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Shah Commission is wrong; mining scam only around Rs 100 cr: Parrikar

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The Justice M.B. Shah Commission’s estimate of Goa’s mining scam being a whopping Rs 35,000 crore is based on a wrong survey and its real extent is unlikely to be more than Rs 50 crore to Rs 100 crore, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said on Wednesday.

“The Shah Commission report is based on survey carried out by hand-held gadgets… They did not do a proper survey. They should have done a proper survey,” Parrikar told the assembly during Question Hour in reply to a question by former Chief Minister and Congress legislator Luizinho Faleiro.

Parrikar, who holds the mines portfolio, said the Commission had estimated that lease boundaries had been shifted by mining companies and an additional 580 odd hectares of land was appropriated by them.

But a detailed survey conducted by the state government has revealed that only around 10 hectares of land had been encroached upon by the mining companies, he added.

“The Shah Commission survey is wrong,” Parrikar said, adding that the total value of the ore extracted does not represent a loss to the state government, thus lowering the actual loss estimated by the Commission.

“Value of the ore is not loss to the government. The loss to the government is of the royalty (on ore extracted),” Parrikar said.

He also said that the component of revenues earned by the mining sector in Goa’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was only five per cent in 2018, in comparision to 2012, when it used to be 17 to 18 per cent.

Mining was stopped in Goa by a series of bans by the state and central governments, as well as by the Supreme Court in 2012.

Goa’s GDP is approximately Rs 70,000 crore.

Parrikar also said that early resumption of mining in Goa, which was banned in February, was one of the top priority of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led coalition government in the coastal state.

The mining issue has been hanging fire in Goa, every since the apex court banned extraction and transportation of iron ore from 88 mining leases from March, while also directing the state to re-issue mining leases.

The is the second time is less than a decade that all mining in the state has come to a standstill.

The 2012 ban was later lifted by the apex court in 2014, but the court was forced to impose the fresh restrictions while slighting the state government for messing up with the lease renewal processes.

US to meet Australia in 1st round of 2019 Fed Cup

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This year’s finalists Czech Republic and the United States will begin their campaigns for the 2019 Fed Cup on home soil against Romania and Australia respectively.

The top two seeds for Tuesday’s draw were guaranteed the right to host their first round ties on Feb. 9-10 by virtue of reaching this year’s final, reports Xinhua news agency.

The Czechs will face Romania for a third time, having won both of their previous encounters in 1980 and 2016, while the US will take on Australia for the 15th time, but only the second time since 1985.

The two other World Group ties will see a repeat of last year’s first round contests, with Belgium looking to avenge their 3-2 defeat to France, this time on home soil, and Belarus looking to win against Germany in an away competition.

The Czechs will be going for their sixth crown in eight years when they host the U.S. in the final to be held in November.

38 killed in suicide bombings in Syria

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As many as 38 people were killed and 37 wounded in a series of bombings and attacks in Syria’s Sweida province on Wednesday, authorities said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said suicide bombers from the Islamic State (IS) detonated bomb vests and explosive devices in Sweida city in tandem with an attack by this terror-designated group on towns in the eastern countryside of Sweida on Wednesday, Xinhua reported.

Three suicide bombers set off their bomb vests near the grocery market and the roundabouts of Mashnaqa and Najmeh in Sweida city, the Observatory said, adding that explosive devices were detonated in the same areas.

In the northeastern countryside of Sweida, where the Syrian warplanes are taking part in striking the IS fighters, the IS militants launched attacks on several towns amid confrontation between the Syrian army and the IS militants.

Meanwhile, a medical source inside the city said that over 30 people were killed in the attacks, adding that the wounded are being taken to the national hospital in the city.

Another explosion took place in the Maslakh area in the city.

Government must listen to people speaking truth says Chidambaram

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Former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram on Wednesday said the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government must listen to people speaking truth to power, referring to observations made by economists Arvind Panagariya, Raghuram Rajan, and Arvind Subramanian.

“Government must listen to people speaking truth to power. Three eminent economists have done that today,” said Chidambaram on Twitter.

“Firstly, Dr. Arvind Panagariya has written eloquently about the folly of the government’s trade policy and its rush towards ‘import substitution’,” he said.

“Secondly, Dr. Raghuram Rajan has spoken passionately about the ‘need to tolerate dissent’ in order to become a knowledge society. Thirdly, Dr Arvind Subramanian has spoken from experience why the CEA must always provide honest and disinterested advice. He must be pained that he was not consulted on demonetization!” Chidambaram added.

Chidambaram was referring to Arvind Panagariya’s article in ‘The Times of India’ which said import substitution would take the economy down from turnpike to dirt road.

The former Finance Minister was also referring to Rajan’s remarks made at an event organized by “The Hindu BusinessLine” where he said: “… In an atmosphere, that tolerates dissent, you can exchange ideas and have new ideas created… This strength will carry us going forward when we build top universities because scholars will be able to debate without fear of voicing their views.”

Poll body may act against Imran, Shehbaz for post-vote comments

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The Election Commission on Wednesday took notice of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman Imran Khan and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shahbaz Sharif delivering speeches after casting their votes in the 11th general elections, which it termed as “violation of the code of conduct”.

The poll panel spokesperson Nadeem Qasim told Express News that actions may be taken against politicians who delivered speeches and those who voted on-camera with their every move being monitored.

Qasim said that the vote might not be endangered, but the voter may face consequences as per the Election Commission’s law. The electoral body also directed media channels to not air live media talks of candidates as long as polling was underway.

The poll body also took notice of PML-N leader and former Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif’s press talk after casting his vote in Sialkot.

A day earlier, Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority issued show-cause notices to several news channels for inviting candidates on their live election transmissions.

The representatives of the channels were directed to file written replies as well as appear for personal hearings on July 31.

ASI lynched in MP village

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An Assistant Sub-Inspector who had gone to arrest a wanted criminal was brutally done to death by a group of criminals and their supporters in Chhindwara district of Madhya Pradesh, police said on Wednesday.

Eight persons have been taken into custody in the case.

Umreth police station ASI Dev Chand Nagle had gone to Jamunia Jethu village to arrest Johar Singh, against whom an arrest warrant had been issued, when the group of 8-10 persons armed with axes and batons attacked him on Tuesday night, Additional Superintendent of Police Neeraj Soni told IANS.

The ASI was accompanied by another police official, apart from a revenue official. However, the police personnel was unarmed.

India willing to address trade deficit with Uganda: Modi

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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that his country is willing to address the current trade imbalance with Uganda.

“If I compare India-Uganda trade ties, I can see that we are in a win-win situation,” Modi said while addressing the Uganda-India Business Forum here.

“But we are falling short and to correct that we need to strategize,” he said.

Stating that Ugandan President is right in saying that there is trade imbalance between India and Uganda, the Prime Minister said: “India is willing to take steps to address the trade deficit between India and Uganda.”

He exhorted the business community to fully exploit the favourable conditions for doing business between India and Uganda.

“India is ready to work with Uganda in the fields of capacity building, human resource development, skill development, innovation and also in adding value to the abundant natural resources available in this country,” Modi stated.

He also stressed on innovation saying that without this the world cannot go ahead.

“Uganda can go ahead if the youth of Uganda and India work together,” he said, adding that the East African country can play an important role in the overall development of Africa.

On his part, Museveni, while exhorting the business community from both countries to tap the opportunities available for enhancing trade and investment, said: “You are in the right place in the right time.”

Modi arrived here on Tuesday from Rwanda on the second leg of his five-day, three-nation tour of Africa that will also take him to South Africa.

This is the first Prime Ministerial visit from India to Uganda in over 20 years.

For Modi, this is his second visit to this East African nation after his visit in 2007 as Gujarat Chief Minister.

Hardik Patel gets 2 years in jail for rioting in 2015

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A Gujarat court on Wednesday sentenced Patidar agitation spearhead Hardik Patel and two of his associates to two years in jail on charges of vandalizing a BJP legislator’s office in Mehsana district in 2015.

This was after a rally demanding reservations for Patidar youth in government jobs and educational institutions turned violent in Visnagar town.

A mob of around 3,000 to 5,000 people vandalized BJP MLA Rushikesh Patel’s office.

In all, 17 people, including Hardik Patel, were charged with arson, rioting, and criminal conspiracy.

Patel was arrested and released on bail, and subsequently barred by the court from entering Mehsana district.

Karnataka has removed Mahadayi conduit blockages: Goa Minister

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Two of the three blockades, built on water diversion conduits by the Karnataka government along the Mhadei river, have been removed and water is already being diverted from the Mhadei river to the Malaprabha river basin in the Southern State, Water Resources Minister Vinod Palienkar said on Wednesday.

“The rear end of the conduit was checked and it was observed that water was flowing through two of the three conduits… The issue is being taken very seriously and an application will be presented before the Tribunal immediately,” Palienkar told the state assembly while replying to a Calling Attention Motion moved by Congress MLA Aleixo Reginaldo and Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Rajesh Patnekar.

The contempt petition will be filed on Friday, Palienkar said.

“We are taking up the issue. We know the seriousness and any government will try to defend its own position… We have to protect our state’s interest,” Parrikar said, adding that it was irrelevant whether the Congress or the BJP was in power in Karnataka.

Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra are currently battling a dispute over the controversial Kalsa-Bhandura dam project across the Mhadei river at a central Tribunal.

Mhadei or the Mandovi river is known as a lifeline in the northern parts of the State. It originates in Karnataka and meets the Arabian Sea in Panaji in Goa, while briefly flowing through the territory of Maharashtra.

Seventy-eight per cent of the basin of the Mhadei river lies in Goa, while 42.79 per cent of the basin is located in Karnataka, and a small portion is located in Maharashtra.

Karnataka also plans to build seven dams at various points along the river, including at Kalsa village, to divert the flow to the “water-starved” Malaprabha basin in North Karnataka.

Six killed as Pakistan votes to elect new government

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Six persons, including a political worker, were killed and several injured on Wednesday in sporadic incidents of violence as millions of voters queued up outside polling stations across Pakistan to elect a new government.

While polling stations officially opened for voting at 8 a.m., enthusiastic citizens queued up outside their respective stations as early as 7 a.m, Dawn News website said. Polling stations will remain open for voting till 6 p.m. and counting is being done simultaneously.

Results are expected to trickle in immediately after the polling ends with the final outcome likely by Thursday morning or afternoon, according to election officials.

The website reported that five people were killed and 12 injured in a blast that took place in Quetta. Polling was underway at a school nearby, when a police van was targeted in the attack, it said.

A Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) worker was killed and two others injured as party activists clashed with Awami National Party (ANP) workers outside a polling station in Nawan Kali in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s Swabi.

The workers of the two parties clashed in Mardan as well. Several people have been injured in the firing incident. Following the clash, police took control of the affected area, the Dawn reported.

Two people were also injured in a firing incident in Dera Murad Jamali in Balochistan.

In a separate incident, four people were injured in a blast outside a political camp in Larkana, in Sindh province, the home of the Bhutto family, reported Express Tribune.

Independent candidate Jibran Nasir said that Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan supporters attacked a facilitation camp he had set up in Chandio Village in Karachi.

As many as 12,570 candidates are contesting for a total of 849 seats of national and provincial assemblies in the general election. Nearly 106 million people are eligible to vote.

The battle is set to come down to three parties: Shahbaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Imran Khan’s PTI.

In an effort to increase voter participation the Election Commission of Pakistan has declared a public holiday on Wednesday.

Prominent people who cast their votes include former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Mustafa Kamal and chief of the Pak Sarzameen Party.

Over four lakh security personnel has been deployed at polling stations across the country to maintain law and order and take action against harassment, after the nation witnessed one of the bloodiest campaignings on July 13.

According to a poll official, 5,878 polling stations have been declared “highly sensitive” — official euphemism to mean they are prone to violence — in Sindh; 5,487 in Punjab and Islamabad; 3,874 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA and 1,768 in Balochistan.

According to the reports, women voters were being denied the right to vote in a PK-65 constituency of Nowshehra in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province.

Geo TV said a suspicious person was detained when he tried to enter Karachi’s Lyari Bihar Colony polling station in NA-246, claiming to be a police officer.

“The suspicious person has been taken to Chakewara Police Station,” a police officer said, adding that the polling process was halted for about 20 minutes.

The elections are being held as emotions run over a graft case that led to the imprisonment of ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam.

Sharif’s PML-N has condemned the legal cases facing its members and reported pressures to leave the party along with harassment to prevent it from returning to power after its absolute majority in 2013.

These elections are the second in Pakistan’s history in which a government was able to complete its term to make way for another government after being ruled by military dictators for half of the 71 years of its existence since its founding in 1947.

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