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Archives for November 2018

MoU between India, Tajkistan on youth affairs approved

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The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday gave its ex post facto approval to a MoU between India and Tajikistan on cooperation on youth affairs. The MoU shall be valid for five years.

“The areas of cooperation on youth matters include exchanges of youth representatives of youth organisations and government officials in-charge of youth policy-making, extension of invitations to international conferences and seminars and research and other information,” an official statement said.

The MoU was signed on October 8 by India’s Ambassador to Tajikistan Somnath Ghosh and Chairman of the Committee for Youth and Sports Affairs for Tajikistan, Abdullozoda Ahtam Rustam, to promote cooperation on youth matters.

IANS

SAD welcomes Centre’s move on Kartarpur corridor

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 The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Thursday welcomed the Centre’s decision to approve construction of a corridor up to the Punjab border to facilitate the journey of pilgrims to the historic gurdwara Katarpur Sahib in Pakistan.

SAD President Sukhbir Singh Badal thanked the NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the decision taken at a cabinet meeting on Thursday.

“We are grateful to the Modi government for this historic decision. The 70-year-old demand of the Sikh community to have a corridor to offer prayers at the gurdwara has been finally acceded to,” Badal, flanked by his wife and Union Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal, told the media in New Delhi.

The construction of the corridor will be undertaken by India from the border town of Dera Baba Nanak to the international border with Pakistan.

The government has decided to urge Pakistan to construct the remaining part of the corridor in its territory.

The gurdwara, which is significant for the Sikh community since the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak Dev, spent 18 years of his life in Kartarpur till he died in 1539.

The All India Sikh Students’ Federation also on Thursday welcomed the decision.

Federation President Karnail Singh Peer Mohammad said: “The recent decisions by the Pakistan government to open the corridor and the Indian government to build the corridor respectively is commendable and praiseworthy.

“These decisions will gradually and eventually lead towards long lasting peace. Both the governments should work on the corridor together and send the message of peace in the world, which would be in coherence with the teachings of Sri Guru Nanak dev ji.”

Guru Nank’s 550th birth anniversary will be celebrated next year.

The Punjab Assembly had passed a unanimous resolution on August 27 seeking uninterrupted opening of the corridor.

Jitendra Virwani is Bangalore’s 2nd richest real estate tycoon

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Bengaluru is the third most preferred city of residence for real estate tycoons in India as 21 names from the city have been featured in the GROHE Hurun India Real Estate Rich List 2018. In terms of net worth, three real estate developers from Bengaluru are among the top 10 in the country.

Bengaluru-based Jitendra Virwani of Embassy Group has been ranked number two in the list with a net worth of Rs 23,160 crore. The list is topped by Mangal Prabhat Lodha of Lodha Group.

Among other Bengalureans, Manoj Menda and Raj Menda of RMZ Group share the No 9 rank with the net worth of Rs 5,900 crore each.

Hurun Report and GROHE India on Wednesday released the second edition of the rich list featuring the richest real estate entrepreneurs in India. While Mumbai stood first with 35 names hailing from the financial capital, it was followed by Delhi with  35 names hailing from the financial capital, it was followed by Delhi with 22 names.

The total wealth of top 100 real estate barons featured in the list accounted for Rs 2,36,610 crore ($32.7 billion) in 2018 – up 27% against 2017 edition’s cumulative wealth of Rs 186,700 crore ($ 28.6 billion). The List was compiled on the basis of of the net worth of living Indians as on September 30, 2018, when the rate of exchange to the US Dollar stood at Rs 72.46.

Only four names aged below 40 years were featured in the list and nine women were featured on the list – with Renuka Talwar of DLF being the richest woman ranked at No 19.

Anas Rahman Junaid, MD, and Chief Researcher, Hurun Report India, said “Real Estate sector in India has always been among the key wealth creators in the country. The combined wealth of the top 100 names
listed by us in 2018 stands at $32.3 billion. It is also an industry that demands patience and persistence – with an average age of the participants on the list hovering around 59 years and accounting for 59% of the first generation entrepreneurs.”

Sabarimala pilgrim arrivals dip badly

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 A week after the Sabarimala temple opened for a two-month pilgrimage season, the number of pilgrims has touched a new low due to political protests as well as tightened security.

According to official figures, while five lakh pilgrims visited the temple during the opening week in the last season, this time the figure is just 1.42 lakh.

The sale of ‘appam’ (local variety of cake) and ‘aravana’ (jiggery payasem) to pilgrims has also dropped, forcing authorities to slow down production.

The main reason for this has been the tightening of the rules for pilgrimage by the police following protests by Hindu groups since September 28 when the Supreme Court allowed women of all ages to enter the temple that hitherto banned girls and women aged 10-50.

The apex court on November 13 refused to stay the September verdict.

The Left Democratic Front government led by the CPI-M has been trying to implement the apex court’s verdict even as the Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party and several Hindu groups are up in arms against it.

On Wednesday, 72 pilgrims who were arrested after they protested at the temple were released from the jail after they secured bail.

But the protests have helped the pilgrims in one way — they are able to pray before the deity in a leisurely manner.

During this time in the previous season, the flyover leading to the sanctum santorum of the temple was packed. This week it looks deserted most of the time.

“I am coming for the past 18 years. This time, I could go up the hallowed 18 steps by touching all the steps with both my hands which I could never do all these years because of the rush,” said one pilgrim, beaming with happiness.

“I have already had ‘darshan’ of the deity four times and am getting ready for a fifth time.”

Minister of Devasoms (temples) K. Surendran told the media on Thursday that the situation was smooth in Sabarimala and there had been relaxations of the rules.

“For the real pilgrims there are no issues and no problem. The restrictions are only for anti-social elements,” he said.

After the Kerala High Court’s intervention, the ban on going up to the temple from Pamba has been lifted.

Any dip in the number of pilgrims to Sabarimala affects the Travancore Devasom Board – custodian of the temple – as the revenue generated from Sabarimala is used to meet expenses of about 1,200 temples under its jurisdiction.

 

IANS

50% ATMs in India may shut by March, digitization to be hit: CATMi

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 Nearly 50 percent of Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) may be shut down by March 2019 due to unviability of operations, hitting hard both urban and rural population, and dealing a blow to the digitization policy, the Confederation of ATM Industry (CATMi) warned on Wednesday.

Currently, India has approximately 238,000 ATMs installed, of which around 113,000 ATMs, including 100,000 off-site and more than 15,000 white label ATMs, are expected to down shutters, said CATMi Director V. Balasubramanian.

“This would severely impact millions of beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana who withdraw subsidies in form of cash through ATMs, besides urban centres, resulting in snaky queues and chaos akin to post-demonetisation,” Balasubramanian told IANS.

He said the CATMi step is forced on account of recent regulatory guidelines for ATMs hardware and software upgrades, recent mandates on cash management standards and the Cassette Swap method of loading cash, entailing huge investments by the industry.

Balasubramanian said to implement the Cassette Swap alone would need an additional outlay of Rs 3,500 crore for CATMi.

In April this year, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) imposed stringent guidelines for ATMs service providers or their contractors followed by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs issuing similar directives vide gazette notification to be implemented by February 9.

These include a minimum net worth requirement of Rs 100 crore, minimum fleet size of 300 fully-equipped cash vans, two custodians and two armed guards plus a driver, GPS-CCTV, and later in June came the diktat for upgradation of the software from WindowXP to Window10.

“To implement all these security, software-hardware directive would entail an additional cost of minimum Rs 150,000 per ATM per month. This works out to astronomical figures for all the 238,000 ATMs in the country,” Balasubramanian pointed out.

“However, the RBI-MHA directives are to be implemented by the banks which must bear the costs, but they are not willing to discuss the issue, leaving us to fend for ourselves. Accordingly, from January onwards, we shall progressively start shutting down the ATMs,” he said.

Of the approximately 238,000 ATMs in the country, an average 10 percent are non-functional at any given point of time for various reasons.

However, to adequately cater to the entire country’s population, the need is almost three-four times more, or around a million ATMs, says CATMi.

Of these (238,000 ATMs), nearly 80 percent are located in urban or semi-urban areas and the rest in rural areas.

Major industry players say that barring the metros and urban centres, people in states like Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and others have to travel 40 km or more to access an ATM.

“Moreover, as per official data, barely 30 per cent of bank account holders in the country regularly use their ATM cards… the others prefer cash transactions. There are problems of infrastructure and connectivity which hamper growth of ATMs network,” Balasubramanian said.

India has among the lowest ATM penetration globally, averaging 8.9 ATMs per 100,000 population, compared to Brazil’s 119.6, Thailand’s 78, South Africa’s 60 and Malaysia’s 56.4.

China has a staggering one million ATMs, which will touch 1.5 million by 2020.

 

IANS

Name minister interfering with CBI probe: Tejashwi

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 Bihar opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav on Thursday demanded the name of the Union Minister who interfered in the CBI probe in the fodder scam case that landed his father and former Chief Minister Lalu Prasad in jail.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal leader alleged that the minister was keen on meeting the Central Bureau of Investigation chief and was also directing top officials in the matter.

Speaking to reporters here, the former Deputy Chief Minister asked the Centre and the CBI to reveal the name of the person who “used to ask to bring confidential files related to the case to his residence and was taking interest in chargesheets and arrests”.

IANS

Sensex, Nifty at day’s low; cede initial gains

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  The key equity indices traded at their respective day’s low during the afternoon session of trade on Thursday after ceding initial gains owing to profit booking. S&P BSE Sensex lost over 550 points in the last two days.

Although the indices traded in the red, the overall market breadth was positive with 1,245 advances and 1,159 declines.

Also, a decline in crude oil prices and a strengthening rupee capped further losses. The domestic currency rose to Rs 71.13 from its previous close of 71.45 while the benchmark Brent Crude traded $63.37 a barrel.

Heavy selling pressure was witnessed in the metal and power stocks which fell over 1 per cent whereas the index pivotals — finance and banking — were 0.27 per cent and 0.66 per cent lower from its previous close.

At 1.21 p.m., the S&P BSE Sensex traded 48.58 points lower at 35,251.03 from its previous close of 35,199.80.

The benchmark index touched a high of 35,364.50 and a low of 35,162.23 while NSE’s Nifty was trading 0.25 points lower at 10,573.85.

IANS

J&K Assembly dissolved amid claims for power

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 In a dramatic development, the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly was dissolved on Wednesday night after three mainstream parties came together to stake claim to form a government that was countered by Peoples Conference leader Sajad Lone with the BJP’s backing.

Governor Satya Pal Malik made a terse announcement, saying he was exercising powers conferred on him by the Jammu and Kashmir Constitution and dissolving the House which had two more years to go.

The dissolution came shortly after the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), National Conference and the Congress came together and staked claim to form a government in a bid to checkmate moves by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to form a government with the support of PDP rebels and Lone.

Questioning the timing of the dissolution, PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti said: “Since the past five months, regardless of political affiliations, we shared the view that the state Assembly be dissolved immediately to avert horse trading and defections.

“Oddly enough, our pleas fell on deaf ears. But who would have thought that the very idea of a grand coalition would give such jitters.”

Reacting to the dissolution of Assembly, senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said: “We were not interested in forming the new government, nor was the National Conference. We had not given any support to the Peoples Democratic Party. It was only an idea which was floated by some people and it was at initial stage of discussion.”

“There should be elections as soon as possible. We don’t want a prolonged President’s rule in the state. Of course, it may take two-three months. But there should be fresh elections now at the earliest,” Azad added.

Omar Abdullha in his tweet said: “National Conference has been pressing for Assembly dissolution for five months now. It can’t be a coincidence that within minutes of Mehbooba Mufti letter staking claim the order to dissolve the Assembly suddenly appears.”

Taking a dig at the Raj Bhawan for not receiving her letter of support via fax, Mehbooba tweeted: “In today’s age of technology, it is very strange that the fax machine at Governor’s residence didn’t receive our fax but swiftly issued one regarding the Assembly dissolution.”

Omar Abdullha quipped: “J&K Raj Bhawan needs a new fax machine urgently.”

Earlier in the evening, former Chief Minister and PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti wrote to the Governor, stating that the Congress and the National Conference had decided to extend support to her party to form a government in the troubled state.

This was countered by Lone, who also wrote to the Governor staking claim to form the government with BJP’s backing. He claimed support of 18 MLAs besides the 25-strong BJP, contending that it was more than the required number for majority.

Mufti, in her letter to the Governor, said that with a strength of 29 MLAs of its own, the PDP would have a collective strength of 56 MLAs including 15 of the National Conference and 12 of the Congress.

“Since I’m presently in Srinagar, it would not be possible to call on you immediately and this is to keep you informed that we would be seeking your convenience shortly to stake the claim for forming the government in the state,” Mehbooba wrote to the Governor who was said to be away in Chandigarh for a wedding.

Until the news of dissolution came, former state Finance and Education Minister Altaf Bukhari was reportedly tipped to be the next Chief Minister of the PDP-led collation.

In the 87-member House, the BJP has 25 MLAs, all from Jammu, and claims the support of Valley-based Peoples Conference which has two MLAs.

Mufti said the Raj Bhawan in the winter capital Jammu strangely did not receive her letter that was faxed. She said she was trying to contact the Governor over telephone.

Hectic developments marked the day with consultations between leaders of the parties in the Valley after reports emerged that the BJP was trying to form a government with the support of rebel MLAs from the PDP and the backing of Lone’s party.

The developments came five months after the BJP pulled out of the Mehbooba Mufti government leading to the fall of the PDP-BJP collation that lasted for over two years.

The political developments also assume significance in view of the fact that the tenure of Governor’s rule was set to end next month, which would have been followed by the President’s rule if no government was formed.

Bukhari called on National Conference Vice President and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to discuss the modalities of a possible government formation by the PDP and the Congress with NC’s support.

The reports of a possible government formation by the PDP and the Congress with NC’s external support got some credence with senior Congress leader and former Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad confirming to some reporters that talks were going on between the three parties to cobble up an alliance that would keep the BJP out of power in the state.

Dissidents of the PDP supported by the Peoples Conference had been speaking of government formation in the state with the support of the BJP ever since Governor’s rule was imposed.

Sajad Lone has been emerging as the leader of a possible third front that could in the future provide an alternative to the PDP and the NC.

Senior PDP leader and Lok Sabha member Muzaffar Hussain Baig ruffled many a feather on Tuesday when he expressed his willingness to join Sajad Lone if a third front was formed in the state.

Governor Satya Pal Malik had earlier this month said that even if the state was placed under President’s rule next month, the state Assembly would not be dissolved.

 

IANS

Schools Closed In 7 districts in Chennai due to Heavy Rain Alert

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Schools are closed in seven districts in Tamil Nadu today following a warning of heavy rain in the state. Chennai and its neighbouring districts saw heavy rain on Wednesday evening as well due to a  well-marked low pressure area over the southwest Bay of Bengal.

The Chennai collector declared a holiday for all schools as well as colleges today. Madras University has cancelled exams scheduled for today.

“Due to heavy rains in Chennai and its surrounding Madras University cancels exams scheduled on 22nd November. Rescheduled date for this exam will be announced soon,” said a statement from Madras University.

“Exams conducted by the University Departments on 22nd November 2018 are also cancelled,” the university said.

Fairly widespread rainfall with isolated heavy to very heavy showers are likely over Tamil Nadu and Puducherry during the next two days, the Met office said. Apart from Chennai, it rained heavily in Kancheepuram, Tiruvallur and Villupuram districts too.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E Palaniswami will brief Prime Minister Narendra Modi today about the devastation caused by Cyclone Gaja  and seek a comprehensive central assistance package to tide over the situation.

46 people were killed in Tamil Nadu after Cyclone Gaja hit the coast in Nagapattinam, leaving a  trail of destruction in over 10 districts.

Last year, heavy rain lashed Chennai in the first week of November, bringing the city to a near standstill.

PTI

Case registered against 8 MLCs allegedly misleading the EC

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 An FIR has been registered against eight members of the Legislative Council at the Vidhana Soudha police station for allegedly deliberately misleading the Election Commission of India (EC) to get voting rights during the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike’s mayoral polls. They have also been accused of furnishing fake bills to claim travel allowances even though they claim they are residents of Bengaluru.

In his private complaint before the Additional City Civil and Sessions Court, Ramanna R H J, state working president of the Republican Party of India, alleged that eight MLCs had “furnished false information to get their names included in the electoral roll of the EC to get voting power” during the corporation’s mayoral elections. The FIR was filed based on the private complaint.The eight MLCs are S Ravi, N S Bosaraju, M D Laxminarayan, R B Thimmapur, Allum Veerabhadrappa and Raghu Achar from Congress, and C R Manohar and Appajigowda from JD(S).

According to the complaint, it is alleged that the accused enrolled themselves in the electoral rolls of the city between July 4, 2016 to October 20, 2016. They have also been accused of cheating under Section 31 of The Representation of People’s Act, which prohibits elected representatives or other people from making false declarations.

The complainant also alleged that the accused cheated the state government of `20.89 lakh through fake travel bills. Of the eight MLCs accused in the case, the highest allowance claim of `7.38 lakh, was made by Congress’ N S Bosaraju. While he had furnished a Sadashivanagar address to BBMP, he claimed travel allowance saying that he travelled from Raichur.

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