Nasheman News : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday told overseas Indians that his government is making efforts to ease the processes concerning their social security, passport, visa and PIO and OCI cards and that work is on to issue chip-based e-passports.

Inaugurating this year’s Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD), the Indian diaspora conclave, he said that the government’s endeavour was that overseas Indians should stay “happy and safe wherever they are”.

“The government is trying to ease the entire processes concerning your social security, passport, visa, Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) and Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) Cards. We have taken a new step a few months back concerning overseas Indians. Our embassies and consulates are being connected to the Passport Seva Project worldwide,” he said.

This, he said, will prepare a centralized system connected to the passport service for all of them. “Going one step ahead, work is on for issuing of the chip-based e-passport.”

The Prime Minister said that along with passport, the rules related to visa were being simplified. 

“With the convenience of e-visa, you are also saving time and problems are also getting reduced. 

“Many of you will also be familiar with the fact that our government has made the process of converting PIO (Person of Indian Origin) cards into OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) cards.”

Modi also urged Indians or people of Indian living abroad to contribute to the building of a new India and said that the changes that were coming in India were becoming new opportunities. 

“In this changing India, you can play a big role in research and development and innovation. 

“The government is also trying to bring Indian start-ups and NRI mentors together on one platform. Defence manufacturing can also be an important sector for you.”

Modi urged Indians living abroad to motivate at least five families around them to come to India. “Your efforts will play an important role in enhancing tourism in the country.”

He said that in the last four years, India had taken a major step towards achieving its natural position in the world. 

“People used to say that India cannot change,” he said. “We have changed this thinking. We have made changes.”

Stating that today India led the world in many fields, he said the International Solar Alliance was one such example. 

“It is also part of our goal of preparing solutions to India’s problems, that can also solve the problems of other countries. We are working with the application of local solution, global application.”

Modi added: “In the last four-and-a-half years, more than two lakh Indians stranded in crisis situations abroad have been helped by the government and its efforts.” 

Ahead of this year’s general elections, Modi also launched an attack on the Congress over the issue of corruption citing a quote by former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

“He said that only 15 percent of the money that the central government sends from Delhi reach the people.”

Modi said no attempt was made by the Congress to stop this loot. “The country’s middle class continued to pay taxes honestly, and 85 per cent of this loot continued.”

But his government was using technology to eliminate this loot. 

Modi’s Mauritius counterpart Pravind Jugnauth, the chief guest at the event, commended India’s efforts in reaching out to the diaspora.

Earlier, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj welcomed the gathering.

Organised by the External Affairs Ministry and the Uttar Pradesh government, the Indian diaspora conclave this year has over 5,000 delegates registered.

This year’s theme of the convention is “Role of Indian diaspora in building a new India”.

Modi called this year’s PBD the “most successful” event saying the people of Varanasi, his Lok Sabha constituency, have taken ownership of the three-day jamboree. 

Nasheman News : Farm loan waivers and other schemes declared by states will raise their aggregate fiscal deficit next year but will not pose a major risk to their total debt burden, India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) said in a report.

“The agency expects the aggregate fiscal deficit of states to come in higher at 3.2 per cent in FY20 than the agency’s forecast of 2.8 per cent in the FY19 mid-year outlook.

“Although this is higher than the fiscally prudent level of 3 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP), Ind-Ra believes this will not pose a significant upside risk to states’ aggregate debt burden in FY20,” the report said.

Further, Ind-Ra has maintained a stable outlook on the finances of the states for 2019-20.

States’ revenue account on aggregate is likely to clock a deficit of 0.5 per cent of GDP in 2019-20 due to a higher growth in revenue expenditures than revenue receipts, it said. 

“The competitive populism, in the nature of farm loan waivers and other financial support schemes, would take centre stage in the run-up to next general elections in May 2019. 

“A larger impact is expected on fiscal and revenue deficit to gross state domestic product ratios for Madhya Pradesh, Kerala and Rajasthan, among non-special category states, in FY20,” it added.

As per the report, states’ total revenue expenditure is likely to grow 18.9 per cent year-on-year (yoy) to Rs 33,280.90 in FY20 from 11.2 per cent in current fiscal. 

Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Assam and Rajasthan have announced farm loan wavers in December 2018 to address farmers’ distress. Odisha and Jharkhand too have announced schemes similar to Rythu Bandhu scheme in Telangana for small and marginal farmers.

The casualty of farm loan waivers would be the capital expenditure as capex is a soft target for deficit control during periods of fiscal adjustment, the rating agency said.

“Ind-Ra expects states’ aggregate capex/GDP to come in marginally lower at 3 per cent in FY20 from the budget estimate of 3.07 per cent for FY19,” it said.

The agency believes capex to GDP ratio could come in below 3 per cent for Tamil Nadu, Haryana, West Bengal and Kerala in 2019-20.

Ind-Ra expects the aggregate debt/GDP to rise to 25.1 per cent in FY20 from the budgeted 24.3 per cent for FY19. 

“The agency does not view the increase to be detrimental to states’ debt sustainability position, although states would channelise some part of borrowings towards meeting revenue expenditure,” the report observed. 

In Ind-Ra’s opinion, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala are most susceptible to clock an increase in the debt burden in FY20.

Ind-Ra estimates the gross market borrowings of states to be Rs 5.7 trillion in FY20 and in the range of Rs 5.01 trillion-5.13 trillion in FY19, which is higher than the states’ budgeted gross market borrowings of Rs 4.4 trillion for FY19.

Nasheman News :  Uttar Pradesh’s Shia Central Waqf Board chairman Wasim Rizvi on Tuesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to shut down all primary madrasas across the country to save a majority of the Muslim population from getting affiliated to the Islamic State (IS) terror outfit.

In his letter on January 21, he said if the madrasas were not closed, then in the next 15 years more than half of the Muslim population in India would be influenced by the IS ideology. 

Rizvi said it has been witnessed globally that to promote any mission, children are the softest targets. 

“IS is a dangerous terrorist group which is spreading rapidly its wing in the Muslim dominated areas,” he added. 

He alleged that in the name of spreading Islamic ideology, the children are infused with extremist beliefs and thoughts. 

In June 2018, Rizvi had said that every secular Muslim wanted the Ayodhya dispute should end and a grand Ram temple could be constructed at the disputed site.

Nasheman News : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said work is on to issue chip-based e-passports to Indian citizens under a centralized passport system.

“Our embassies and consulates are being connected to the Passport Seva Project worldwide,” he said addressing the inaugural ceremony of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) 2019 here.

“This will prepare a centralized system connected to the passport service for all of you,” he added. “Going one step ahead, work is on for issuing of the chip-based e-passport.”

He also said that work was on to simplify the process of issuing visas to PIO (Person of Indian Origin) and OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) cards.

The government’s endeavour was to see to it that Indians were happy and safe wherever they live abroad, he said. 

“In the last four-and-a-half years, more than two lakh Indians stranded in crisis situations abroad have been helped by the government and its efforts,” he said.

Modi’s Mauritius counterpart Pravind Jugnauth, the chief guest at the event, commended India’s efforts in reaching out to the diaspora.

Earlier, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj welcomed the gathering.

Organised by the External Affairs Ministry and the Uttar Pradesh government, the Indian diaspora conclave this year has over 5,000 delegates registered.

Nasheman News : At least eight persons were killed and several others injured when a mini truck in which they were travelling plunged into a gorge in Odisha’s Kandhamal district on Tuesday, police said.

The incident occurred when the truck was on the way to Brahmanigaon from Gadapur. The injured have been shifted to the MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur, said the police.

Around 40 persons were travelling in the truck.

The driver of the vehicle lost control over the wheels and the truck fell off the Poiguda ghat.

Expressing grief, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of those killed and free treatment for those injured.

Nasheman News : The BJP on Tuesday called claims made by a US-based self-claimed cyber expert that the 2014 Lok Sabha elections were rigged and the EVMs can be hacked as a “conspiracy” sponsored by the Congress.

Speaking to the media here, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad questioned Congress leader Kapil Sibal’s presence at the London event on Monday where the expert, Syed Shuja, made the sensational claim.

“What was Sibal doing there? We would like to know in what capacity was he present at the event. I believe he was there on behalf of the Congress party.

“The entire event was a Congress sponsored conspiracy. They have started making excuses for their definite defeat in the coming Lok Sabha polls,” he added.

Calling it a false and deliberate agenda, Prasad said it was an insult to the Indian voters from abroad.

“In 2014, the UPA was in power, not us. Where is the logic in accusing us of hacking the EVMs when we were not even in power?” he asked.

Asked about a probe into the matter, Prasad said that the BJP would prefer “exposing” the Congress.

In an embarrassment to the Congress party, which exposed the rift in the party in Karnataka, the Bidadi police on Monday registered an attempt to murder case against MLA JN Ganesh, for assaulting his party colleague MLA Anand Singh. In the early hours of Sunday, Kampi MLA JN Ganesh had allegedly hit Vijayanagara MLA Anand Singh with a liquor bottle during an argument over Ganesh trying to defect to the BJP. As a result, Anand Singh was admitted to a private hospital in the city on Sunday afternoon.

The  MLA JN Ganesh has been ordered to suspend the Congress MLAs from the resort in the wake of Operation Lotus turmoil. 

In the wake of the Shivakumar Swamiji Lingayat, the party leaders sent their legislators to the fields in anxiety.

Party general secretary VY Ghorpade, the legislator Ganesh, has issued a suspension order. Anand Singh was seriously charged with the incident, as JN Nikhil was ordered by KPCC president Dinesh Gundurao. Ganesh has been suspended from immediate effect. The court also directed the DC to conduct a trial in the case. A Special Investigation Team comprising George and Krishna Byre Gowda has been ordered to submit a quick report, he said.

Anand Sing was admitted to the hospital on Sunday, The case has been registered under IPC Section 323, 324, 307, 504, 506 by the backward MLA.

Pakistan on Monday said it has shared a draft agreement on the Kartarpur Corridor with India and invited New Delhi to “urgently” send a delegation to Islamabad to “negotiate and finalise” the proposal.

The proposed agreement aims at facilitating travel of Indian Sikh pilgrims to Darbar Sahib Kartarpur Gurudwara in Narowal, nearly 4 km away from Gurdaspur border on the Indian side.

“The draft agreement between the two governments has been shared with New Delhi through the Indian High Commission in Islamabad,” Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Faisal said in a statement.

The move is in line with Pakistan’s policy of promoting inter-faith harmony and religious tolerance and Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s vision of a peaceful neighbourhood, he added.

Pakistan has appointed Director-General (South Asia and SAARC) as the focal person on its side and requested India to designate its focal person soon.

Pakistan also invited India to “urgently send a delegation to Islamabad to negotiate and finalise the agreement”, Faisal said.

He also tweeted, “Continuing with PM Imran Khan’s initiative, Pakistan, today, shared the proposed draft agreement on Kartarpur Corridor with India.

Indian delegation invited to visit Islamabad for expedited conclusion of the agreement.

Keeping promises – Work in progress on Kartarpur Corridor on Pakistan side.

” Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on November 26 last year laid the foundation stone of the Kartarpur corridor in Gurdaspur district.

Two days later on November 28, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan laid the foundation stone of the corridor at Narowal, 125 km from Lahore.

The decision to build the corridor – from Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district to the international border – was taken by the Union Cabinet on November 22.

The much-awaited corridor will connect Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur – the final resting place of Sikh faith’s founder Guru Nanak Dev – with Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district and facilitate visa-free movement of Indian Sikh pilgrims, who will have to just obtain a permit to visit Kartarpur.

The corridor was a long-pending demand of the Sikh community.

Pakistan has committed to open the corridor in November on the occasion of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev.

Nasheman News : At least 10 people were killed in a fire that broke out onboard two ships, both carrying Indian crew, near the Kerch Strait that separates Crimea and Russia, according to emergency officials.

Preliminary information said the fire broke out on Monday night due to the failure of a fuel pump being used to transfer fuel between the two vessels — Candy and Maestro — in violation of security regulations governing such maneuvers, reports Efe news.

According to Russia’s TASS news agency, Candy had a crew of 17 — eight Indian nationals, nine Turkish citizens. While the Maestro carried a crew of seven Indians, seven Turkish and an intern from Libya.

A spokesman from Russia’s Federal Agency for Maritime and River Transport told TASS on Tuesday that 12 people have been rescued so far and there were no chances to find any more survivors.

“As of 6 a.m., the status of the operation has been reclassified to search from rescue because there is no hope to find survivors.

“The fire on ships continues blazing. It will not be extinguished until all the gas burns out,” the spokesman said. 

The rescued sailors have not yet been brought to the shore because of the bad weather conditions, he added.

The victims have not been identified yet.

Both vessels were flying Tanzanian flags. One of them was a liquefied natural gas carrier and another one was a tanker, reports RT News. 

Maritime traffic was not affected by the incident and navigation through the Kerch Strait is still open, the director of the Crimean Sea Ports said.