DIRECTORS, INVESTORS IN UNLISTED COS CANNOT FILE ITR SAHAJ,
SUGAM
The Income Tax department
has barred directors as well as those who have invested in unlisted companies
from filing ITR forms Sahaj and Sugam in a bid to clamp down on shell companies
and check routing of black money. According to the new tax return forms for
Assessment Year 2019-20 notified by the I-T department, the directors in both
listed and unlisted companies will be required to file their returns in ITR-2
in which they will have to disclose details of Director Identification Number
(DIN), Permanent Account Number (PAN), equity holding along with the names of
the companies. Similarly, investors in unlisted equity shares too will have to
give details, like acquisition cost, sale consideration, date of purchase/sale,
of holding of such shares at any time during the previous year. ITR-1 or Sahaj
can now only be filed by resident individuals having a total income of up to Rs
50 lakh, from salaries, one house property, other sources (interest), and
agricultural income up to Rs 5,000; excluding those who are directors or have
invested in unlisted companies. Sugam or ITR-4 will be filed by individuals,
HUFs and firms with a total income of up to Rs 50 lakh under the presumptive
income scheme from business and profession, provided the assessee is neither a
director nor have invested in any unlisted company. This stipulation, according
to tax experts, is aimed at tightening the noose on unlisted companies
appointing dummy directors and use shell companies to round trip black money. As
regards ITR-6, which is filed by the companies, the new forms provide for a
separate column for Startups. They will have to provide details regarding
recognition by Department of Industrial (DPIIT), investors, issue price of
shares and funds received. Unlisted companies filing ITR-6 too will have to
provide details of investors their residential status in India, PAN, date of
allotment, number of shares held, issue price per share and amount invested. Foreign
companies will now have to provide details of immediate and ultimate parent
company while filing ITR. Among other things, assessees having agricultural
income and filing ITR-2 will have to provide extensive details including
measurement of the land in acre, name of district along with pin code in which
the land is located, whether it is owned or held on lease and whether irrigated
or rain-fed. The I-T department has also added columns for additional details
in Schedule FA which deals with disclosure regarding foreign assets and income
from any source outside India. The assessees would now have to also disclose
details of foreign custodial accounts, foreign equity and debt, and foreign
cash value insurance or annuity contract, along with details of overseas bank
accounts. Persons filing ITR-2 and having income from residential property
would have to furnish details of tenant and his PAN or TAN (Tax Deduction and
Collection Account Number). Those giving donations and claiming tax deductions
will be required to provide name, address, PAN of the donee along with the cash
component. Among other things, businesses filing tax returns ITR-3, 4 and 6
will have to furnish details of annual value of supplies and turnover under
Goods and Services Tax. These could be used for data analysis by matching with
GST returns.
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TAX FILERS INCREASED, NUMBER OF DROPPED FILERS DECLINED POST
NOTE BAN, SAYS CBDT
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi’s shock decision in October 2016 to suck up more than 85% currency in
circulation had a positive impact on tax compliance in the country as the
number of persons who filed income tax returns jumped by over 25% in FY 2017-18
and the number of people who did not file income tax returns in the last three
years, also known as ‘dropped filers’ also declined by almost 5%, said Central
Board of Direct Taxes. CBDT said the net direct tax collections for 2017-18
amounted to Rs 10.03 lakh crore, which was 18% more than the collections for
previous fiscal, highest growth rate in the last 7 years. A substantial part of
this growth is attributed to the impact of demonetization, said the apex body
for administration of direct taxes in the country. It is a fact that
demonetization had a phenomenal positive impact on the widening of tax base and
direct tax collections. The increase of 1.39 crore tax filers in FY 2017-18
over the tax filer base of previous fiscal and addition of 1.07 crore new tax
filers have been cited as one of the biggest proofs of success of Prime
Minister Narendra Modi’s surprise decision to ban high value currency notes in
formalisation of Indian economy. CBDT also said the number of ‘dropped filers’,
official term for those people who did not file income tax return in the last three
years, also declined by 4.6% from 28.34 lakhs in 2016-17 to 25.22 lakhs in
2017-18.
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SHOT DOWN PAKISTAN'S F-16 DURING AERIAL DOGFIGHT ON FEBRUARY
27: IAF
The Indian Air Force on
Friday asserted that it had shot down an F-16 aircraft of the Pakistan Air
Force on February 27 during aerial combat. During the aerial engagement, one
MiG 21 Bison of the IAF shot down an F-16 in Nowshera sector, the IAF said in a
statement. The assertion came after the Foreign Policy magazine reported on
Thursday that the US count of the F-16s with Pakistan has found that none of
them are missing contradicting India's claim that one of its fighter jets shot
down a Pakistani F-16 during an aerial dogfight on February 27. The Indian Air
Force had on February 28 displayed pieces of the AMRAAM + missile, fired by a
Pakistani F-16, as evidence to conclusively prove that Pakistan deployed
US-manufactured F-16 fighter jets during an aerial raid targeting Indian
military installations in Kashmir. According to US Foreign Policy magazine,
Pakistan invited the United States to physically count its F-16 planes after
the incident as part of an end-user agreement signed when the foreign military
sale was finalised. The count of the F-16 fighter planes in Pakistan has been
completed, and all aircraft were present and accounted for, an unnamed defence
official was quoted as saying by the magazine.
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VVIP CHOPPER SCAM: ARUN JAITLEY QUESTIONS RAHUL GANDHI'S
SILENCE ON ED CHARGESHEET
Arun Jaitley on Friday
questioned Congress chief Rahul Gandhi's silence on the Enforcement Directorate
chargesheet in the AgustaWestland VVIP choppers case which has reference to
senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel and 'family'. Jaitley said the Congress
should answer as to who were referred to as 'RG', 'AP' and 'FAM' in documents
cited by the ED. Right to silence is for accused not for the one who is
dreaming to be the country's Prime Minister, the BJP leader said adding if no
reply is given in case of such serious allegations, the country is entitled to
presume that no reply could have been given. Contending that evidence is
over-whelming and needle of suspicion is clear, Jaitley said he is demanding
political answers to the allegations. The more you suppress the truth, the more
it spreads so it is necessary that reply be given by the Congress, the Finance
Minister added. The initials were allegedly mentioned in the dispatches of
Christian Michel, an alleged middlemen in the chopper deal scam, which is being
probed by the Enforcement Directorate and the CBI. According to the ED chargesheet,
Michel is understood to have identified the initials AP as Ahmed Patel, the
senior Congress leader close to Gandhi family. However, Michel has filed an
application in a Delhi court on Friday claiming he has not named anybody in
connection with the deal. The ED had told the court on Thursday that Michel and
other accused received 42 million euros as kickbacks in the defence deal. The
Congress said on Friday that the Enforcement Directorate's supplementary
chargesheet in the AgustaWestland VVIP Chopper scam case was a cheap election
stunt to divert the people's attention from the imminent defeat of the Narendra
Modi dispensation in the Lok Sabha election. Randeep Surjewala said a
panic-stricken Modi government is using rehashed insinuations through its puppet
Enforcement Directorate, which it dubbed as Election Dhakosla (sham) for
manufacturing lies. He said parts of the chargesheet were selectively leaked to
the media to score political points.
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VVIP CHOPPER CASE: NOT NAMED ANYONE IN CONNECTION WITH DEAL,
MICHEL TELLS DELHI COURT
Christian Michel, alleged
middleman arrested in the AgustaWestland VVIP Chopper scam, told a Delhi court
Friday that he has not named anybody in connection with the deal during
investigation by the Enforcement Directorate, which has filed a supplementary
charge sheet. Michel, who alleged that the central government was using
agencies for political agenda filed an application after the reports appeared
that ED in its charge sheet has named politicians of the previous UPA
dispensation, defence personnel, bureaucrats and journalists as the
beneficiaries of the controversial defence deal. Michel's counsel appeared with
the application before Special Judge Arvind Kumar who issued notice to the
probe agency and sought its reply by Saturday when he will take up the matter. Michel
has not named anyone in his statement before the agency which is being leaked
to media. This is only to make the matter sensational and prejudice the case
against my client, his counsel, Aljo K Joseph said. He has questioned as to how
the charge sheet was leaked to the media even before its cognisance was taken
by the court. The plea said that trial by a judge and free and fair trial
rights override media rights and the court can temporarily curtail the freedom
of the media to ensure that. The court is duty bound to balance it. Even to
ensure a free and fair trail the court can temporarily curtail the freedom of
media to ensure free and fair trial, the plea said. It further said that at the
time of filing the charge sheet the counsels for the accused had asked for
supply of copies of the charge sheet but it was objected to by the ED on the
ground that the court has not yet taken cognisance of of the charge sheet.
Since this court is yet to take cognisance of the charge sheet, it appeared
that the ED has clandestinely provided a copy of the same to the media houses
which were publishing the same in installments only to sensationalise the issue
and prejudice the accused named therein even before cognisance was taken by
this court, the plea claimed. The act of the prosecuting agency is highly
condonable and contrary to the procedure established by law. It is pertaining
to mention here that the prosecuting agency is acting as a weapon in the hands
of the government and by clandestinely giving the documents to the media houses
engineered in media trial with ulterior motives, it claimed. The plea further
claimed that such hostile remarks might curtail the rights of Michel to a free
and fair trial as he was a citizen of another country.
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EC DISQUALIFIES 493 CANDIDATES FOR FAILING TO SUBMIT POLL
EXPENSE IN UP
The Election Commission
has disqualified 493 losing candidates in 2017 Uttar Pradesh assembly polls
from contesting elections for the next three years for failing to submit their poll-related
expenditure accounts The list includes six candidates from Muzaffarnagar
district of the state. Chief Electoral Officer Ramesh Chand Rai said the
disqualification comes after the failure of these candidates to submit their
final returns on election expenditure in the previous Uttar Pradesh assembly
polls. The candidates have been disqualified under the Representation of the
People Act, he said.
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EX-IL&FS EXECUCTIVE HARI SANKARAN SENT TO JUDICIAL CUSTODY
A metropolitan court in
Mumbai remanded Hari Sankaran, the former vice chairman of Infrastructure
Leasing & Financial Services (IL&FS), in judicial custody on Thursday
for 14 days after the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) did not press
for his custody. Sankaran, who was arrested on Monday, will be now lodged in a
special cell in the Byculla jail. He now has the option of applying for bail to
a higher court. Meanwhile, the Bombay High Court extended relief to RC Bawa,
former director of IL&FS Financial Services Ltd, from any coercive action
by the SFIO till April 10. Bawa’s counsel had argued that Bawa should be
granted protection from arrest since he had sought a similar relief from the
Supreme Court and the matter was pending.
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I LOVE MODI 'GENUINELY', BUT HE HAS ANGER TOWARDS ME: RAHUL
GANDHI
Rahul Gandhi Friday
reiterated his 'love' for Prime Minister Narendra Modi but bemoaned that the
latter has only anger towards him. I love PM Modi. Genuinely, I have no hatred
or anger towards the man, but he (Modi) has anger towards me, he said. There
were brief chants of Modi, Modi soon after this comment, to which Gandhi
responded, Its fine. its OK. Gandhi said he has seen a lot of violence
affecting his family and refereed to the assassinations of former Prime
Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. He gave an insight into his rapport
with his younger sibling, who formally entered politics a few months ago, and
childhood memories. Asked if ever has fights or arguments with Priyanka Gandhi
Vadra, he said, There would be fights earlier. But not now. Since I was small, I
have been through a lot of violence with the assassinations of my grandmother
and father.
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IPL SPOT-FIXING SCANDAL: BCCI OMBUDSMAN TO RECONSIDER
PUNISHMENT FOR S SREESANTH
The Supreme Court Friday
said BCCI Ombudsman Justice (retd) D K Jain will reconsider within three months
the quantum of punishment for former Indian cricketer S Sreesanth for his
alleged involvement in the 2013 IPL spot-fixing scandal. A bench of Justices
Ashok Bhushan and K M Joseph said this while hearing an application filed by
the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). BCCI said that since its
disciplinary committee, which had earlier dealt with Sreesanth's matter, is no
longer operational the matter be referred to the ombudsman appointed by the
apex court. On March 15, the top court had set aside the BCCI disciplinary
committee's order imposing a life ban on Sreesanth for his alleged involvement
in the matter. The court had then said that the disciplinary committee may
reconsider within three months the quantum of punishment to be given to
Sreesanth. A single-judge bench of the Kerala High Court had lifted the life
ban imposed on the 35-year-old cricketer by the BCCI and set aside all
proceedings against him initiated by the board.
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CASE FILED AGAINST PRAKASH AMBEDKAR FOR REMARKS AGAINST EC
A case was registered
against Bharip Bahujan Mahasangh president Prakash Ambedkar on Thursday for
allegedly making objectionable remarks against the Election Commission (EC),
police said. Ambedkar said he would jail the EC for two days if voted to power.
The Yavatmal district collector lodged a complaint against Ambedkar at the
Digras police station and a case under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 503
(criminal intimidation), 505 (statements conducing to public mischief) and 189
(threat of injury to public servant) was registered. Ambedkar has formed the
Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi, an alliance with the Asaduddin Owaisi-led All India
Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. The
State Election Commission had sought a report from the local poll officials on
Ambedkar's speech, Additional Chief Electoral Officer Dilip Shinde told PTI.
Ambedkar, the grandson of B R Ambedkar, is himself contesting the Lok Sabha
election from Solapur and Akola in Maharashtra.
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BOYCOTT CALL IN MIZORAM WITHDRAWN, POLLS ON SCHEDULE: ELECTION
COMMISSION
The Election Commission
(EC) on Thursday said a call given by an umbrella organisation of civil societies
and student associations in Mizoram to boycott the upcoming Lok Sabha polls was
called off and voting will take place as scheduled on April 11 for the lone
parliamentary seat in the north-eastern state. The boycott or the bandh has
been called off and polls will take place in Mizoram as scheduled, Deputy
Election Commissioner Sudeep Jain told. Asked if the EC had got the boycott
call withdrawn on any conditions, Jain replied in the negative. He said the Bru
refugees would be facilitated to cast their franchise on April 11 as it was
done during the state Assembly polls last year. The EC sets up special polling
booths for this category of voters (Bru refugees) in Kanhmun village at the
Mizoram-Tripura border and the civil organisations were protesting this move. The
EC is setting up 15 polling booths in the village exclusive for the Bru
refugees from Mizoram who are housed in six camps in neighbouring Tripura. The
step was taken during the November 2018 Mizoram Assembly polls too.
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SUMITRA MAHAJAN SAYS WON'T CONTEST LOK SABHA POLLS
With the BJP appearing to
be in a dilemma over fielding her, outgoing Lok Sabha Speaker and eight-time MP
from Indore, Sumitra Mahajan Friday said she would not contest the ensuing
general elections and has freed her party from making its choice Mahajan, who
turns 76 next week, said there had been speculations whether the party will
field someone who has crossed the 75-year age bar. There were speculations and
so I decided to end them and free the party to make its choice. I will not
contest Lok Sabha elections, she told PTI from Indore.
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SC REFUSES TO HEAR PLEA AGAINST 5 PC QUOTA TO GUJJARS, OTHERS
IN RAJASTHAN
The Supreme Court Friday
refused to entertain a plea challenging the grant of 5 per cent quota to
Gujjars and four other castes in jobs and educational institutions in Rajasthan
through a law amendment in February. A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan
Gogoi dismissed the appeal filed by one Arvind Sharma against an order of the
Rajsthan High Court refusing to grant an interim relief on the petition
challenging the quota to Gujjars and others, treating them as socially and
economically backward classes. It was argued that the reservation would breach
the 50 per cent ceiling on total quantum of quota. The plea for relief is
already pending in high court, therefore, we are not inclined to entertain it,
said the bench, also comprising Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjiv Khanna. The
Rajasthan Backward Classes (Reservation of Seats in Educational Institutions in
the State and of Appointments and Posts in Services under the State)
(Amendment) Bill, 2019 was passed by the Rajasthan Assembly on February 13.
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'MODIJI KI SENA': VK SINGH SAYS IT IS NATION'S SENA
V K Singh Thursday said
the armed forces do not belong to an individual but to the nation even as his
colleague Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi was caught on camera referring to the Army as
'Modiji ki sena'. Naqvi's purported remark comes amid a controversy over a
similar comment made by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath recently.
However, Naqvi later maintained that he had not said it in as many words. V K
Singh, a retired Army chief, said the Army belongs to the nation. 'Sena kisi ki
nahi hoti hai. Sena sirf desh ki hoti hai. Ismey Modi sena kahan se aa gayi'
(Army does not belong to an individual. Army only belongs to the nation. Where
did Modi army come from? he said.
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MAMATA LASHES OUT AT MODI, SAYS NRC, CITIZENSHIP BILL
LOLLIPOPS BY CENTRE TO FOOL PEOPLE IN ASSAM
The National Register of
Citizens (NRC) and the Citizenship Bill are two lollipops being doled out by
Prime Minister Narendra Modi to fool the people of Assam, West Bengal Chief
Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Friday. The NRC had left out the names of 40
lakh people and it was only the Trinamool Congress that stood beside these
people irrespective of their religion, Banerjee said while addressing an
election rally here. No political party supported the people whose names were
left out from the list, but we were always with them, she said. It was not only
Muslims, but the names of 22 lakh Hindus and also Gorkhas, Biharis, Tamils and
people from Kerala and Rajasthan have been left out from the NRC. We are
fighting to get all of their names included, she said. Within two days after
the NRC list was announced, I sent a team of my party to Assam. We were not
allowed to go out of the airport and harassed, she said. The Citizenship
(Amendment) Bill is another lollipop doled out by the BJP to fool the people of
Assam and deprive them of their rights, the TMC supremo said. Prime Minister
Modi is a liar who is always fooling the people, she said. Five years ago he
called himself a ‘chaiwala’, but now he has forgotten how to make tea and
become a ‘chowkidar’ to siphon the poor peoples’ money and give it to the rich,
she alleged. The West Bengal government was considering to take over Bharat
Ratna Bhupen Hazarika’s home in Kolkata and rename a road after the maestro to
keep his legacy alive.
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INDIA IDENTIFIES 380 ITEMS FOR EXPORTS TO CHINA TO SHRINK
DEFICIT
India has submitted to
China a list of 380 items including agriculture, horticulture, pharmaceuticals,
textiles, chemicals, tobacco and some engineering products, where the country
has the potential to increase exports provided Beijing cooperates by lowering
non-tariff restrictions. The Commerce & Industry Ministry, in a meeting
with stakeholders this week, has asked various export promotion councils,
including ones for spices, agriculture, engineering goods, pharmaceuticals, IT
and organic chemicals, to prepare China-specific export strategy so that
pointed action could be taken, a government official told. The Chinese
leadership has already acknowledged that the growing imbalance in bilateral
trade can be bridged mainly through increased exports from India. A beginning
has been made with export protocols being signed between General Administration
of Customs of China (GACC) and the Indian government for items such as fish,
fish oil, rice and tobacco. But a lot more targeted efforts have to be made,
the official said. New Delhi is disappointed that China has not yet imported
soyabean from the country and has released quota for sugar import from Pakistan
instead of India. But the fact that it has started importing Indian grapes and
a number of other items such as pomegranates, bananas, copra, pineapple and
chillies are in the pipeline, has kept India’s hopes up. The Chinese
Vice-Minister for GACC is scheduled to visit New Delhi next month and finalise
some more protocols for India’s exports. The Indian Embassy in China is also in
constant touch with Chinese officials to expedite action in the area, the
official said. India’s trade deficit with China had widened to $63 billion in
2017-18 which comprised more than a third of the country’s total trade deficit
worth $156 billion. However, in 2018-19, the trade deficit is likely to lower a
bit as India’s imports from China have declined while exports have continued to
increase. In April-February 2018-19, India’s exports to China increased 28.61
per cent to $15 billion while imports declined 6 per cent to $65 billion
resulting in a trade gap of $50 billion. The top items of export to China from
India in 2018-19 were petroleum products, organic chemicals, cotton yarn,
plastic raw materials and iron ore. Prabhu, who chaired the meeting attended by
officials from key Ministries and Departments such as steel, pharmaceuticals,
MSME, agriculture, animal husbandry, fisheries and IT, said the final goal for
India should be to have a trade surplus with China.
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INDIA MULLS HOSTING SECOND WTO MINI-MINISTERIAL MEET NEXT
MONTH: SURESH PRABHU
India is planning to host
the second informal meeting of trade ministers from about 20 member nations of
the World Trade Organization (WTO) next month amid growing challenges for
global trade, Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu has said. This
meeting assumes significance as several countries are raising questions over
the relevance of the global trade body. Many countries are also taking
protectionist measures, impacting global trade. We are planning this (meeting)
in May. We will be inviting about 20 WTO member countries this time, he told
PTI. The US had imposed high duties on imports of certain steel and aluminium
products, which triggered a major trade tariff tussle. Recently, the WTO
cautioned that the global trade will continue to face strong headwinds this
year and in 2020 after growing slower-than-expected in 2018 due to rising trade
tensions and increased economic uncertainty. India has time and again stressed
the importance and relevance of the WTO for promoting global trade.
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INDO-US TRADE PACT: FORMER NITI AAYOG VICE CHAIRMAN ARVIND
PANAGARIYA PITCHES FOR FTA
Arvind Panagariya said
Friday India could explore the possibility of a free trade agreement (FTA) with
the US in the services sector. India currently has FTAs with over dozen
countries including Japan, South Korea, Singapore and ASEAN nations. Down the
road, the US being such an important strategic partner. I think goods is
problem with the US because the US will insist on agriculture liberalisation,
Panagariya said. He said it may be difficult to have an FTA with the US in
goods but both the countries can look forward to a free trade pact in services
sector because both the countries have some common interest. On an FTA in goods
with the US, Panagariya said, You need to deal with agriculture because the US
would never do goods agreement only in industry. Noting that it will also be a
bit inconsistent with WTO rules, Panagariya said, So you can’t fudge it, and we
will not open our agriculture market, because USA is a super competitive
country in agriculture. So FTA with USA in goods at least in the near future
does not look to me like something that can happen. Replying to a query on
recent monetary policy announcements, the Columbia University economist said
the RBI should have cut the benchmark interest rate by 50 basis points.
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PAKISTAN MILITARY URGES INDIA TO TELL THE 'TRUTH' ON DOWNING
OF PAF F-16
Pakistan military Friday
called on India to speak the truth about the actual losses in an aerial
dogfight between the nuclear-armed neighbours, after a leading US magazine
questioned India's claim that one of its fighter jets shot down a Pakistani
F-16 on February 27. Pakistan military spokesperson Major General Asif Ghafoor
said it was time India came clean on false claims including the second aircraft
shot down by Pakistan. Truth always prevails. Time for India to speak the truth
about false claims and actual losses on their side including the second
aircraft shot down by Pakistan, Ghafoor said. His remarks came after a report
in US-based Foreign Policy magazine, quoting two senior American defence
officials with direct knowledge of the situation, said the US personnel
recently counted Pakistan's F-16s and found none of the planes missing. The
findings directly contradict the account of Indian Air Force officials, who
said that Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman managed to shoot down a Pakistani
F-16 before his own plane was downed by a Pakistani missile, the report said. After
the aerial confrontation, India said one of its MiG-21 fighter jets downed a
Pakistani F-16 before itself being shot down on February 27. The pilot of that
jet Varthaman was captured by Pakistan and handed over to India on March 1 in
an effort to de-escalate the crisis. Pakistan also claims to have shot a second
Indian Air Force jet during the engagement, a claim India has dismissed.
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SECURITY COVER OF 919 'UNDESERVING PERSONS' IN J&K
WITHDRAWN: MHA
Security cover of 919
undeserving persons in Jammu and Kashmir has been withdrawn, thereby freeing
2,768 police personnel and 389 vehicles, the Home Ministry said Friday. The
list of persons whose security cover has been withdrawn by the Jammu and
Kashmir administration include 22 separatist leaders, in a clear message to
those involved in anti-national activities. The move came following the strict
stand taken by the central government on inappropriate usage of scarce police
resources in Jammu and Kashmir. It was observed by the home ministry that many
undeserving persons managed to get security cover resulting in a lack of state
police resources for the public at large. Thus the Jammu and Kashmir government
has withdrawn security cover of 919 undeserving persons since the state has
come under Governor's Rule on June 20, 2018, thereby freeing 2,768 police
personnel and 389 vehicles, a home ministry official said. The home ministry
had directed the state administration, currently headed by Governor Satya Pal
Malik, that a case-by-case in-depth review may be taken on merits. Following
these strict directions, the Jammu and Kashmir State Security Review
Coordination Committee (SRCC) held regular meetings to examine all the cases to
ensure strict compliance of norms. After the review, the state government has
withdrawn 2,768 police personnel from 919 undeserving persons and also from
those who were having security cover excess than their entitlement. A total of
389 vehicles were also withdrawn, another official said.
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HC SEEKS DGCA, CENTRE STAND ON PLEA TO GROUND A-320 NEO
AIRCRAFT WITH P&W ENGINES
The Delhi High Court
Friday sought responses of the Centre and the Directorate General of Civil
Aviation (DGCA) on a plea seeking grounding of all Airbus 320 Neo aircraft
fitted with the troubled Pratt and Whitney engines. A bench of Chief Justice
Rajendra Menon and Justice A J Bhambhani asked the DGCA and the Ministry of
Civil Aviation to indicate their stand on the issue by August 8, saying there
have been several instances recently of problems with Airbus Neo 320 planes
flying on this specific engine. On April 2, a Pune-Nagpur flight of IndiGo --
an Airbus A320 Neo -- was grounded soon after take-off due to excessive engine
vibrations. This, according to industry sources, was the sixth such incident in
the past two weeks. In the application, moved before the high court by former
director of Flight Safety of Indian Airlines Captain S S Panesar, it has been
contended that the Airbus aircraft fitted with the Pratt and Whitney (P&W)
engines are not 100 per cent safe. P&W is an American aerospace aircraft
engines manufacturer. He has claimed that P&W and DGCA have advised airlines
not to put two such engines on their aircraft and to substitute one with some
other engine. Apart from that, it has also been advised that the A-320 Neo
fitted with P&W engines not be flown over high seas and instead they should
take a route which has an airport within 100 miles range, the application has
alleged. Another suggestion is not to fly the aircraft (A-320 Neo) above 30,000
feet because of low density of air, Panesar has claimed in his application
seeking grounding of these planes. He has alleged that the DGCA, ministry and
the airlines operating these aircraft -- Indigo and GoAir -- fitted with
P&W engines are not ignorant about the issue, but they are ignoring it and
exposing the passengers to gravest danger. The application has sought grounding
of the aircraft fitted with P&W engines till the manufacturer comes out
with a modification to make them error free.
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WILL SEND TROOPS ON 'SUICIDE MISSION': PHILIPPINE PRESIDENT
THREATENS CHINA
Amid reports of the
presence of Chinese vessels near a Philippines-administered island in the South
China Sea, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has threatened to send his
troops on a suicide mission if China does not lay off Let us be friends, but do
not touch Pagasa Island and the rest. If you make moves there, that's a
different story. I will tell my soldiers, 'Prepare for suicide mission'. The
Philippine President's speech came days after the Philippine government claimed
that as many as 275 Chinese boats and ships had been spotted in recent months
around Manila's Thitu Island (Pag-asa) in the Spratly Island chain. Stating
that his words were advice to his friends and not a warning, Duterte said, I
will not plead or beg, but I'm just telling you that lay off the Pag-asa
because I have soldiers there.
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PAKISTAN TO RELEASE 100 FISHERMEN NEXT WEEK, 360 INDIAN
PRISONERS THIS MONTH
Pakistan’s government will
release 100 jailed Indian fishermen on Monday, diplomatic sources on both sides
have confirmed. According to the sources, Pakistani officials have intimated
India that the 100 fishermen, who will be released from prison on Sunday, April
7, will be taken to Wagah border for repatriation to India on the 8th.
Pakistan’s move comes a few days after India had made a special appeal in a
Note Verbale sent to the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi asking for the
release of a total of 385 Indian fishermen and 10 civilian prisoners held in
Pakistani jails. There are 385 Indian fishermen whose nationality has been
conveyed to Pakistan and who have been languishing in Pakistan jails. It is
requested that urgent and concrete steps be taken to repatriate them to India
at the earliest, along with their boats, the MEA said in the note. According to
the sources, India has been intimated about the release of 100 prisoners on
Monday, but Pakistan plans to repatriate a total of 360 prisoners, including 5
civilians during this month, in weekly batches of 100. The last batch of 60
prisoners would be released by April 29. Activists say this is one of the
biggest such release of fishermen who inadvertently cross into Pakistan waters
and are arrested by the coast guard. In September 2010, Pakistan had released
442 Indian fishermen. MEA officials confirmed that arrangements are being made
for the first batch of fishermen, many of whom are from the coastal town of
Diu. However, officials declined to confirm if India was considering releasing
any prisoners in a reciprocal move yet. Pakistan’s High Commission has conveyed
that more than 50 Pakistani fishermen and civilians who have completed their
prison terms and formalities and are awaiting repatriation by India.
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IRISH LAWYER WHO ABUSED, SPAT AT AIR INDIA STAFF GETS JAILED
FOR 6 MONTHS
An Irish international
human rights lawyer who was caught on camera making abusive rants at Air India
crew after she was refused alcohol on a flight from Mumbai to London has been
jailed for six months in the UK. Simone Burns, was described as drunk and
obnoxious during a hearing at Isleworth Crown Court in London on Thursday,
where it emerged that she also spat at a flight attendant during her
foul-mouthed racist tirade after she was refused alcohol on the flight in
November last year. The experience of a drunk and irrational person in the
confines of an aircraft is frightening, not least on a long-haul flight, and
poses a potential risk to safety, said Judge Nicholas Wood, as he sentenced the
50-year-old to six months in prison for being drunk on an aircraft and two
months for assault, sentences to run concurrently. You were drunk and obnoxious
almost from the beginning to the end. You were abusive, contemptuous and
confrontational and used appalling language, he said. Burns, born in Northern
Ireland and living in Hove in England, was also ordered to pay 300 pounds
compensation to the person she assaulted, with the judge saying that spitting
straight into a crew member's face at close range is a particularly insulting
and upsetting act. A member of the Air India cabin crew described her conduct
as unlike anything he had seen during his 34-year aviation career. The judge at
Isleworth Crown Court said he was satisfied the offence was racially aggravated
and the language Burns used would have been extremely upsetting for the airline
staff.
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IT FIRM HAD MORE H-1B VISA DENIALS LAST YEAR THAN INFOSYS AND
TCS COMBINED
With the tightening of the
United States H1B visa rules, getting a US visa has become a distant dream for
many software engineers, and Indian engineers are no exception. For the
12-month period between October 2017 and September 2018, Infosys and Tata
Consultancy Services Ltd got the maximum number of visa denials among Indian
information technology services providers, a report has shown. However,
Cognizant — based in the US but with large delivery centres in India, and
offering services in the same league as TCS, Infosys and Wipro — got more visa
rejections than TCS and Infosys put together, the research report by CARE
Ratings showed. Back among Indian firms, following Infosys and TCS closely in
H-1B visa denials were Wipro, HCL America Inc and Tech Mahindra Americas Inc.
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PAKISTAN FM URGES PEOPLE TO BUY STOCKS, NOT WASTE MONEY ON
DOLLARS, HELP CHECK CURRENCY DEVALUATION
Pakistan’s finance
minister on Friday ruled out a further devaluation of the rupee, which has lost
about 25 percent of its value over the past year, urging people to invest in
the stock market and not waste money buying dollars Since coming to power in
August, much of the government’s focus has been in staving off a balance of
payments crisis. It is in talks with the International Monetary Fund over a
13th bailout since the 1980s which is expected in the next few weeks. Consumer
price inflation rose in March to its highest since November 2013. Energy costs
in particular have risen sharply, hit by a series of a devaluations. State Bank
of Pakistan has given a categorical statement that rupee is in equilibrium.
Central bank cannot speak clearer than this, Finance Minister Asad Umar said in
a speech at the Pakistan Stock Exchange shown on television. There is no reason
of big devaluations. He added that there were no demands for what the exchange
rate should be in the talks with the IMF. Pakistan has kept its exchange rate
over-valued, incurring losses to the economy, the finance minister said. The
rupee should be aligned with its fundamentals and its benchmark should be the
real effective exchange rate (REER), he added. The minister advised the people
not to waste money buying dollars, but instead invest in the stock market. One
should not say the rupee would comfortably become stable or inflexible in terms
of movement. It will remain flexible, but one should not expect big
devaluation, Fawad Khan, told.
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HOW TESLA CEO ELON MUSK LOST $1 BILLION IN JUST 2 MINUTES
Elon Musk saw $1.1 billion
wiped from his net worth in the first two minutes of New York trading as Tesla
Inc. shares sank as much as 11 per cent. The fall cut his net worth to $22.3
billion on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index as of 9:32 am. The electric-car
maker had reported a record decline in deliveries during the first quarter,
down to 63,000 vehicles in the three months that ended in March, from 90,966 in
the fourth quarter. About $10 billion of Musk’s fortune is derived from Tesla
with approximately $13 billion coming from his stake in closely held rocket
business Space Exploration Technologies Corp., according to calculations by the
ranking.
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US GRANTED WAIVERS TO ONLY 6% OF THOSE SUBJECT TO TRUMP TRAVEL
BAN
The US government granted
waivers to just 6 per cent of visa applicants subject to its travel ban on a
handful of countries during the first 11 months of the ban, new data reviewed
by Reuters shows. Trump administration officials have pointed to the waiver
process embedded in the travel ban as proof it was not motivated by animus
towards Muslims, as critics have charged, but rather serves to protect the
United States. Between Dec. 8, 2017 and Oct. 31, 2018, State Department
officers ruled on nearly 38,000 applications for non-immigrant and immigrant
visas filed by people subject to the travel ban who otherwise qualified for the
visas and needed waivers to get them. They determined that just 6 per cent - or
2,216 applicants - met the criteria for a waiver. Of those, 670 had not yet
received their visas but were expected to do so.
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EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT APPROVES NO-DEAL BREXIT VISA WAIVER
The European Parliament on
Thursday approved a law allowing Britons visa-free EU visits even after a no
deal Brexit, despite a furious dispute over the status of Gibraltar. The law
means British visitors making trips of fewer than 90 days to the Schengen passport-free
zone will not need visas, even if Britain crashes out of the EU without a deal
in place. The parliament approved the measure by 502 votes to 81, with 29
abstentions, paving the way for millions of British holidaymakers to flock to
the beaches of the Mediterranean this summer regardless of the outcome of
Brexit. Implementation will depend on Britain granting EU citizens the same
rights in return, but London has said it will do so and the principle of the
law has broad support. But the text of legislation itself triggered a bitter
row in Brussels, after member states -- at Spain's urging -- referred in a
footnote to the draft to Gibraltar as a colony of the British crown. Britain's
decision to leave the EU has revived controversy over Spain's long-standing
claim on the territory, against the backdrop of Spanish elections.
#For Source of Information copy and paste the heading in google.
Thanks & Regards,
CS Meetesh Shiroya
Thanks & Regards,
CS Meetesh Shiroya
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