GENERAL UPDATES 04.05.2019

NO GOLD SHIFTED OUTSIDE INDIA IN 2014 OR THEREAFTER: RBI

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday said no gold was shifted outside the country in 2014 or thereafter. The statement comes against the backdrop of reports in certain sections of the print and social media regarding the central bank shifting abroad a part of its gold holding in 2014. It is a normal practice for central banks world over to keep their gold reserves overseas with central banks of other countries like Bank of England for safe custody, according to the statement. Thus the media reports cited above are factually incorrect, the statement said. The Congress party had tweeted a report regarding shifting of 200 tonne of the RBI’s gold to Switzerland in 2014.

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RBI SLAPS PENALTY ON VODAFONE M-PESA, PHONEPE AND 3 OTHERS

The Reserve Bank of India Friday said it has imposed penalties on five prepaid payment instrument (PPI) issuers including Vodafone m-pesa and PhonePe, for violation of regulatory norms. Also, penalties have been imposed on Western Union Financial Services Inc and MoneyGram Payment Systems Inc, both US firms, for non-compliance of guidelines. In exercise of powers vested under Section 30 of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed monetary penalty on five PPI Issuers for non-compliance of regulatory guidelines the central bank said in a statement. A penalty of Rs 3.05 crore has been imposed on Vodafone m-pesa and Rs 1 crore each on Mobile Payments, PhonePe, Private and GI Technology. Also, a penalty of Rs 5 lakh has been imposed on Y-Cash Software Solutions. In another statement, the RBI said it has imposed penalty of Rs 29,66,959 and Rs 10,11,653 on Western Union Financial Services Inc, USA, and MoneyGram Payment Systems Inc, USA, respectively, for non-compliance of regulatory guidelines.

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EPFO MAY MOVE SUPREME COURT AGAINST HIGH PENSION

If you were celebrating the prospects of higher pension from the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) after the Kerala High Court ruling, here’s some bad news. The EPFO is reportedly planning to challenge the high court order in the Supreme Court Under the existing rules, a person covered by the Employees’ Pension Scheme of the EPFO will be paid a monthly pension based on his last drawn salary. But the salary used to calculate pension is capped at Rs 15,000 a month. The Kerala HC had directed the retirement body to remove the cap and pay pension based on the full salary of the worker. EPFO officials argue that the monthly contribution to the EPS pool is too low and will not be able to sustain the higher pension. They point out that a cash crunch has already forced the EPFO to shelve a plan to double the minimum pension from Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000. Right now, workers covered by EPFO contribute 12% of their salary to the Provident Fund and an equal amount is contributed by their employers. Of the 12% contributed by the employer, 8.33% goes into the EPS. But this amount is capped at Rs 1,250 a month. If a worker desires a higher pension equal to 50% of his last drawn salary, the entire 8.33% of his basic salary will have to flow into the EPS. That’s not all. Such workers will also have to make good the arrears of the previous years by shifting money from their Provident Fund accounts to the EPS. This will reopen the books and pose a computation challenge to the EPFO.

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GOVERNMENT WANTS SUPREME COURT TO TAKE ACTION AGAINST WHATSAPP FOR FLOUTING RBI RULES

The government on Friday urged the Supreme Court to take action against WhatsApp for operating in India its payment service without complying with the RBI’s data localisation norms a charge WhatsApp denied, but the court said that it would first examine the issue in depth before taking a call on the legality of it or otherwise. Think tank Centre for Accountability and Systemic Change had challenged WhatsApp’s decision not to have an India grievance officer while doing business in the country. It had also challenged WhatsApp’s decision to conduct trial runs in the country without complying with data localisation norms. The PIL, which is being heard by Justices RF Nariman and Vineet Sharan, will now be heard in the third week of July. The bench said that it would hear arguments at length from all sides and take a call on the issue. Counsel for the think tank Virag Gupta argued that even the data related to trials involving one million users must be housed in India. He alleged that this was violative of the National Payments Corporation of India’s nod to WhatsApp to operate in India. As per the RBI’s circular of April 6, 2018, he said, data cannot be kept outside India. WhatsApp counsel senior advocate Kapil Sibal denied any formal agreement between the company and the NPCI. Senior advocate Arvind Datar insisted that WhatsApp was only having a trial run which would be completed by July and any payment service would not be introduced without first obtaining the RBI’s mandatory nod. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta also sought prosecution of the company for failing to abide by the RBI’s data localisation norms which mandate it to house the data in India. He also objected to WhatsApp grievance officer not sitting in India. The bench, however, said that it would examine the issue at length first. Don’t worry. Our arms are longest. They would not escape the law (if they are wrong), Justice Nariman said.

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PAYMENT SERVICE WILL BE LAUNCHED AFTER COMPLYING WITH RBI NORMS: WHATSAPP TO SC

WhatsApp on Friday told the Supreme Court that it is conducting a trial run of its payment service and will comply with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) norms on data localisation before launching the full service. The trial run is likely to be completed by July end this year, it said. A bench of Justices R F Nariman and Vineet Saran was hearing a plea filed by a non-governmental organisation (NGO), Centre for Accountability and Systemic Change (CASC), which has claimed that WhatsApp has not fully complied with RBI’s circular which prescribed data localisation norms. Kapil Sibal and Arvind Datar, appearing for the messenger app owned by US-based Facebook, told the bench that they are only having a trial run which is likely to be completed by July and it will not launch payments services without fully complying with RBI norms. We cannot launch the product without complying with the norms, Sibal said. Virag Gupta, appearing for the NGO, said that WhatsApp was allowed to run the trial of its payments services with one million users. Relying on the RBI’s circular of April 6, 2018, he said that trial data of users cannot be allowed to be kept outside India. This may be violative of permission granted by National Payment Corporations of India (NPCI) to Whatsapp, he said. Sibal said there was no formal agreement between WhatsApp and NPCI till now. Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, said that WhatsApp was not complying with data localisation norms which is evident from the affidavit filed by the RBI. To this, the bench said that if norms laid down by RBI are not followed by Whatsapp, then it can be prosecuted. Don’t worry our arms are long enough. They cannot escape the law, it said and added that the issue requires detailed hearing and listed the matter in July.

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JOBLESS RATE HIGHEST SINCE OCTOBER 2016: CMIE DATA

India’s unemployment rate in April rose to 7.6% the highest since October 2016, and up from 6.7% in March, according to data compiled by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE). The lower unemployment rate in March was a blip, and it has again climbed following the trend of earlier months, Mahesh Vyas, said. The figures could be a setback for PM Narendra Modi during a general election that will end on May 19, with opposition parties criticising the government over weak farm prices and low job growth. The government recently withheld jobs data because officials said they needed to check its veracity. India usually releases official unemployment data every five years. But December unemployment figures were leaked and showed that the jobless rate rose to its highest level in at least 45 years in 2017-18. The government has said it will release jobs data once a year. CMIE said in a report released in January that nearly 11 million people lost jobs in 2018 after the demonetisation in late 2016, and new goods and services tax (GST) in 2017 hit millions of small businesses.

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FINANCE MINISTRY TO TAKE CALL ON BANK RECAP AFTER SEPTEMBER

The Finance Ministry will review the capital infusion requirements of PSU banks after September and there will be separate allocation for recapitalisation in the general Budget likely to be presented in July. Sources said the interim Budget did not have the provision for any recap from April to July as the banks were adequately capitalised till September. According to official sources, by September (end of second quarter), the capital position with regard to the regulatory requirements and growth of all the PSU banks which received funds in 2018-19 will be clear. The remaining PCA (Prompt Corrective Action) banks will also require fresh funds to come out of the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) framework for weak banks. But for this, the banks would have to match the performance parameter targets required for PCA removal and would have to show improved performance.

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CIC POSTPONES HEARING ON REFUSAL OF PMO TO GIVE DETAILS OF GRAFT COMPLAINTS AGAINST MINISTERS

Citing paucity of time, the Central Information Commission (CIC) has postponed till mid-June the hearing on an appeal against the PMO's refusal to disclose details of corruption complaints against Union ministers. The transparency watchdog was hearing an appeal filed by whistle blower bureaucrat Sanjiv Chaturvedi after being denied the information on the graft complaints against the ministers and on other queries by the Prime Minister's Office despite the CIC's order. Replying to an RTI application filed by Chaturvedi, the PMO had in October last year said it receives complaints against various Union ministers and high-level functionaries from time to time. These complaints received relate to a variety of matters including corruption related and non-corruption related matters. To identify, examine and categorise each of these complaints as corruption related complaints may be a subjective as well as a cumbersome exercise, the PMO had said citing Section 7 (9) of the Right to Information Act to justify the denial. The section says an information shall ordinarily be provided in the form in which it is sought unless it would disproportionately divert the resources of the public authority or would be detrimental to the safety or preservation of the record in question. Aggrieved over the reply, Chaturvedi had approached the CIC. In his submission to the Commission, he had said the PMO cannot deny the information under Section 7 (9) of the RTI Act. The information can only be denied under Section 8(1) of the act, Chaturvedi said. The Commission, after hearing the submissions of both the parties and perusing the records, observes that due to paucity of time, the hearing in the matter could not be concluded. Therefore, the matter is adjourned to June 17, 2019, said Sudhir Bhargava, Chief Information Commissioner, in an order dated May 1.

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SUBMIT EXPENDITURE DETAILS IN 90 DAYS: POLL OFFICIALS TO MNS

The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has been asked to submit details within 90 days of expenses incurred on the election rallies of its president Raj Thackeray. An election official said the notice for submission of election expenditure was issued after consultations with the Election Commission following a complaint from the BJP demanding that expenditure incurred on MNS rallies be shown in the accounts of opposition candidates in the nine Lok Sabha constituencies where Raj Thackeray addressed rallies. We sought guidance regarding the complaint and were told that the MNS is a registered political party and should give details of the expenses incurred on its election rallies. The notices to this effect are being sent to Raj Thackeray through district collectors of the areas where he addressed rallies, the official said. The official said this was a routine procedure and all national, state and registered parties have to submit their statement of accounts. Though the MNS is not contesting Lok Sabha elections, Thackeray held nine rallies in Maharashtra last month, in which he attacked the BJP governments at the Centre and in the state and asked people not to vote for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah. The BJP had written to the state's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) demanding that the expenses of Raj Thackeray's campaign rallies be added to the accounts of the Congress-NCP candidates who were in fray against the BJP-Sena nominees.

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NATIONAL COMPANY LAW TRIBUNAL GETS 14 JUDICIAL MEMBERS AND 10 TECHNICAL MEMBERS

Based on recommendations of the Selection Committee, the Appointments Committee of the Union Cabinet has approved the appointment of 14 judicial members and 10 technical members for the National Company Law Tribunal for a term of three years.

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NON-PAYMENT BY DEVELOPERS HITS DELHI-NCR BROKERS HARD

Property brokers in Delhi-NCR are grappling with non-payment from builders while those in other top residential markets are facing delayed payments, the Association of Certified Realtors of India (ACRI) has alleged. According to the industry body, over the last few years, several brokers have lost on brokerage due to non-payment by developers in the backdrop of the financial crunch in the realty market. Sometimes, builders offer a flat to recover the brokerage and also pay in small instalments. Developers are not sensitive to our hard work. There are many people who had to leave the trade, said Ravinder Aggarwal. In some cases, the delay in payment has been up to five years, according to ACRI, which said it now takes a minimum of three to six months to receive payments from builders once the deal is concluded, compared with 30 days earlier. Once 10% payment is received from the buyer, the developers have to pay brokerage to the brokers, said Ashwin Chawwla, that helps home buyers use an escrow account in a tieup with ICICI Bank and Axis Bank. Brokers get their payment through the escrow account once the deal is concluded. Broker across the country are grappling with a slowdown in sales and what they allege is builders’ refusal to pay goods and services tax (GST) on sales. We have appealed to the housing ministry to reduce the 18% GST levied on brokers on the brokerage they earn from builders on each transaction, said ACRI’s Aggarwal.

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16% MARATHA QUOTA NOT APPLICABLE TO PG MEDICAL ADMISSIONS THIS YEAR, SAYS HC

THE NAGPUR bench of the Bombay High Court on Thursday held that the 16 per cent reservation granted to the Maratha community will not apply to postgraduate medical admissions this year, as the Socially and Educationally Backward Class Act, 2018 — which effected the reservation — came into force after the admission procedure had already begun. The court was of the view that the reservation applied in the admissions to postgraduation courses in medical sciences this year is arbitrary and deserves to be quashed and set aside. A Division Bench of Justice Sunil B Shukre and Justice Pushpa Ganediwala held, the revised seat matrix published on 27.3.2019 providing for reservation of SEBC (Socially and Educationally Backward Class) candidates has to be held and is held as arbitrary, violative of the mandate as it creates unequal competition and violates principles of rule of law, hit by the rigor of Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution of India and as such deserves to be quashed and set aside. The petitions were moved by Dr Sanjana Wadewale and several Bachelor of Dental Surgery and Bachelor of Medicine graduates. The students informed the court of a notification issued by the state on March 8, announcing 16 per cent reservation of seats for SEBC, including the Marathas, in educational institutions. The petitioners added that the notification had affected the ongoing admission process for postgraduation courses in MDS, MD, MS and Diploma in Medical Sciences for 2019. The bench held: Those medical admissions in which the procedure for entrance test has already been initiated would not be affected by the applicability of the Act. The court said that in this case, the procedure for entrance test has begun on October 16, 2018 for MDS (Master of Dental Surgery) course and on November 2, 2018 for MD/MS/PG courses. This was well before November 30, 2018 — the date of the commencement of the Act. The court added that there was no delay caused by the petitioners as alleged by the state government in filing the petition. The bench held, This procedure was for holding of the entrance test and not for filling seats in the state quota. Therefore, the provisions of the Act would have no application to the current admission process. If such an interpretation is not given, the whole provision of Section 16 (2) of the Act would turn into a dead letter of law, thereby rendering the legislative intent to be redundant.

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BOEING 737 WITH 136 ON BOARD CRASHES INTO A RIVER OFF THE RUNWAY IN US

A Boeing 737 plane arriving from Cuba crashed into a river off the runway near Jacksonville, Florida, according to the Naval Air Station. The lives of all aboard had been accounted for and teams were working to control jet fuel in the water, Mayor Lenny Curry said in a Twitter post. The plane was carrying 136 people, Reuters reported, citing a spokesman for Naval Air Station.' The aircraft arrived from Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, before sliding off the runway into the St. Johns River, Naval Air Station Jacksonville said in a post on its Facebook page.

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AGAINST CRONY CAPITALISM, NOT CORPORATES: RAHUL GANDHI

Rahul Gandhi has disputed the notion that he is anti-business, calling it an absurd idea. He, however, told that he has a problem with crony capitalism of the kind he claimed was followed in awarding the offsets contract in the Rafale deal. I want to be very clear — there are large numbers of Indian corporates who India should be absolutely proud of and protect. You can’t build a modern nation without corporates, so it’s an absurd idea that Rahul Gandhi doesn’t like corporates. It’s crazy. I am absolutely convinced that India has to be developed and grown keeping in mind all stakeholders, he told. Gandhi said he stood for fairness and would not hesitate to back companies if such a need arose. My point is there should be fairness. Wherever there is pain, I will go. It doesn’t matter who is hurting — big business, small business, shopkeepers, farmers. And if tomorrow I find that the honest corporates of this country are in pain, I will be the first person to defend them. At the same time, Gandhi singled out Reliance Group promoter Anil Ambani to explain where his discomfiture lay. But, there are also crony capitalists like Anil Ambani, who are dishonest and who are the problem. The Congress president exuded confidence that he will be able to put in place a simplified GST if his party comes to power. We are pretty confident that we’ll be able to deliver a simplified GST — one tax, minimum tax, covering larger parts of the Indian economy, he said. Further, Gandhi accused the government of using Aadhaar for surveillance. We view the instrument as something that liberates India, that helps India flower. The PM views Aadhaar as something that allows him to see what people are doing, what they’re saying, what they’re spending (on), what they’re buying. So we’re against that aspect of Aadhaar. We want it to be an instrument of the Indian people, but we don’t want it to become a weapon of surveillance. On the question of land acquisition for government and private projects, Gandhi feels the need for a conversation among stakeholders — the government, farmers and corporates. I actually think that partnership between farmers, corporates and small and medium businesses is the way forward. A conversation is required, he added. He also called for similar discussion on reservations in the private sector, assuring that the Congress will not act without consultations. I would like a discussion on it. I don’t do politics based on what I think should be done. I don’t do politics like Mr Modi, who thought demonetisation should be done and went ahead and did it without consulting anyone. Talking about the challenge from China and Chinese goods flooding Indian markets, Gandhi said there are serious problems with the Chinese business model, which is being felt across the globe and, in turn, creating an opportunity for India. If we lay the groundwork properly, we will become a competitor to China. But we are losing the opportunity because we’re not being strategic.

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JET AIRWAYS MIGHT LOSE FOREIGN FLYING RIGHTS SOON

The government is likely to start distributing foreign flying rights of Jet Airways among other carriers towards the end of next week if the airline does not find new owners quickly. We plan to award the rights to airlines which have put in requests, said an aviation ministry official who did not wish to be identified. The demands are primarily for destinations such as Singapore, Thailand and the Middle East, he added. The move is likely to worry prospective bidders for Jet who are banking on the stricken airline’s ability to retain lucrative flying rights and slots at airports. The official added that they had a meeting with airlines on the issue and have been assured that the carriers will return the routes allocated to them when demanded by the government and Jet Airways. We would have liked to award these routes to other carriers as early as possible but we have decided to wait till Jet Airways finds a buyer, as we got requests from various quarters to not award these rights right now, said the official. Employees and banks have written to the government to protect the interests of Jet Airways till the time a winner is chosen. Jet received initial interests from Etihad, TPG and NIIF but none of them have initiated the process further to bid for the airline. Foreign flying quota between India and countries such as Dubai, Qatar and Singapore have got exhausted and the governments of these countries have been seeking an increase from the Indian government, which has refused to raise the quota. Foreign flying quota is measured in terms of seats per week airlines can operate. With Jet’s grounding, a large number of seats will come back to the system and can be reallocated to other Indian carriers which can add flights on these routes. A senior Directorate General of Civil Aviation official added that the government and the regulator’s initial focus was to stabilise domestic operations. With new flight launches and plans, the domestic sector is stabilising but problem in the international routes is severe and these rights will need to be awarded to stabilise the situation, the official said on condition of anonymity. Among Indian carriers flying international, Jet Airways was the second-largest after Air India and its grounding has created a huge gap in demand and supply of seats on international routes. Due to the mismatch, fares on international routes to and from India are already about 35% higher and is set to go up further with the peak travel season approaching.

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14,231 CANDIDATES TAKE HARYANA CIVIL JUDGE TEST, JUST 9 MAKE IT TO LAST LEG

In what could possibly be one of the toughest selection processes for a job in the world only nine out of the 14,231 candidates who appeared for the three-tier examination for recruitment of junior division civil judge in Haryana have made it past the first two levels. The Supreme Court took note of the extremely rigorous standards and sought a response from the Punjab and Haryana High Court. It also asked retired SC judge A K Sikri to randomly check answer sheets of the 1,195 candidates who took the main examination. In response to an advertisement issued by the Punjab and Haryana HC in March 2017 inviting candidates to appear in a three-stage screening-cum-examination system — preliminary, main and interview — 34,000 law graduates applied for 109 posts of civil judge (junior division), which is the entry-level post in judiciary. In August 2017, the number of posts was reduced to 107. Of those who applied, 32,230 were found eligible to take the preliminary examination. The exam was held nine months after the date of advertisement and only 14,231 took the preliminary test. On January 16 this year, the HC shortlisted 1,451 candidates from among those who appeared. Of the shortlisted ones, 1,282 candidates were found eligible to appear for the main exam conducted by Haryana Public Service Commission. The main examination was held on March 15 and 1,195 candidates appeared for it. On April 11, the results were declared and just nine were picked for the interview. The final stage of the recruitment process is not complete and yet more than 99% of candidates who appeared for the test have been eliminated. Thus, out of 34,000 who applied, only 0.026% were held eligible for the interview and out of 14,231 who actually appeared in the preliminary examination, only 0.06% succeeded in getting through the two-tier process and went through to the interview round. After a petition brought the matter to its notice, the SC sought a response from the Punjab and Haryana HC and asked its registrar general to be present in court. On Friday, senior advocate Maninder Singh and advocate Prabhas Bajaj appeared for the HC and gave statistical details of the examination to a bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Deepak Gupta. Singh agreed to an independent scrutiny of the evaluation system and the bench asked retired SC judge A K Sikri to randomly check answer sheets of the 1,195 candidates who took the main examination. We request Justice Sikri to look into some of the answer scripts of the main written examination at his discretion to make an assessment whether the evaluation undertaken should be accepted by the court. The HC will place before Justice Sikri the answer scripts of all the candidates who have appeared in the main written examination, out of which, at his discretion, he may select some of the answer scripts for further evaluation. We request Justice Sikri to communicate his views and findings at the earliest, the bench said.

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RS 4,412-CRORE DROUGHT RELIEF FUND DISBURSED TO 68 LAKH FARMERS: CM FADNAVIS

Two days after writing to the Election Commission to relax the model code of conduct in order to fast track drought relief measures, Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday directed all ministers to tour their respective districts to provide relief and announced that Rs 4,412-crore funds have been disbursed to 68 lakh farmers so far. Fadnavis issued the directive while chairing a Cabinet meeting to discuss short and long-term measures for drought mitigation. The Cabinet also discussed and adopted a resolution condemning the Naxal attack against 15 police personnel and a private vehicle driver at Gadchiroli. Chief minister said, The India Meteorological Department’s prediction of a possibly delayed monsoon was a cause for concern. Even if the monsoon is delayed by a week or fortnight, it would call for greater preparations to meet all the challenges, especially sustained supply of drinking water and cattle fodder. Apart from this, Rs 3,200 crore under the Prime Minister Crop Insurance would also be disbursed to eligible farmers shortly, he said. On relief measures for cattle, the chief minister said, Rs 90 has been sanctioned per day for big animals, and Rs 45 per day for smaller animals. It is slightly higher than the National Disaster Relief Fund (NDRF) guidelines. Since fodder cultivation was carried out on 58 lakh hectares of land, in anticipation of a summer crisis, the chief minister said there was no shortage on that front. On low water levels in dams across Maharashtra, Fadnavis said, At Jaikwadi, live water stock is over. The water is being drawn from dead level. But there is still plenty of water. In drought-prone districts, people are being enrolled under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). At the moment, 2.75 to 3 lakh people are enrolled under the scheme.

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CENTRE EFFECTS SENIOR-LEVEL BUREAUCRATIC REJIG

As many as 10 additional secretaries have been appointed in various central government departments as part of a senior-level bureaucratic reshuffle effected by the Centre. IAS officer Vijoy Kumar Singh has been appointed additional secretary and financial adviser in the Ministry of Textiles, an order issued by the Ministry of Personnel said. Currently, he is the joint secretary at the Department of Personnel and Training. Anurag Agarwal has been named additional secretary and financial adviser in the Ministry of Power. Agarwal, at present, is the joint secretary, Ministry of Corporate Affairs. Meenakshi Sharma, a 1988-batch officer of the Indian Audit and Accounts Service, has been appointed director general (tourism). She, at present, is additional director general (tourism). IAS officer Sanjay A Chahande has been named textile commissioner, Ministry of Textiles. He is currently deputy director general, Unique Identification Authority of India, Mumbai. Ravi Agrawal, joint secretary in the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management, will now be the additional secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. The posts held by a few officers have been upgraded to the level of additional secretary by the government. Bharat Lal, joint secretary to President Ram Nath Kovind, will now be the additional secretary to the president. He is a 1988-batch Indian Forest Service officer of the Gujarat cadre. Annie George Mathew and Meera Swarup, both joint secretary in the Department of Expenditure, have been made the additional secretary in the same department. Deputy Election Commissioner Sandeep Saxena has been promoted as the additional secretary at the same post. IAS officer Arun Baroka, who served as the joint secretary in the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, will now be the additional secretary in the same ministry.

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US ADDS 263,000 NEW JOBS IN APRIL, UNEMPLOYMENT FALLS TO 3.6%, 49-YEAR LOW

The United States had another giant month of job creation in April, with strong hiring in the vast service sector while unemployment fell to a level not seen since 1969, the government reported Friday. Employers added a total of 263,000 workers for the month, well above economists' expectations, while worker pay continued to climb. The jobless rate fell two tenths to 3.6 percent but this was in part because the pool of workers shrank and fewer people were looking for jobs, pulling them out of the labor force.

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DELHI GOVT EXTENDS BAN ON MANUFACTURE, SALE OF GUTKHA, PAN MASALA, TOBACCO PRODUCTS FOR ONE YEAR

The Delhi government has extended the ban on manufacture, storage, sale or distribution of gutkha, pan masala and any other tobacco products for one year in the national capital. The Food Safety Department has issued a notification extending the ban on these products. The notification has been issued by Food Safety Commissioner L R Garg. Commissioner (Food Safety), National Capital Territory of Delhi, prohibits in the interest of public health for a period of one year in NCT the manufacture, storage, distribution, or sale of tobacco which is either flavoured, scented or mixed with any of the said additives, and whether going by the name or form of gutkha, pan masala, flavoured/scented tobacco, kharra it stated. No such ban, however, will be enforced on cigarettes.

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THIS COUNTRY’S CURRENCY NOTE WAS NAMED WORLD’S BEST

Canadian $10 bill has been adjudged as the best bank note for 2018 by the International Bank Note Society (IBNS). Bank of Canada’s note, featuring civil rights activist Viola Desmond, beat 15 other banknotes from countries such as Switzerland, Norway and Russia. The IBNS Banknote of the Year award is an initiative to recognise an exceptional banknote issued every year, IBNS said on its official website. Globally renowned social justice icon Viola Desmond has been featured on the note, on whose back the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg, Manitoba has been printed. The Nova Scotia businesswoman, in the year 1946, became a symbol of resistance in Canada’s early civil rights movement after she refused to make exit from the whites-only area of a movie theatre. The Canadian Bank Note Company has printed the currency note in the same purple colour used in the earlier horizontal version of $10 polymer note. The size of the note is just larger than currency bills printed by the United States (US). The Canadian $10 bill are easy to check and tough to counterfeit, IBNS also said. The note used the best technological standards and security features, it added. The first IBNS Bank Note of the Year Award held in 2004 was also won by Canada. and finished second three years in a row In 2011, 2012 and 2013, the country finished second for consective three years. It stood in the third place in the previous year. Switzerland (200 Franc human hands), Norway (500 Kroner sailing ship), Russia (100 Ruble soccer) and the Solomon Islands (40 Dollar man blowing conch shell) were the runner ups in the competition.

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OVER ₹1,000 CR RELEASED IN ADVANCE FOR STATES AFFECTED BY CYCLONE FANI: MODI

Narendra Modi on Friday said over ₹1,000 crore had been released in advance for the States affected by cyclone Fani. Modi said as the ‘extremely severe’ cyclonic storm hit Odisha on Friday morning. Lakhs of families are affected by the cyclone in the coastal areas of Odisha, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry and the Centre is in touch with the state governments. I got the latest update from officers sometime ago and also held a detailed review meeting yesterday. More than ₹1,000 crore have been released in advance, he said. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the Indian Coast Guard, the Navy and the Army were engaged in the relief works, he pointed out. I want to assure the people of the cyclone-affected states that the entire country and the Centre are standing by the affected families and the state governments, Mr. Modi said. The Prime Minister also ramped up his attack against the Congress, saying the party is distraught about Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar being declared as an international terrorist during the election and is questioning the timing of the announcement. He alleged that the opposition party is unhappy with India’s security situation. Instead of celebrating the decision of the United Nations (UN) designating the JeM chief as an international terrorist, the opposition party is questioning its timing, the Prime Minister said. Should the UN ask the Congress, should it consult ‘Madam’ or ‘Naamdar’, before declaring him as a global terrorist?, he asked the gathering, in a mocking reference to UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi. Questioning the Congress’s response to the development, he said the decision on the Pakistan-based terrorist was not taken by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Modi said. India’s biggest enemy, Masood Azhar, who had been wounding India for several years, was declared an international terrorist two days ago, he said, adding that the UN declaring the JeM chief as an international terrorist was the third surgical strike on Pakistan. Have I dealt with Pakistan’s arrogance or not?, he asked the crowd.

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CEMENT COMPANIES TO FACE ACTION FOR TRUCK OVER-LOADING IN CHHATTISGARH

Truck over-loaded with cement bags would now land even the manufacturer of the product into trouble in Chhattisgarh. The state government had taken a decision to lodge an First Information Report (FIR) with the police against a cement company if vehicle ferrying its product is intercepted with over load. The company would face legal action for damaging the state’s resources as over-loaded trucks ruin roads. For the first time since the inception of the state in November 2000, the Chattisgarh government cracked the whip on the cement industry. Chhattisgarh accounts for about 15 per cent of India's total cement output. All major cement players have a facility in the state that had been endowed with high-grade limestone reserves. The cement manufacturers cannot escape from their responsibility if trucks loaded beyond prescribed capacity roll out from its facility, a senior official with the transport department said. Two cement companies (the names were not revealed) have been booked for the violation of norms, the official added. The action is seen as the new government’s initiative to tightening grip on the cement industry. The manufacturers had hikes cement prices last four months that coincided the change of guard, reportedly after forming a cartel. The cement price in Chhattisgarh reached Rs 270 per bag, a hike of about Rs 23 after the UPA government came to power. The sluggish demand following infrastructure development projects coming to a halt was cited as one of the reasons for the increase. The manufacturers were planning further hike. However, the state government pressure yielded results as cement price were slashed to Rs 247 per bag.

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CUTTING DIRTY FUEL USE MAY SAVE 2.7 LAKH LIVES ANNUALLY IN INDIA: STUDY

India could make a major dent in air pollution and save about 270,000 lives a year by curbing emissions from dirty household fuels such as wood, dung, coal and kerosene, a study co-led by researchers from IIT Delhi has found. Eliminating emissions from these sources -- without any changes to industrial or vehicle emissions -- would bring the average outdoor air pollution levels below the country's air quality standard, according to the study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Mitigating the use of household fuels could also reduce air pollution-related deaths in the country by about 13 per cent, which is equivalent to saving about 270,000 lives a year, said researchers, including Sagnik Dey of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi. Household fuels are the single biggest source of outdoor air pollution in India, said Kirk R Smith. We looked at what would happen if they only cleaned up households, and we came to this counterintuitive result that the whole country would reach national air pollution standards if they did that, Smith said in a statement. In many rural areas of the world where electricity and gas lines are scarce, the bulk of air pollution originates from burning biomass, such as wood, cow dung or crop residues to cook and heat the home, and from burning kerosene for lighting. There are 3,000 chemicals that have been identified in wood smoke, and taken at a macro level, it is very similar to tobacco smoke, Smith said. In 2016, India instituted a national programme to distribute clean burning stoves and propane to 80 million impoverished households, or about 500 million people, researchers said. The rationale behind this programme was to prevent illness due to cooking and heating smoke trapped within the home.

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SC REMARK ON ‘FOREIGNERS’ DETENTION IN ASSAM DEFIES CONSTITUTIONAL OBLIGATIONS: RIGHTS BODY

A rights body, comprising a retired Supreme Court judge and a former Assam police chief, has said the apex court’s remark on the detention of ‘foreigners’ in Assam was unfortunate and flies in the face of India’s constitutional and international obligations. One of the reasons, the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) has pointed out, is that accounts from Assam indicate arbitrariness and not rule of law is often used to define those who came post 1971 from Bangladesh — of whatever religious denomination — and those who are Indian nationals. Lakhs are in limbo and now fear that they may become stateless because of a process that is mired in a mix of complexity, confusion, lack of precision and prejudice, a statement issued by the CHRI on Thursday night said. The Supreme Court needs to reaffirm India’s constitutional and international obligations to rights on complex issues of nationality, detention and deportation and not be unmindful of its own commitment to these duties, the CHRI said. As concerned citizens, we look to the Supreme Court to reaffirm India’s constitutional and international obligations to rights on sensitive issues. That is why we are disappointed by recent statements by the Chief Justice of India on a complex matter relating to illegal detention and deportation, without heeding India’s own constitutional and international obligations, it said. The statement was in reference to Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi’s admonition of Assam Chief Secretary Alok Kumar for proposing a methodology for the release of a handful of foreign prisoners who had been in detention beyond their term of sentence for illegal entry. The rebuke was while advocating greater detention of suspected ‘foreigners’. We regard these remarks as unfortunate as the case concerned the wilful violation of the human rights of hundreds of detainees who were languishing in what the court itself accepts are inhuman conditions, the CHRI said, referring to Article 21 that says no person in India can be deprived of her/his right to life and liberty without due process. There is no deportation agreement with Bangladesh. International law lays down that such deportations can take place only with the consent of the country of origin. Bangladesh has consistently refused to accept that its citizens migrate in large numbers to India. Indeed, Bangladesh regards such unilateral efforts as harmful to a bilateral relationship that is critical for the security and stability of both countries and especially of our eastern region. We cannot place ourselves in a situation where we are seen as forcing people out at gunpoint; it would be ethically unjust, wrong in law and draw international condemnation, it said. The rights body said its members were sensitive to the concerns in Assam and other parts of the country about the problem of illegal migration from Bangladesh, a long-standing issue that has defied official proclamations and pledges of push back, deportation and detection. Any method used must be undertaken within the rule of law frame, be just and fair and designed to minimise individual hardship and tragedy. We believe there is a need that this is a tragedy of growing intensity which is gathering momentum as a result of the current National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise in Assam, the CHRI said. Many of those at risk of being marked foreigners were from the bottom of the economic pyramid, unable to sustain the complex adjudication process needed to establish their citizenship. Large numbers were already in detention camps, the CHRI pointed out. Plea to not hurry the process

It also urged the Supreme Court to not hurry through the process of verifying the applications of 38 lakh people out the 40.07 lakh left out of the complete draft of the NRC. The court has set July 2019 as the deadline for the final list.

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INDIA PRODUCES 32.11 MILLION TONNES OF SUGAR IN OCT-APR, TO HIT NEW RECORD: ISMA

Sugar output in India has reached 32.11 million tonnes in the first seven months of the ongoing marketing year that started October 2018, and the total production could touch a new record of 33 million tonnes, the industry body ISMA said Friday. Much of the sugar has already been manufactured and only a few mills are in operation at present, it said. The country's sugar output during the 2017-18 marketing year (October-September) was a record 32.5 million tonnes. The annual domestic requirement of India, which is the world's second largest producer, is only 26 million tonnes. According to the Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA), mills have manufactured 32.11 million tonnes of sugar between October 2018 and April this year. Only 100 mills were in operation as on April 30. The country's top three sugar producing states -- Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka -- have produced 11.26 million tonnes, 10.7 million tonnes and 4.32 million tonnes, respectively, during the October-April period of the 2018-19 marketing year. Even though the quantum of sugarcane crushing in the current year is less than that in the last year, the sugar production in 2018-19 will be marginally more than last year, it said in a statement. Sugar recovery in northern India has been substantially better than last year. In the other parts of the country, including Maharashtra and Karnataka also, the sugar recovery is better than last year, though not as high as it achieved in north India. Therefore, the sugar production in the current year for the whole country is expected to be around 33 million tonnes, about 5,00,000 tonnes more than last year, the ISMA predicted. The pace of sugar production in the last 15-20 days has slowed down, with large number of sugar mills shutting their crushing operations faster than what was seen in the last season. ISMA said the sugar stocks at the end of the 2018-19 marketing year would be at a higher level at around 14.7 million tonnes taking into account the opening balance of 10.7 million tonnes as on October 1, 2018, and estimated record output of 33 million tonnes and domestic demand of 26 million tonnes as well as export of 3 million tonnes. The industry body also indicated that sugar output in the 2019-20 marketing year is likely to decline on lower sugarcane output due to lack of rains in key growing state Maharashtra and diversion to ethanol production.

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CYCLONE 'FANI': 'DGCA WILL ISSUE REVISED GUIDELINES TO AIRLINES AS AND WHEN NECESSARY'

Aviation regulator DGCA will issue revised advisories to airlines as and when necessary in view of the cyclone 'Fani', said civil aviation minister Suresh Prabhu on Friday. Prabhu also said that he has directed Pradeep Singh Kharola, to continuously monitor the situation. Cyclone 'Fani' rolled through Odisha on Friday, packing rain and windstorm that gusted up to 175 kmph, leaving at least three people dead, blowing away thatched houses, and swamping towns and villages. Prabhu said he will pledge funds from Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) if necessary as per the extant rule. DGCA will be issuing revised advisories to Airlines as and when necessary. Taking all possible steps for passenger safety and to minimise their inconvenience, he added. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) Friday said no flights will depart or arrive at Kolkata airport from 3 pm Friday to 8 am Saturday in view of the cyclonic storm 'Fani'.

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POTATO FARMERS HIT BACK AT PEPSICO, SEEK COMPENSATION FOR HARASSMENT

Calling for an unconditional withdrawal of its legal case, sued potato growers in Gujarat on Friday said that they have sought compensation from PepsiCo India Holdings Ltd. (PIH) for harassment caused to them due to the lawsuit. Three of the potato farmers sued by PepsiCo along with farmer union leaders and farmers’ rights activists asserted that Indian farmers' seed freedoms were non-negotiable. With support from other farmer organisations and activists, including RSS-affiliate Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS), the potato growers have not only sought compensation but also called for boycott of the food giant's products. PepsiCo should withdraw the cases unconditionally. The also company has to pay us compensation for all the harassment we were put through even though the law is clear on the subject, said Bipin Patel in a media briefing on Friday. Patel is one of the four potato growers against whom PepsiCo had filed a suit. We would like the state government to reveal the full details of the ongoing discussions with the company since we are demanding an unconditional withdrawal based on a reiteration of Sec. 39 (1) (iv) of PPV&FR Act 2001, and anything else is not acceptable, the sued potato growers said. On Friday, farmers and activists also announced forming of a new outfit called Bij Adhikar Manch (Rights for Seeds Forum). A meeting of 30 members under the new entity, comprising farmers, farm leaders, civil right representatives, lawyers and scientists, was also held on Friday in Ahmedabad where the forum decided to call for a nation-wide boycott of PepsiCo products. The forum will now continue to fight for farmers' sovereign rights seeds, said its co-ordinator Kapil Shah. Friday also saw PepsiCo India officials hold a meeting with Gujarat government officials including chief secretary of the state and additional chief secretary for agriculture, Government of Gujarat in the state capital Gandhinagar. Addressing mediapersons after the meeting in Gandhinagar, Jagrut Kotecha, vice president snacks, PepsiCo India said, We had come to update the state government about the statement we had issued earlier on Thursday and are looking forward to an amicable solution for everyone.

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NRC REGISTRATIONS MAKING IT DIFFICULT FOR BIHAR MIGRANTS TO CAST THEIR CONSTITUENCIES' VOTES

Rajkumar is all set to travel to Muzaffarpur, the Lok Sabha constituency in Bihar which goes to polls on May 6. The barber-shop owner in Rehabari in Guwahati is a fan of RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav. I will reach my village in Muzaffarpur on May 5. Though RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav is not in the fray this time, his son there is leading the anti-BJP front and I am supporting him, Rajkumar told. Meanwhile, Giri Chopal, who owns a small shop in ABC in Guwahati, has already left for Sitamarhi along with his family. Rajkumar and Chopal are among the lakhs of migrants from Bihar who have settled across Northeastern India and are travelling to cast their ballot in their home state. The ruling JDU-BJP coalition is the favourite among them. Nitish Kumar-led government has restored Bihari pride and pulled Bihar out of jungle raj. People no longer equate Bihar with lawlessness, as was the case in the past, said Chopal. Nationally, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has done commendable work and the country is developing under him. However, amid the election din, there are some who are giving polls a miss and coming to Assam to attend the hearing of the claim and objection process of updation of National Register of Citizens (NRC), which is underway at 1,436 centres. Around 3.628 million people have made an appeal for inclusion and 200,000 have registered their objections.

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BIHAR TO GO TO POLLS IN PHASE V OF GENERAL ELECTIONS 2019

In Phase V of General Elections, 5 Parliamentary Constituencies (PC) namely Sitamarhi, Madhubani, Muzaffarpur, Saran and Hajipur in Bihar will go to Polls on 6th May. 82 candidates including 6 Women will be contesting for the 5 Lok Sabha seats. As per the data available, there are total 8766722 voters (8749847 General and 16875 Service voters) in these 5 PCs, out of which 4678401 are males, 4088096 females and 225 third gender voters. 8,899 Polling stations have been set up for phase five elections in the state.

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12 LOK SABHA SEATS TO GO TO POLLS IN RAJASTHAN IN PHASE V ON 6TH MAY

Rajasthan will go to Polls in Phase V of General Elections on 6 May. Polling will take place in 12 Parliamentary Constituency (PCs). 134 candidates including 16 women candidates will be contesting for these 12 Lok Sabha seats. As per the data sourced from CEO Rajasthan website, 23179623 voters (23068868 General and 110755 Service voters), which includes 12253615 males, 10925883 females and 125 third gender voters will cast votes in phase five elections. 23783 Polling stations have been set up in place for smooth conduct of polls in this Phase.

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DR. KRISHNAMURTHY SUBRAMANIAN IS NEW MEMBER OF FINANCE COMMISSION’S ADVISORY COUNCIL

The Chief Economic Advisor, Government of India, Dr. Krishnamurthy Subramanian had been included as Member of the Advisory Council of the Fifteenth Finance Commission. It may be recalled that on 16th April, 2018 the Fifteenth Finance Commission had constituted an Advisory Council with the following Members:

·       Dr. D.K. Srivastava.

·       Dr. Indira Rajaraman.

·       Dr. Arvind Virmani.

·       Dr. Surjit S. Bhalla.

·       Dr. Sanjeev gupta.

·       Prof. Pinaki Chakraborty.

·       Shri Sajjid Chinoy.

·       Shri Neelkanth Mishra.

·       Dr. Prachi Mishra.

·       Dr. M. Govinda Rao.

·       Dr. Omkar Goswami.

·       Dr. Krishnamurthy Subramanian will be the twelfth Member of the Council.

The role and function of the Council is to:

·       To advise the Commission n any issue or subject related to the Terms of Reference (ToR) of the Commission, which may be of relevance.

·       To assist in the preparation of any paper or research study which would enhance the Commission’s understanding on the issue contained in its ToR: and

·       To help in broadening the Commission’s ambit and understanding to seek best national and international practices on matters pertaining to fiscal devolution and improving the quality and reach and enforcement of its recommendations.

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WATER RELATED ISSUES SHOULD NOW BECOME OUR PRIORITY- U.P. SINGH

Shri U.P. Singh, expressed concern that inspite of reports of water crisis in many parts of the country, water related issues have not got adequate space in our conversations and our concerns in society as whole. New developments in the field of tele-communication and automobile sector easily get our attention and find space in centre stage but water which is the source of all life forms and essential for many of our needs is still not a subject of our concern in society as a whole. He said that the quality of water is worsening due to industrial pollutants and new technologies have to be devised to maintain the quality of water to fulfil all our needs. The main purpose was to create a platform to discuss and showcase the best concepts of water conservation and management in synchrony with the UN’s sustainable development goals (SDG). Masood Husain, stressed the need of water management to fulfil our needs of drinking water, irrigation and industrial sector for entire population. He said that 80 percent of water is being used for agriculture and practices of micro irrigation, drip irrigation should be encouraged for efficient use of water. Civil society still do not understand all aspects of water crisis and mass awareness movement is required to educate masses. He further said that to check over exploitation of ground water, inter basin transfer of river water, micro irrigation techniques and recycle and reuse of water is the need of the hour.

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EXPECT MILK SHORTAGE IN TAMIL NADU ON MAY 5, SAY DEALERS

The Tamil Nadu Milk Dealers Employees Welfare Association (TNMDEWA) has requested the public to purchase and store milk on Saturday as most shops will be shut on May 5 on account of Traders Day. On an average 1.5 crore litres of milk is sold everyday across the state. However most of it sold through shops. On May 5, close to 50% sales will be affected. As shops will be shut, the milk dealers cannot store huge quantity of milk. So there will be shortage, said S.A. Ponnusamy. He added that on May 5, milk dealers will keep their shops open till 9 a.m. instead of the usual 8 a.m.

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ROUT MAY NOT BE OVER FOR INDIAN CAR STOCKS AFTER LOSING $42 BN IN VALUE

India’s car stocks have lost $42 billion in value in the last 16 months, and some analysts say the rout may not be over. A gauge of automobile companies has fallen 30 percent since reaching a record in December 2017, and is the worst-performer among 19 sector indexes in the nation’s equity market this year. That’s as the benchmark S&P BSE Sensex Index rallied to a fresh peak last month. A slowdown in consumption amid a cash crunch in the banking system has left carmakers with a pile of unsold vehicles in what was one of the world’s fastest-growing auto market until last year. Little surprise then that Maruti Suzuki India Ltd., Hero MotoCorp Ltd. and Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. are among the biggest decliners on the Sensex this year, notching losses of up to 20 percent. Initial trends are looking weaker than expected, Nomura Holdings Inc. analysts Kapil Singh and Siddhartha Bera wrote in a May 2 note. Most companies in the sector have further earnings risks due to weaker-than-expected demand. Passenger vehicle growth in the financial year ended March was the slowest since 2014, according to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers. Maruti Suzuki, the nation’s largest by market share, slid for seven days through Tuesday after saying April revenue declined 17 percent from the year-ago month. Only two of the 16 companies on the S&P BSE Auto Index have held their heads above water this year: Tata Motors Ltd., the maker of Jaguar Land Rover, rebounded last month after declining to its lowest level since 2011 in February. Bajaj Auto Ltd. is up 11 percent amid an increase in its sales of two-and-three wheelers for the year ended March by a quarter to 5 million units. Auto companies that have attractive products, are disciplined in managing their inventories and invest in research and development should still outperform during the slowdown, Pramod Kumar and Anubhav Bajpai, analysts from Goldman Sachs Group Inc. wrote in a report. But they are still cautious: We don’t see any relief in the near term.

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DEPLOYING 5G NETWORK WILL BE CRITICAL FOR OPERATORS, SAYS SWEDEN'S ERICSSON

The troubled telecom sector in India will need to turn to 5G deployments to reduce costs and improve performance, spokespersons of Swedish telecom equipment provider Ericsson said on Friday. So far, Ericsson has announced eighteen commercial 5G deals globally and are part of the first wave of live 5G networks across US, Europe and Asia. While the Indian telecom sector continues to struggle with financial turmoil, merged telco Vodafone Idea (VIL) was the first one to speak out against 5G spectrum auctions, in December 2018, in the absence of affordable spectrum and a robust 4G network. The important aspect is that its is critical for our customers (operators)) to move into 5G than for the end subscribers. 5G will drive down the cost per gigabit and by deploying it they can deploy much higher capacity at a much lower cost to cater to the rapidly growing demand and smoother user experience, said Ludvig Landgren. Indian telecom operators deal with lowest posible global average revenue per user (ARPU) and highest possible demand in India. He added, operators have to be a little careful about where they spend so resulting in technology that allows reuse of existing equipment, which means that they can take easier steps rather than full rollout and seek to continuously trying to bring down costs. Ericsson announced that it has been selected by Vodafone Idea Limited (VIL) to deploy its Cloud Packet Core to enhance its existing core network. As part of this deal, VIL will deploy Ericsson’s core network applications and Network Functions such as Ericsson virtual Evolved Packet Gateway (vEPG), Service Aware Policy Controller (vSAPC) and Virtualization Infrastructure (NFVi) solution enabling fast introduction of new services and providing full service continuity. Ericsson also has 5G MoUs with Bharti Airtel, BSNL and IIT, Delhi as part of its efforts to strengthen the 5G ecosystem in the country. Apart from tehse in recent times, both Bharti Airtel and VIL have announced deals in recent months with Ericsson for rapid 4G rollout. They have also been rolling out 5G use cases with Reliance Jio, however, no comprehensive equipment deals have been announced yet on the lines of VIL or Airtel deal.

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CS Meetesh Shiroya