T’gana urges Centre to reconsider GST hike on textiles, handlooms

TB Team
-
0
T’gana urges Centre to reconsider GST hike on textiles, handlooms

The Telangana government has demanded the Centre to reconsider the decision of increasing GST on textile and handloom sectors.

In a letter to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Telangana’s Industry Minister K.T. Rama Rao has appealed her not to take this proposal forward in the GST Council meeting which will be chaired by her on Friday.

He said the industry and weaver community have staged several protests demanding the Union government to waive off the 5 per cent GST on handloom products and its raw material, instead the Centre is planning to increase it to 12 per cent from January 1, 2022, which will strike a death knell to the industry and lakhs of people will lose their jobs.

The textile and handloom sector provide the second highest employment in our country. This sector is already bearing the brunt of Covid-19 and the Union government has not even provided any relief to the sector. Considering the current scenario, the Centre must extend additional advantages and incentives to the sector, said KTR, as the Minister is popularly known.

He added that the increase in GST will impact about 80-85 per cent of the handloom and textile production. As it is, cost of raw materials, yarn, chemicals, packaging material and transportation have gone up substantially post-Covid. In addition to these costs, the increase in GST will further escalate the production costs by 15 to 20 per cent.

“This would adversely impact the demand, which is essential for the survival of the industry. Due to this there is danger of many textiles and apparels units closing down. There is every possibility of 15 lakh people losing their jobs in the handlooms sector due to the increase in GST, the Minister said.

“This will put an additional burden on the middle-income groups, which usually buy garments with a budget of Rs 1000,” he added.

KTR said the Central government, which had failed in fulfilling the promise of providing two crore jobs every year, must withdraw the decision to increase the GST as it would impact the employment of crores of people in the handlooms and textiles sector.

Considering the Covid-19 infection, the Centre must extend all support to handlooms and textiles sector. But on the contrary, it was serving a death knell on the sector through a hike in GST which is highly condemnable, he added.

Due to the Central government’s policies, the country was registering marginal growth in the sector compared to smaller countries like Bangladesh. All this despite there being tremendous scope for growth in the sector and the decision to increase GST will affect getting international investments, KTR said.

The Minister added that the farmers have already taken to the streets and forced a rollback of ill-conceived farm laws. He urged the Centre to immediately withdraw the decision to increase GST on textiles and handlooms otherwise weavers of this country will repeat what their farmer brethren have done.

Malegaon 2008 case: End threats, enticement of witnesses, urges Congress

TB Team
-
0
Malegaon 2008 case: End threats, enticement of witnesses, urges Congress

In a significant development, the Maharashtra Congress on Thursday urged the Maha Vikas Aghadi government to ensure that the witnesses in the sensitive Malegaon 2008 blasts case “are not pressurised, threatened or enticed”.

In a letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Home Minister Dilip Walse-Patil, Congress state Working President Arif Naseem Khan said the terror case has prominent names as prime accused, including Bharatiya Janata Party MP Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, Col. P.S. Purohit, retired Major Ramesh Upadhyay, Dayanand Pandey and several others.

“I have learnt that in order to save all these accused in the Malegaon 2008 bomb blast case, some organisations and individuals are threatening, pressurising and luring the witnesses to make them ‘hostile’ before the court,” Khan said.

The blast occurred in Malegaon on September 29, 2008, near a mosque when Muslims were offering prayers, and left at least nine dead and another more than 80 injured, and the subsequent probe revealed the involvement of what was called ‘saffron terror groups’.

Khan urged Thackeray and Walse-Patil that such groups or persons should be investigated by a high-level committee and stringent action must be initiated against them for influencing or harassing the witnesses.

The case was probed by the Maharashtra Anti Terrorist Squad and later taken over by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), and has a total of 495 witnesses.

From these, 220 witnesses have already testified, out of which 15 have already been declared ‘hostile’, with the likelihood of more witnesses going against the probe agency owing to pressures exerted by some organisations and persons, Khan pointed out.

The Congress leader said that Walse-Patil had assured he would do the needful in the matter in order to ensure a free and fair trial at the day-to-day hearing before a Special Court.

Khan’s letter assumes significance, coming a day after a witness in the case made a shocking claim that he was allegedly detained for a week by the ATS in 2008 and then compelled to name five RSS leaders, including Yogi Adityanath, who is now Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.

The witness, who is one of the trustees of Abhinav Bharat, a right-wing group, also contended that the ATS did not record his statement though the agency had attached his purported five-pager statement in its charge sheet filed in 2009.

During the cross-examination, the witness named Adityanath, Swami Aseemanand, Indresh Kumar, a Prof. Deodhar and one Kakaji, whose names he was allegedly forced to take by one police official Chavan, DCP Shrirao and an IPS officer Param Bir Singh.

PM to release Rs 20K cr to more than 10 cr beneficiaries under PM-KISAN

TB Team
-
0
PM to release Rs 20K cr to more than 10 cr beneficiaries under PM-KISAN

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will release the 10th instalment of financial benefits under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN), transferring more than Rs 20,000 crore to nearly 10 crore beneficiary farmer families on January 1, 2022.

Under the PM-KISAN scheme, a financial benefit of Rs 6,000 per year is provided to the eligible beneficiary farmer families, payable in three equal 4-monthly instalments of Rs 2000 each. The fund is transferred directly to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries.

Samman Rashi of over Rs 1.6 lakh crore has been transferred to farmer families so far.

During the programme, Prime Minister will also release an equity grant of more than Rs 14 crore to about 351 Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), which will benefit more than 1.24 lakh farmers.

The Prime Minister will interact with FPOs during the event and will also address the nation. Union Agriculture Minister will also be present on the occasion.

PM to inaugurate, lay foundation stones of 23 projects in U’khand

TB Team
-
0
PM to inaugurate, lay foundation stones of 23 projects in U’khand

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate and lay the foundation stones of 23 projects worth over Rs 17,500 crore in Haldwani, Uttarakhand on Thursday.

Among the 23 projects, 17 projects worth over Rs 14,100 crore cover a wide array of sectors/areas across the state including irrigation, road, housing, health infrastructure, industry, sanitation, drinking water supply among others.

The Prime Minister will inaugurate six projects, including multiple road widening projects, a hydropower project in Pithoragarh and projects to improve sewerage network in Nainital.

The cumulative cost of the projects being inaugurated is over Rs 3,400 crore.

Modi will lay the foundation stone of the Lakhwar Multipurpose Project to be built at the cost of about Rs 5,750 crore. This project was first conceived in 1976 and had been pending for many years.

Modi’s “vision to prioritise long pending projects is the force behind the project’s foundation stone being laid. This project of national importance will enable irrigation of about 34,000 hectare additional land, produce 300 MW hydro power and supply drinking water to the six states of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan”, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement.

To improve connectivity at far flung places of the country, inauguration and foundation stone laying of multiple road sector projects worth about Rs 8,700 crore would be done.

Further, foundation stones of multiple road projects all across the state under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna would also be laid by the Prime Minister.

The projects include laying of 133 rural roads with a total length of 1,157 km at cost of more than Rs 625 crore and construction of 151 bridges at a cost of about Rs 450 crores.

The Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone of AIIMS Rishikesh satellite centre in Udham Singh Nagar district and Jagjivan Ram Government Medical College at Pithoragarh. These two hospitals are being built at a cost of about Rs 500 crore and Rs 450 crore, respectively.

The improved medical infrastructure will not only help the people of Kumaon and Terai regions but also the bordering areas of Uttar Pradesh.

The Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone of ‘Aroma Park’ at Kashipur and Plastic Industrial Park at Sitarganj and multiple other initiatives in housing, sanitation and drinking water supply across the state.

BJP minority morcha to appoint social media warriors at block level

TB Team
-
0
BJP minority morcha to appoint social media warriors at block level

In an attempt to spread the work of the Narendra Modi-led Central government, the BJP minority morcha has started appointing social media warriors at the block level, focussing on the five poll-bound states.

“Our target is to appoint social media warriors at the mandal (block) level. To complete the process of appointment at the earliest, all the state units have been asked to appoint social media warriors at block level,” Jamal Siddiqui, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) minority morcha national president, said.

The social media warriors will discuss and make people aware of the work of the Central government with an emphasis on the minority welfare initiatives.

Five poll-bound states — Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur have been asked to complete the process by January 15.

BJP minority morcha national media in-charge Syed Yasir Jilani said that the morcha will prepare a strategy to increase its presence on social media following the guidelines issued by the Centre.

“It is the responsibility of social media warriors to spread the work of the Modi government, especially the welfare initiatives for minorities in the country in the last seven years. All the five poll- bound states have been asked to complete the process by January 15. Rest of the state units have asked to appoint social media warriors by the end of January,” Jilani said.

A training programme of social media in-charges of minority morcha of all the state units was held on Monday.

In view of the upcoming elections in five states, the social media in-charges of minority morcha of all the state units were imparted training about how to reach out to the people by using various social media platforms.

It was learnt that these social media warriors will tell the minority voters about the Narendra Modi government’s initiatives to educate and promote economic empowerment of the communities along with other social welfare measures.

The national and state office bearers of the minority morcha will also visit all district and block level to impart training to social media warriors.

Two ministers inducted into Khattar govt in Haryana

TB Team
-
0
Two ministers inducted into Khattar govt in Haryana

The Manohar Lal Khattar-led Haryana’s council of ministers was expanded on Tuesday with the induction of BJP’s Kamal Gupta and Jannayak Janata Party’s (JJP) Devendra Babli as Cabinet ministers.

The induction takes the strength of Khattar’s council of ministers to 14, comprising the Chief Minister and his deputy Dushyant Chautala.

Governor Bandaru Dattatraya administered the oath of office and secrecy to them at the swearing-in ceremony held at Raj Bhavan here.

While Gupta took oath in Sanskrit, Babli took it in Hindi.

Besides Khattar and Chautala, other ministers, Assembly Speaker Gian Chand Gupta, Deputy Speaker Ranbir Gangwa, senior leaders, administrative and police officers, besides family members of the ministers who took oath, were present on the occasion.

Excel in technology but remember human element: Modi

TB Team
-
0
Excel in technology but remember human element: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday asked the students and the youth to excel in technology but not to forget the human element.

Speaking at the 54th convocation of IIT Kanpur, the Prime Minister said, “Technology has its own strength but you should not forget the human element. Do not become a robotic version of yourself. Do not forget emotions and there should be no password for kindness. Artificial intelligence is fine but human intelligence must also be given importance.”

He said that in life, there will be a choice between comfort and challenge but you must always opt for challenge because that is what that will take you forward.

“It is a great moment that when India will celebrate 100 years of Independence, you will be a part of its journey. In the past seven years, there have been startups, stand-ups and Atal Innovation Mission that provides immense opportunities. We have removed policy blockades. Today, India is the second biggest nation with 50,000 startups and third with 75 unicorns.”

The Prime Minister said that nearly every sector today is driven by technology and you have a vast canvas to realise your dreams. You can give direction and momentum to the nation.

“You can play a key role in the future of the country. Now is the time to be ‘aatmanirbhar’-even your parents will want you to stand on your own feet,” he said.

The Prime Minister conveyed his good wishes to the students for a bright future and said that his government would be ever ready to help them.

The students were issued digital degrees through an in-house blockchain-driven technology developed at the institute under the National Blockchain Project.

PM reviews ‘Made in India’ low-cost landslide monitoring system at Mandi

TB Team
-
0
PM reviews ‘Made in India’ low-cost landslide monitoring system at Mandi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday reviewed the Landslide Monitoring and Early Warning System developed by the Indian Institute of Technology, Mandi during his visit to Himachal Pradesh.

Developed by IIT Mandi’s Associate Professor, School of Computing and Electrical Engineering, Dr Varun Dutt and Assistant Professor, School of Engineering, Dr K.V. Uday, the device is a low-cost alternative to conventionally used monitoring systems and reduces landslides by predicting the soil movement in advance.

“The Landslide Monitoring System provides soil movement alerts via hooters and blinkers installed on the road remotely via text message. Additionally, the system sends rainfall alerts in advance if more than 5 mm of rain is predicted. Landslides are predicted 10 minutes before they actually occur by monitoring changes in soil movement. The system also predicts extreme weather events with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning,” said a release from IIT, Mandi.

The prototypical device was first deployed in July-August 2017 at an active landslide area on the Gharpa hill near IIT Mandi’s Kamand campus. The first field deployment was at Kotropi Landslide in 2018 with the support from the Mandi district administration.

The device’s utility was witnessed on July 27, 2018, when a tragedy was averted at Kotropi along the Mandi-Joginder Nagar national highway due to rains and a flash flood by the system.

Minutes before the disaster, the system issued a warning prompting the police to stop road traffic before a flash flood. The road was washed away due to the flash flood, but no one on the road was affected due to the timely warning, the release said.

The selling price of the system with its sensors and alerting mechanism is about Rs 1 lakh, which is nearly 200 times lower than a conventional counterpart that runs into crores of rupees. Four patents have been filed on the developed system and it will be made commercially available via a faculty-led startup, Intiot Services Pvt Ltd, India.

Until now, 18 systems have been deployed in Mandi district apart from three systems in Balianala (Nainital district), Uttarakhand, three at Dharampur along the Kalka-Shimla track of the Indian Railways, and, three systems at Sirmaur district, Himachal Pradesh.

Several other deployments are in the pipeline in several districts in Himachal Pradesh and Maharashtra.

Landslides are the third biggest natural disasters in the world, with India experiencing the biggest bulk of them – 15 per cent of India is prone to landslides. More than 5,000 people are buried alive every year globally.

Telangana HC reserves orders on MP’s plea to cancel Jagan’s bail

TB Team
-
0
Telangana HC reserves orders on MP’s plea to cancel Jagan’s bail

The Telangana High Court on Monday reserved its orders on a petition to cancel the bail given to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and MP V. Vijaya Sai Reddy in the quid pro quo case.

The court was hearing a petition filed by rebel YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) MP K. Raghu Ramakrishna Raju, challenging the CBI court’s order dismissing his petition for cancelling the bail of Jagan Mohan Reddy.

The MP’s counsel argued that Jagan Mohan Reddy is in a position where he can influence the witnesses.

During the hearing, the High Court enquired about the Central Bureau of Investigation’s stand on the issue. The agency, however, submitted that there is no change in the situation since the CBI court pronounced its orders. After hearing arguments from both sides, the court reserved its orders.

In September, the CBI court had dismissed the petitions of Raju seeking cancellation of bail of Jagan and his close aide Vijaya Sai on the ground of alleged violation of bail conditions.

Raju, a member of Lok Sabha from Narsapur, had also voiced the apprehension that Jagan Mohan Reddy may try to influence the witnesses in the case.

However, both Jagan Mohan Reddy and Vijaya Sai Reddy had submitted to the court that they did not violate any bail conditions. They claimed that Raju filed the petitions for political and personal gains.

In his counter-affidavit, Jagan Mohan Reddy alleged that Raju is trying to use the court as a platform to settle personal scores. He described the MP as a dishonest man, who defrauded banks.

Describing Raju’s petition as an attempt to tarnish his reputation, Jagan had claimed that the petitioner failed to make out a case for cancellation of bail.

Central govt freezes bank accounts of Missionaries of Charity

TB Team
-
0
Central govt freezes bank accounts of Missionaries of Charity

In a significant development, the central government has frozen all the bank accounts of Missionaries of Charity — the non-profit organisation formed by Mother Teresa to help the people.

The central authorities issued orders on Sunday evening to cease all transactions through these bank accounts across India, leaving 22,000 patients and people without any treatment and food.

Though the authorities of Missionaries of Charity were not ready to say anything, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed shock at the behaviour of the central government.

“Shocked to hear that on Christmas, the Union Ministry FROZE ALL BANK ACCOUNTS of Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity in India! Their 22,000 patients & employees have been left without food & medicines.

“While the law is paramount, humanitarian efforts must not be compromised,” she wrote on her verified Twitter account.

CPM leader Surya Kanta Mishra wrote on Twitter, “Yesterday, Christmas Day the Union Ministry FROZED ALL BANK ACCOUNTS of Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity. The Govt has frozen all the accounts in India, including cash in hand. Their 22,000 patients, including employees, are left without food and medicines.”

Though the Missionaries of Charity was not ready to say anything, sources privy to the development said that there were some complaints against the organisation and the central government was keeping an eye on some of its bank accounts. The central government froze all the accounts of the organisation to carry on with the investigation.

1...767778...162Page 77 of 162