Archives for November 2021

KOLKATA: Amid joy among pupils and teachers and trepidation among a section of parents, schools in West Bengal reopened on Tuesday for students of classes 9-12 after shutting doors for physical classes for nearly 20 months owing to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.

Students queued up at school gates across West Bengal since morning as per the schedule announced by the state government for holding classes in different timings for secondary and higher secondary sections.

This segregation was undertaken to minimise mingling to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Teachers and staffers welcomed the boys and girls with hand sanitiser and thermal guns to check their temperature and advised them to wear masks at all times throughout the school hours.

Basu has said that no student would be forced to attend physical classes and it is up to them and their parents to take a call on this.

Some parents, though happy over the reopening of schools for physical classes, expressed apprehension whether their wards will adhere to the guidelines for COVID safety since the students will be seeing each other and sitting in classrooms together after a very long time.

Educational institutions were closed for physical classes in March, 2020 after the central government announced a countrywide COVID-induced lockdown.

Though the lockdown was later lifted, schools and colleges continued to remain closed in the state owing to the pandemic situation.

Colleges and universities also opened their gates to students on Tuesday, although authorities of some of these institutions have said that different days will be scheduled for various faculties to reduce crowding and mingling on campuses.

“I am thrilled to be back in school after such a long time, interacting online can never be as good as talking to friends and teachers face to face,” said Sohini Mukherjee, student of a private school in south Kolkata.

As a government school teacher in north Kolkata put it, “It feels so good that the children will be back among us in the school; in institutions like ours, online can never be an equal alternative to face-to-face interaction between students and teachers.”

Students have been asked not to share their tiffin and to adhere to social distancing norms.

BENGALURU: All districts in Karnataka, except Bengaluru Urban, have reported zero Covid-19 deaths for second consecutive day on Sunday with the state capital reporting three deaths on Saturday and two on Sunday — the latter being the lowest number of deaths in daily figures.  Although the daily deaths have remained in single digits consecutively since November 1, Karnataka’s mortality rate has remained constant at 1.27 per cent since October 4. The Health Department is aiming to bring it down to below 1 per cent, although that has remained evasive.

Twenty-nine of the 30 districts of the state reporting zero deaths, and deaths remaining in single digits, are an indicator to the Covid-19 pandemic being on the decline despite the feared surges that had been expected due to the festive season,  Health Department officials claimed. The low figures, and the improving situation is also despite the State Government lifting all curbs that had been earlier imposed to contain the spread of Covid-19 infection among the population.

Bengaluru also saw its recovery rate climbing marginally to 98.17 per cent on Sunday after it had slightly dipped, although the city had touched a record high recovery rate of 98.19 per cent on November 6 and retained that level till the next day after which it started dipping marginally. Statewide, the recovery rate has remained at 98.45 per cent since November 5, and has remained the highest on record through both the pandemic waves.  The active cases (the patients currently infected) in the state, too, went below the 8,000-mark on Sunday and stood at 7,997. However, the lowest number of active cases in the second wave has been 7,955 on November 9, after which it rose to above the 8,000-mark until Sunday. 

Parmesh Jain

Former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had a major role in Independence movement and nation building after the country attained Independence,Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said here on Sunday.

Paying rich tributes to former PM on the occasion of his 132nd birth anniversary Bommai said,Nehru is a great leader who laid a strong foundation for the country’s development through the Five Year Plans after India attained independence. 

Recalling Nehru’s contribution to raise India’s stature,Bommai said,Nehru played a significant role in raising India’s stature at international level.

His affection for children is well known as he was lovingly called the ChaCha Nehru for this aspect. Many institutions in his name have been working for the development of the country.Bommai called upon the people to dedicate themselves in the nation building endeavor by paying tributes to Nehru.

CMs’ meet of southern states in Tirupati :

Replying to a question about meeting of the Chief Ministers of Southern States to be chaired by union Home Minister Amit Shah in Tirupati later in the evening,Bommai said, that the meeting would deliberate on evolving consensus for development with cordial spirit among the states.

When asked whether issues of inter-state river water disputes would figure in the meeting the Bommai said,”it is unlikely as many of these issues are before the courts. Irrigation works in Palar river basin, railway projects and infrastructure development issue are on the agenda.

Parmesh Jain

“We will crackdown on those involved in the Bitcoin issue,”CM Basavaraj Bommai assured here on Sunday.

Speaking to media persons after paying tributes
to former PM Jawaharlal Nehru on his birth anniversary Bommai said that there is no question of sparing anyone who is involved.

Our government is open on this issue.We are the one who exposed this case.It is our government which recommended the ED and CBI to probe the case.ED is conducting the probe and CBI has taken it to Interpol as well.All the necessary information has been provided for these agencies.

We will be merciless, no one will be spared:

If those involved are found to have perpetrated any fraud on the interests of the country, state or any individuals,we will act mercilessly against them,Bommai asserted.

We need not learn lessons from those who allowed the accused to go scot-free:

Reacting to the questions raised by AICC incharge of Karnataka,Randeep Singh Surjewala, Bommai in a strong retaliation said,we have replied to his 6 questions.If the case had a Karnataka connect since 2016 why their own government did not probe the case then.

Why the then Congress CM and ministers did not pay attention to it they released the accused Srikrishna who was arrested.

They could have acted seriously even when the accused sought anticipatory bail.Why are you raising all the questions with us after deliberately allowing the case to attain mega proportion. We need not learn lessons from those who allowed the accused to go scotfree”Bommai said.

It would be better for them to provide the documents,if any,to ED for effective investigation. Bommai added.

Intellectual Bankruptcy :

Surjewala’s efforts to project the issue as a major scam reflects his intellectual bankruptcy. It is not appropriate for a national spokesperson of a national party to indulge in such act just based on a Twitter handle.He should speak with circumstantial evidence,Bommai said.

Replying to questions on confusions about seized Bitcoins,Bommai said,accused Srikrishna had claimed an account of a Bitcoin exchange as his own personal account.

Congress demand SIT Probe :

The Congress on Saturday alleged a multi-crore Bitcoin scam and its cover-up by the BJP government in Karnataka and demanded that an independent investigation be conducted into the matter by a Supreme Court-monitored SIT.

Former party chief Rahul Gandhi alleged that the scam is big but the cover-up is much bigger.

Taking to Twitter, he said,Bitcoin Scam is big.But Bitcoin Scam Cover-up is much bigger.Because it has to cover up someone’s fake big ego he said in his tweet.

Addressing a press conference,Congress general secretary and chief spokesperson,Randeep Surjewala posed a set of six questions to the Prime Minister and asked what was the role of Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who was the state’s Home Minister when the scam took place.

He asked why international investigative agencies,including the Interpol,were not informed about the stolen Bitcoins.

“India’s biggest ever ”Bitcoin Scam” has been unearthed in Karnataka. Instead of conducting a fair investigation, the BJP government of Karnataka appears to be preoccupied with ”Operation Bitcoin Scam Coverup” he alleged.

This is not a money laundering crime alone,this is an international crime.Considering how shoddily and compromised the investigation has been done,I don’t think that the ED (Enforcement Directorate) or Karnataka Police can do a fair job.

That is why we demand that an SIT (special investigation team) should be set up and monitored by the Supreme Court which should investigate this case and bring out the truth,” the Congress leader said.

Mr.Surjewala also questioned the silence of Prime Minister,Narendra Modi in the case and claimed that the Prime Minister was told by the FBI about it during his recent visit to the US.

“It is a multi-country investigation and the truth must come out. The government is either colluding or is working shoddily in the investigation.

There are doubts being raised on the reputation of Basavaraj Bommai and his political career and reputation are at stake and that is why he should write to the government for constituting an SIT monitored by the SC to probe this,he said.

Mr Surjewala,along with party spokesperson, Gourav Vallabh,alleged that an alleged hacker, Sri Krishna,was arrested along with his associate Robin Khandelwal by the Karnataka Police on November 14th last year and was kept in police custody for over 100 days by repeatedly arresting him in at least five criminal cases registered one after the other.He was released on bail on April 17th this year.

He alleged that Sri Krishna made a voluntary statement before the Metropolitan Magistrate, Bengaluru, sometime in December 2020, wherein he has allegedly given the names of various foreign companies/portals which were hacked by him, and millions of dollars earned illegally.

The Congress leaders also alleged that Sri Krishna was involved in alleged hacking of Bitcoin/Cryptocurrency exchanges and websites that includes from Bitfinex,registered in noted tax haven,the British Virgin Islands and reports suggest that it was hacked on August 2, 2016 and 1,20,000 bitcoins were stolen. However, in his voluntary statement,he admits to having taken 2000 Bitcoins.

Despite multiple international crimes of significant magnitude, Interpol was not informed for over five months.

Only on April 24, 2021, more than five months after the initial arrest, did the Commissioner of Police,Bengaluru wrote to Interpol Liaison Officer (CBI) asking to inform Interpol and other agencies.

Even ED/CBI/SFIO were not informed by the Karnataka’s BJP government,Mr Surjewala said, adding that Bommai was the state’s Home Minister between August 20,2019,to July 28, 2021.

“Should the then Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai be punished for not taking action in the case,” he asked, alleging that the fraud happened under his watch and when the accused was kept in custody.

“Who are the actors in the Bitcoin Coverup Scam”? Were the stolen bitcoins transferred from the wallet of alleged hacker Sri Krishna? How many bitcoins and of what value? How does the Bengaluru police then suggest (in its third Panchnama dated 22nd January 2021) that the 31 and 186 Bitcoins allegedly transferred to police wallet were lost or were found to be fake transactions,” he asked.

NEW DELHI:  Congress-ruled Punjab has seen the biggest reduction in price of petrol in the country after it cut local sales tax or VAT the most while Union Territory of Ladakh witnessed the largest reduction in diesel rates for the same reason.

Post the Union government’s decision of reducing excise duty on petrol by Rs 5 per litre and that on diesel by Rs 10 a litre, 25 states and UTs have cut VAT to give further reprieve to consumers battered by record-high retail prices.

Petrol price has been further reduced by as much as Rs 16.02 per litre and diesel by Rs 19.61 a litre as a result of combined impact of the excise duty and VAT cut, according to price charts available from state-owned fuel retailers.

Poll-bound Punjab has seen the most cut in petrol price of Rs 16.02 a litre, followed by UT of Ladakh with Rs 13.43 a litre and Karnataka (Rs 13.35). The VAT reduction in Punjab is Rs 11.27 per litre on petrol while in Uttar Pradesh, which will go to polls early next year to elect a new government in the state, the reduction is Rs 6.96.

Gujarat has seen Rs 6.82 a litre reduction in VAT while Odisha has cut sales tax by Rs 4.55 and by Rs 3.21 in Bihar. Diesel has seen the most reduction in Ladakh where rates have come down by Rs 9.52 per litre because of a cut in VAT on top of Rs 10 a litre fall in excise duty.

Karnataka has cut VAT by Rs 9.30, followed by Rs 9.02 reduction in Puducherry. Punjab has cut Value-Added Tax (VAT) on diesel by Rs 6.77 a litre while Uttar Pradesh has cut the tax by the second lowest level of Rs 2.04.

Uttarakhand has cut VAT on diesel by Rs 2.04 a litre and Haryana by Rs 2.04. Bihar has reduced VAT by Rs 3.91 and Odisha by Rs 5.69. Madhya Pradesh cut tax on diesel by Rs 6.96 a litre.

The states/UTs that extended additional VAT benefits are Ladakh, Karnataka, Puducherry, Jammu & Kashmir, Sikkim, Mizoram, Himachal Pradesh, Daman & Diu, Dadra & Nagr Haveli, Chandigarh, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Tripura, Gujarat, Nagaland, Punjab, Goa, Meghalaya, Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Andaman & Nicobar, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.

States that have so far not lowered VAT include Congress and its allies ruled Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Tamil Nadu. AAP-ruled Delhi, TMC-governed West Bengal, Left-ruled Kerala, TRS-led Telangana and YSR Congress-ruled Andhra Pradesh have also not cut VAT.

Since states charge local sales tax or VAT not just on the base price but also on the excise duty levied by the Centre, the total incidence of price reduction was higher than Rs 5 a litre cut in excise duty on petrol and Rs 10 per litre cut in diesel.

The reduction was larger in states with higher VAT. In Delhi, the reduction in petrol price was Rs 6.07 per litre, and that on diesel was Rs 11.75, according to the price chart. Petrol costs Rs 103.97 a litre and diesel is priced at Rs 86.67 per litre.

There have been no changes in retail selling price since the excise duty cut was implemented from November 4. After duty changes, the costliest petrol is sold in Rajasthan at Rs 111.10 per litre (Jaipur), followed by Mumbai (Rs 109.98) and Andhra Pradesh (Rs 109.05).

The fuel is below Rs 100-a-litre-mark in most BJP-ruled states barring Karnataka (Rs 100.58), Bihar (Rs 105.90), Madhya Pradesh (Rs 107.23) and Ladakh (Rs 102.99). Diesel is costliest in Rajasthan at Rs 95.71 a litre, followed by Andhra Pradesh (Rs 95.18) and Telangana (Rs 94.62).