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India has Rs 1,500 cr bank guarantee on offsets in Rafale deal

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 India has secured a bank guarantee for about Rs 1,500 crore from Dassault in the Rafale jet deal as a safeguard against any violations of the offset policy prepared in accordance with the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP), a leading financial daily said on Friday.

A special clause in the deal, which mandates that five per cent of the total offset value be kept as a buffer in case of non-performance, was invoked after officials insisted that the safeguard was needed to protect interests, it added.

According to The Economic Times, this was in line with similar provisions that are in place when it comes to direct government defence deals with the US.

The 185 million euro bank guarantee has been deposited and will remain valid for seven years, the report said citing people familiar with the deal.

This is in addition to the “letter of comfort” given by France that would underwrite the sale of 36 Rafale fighter jets.

The government had told the Supreme Court earlier this week that there was no sovereign guarantee from France in Rafale deal but there was a letter of comfort.

The report said that the Defence Ministry would reserve the right to cash the bank guarantee if it feels that the offset guidelines have been violated or that the French manufacturers have not executed them in the quantum promised.

It said that the special clause was put in place as per the 2013 DPP that mandates that the vendor shall be required to furnish a performance bond equal to five per cent of the offset obligation, which is required to be fulfilled during the period of the main procurement contract.

The report said that offsets have been a part of most major defence deals since 2006 but the ministry has faced major problems in implementing the offsets policy, mostly due to the large quantum to be discharged and a rigidity of rules that do not give flexibility to foreign vendors.

It said that the US companies Lockheed Martin and Textron have been slapped with penalties for failing to meet offsets.

These penalties were recovered from the five per cent bank guarantees that had been secured at the time of the contracts.

The deal to purchase 36 Rafale fighter jets was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to France in 2015.

The Indian Negotiating Team (INT) held 74 meetings in 12 months from May 2015 to April 2016, including 48 internal meetings and 26 meetings with the French side and the proposal was presented to the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) thrice for getting approvals on various aspects of negotiations.

The proposal to purchase the fighter jets under an inter-government agreement (IGA) was approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) in August 2016.

IANS

Andhra bars CBI officials from entering state without permission

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In an unprecedented move, THE Andhra Pradesh government has barred the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) from conducting raids or carrying out investigations in the state without its permission.

The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) government issued the orders withdrawing ‘general consent’ to CBI officers to exercise jurisdiction in the state to investigate corruption charges against officials of central government and private persons.

The move by THE Chandrababu Naidu government came amid the continuing crisis in THE CBI in the wake of allegations of corruption against its director Alok Verma by his deputy Rakesh Asthana.

The Principal Secretary (Home) in Andhra Pradesh, A.R. Anuradha, issued the orders dated November 8, exercising powers under Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) Act, 1946,

The state government on August 3 this year had issued orders giving its general consent to the CBI to exercise its powers and jurisdiction in the state. The same has now been revoked as per Section 6 of the DSPE Act.

It is under this Act that CBI exercises its jurisdiction in states. The state governments every year issue notifications to give ageneral consent’ to the investigating agency to probe corruption cases.

Official sources said the move was necessitated by the fact that CBI had lost its credibility and integrity in the wake of recent developments.

The latest move by the TDP government is seen as another flash-point between the state and the Centre after TDP pulled out of BJP-led NDA in March this year.

TDP President and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had been accusing the Modi government of misusing central agencies to target TDP leaders for demanding special category status to the state.

There have been a series of Income Tax searches at the offices and residences of TDP leaders in recent weeks. TDP leaders had also voiced the apprehension that the Centre could use CBI and other agencies to target top leadership of the party.

Following the recent developments in CBI, Naidu had targeted Modi government for what he called damaging the credibility of the premier investigation agency.

Naidu, who is trying to mobilise all opposition parties to form a front against the BJP, alleged that Modi was weakening the central institutions.

IANS

Congress does not want to credit people for choosing ‘chaiwala’ PM: Modi

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Exploiting to the hilt Congress leader Shashi Tharoor’s recent remarks that a “chaiwala” became PM because of Jawaharlal Nehru’s commitment to democracy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday attacked the Congress saying it was not ready to credit people for this but only a dynasty.

He challenged the Congress to appoint someone from outside the Nehru-Gandhi family as party President for five years. He would then accept that Nehru had built a democracy legacy.

“Do a little thing, if you respect democracy. If a chaiwala or Modi became the Prime Minister because of your faith in democracy, policies, role in constitution and due to Nehru, make any good Congress leader the President of your party for at least five years.

“I will accept that Nehruji had such a commitment to democracy that has led to a dedicated Congress leader becoming the President of the party,” Modi said at a public meeting in Chhattisgarh’s Ambikapur.

The Prime Minister’s attack came after Congress leader Shashi Tharoor’s remarks while re-launching his book “Nehru: The Invention of India” on November 13 that a chaiwala became the Prime Minister because of Nehru’s policies and institution-building that provided for a democratic framework.

Modi said it will be good for the country if a person outside from the Nehru family became President of the Congress.

“I know it will be good when the country gets out of dynasty politics. But, they are not ready to give credit for this to the 1.25 crore people of this country that a chaiwala became the Prime Minister. They do not want to give credit to BJP and Modi. This is the result of their undemocratic thinking. For this too, they want to give its credit to Nehru,” he added.

India revokes 25 NRI men’s passports over marital discord

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The Indian government has revoked the passports of 25 men living abroad for abandoning their spouses in India, a Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) official said on Friday.

Of these, eight were recommended by the Ministry while the rest involved cases where the state police sought the action.

“We keep receiving such complaints where Non-Resident Indians have been held accountable for abandoning their wives. The action taken depends on priority,” the official said.

Apart from revoking of passport, in some cases the police also has the authority to issue Look-Out-Circulars (LoC).

In criminal matters involving NRIs, the LoC can be issued by the investigating agency in cognisable offences when the husband from overseas is deliberately evading arrest.

It could also be that he is not appearing in the trial court despite non-bailable warrants and other coercive measures or that there is likelihood that he will leave the country to evade trial or arrest.

An inter-ministerial body dealing with matrimonial disputes headed by WCD Secretary Rakesh Srivastava with members from Home Ministry and the External affairs takes the decision of issuing the LoC after the case is scrutinised by the National Commission for Women (NCW).

 

IANS

Mother Cauvery statue comes under fire on social media

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Environmentalists in Mysore are seeing red over the proposal of the JDS-Congress coalition government’s proposal to build a 125 ft statue of ‘Cauvery Mata’ expected to cost Rs 1,200 crore at the Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS) reservoir in Mandya district.

While Mysoreans call it a project which is disturbing the heritage of the area, Twitterati have called it a shameful waste of money and cheap politics played in the name of the Cauvery.

“This entire project at the cost of heritage is unnecessary. KRS is not just a tourism site but it also has a heritage value, something like Disney land to overshadow this is unacceptable,” said Sudhir CS, an advocate from Mysore.

Supporting the advocate, wildlife warden Rajkumar D in Mysuru expressed concern over any kind of construction projects around dams that could damage the ecology and said that it needs to be checked if that kind of permission could be granted. Others like environmental engineer Dr K S Lokesh said the move was a good one if executed scientifically and with a sustainable plan in place. However, he said that he had his doubts if this would be the case.

Twitterati mostly expressed displeasure over this project with some of them terming it a political game.
Though Karnataka Minister D K Shivakumar, clarified that the statue of mother Cauvery will not be built from the government funds but through a private-public partnership model, social media was sceptical.

 

 

First woman takes oath for Ramnagar constituency

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Anitha Kumaraswamy, wife of Chief Minister Kumaraswamy took oath as a MLA at the chamber of Assembly Speaker, K R Ramesh Kumar, in Vidhana Soudha, Bengaluru on Thursday, November 15.

Ramesh Kumar administered the oath to Anitha Kumaraswamy. On this occassion, she thanked the people of the Ramanagara for trusting her and electing her to power.

Responding to a question on what will she do if JD(S) would make her a minister Anitha said that she is not a ministerial aspirant but if she is made a minister, she will give her best for the betterment of the people.

Anitha Kumaraswamy had recently won the bypolls from Ramanagara contistuency and she is Ramanagara’s first woman legislator.

PTI

T.M. Krishna to perform in Delhi on Saturday

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A concert featuring Carnatic musician T.M. Krishna, which was postponed by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) in controversial circumstances following vicious trolling on social media by rightwing elements, will now be held here on Saturday under the aegis of the Delhi government.

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia will inaugurate Krishna’s concert billed as “a musical evening dedicated to the voices of the common man” at the Garden of Five Senses in south Delhi. The original venue was Nehru Park in the diplomatic enclave of Chanakyapuri in the heart of Delhi.

Krishna will be accompanied by violinist R.K. Shriramkumar, Anirudh Athreya on kanjira and Praveen Sparsh on mridangam.

The announcement of the concert titled “Awam ki Awaz” came a day after a major storm brewed on Thursday following the postponement and the singer got the backing of the intelligentsia and voluntary organisations. Entry to Saturday’s event is free.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi then stepped in to organise a concert for the 42-year-old Magsaysay award winner on the same day (November 17), which Krishna has accepted.

Unfazed by online trolls which led to the postponement of his concert organised by AAI in association with cultural NGO SPIC MACAY, Krishna alleged that “troll armies have links with people in power” and described the postponement as an attack on freedom of expression.

Krishna has carved a niche for himself by taking Carnatic music, long held as a preserve of the elite, to slums and masses. He has been a critic of the Modi regime, has been a regular target of rightwing trolls on social media and several of his concerts in recent times have seen last moment changes by the organisers.

Interestingly, newspapers on Friday still carried advertisement on Krishna’s concert, which has been called of by AAI which was organising it jointly with cultural NGO SPIC MACAY.

IANS

India, US, Japan, Australia discuss cooperation in Indo-Pacific

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 Officials of the quad, revived last year comprising India, the US, Japan, and Australia that seeks to work for peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region, met in Singapore on Thursday on the sidelines of this year’s East Asia Summit.

According to a statement issued by the External Affairs Ministry, the four sides held consultations on regional and global issues of common interest.

“The discussions focused on cooperation in areas such as connectivity, sustainable development, counter-terrorism, non-proliferation and maritime and cyber security, with a view to promoting peace, stability and prosperity in an increasingly inter-connected Indo-Pacific region that the four countries share with each other and with other partners,” the statement said.

Reflecting India’s view, the participants reaffirmed the centrality of the role of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) regional bloc as the cornerstone of a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific.

In his keynote address at the Shangri-La Dialogue, a Track I annual inter-governmental security forum organised by the International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS) think tank in Singapore in June, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India does not see the Indo-Pacific region as a strategy or as a club of limited members.

“It includes all nations in this geography as also others beyond who have a stake in it. Southeast Asia is at its centre. And, Asean has been and will be central to its future,” Modi said.

The Indo-Pacific region extends from the eastern coast of Japan to the eastern coast of Africa.

According to Thursday’s ministry statement, the four sides “agreed to partner with other countries and forums in the region to promote a free, open, rules-based and inclusive order in the Indo-Pacific that fosters trust and confidence”.

“They committed to strengthening connectivity and quality infrastructure based on sovereignty, equality and territorial integrity of all nations, as well as transparency, economic viability and financial responsibility,” it said.

The meeting assumes significance given China’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific and its belligerence in the South China Sea region.

The quad officials also exchanged views on recent developments in the regional situation.

The four sides agreed to continue the consultations, according to the statement.

IANS

Rahul targets Modi over Rafale: “Watchman sold out”

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Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Thursday targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi questioning if the pact to buy 36 Rafale jets from France was at all a government-to-government deal.

“The latest skeleton to tumble out of the Rafale cupboard: No guarantee by the French government backing the deal.

“But, our Prime Minister says there’s a letter from the French promising to be faithful! That’s enough to call this a government-to-government deal,” Gandhi tweeted, adding “#BikGayaChowkidar” (watchman sold out).

Gandhi’s latest jibe at Modi comes a day after the Centre told the Supreme Court that there was no sovereign guarantee by the French government backing the deal but only a letter of comfort.

The submission was made by Attorney General K.K. Venugopal before a bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and K.M. Joseph, which reserved its verdict on PILs on the fighter jet deal.

IANS

Rohingya in Bangladesh will not be forced back to Myanmar

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Hundreds of thousands of Muslim-majority Rohingya who fled Myanmar, citing rape, murder and arson, will not be forcibly repatriated, Bangladesh’s Rohingya Relief and Repatriation Commissioner has said.

“No one will be forced back to Myanmar,” Abul Kalam told media.

Bangladesh is scheduled to send back an initial group of 2,260 Rohingya from 485 families on Thursday, in line with a bilateral plan agreed by the two governments in October.

But the move has been opposed by the United Nations’ refugee agency and aid groups who say the Muslim minority can’t be forced back, causing confusion over whether the repatriations will go ahead.

Ghumdhum border crossing from where the refugees were to be repatriated wore a deserted look [Faisal Mahmud/Al Jazeera]
“They survived atrocities so it’s natural they fear to go back,” Kalam said.

When asked whether the Rohingya would be guaranteed a “safe and dignified” return, Kalam said: “Everything is done as per the agreement between Bangladesh and Myanmar. I hope the Myanmar authority will keep their words.”

The terms of the repatriation deal, however, has never been made public.

People do not want to go back to Myanmar due to safety concerns
FOYAZULLAH, ROHINGYA REFUGEE

The plan to begin returning the Rohingya to Myanmar comes just days after UN investigators warned of an “ongoing genocide” against the Muslim minority.

Marzuki Darusman, the chairman of the UN Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar, said beyond mass killings, the conflict included the ostracization of the population, prevention of births, and widespread displacement in camps.

Earlier this week, Michelle Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights urged Bangladesh to halt the repatriation plan saying it violated international law.

Bangladesh is scheduled to send back an initial group of 2,260 Rohingya [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
“We are witnessing terror and panic among those Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar who are at imminent risk of being returned to Myanmar against their will,” she said.

“Forcibly expelling or returning refugees and asylum seekers to their home country would be a clear violation of the core legal principle of non-refoulement, which forbids repatriation where there are threats of persecution or serious risks to the life and physical integrity or liberty of the individuals.”

“People do not want to go back to Myanmar due to safety concerns,” Foyazullah, a 43-year old Rohingya living in Bangladesh’s sprawling Cox’s Bazar refugee camp.

“The people in charge of the camps are harassing people. As a result many families have fled and are hiding in nearby forests.”

Late last month, a group of Rohingya refugees sent a list of 10 demands to Myanmar leader’s Aung San Suu Kyi, saying the beleaguered community would return only when its demands were met.

Once hailed as a champion in the fight for democracy, Aung San Suu Kyi has faced intense scrutiny over her response to the plight of the Rohingya.

She has been stripped of a series of international honours, with the latest coming on Tuesday when Amnesty withdrew its highest award citing her “indifference” to the plight of the Rohingya.

Imtiaz Ahmed, a professor at Dhaka University told Al Jazeera that there was mounting concern the Rohingya were still “not welcome on Myanmar’s soil.”

“I have seen reports that say conditions in Myanmar are still not suitable for return,” he said. “This obviously raises concern.”

In the days leading to Thursday’s expulsion, Human Rights Watch reported that Bangladesh had deployed its army to refugee camps, heightening the refugees’ fear of return.

“The Bangladesh government will be stunned to see how quickly international opinion turns against it if it starts sending unwilling Rohingya refugees back into harm’s way in Myanmar,” Bill Frelick, the group’s refugee rights director, said in a statement.

“That Dhaka deployed its army into the camps is a red flag that this terrified community is not willing to return.”

Myanmar’s government has trumpeted every occasion where a Rohingya family has returned, however many fear returning to Myanmar without guaranteed rights such as citizenship, access to healthcare and freedom of movement – rights that were denied to them long before last year’s crackdown.

Ro Nay San Lwin, a Rohingya activist said Myanmar was trying to forcibly relocate the Rohingya to avoid being prosecuted by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

In September, the ICC ruled it could prosecute Myanmar for alleged crimes against humanity against the Rohingya, an unprecedented decision that could expose the country’s politicians and military leaders to charges.

“They think that allowing people back to Myanmar will help them,” Nay San said. “However, they are not fulfilling any demands made by the refugees.”

More than 700,000 Rohingya fled a brutal army crackdown in Myanmar’s Rakhine state last year, accusing government soldiers and local Buddhists of massacring families, burning hundreds of villages, and carrying out mass gang rape.

Myanmar denies the allegations, saying security forces were battling “terrorists”.

 

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