive timeline They are yet to report timelines or status of completion. They have little or no cumulative expenditure and their costs are taken into consideration while estimating the total cost of outstanding projects. The list includes 607 projects with no date of commissioning and 79 which only have tentative date of completion. Projects worth Rs 448 crore, or 21 per cent of the total envisaged outlay, have more than one state as beneficiary. They have been categorized under multi-state projects. Maharashtra continues to top the list of beneficiary states, accounting for 9.3 per cent of projects by value being implemented in the country. The report advocates higher fund outlay for roads, railways, petroleum and coal to meet residual expenditure cost worth Rs 1,020 crore. For these four sectors, the cumulative expenditure incurred continues to be in the range of 25-35 per cent.

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EXTEND SPECIAL LOAN TO HELP JET AIRWAYS PAY STAFF: AIBEA

Banks should come forward to extend a special and exclusive loan to the grounded Jet Airways for the payment of salary dues of the staff or some subsistence payments to them, against a proper collateral of lien on the accumulation in the staff fund like PF and gratuity, according to the All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA). Alternatively, IBA can ask the banks to device a special loan scheme to the staff of Jet Airways to tide over their present financial problems, said CH Venkatachalam, in a letter to Indian Banks’ Association Chairman Sunil Mehta. We are happy to observe that the banks are not showing any hurry to further lend to Jet Airways, rather, bidders are being invited to take over the airline. When our Banks already have an exposure of ₹7200 crore to Jet Airways and when the promoter Naresh Goyal is unable to bring in further capital, and when the airline is already cash-starved, it is most prudent that the banks are not willing to lend any further to them unless and until viable proposals come to take over and run the airline on proper lines, he said. He emphasised that the banks should dispel the wrong impression that when a corporate borrower defaults repayment of the loan or mismanages the affairs of the company, it is the job of the banks to rescue them. If viable and acceptable proposals do not come at the earliest to take over the company, the Association said that the banks should recommend to the Government to either take over the airline or merge it with Air India.

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JNPT RAISES OFFER TO BUY AIR INDIA TOWER

State-owned Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), India’s biggest container gateway, has raised its offer price to over ₹1,300 crore to buy debt-ridden Air India’s iconic 23-storey tower located at Mumbai’s Marine Drive at Nariman Point. JNPT’s initial bid of some ₹1,200 crore was higher than the one quoted by the state-run insurerLife Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), the only other bidder to participate in the auction, but was below the reserve price set by the cash-strapped national carrier. During negotiations, JNPT raised its price bid to over ₹1,300 crore, at least two people familiar with the development said, asking not to be named.

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THE NEXT GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO AX THE PUBLIC SECTOR BANKS

There has been a visible deceleration in activity in the past six months. It started with slowing sales of autos and some durable goods and has spread from there. Airline traffic growth is down; companies are now saying sales of consumer staples such as soaps and detergents have begun to weaken, too. Even as the hunt for reasons for the slowdown begins, the main culprit appears to be a familiar one: the still largely government-owned financial system. The issue is that there isn’t enough money in the economy For much of the past two years, distributors and retailers of consumer products have been warning of a growing lack of liquidity. At first, policymakers largely dismissed their concerns. The government's late 2016 decision to withdraw most currency from circulation temporarily, and the introduction the following year of a nationwide goods-and-services tax, made it hard to decipher signals on economic momentum. Plus, liquidity, as the central bank measures it, generally looked stable: Banks were still parking funds with the Reserve Bank of India overnight. Now that the GST is more than a year old and the effects of demonetization have faded, the growth numbers are less distorted by base effects and the slowdown is becoming more obvious. So is the lack of liquidity: For the past two years, growth in money supply, as measured by M3, has lagged GDP growth; the M3-to-GDP ratio has declined sharply from 85 per cent to below 80 percent. Though aggressive purchases of government bonds by the RBI have caused base money or M0 (much of which is currency in circulation) to grow at 16 percent in recent months, it is still about 1 percentage point of GDP lower than its level before demonetization. Obviously, the engine that converts the Rs 28 lakh crore of base money (M0) to the Rs 154 lakh crore available as broad money (M3) is malfunctioning. The bottleneck is in the financial system. Money gets created when loans are given and, even though bank credit growth has accelerated in the past few months, aggregate credit growth is still far too weak. A reluctance to privatize the financial system is to blame. State banks continue to dominate the sector, controlling some two-thirds of banking assets. They also accounted for nearly 90 per cent of the non-performing assets from the last lending boom. While all sides of the political spectrum acknowledge the need for reform, governments have shied away from selling off state lenders outright, preferring to reform the sector by stealth. The hope has been to slow the growth of state-owned banks and allow privately owned rivals to gain market share. In another 15 or 20 years, the theory goes, the sector would effectively have been privatized. A similar strategy worked for the telecom and airlines sector, after all. The problem is that state banks continue to have a very large role in the economy. As they slow, they drag down the economy, too; private-sector banks simply can’t grow fast enough to make up the difference. For a time, non-banking finance companies could help: Shadow banks were responsible for nearly a third of incremental loans in the system over the past three years. But, since September last year, when a funding crunch forced them to focus on survival, credit growth in the system has slowed. After elections, the next government should not dodge the need for more radical reforms If state-owned banks are asked to start growing again, the risk of future bad loans goes up. On the other hand, if nothing changes, the economy will remain sluggish. While both major political parties have talked of consolidating state lenders into about half a dozen larger banks that should be easier to administer, more ambitious reforms will almost certainly be necessary -- at the very least, to remove them from the government’s direct control. Other factors may also be contributing to the current slowdown in demand. The raises for government workers mandated by the last pay commission have started to dwindle in their impact, for instance. And, the central bank’s Monetary Policy Committee could certainly help matters by cutting rates faster, especially since the RBI’s own inflation forecasts for the next 12 months are lower than its 4 percent target. Lower rates can help bring down bond yields and provide some stability to the non-banking side of the financial system. But rate cuts are no panacea. If the economy is to start growing again, the government may have to take an ax to state banks, not a scalpel.

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MTNL REMAINS RELEVANT FOR TELECOM, ITS SUSTAINABILITY IMPORTANT FOR CUSTOMERS, MARKET: CMD

MTNL's sustainability as a viable operator is important both for customers and market, and the PSU has not lost its relevance even in the intensely-competitive telecom sector, PK Purwar has said. The comment assumes significance as loss-making telecom PSUs MTNL and BSNL are saddled with massive debt and have faced problems in clearing staff salaries in the recent past. A revival package is being worked out by the government to keep the two PSUs afloat, amid cut-throat competition in the telecom sector driven by Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea. MTNL has over 50 per cent market share in landline for Delhi and Mumbai (circles), we also have a substantial market share in broadband. When it comes to mobile services segment, we have a lesser market share but customer is still looking for services of MTNL, Purwar told PTI. He asserted that both from customer and market point of view, MTNL's sustainability as a viable operator is required. So, still MTNL is very much relevant for the telecom sector and we expect that the steps that are being taken by the government, will lead to revival of MTNL, he said. Private sector players are surviving on the strength of their promoters so PSUs should not be discriminated. Government has two roles, government as a sovereign authority and government as owner of a company. As the owner, they have to infuse capital, if the private sector promoters are doing the same to keep their companies competitive, he pointed out. The telecom department has prepared a rescue plan for MTNL and BSNL in form of a revival package that entails components like Voluntary Retirement Scheme, asset monetisation, and allocation of 4G spectrum. The revival plan is expected to be taken up by the Cabinet soon, according to sources.

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AIRPORT METRO ACCOUNTS NOT TO BE DECLARED NPA UNTIL FURTHER ORDERS: SC

The Supreme Court on Monday said that the accounts of Anil Ambani-led Reliance Infrastructure’s (RInfra’s) arm, Delhi Airport Metro Express Private Limited (DAMEPL), would not be declared a non-performing asset (NPA) until further orders. The top court was hearing a plea moved by RInfra arm in which it said that as the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) was the one earning revenues from the operations of the Airport Express metro line, it should be the one servicing the debts of nearly Rs 1,500 crore. DMRC, on the other hand, contended that it had been forced to operate the metro only after RInfra had abandoned the project mid-way during operations. The accounts of Airport Metro would have turned NPA on June 30. While ordering a stay on declaration of NPA, the court said it would hear the matter in July. In January this year, the Delhi High Court had set aside Rs 4,500-crore arbitration award in favour of Reliance Infrastructure subsidiary DAMEPL, which had pulled out from running the Airport Express metro line over safety issues, saying that the arbitral tribunal had not considered that the tracks were certified as safe for commercial operations.

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SC ISSUES NOTICE TO LAWYER WHO CLAIMED THERE WAS CONSPIRACY TO FRAME CJI

The Supreme Court Tuesday sought response from a lawyer, who had made a sensational claim that there was a conspiracy to make CJI Ranjan Gogoi resign by framing him in a false case of sexual harassment. A three-judge special bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra issued notice to lawyer Utsav Singh Bains and sought his response with regard to his claim that he was also offered Rs 1.5 crore to represent a former apex court woman employee and arrange a presser against the CJI at the Press Club of India. The bench, which also comprised Justices R F Nariman and Deepak Gupta, has now fixed the case titled as a matter of great public importance touching upon the independence of judiciary, for hearing tomorrow at 10:30 AM. The lawyer had filed an affidavit on Monday following the unprecedented hearing on Saturday during which the CJI had said a larger conspiracy was behind it and that he would not stoop too low even to deny these allegations.

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NITI AAYOG MAY UNVEIL A MAKEOVER POST POLLS, SCRIPTS ROBUST ROLE FOR ITSELF

The NITI Aayog has begun brainstorming on a version 2.0 of itself that could be unveiled after the ongoing general election The Aayog held an internal meeting, a first for the central government’s think tank, to introspect on the tasks it has performed since it was formed on January 1, 2015, and on what needs to be done to make it stronger and its policy recommendations more effective. Based on the outcome of this meeting, the Aayog is likely to make a presentation to the Prime Minister after the new government takes charge on what needs to be done to make its functioning more robust, said people aware of the matter. Significant skill gap in sectors such as education and tourism within the Aayog, filled by random postings of civil servants who do not have enough domain expertise, was another major concern identified at the meeting. According to the official, who was part of the meeting, there was a near consensus on the need for greater interaction of the vice chairman of the Aayog with the PM, who is also the chairman of the institution. The meting also expressed concern over lack of co-ordination and synergy between lateral experts in the Aayog and its government officials, often delaying policy-making.

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CJI GOGOI CANCELS ALL CONSTITUTION BENCH HEARINGS AMIDST ALLEGATIONS

Ranjan Gogoi on Monday cancelled all Constitution bench hearings scheduled for later this week amidst allegations of harassment levelled against him by a former court staffer who was sacked earlier as several lawyers’ forums spoke up against the manner in which he had dealt with the issue himself on Saturday and demanded an independent probe into the allegations. A fresh plea was also filed in court by a Punjab based lawyer Utsav Bains seeking to place his views before the bench dealing with the allegations. Bains has alleged a conspiracy to frame the CJI. The allegations had surfaced late last week. The CJI was expected to sit in a five-judge combination to hear a host of constitutional matters of importance such as land acquisition and whether the Right to Information applies to his office etc. Now this bench will not sit and the regular bench led by him will sit instead and deal with his regular board. Incidentally, former CJI Dipak Misra was sitting in a constitution bench when the next senior most judge J. Chelmeswar decided to deal with a case alleging financial improprieties mentioned before him. This led to a whole sequence of events which culminated in the Opposition Congress introducing an impeachment motion against the former CJI in the House. The motion eventually did not take off, but dented the former CJI’s image badly. A short press release issued by a registrar said that Constitution benches will not sit this week. This effectively ensures that any fresh mentioning of any urgent case comes up only before the CJI. Though the CJI had on Saturday clarified that he would not be passing any judicial orders in the case and the senior most judge available i.e. Justice Arun Mishra will pass any orders with Justices Sanjiv Khanna as the master of the roster he will continue to assign any fresh cases which come up against him. The court move was part of several other key developments in the day. Another Association which goes by the name Women in Criminal Law Association also demanded an inquiry into the allegations and demanded that the CJI not hold office till it was complete.

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ALLEGATIONS OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT: SUPREME COURT EMPLOYEES WELFARE ASSOCIATION SUPPORTS CJI

The Supreme Court Employees Welfare Association Monday came out in support of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi, against whom allegations of sexual harassment have been levelled. The association, in one-page resolution, said it strongly condemns the false, fabricated and baseless allegations against the CJI which is aimed at maligning the institution of judiciary. The Supreme Court Employees Welfare Association on behalf of all the employees strongly condemns the false, fabricated and baseless allegations against Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, it said. Such unscrupulous allegations are aimed at maligning the institution. The association re-affirms its pledge to work vigorously to strengthen this august institution. In this hour of time, the entire staff is united and stand firmly with the Chief Justice of India to defeat the malicious attempt of external forces to target the Indian judiciary, the resolution said.

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IMD WORKING AT FASTER PACE TO ISSUE BLOCK-LEVEL WEATHER FORECAST BY NEXT YEAR

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) Tuesday said it is working at a brisk pace to issue localised weather forecasting to all 6,500 blocks across 660 districts in the country by 2020 and help as many as 9.5 crore farmers deal with the vagaries of weather. However, the most challenging task would be to enhance the accuracy of weather forecasts and to make agromet advisory services (AAS) more useful and user friendliness, it added. At present, IMD issues district level advisories. In 2018, it tied up with Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) to extend weather forecast and AAS at the block level. A lot of progress has been made since signing of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) with ICAR. The work is at a faster pace. We are recruiting and training people, IMD Deputy Director General S D Attri told. The pilot study is underway in 200 blocks. The target is to cover 6,500 blocks in 660 districts by 2020, he said, adding that this will help farmers minimise weather-related crop losses. Attri said that the IMD has a network of 130 agromet field units at district level for dissimilating the weather-based advisories. Efforts are being made to set such units in additional 530 districts in the country under the 'Gramin Krishi Mausam Sewa' at Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs). As of now, 4 crore farmers are receiving the district level weather forecast through SMS and mKisan portals. The target is to cover 9.5 crore farmers by 2020 by extending the services at a block level, he added.

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GOVT YET TO RELEASE COLLATED FOREIGN TOURIST ARRIVAL DATA FOR 2018, Q1 2019

The Indian government has not released foreign tourist arrival data for 2018 and the January-March quarter of 2019, leading to speculation that the numbers may have remained static or fallen. But tourism minister KJ Alphons said his ministry has not received the confirmed numbers from the bureau of immigration. Unless we get the numbers from the bureau of immigration we can't release any statistics, said Alphons. The numbers have not come. We have asked them, but they are saying some technical glitch is there and some data has to be cross-checked, an official familiar with the developments said.

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RAFALE STATEMENT ATTRIBUTED TO SC IN HEAT OF MOMENT: RAHUL GANDHI

Rahul Gandhi on Monday filed his reply affidavit in the Supreme Court in which he said that he had no intention of violating any order or attributing any statement to the top court. The said statements, Gandhi said in his affidavit, were made in Hindi in a rhetorical flourish in the heat of the moment. In his affidavit, Gandhi maintained said that though he did not attribute any statements made by him to the court, he did maintain that there was some wrongdoing in the deal. The answering respondent would take this opportunity to reaffirm his stand and belief and that of his party that the Rafale deal is tainted transactions and a gross and brazen abuse of executive power and a leading example of corruption of the BJP government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Gandhi said in his affidavit. The case is scheduled to be heard on Tuesday. We have considered the matter. We make it clear that this court had no occasion to record any view or finding or make any observation as allegedly attributed to the court by the respondent (Rahul Gandhi) in as much as what was decided by this court was a purely legal question of admissibility of certain documents to which objections were raised by the Attorney General, a three-judge bench led by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi had said.

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SUPREME COURT REQUESTS MADRAS HC TO URGENTLY HEAR PLEA CHALLENGING BAN ON TIKTOK

The Supreme Court on Monday requested the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court to hear a plea challenging the ban on Tiktok by 24 April, and also decide the matter by that date, failing which the ban on TikTok will automatically be vacated. TikTok India has filed a special leave petition through PLR Chambers & Co, and prayed for an interim relief. Among other things, the petition underscores that around 200 Tik Tok India employees are at risk of losing their jobs. In its plea, TikTok has also contended that it is losing around Rs4.5 crore a day, and that profiles of around 2 million users are at stake. Appearing for ByteDance, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi said the ban was imposed ex-parte and TikTok was not given a chance to defend itself. Requesting for a stay, he argued that written statements are to be filed on the next date of hearing and this would further delay the case if arguments are not heard.

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BJP, CONGRESS HAVE SPENT RS 500 CRORE ON HIRING AIRCRAFT SINCE 2014

How much they spent on hiring flying machines will be clear only after parties submit their expenditure reports for the 2019 general elections, an analysis of the amount of money spent by India’s two biggest parties reveals that they have spent Rs 496 crore on hiring aircraft and helicopters for campaigning in every state and general elections since 2014. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress hired from various aircraft charter companies – many of whom are registered as non-scheduled operators in India. While the BJP consistently hired from a couple of aircraft charter companies, the Congress used the services of a lot more companies. Hourly charges for even the most basic aircraft start from Rs 1.5 lakh, while hourly rentals for the most basic choppers start at around Rs 65,000 an hour. A senior executive at an aircraft-leasing company said that these hourly rates are usually doubled during elections because of heavy demand. In some states, the amount of money spent by the BJP on hiring aircraft was almost a fifth of its total election expenditure. Of the amount spent by both parties on hiring aircraft by both parties, the BJP accounted for Rs 327 crore, or almost two-thirds. The Congress hadn’t submitted its expenditure reports for the legislative Assembly elections held in Telangana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh held in 2018. The overall expenses incurred by both parties could well exceed Rs 500 crore once the Congress submits to the Election Commission of India (ECI) its expenditure reports for the above-mentioned elections. The BJP spent Rs 70 crore on hiring aircraft during legislative Assembly elections in 2018, including in Karnataka. The saffron party spent the most on hiring aircraft and choppers in Madhya Pradesh – a geographically vast state. Of the entire money spent in all 2018 Assembly elections, the BJP spent Rs 40 crore in Madhya Pradesh. In 2017, when Assembly elections were held in the states of Gujarat, Goa, Manipur, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, the BJP spent Rs 73 crore on hiring flying machines. A bulk of its spend was in Uttar Pradesh, where it spent Rs 35 crore. The Congress, meanwhile, spent just about Rs 20 crore in these states on flying their star campaigners and top leadership. The BJP spent Rs 28 crore for hiring planes in these elections. The Congress, meanwhile, spent just about Rs 10 crore in these states. For the Assembly elections in Bihar in 2015, the BJP spent Rs 38 crore, while the Congress reported expenses of just Rs 6 crore. The Congress spent Rs 105 crore, significantly higher than the BJP’s aviation spend of Rs 84 crore, from the date of notification till the end of polling for all Lok Sabha seats across the country. There were other Assembly elections held that year, including in Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir. The BJP spent Rs 33 crore flying its star campaigners, including Bollywood actors like Sunny Deol and Vivek Overoi in addition to the BJP’s top leadership in these states. The Congress spent half that amount in these state elections. In the 2016 Assembly elections in various states, of the Rs 28 crore spent by the BJP on hiring aircraft for campaigning, Rs 25 crore was paid to Saarthi Airways. Similarly, in the 2018 Madhya Pradesh elections, Saarthi Airways was the only company flying BJP’s top leadership and getting all of the Rs 40 crore spent by the party on hiring aircraft in the state.

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COMPANIES LIKE COKE, PEPSI RUSH TO MEET DEMAND FOR LOW-CALORIE DRINKS

Cola majors have unexpectedly reached a sweet spot on the healthier beverage front with a surge in demand prompting Coca-Cola and PepsiCo to step up production of low-sugar carbonated drinks this summer, three industry officials said. Two leading bottling partners confirmed that production has been stepped up to meet the demand which, they said, was triggered by a rapidly shifting consumer preference. We have never seen this kind of shortage of diet and low-sugar drinks. We are seeing this across markets in the country, one of the officials mentioned above said. In many markets, imported diet and low-sugar colas have flooded retail outlets in the shortage of the diet versions of Coke or Pepsi. The spokespersons for the companies said the demand for diets was growing rapidly but declined to comment on stepping up the production lines. Our differentiated portfolio follows the tastes and preferences of consumers and we will continue to meet the demand for low-tono sugar offerings in the country, the Coca-Cola India spokesperson said. We are seeing positive growth momentum across our beverage portfolio, including diet and low sugar drinks, the PepsiCo India spokesperson said. Carbonated beverages account for 51% of the company’s sales in India. The carbonated soft drinks (CSD) industry in India was pegged at Rs 25,000 crore in FY 2018 with an annual growth rate of 7%. In the US, Coke’s biggest market, Diet Coke and Coke Zero Sugar led to an 8% acceleration in retail value growth last year for the no-calorie sparkling soft drinks portfolio, the company said in its annual statement. It recorded an overall global organic growth of 5% for the year.

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SHOULDN'T THE CONCEPT OF JOB CREATION TAKE PRECEDENCE OVER INCOME TRANSFER?

The idea of minimum income guarantee is now firmly ensconced in our public policy debate. Its most recent avatar is Congress’ Nyunatam Aay Yojana (NYAY) proposal, targeted at the bottom 20% of the population. According to economist Thomas Piketty, the sum of Rs 6,000 a month to be transferred works out to a little over 60% of median household income for the population as a whole. From a cynic’s perspective, this means that the incentive for non-eligible households to game the system to get the transfer as a top-up to their existing income is high. Second, unlike the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGA), NYAY does not involve an opportunity cost. In the former, participants give up an alternative means of income. This ensures, at least to a degree, that the truly deserving ‘self-select’, and helps the scheme to be targeted to those who deserve it. I have come across suggestions by NYAY supporters that the requirement of a monthly sign-in at an ATM or a local government office could help in targeting. This may be a bit naïve. The opportunity cost of a monthly sign-in is miniscule compared to the payoff. We are not talking about a ‘suit-boot ka householder’ here going red in the face at being spotted in the dole queue. The incentive to subvert the scheme would be high for less poor households who might have moved up from bottom two deciles, but still have enough incentive to supplement their earnings. Any attempt to successfully design a system that encourages self-selection would have to strike a balance between reducing the incentive to cheat and ensuring that the transfer isn’t just small change. This is unlikely to happen when the transfer is 60% of median household earnings. It would have to be much lower. NYAY evangelists seem to be using four sets of arguments. Some are citing case studies from across the world ‘proving’ the efficacy of income guarantee schemes. Others rail against imagined, and somewhat facetious, criticisms of NYAY (that it would discourage people from working, for instance). The third set has relied on a fuzzy moral judgment that the really poor need a better deal. Finally, there are the pessimists who believe that job creation is a bit of a lost cause. Automation is killing manufacturing jobs, the limits to farm sector growth are set by land availability, and service sector jobs are essentially variants of ‘pakora-frying’ and aren’t worth chasing. Ergo, income transfer is the only game in town. The hard-nosed agnostic (and taxpayer) would want a few simple questions answered before embracing the faith. Have the costs of NYAY, and the means of funding itself, been calculated and thought through? Though a proponent of the idea of income guarantee himself, Piketty points out that the biggest drawback of the proposal is that Congress has chosen to remain very discreet about its financing. This brings us to the nub of the problem. In a fiscally constrained economy, is it not imperative to raise taxes sharply to finance this? If an increase in taxes runs the risk of stifling growth, are NYAY’s architects thinking of a trade-off instead? Could this trade-off be between job creation and guaranteeing income? When it comes to low-end unskilled jobs like construction (that the very poor can realistically aspire for), public works remains the major engine of job creation. This brings us back to the question: Why not expand the scope of MNREGA instead? How much has the model of ‘convergence’ that considers the use of the MNREGA workforce for large programmes been actually implemented? If the rural bias of MNREGA is a problem, why not think of ways to revamp it for urban development? This is not just a question of employment entitlement lending itself to better targeting. It is a deeper question of how we ensure inclusiveness. The argument for income transfer based on the claim that jobs are simply too difficult to create is, perhaps, a tad too pessimistic. That the real estate sector is going through a rough patch does not mean that low-end construction has lost its potential to grow.

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MOU SIGNED BETWEEN MINISTRY OF AYUSH AND COUNCIL OF SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between the Ministry of AYUSH and Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), New Delhi for cooperation in research and education in areas of traditional systems of medicine and its integration with modern science. Secretary stated in due cognition of the growing interest of traditional medicines worldwide, there is a need of multipronged and innovative approaches for the acceptance of this science. He said that the combination of traditional healthcare and modern basic science has a huge possibility to do innovative and path-breaking researches which can be used for the explanation of various basic concepts.

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ANANTNAG PARLIAMENTARY CONSTITUENCY TO GO TO POLLS IN 3 PARTS IN PHASE III, PHASE IV & PHASE V OF GENERAL ELECTIONS 2019

Anantnag Parliamentary Constituency (PC) in Jammu & Kashmir would be going to polls in 3 parts in Phase III, Phase IV & Phase V of General Elections 2019, the only such PC in the country. The Four Districts to be covered in the Anantnag (PC No. 3) are Anantnag, Kulgam, Shopian and Pulwama. The polls in Anantnag would be held on 23rdApril, in Kulgam on 29th April, in Shopian and Pulwama on 6th May, in all polling stations falling in these districts. All the PC seats in Anantnag PC belong to the General category. As per the data sourced from CEO (Jammu & Kashmir) website, there are a total of 13,93,251 general electors in the Anantnag PC, out of which 7,20,337 are general male electors, 6,72,879 general female electors and 35 third gender electors. In addition to this, there are 4,041 service electors and 7,483 persons with disabilities (PWD) electors. A total of 1,842 polling stations have been set up for this PC during the three phases of polls. The data sourced from ECI website shows that in General Election 2014, there were a total of 13,01,143 electors in the Anantnag PC. This number has grown to 13,93,251 during General Elections 2019, which is an increase of 2,83,725 (7.08%) electors since last General Elections. In the last General Elections, this PC witnessed a low voter turnout at 28.84%.

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IN CHHATTISGARH, 7 PARLIAMENTARY CONSTITUENCIES TO GO TO POLL ON TUESDAY, 23RD APRIL DURING PHASE 3 OF LOK SABHA ELECTIONS

In the State of Chhattisgarh,Seven parliamentary constituencies (PCs) namely Raipur, Bilsapur, Durg, Janjgir-Champa, Raigarh, Korba and Sarguja will be going to polls on Tuesday, 23rd April, 2019 during the third phase of the seven-phased elections. The Constituencies of Raipur, Bilsapur, Durgand Korba are for general category; Raigarh and Sarguja are reserved for the Schedule Tribe while Janjgir-Champa is reserved for Schedule Caste. The Total number of electorate in all the seven PCs are 1,27,13,816 out of which 64,16,252 are male, 62,96,99 are female and 572 others. The total number of polling booths that have been set up for phase 3 elections in the State are 15408. A total of 123 candidates are contesting in this phase. Polling will be held from 7 am till 5pm in all the Assembly Constituencies (ACs). The first phase of polls in the state, on April 18, saw voter turnout of 68.52%. The State has a total electorate of 2,39,68,905 out of which 1,21,03,742 are male electors, 1,18,63,204 are female electors and 1,959 belong to third gender category. There are 27,776 polling stations set up in the state. There are a total of 237 candidates (out of which 09 are women) in the fray.

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GENERAL ELECTIONS 2019 FOR KERALA TO BE HELD IN THE THIRD PHASE ON APRIL 23RD, 2019

The State of Kerala will go to the polls in Phase 03 of the ongoing General Elections, on April 23rd 2019. All 20 Parliamentary constituencies in the state are scheduled to go to polls in a single phase. The State has a total electorate of 2,61,51,534 out of which 1,26,84,839 are male electors, 1,34,66,521 are female electors and 174 belong to third gender category. There are 24,970 polling stations set up in the state. There are a total of 227 candidates (out of which 25 are women) in the fray.

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THIRD PHASE OF GENERAL ELECTIONS IN BIHAR ON 23RD APRIL

Bihar will go to polls in third Phase of General Elections on 23rd April. Polling will be held in 5 Parliamentary Constituencies (PCs) of Jhanjharpur, Supaul, Araria, Madhepuraand Khagaria. 82 candidates are contesting for these 5 Lok Sabha seats. As per the data issued by CEO Bihar office, there are total 8909263 voters which includes 8899815 General Voters and 9448 Service voters. Out of 8899815 General voters, 4655306 are male voters, 4244284 are female voters and 225 are third gender voters. 9076 Polling stations have been set up for the smooth conduct of elections in the 3^rd Phase in Bihar.

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THIRD PHASE OF GENERAL ELECTIONS IN ASSAM ON 23RD APRIL

Assam will go to polls in 3^rd Phase of General Elections on 23rd April. Polling will be held in 4 Parliamentary Constituencies (PCs) of Dhubri, Kokrajhar, Barpeta and Gauhati. 54 candidates are contesting for 4Lok Sabha seats. Total 7477062 voters which includes 3815335 male, 3661570 female and 157 voters in Third Gender category, will cast ballots in this phase. 9577 Polling stations have been set up for the smooth conduct of elections in the 3rd Phase in Assam.

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GOA GOES TO POLLS IN THIRD PHASE OF GENERAL ELECTIONS-2019

Goa will go to polls for General elections-2019 in third phase i.e. on 23rd April. Polling will be held in two Parliamentary Constituencies (PCs) - North Goa and South Goa. As per the data available, Goa has 1135811 votersw which includes 555768 Male voters and 580043 Female voters. 12 candidates are contesting for these two Lok Sabha seats. 1652 Polling stations have been set up for the smooth conduct of polls.

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MARITIME BOARD REJECTS RIL'S REWAS PORT EXTENSION APPLICATION

Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) has rejected Reliance Industries Ltd's (RIL) logistics & ports arm's move to get more time for its proposed Rewas Port project, an hour's sail from Mumbai's Gateway of India. A final decision by the Maharashtra government, as it is a state subject, is awaited. The government plans to take back the port from the private developer. In 2018, Reliance Logistics & Ports, which holds a 55% stake in special purpose vehicle Rewas Port Ltd, or Rewas-Aware Port, had moved an application to get 'zero date' for the port project which was not approved by MMB in its Board meeting held this year. Zero date is the date from which construction can commence for any infrastructure project to calculate total number years taken for construction as well as for year wise sharing of revenue. Usually, zero date is the date of when Letter of Intent is issued or a contract is signed. Rewas Ports Ltd was created for development, operation and management of the proposed port. Apart from Reliance Logistics & Ports, Amma Lines holds 24% in Rewas Port, MMB 11% and Jai Corporation 10%. The application had come up for consideration during a recent MMB's Board meeting, wherein it was rejected. As per the minutes of the Board meeting, earlier an extension was given to Rewas Port for getting a 'zero date', which got expired on September 30, 2018. The minutes categorically state that no extension is to be provided to the company. Every year they ask for an extension. This time again, they had moved an application which we refused, said a state official. RIL spokesperson in a statement said that Rewas Port has applied for extension of zero date and the same is under consideration of the Maharashtra government. When asked if this port will be linked to RIL's latest plan of making Navi Mumbai Special Economic Zone (NMSEZ) into India's first integrated industrial area, the RIL spokesperson denied it stating, Rewas Port is an independent project and has no connection with NMSEZ.

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GLOBAL WARMING SHRANK INDIAN ECONOMY BY 31 PER CENT: STANFORD STUDY

Global warming has caused the Indian economy to be 31 per cent smaller than it would otherwise have been, according to a Stanford study which shows how Earth's temperature changes have increased inequalities. The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, showed that growing concentrations of greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere since 1960s have enriched cool countries like Norway and Sweden, while dragging down economic growth in warm countries such as India and Nigeria. Our results show that most of the poorest countries on Earth are considerably poorer than they would have been without global warming, said climate scientist Noah Diffenbaugh. At the same time, the majority of rich countries are richer than they would have been, Diffenbaugh said in a statement. The study from 1961 to 2010, global warming decreased the wealth per person in the world's poorest countries by 17 to 30 per cent. This is like a savings account, where small differences in the interest rate will generate large differences in the account balance over 30 or 50 years, said Diffenbaugh. After accumulating decades of small effects from warming, India's economy is now 31 per cent smaller than it would have been in the absence of global warming, he said. Researchers combined data from more than 20 climate models developed by research centres around the world.

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ONCE A-RATED AT S&P, STRUGGLING OMAN ECONOMY RISKS FURTHER CUT IN RATINGS

S&P Global Ratings started a 12-month countdown for Oman to steady its public finances and stop loading up on external debt — or risk an even deeper descent into junk. Rated A by S&P as recently as four years ago, the company put the sultanate on notice on Friday by cutting the outlook to negative while affirming its debt score at BB, two levels below investment grade and on par with Paraguay and Serbia. Both Fitch Ratings and Moody’s Investors Service have Oman one notch higher than S&P. The negative outlook reflects our expectation that we could lower our ratings on Oman over the next 12 months if we view the government as unable to moderate external debt accumulation related to still-sizable fiscal deficits, which we expect will continue to increase through 2022, Zahabia Gupta said. Oman’s economy has been struggling since the collapse of oil prices in 2014, forcing the government to join other Gulf countries in tapping international debt markets to plug budget shortfalls. But it’s been slow to implement fiscal reforms despite dwindling reserves, even raising worry it could follow Bahrain in needing a bailout from wealthier neighbors. S&P, the first of the major credit assessors to give Oman a non-investment grade, said its ratings reflect a view that timely support for the monarchy would be forthcoming, if needed, from countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council. Moody’s, which downgraded Oman’s credit rating to junk in March, said it probably won’t require a rescue in the next 12 to 18 months because the government doesn’t have any significant debt coming due in that period and its buffers are sufficient for now. Still, the yield on Oman’s bond due in 2028 remains higher than Bahrain’s similar-maturity debt, which rallied last year after the nation won a $10 billion bailout package and inclusion in JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s emerging-market bond indexes. S&P rates Bahrain two levels lower than Oman at B+. large Eurobond maturities coming due in 2021 and 2022, the debt structure is vulnerable to a sharp decline in foreign investor confidence in Oman, S&P said. That could add significant pressure to foreign-exchange reserves, it said. Oman, which S&P said will become a net debtor in 2019, is trying to cope by planning to slash its borrowing requirements for this year by as much as 70 percent and rely instead on asset sales to plug one of the largest budget deficits among oil exporters. Gross general government debt increased to an estimated 49 percent of gross domestic product in 2018, from below 5 percent in 2014, and could reach about 64 percent by 2022, according to S&P. The share of foreign-currency debt predominantly held by nonresidents grew to 80 percent of the total in 2018, from 26 percent in 2015 S&P estimates Oman’s budget shortfall narrowed to 8.9 percent of GDP in 2018, thanks to higher oil prices, and expects fiscal deficits to stay at about 8.7 percent on average over the next four years, without additional fiscal adjustments relative to our base case. Oman’s large fiscal deficits require rising levels of external financing Current spending rose by more than 10 percent in 2018. Oman will probably relay on one-off items to cover a significant portion of this year’s deficit financing Helped by rising energy production, Oman’s economic growth to average about 3 percent in 2019-2022, according to S&P.

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FORMER NISSAN CHAIRMAN CARLOS GHOSN INDICTED ON AGGRAVATED BREACH OF TRUST CHARGE

Japanese prosecutors indicted former Nissan Motor co-chairman Carlos Ghosn on Monday on a charge of aggravated breach of trust, a Tokyo court said, bringing a fourth charge against him on the day his detention period was set to expire. Mr. Ghosn’s lawyers filed a request for bail shortly after the latest indictment, which comes after authorities arrested him on April 4 for the fourth time, on suspicion he enriched himself by a total of $5 million at Nissan's expense. Mr. Ghosn, who faces three other charges including understating his income, has denied all allegations against him and said he is the victim of a boardroom coup. Nissan on Monday said it had filed a criminal complaint against the former chairman, saying it had determined that some of its overseas payments had been ordered by Mr. Ghosn for his personal enrichment. The payments were not necessary from a business standpoint, Nissan said in a statement, adding: Such misconduct is completely unacceptable, and Nissan is requesting appropriately strict penalties.

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GHOSN LAWYER REQUESTS BAIL AFTER EX-NISSAN BOSS INDICTED FOR FOURTH TIME

Japanese prosecutors indicted Carlos Ghosn on Monday on another charge of aggravated breach of trust a Tokyo court said, the fourth charge against the former Nissan Motor Co Ltd chairman, which his lawyers met immediately with a bail request. The charge came on the day Ghosn's latest detention period was set to expire. Ghosn had been out on bail when authorities arrested him for a fourth time on April 4 on suspicion he enriched himself at a cost of $5 million to the automaker. We are confident that we have the evidence to successfully prosecute all four cases, an official from the prosecutor's office said at a briefing after the indictment was announced. Ghosn has denied all four of the charges, which include understating his income, and said he is the victim of a boardroom coup. He has accused former colleagues of backstabbing, describing them as selfish rivals bent on derailing a closer alliance between Nissan and its top shareholder, France's Renault SA. Carlos Ghosn is innocent of the latest charges brought against him by the Tokyo prosecutors, aided and abetted by certain Nissan conspirators, a Ghosn representative said in a statement. The case has exposed tensions in the Nissan-Renault alliance forged by Ghosn some two decades ago when the French automaker invested in Nissan, then on the brink of bankruptcy - a deal that gave Renault control over its larger partner. Nissan is due to reject a management integration proposal from Renault and will instead call for an equal capital relationship, the Nikkei newspaper said on Monday, citing sources. Ghosn's arrest has also focused a harsh light on Japan's judicial system, which critics refer to as hostage justice as defendants who deny their charges are often not granted bail. Under Japanese law, prosecutors are able to hold suspects for up to 22 days without charge and interrogate them without their lawyers present. In accordance with these terms, prosecutors had to indict or release Ghosn by Monday.

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FB HAS ASSEMBLED A SMALL ARMY OF FACT-CHECKERS FOR INDIAN POLLS. TOO SMALL

One of the operations most vital to Facebook Inc. at this moment is a world away from its Menlo Park, Calif. headquarters, and in more ways than one. Instead of the sprawling roof gardens and upscale cafes packed with Silicon Valley’s latest health fads, this cramped Mumbai office has worn carpets and fading walls lined with exposed electrical ducts. This is Boom Live, one of seven tiny fact-checking firms at the heart of Facebook’s efforts to rebuild some of its credibility during India’s elections. The world’s largest democracy represents a key proving ground for Silicon Valley’s battered disinformation amplifier. Based on the early tallies, more than 60 percent of India’s 900 million eligible voters are expected to cast ballots between now and May 19, as the center-left Congress Party tries to seize power from the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party. As in other elections around the world, paid hacks and party zealots are churning out propaganda on Facebook and the company’s WhatsApp messenger, along with Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, and other ubiquitous communication channels. Together with Facebook’s automated filters, Boom’s 11 fact-checkers and its similar-size fellow contractors are the front line of the social network’s shield against this sludge. In a country largely driven by local and community news, we knew it was critical to have fact-checking partners who could review content across regions and languages, Ajit Mohan, wrote. He said the assembled fact-checkers cover 8 of India’s 23 official languages and he’s looking to add more. Contractors also work for much less than the typical Facebook employee, can appear more objective than the company’s own employees, and can make for easier scapegoats if needed. A visit to Boom’s offices makes clear that the scale of Facebook’s response in India so far isn’t enough. The small team appears capable and hardworking almost to a fault, but given the scale of the problem, they might as well be sifting grains of sand from a toxic beach. What can 11 people do, says Boom Deputy Editor Karen Rebelo, when hundreds of millions of first-time smartphone-internet users avidly share every suspect video and fake tidbit that comes their way? Her team has been working for Facebook since a regional election last summer, and work related to the present election escalated earlier this year. According to Facebook, the fact-checkers are just one element of its 18-month campaign to safeguard India’s elections, which has included opening a version of its 2018 U.S. election war room in Delhi, making political advertising more transparent, and deleting hundreds of local pages and accounts spreading election-related misinformation. We are absolutely committed to maintaining the integrity of the elections in India and will continue to work with local organizations, government groups and experts to make that happen, Mohan wrote in the blog post. Boom’s fact-checkers often find their cause Sisyphean. Hours after they built the case needed to persuade Facebook to take down a right-wing page called Postcard News, known for its alleged stream of bogus news, a fan page popped up to resume sharing Postcard videos with the creators’ millions of followers. It’s still up. The fact-checkers themselves have struggled to cope with the deluge of hatred they encounter online, and share war stories that would sound familiar to the content moderators for Facebook and other services who’ve reported symptoms akin to post-traumatic stress disorder. I feel the craziness every single day, says 22-year-old Mohammed Kudrati, who joined Boom’s fact-checking team in January, shortly after receiving his postgraduate diploma in data analytics from the University of Mumbai. Rebelo fell violently ill after watching a disturbing video of a girl being sexually abused by an older man. When Boom alerted the police, the man, the girl’s stepfather, had just been arrested. Now, Boom staffers append trigger warnings to graphic videos or images before sending them to colleagues for review. Rebelo says she meditates to stay sane, and orders her team to unplug between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. Do things you love, cultivate a hobby, play a sport, move, spend time with friends and family, read books, get more sleep, the 32-year-old deputy editor tells her fact-checkers, most in their 20s. For the time being, that’s about all they can do—that and the work, cleaning those grains of sand.

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JAPAN-US 2+2 WELCOMES GROWING TIES WITH INDIA

The US-Japan 2+2 ministerial meeting has welcomed the growing ties between their countries and India in the Indo-Pacific region that is of vital strategic interest to them. The defence and diplomatic cabinet officials of the two countries expressed satisfaction on Friday with the trilateral meeting with India and noted significance of joint military exercises, the State Department said in a statement. Mike Pompeo and Acting Defence Secretary Patrick Shanahan met on Friday with Japan's Foreign Minister Taro Kono and Defence Minister Takeshi Iwaya for their high-level strategic meeting focused on building a free and open Indo-Pacific. The Ministers also noted with satisfaction the first Japan-US-India trilateral summit meeting in 2018 and highlighted significant joint exercises, such as Malabar 2018 and Cope India 2018, the statement said. Building upon these various trilateral efforts, the Ministers welcomed the regularization of quadrilateral engagement among Japan, the Us, Australia, and India. In the Asia region, where China is building up its presence and is involved in aggressive maritime disputes with several countries, the US and Japan Ministers called for full respect for freedoms of navigation and overflight and other lawful uses of the sea, and reiterated the importance of activities that support those principles, the statement said.

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Thanks & Regards,
CS Meetesh Shiroya