SASIKALA IN DOLDRUMS

 It is a very welcome judgement, says Jayalalithaa's niece. Deepa Jayakumar, niece of former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, on Tuesday welcomed the Supreme Court verdict, setting aside AIADMK general secretary V.K. Sasikala's acquittal by the Karnataka High Court in the Jayalalithaa disproportionate assets case. When asked whether she thought that former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa was also guilty, Ms. Jayakumar said it went against the family that was trying to control the entire State. Terming it as “right verdict”, Ms. Jayakumar, indirectly referring to Ms. Sasikala, said that those who are behind corruption have been taken to task. On choosing ‘Edapaddi’ K. Palaniswami as AIADMK’s new Legislature Party leader, Ms. Deepa countered that Ms. Jayalalithaa had never endorsed Mr. Palaniswami for the top post. His election only shows that the Sasikala family will go to any extent to install a person of their choice to the leadership position. “Sasikala going to jail, is very good for the cadres and people of Tamil Nadu”, Ms. Jayakumar said adding that she would be revealing his future plans on her aunt’s birth anniversary on February 24.

ISRO ON THE HIGHER GROUNDS

India has long proven its proficiency in the kind of rocket that launched a record number of satellites at one go on Wednesday, but the country’s future growth in space will depend exclusively on its success with the indigenous Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) programme that is now far from perfect.
The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), which was used on Wednesday to deliver 104 satellites into Earth’s orbit, has been the work horse of Indian space programme, notching up about 40 successful launches since 1994. But it cannot carry communication satellites weighing more than 2,000kg into space.
This limits India’s ability to compete with countries such as France or China for the $300 billion global space industry, and also forces it to hire foreign space firms to launch its own heavy satellites.
Read | ISRO’s record of innovation: From bullock cart and Mars on a slingshot to launching 180 satellites
So far, India’s GSLV programme is far from reliable, having been successfully launched only twice using a home-built cryogenic engine after more than a decade of setbacks. The repeated failure of the programme saw GSLV being termed as the ‘naughty boy’ of ISRO.
The first time it did so was in January 2014, launching the GSLV-D5 which put ISRO on the map of a select club of nations that can launch heavy satellites. The agency again successfully launched a GSLV-MkII rocket in September last.
But experts see these as just the first step in the direction of developing a reliable launch system for the delivery of heavy satellites into different orbits.
“Our aim should be to become proficient in GSLV launches because then we can carry payload category of 4500-5000 kg,” said S Satish, formerly of ISRO.
“The big bucks of space business lies in that.”

People watch as a rocket takes off successfully to launch a record 104 satellites, in Sriharikota. (PTI Photo)

For Indian space scientists, that goal is now being worked upon. ISRO is developing the GSLV-Mk III launch vehicle which is expected to deliver payload weighing 4500 to 5000kg.
In comparison, Russian and French rockets can carry four times that payload and into higher orbits.
“Now we are targeting GSLV MkII and then Mk III... a series of launch activities (have been) planned to ensure that like last year this year also we have many exciting events coming,” ISRO chief AS Kiran Kumar said after Wednesday’s achievement.
Read | ISRO ups its space game, takes foreign satellite tally to 180 with record launch
ISRO’s long term plans include undertaking more than 50 missions and deploying 500 satellite communications transponders by 2019.
That is easier said than done, given that ISRO is still to consistently prove the GSLV design, realisation and sustained firing of its indigenous cryogenic engine.
Until then, experts say, it cannot hope to offer itself as a low-cost option for launching heavy satellites that would give stiff competition to global commercial satellite launch companies such as Europe’s Ariane or Russia’s Proton rockets.

ta

CM INCUBMENT SASIKALA CONVICTED BY SUPREME COURT

A Supreme Court bench on Tuesday found the 61-year-old AIADMK general secretary guilty in a 21-year-old corruption case, and asked Sasikala to surrender immediately. Reversing the Karnataka high court judgment, the Supreme court upheld the trial court’s verdict and sentenced her to four years in jail. It also ordered a fine of Rs 10 crore as well as confiscation of her properties. The judgment further bars Sasikala from holding a public office and contesting elections for 10 years. (Hindustan Times)

A SHAMEFUL CAPITAL

Crime in Delhi increased for the third straight year and three out of the four cases registered in 2016 went unsolved, official data released on Monday showed. The numbers, released by Delhi Police as part of an annual disclosure, cement the national capital’s reputation of being a dangerous city — particularly for women who made a distress-call to helplines every 9 minutes on an average. Of the 2,09,519 cases reported last year, 1,53,562 cases — or 73.29% of them — could not be cracked. In 2015, the proportion of cases that were unsolved was 72.78%. Read more 1.1 lakh complaints against Delhi Police last year, only 1 out of 400 probed Crime data: Snatchers arrested in Delhi mostly first timers, school dropouts Allegations of crimes against women — a molestation plaint every two hours, a rape case every four hours — remained staggeringly high. But rape cases were fewer in 2016 compared to the year before when 2,199 cases were registered. Last year, 2,155 rape cases were filed. “In the last three-four years, the proactive action by the police has led to a positive demonstration effect. Each complaint given by a woman is being immediately registered and seriously investigated. This is the reason why the numbers appear constant,” joint commissioner of police, Dependra Pathak said. Most of the cases that remained unsolved were street crimes — robberies, snatching, pick-pocketing and similar thefts. These incidents are more widespread, affecting most citizens. Every six minutes, someone becomes a victim of theft. There was a case of snatching reported every 30 minutes on an average. “It is very important for the police to instil faith in people by working hard to solve such cases. More than solving of these cases, it is important how police develops relationship with the person who has lodged the case. How they behave with the complainant make a lot of difference,” criminal psychologist Rajat Mitra said. Read | Schoolgirl crushed under tractor’s wheels in Delhi’s Bhalswa Former Delhi police commissioner Ajai Raj Sharma explained that less heinous crimes are often neglected by police teams. “Firstly, there are no eyewitnesses in such cases and hence the investigation is very time consuming. The only way to solve them is to study the crime scene in detail and gather clues.” Police, Sharma added, gave precedence to law and order duties over solving street crime cases. “There is already shortage of staff and investigators, on top of that police personnel are engaged in security and law and order duties. If an investigator is deployed for a VIP movement, when will he investigate the case? Law and order should be separate from the police unit investigating cases,” Sharma said. ta

DAM SPILLING MAY CAUSE VAST DAMAGE

A damaged spillway with eroded hillside is seen in an aerial photo taken over the Oroville Dam. Photo: Reuters Nearly 200,000 people living below the tallest dam in the United States, near Oroville in Northern California, were urgently ordered to flee their homes yesterday after a spillway appeared for a time to be in danger of imminent collapse. Authorities issued the abrupt evacuation orders in the mid-afternoon, saying that a crumbling emergency spillway on the Lake Oroville Dam could give way and unleash raging floodwaters onto a string of rural communities along the Feather River. "Immediate evacuation from the low levels of Oroville and areas downstream is ordered," the Butte County sheriff said in a statement posted on social media. "This is NOT A Drill." The California Department of Water Resources said on Twitter at about 4.30pm PST (0030 GMT Monday) that the spillway next to the dam was "predicted to fail within the next hour." But several hours later the situation appeared less dire as the spillway remained standing. The water resources department said crews using helicopters would drop rocks to fill a huge gouge in the spillway. Authorities were also releasing water to lower the lake's level after weeks of heavy rains in the drought-plagued state. By 10pm, state and local officials said those efforts had paid off and, with water no longer flowing over the eroded spillway, the immediate danger had passed. But they cautioned that the situation remained unpredictable. "Once you have damage to a structure like that it's catastrophic," Bill Croyle, acting director of the Water Resources, told the press conference. 'DO NOT TRAVEL NORTH' Butte County Sheriff Korey Honea said at a separate news briefing that he was told by experts earlier yesterday that the hole that was being created in the spillway could compromise the structure. Rather than risk thousands of lives, the sheriff said, a decision was made to order the evacuations. Still, evacuation orders remained in place for 188,000 people in Oroville, Yuba County, Butte County, Marysville and nearby communities. The Yuba County Office of Emergency Services urged evacuees to travel only to the east, south or west. "DO NOT TRAVEL NORTH TOWARD OROVILLE," the department said on Twitter. Evacuation centres were set up at a fairgrounds in Chico, California, about 20 miles north-west of Oroville, but major highways leading south out of the area were jammed as residents fled the flood zone. California Governor Jerry Brown issued an emergency order that he said would bolster the state's response. "I've been in close contact with emergency personnel managing the situation in Oroville throughout the weekend and it's clear the circumstances are complex and rapidly changing," Brown said. The Oroville dam, whose structure remains sound, is nearly full following a wave of winter storms that brought relief to the state after some four years of devastating drought. Water levels were less than 2 metres from the top of the dam on Friday. State authorities and engineers on Thursday began carefully releasing water from the Lake Oroville Dam some 105km north of Sacramento after noticing that large chunks of concrete were missing from a spillway. Governor Brown asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Friday to declare the area a major disaster due to flooding and mudslides brought on by the storms. The earthfill dam is just upstream and east of Oroville, a city of more than 16,000 people. At 230 meters high, the structure, built between 1962 and 1968, is the tallest dam in the United States, besting the famed Hoover Dam by more than 12 meters. iv dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">

Virat Kohli revels in India’s pace options, but wants team to close matches well

Virat Kohli (2L) and Indian teammates after winning the one-off Test against Bangladesh in Hyderabad.

The one-off Test between India and Bangladesh was expected to be more of a lesson for Bangladesh. So, when India skipper Virat Kohli was asked if there was anything that he learnt, he was quick to point out, “we didn’t close the match early”.
“The only thing we could have done better is close the second innings quickly. I think there was a bit of lapse in body language when they were 8 down. Closing off games is important, especially in Test cricket, you don’t want to give opposition any chance to get into the game. That’s something we need to keep repeating as a team,” said Kohli.
  Things may have been tougher, were it not for the Indian pacers. In the first innings, Umesh Yadav jolted the top-order to put Bangladesh on the backfoot.
Then it was Ishant Sharma’s turn in the second innings. After the fall of two wickets in the first session on Monday, the final day, Sabbir Rahman and Mahmudullah had looked to offer resistance. However, Ishant Sharma struck, first trapping Sabbir leg-before and then having Mahmudullah caught at square leg off a short delivery.
The two had batted 18 overs and added 51 runs and were playing the spinner confidently.
“Umesh, Bhuvi and Ishant were brilliant but Umesh stood out (in first innings). Second innings, all three bowled really well but Ishant stood out. The way spinners contain runs, the pacers can attack as soon as it starts to reverse swing. I thought Ishant’s spell today was really good. He bowled with pace and took both the set batsmen out,” said Kohli.
The two wickets Ishant picked made things easy for the Indians as they tightened the noose around Bangladesh. India are reaping the benefits of having a battery of pace bowlers to pick from. Kohli terms them match-winners. He has a preference for five bowlers. Usually in India, he goes with three spinners and two pacers. Here, taking the wicket into account, he went in with three pacers.
“If you can have three to four seamers in your squad who are attacking bowlers and can get you wickets at any stage during the day, then it is a bonus. When we start going away from home, it is going to help us. You can score as many runs as you want but if you don’t pick wickets you won’t win a Test match. That’s why I call them match winners in the Test format anyday.”

 

 

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar

 

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar has called the junking of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes a monumental mismanagement, after months of heaping praise on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision. Kumar – also the Janata Dal (United) President – has left political observers rather flummoxed with his flip flops of past months.
What explains the chief minister’s U-turn on the demonetisation question?
Warming up to the BJP
By intention or design, the Bihar chief minister has made indiscreet hints that he could realign his politics with that of the BJP, if the situation so demanded.
After having worked intensively to launch the JD(U) in Uttar Pradesh politics, Kumar abruptly decided that his party would not contest the state elections - a decision seen as having helped the BJP consolidate its vote bank among the “non-Yadav” Other Backward Caste –OBC voters.
Not too long ago, Kumar was seen as cozying up to his bête noir and Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the birth anniversary celebrations of Sikh religious leader, Guru Gobind Singh. More recently, he was seen applying the saffron colour to the design of a lotus (BJP’s election symbol) at a book fair at Patna.
Of course, Kumar’s position on the demonetisation question has changed radically too. After having been the first non-BJP chief minister to have supported the Prime Minister’s initiative, he adopted a contrary position on Friday, saying that he did not agree with the manner in which the scheme had been implemented. “The move has failed to achieve the desired goals of rooting out black money”, he said.
Uneasy relations with Lalu Prasad’s RJD
Kumar has led an alliance government earlier (with the BJP), but his position as chief minister has never been quite as tentative. The Rashtriya Janata Dal, as a bigger partner, has been aggressive in its political posturing and dismissive of the chief minister’s image as a “Sushashan” (Good governance) man. Crime has galloped, while the state has been hit by a series of scams including the paper leak controversy in recruitments by the Bihar Employees Selection Commission and the Bihar Public Services Commission (BPSC). News reports suggest that transfers and postings of bureaucrats are largely being done at the insistence of the RJD. Under reported pressure from the RJD, the chief minister cancelled the function he has held in past years to present the government’s annual report card. Senior RJD leaders such as Raghuvansh Prasad Singh have often been coming out in open defiance of the chief minister’s policies. “Kumar is clearly not the all-powerful chief minister that he was once considered. He does seem to realise that the tie-up with the RJD will split, sooner or later”, a veteran Bihar watcher said.
Read | Modi a ‘dangerous man’, says Lalu while campaigning for son-in-law in UP
Kumar’s future politics
In the absence of a dedicated vote bank (unlike Lalu), Kumar’s struggle for political relevance in the transformed political scenario is acute. While there is a vacuum in the country’s Opposition space, there are little signs yet that Kumar will become acceptable as the leader of such a grouping. His re-entry into the saffron camp looks tough, although not entirely impossible. In the years or months leading to the 2019 general elections, Kumar will need to walk the talk with the dexterity of a trapeze artiste.

junking of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes a monumental mismanagement, after months of heaping praise on Prime Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar has called theMinister Narendra Modi’s decision. Kumar – also the Janata Dal (United) President – has left political observers rather flummoxed with his flip flops of past months.
What explains the chief minister’s U-turn on the demonetisation question?
Warming up to the BJP
By intention or design, the Bihar chief minister has made indiscreet hints that he could realign his politics with that of the BJP, if the situation so demanded.
After having worked intensively to launch the JD(U) in Uttar Pradesh politics, Kumar abruptly decided that his party would not contest the state elections - a decision seen as having helped the BJP consolidate its vote bank among the “non-Yadav” Other Backward Caste –OBC voters.
Not too long ago, Kumar was seen as cozying up to his bête noir and Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the birth anniversary celebrations of Sikh religious leader, Guru Gobind Singh. More recently, he was seen applying the saffron colour to the design of a lotus (BJP’s election symbol) at a book fair at Patna.
Of course, Kumar’s position on the demonetisation question has changed radically too. After having been the first non-BJP chief minister to have supported the Prime Minister’s initiative, he adopted a contrary position on Friday, saying that he did not agree with the manner in which the scheme had been implemented. “The move has failed to achieve the desired goals of rooting out black money”, he said.
Uneasy relations with Lalu Prasad’s RJD
Kumar has led an alliance government earlier (with the BJP), but his position as chief minister has never been quite as tentative. The Rashtriya Janata Dal, as a bigger partner, has been aggressive in its political posturing and dismissive of the chief minister’s image as a “Sushashan” (Good governance) man. Crime has galloped, while the state has been hit by a series of scams including the paper leak controversy in recruitments by the Bihar Employees Selection Commission and the Bihar Public Services Commission (BPSC). News reports suggest that transfers and postings of bureaucrats are largely being done at the insistence of the RJD. Under reported pressure from the RJD, the chief minister cancelled the function he has held in past years to present the government’s annual report card. Senior RJD leaders such as Raghuvansh Prasad Singh have often been coming out in open defiance of the chief minister’s policies. “Kumar is clearly not the all-powerful chief minister that he was once considered. He does seem to realise that the tie-up with the RJD will split, sooner or later”, a veteran Bihar watcher said.
Read | Modi a ‘dangerous man’, says Lalu while campaigning for son-in-law in UP
Kumar’s future politics
In the absence of a dedicated vote bank (unlike Lalu), Kumar’s struggle for political relevance in the transformed political scenario is acute. While there is a vacuum in the country’s Opposition space, there are little signs yet that Kumar will become acceptable as the leader of such a grouping. His re-entry into the saffron camp looks tough, although not entirely impossible. In the years or months leading to the 2019 general elections, Kumar will need to walk the talk with the dexterity of a trapeze artiste.

Income Tax Slabs

Income Tax Slabs: Here Are New Tax Rates Applicable From April 2017

Bringing some cheers to the individual tax payers, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley halved the income tax rate to 5 per cent for individuals having taxable income between Rs. 2.5-Rs. 5 lakh compared to 10 per cent earlier.

Written by Priyabrata Prusty | Last Updated: February 08, 2017 10:10 (IST)

EMAIL

6COMMENTS

Highlights

1. Tax rate has been halved for those having income from Rs. 2.5 to Rs. 5 lakh
2. Tax burden of people with Rs. 50 lakh-Rs. 1 crore taxable income increased
3. Zero tax liability for individuals with Rs. 3 lakh taxable income

Bringing some cheers to the individual tax payers, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley halved the income tax rate to 5 per cent for individuals having taxable income between Rs. 2.5-Rs. 5 lakh compared to 10 per cent earlier. Meanwhile, Mr Jaitley increased the tax burden of people having taxable income between Rs. 50 lakh-Rs. 1 crore by imposing an additional surcharge of 10 per cent on the 30 per cent tax amount which was already there to offset the revenue loss to the exchequer.

Here are the new tax slabs post Budget 2017-18 which will come into effect from April 1, 2017(Assessment Year 2018-19):

General Category (for person up to 60 years age) 


In the general category- person up to 60 years of age- tax will be applicable if income is more than Rs. 2.5 lakh. For income of Rs. 0-Rs. 2.5 lakh no tax will be applicable. A tax of only 5 per cent will be applicable if income is between Rs. 2.5-5 lakh. Further, the income tax rebate of up to Rs. 5,000 which was earlier given for taxable income up to Rs. 5 lakh, has been reduced to Rs. 2,500 and it will be available for taxable income of up to Rs. 3.5 lakh. It means if an individual has a taxable income of Rs. 3 lakh, his net tax liability will be zero (tax @5% on Rs. 50,000 is Rs. 2,500 minus rebate of Rs. 2,500).
 

Income	Tax
Up to Rs. 2.5 lakh	Nil
Rs. 2,50,001-Rs. 5 lakh	5%
Rs. 500,001-Rs. 10 lakh	20%
Above Rs. 10 lakh	30%

For income between Rs. 5-10 lakh, a tax of 20 per cent will be applicable and for income above Rs. 10 lakh a tax rate of 30 per cent will be applicable. However, people having taxable income of more than Rs. 50 lakh but less than Rs. 1 crore, a new surcharge of 10 per cent will be imposed along with the a tax of 30 per cent. For example, if an individual has a taxable income of Rs. 55 lakh, his tax liability will now increase from Rs. 15.19 lakh earlier to Rs. 16.57 lakh now (income tax of Rs. 14.62 lakh plus surcharge of Rs. 1.46 lakh and education & higher education cess of Rs. 48,263). If taxable income is more than Rs. 1 crore, then the surcharge will increase to 15 per cent of tax plus education and higher education cess of 3 per cent. However, on taxable incomes where surcharges are applicable, tax payers get the benefit of marginal relief, if applicable. (Check your tax liability here)

Senior citizens (for person between 60-80 years age) 

For senior citizens falling in the tax bracket of Rs. 0 to Rs. 3 lakh, no tax will be applicable. For income between Rs. 3-5 lakh, a tax rate of 5 per cent will be applicable. The tax rate and surcharge will be same as general category for income between Rs. 5-10 lakh and above Rs. 10 lakh.

Income	Tax
Up to Rs. 3 lakh	Nil
Rs. 3,00,001-Rs. 5 lakh	5%
Rs. 5,00,001-Rs. 10 lakh	20%
Above Rs. 10 lakh	30%

Super senior citizens (for person above 80 years age)
For people aged above 80 years no tax will be applicable for income up to Rs. 5 lakh. A tax rate of 20 per cent and 30 per cent will be applicable for income between Rs. 5 lakh and Rs. 10 lakh and Rs. 10 lakh and above respectively as in case of general category.

Income	Tax
Up to Rs. 5 lakh	Nil
Rs. 5,00,001-Rs. 10 lakh	20%
Above Rs. 10 lakh	30%

PRO SASIKALA

I'm prosecuting Sasikala in graft case, how can I favour her: Subramanian Swamy

8 February 2017

New Delhi [India], Feb. 8 (ANI): Rubbishing reports of him 'favouring' Sasikala Natarajan in the current power tussle in Tamil Nadu, senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy on Wednesday asserted that it was ridiculous to assume so, as he was prosecuting the AIADMK General Secretary in a disproportionate assets case.

However, Swamy added that Constitutionally, Sasikala was in the clear to be the next chief minister of Tamil Nadu.

"It is easy for the opposition to accuse as they don't have any work to do, nor do they need to show any evidence. They are saying I'm favouring Sasikala. What nonsense....I'm the one prosecuting her in the disproportionate assets case. But Constitution has to be upheld," Swamy told ANI here.

Commenting on delay being shown by the Governor Vidyasagar Rao in intervening in the power crisis, Swamy further said that the MLAs of the state have been left with no choice but to meet the President.

"When the Governor has got lost somewhere and nobody knows where he is, then what can the MLAs do? They have to meet the President," he added.

Meanwhile, ahead of a probable floor test to determine the majority in the House, Sasikala Natarajan today bused all 131 MLAs supporting her to an unknown location, fearing horse-trading.

As per reports, all the MLAs were taken to an unknown hotel, where they would be kept till the time they meet President Pranab Mukherjee to prove majority in the support of Sasikala.

Earlier in the day, Sasikala accused the Tamil Nadu acting Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam of colluding with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), while adding that he would not be spared following his "betrayal".

"Our opponents are after us and spearheading whatever is happening today, but nothing can stop us from following Amma's path.

Panneerselvam colluded with the party which Amma fought against. I could sense the acts of Chief Minister who completely connived with the opposition. We will give a big blow to the act of betrayal and disloyalty," Sasikala told his party members which was received with rousing reception.

Sasikala said she was initially reluctant to take the responsibility of the Chief Minister as she was struck with grief following former Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalithaa's death.

Sasikala's comments came after Panneerselvam alleged that he was told to quit the Chief Minister's post to protect party's discipline and failure to follow would be a violation of party discipline.

Calling Sasikala as the "temporary general secretary", Panneerselvam earlier today said, "The Council can only appoint a temporary general secretary. Proper elections have to be held to elect a general secretary according to the party bye-laws. People are on my side."

He said he would also seek the support of Jayalalithaa's niece Deepa Jayakumar, saying "I have always had respect for Amma's brother's children. I will give Deepa the respect she needs.

The acting Chief Minister also said he has the support of the AIADMK leaders and would prove his majority in the assembly. (ANI)

REPOLL IN PUNJAB

Re-polling was conducted at 48 stations in Punjab on Thursday. Cabinet minister and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia also casted his vote in Majitha. The Election Commission of India (ECI), earlier this week, had ordered re-polling at 48 polling stations across Amritsar, Majitha, Moga, Muktsar, Sardulgarh and Sangrur assembly segments. The decision was taken following malfunctioning of the Voter-Verified Audit Paper Trail (VVPAT) Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). The results for 117 seats will be declared on March 11.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday taunted the Congress, mocked its vice president Rahul Gandhi and criticised its “dynastic politics” as he tore into the main Opposition party in Parliament.
“So, finally, the earthquake has come,” Prime Minister said in the Lok Sabha, referring to the tremors felt in Delhi and parts of north India on Monday night as he took a jibe at Rahul Gandhi.
The Congress leader had on December 9 warned that if he was allowed to speak in Parliament an “earthquake” would happen. He had “information on the personal corruption of the Prime Minister”, Gandhi said a few days later at a press conference in the Parliament complex during the winter session, which was a wash-out as the Opposition and government traded charges over demonetisation.
Highlights | They want to attribute everything to one family: Modi targets Cong, Gandhis
“I was thinking where did the quake come from? I heard the threat long ago. There must be some reason for mother earth to be unhappy,” Modi said, replying to the motion of thanks on President’s address.
He then took on Gandhi over a recent election speech in Uttar Pradesh. “When someone finds seva in scam, then not even a mother but mother earth too, becomes unhappy,” he said.
Speaking at a rally, Gandhi had hit back at the PM, who had questioned the Congress’ alliance with the Samajwadi Party and accused them of corruption, saying SCAM means Seva (service), Courage, Ability and Modesty.
It was janshakti (people’s power) that had propelled him to the top job but the Congress thinks “only a family has given us freedom”, said Modi, an apparent reference to the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty.
The Prime Minister also attacked Mallikarjun Kharge, the Congress’ leader in the Lok Sabha, for his remarks that not even the “dogs of the BJP” were part of the freedom struggle.
“We have not grown up in Kutton wali parampara. There are many people who were born after Independence but we are fortunate to live for the country,” Modi said amid an applause from the treasury benches.
Kharge’s comment on Monday that Modi could become prime minister because the Congress kept the democracy alive too didn’t go unnoticed.
It was a “huge favour” Modi said as he questioned internal democracy in the Congress.
In his almost two-hour speech, the Prime Minister said he wanted to “play in the Congress’ ground” and started comparing performance of his government with that of the UPA, giving an account of various welfare schemes including the MGNREGA programme.

 

Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of mocking the tragedy of Uttarakhand earthquake and insulting the freedom struggle, but not answering opposition’s questions on demonetisation.
The Congress vice president also took a dig at Modi over his surgery remarks on economy, saying “a quack endangers life”.
“The Prime Minister mocks the tragedy of Uttarakhand and insults the freedom struggle but has no answers to the opposition’s questions,” he tweeted.
Gandhi said this after the Prime Minister took a jibe at him in Parliament, saying “the earthquake has finally occurred” while referring to Monday night’s tremors in Uttarakhand.
The Congress vice president had in December last said he possessed certain material against the Prime Minister, and if he spoke in Parliament, there would be an “earthquake”.
“The earthquake finally occurred. I was wondering how it happened. I had heard of the threat long back,” Modi said in the Lok Sabha, in an apparent reference to Rahul’s comments.
Gandhi’s quackery endangers life remarks came after the Prime Minister, while defending demonetisation in his speech in the Lok Sabha said, “When can you have an operation? When the body is healthy. The economy was doing well and thus our decision was taken at the right time.”
The Prime Minister was replying to the debate on Motion of Thanks to President’s address to the joint sitting of Parliament at the beginning of the budget session.
Congress also attacked the Prime Minister for his speech, accusing him of hurting the dignity of Uttarakhand by mocking the tragedy.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Uttarakhand. When PM’s tone took a tone of humour and mockery on the earthquake, many MPs present felt that PM has hurt the dignity of Uttarakhand.
“Many of those still recovering from the trauma of the previous earthquake would have felt humiliated after listening to the Prime Minister,” party spokesperson Gaurav Gogoi told journalists at the AICC briefing.
Gandhi had earlier posed several questions to the Prime Minister about the fallout of demonetisation, regarding the amount of black money recovered after the exercise, the alleged economic loss to the nation, the number of jobs lost, people who died standing in queues at banks and ATMs and whether compensation was paid to them.
He had also asked who the Prime Minister consulted on demonetisation and why were experts, economists and RBI not taken into confidence.
Gandhi had also asked as to who all deposited more than Rs 25 lakh in bank accounts in 6 months preceding November 8 when the note ban was announced.
Modi had attacked Congress for “claiming entire credit” for the country’s independence and objected to certain comments made by Congress’ leader in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge yesterday regarding sacrifices made for attaining freedom.
“Hum kutton ki paramapara se pale bhade nahi hain (we have not grown in a culture of dogs),” he said.
Modi said even before Congress party was born, lakhs of countrymen had made sacrifice for independence and referred to the 1857 sepoy revolt.
“Everybody gave their lives, unitedly, without any communal colour to it,” he said.

Intolerance is growing in the country

 

 

 

 

 

Intolerance is growing in the country and a “select few” assume that they represent the masses, the Samajwadi Party MP says.

The alleged assault on Director Sanjay Leela Bhansali and his crew on the sets of “Padmavati” figured in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday with actress-turned-politician Jaya Bachchan saying the incident has threatened creativity.
Raising the issue in the House during the Zero Hour, she said intolerance is growing in the country and a “select few” assume that they represent the masses, “under certain political patronage,” and take law and order in their hands.
They have no respect for constitutional values or the law of the land.
Ms. Bachchan (SP) said the film fraternity, which strives to bring fictional stories to people through creativity for the sole purpose of entertainment with some moral and social message, has been the “soft target for these anti-social elements.”
“Sometime they are threatened, sometime films are not allowed be screened, sets are vandalised and sometimes it takes a violent turn as it happened in Jaipur recently,” she noted.
“...Sets of Padmavati, where Rajput Karni Sena not only physically assaulted the Director Sanjay Leela Bhansali, but also damaged the expensive film equipments,” she said.
Mr. Bhansali, she said, is a renowned director who had made great films and added that he had also staged the “same subject of Padmavati” as an opera in a Paris theatre in 2008.
Ms. Bachchan further said, neither the State government, nor the Centre has condemned the incident or taken action against the culprits.
“What message are we sending to the film fraternity which is one of the most important and vibrant ambassador of the country. Creativity should not be subjected to such treatment,” she said and demanded strong action against those involved in the incident.
Ms. Bachchan said the film fraternity has long been fighting the menace with little or no support from the government.
The film industry creates large number of employment opportunities and such disruptions, she said, affects the earnings of the sector.
Last month, Mr. Bhansali was allegedly roughed up by members of a Rajput community group, who also stopped the shooting of the film by damaging the set at Jaigarh Fort, alleging that the director was “distorting facts” in the movie which is about Alauddin Khilji’s obsession with Rani Padmavati.

SASIKALA AT BAY

Chennai: 

Highlights

1. VK Sasikala to take over as new Tamil Nadu Chief Minister
2. Supreme Court says it will decide on corruption case next week
3. Stop her taking office till case is decided: Public Interest Litigation

Amid reports that VK Sasikala could take oath as Tamil Nadu's new Chief Minister tomorrow, the Supreme Court has been petitioned to forbid her taking office till it decides on whether the 61-year-old is guilty of conspiring with J Jayalalithaa to accumulate vast amounts of wealth far exceeding their known sources of income in the early 90s.

The top court said earlier today that it would make that decision next week. A Public Interest Litigation or PIL filed this evening said that till the verdict is delivered, Ms Sasikala's promotion should be put on hold. The Tamil Nadu Governor, Vidyasagar Rao, is in Delhi, and his plans to return to Chennai are not yet clear -he would need to swear her in.

Ms Jayalalithaa, popularly referred to as "Amma", died while she was head of the Tamil Nadu government in December. Yesterday, her party, the AIADMK, decided that her closest aide, Ms Sasikala, will take over as Chief Minister. In doing so, she will replace O Panneerselvam, who has recurringly filled in for Chief Minister while the party made long-term arrangements for its political leadership.

The corruption case against Ms Sasikala is among the transfer to power including an open challenge from Deepa Jayakumar, Ms Jayalalithaa's niece, who says she should be considered the true inheritor of Ms Jayalalithaa's political legacy.

But during her life, it was Ms Sasikala who was the closest aide of Ms Jayalalithaa, accompanying the powerful politician in the home they shared in Poes Garden, at business meetings, and on holidays to a tea estate in the mountain range of the Nilgiris. When Ms Jayalalithaa was hospitalised in September, complaining of dehydration, it was Ms Sasikala who took crucial decisions with doctors on the course of her treatment. And when she died, Ms Sasikala stood next to her body at a large public memorial, accepting condolences from VVIPs including Prime Minister Narendra Modi who was seen patting her head.

In 2014, Ms Jayalalithaa and Ms Sasikala were arrested and imprisoned in a jail in Bengaluru. The then Chief Minister was accused of misusing an earlier term to illicitly accrue expensive real estate, cash, gold, valuable jewelry and other assets. Ms Sasikala was accused of aiding the corruption.

But the charges did not stick, and after their acquittal, Ms Jayalalithaa returned to office, with Mr Paneerselvam's stint as place-holder ending. The Karnataka government then challenged the acquittal in the Supreme Court, where judges today were nudged about the delay in the case. In response, they said a decision will be shared next week.

Lakhs of supporters, whose devotion to Ms Jayalalithaa bordered on religious, stood in the streets as her hearse travelled in December to Chennai's Marina Beach where she was buried next to MG Ramachandran, the actor-turned-politician who founded their party. With Ms Sasikala's close supervision, Mr Panneerselvam, who carried Ms Jayalalithaa's photo in his pocket every day, took over as Chief Minister within hours. Then, the party chose to appoint Ms Sasikala its General Secretary - a post that had been held by Ms Jayalalithaa for nearly two decades. Yesterday, it unanimously agreed that Ms Sasikala, who has never served as party official or run for election, will take over as Chief Minister.

SUPREME COURT GIVES SAHARA ATTACHMENT NOTICE

The Supreme Court ordered on Monday that the prime real-estate project of the Sahara group, Aamby Valley, would be attached to ensure the recovery of Rs 14,000 crore the company owes to duped investors.
The order came from a bench headed by justice Dipak Misra that noted Sahara’s proposed payment plan extending till July 2019 was too long and said the court would auction the properties to recover the amount. Aamby Valley’s declared worth is Rs 39,000 crore.
The bench asked Sahara to submit a list of its unencumbered properties by February 20 so that it could decide to auction them. The company has to be forced to expedite the payment, the bench said, disapproving the current practice of paying in installments. The bench has fixed February 27 to hear the matter again.
Sahara’s counsel Kapil Sibal urged the bench not to pass the attatchment order. “What is the hurry? There is no bank asking for money. There are no investors asking for money,” he asked the court and handed over the income-tax appellate tribunal order to claim the company had already refunded 85% of the investors.
This is the first time Sahara produced the record. Sibal said the tribunal delivered the judgement after adequate verification. He questioned the August 31, 2012 verdict that ordered Sahara to refund the money it collected from investors under its two financial schemes, declared illegal by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).
But, the bench was not convinced. “We are not going to revisit the order. There is a judicial finding against you and we are not here to review the order,” the bench said, brushing aside his defence.
Sahara has so far paid a little over Rs 11,000 crore. In a proposal before the top court, it wanted time till July 2019 to deposit a balance of Rs 14,779 crore with SEBI.
Following the last order, the company deposited on Monday, a little over Rs 600 crore with the market regulator. The company’s boss Subrata Roy would, however, continue to be on parole.
In March 2014, the top court had sent to jail after he failed to appear in response to its summoning order. He was given parole last year in May after his mother passed away. Since then the company has been depositing money with the SEBI to ensure he remained out of jail.

A TECHY MURDER IN INFOSIS COMPANY WHAT SECURITY

The Best Western Films of All Time (PrettyFamous — By Graphiq)

EMAIL

PRINT

57COMMENTS

Rasila Raju was murdered in her cubicle by Infosys guard Saikiya Bhaben.

As Infosys techie Rasila Raju (24) slaved away in office, all alone on a Sunday, her sole consolation was that this was her ticket for a transfer out of the Pune branch. That was what she was discussing with her cousin seconds before she abruptly ended the call with the chilling words: "Someone is entering my work bay, I will call you back."

Rasila wasn't thrilled about working alone on Sunday (January 29). In fact, she had told her family that she was often forced to put in extra time because her boss held a grudge against her.

Rasila's last words
"My transfer to the Bangalore office depends on my submission today. I should receive my transfer order by the first week of February," Rasila told her cousin sister Anjali Nandkumar on the phone. Then, seconds later, she hung up with the words: "Someone is entering my working bay, I will call you back."

Rasila with her family

Those were her last words. Around 8.30 pm, Rasila's lifeless body was found in her cubicle, her neck strangled with a computer cable.

She put up a fight
The post-mortem indicated that Rasila had put up a fight but was bashed in the face and chest several times. "We found bite marks on her left shoulder, which indicate that the accused tried to force himself on her and she fought back. A blunt object was used to assault the victim, and she sustained blunt injuries on the chest and face," said a forensic expert from BJ medical college, where the autopsy was done.

The expert added, "The body was brought to the mortuary with the power chord that was used to strangulate the deceased. So much force was used that the victim that blood oozed from her mouth and nostrils, which might have splashed on the accused clothes.

"What's shocking is that the police neither took the forensic team to the crime scene, nor did they allow the experts to examine the accused for evidence.

The next day, the police arrested Infosys security guard Saikiya Bhaben, who admitted that he killed after she rebuked him for staring at her. But the security guard wasn't the only man harassing Rasila at work.

'Boss held a grudge'
"My team manager is putting additional pressure on me ever since I refused to join him for a team lunch. My transfer approval is also pending with him and I will have to complete the work that I have been given," she had told her father, Raju OP, just three days ago.

Even during the lunch break, while all her colleagues would leave for lunch, she would be made to stay back and work, revealed her brother Laijin Kumar OP, speaking from Calicut. He added, "Rasila had told me on the phone a few weeks ago that she had refused to join the team in their social gatherings and this was not appreciated by the manager. A few weeks later, she approached the manager, seeking a transfer to Bangalore, but he refused. There was an argument between them, and in a fit of rage, he threatened to teach her a lesson - this was witnessed by Rasila's colleagues."

The family is also upset over the delay in informing them about Rasila's death. "The police were informed around 8.30 pm, but my father received the call around 10.40 pm from the Bangalore office. I do not understand the reason for the delay in informing us," said Laijin, who flew in from Abu Dhabi, where he works.

After the sixteenth day rituals, Rasila's family members will return to Pune to register a complaint against the manager and the company's security manager.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Infosys says
A statement from Infosys said: "We are extending all support to the police to investigate the matter and all points raised by the family will be looked into."

Lapses in probe?
>> Why didn't the police take the forensic team to the crime scene? 
>> Why were accused's blood and nails not collected by experts?
>> Why was the CCTV footage not sealed and sent to forensics?

Infosys takes action
>> No employee to work alone
>> Extra female guards deployed
>> Work from home facility
>> Panic buttons and rapid response teams

Forensic findings
>> Blunt injuries on face, chest 
>> Ligature marks around the neck
>> Bite marks on left shoulder
>> Saliva to be sent for DNA analysis
>> Victim's nails to be analysed

Cop speak
Rashmi Shukla, Pune police commissioner, said, "The case was reported in Pune rural area, which is not in my jurisdiction. We are starting a helpline for women along with a mobile alert system to assist any woman who needs police assistance."

LEARN FROM BIRDS

DISSENT IN AIDMK OVER SASIKALA

She released a statement saying she has asked the EC not to accept Ms. Sasikala Natarajan’s appointment as interim general secretary of the AIADMK.

Expelled AIADMK MP Sasikala Pushpa has submitted a “letter of dissent” to the Election Commission (EC) on the “undemocratic nomination” of Sasikala Natarajan as the interim general secretary of AIADMK.

Ms. Sasikala Pushpa, on Saturday, released a statement saying she has asked the EC not to accept Ms. Sasikala Natarajan’s appointment as interim general secretary of the AIADMK.

In the statement, Ms. Sasikala Pushpa labels Ms. Sasikala Natarajan as “autocratic.” She recalls an incident in December 2016, when her husband Lingeswarathilagan was roughed up when he went to the party headquarters to submit his nomination paper for the post of general secretary.

“The party officials beat him brutally and police had detained him in illegal custody from 2pm on 28 December to 9.30 am on 29 December. Our family members were not informed (sic) whereabouts too,” Ms. Sasikala Puashpa said in the statement. “It is a brutal attack on the democratic process and Mrs. Sasikala Natarajan is following a rude, autocratic method,” the statement added.

The statement goes on to add, “The point of reference for your consideration is that AIADMK did not follow the byelaws of the party while nominating Mrs. Sasikala Natarajan as so-called general secretary of AIADMK party. A similar petition was sent to Hon’ Prime Minister’s office, the Tamil Nadu Chief Election Commissioner etc.”

Following her letter, the EC has now sought AIADMK’s response, reports PTI.

US SANCTIONS AGAINST IRAN

US slaps sanctions on Iran, ticks off Israel, goes after Russia

  The Trump administration on Friday announced new sanctions against Iran, naming 25 entities and individuals connected to the country’s ballistic missiles programme and talked tough on Russia and Israel, veering its foreign policy closer to the mainstream than before.

The administration had put Iran on notice earlier, after it conducted a missile test, and President Donald Trump wrote on Twitter, “Iran is playing with fire - they don’t appreciate how ‘kind’ President Obama was to them. Not me!”
Just hours later, his administration announced the new sanctions. This is mainstream US foreign policy, as is being tough on Russia, which the US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, was in her maiden speech at the Security Council. The Crimea-related sanctions will remain till Russia backed out, she said.
The Trump White House also steered its West Asia policy closer to that of the position of all recent administrations, telling Israel on Thursday expanding the contentious settlements will not help in achieving the goal of peace.
“US foreign policy shows signs of shift to constancy after 2 weeks of gobsmackers,” Strobe Talbott, president of Brookings, a leading US think-tank, noted in a Tweet with a link to a news article making that same argument.
Trump’s first two weeks in office were marked by exchange of unconditional love with leaders of Israel and Russia and angry phone calls with leaders of close allies Australia — he didn’t hang up, his officials are insisting — and Mexico.
There was also the usual saber-rattling directed at China, starting with Trump — before he assumed office — accepting a congratulatory call from the president of Taiwan, upending America’s decades-long one-China policy.
The Thursday turnaround came the day Rex Tillerson took charge as secretary of state. Though it wasn’t clear if he had anything to do with it, he and defense secretary James Mattis are expected to be a moderating influence on Trump.
Mattis, on his first trip since taking over the Pentagon, reaffirmed America’s commitment to its mutual defence treaty with Japan when he met Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo on Friday. Earlier in the South Korean capital of Seoul, Mattis said any nuclear attack by North Korea would trigger an “effective and overwhelming” response as he sought to reassure Asian allies.
The White House statement on Israel said “the construction of new settlements or the expansion of existing settlements beyond their current borders may not be helpful in achieving that goal (of peace)”.
Unlike past presidents, Trump doesn’t see Israel’s settlements in occupied territories as an impediment to peace, and the statement made that point but also, very gently and very noticeably, asked Israel to refrain from fresh expansions.
Israel has announced thousands of new housing units in existing settlements since Trump’s inauguration. But earlier this week, it spoke of plans to construct an altogether new settlement in West Bank, a first in decades, expanding the boundaries.
The White House statement said Trump will be discussing these and other issues with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had shared a publicly prickly relationship with former President Barack Obama, when they meet on February 15.
On Russia, the Trump administration was more forthright and plain. “The United States continues to condemn and calls for an immediate end to the Russian occupation of Crimea,” Haley said, adding, “Crimea is a part of Ukraine. Our Crimea-related sanctions will remain in place until Russia returns control over the peninsula to Ukraine.” Hers were the harshest remarks yet from an administration widely seen as soft on Russia.
On Iran, the administration was predictably tougher, as Trump had himself vowed to be as a candidate. National Security Adviser Michael Flynn told reporters on Wednesday the US was putting Iran on notice after it conducted a missile test on January 29.
“As of today, we are officially putting Iran on notice,” Flynn told reporters at the White House news briefing on Wednesday, without tying it to a specific reason. He had no spelt out the consequences for Iran for failing to abide by the notice.
Senior officials had indicated on background than an entire range of options were available and did not deny or confirm if they included the use of military. Sanctions, a tool used before by past administration, was certainly among them.

ACHE DIN ANE WALA HE

Rocking the youngest of his five children in his arms, street vendor Daata Ram watches his wife tend to two sick cows whose milk once supplemented their meagre income.
The 66-year-old’s family of seven survives on what he now makes by selling small quantities of puffed rice in Pandra Sikanpur, a one-street, hardscrabble town of 5,000 in Uttar Pradesh.
“I took a loan of Rs 30,000 to buy those cows but I think they are no good now,” says Ram, who uses a fourth of his monthly earnings of Rs5000-6000 to repay the local moneylender.
Across the street from Ram’s thatched hut is the sprawling house of Neeraj Kumar Singh, a well-off sugarcane farmer who lost multiple crops to back-to-back droughts three years ago, and then suffered when farm prices crashed last year.
“It takes two harvesting seasons to recover the loss of one,” says Singh who wants his sons to find jobs outside farming so that their lives wouldn’t be held ransom to the vagaries of nature.
But his four children have found no jobs, and the 60-year-old farmer is angry that he must now divide his 10 acres of cropland to secure their future.
Daata Ram and Singh sit on different points on the country’s income spectrum but, in their collective discontent, the two symbolise the rising pressure on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to deliver on his emotive election vow to bring ‘achhe din’, or good times, to Indians.
The Feb. 1 budget was a chance for Modi to unveil measures that would fulfil his 2014 guarantee of growth and more jobs, a task made all the more tough by his abrupt decision to drain out 86% of all cash in the economy in his fight against illicit wealth.
It’s also a challenge that is urgent, given that Modi has already crossed the halfway point of his tenure.
Read | Budget 2017: Akhilesh says BJP could not fulfil promise of ‘achhe din’
To his admirers, though, Modi has already made great strides – from reinvigorating the ossified hand of a government system that hobbled progress to biting the bullet on tough decisions needed to pull India’s economy out of a dangerous morass.
Many of his moves on inclusive, accountable governance and a freer hand to bureaucracy have resonated well with Indians tired of a rudderless government mired in corruption scandals and whose indecisiveness had left more than 700 major industry projects in limbo.

Rambir Rathi , a Uttar Pradesh farmer at home (Vipin Kumar/HT PHOTO)

Growing economy
Some of that good work is showing.
The country’s annualised retail inflation is below the mid-point of the central bank’s target; public finances are better than before with higher income from taxes, monsoon-sown grain production is the highest in at least 14 years and the economy is more open to business than it has ever been. In its first two years, the government cleared more economic reforms – including deregulating diesel prices, cutting cooking gas subsidy and making it easier for companies to exit business – than in the last five years of the previous government. Millions more have been brought into the country’s banking system and the government has pushed digitisation.
In the latest budget, the government also announced incentives to labour-intensive sectors such as clothing and leather along with spending more on projects like roads, railways, low-cost housing and irrigation.

“I will give the Prime Minister two out of 10. Even 2 seems two much. I feel like giving only one. Modi’s foreign policy is good . The one point is just for that.”

But Modi’s critics say much of this is old wine in a new bottle, minor cosmetic tweaks that haven’t put India on the path of a paradigm shift the prime minister had promised.
Economic growth hasn’t created enough jobs because of lack of investment, income inequality has grown, farm distress has soared and the cash ban has only worsened the economic outlook in the immediate term. Credit to industry remains flat and, despite higher farm credit target, disbursement levels have dipped as banks seek to avoid bad loans.
Even for some Modi fans like Rambir Rathi, a sugarcane farmer in Uttar Pradesh’s Baghpat, the dream of “achhe din” is coming unstruck.
“I voted for Modi. Farmers like us were promised Rs 500 for a quintal of sugarcane instead of the Rs 315 we were receiving then. I believed in him,” says the father of two.
“They told us our dues would be paid by the sugar mill owners but look what has happened. The rate is the same. Our dues remain unpaid.”
Asked to rate Modi’s governance of more than two years, Rathi gives the prime minister two on 10.
“Do bhi jyada hai. Mann toh nahin karta hai ek bhi dene ko (Even two is too much. I don’t feel like giving him even one),” he says, adding Modi had only done well on dealing with Pakistan.