Archives for December 2016

Bengaluru: Income tax (IT) department has sent notice to 1, 300 depositors those who have deposited more than Rs 1 crore without PAN details in cooperative banks in the state after demonetisation which came into force on November 08. In a bid to find unaccounted money and property, IT officials are also eyeing on the unaccounted transactions made by the cooperative banks in Karnataka.

Speaking at a press conference here in the state capital, IT Vigilance unit director Ravichandra said, after demonetisation, IT department in the state has flooded with the complaints on unaccounted transaction, money and property against individuals and organisations. IT department has served notice to 1,300 depositors for depositing Rs 2, 400 crore cash in the bank accounts without PAN details after their money deposited found unaccounted in the preliminary inquiry.

As many as 20 depositors who have alleged with unaccounted money out of 1, 300 depositors in the state have come forward to disclose their unaccounted money and pay fine and penalties for their act.

IT department has found Rs 7, 000 crore unaccounted transaction during the period between January 2016 – November 08, 2016 at various cooperative banks in Karnataka. As many as 285 cooperative banks functioning in the state and out of which more than 80% of the banks haven’t yet provided information on their transaction, IT vigilance director said. Around 59,573 cooperative bank customers haven’t yet provided information on their income and Rs 7,636 crore worth unaccounted transaction was carried out through cooperative banks this year.

(Agencies)

(Photo: PTI/File)

Chennai: Expressing doubts over the circumstances leading to death of former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, a Madras High Court judge indicated that he may order exhumation of the body after a plea before the court sought a probe by an inquiry commission or a fact-finding committee.

Justice S Vaidyanathan, who was heading a two-judge vacation bench, said the public should know what has happened.

His observations came when the bench, also comprising Justice V Parthiban, was hearing the PIL filed by an AIADMK worker P A Joseph seeking an inquiry commission or a fact- finding committee to probe the circumstances leading to the death of Jayalalithaa.

“After the demise, everybody has a right to question. I personally have a doubt.
“One day it was told that she is walking, another day you said that she will come out and suddenly what happened. Even with regard to the health of late Chief Minister MGR, video was released,” Justice Vaidyanathan said.

When a special mention was made before the bench by senior counsel KM Vijayan who argued on the plea, Advocate General Muthukumaraswamy said there is no mystery in the death.

Justice Vaidyanathan asked the AG, “What is that you say. Right to live is a Fundamental Right. Public should know what has happened.”

“Even relations were not allowed to see and they are also not before the court now. I personally find in case if I have doubt I may order exhumation of the body of deceased and you have not told anything when she was alive,” the judge said.

Turning to counsel J Madanagopala Rao, who appeared on behalf of Union Government, the Judge said: “You went there. You have not reported anything. You know everything. But not reported anything for the reasons best known to you. You kept quiet.”

The bench said, “We also saw in newspapers that the chief minister was recovering, and that she was eating, signing papers and even conducting meetings. And then suddenly she was dead.”

The bench then recorded the acceptance of notice by counsel for Union Government on behalf of the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministries of Home, Law and Parliamentary Affairs and CBI and posted the matter for further hearing to January 9.
The PIL had sought a commission comprising retired Supreme Court judges to look into “questionable incidents”, including Jayalalithaa’s sudden hospitalisation, reported recovery and the cardiac arrest resulting in her death on December 5.

The PIL listed the sequence of events since Jayalalithaa’s admission to Apollo Hospitals here on September 22 and claimed that the “secrecy” preceding her death gave rise to “grave doubts” in the minds of the people.

(PTI)

Jaipur/Srinagar: Congress today demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi apologise to the nation for the “suffering” caused to the people by note-ban when he speaks on New Year’s eve and vowed to hold country-wide protests from January 6.

Attacking Modi, who is set to address the nation after end of the 50-day period he had sought from the people to ease their problems due to cash crunch, Congress’ chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said that the Prime Minister is good at making announcements that are far from reality.
“Even after 50 days of demonetisation step, normalcy has not been restored.
“PM Modi’s demonetisation move has turned out to be ‘Deshbandi’ (lockdowbn of country). Development has come to a standstill. It is a scam and an uncalled move. It has resulted into economic instability in the country. Several people have died due to cash crunch across the country. It is a surgical strike on the country’s poor and has caused them immense suffering,” Surjewala said at a press conference in Jaipur.

He claimed that note ban has led to 115 deaths in last 50 days, RBI has changed its rules 126 times and it will take eight months to print the equivalent currency notes.
“Starting from January 6, we will continuously hold protests across the country against demonetisation. We demand compensation for aggrieved family members, income and sales tax rebate to traders and common man,” he said.

Congress leader Meem Afzal said the Prime Minister “has so far not had a word of sympathy for the victims, forget about an apology”.

“But we expect him to apologise when he speaks on the issue at the end of the 50 days he had sought,” he told reporters in Srinagar.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised to create two crore new jobs every year but only 1.5 lakh jobs have been created in two and half years. After announcing demonetisation last month, at least 10 crore people have been rendered jobless,” he claimed.

Afzal claimed as many as 11 crore man-hours were spent every day in queues outside banks and ATMs as people struggled to withdraw their own money.

“Money was taken from people’s pockets and put in the banks. 130 crore people of the country were made to queue up for their money. The time people should have spent earning their livelihood was spent in the queues,” he said.

He said the Congress party demands an apology from the Prime Minister to the nation for these deaths and also compensation to the next of kin of the victims.

Afzal said the Congress party also demands that 18 per cent interest be paid to the people on the money they have deposited in the banks.

Alleging that some BJP leaders have been caught with stashes of new currency notes, Surjewala demanded a high-level inquiry.

“Ordinary people are standing in bank lines to withdraw money, but a parallel black market flourishes in converting black money into white by charging commission up to 30 per cent commission,” he alleged.

Surjewala also said that PM’s credibility is under cloud as his named has allegedly surfaced in Birla and Sahara dairies for receiving kickbacks when he was the Gujarat Chief Minister. BJP has rejected these charges, terming them as false, baseless and malafide.

(PTI)

Chennai: V K Sasikala, the close aide of late J Jayalalithaa, was today appointed as the AIADMK General Secretary, with the top decision-making body of the party passing a unanimous resolution to this effect.

A resolution to this effect was adopted unanimously in the general council meet held here today. The post fell vacant following the demise of party general secretary and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa.

Party treasurer and Chief Minister O Panneerselvam said, “In tune with party rules, honourable Chinnamma is appointed AIADMK General Secretary and a resolution to this effect has been adopted unanimously by the general council.”

Speaking to reporters flanked by senior leaders Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker M Thambidurai and State Minister Edappadi Palanisamy, he said they were going to meet “Chinamma” to “apprise her of the party decision and to seek her concurrence,” for the party decision.

Significantly, the resolution that was adopted says “This general council adopts this resolution appointing Chinnamma VK Sasikala as the party general secretary till such time she is (formally) elected to that post in tune with party rule 20, clause 2.”

Hailing Sasikala’s contribution to the growth of the party, the resolution also says it “unanimously gives her all the powers bestowed on the position of general secretary (by the party rules) to administer the party.”

The resolution was moved by party presidium chairman E Madusudanan and Chief Minister O Panneersevlam and Edapadi Palanisamy.

The resolution makes it clear that Sasikala will be formally elected as party General Secretary at a later date in keeping with the stipulations of the party constitution.

Till such time she is elected, the party has appointed her to the post giving her all powers of that post.

In the general council meeting held in December last year, late J Jayalalithaa had participated wherein she was authorised to take poll related decisions for the 2016 Assembly polls.

In June this year, the executive committee meeting was the last party meet that Jayalalithaa had attended.

(Agencies)

New Delhi: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said that demonetisation has failed to reduce corruption or prevent black money laundering, and instead made poor people’s life “miserable”.

“Demonetisation has not targeted black money or corruption; it has, in fact, increased it and given rise to a new market for the illegal exchange of old notes,” Gandhi said at a press conference on Tuesday, flanked by leaders of other Opposition parties like Trinamool Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal.

Gandhi called demonetisation a failed experiment, saying it has increased unemployment in the country.

“Gareeb logon se paisa khicho, aur ameeron ko sicho (Grab money from the poor and fortify the rich),” Gandhi said of the government’s move to demonetise higher currency notes.

He added that the exercise was an attack on the country’s rural poor, who have to make do without currency notes. “There is no cash with farmers, small traders and labourers,” he added.

The joint press conference by opposition parties came after a tea-party meeting convened by Congress to ramp up the attack on the NDA government, and alleged “personal corruption” by Prime Minister Modi.

Citing noted economists’ opinions on the demonetisation drive, Gandhi said this was a huge move and the government’s promises of the situation normalising within 50 days was very ambitious. “It will take six-seven months to normalise. So, the question remains, ‘who will take responsibility for the hardships caused?'” he asked.

Terming demonetisation, “a failed experiment”, Gandhi hit out at Modi for the alleged corruption charges against the prime minister in the Sahara diaries issue. He said that when the diaries surfaced, Congress ministers associated with it had resigned. “Even LK Advani resigned. But will Modiji resign?” he asked.

Gandhi also wondered why would Modi, known for his oratory skills, is shying away from answering questions on his honesty and integrity. Referring to Sheila Dikshit’s name cropping up in the same documents, Gandhi said the former Delhi chief minister is ready for a probe, but the prime minister is running away. “You launch a corruption probe against anybody, we will support you 100 percent. But when even the details of payments made out are mentioned in some documents, how can you ignore it?” Gandhi asked.

Gandhi also mocked Modi’s 50-day promise, stating that when things didn’t improve in 47 days, what miracle is the prime minister expecting in the last three?

“Modi had said that by 30 December, everything will be fine. That date is is just around the corner but there is no respite to the people. Now who will take responsibility for the irrational assault on the poor,” Gandhi asked.

Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee seconded Gandhi’s views, and called demonetisation the biggest scam since independence. She said that the Indian economy has settled down like never before, and each man on the road, from farmers to labourers is suffering because of the prime minister’s “whims”.

She also questioned Modi about the completion of the 50-day window. “Modiji, you had said that after 50 days things will be alright. Everybody suffered to give you the time, but who will now answer about the future of this scheme? Will you recall the restriction after 50 days?” Banerjee asked.

Cornering the BJP further, Banerjee sought the prime minister’s resignation if he fails to keep his promise to improve things about the 50-day window. “Will Modi take the responsibility for this and resign if things don’t improve after 50 days? In the name of ‘acche din’, you looted the entire country,” she said.

Blaming the government for bringing on an economic slump, she said, “The country has regressed by 20 years. The rabi crop has suffered, landless labourers are going hungry, development projects are all stalled.”

She added that the present government has ruthlessly destroyed the federal structure. “Even if there is an ordinance in the country, it must be passed through the House, otherwise it lapses. Demonetisation is such a huge issue, and yet no statement came from the government. They did not take Parliament in confidence,” Banerjee said.

“Did you even say a one line on the table of the House?” Mamata asked, adding that this was “not only unethical, but also illegal and unconstitutional.”

The RJD also extended its support to the movement against demonetisation. An RJD representative at the press conference termed it as “Jan Virodhy” and “Gareeb Virodhy” (anti-people and anti-poor), he said.

Meanwhile, Ravi Shakar Prasad issued a prompt rebuttal on behalf of the government, saying it was customary of Rahul Gandhi to level baseless allegations. The Union minister, instead of answering Gandhi’s questions on the Sahara diaries, invoked past scams in the UPA regime. Prasad implored Gandhi to tell him what he had to say on the 2G and coal scams.

(Agencies)

Bengaluru: Days after his government unveiled plans to introduce 100 per cent local quota for blue-collar jobs, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today said it is high time to think about reservation in private sector and it should be achieved through debate and dialogue.

“It is high time to think about reservation in private sector. It should be achieved through debate and dialogue,” he said at the Ninth National Conference of the Indian Association of Lawyers here.

The Siddaramaiah government has kicked up a row inviting criticism from various sections of society over its plans to give 100 per cent reservation for Kannadigas in all private sector industries, barring IT and biotechnology firms, which avail concessions under the state industrial policy.

Several industry captains have pointed out that introducing reservations could create hurdles in growth due to dearth in skilled labour and hurt chances of attracting investments in the state.

The draft amendments to the Karnataka Industrial Employment (Standing orders) Rules, 1961, providing for 100 per cent “horizontal reservation” for Kannadigas has recently been thrown open to the public for objections or suggestions.

Siddaramaiah also said the need of the hour was to provide education, secure employment, housing and health facilities for the oppressed and underprivileged classes, without any further loss of time.

“Our government has realised the same and taken various positive steps in this direction,” he added.

Siddaramaiah said his government took the decision to conduct door-to-door social and educational survey of people of the state in January 2014.

“The same is executed by the State Commission for Backward Classes. The data is awaited from the Commission. This exercise is the first of its kind since 1931,” he said.

He said the idea behind the survey was to collect the current demographic data and various aspects relating to living conditions of people and accordingly configure developmental policies and programmes to achieve an egalitarian society through socio-economic justice.

“On several occasions judicial pronouncements by our respected judiciary also pointed out the need for collection of updated empirical data by conducting survey of the entire populace to decide whether the reservations in favour of OBC groups are proportionate or not,” he said.

(Agencies)