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Mallya fugitive case: Court fixes Sept 3 as next date

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A special court here today fixed September 3 as the next date of hearing in the Vijay Mallya fugitive economic offender declaration case as some other parties have sought to implead themselves in the matter pertaining to the alleged default of over Rs 9,000 crore bank loans, officials said.

Officials said at least five parties, including a family member of Mallya, has sought court documents with regard to the ED seeking to get declared the businessman a fugitive economic offender under the new law and hence the court posted the matter for the next week.

The next date for the hearing in the case is September 3, as ordered by the court of special PMLA judge M S Azmi, they said.

A counsel for Mallya also appeared in the court today, as per the scheduled date of hearing, and sought some documents, they said.

The same court, on June 30, had issued notice to Mallya to appear before it on August 27 after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) charged the liquor baron under the new law as it enlarged its money laundering probe against him and others in a RS 9,000 alleged bank fraud case.

The central probe agency has also sought immediate confiscation of assets worth about Rs 12,500 crore of Mallya as part of this latest action. The court had earlier issued non-bailable warrants against the businessman in two cases filed by the ED.

Mallya, his now defunct venture Kingfisher Airlines Limited and others availed loans from various banks and the outstanding amount, including interest, against him is Rs 9,990.07 crore at present, the officials had said while filing the plea under the new law.

The businessman is currently contesting his extradition case in London filed by the Indian government on behalf of the CBI and ED.

Mallya, in the past, has said that he has become the “poster boy of bank default and a lightning rod for public anger.

I have been accused by politicians and the media alike of having stolen and run away with Rs 9,000 crores that was loaned to Kingfisher Airlines (KFA). Some of the lending banks have also labelled me a wilful defaulter, he said.

The ED has furnished evidences in its two charge sheets, filed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in the past, to make a case for seeking a fugitive offender tag for Mallya from the court.

He is currently contesting the money laundering charges in London after India initiated extradition proceedings to bring him back to the country.

Both the ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) have filed cases for alleged loan default against him.

Modi government brought the new law as there have been instances of economic offenders fleeing the jurisdiction of Indian courts, anticipating the commencement, or during the pendency, of criminal proceedings .

The law has provisions for special courts under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 to declare a person as a fugitive economic offender and order immediate confiscation of assets.

A fugitive economic offender is a person against whom an arrest warrant has been issued in respect of a scheduled offence and who has left India so as to avoid criminal prosecution, or being abroad, refuses to return to India to face criminal prosecution, the government had said.

The cases of frauds, cheque dishonour or loan default of over Rs 100 crore would come under the ambit of the ordinance.

(PTI)

Sahitya Akademi receives FICCI publishing award for Hindi

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The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) gave out its “Book of the Year” publishing award to Sahitya Akademi, India’s National Academy of Letters, for its title “Nagaphani Van Ka Itihas”.

The award was given out in the Hindi category on Saturday.

The book details the history of Indian farmers from the year India got independence.

It has originally been written by Tamil writer-poet Vairmuthu Ramasamy, who has been awarded the Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri and Sahitya Akademi Award. It was translated in Hindi by H. Balasubramaniam.

Manmohan Singh urges PM Modi not to change ‘nature, character’ of Nehru library

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Former prime minister Manmohan Singh has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to “change the nature and character” of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML) in Delhi, asking his government to respect “history and heritage”.

Jawaharlal Nehru belongs “not just to the Congress” but to the “entire nation,” Singh said in a letter to Modi two weeks ago. Singh wrote the letter after reports that the government planned a museum for all prime ministers in the Teen Murti complex, where NMML is located.

Singh said during the six-year tenure of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who passed away on August 16, “there was absolutely no attempt made to change the nature and character of the NMML and the Teen Murti complex in any way. But sadly, that seems to be part of the agenda of the Government of India now.”

Singh said that “no amount of revisionism” can “obliterate” Nehru’s role and his contributions. “As Atal Bihari Vajpayeeji himself said in his moving speech to Parliament when Panditji passed away: ‘Such a resident may never grace Teen Murti again. That vibrant personality, that attitude of taking even the opposition along, that refined gentlemanliness, that greatness we may not again see in the near future. In spite of a difference of opinion we have nothing but respect for his great ideals, his integrity, his love for the country and his indomitable courage’.”

“Let us respect this sentiment and keep Teen Murti as a memorial to our first Prime Minister Pandit Nehru and leave the Teen Murti complex undisturbed as it is. This way we will be respecting both history and heritage,” said Singh.

“Jawaharlal Nehru belongs not just to the Congress but to the entire nation. It is in this spirit that I have written to you.”

Kerala CM plans Rs 3,000 crore World Bank loan for rebuilding

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Kerala is looking to raise a World Bank loan to rebuild public infrastructure that has been ravaged by the worst floods in over a century, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said in an interview. Vijayan did not disclose the amount of money the state plans to raise from the multilateral development bank, but a state government official who is privy to the discussions said that the government is preparing a concept note to raise Rs 3,000 crore.

“We will discuss with all international agencies including World Bank. With World Bank, we are planning to begin talks. We will start the discussions without much delay. We are still at the phase of recovering from the disaster, that’s why the discussions haven’t started yet. But we will start the talks really soon,” Vijayan said.

The Kerala floods have left a trail of destruction. As many as 384 people were killed, a million others were displaced, 50,000 houses turned uninhabitable or were washed away, 80,000km of roads and 39 bridges were lost over the past two weeks because of the floods. The rebuilding exercise is officially estimated to cost the public exchequer about Rs 20,000 crore.

The talks of an international loan comes at a time when the state is reportedly at odds with the centre for not approving a Rs 700 crore aid from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Kerala.

The Indian government has refused all offers from foreign countries, citing that it will meet the challenge through domestic resources, Mint reported on 22 August. This, along with the Bharatiya Janata Party-led centre’s decision to release Rs 600 crore against Kerala’s demand of Rs 2,000 crore as immediate assistance, has cornered the local party unit.

The centre is unlikely to object to the state raising a loan, said the official cited above, requesting anonymity. “We are in touch with the centre, they seem to agree in-principle,” he said.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a meeting with Kerala governor P. Sathasivam in New Delhi, clarified that the Rs 600 crore released by the centre is only an advance assistance, according to a statement by the governor.

Modi “assured that additional funds will be released from the National Disaster Response Fund as per laid down procedure,” the governor’s statement said.

Taking an international loan at times of crisis is not without precedence in India. Tamil Nadu availed a $100 million loan from World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) combined, after it was hit by a tsunami in 2005, that caused loss of lives and severe damage to public and private property.

The development also needs to be seen in the background of several international agencies offering to help Kerala. On 22 August, Shashi Tharoor, writer and parliamentarian from Thiruvananthapuram, informally met officials of UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), World Health Organisation (WHO), and International Red Cross, in Geneva, and explored ways to get funding for Kerala’s rebuilding.

Local politicians of Communist Party of India (Marxist), however, have long opposed neoliberal economics and free market policies, and its professed supporters including institutions such as the World Bank.

Earlier, Vijayan’s appointment of Harvard professor Gita Gopinath, who previously worked with World Economic Forum and International Monitory Fund, institutions not known for their support to socialist programmes, had triggered a controversy within the party, although it died soon when the party’s Kerala head, Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, solidly backed Vijayan.

Indian paddlers blank Macau 3-0 in group stage clash

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The Indian men’s table tennis team blanked Macau 3-0 in their Pool D encounter at the 18th Asian Games here on Monday.

Manav Thakkar defeated Ian Tin Mak 11-5, 11-4, 11-4 to steer India to a 3-0 victory.

Earlier, the seasoned Anthony Amalraj gave India a 1-0 lead courtesy his 11-7, 11-3, 11-4 facile triumph over Chun Wang.

Harmeet Desai next got the better of Zikang Xiao 11-4, 11-8, 8-11, 11-3 to extend India’s lead to 2-0.

The Indians will take on Vietnam in their final group D match later on Monday.

Parrikar’s silence on Rafale deal is betraying nation: Congress

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The Congress on Monday accused Goa Chief Minister and former Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar of being silent on the controversial Rafale deal, saying he was aware of the violation of several norms linked to the purchase of the French military aircraft.

All India Congress Committee spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi while speaking to the media at the party headquarters here questioned that how did Parrikar, despite being the then Defence Minister “did not know that a deal had been negotiated, signed and agreed upon?”

“A Defence Minister who knew about bypassing of the cabinet committee on security (CCS) norms, transfer of technology and not following of defence procurement procedure, continues to maintain his silence and chooses not to answer,” Chaturvedi said.

“So his silence is a conspiracy in an agreement that has betrayed this nation.”

Chaturvedi also slammed Parrikar for his alleged flip-flop on the Rafale deal, accusing him of going into hiding over the alleged scam.

“Here is a Defence Minister, who just days before the deal was signed, had gone on record to say that some terms of the agreement were non-negotiable. But you were aware that those were the very clauses that were negotiated in France,” she added.

“And the nation saw how Parrikar continued to hide, instead of giving answers on the deal. It is a known fact that he himself was not prepared for it and was caught off guard.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government had signed the Rafale deal in September 2016 while Parrikar served as the Defence Minister, to purchase fighter jets from France.

(IANS)

India have a chance to emulate what Bradman’s Australia did: Illingworth

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On Donald Bradman’s 110th birth anniversary, former England captain Ray Illingworth said India have a chance to match the exploits of the Australian cricket great and his team, adding that the ongoing India-England Test series is still on the balance.

After winning the first two Tests, England were given a reality check by Virat Kohli and Co. at Trent Bridge where they scripted a massive 203-run victory.

With two more matches to go, there are talks of whether this team can ape Bradman’s Australia in overturning a 0-2 deficit against England in the Ashes and winning the five-match series 3-2 way back in 1936-37.

“Well, India have shown they have come here to fight. They did very well to make a comeback in the series by winning the Test match at Trent Bridge convincingly,” Illingworth told Anandabazar Patrika here.

“I would say, the series is 50-50 and after the Trent Bridge win, India has a chance to do what no other team could manage to do in many many years after Don Bradman’s team in 1936-37.

“But I would still say, both teams have equal chances. England have to pick up and improve on their performance at the Trent Bridge. India, on the other hand, would be much more confident now after their convincing victory,” added Illingworth who was the England captain in 1971 when India won their historic first Test in England.

Despite India’s persistent problem in slip catching and not having a settled slip cordon, Illingworth was all praise about the fielding of this team.

“I am also very impressed with the fielding quality of this Indian team. Their slip catching has been outstanding in the Trent Bridge Test. Barring a couple of tough chances they almost grabbed everything that came their way. This is the best Indian fielding side I have ever seen,” he said.

The 86-year-old further opined that the current Indian bowling attack is faster than that of England.

“Their attack was completely dependable on spinners. Now they have not one, not two, but four genuine quick bowlers, who all are faster than the England bowlers. This is a remarkable change for Indian cricket,” he said.

The fourth Test begins on August 30 at the Rose Bowl in Southampton.

(Ians)

Sindhu creates Asiad history, enters women’s singles final; Saina settles for bronze

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Star Indian shuttler P.V. Sindhu created history as she stormed into the women’s single badminton final at the 2018 Asian Games here on Monday but her compatriot Saina Nehwal had to settle for a bronze.

After defeating World No.2 Akane Yagamuchi of Japan 21-17, 15-21, 21-10 in the semis, the 23-year-old became the first Indian shuttler to reach the final of badminton singles competition at the Asiad.

Sindhu will now face Taiwan’s Tai Tzu Ying on Tuesday. Tai had entered the final after defeating India’s Saina Nehwal in straight games in the other semi-final on Monday.

Nehwal had to settle for bronze after suffering a 21-17, 21-14 defeat in the semis. The 28-year-old’s bronze is the first individual badminton medal at the Asiad for India in 36 years.

The clash between Sindhu and Yagamuchi was a hard-fought, edge-of-the-seat affair. The scoreline read 6-6 in the first game before Sindhu started to attack Yagamuchi’s forehand to take a 11-8 lead at the break.

The Indian further extended her lead to 17-12 but three consecutive points by Yamaguchi bought the Japanese back into the contest. Sindhu however, maintained her dominance and sealed the first game in 22 minutes.

The second game also saw a tight start as the score were levelled at 3-3 before Sindhu took a 7-4 lead. The Japanese then showed some brilliant skills to level it at 10-10 and took a narrow 11-10 lead at the break.

Yagamuchi continued to push the Indian on to the backfoot as she extended her lead to 16-12 before making it 18-14.

Later, Sindhu managed to clinch just a single point as her opponent raced away to seal the second game and get back on leve terms.

The third and final game saw Sindhu taking a 7-3 lead and further stretching it to 11-7 at the break. Continous errors by the Japanese helped the Indian take a six point lead as the score read 17-10 in Sindhu’s favour.

Yagamuchi then failed to put up a fight in the closing stages as the Rio Olympic silver medalist wrapped up the affair 21-10 to enter the final.

Earlier on Monday, Saina faced a tough battle against the World No.1 from Taiwan.

In a close fought match, Saina trailed 0-3 in the first game before making a comeback to draw at 10-10. However, her opponent took five consecutive points to take a 15-10 lead.

Putting up a good fight yet again, Saina reduced the deficit to 15-16 but the Taiwan shuttler denied the Indian any further onslaught as she wrapped up the 19-minute affair 21-17.

In the second game, Tai once again raced to a 4-1 lead and some unforced errors from Saina helped her to increase her lead to 6-2.

Saina again fought back to level the scores at 6-6 and went into the break trailing 10-11. The issue went 15-14 in Tai’s favour before the Taiwanese once again dominated the final few moments to seal the game 21-14 in her favour.

(IANS)

Odisha CM announces Rs 1.5 crore for Dutee Chand

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Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday announced a cash award of Rs 1.5 crore for sprinter Dutee Chand for winning the silver medal in the 100 meter event at 18th Asian Games in Indonesia.

Dutee from Odisha had on Sunday sealed the second spot in the women’s 100 meter event at the Asian Games by finishing the race in 11.32 seconds. She missed the gold medal by a mere 0.02 second.

The Chief Minister congratulated Dutee, a hundred-meter sprint national record holder.

“It is a matter of pride that an athlete from Odisha has brought laurels to the country in this event after 20 years. In 1998 Asian Games, Odia Athlete Rachita Panda Mistri had won bronze medal,” said a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office(CMO).

“In recognition of her grit, determination and hard work, the Chief Minister has announced a cash award of Rs 1.5 crore to Dutee Chand,” the statement said.

The state has a special focus on Athletics, considering the performance of its athletes in recent times and the huge potential among the talented youth, the statement said.

To encourage Athletics, the state had organised the 22nd Asian Athletics Championships in 2017 in partnership with International Association of Athletics Federation and Athletics Federation of India.

Odisha is all set to launch the much awaited high-performance Regional Athletics Academy at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar soon. It is a first of its kind at the state level.

Modi government has pushed economy in dire straits: Congress

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The Congress on Sunday said that the Narendra Modi government had upturned a rising economy and left it in “dire straits” with its “ad hoc and myopic economic policies”.

“Dear Arun Jaitley, Congress governments (2004-2104) delivered the highest decadal growth of 8.13 per cent at factor-cost since Independence. Under Modi government, GDP growth in 2017-18 is just 6.7 per cent, which is a four-year low. In July 2018, IMF itself lowered our growth projections,” Congress Spokesman Randeep Singh Surjewala said in a series of tweets.

“Jaitley ji should know that Modi government had inherited an economy that was on the upswing. But due to BJP’s ad hoc and myopic economic policies — demonetisation, flawed implementation of GST and tax terrorism — that momentum was lost,” he added.

Surjewala’s tweets came in response to a post on social media by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley who said that it was only with NDA coming to power in 2014 that the economy had undergone a transformational change.

In his post, Jaitley said that a comparison of the data released in 2014 and 2018 proved that high inflation, fiscal deficit and current account deficit, besides a standstill in the infrastructure and power sectors, as well as in allocation of natural resources, were some of the failures of the previous UPA government.

“We have come a long way. The last four years have seen a series of reforms, both legislative and otherwise, which have been carried on by the government. The system has been substantially cleaned up and made more transparent,” Jaitley posted on Facebook.

However, Surjewala said that certain parameters showed a downward trend in economy and that “no amount of whitewashing” could change those facts.

“Gross Fixed Capital Formation as a percentage of GDP was 34.3 per cent in 2011-12. Even in 2013-14 it was 31.3 per cent. In the last three years, it has remained constant at 28.5 per cent and has impacted growth. No amount of white washing or blog writing can increase that,” Surjewala said.

He said that the manner in which the Modi government had sought to “supress the ‘back series’ of GDP” and attempted to “distort” them through “spins”, was now out in the open.

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