<p>Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday tabled the economic survey in Parliament which noted that the reform measures undertaken in 2017-18 can be strengthened further in 2018-19. The survey points out that India can be rated as among the best performing economies in the world as the average growth during last three years is around four percentage points higher than global growth and nearly three percentage points higher than that of emerging market and developing economies.</p>

<p>It said that the GDP growth has averaged 7.3 per cent from 2014-15 to 2017-18, which is the highest among the major economies of the world.</p>

<p>Here are the key takeaways from economic survey 2017-18:</p>

<p><strong>GROWTH</strong></p>

<ul>
	<li>India&#39;s gross domestic product (GDP) growth for 2018-19 pegged at 7-7.5 per cent, current high oil prices a major concern.</li>
	<li>GDP to expand by 6.75% in 2017-18, re-instating India as world&#39;s fastest growing major economy.</li>
	<li>Economic management will be challenging in the coming year.</li>
	<li>Biggest source of upside to growth to be from exports.</li>
	<li>Cyclical conditions may lead to lower tax and non-tax revenues in 2017-18.</li>
	<li>Private investment poised for rebound.</li>
	<li>2017-18 farm sector growth seen at 2.1 per cent.</li>
</ul>

<p><strong>FISCAL DEFICIT</strong></p>

<ul>
	<li>Target for fiscal consolidation specially in a pre-election year can carry a high risk of credibility</li>
	<li>Current account deficit for 2017/18 expected to average 1.5-2 per cent of GDP</li>
	<li>Pause in general govt fiscal consolidation cannot be ruled out in 2017-18</li>
	<li>Suggests modest (fiscal) consolidation that signals a return to the path of gradual but steady deficit reductions</li>
</ul>

<p><strong>INFLATION, POLICY RATES</strong></p>

<ul>
	<li>Persistently high oil prices remain a key risk, to affect inflation</li>
	<li>If inflation doesn`t deviate from current levels policy rates can be expected to remain stable</li>
	<li>Average CPI inflation seen at 3.7 per cent in 2017-18</li>
</ul>

<p><strong>OTHER HIGHLIGHTS</strong></p>

<ul>
	<li>Economy accelerated in second half of current fiscal due to GST, bank recapitalisation, liberalisation of FDI and higher exports.</li>
	<li>Gross Value Added (GVA) expected to grow by 6.1 per cent in 2017-18 as compared to 6.6 per cent in 2016-17.</li>
	<li>Preliminary analysis of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) data reveals 50% increase in the number of indirect taxpayers.</li>
	<li>There is need to address pendency, delays and backlogs in the appellate and judicial arenas.</li>
	<li>&quot;Policy vigilance&quot; in coming year if high oil prices persist or stock prices correct sharply.</li>
	<li>India has performed better on 14 out of 17 key indicators.</li>
</ul>


The survey points out that India can be rated as among the best performing economies in the world as the average growth during last three years is around four percentage points higher than global growth.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday tabled the economic survey in Parliament which noted that the reform measures undertaken in 2017-18 can be strengthened further in 2018-19. The survey points out that India can be rated as among the best performing economies in the world as the average growth during last three years is around four percentage points higher than global growth and nearly three percentage points higher than that of emerging market and developing economies. It said that the GDP growth has averaged 7.3 per cent from 2014-15 to 2017-18, which is the highest among the major economies of the world. Here are the key takeaways from economic survey 2017-18: GROWTH India's gross domestic product (GDP) growth for 2018-19 pegged at 7-7.5 per cent, current high oil prices a major concern. GDP to expand by 6.75% in 2017-18, re-instating India as world's fastest growing major economy. Economic management will be challenging in the coming year. Biggest source of upside to growth to be from exports. Cyclical conditions may lead to lower tax and non-tax revenues in 2017-18. Private investment poised for rebound. 2017-18 farm sector growth seen at 2.1 per cent. FISCAL DEFICIT Target for fiscal consolidation specially in a pre-election year can carry a high risk of credibility Current account deficit for 2017/18 expected to average 1.5-2 per cent of GDP Pause in general govt fiscal consolidation cannot be ruled out in 2017-18 Suggests modest (fiscal) consolidation that signals a return to the path of gradual but steady deficit reductions INFLATION, POLICY RATES Persistently high oil prices remain a key risk, to affect inflation If inflation doesn`t deviate from current levels policy rates can be expected to remain stable Average CPI inflation seen at 3.7 per cent in 2017-18 OTHER HIGHLIGHTS Economy accelerated in second half of current fiscal due to GST, bank recapitalisation, liberalisation of FDI and higher exports. Gross Value Added (GVA) expected to grow by 6.1 per cent in 2017-18 as compared to 6.6 per cent in 2016-17. Preliminary analysis of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) data reveals 50% increase in the number of indirect taxpayers. There is need to address pendency, delays and backlogs in the appellate and judicial arenas. "Policy vigilance" in coming year if high oil prices persist or stock prices correct sharply. India has performed better on 14 out of 17 key indicators.

Big takeaways from economic survey

<p>Finance Minister Arun Jaitley tables the Economic Survey of 2018 in Parliament estimating the real GDP growth to clock 6.75 percent this fiscal year.</p>

<p>The&nbsp;economic survey predicts 7-7.5 percent growth in 2018-19. Employment, education &amp; agriculture will be the focus areas this term, noted Jaitley.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The survey was expected to take a close look at demonetization and the implementation of GST. The online report of the survey shared by Chief Economic Adviser, Arvind Subramanian, notes the following:&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;One of the aims of demonetization and the Goods and Services Tax (GST) was to increase the formalization of the economy and bring more Indians into the income tax net, which includes only about 59.3 million individual taxpayers...&nbsp;Has this happened and to what extent? At first blush, there does seem to have been a substantial increase in the number of new taxpayers.&nbsp;As income growth over time pushes many of the new tax filers over the<br />
threshold, the revenue dividends should increase robustly.&quot;</p>

<p>The online copy of the complete survey has dedicated sections on &#39;State of Indian Economy&#39;, &#39;View of the Indian Economy Through GST&#39;, &#39;Climate, Climate Change and Agriculture&#39;, among others.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The event precedes the presentation of this year&#39;s Budget on February 1 and marks the commencement of the first phase of the budget session.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Economic Survey is the Finance Ministry&#39;s yearly document that reviews the economic development of the country in the past year.</p>

<p>Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramanian shared details about the survey in an official web blog yesterday.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The highlights of the survey will be shared by Mr Subramanian at a press conference at 1:30 pm today.</p>

<p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently hinted at the possibility of this year&#39;s to be non-populist in nature.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The phase 1 of the session will wrap up on February 9. The second phase will take place from March 5 to April 6.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


The Economic Survey will also review the pros and cons of the Modi government's demonetization move carried out in November 2016

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley tables the Economic Survey of 2018 in Parliament estimating the real GDP growth to clock 6.75 percent this fiscal year. The economic survey predicts 7-7.5 percent growth in 2018-19. Employment, education & agriculture will be the focus areas this term, noted Jaitley. The survey was expected to take a close look at demonetization and the implementation of GST. The online report of the survey shared by Chief Economic Adviser, Arvind Subramanian, notes the following: "One of the aims of demonetization and the Goods and Services Tax (GST) was to increase the formalization of the economy and bring more Indians into the income tax net, which includes only about 59.3 million individual taxpayers... Has this happened and to what extent? At first blush, there does seem to have been a substantial increase in the number of new taxpayers. As income growth over time pushes many of the new tax filers over the threshold, the revenue dividends should increase robustly." The online copy of the complete survey has dedicated sections on 'State of Indian Economy', 'View of the Indian Economy Through GST', 'Climate, Climate Change and Agriculture', among others. The event precedes the presentation of this year's Budget on February 1 and marks the commencement of the first phase of the budget session. The Economic Survey is the Finance Ministry's yearly document that reviews the economic development of the country in the past year. Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramanian shared details about the survey in an official web blog yesterday. The highlights of the survey will be shared by Mr Subramanian at a press conference at 1:30 pm today. Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently hinted at the possibility of this year's to be non-populist in nature. The phase 1 of the session will wrap up on February 9. The second phase will take place from March 5 to April 6.

Budget 2018: Arun Jaitley tables Economic Survey in Parliament, predicts 7-7.5% growth in 2018-19

<p>The Economic Survey of 2018 will be released by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today.</p>

<p>The event will precede the presentation of this year&#39;s Budget on February 1.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Finance Ministry&#39;s Chief Economic Adviser, Arvind Subramanian, shared details about the survey in an official web blog yesterday.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">The dedicated web page for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/economicsurvey18?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#economicsurvey18</a> is: <a href="https://t.co/NPqJ4cfR3Y">https://t.co/NPqJ4cfR3Y</a>. Contents and other details will be uploaded after Survey is tabled tomorrow in parliament <a href="https://t.co/MN4YsUg8oK">https://t.co/MN4YsUg8oK</a></p>
&mdash; arvind subramanian (@arvindsubraman) <a href="https://twitter.com/arvindsubraman/status/957610385204396032?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 28, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>The Economic Survey is the Finance Ministry&#39;s yearly document that reviews the economic development of the country in the past year.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Subramanian noted that India is likely to grow at 6.5 per cent in 2017-18, slower than the previous year&#39;s 7.1 per cent expansion according to the official estimates released by the Central Statistics Office&#39;s (CSO&#39;s) earlier this month.&nbsp;</p>

<p>A rebound in household spending and corporate investments is also expected.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Economic Survey will also review the pros and cons of the Modi government&#39;s demonetization move carried out in November 2016.</p>

<p>GST implementation will also be closely looked at.</p>

<p>The survey will also provide statistics on areas like economic growth, employment rate, among others.</p>

<p>The highlights of the survey will be shared by Mr Subramanian at a press conference at 1:30 pm today.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I will be presenting highlights of the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/economicsurvey18?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#economicsurvey18</a> at a press conference at the National Media Center at 130 pm today. <a href="https://t.co/lvVcCTQdLi">https://t.co/lvVcCTQdLi</a></p>
&mdash; arvind subramanian (@arvindsubraman) <a href="https://twitter.com/arvindsubraman/status/957805989897560065?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 29, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/union-budget-2018-its-their-last-budget-naturally-they-would-leave-political-message-says-tharoor-31016">Congress MP Shashi Tharoor</a> recently shared his views on this year&#39;s budget presentation and called it the BJP&#39;s last.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;It&#39;s their last budget, naturally they would leave a political message. Our economy isn&#39;t in good shape. They&#39;ll have to do something for farmers, there&#39;s agricultural stagnation. If they want votes, they&#39;ll have to do something about jobs they promised 4 years ago,&quot; he told media at an event.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">It&#39;s their last budget, naturally they would leave a political message. Our economy isn&#39;t in good shape. They&#39;ll have to do something for farmers, there&#39;s agricultural stagnation. If they want votes, they&#39;ll have to do something about jobs they promised 4 yrs ago: Shashi Tharoor <a href="https://t.co/n2AZbCzDy4">pic.twitter.com/n2AZbCzDy4</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/957673713138245632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 28, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>


Finance Ministry's Chief Economic Adviser shared details about the survey in an official web blog

The Economic Survey of 2018 will be released by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today. The event will precede the presentation of this year's Budget on February 1. Finance Ministry's Chief Economic Adviser, Arvind Subramanian, shared details about the survey in an official web blog yesterday. The dedicated web page for #economicsurvey18 is: https://t.co/NPqJ4cfR3Y. Contents and other details will be uploaded after Survey is tabled tomorrow in parliament https://t.co/MN4YsUg8oK — arvind subramanian (@arvindsubraman) January 28, 2018 × The Economic Survey is the Finance Ministry's yearly document that reviews the economic development of the country in the past year. Subramanian noted that India is likely to grow at 6.5 per cent in 2017-18, slower than the previous year's 7.1 per cent expansion according to the official estimates released by the Central Statistics Office's (CSO's) earlier this month. A rebound in household spending and corporate investments is also expected. The Economic Survey will also review the pros and cons of the Modi government's demonetization move carried out in November 2016. GST implementation will also be closely looked at. The survey will also provide statistics on areas like economic growth, employment rate, among others. The highlights of the survey will be shared by Mr Subramanian at a press conference at 1:30 pm today. I will be presenting highlights of the #economicsurvey18 at a press conference at the National Media Center at 130 pm today. https://t.co/lvVcCTQdLi — arvind subramanian (@arvindsubraman) January 29, 2018 × Congress MP Shashi Tharoor recently shared his views on this year's budget presentation and called it the BJP's last. "It's their last budget, naturally they would leave a political message. Our economy isn't in good shape. They'll have to do something for farmers, there's agricultural stagnation. If they want votes, they'll have to do something about jobs they promised 4 years ago," he told media at an event. It's their last budget, naturally they would leave a political message. Our economy isn't in good shape. They'll have to do something for farmers, there's agricultural stagnation. If they want votes, they'll have to do something about jobs they promised 4 yrs ago: Shashi Tharoor pic.twitter.com/n2AZbCzDy4 — ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2018 ×

Budget Session 2018: Arun Jaitley to present Economic Survey in Parliament today

<p>Ahead of Monday&#39;s Budget Session, the&nbsp;government met leaders of different political parties in Parliament house on Sunday and discussed issues and sought cooperation in the proposed legislation.</p>

<p>The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, union ministers Rajnath Singh, Arun Jaitley and Ananth Kumar, besides leaders of the opposition and other parties.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Pre-Budget Session All-party Meeting underway in Parliament Library Building <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Delhi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Delhi</a> <a href="https://t.co/MdEfIMrtHI">pic.twitter.com/MdEfIMrtHI</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/957589345799581696?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 28, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar termed the all-party meeting &quot;fruitful&quot; and said that the government will do everything possible to ensure the passage of the bill in the Budget Session.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">PM said budget session is very important &amp; government takes very sincerely the suggestions given about it by opposition during discussion in all party meeting: Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar <a href="https://t.co/QYIiMkWqz1">pic.twitter.com/QYIiMkWqz1</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/957596563370422273?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 28, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">We hope the Triple Talaq Bill is passed in Rajya Sabha too. My colleagues &amp; I will leave no stone unturned in talking to and convincing the political parties. The way they have passed GST unanimously, we request them to pass this too unanimously: Ananth Kumar <a href="https://t.co/Yzi2rlF9fZ">pic.twitter.com/Yzi2rlF9fZ</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/957597565658193925?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 28, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Kanimozhi of DMK also said &quot;we&#39;ll continue to demand that Triple Talaq Bill be referred to select committee for deliberation upon some of its contentious clauses. We&#39;ll also raise Ockhi fishermen issue, NEET issue &amp; Women&#39;s Reservation Bill which has not been listed in the business advisory.&quot;</p>

<p>RJD leader Jai Prakash Narayan Yadav raised issues like unemployment, peace and harmony, violence, Dalit oppression&nbsp;in the meeting.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Unemployment is rising. Peace &amp; harmony is being driven out &amp; violence being spread. Nation&#39;s unity is in danger. From Koregaon to Nandangaon to Buxar, Dalits are being oppressed. We raised these issues. We will also raise issues of farmers suicide: Jay Prakash Narayan Yadav, RJD <a href="https://t.co/j6wrwXFXJJ">pic.twitter.com/j6wrwXFXJJ</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/957600395177570305?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 28, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>The budget session of the parliament will begin from January 29&nbsp;and it will end on April 6.</p>

<p>The session will start with President Ram Nath Kovind&#39;s addressing&nbsp;a joint sitting of the two houses.</p>

<p>The much-awaited economic survey will also be presented on the day 1 of the budget session.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The phase 1 of the session will be held from January 29 to February 9. The second phase will take place from March 5 to April 6.</p>

<p>The budget will be tabled by finance minister Arun Jaitley on February 1, making it a first budget to be presented after Goods and Services Tax implementation.</p>

<p>The most important bills of this session would be the&nbsp;commission for backward classes and Triple Talaq bill, which was passed in Lok Sabha but was stalled in the Rajya Sabha.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, union ministers Rajnath Singh, Arun Jaitley and Ananth Kumar, besides leaders of the opposition and other parties

Ahead of Monday's Budget Session, the government met leaders of different political parties in Parliament house on Sunday and discussed issues and sought cooperation in the proposed legislation. The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, union ministers Rajnath Singh, Arun Jaitley and Ananth Kumar, besides leaders of the opposition and other parties. Pre-Budget Session All-party Meeting underway in Parliament Library Building #Delhi pic.twitter.com/MdEfIMrtHI — ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2018 × Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar termed the all-party meeting "fruitful" and said that the government will do everything possible to ensure the passage of the bill in the Budget Session. PM said budget session is very important & government takes very sincerely the suggestions given about it by opposition during discussion in all party meeting: Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar pic.twitter.com/QYIiMkWqz1 — ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2018 × We hope the Triple Talaq Bill is passed in Rajya Sabha too. My colleagues & I will leave no stone unturned in talking to and convincing the political parties. The way they have passed GST unanimously, we request them to pass this too unanimously: Ananth Kumar pic.twitter.com/Yzi2rlF9fZ — ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2018 × Kanimozhi of DMK also said "we'll continue to demand that Triple Talaq Bill be referred to select committee for deliberation upon some of its contentious clauses. We'll also raise Ockhi fishermen issue, NEET issue & Women's Reservation Bill which has not been listed in the business advisory." RJD leader Jai Prakash Narayan Yadav raised issues like unemployment, peace and harmony, violence, Dalit oppression in the meeting. Unemployment is rising. Peace & harmony is being driven out & violence being spread. Nation's unity is in danger. From Koregaon to Nandangaon to Buxar, Dalits are being oppressed. We raised these issues. We will also raise issues of farmers suicide: Jay Prakash Narayan Yadav, RJD pic.twitter.com/j6wrwXFXJJ — ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2018 × The budget session of the parliament will begin from January 29 and it will end on April 6. The session will start with President Ram Nath Kovind's addressing a joint sitting of the two houses. The much-awaited economic survey will also be presented on the day 1 of the budget session. The phase 1 of the session will be held from January 29 to February 9. The second phase will take place from March 5 to April 6. The budget will be tabled by finance minister Arun Jaitley on February 1, making it a first budget to be presented after Goods and Services Tax implementation. The most important bills of this session would be the commission for backward classes and Triple Talaq bill, which was passed in Lok Sabha but was stalled in the Rajya Sabha.

Budget Session today, government hopeful of passing Triple Talaq bill

<p>India Inc today pitched for focus on rapidly improving human capital and agricultural productivity to sustain the economic growth trajectory, while cheering the GDP growth projection of 7-7.5 per cent in 2018-19 laid out by the Economic Survey.</p>

<p>&quot;The Survey provides new ideas for building a positive momentum for growth in the coming year and for faster growth thereafter. It delineates a long-term vision for powering the emergence of a New India which is both transformative and socially inclusive,&quot; CII Director General Chandrajit Banerjee said.</p>

<p>The Survey has rightly alluded that the chief areas of policy focus in the medium term are employment, especially for women; educated and healthy labour force; and raising farm productivity, he added.<br />
&quot;We expect that the Budget will address some of these issues,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>Industry body Assocham said while the Insolvency resolution mechanism has begun in the right earnest, a big vigil needs to be kept and the banks must be given additional capital at the earliest, observing that &quot;until the issue of NPA (non performing assets) is fixed, growth may elude us&quot;.</p>

<p>&quot;Economic Survey for 2017-18 has brought out areas of concern such as rising non-performing assets of the public sector banks and has underlined the need, rightly so, for putting maximum emphasis on creating new jobs, agriculture and education,&quot; Assocham President Sandeep Jajodia said.</p>

<p>He said there is a need to keep a vigil on inflation, particularly in the wake of rising fuel prices and the government must remain steadfast on the path of reforms.</p>

<p>PHD Chamber of Commerce President Anil Khaitan said the focus of the government in the medium term on employment, education and agriculture is encouraging and would foster a sustainable economic environment, going forward.</p>

<p>The Survey tabled in Parliament by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley pegs India to regain fastest growing major economy tag, with the country&#39;s GDP estimated to grow between 7-7.5 per cent in 2018-19. It also estimates the GDP to grow 6.75 per cent in the current fiscal.</p>

<p>Experts and economists too shared their opinion on the Survey.</p>

<p>&quot;Although an uptick in 2018-19 growth has not been ruled out, it is more likely towards the lower end of the range. Evolving domestic and global conditions can swing growth in any direction,&quot; said Devendra Kumar Pant, Chief Economist at India Ratings &amp; Research.</p>

<p>According to Anis Chakravarty, Chief Economist, Deloitte India, with rapidly changing demography and incoming automation, manual jobs may become redundant, and this creates a need to generate opportunities in services domain.</p>

<p>Especially important will be an increased private sector participation as bulk is carried on via government agencies, he said.</p>

<p>Manish Agarwal, Leader?Infrastructure at PwC India said: &quot;The growth in manufacturing is a big positive. Credit offtake, growth in cement, steel etc point to pick-up in capacity creation also. As the pace picks up, the industrial corridors could see faster development.&quot;</p>


India Inc today pitched for focus on rapidly improving human capital and agricultural productivity to sustain the economic growth trajectory, while cheering the GDP growth projection of 7-7.5 per cent in 2018-19 laid out by the Economic Survey

India Inc today pitched for focus on rapidly improving human capital and agricultural productivity to sustain the economic growth trajectory, while cheering the GDP growth projection of 7-7.5 per cent in 2018-19 laid out by the Economic Survey. "The Survey provides new ideas for building a positive momentum for growth in the coming year and for faster growth thereafter. It delineates a long-term vision for powering the emergence of a New India which is both transformative and socially inclusive," CII Director General Chandrajit Banerjee said. The Survey has rightly alluded that the chief areas of policy focus in the medium term are employment, especially for women; educated and healthy labour force; and raising farm productivity, he added. "We expect that the Budget will address some of these issues," he said. Industry body Assocham said while the Insolvency resolution mechanism has begun in the right earnest, a big vigil needs to be kept and the banks must be given additional capital at the earliest, observing that "until the issue of NPA (non performing assets) is fixed, growth may elude us". "Economic Survey for 2017-18 has brought out areas of concern such as rising non-performing assets of the public sector banks and has underlined the need, rightly so, for putting maximum emphasis on creating new jobs, agriculture and education," Assocham President Sandeep Jajodia said. He said there is a need to keep a vigil on inflation, particularly in the wake of rising fuel prices and the government must remain steadfast on the path of reforms. PHD Chamber of Commerce President Anil Khaitan said the focus of the government in the medium term on employment, education and agriculture is encouraging and would foster a sustainable economic environment, going forward. The Survey tabled in Parliament by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley pegs India to regain fastest growing major economy tag, with the country's GDP estimated to grow between 7-7.5 per cent in 2018-19. It also estimates the GDP to grow 6.75 per cent in the current fiscal. Experts and economists too shared their opinion on the Survey. "Although an uptick in 2018-19 growth has not been ruled out, it is more likely towards the lower end of the range. Evolving domestic and global conditions can swing growth in any direction," said Devendra Kumar Pant, Chief Economist at India Ratings & Research. According to Anis Chakravarty, Chief Economist, Deloitte India, with rapidly changing demography and incoming automation, manual jobs may become redundant, and this creates a need to generate opportunities in services domain. Especially important will be an increased private sector participation as bulk is carried on via government agencies, he said. Manish Agarwal, Leader?Infrastructure at PwC India said: "The growth in manufacturing is a big positive. Credit offtake, growth in cement, steel etc point to pick-up in capacity creation also. As the pace picks up, the industrial corridors could see faster development."

India Inc cheers Economic Survey

<p>Days before&nbsp;presenting the Union Budget, the NDA government on Thursday held a pre-budget session in Delhi.</p>

<p>Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley chaired the meeting with Finance Ministers of all states and Union Territories.</p>

<p>Suggestions relating to Union Budget were presented from different state ministers in the meeting.</p>

<p>The Budget session will begin on January 29 and the budget will be presented on February 1.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Delhi: Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley chairs Pre-Budget meeting with Finance Ministers of all states and Union Territories. <a href="https://t.co/ymrSsB8ONF">pic.twitter.com/ymrSsB8ONF</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/953854436241108993?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 18, 2018</a></blockquote>
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In the pre-budget meeting, the finance minister will hear the state ministers from the Union Budget

Days before presenting the Union Budget, the NDA government on Thursday held a pre-budget session in Delhi. Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley chaired the meeting with Finance Ministers of all states and Union Territories. Suggestions relating to Union Budget were presented from different state ministers in the meeting. The Budget session will begin on January 29 and the budget will be presented on February 1. Delhi: Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley chairs Pre-Budget meeting with Finance Ministers of all states and Union Territories. pic.twitter.com/ymrSsB8ONF — ANI (@ANI) January 18, 2018 ×

Arun Jaitley chairs pre-budget meeting in Delhi

<p>The middle class can hope for a big relief in 2018-19 Budget, which will also be the last regular Budget of the NDA government, as the finance ministry is contemplating to hike personal tax exemption limit and tweak the tax slabs, according to sources.</p>

<p>The proposals before the ministry are to hike the tax exemption limit from the existing Rs 2.5 lakh per annum to at least Rs 3 lakh if not 5 lakh, they said.</p>

<p>Besides, the tinkering of tax slab is also being actively considered by the ministry to give substantial relief to middle-income group, especially the salaried class, to help them tide over the impact of retail inflation, which has started inching up.</p>

<p>In the last Budget, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley left the slabs unchanged but gave marginal relief to the small taxpayer by reducing the rate from 10 per cent to 5 per cent for individuals having an annual income between Rs 2.5-5 lakh.</p>

<p>In the next Budget to be unveiled on February 1, the government could lower tax rate by 10 per cent on income between 5-10 lakh, levy 20 per cent rate for income between Rs 10-20 lakh and 30 per cent for income beyond Rs 20 lakh.</p>

<p>At present, there is no tax slab for income between 10-20 lakh.</p>

<p>&quot;Considering the steep rise in the cost of living due to inflation, it is suggested that basic limit for exemption and other income slabs should be enhanced to give benefit to low-income group. The income trigger for peak rate in other countries is significantly higher,&quot; industry chamber CII said in its pre-Budget memorandum to the finance ministry.</p>

<p>Although the industry chambers want the government to reduce peak tax slab to 25 per cent, it is unlikely that the ministry will agree to that due to pressure on fiscal deficit.</p>

<p>The subdued indirect tax collection the following rollout of Goods and Services Tax from July 1 last year has put pressure on the fiscal deficit, which has been pegged at 3.2 per cent of the GDP for 2017-18.</p>

<p>The government recently raised borrowing target by additional Rs 50,000 crore for the current fiscal to meet the shortfall.</p>

<p>According to industry body FICCI, there is a likelihood that demonetisation effects may linger on for some more months and hence there is a need to further boost demand and therefore, the government should consider revision of income tax slabs, by raising the income level on which peak tax rate would trigger.</p>

<p>&quot;This would improve purchasing power and create additional demand. For individual taxpayers, 30 per cent tax rate should be applied only if the income is above Rs 20 lakh. Additionally, interest rates should be lowered to enable affordable finance for conducting business operation and expansion,&quot; it said.</p>

<p>Among other things, chambers have suggested reintroduction of the standard deduction for salaried employees to at least Rs 1 lakh to ease the tax burden of them and keeping in mind the rate of inflation and purchasing power of the salaried individual, which is dependent on salary available for disbursement.</p>

<p>Standard deduction, which was available to the salaried individuals on their taxable income, was abolished with effect from the assessment year 2006-07.</p>


The finance ministry is contemplating to hike personal tax exemption limit and tweak the tax slabs

The middle class can hope for a big relief in 2018-19 Budget, which will also be the last regular Budget of the NDA government, as the finance ministry is contemplating to hike personal tax exemption limit and tweak the tax slabs, according to sources. The proposals before the ministry are to hike the tax exemption limit from the existing Rs 2.5 lakh per annum to at least Rs 3 lakh if not 5 lakh, they said. Besides, the tinkering of tax slab is also being actively considered by the ministry to give substantial relief to middle-income group, especially the salaried class, to help them tide over the impact of retail inflation, which has started inching up. In the last Budget, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley left the slabs unchanged but gave marginal relief to the small taxpayer by reducing the rate from 10 per cent to 5 per cent for individuals having an annual income between Rs 2.5-5 lakh. In the next Budget to be unveiled on February 1, the government could lower tax rate by 10 per cent on income between 5-10 lakh, levy 20 per cent rate for income between Rs 10-20 lakh and 30 per cent for income beyond Rs 20 lakh. At present, there is no tax slab for income between 10-20 lakh. "Considering the steep rise in the cost of living due to inflation, it is suggested that basic limit for exemption and other income slabs should be enhanced to give benefit to low-income group. The income trigger for peak rate in other countries is significantly higher," industry chamber CII said in its pre-Budget memorandum to the finance ministry. Although the industry chambers want the government to reduce peak tax slab to 25 per cent, it is unlikely that the ministry will agree to that due to pressure on fiscal deficit. The subdued indirect tax collection the following rollout of Goods and Services Tax from July 1 last year has put pressure on the fiscal deficit, which has been pegged at 3.2 per cent of the GDP for 2017-18. The government recently raised borrowing target by additional Rs 50,000 crore for the current fiscal to meet the shortfall. According to industry body FICCI, there is a likelihood that demonetisation effects may linger on for some more months and hence there is a need to further boost demand and therefore, the government should consider revision of income tax slabs, by raising the income level on which peak tax rate would trigger. "This would improve purchasing power and create additional demand. For individual taxpayers, 30 per cent tax rate should be applied only if the income is above Rs 20 lakh. Additionally, interest rates should be lowered to enable affordable finance for conducting business operation and expansion," it said. Among other things, chambers have suggested reintroduction of the standard deduction for salaried employees to at least Rs 1 lakh to ease the tax burden of them and keeping in mind the rate of inflation and purchasing power of the salaried individual, which is dependent on salary available for disbursement. Standard deduction, which was available to the salaried individuals on their taxable income, was abolished with effect from the assessment year 2006-07.

Middle class 'can hope for tax relief' in upcoming Budget

<p>NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Rajiv Kumar on Wednesday raised the issue of educated unemployment and the need to&nbsp;generate jobs in the country.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In a meeting held at Delhi, economists and experts pointed out to the rising educated unemployment in the country.&nbsp;</p>

<p>While addressing a press conference after the meeting NITI Aayog VC said&nbsp;&nbsp;&quot;some people pointed that the educated unemployment may be as high as 20 per cent and that is creating a problem. As you educate more people, raise aspirations and you have to provide them jobs.&quot;</p>

<p>He also said that he was hopeful in monitoring the high-frequency data on educated unemployment&nbsp;and will try to improve it by collaborating with the Minister of Labour.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I am hoping NITI Aayog will monitor high frequency data on employment on a regular basis &amp; actually create new data set which is not available as of now. I am trying to create capability in the Aayog hopefully in collaboration with the Min of Labour to trap this data: Rajiv Kumar <a href="https://t.co/Ih8z4rS7CB">pic.twitter.com/Ih8z4rS7CB</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/951106915077009408?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>The experts also called for shifting the focus on agricultural production to raising farmers income by improving productivity, lowering costs, greater efficiency, greater market access, making producers of products rather than commodities.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The meeting which was themed as &quot;Economic Policy- The Road Ahead&quot; was organised&nbsp;in Delhi on Wednesday.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Prime minister Narendra Modi, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley along with 40 economists and sector experts at NITI Aayog&nbsp;held a discussion on subjects relating to macroeconomy, urban development and connectivity.</p>

<p>The experts also held discussion on agriculture, rural development, employment, health, education, manufacturing, exports, and, infrastructure&nbsp;</p>

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He also said that he was hopeful in monitoring the high-frequency data on educated unemployment and will try to improve it by collaborating with the Minister of Labour

NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Rajiv Kumar on Wednesday raised the issue of educated unemployment and the need to generate jobs in the country. In a meeting held at Delhi, economists and experts pointed out to the rising educated unemployment in the country. While addressing a press conference after the meeting NITI Aayog VC said "some people pointed that the educated unemployment may be as high as 20 per cent and that is creating a problem. As you educate more people, raise aspirations and you have to provide them jobs." He also said that he was hopeful in monitoring the high-frequency data on educated unemployment and will try to improve it by collaborating with the Minister of Labour. I am hoping NITI Aayog will monitor high frequency data on employment on a regular basis & actually create new data set which is not available as of now. I am trying to create capability in the Aayog hopefully in collaboration with the Min of Labour to trap this data: Rajiv Kumar pic.twitter.com/Ih8z4rS7CB — ANI (@ANI) January 10, 2018 × The experts also called for shifting the focus on agricultural production to raising farmers income by improving productivity, lowering costs, greater efficiency, greater market access, making producers of products rather than commodities. The meeting which was themed as "Economic Policy- The Road Ahead" was organised in Delhi on Wednesday. Prime minister Narendra Modi, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley along with 40 economists and sector experts at NITI Aayog held a discussion on subjects relating to macroeconomy, urban development and connectivity. The experts also held discussion on agriculture, rural development, employment, health, education, manufacturing, exports, and, infrastructure

Educated unemployment may be as high as 20%: NITI Aayog vice-chairman

<p>Indian shares hit record highs for a third straight session on Tuesday as Coal India Ltd surged after price hikes, but broader gains were capped by losses in IT and financial sectors.</p>

<p>Coal India rose to its highest in 10 months after the company raised prices of non-coking coal across all its units. It expects an incremental revenue of about 19.56 billion rupees ($308 million) for the rest of the current fiscal year.</p>

<p>But caution prevailed ahead of the corporate results season kicking in this week. Tata Consultancy Services is due to post December-quarter results on Thursday, followed by Infosys&nbsp;on Friday.</p>

<p>Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is expected to present the federal budget for the 2018/19 financial year on February 1, amid investor concerns that the government could unveil some populist measures with heavier spending than this year.</p>

<p>&quot;Markets are flattish as there is some volatility due to expectations around budget, corporate results which are starting soon and the global markets,&quot; said Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services.</p>

<p>Broadly, the trend is still very positive, he said.</p>

<p>The broader NSE Nifty was up 0.1 percent at 10,633.50 as of 0616 GMT, after rising as much as 0.33 percent to a record of 10,659.15.</p>

<p>The benchmark BSE Sensex rose 0.26 percent to 34,441.64, after gaining as much as 0.39 percent to 34,487.52, its highest ever.</p>

<p>Among the gainers, energy shares advanced the most, with Nifty energy index rising as much as 0.8 percent. Coal India shares gained 6.1 percent and Reliance Industries Ltd&nbsp;rose 1.3 percent.</p>

<p>ITC Ltd&nbsp;rose 1.7 percent and was among the top contributors to the index gains.</p>

<p>Tata Motors Ltd&nbsp;rose 1.7 percent. Its Jaguar Land Rover unit&#39;s sales rose 7 pct to a record 621,109 vehicles in 2017 but said it faced tough conditions in the UK due to weakening consumer confidence and a planned diesel tax rise on new cars.</p>

<p>Information technology stocks were down with TCS falling 0.6 percent and Wipro &lt;WIPR.NS&gt; losing 1 percent.</p>

<p>Meanwhile, iron ore miner NMDC Ltd dropped 3.9 percent after the government unveiled a plan to sell up to 47.5 million shares in the company.</p>


Indian shares hit record high for a third straight session on Tuesday as Coal India Ltd surged after price hikes

Indian shares hit record highs for a third straight session on Tuesday as Coal India Ltd surged after price hikes, but broader gains were capped by losses in IT and financial sectors. Coal India rose to its highest in 10 months after the company raised prices of non-coking coal across all its units. It expects an incremental revenue of about 19.56 billion rupees ($308 million) for the rest of the current fiscal year. But caution prevailed ahead of the corporate results season kicking in this week. Tata Consultancy Services is due to post December-quarter results on Thursday, followed by Infosys on Friday. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is expected to present the federal budget for the 2018/19 financial year on February 1, amid investor concerns that the government could unveil some populist measures with heavier spending than this year. "Markets are flattish as there is some volatility due to expectations around budget, corporate results which are starting soon and the global markets," said Vinod Nair, Head of Research at Geojit Financial Services. Broadly, the trend is still very positive, he said. The broader NSE Nifty was up 0.1 percent at 10,633.50 as of 0616 GMT, after rising as much as 0.33 percent to a record of 10,659.15. The benchmark BSE Sensex rose 0.26 percent to 34,441.64, after gaining as much as 0.39 percent to 34,487.52, its highest ever. Among the gainers, energy shares advanced the most, with Nifty energy index rising as much as 0.8 percent. Coal India shares gained 6.1 percent and Reliance Industries Ltd rose 1.3 percent. ITC Ltd rose 1.7 percent and was among the top contributors to the index gains. Tata Motors Ltd rose 1.7 percent. Its Jaguar Land Rover unit's sales rose 7 pct to a record 621,109 vehicles in 2017 but said it faced tough conditions in the UK due to weakening consumer confidence and a planned diesel tax rise on new cars. Information technology stocks were down with TCS falling 0.6 percent and Wipro <WIPR.NS> losing 1 percent. Meanwhile, iron ore miner NMDC Ltd dropped 3.9 percent after the government unveiled a plan to sell up to 47.5 million shares in the company.

Sensex hits fresh highs; Coal India surges on price hike

<p>A Delhi court has imposed a cost of Rs 10,000 on AAP leader Ashutosh for &quot;trying to derail the proceedings&quot; in a criminal defamation case filed against him by Arun Jaitley by seeking re-recording of the senior BJP leader&#39;s statement in Hindi.</p>

<p>The court said that the AAP leader moved the application even though he did not have even a &quot;slight discomfiture in English&quot;.</p>

<p>Jaitley had filed the criminal defamation case in 2015 against Ashutosh, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and other AAP leaders -- Kumar Vishwas, Sanjay Singh, Raghav Chadha and Deepak Bajpai -- for allegedly making false statements accusing financial irregularities in the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) of which the BJP leader was the president from 2000 to 2013.</p>

<p>While dismissing Ashutosh&#39;s plea, Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Deepak Sherawat said that the AAP leader&#39;s application was &quot;an attempt to derail the proceedings of the case and waste precious time of the court&quot;.</p>

<p>&quot;The present application seems to be nothing but an attempt to derail the proceedings of the case and waste precious time of the court having moved with no serious or real purpose. First of all, neither the applicant (Ashutosh) nor his pleader (advocate) can be said to be having even a slight discomfiture in English language.</p>

<p>&quot;The applicant is author of well known book in English titled as &#39;Anna: 13 Days That Awakened India&#39; and he can be seen giving interviews in English fay in and day out on English News Channels and elsewhere,&quot; the court said.</p>

<p>It noted that the present application itself was written in English.</p>

<p>The court also noted that the recording of evidence in Hindi was not possible due to infrastructural and technical bottlenecks since the computers being used supported only English software.</p>

<p>&quot;The application has been filed to protract the proceedings and is dismissed with a cost of Rs 10,000,&quot; it said, directing to deposit the amount with the &#39;Army Welfare Fund Battle Causalities&#39;.</p>

<p>The application was opposed by senior advocate Sidharth Luthra and advocate Manoj Taneja on behalf of Jaitley.</p>

<p>Jaitley had earlier charged all the accused persons with making a series of false, scandalous and defamatory allegations, with regard to alleged controversy, claiming that it had adversely affected his reputation.</p>

<p>The AAP leaders had accused Jaitley of financial irregularities in the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) of which he was the president from 2000 to 2013, leading the minister to lodge defamation cases against them.</p>

<p>All the six accused were on March 25, last year put on trial in the case. The notice was framed against the accused under section 500 (punishment for defamation) of the IPC to which they had pleaded not guilty and claimed trial.</p>

<p>Jaitley had filed the complaint alleging that the accused had defamed him.</p>

<p>A civil defamation suit was also filed by Jaitley before the Delhi High Court in the matter seeking Rs 10 crore as damages.&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;</p>


A Delhi court has imposed a cost of Rs 10,000 the AAP leader in a criminal defamation case filed against him by Arun Jaitley by seeking re-recording of the senior BJP leader's statement in Hindi

A Delhi court has imposed a cost of Rs 10,000 on AAP leader Ashutosh for "trying to derail the proceedings" in a criminal defamation case filed against him by Arun Jaitley by seeking re-recording of the senior BJP leader's statement in Hindi. The court said that the AAP leader moved the application even though he did not have even a "slight discomfiture in English". Jaitley had filed the criminal defamation case in 2015 against Ashutosh, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and other AAP leaders -- Kumar Vishwas, Sanjay Singh, Raghav Chadha and Deepak Bajpai -- for allegedly making false statements accusing financial irregularities in the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) of which the BJP leader was the president from 2000 to 2013. While dismissing Ashutosh's plea, Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Deepak Sherawat said that the AAP leader's application was "an attempt to derail the proceedings of the case and waste precious time of the court". "The present application seems to be nothing but an attempt to derail the proceedings of the case and waste precious time of the court having moved with no serious or real purpose. First of all, neither the applicant (Ashutosh) nor his pleader (advocate) can be said to be having even a slight discomfiture in English language. "The applicant is author of well known book in English titled as 'Anna: 13 Days That Awakened India' and he can be seen giving interviews in English fay in and day out on English News Channels and elsewhere," the court said. It noted that the present application itself was written in English. The court also noted that the recording of evidence in Hindi was not possible due to infrastructural and technical bottlenecks since the computers being used supported only English software. "The application has been filed to protract the proceedings and is dismissed with a cost of Rs 10,000," it said, directing to deposit the amount with the 'Army Welfare Fund Battle Causalities'. The application was opposed by senior advocate Sidharth Luthra and advocate Manoj Taneja on behalf of Jaitley. Jaitley had earlier charged all the accused persons with making a series of false, scandalous and defamatory allegations, with regard to alleged controversy, claiming that it had adversely affected his reputation. The AAP leaders had accused Jaitley of financial irregularities in the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) of which he was the president from 2000 to 2013, leading the minister to lodge defamation cases against them. All the six accused were on March 25, last year put on trial in the case. The notice was framed against the accused under section 500 (punishment for defamation) of the IPC to which they had pleaded not guilty and claimed trial. Jaitley had filed the complaint alleging that the accused had defamed him. A civil defamation suit was also filed by Jaitley before the Delhi High Court in the matter seeking Rs 10 crore as damages.

Court fines AAP's Ashutosh for trying to derail proceedings in Arun Jaitley case

<p>Congress president Rahul Gandhi has again found new grounds to attack BJP - this time over India Gross Domestic Product (GDP) or as Gandhi has coined Gross Divisive Politics.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;The GDP is at a 4-year-old low now. Will Prime Minister Modi and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley stop boasting that India is the fastest growing economy?&quot; asked Congress leader Anand Sharma while addressing the media.</p>

<p>Gandhi took to Twitter on Saturday, giving out facts about the current growth projections in the country, while also taking a jibe at finance minister Arun Jaitley and calling him a &quot;genius.&quot;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">FM Jaitley&rsquo;s genius combines with Mr Modi&rsquo;s Gross Divisive Politics (GDP) to give India:<br />
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New Investments: 13 year ?<br />
Bank credit Growth: 63 year ?<br />
Job creation: 8 year ?<br />
Agriculture GVA growth: 1.7%?<br />
Fiscal Deficit: 8 year??<br />
Stalled Projects ??<a href="https://t.co/bZdPnREYiE">https://t.co/bZdPnREYiE</a></p>
&mdash; Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficeOfRG/status/949479733850337280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 6, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;The Congress leader further said the national investment rate has also fallen.</p>

<p>&quot;The state of the economy is a matter of great concern. All the parameters are going down. The national investment rate has also fallen. Manufacturing has come down. The situation is grim and the government has no roadmap for recovery&quot;, he added.</p>

<p>India&rsquo;s economic growth is estimated to slow down to 4-year low of 6.5 per cent this fiscal, the lowest under the NDA regime, mainly due to GST impact on manufacturing and subdued farm output, according to the advance estimates of national accounts.&nbsp;</p>

<p>As per data released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), Real GDP at constant (2011-12) prices in the year 2017-18 is likely to attain a level of Rs 129.85 lakh crore, as against the Provisional Estimate of GDP for the year 2016-17 of Rs 121.90 lakh crore, released on May 31, 2017.</p>

<p>The sectors, which registered a growth rate of over 7.0 per cent, include public administration, defence and other services, trade, hotels, transport, communication and services related to broadcasting, electricity, gas, water supply and other utility services and financial, real estate and professional services.</p>

<p>Gandhi has continuously attacked Modi&#39;s implementation of demonetisation and Goods and Services Tax, dubbing it as Gabbar Singh Tax.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The war is set to continue a few more states will go o polls in 2018, ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha poll</p>


The growth in GDP during 2017-18 is estimated at 6.5 per cent, as compared to the growth rate of 7.1 per cent in 2016-17, the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation had noted on Friday

Congress president Rahul Gandhi has again found new grounds to attack BJP - this time over India Gross Domestic Product (GDP) or as Gandhi has coined Gross Divisive Politics. "The GDP is at a 4-year-old low now. Will Prime Minister Modi and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley stop boasting that India is the fastest growing economy?" asked Congress leader Anand Sharma while addressing the media. Gandhi took to Twitter on Saturday, giving out facts about the current growth projections in the country, while also taking a jibe at finance minister Arun Jaitley and calling him a "genius." FM Jaitley’s genius combines with Mr Modi’s Gross Divisive Politics (GDP) to give India: New Investments: 13 year ? Bank credit Growth: 63 year ? Job creation: 8 year ? Agriculture GVA growth: 1.7%? Fiscal Deficit: 8 year?? Stalled Projects ??https://t.co/bZdPnREYiE — Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) January 6, 2018 × The Congress leader further said the national investment rate has also fallen. "The state of the economy is a matter of great concern. All the parameters are going down. The national investment rate has also fallen. Manufacturing has come down. The situation is grim and the government has no roadmap for recovery", he added. India’s economic growth is estimated to slow down to 4-year low of 6.5 per cent this fiscal, the lowest under the NDA regime, mainly due to GST impact on manufacturing and subdued farm output, according to the advance estimates of national accounts. As per data released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), Real GDP at constant (2011-12) prices in the year 2017-18 is likely to attain a level of Rs 129.85 lakh crore, as against the Provisional Estimate of GDP for the year 2016-17 of Rs 121.90 lakh crore, released on May 31, 2017. The sectors, which registered a growth rate of over 7.0 per cent, include public administration, defence and other services, trade, hotels, transport, communication and services related to broadcasting, electricity, gas, water supply and other utility services and financial, real estate and professional services. Gandhi has continuously attacked Modi's implementation of demonetisation and Goods and Services Tax, dubbing it as Gabbar Singh Tax. The war is set to continue a few more states will go o polls in 2018, ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha poll

Rahul Gandhi takes a jibe at Modi, Arun Jaitley over GDP projections

<p>The Congress has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley of ignoring economic wisdom and dealing a &quot;catastrophic&quot; blow to India&#39;s growth story.</p>

<p>Party communication in-charge Randeep Surjewala claimed that the double whammy of &quot;Modi Made Disaster of Demonetisation&quot; and the implementation of a flawed GST were responsible for the economy&#39;s downturn.</p>

<p>&quot;An arrogant Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a failed Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, hell-bent upon ignoring economic wisdom, have dealt a catastrophic blow to India&#39;s growth story as proved by the latest GDP estimates slumping from 7.3 per cent to 6.5 per cent,&quot; he said yesterday.</p>

<p>He claimed the truth was that investment had stagnated, job creation was abysmal, exports were in dire straits, stalled projects were burgeoning, inflation remained unchecked and rural distress was at an all-time high.</p>

<p>&quot;Hype, hyperbole and headline management cannot be a substitute to the grim reality on the ground,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>He alleged that 6.5 per cent GDP growth &quot;detailed the failed promise of the prime minister and explained the abject failure of Modinomics&quot;.</p>

<p>He claimed that job creation was the biggest failure of the BJP government and said the labour bureau data showed that job creation was the lowest in 8 years.</p>

<p>&quot;As the government completes four years of its term, the people are seeing through the long distance between rhetoric and reality,&quot; he said, adding the people were watching and would give a befitting political reply when the time arrived.&nbsp;</p>


Randeep Surjewala alleged that 6.5 per cent GDP growth "detailed the failed promise of the prime minister and explained the abject failure of Modinomics".

The Congress has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley of ignoring economic wisdom and dealing a "catastrophic" blow to India's growth story. Party communication in-charge Randeep Surjewala claimed that the double whammy of "Modi Made Disaster of Demonetisation" and the implementation of a flawed GST were responsible for the economy's downturn. "An arrogant Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a failed Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, hell-bent upon ignoring economic wisdom, have dealt a catastrophic blow to India's growth story as proved by the latest GDP estimates slumping from 7.3 per cent to 6.5 per cent," he said yesterday. He claimed the truth was that investment had stagnated, job creation was abysmal, exports were in dire straits, stalled projects were burgeoning, inflation remained unchecked and rural distress was at an all-time high. "Hype, hyperbole and headline management cannot be a substitute to the grim reality on the ground," he said. He alleged that 6.5 per cent GDP growth "detailed the failed promise of the prime minister and explained the abject failure of Modinomics". He claimed that job creation was the biggest failure of the BJP government and said the labour bureau data showed that job creation was the lowest in 8 years. "As the government completes four years of its term, the people are seeing through the long distance between rhetoric and reality," he said, adding the people were watching and would give a befitting political reply when the time arrived.

PM, Jaitley ignoring economic wisdom: Congress

<p>Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu, on Saturday, sent a privilege notice against Congress President Rahul Gandhi to Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan for further action, holding that &quot;prima facie there is an issue of privilege&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;On examination, prima facie there is an issue of privilege,&quot; Naidu said while referring the privilege notice to the Lok Sabha speaker.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Senior BJP MP Bhupendra Yadav had raised an issue of breach of privilege last month against the Congress President.</p>

<p>In his notice, Yadav had said that Gandhi twisted the spelling of Jaitley&rsquo;s surname to &#39;Jaitlie&#39;&nbsp;and it was highly derogatory.</p>

<p>&quot;Dear Mr Jaitlie - thank you for reminding India that our PM never means what he says or says what he means. #BJPLies,&quot; Rahul Gandhi had said while putting out a video of the prime minister&#39;s speech against his predecessor and Jaitley s remarks made in Rajya Sabha.</p>

<p>According to reports, the Rajya Sabha chairperson&#39;s office said that the &ldquo;the breach of privilege stands on the grounds that it imputed motives to the intent, character and conduct of the Leader of the House Arun Jaitley by the way the spelling of Mr. Jaitley has been twisted (it was spelt as Jaitlie in Mr. Gandhi&rsquo;s tweets).&rdquo;</p>

<p>The BJP member said the Congress President had &quot;deliberately twisted&quot; the spelling of Jaitley&#39;s surname to &#39;Jaitlie&#39;, which was &quot;highly derogatory&quot;.</p>

<p>The Congress president, Yadav said, has deliberately misinterpreted the proceedings of Rajya Sabha in order to &quot;malign the government, which constitutes an affront to the dignity of the House&quot;.</p>

<p>He also alleged that it is a deliberate attempt at vitiating the political atmosphere of the country.</p>

<p>Sources further said that the matter was likely to be referred to the privilege committee.&nbsp;</p>

<p>(With inputs from PTI)</p>


In his notice, Yadav had said that Gandhi twisted the spelling of Jaitley?s surname to ?Jaitlie? and it was highly derogatory

Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu, on Saturday, sent a privilege notice against Congress President Rahul Gandhi to Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan for further action, holding that "prima facie there is an issue of privilege". "On examination, prima facie there is an issue of privilege," Naidu said while referring the privilege notice to the Lok Sabha speaker. Senior BJP MP Bhupendra Yadav had raised an issue of breach of privilege last month against the Congress President. In his notice, Yadav had said that Gandhi twisted the spelling of Jaitley’s surname to 'Jaitlie' and it was highly derogatory. "Dear Mr Jaitlie - thank you for reminding India that our PM never means what he says or says what he means. #BJPLies," Rahul Gandhi had said while putting out a video of the prime minister's speech against his predecessor and Jaitley s remarks made in Rajya Sabha. According to reports, the Rajya Sabha chairperson's office said that the “the breach of privilege stands on the grounds that it imputed motives to the intent, character and conduct of the Leader of the House Arun Jaitley by the way the spelling of Mr. Jaitley has been twisted (it was spelt as Jaitlie in Mr. Gandhi’s tweets).” The BJP member said the Congress President had "deliberately twisted" the spelling of Jaitley's surname to 'Jaitlie', which was "highly derogatory". The Congress president, Yadav said, has deliberately misinterpreted the proceedings of Rajya Sabha in order to "malign the government, which constitutes an affront to the dignity of the House". He also alleged that it is a deliberate attempt at vitiating the political atmosphere of the country. Sources further said that the matter was likely to be referred to the privilege committee. (With inputs from PTI)

Venkaiah Naidu sends privilege notice against Rahul Gandhi to Lok Sabha

<p>Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley hit out at the Congress for opposing the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/triple-talaq-bill-tabled-in-rajya-sabha-28436" target="_blank">Triple Talaq Bill</a>.</p>

<p>Jaitley said that the support that the Congress party extended for the Triple Talaq bill in Lok Sabha was a sham. He further blamed the party for disrupting the Upper House and not letting an end to the &quot;injustice&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He said &quot; It is clear that the Congress Party is opposing the Triple Talaq Bill. The support they extended in Lok Sabha was a sham. Today was a golden moment for the House to end the injustice, but because of Congress it could not happen.&quot;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">It is clear that the Congress Party is opposing the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TripleTalaqBill?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TripleTalaqBill</a>. The support they extended in Lok Sabha was a sham. Today was a golden moment for the House to end the injustice, but because of Congress it could not happen : Union Minister Arun Jaitley <a href="https://t.co/6VCnKq8or3">pic.twitter.com/6VCnKq8or3</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/948528094943432705?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Earlier in the Upper House of Parliament, Jaitley called the opposition&#39;s demand of Standing Committee as &quot;invalid Resolution&quot;. He said that such motion should be given 24 hours in advance.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">The house is taken by surprise that a motion is suddenly moved, it has not been submitted a day before. The motion has to be give at least 24 hours in advance: Arun Jaitley on Anand Sharma&#39;s notice <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TripleTalaqBill?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TripleTalaqBill</a> <a href="https://t.co/GbQZw3Nskk">pic.twitter.com/GbQZw3Nskk</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/948494898117754881?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">The whole country is watching that in the other house you supported the bill and in this house you are trying to derail the bill: Arun Jaitley in Rajya Sabha <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TripleTalaqBill?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TripleTalaqBill</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/948495761234251778?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>He also gave reasons for why the bill should not be referred to the Select Committee.</p>

<p>Referring to the six-month injunction to the bill he said that the country expects an urgency from the Parliament. He added that the Legislature must act with a sense of responsibility.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Reason why it should not be referred (to select committee) is that when the practice was declared unconstitutional, 2 of the judges held it as unfair &amp; used their extraordinary power to suspend it for 6 months, which expire on 22 Feb: Arun Jaitley in RS <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TripleTalaqBill?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TripleTalaqBill</a> 1/2</p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/948497931883048960?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Judges said, &#39;we are now suspending it for 6 months &amp; we beseech all parties, therefore within this period come out with apt legislation.&#39; So, there is an urgency that country expects from Parl. Legislature must act with sense of responsibility: Jaitley in RS <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TripleTalaqBill?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TripleTalaqBill</a> 2/2</p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/948498346775162880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Congress leader Kapil Sibal responded to Arun Jaitley.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">He (Arun Jaitley) referred to judgement of SC, I want to correct the record because I appeared in the case on behalf of Muslim Personal Law Board. What he said was in context of the minority judgement: Kapil Sibal, Congress in Rajya Sabha <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TripleTalaqBill?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TripleTalaqBill</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/948499858817613826?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Sibal later said that they agree with the bill, but not with the criminalisation.</p>

<p>He said &quot; We are for this bill, as SC deemed the practice as unconstitutional and that is what the bill says, we agree with it, but when it comes to criminalization, neither minority nor majority judgement (of SC) mentioned it, that is what we oppose.&quot;&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">We are for this bill, as SC deemed the practice as unconstitutional &amp; that is what the bill says, we agree with it, but when it comes to criminalization, neither minority nor majority judgement (of SC) mentioned it, that is what we oppose: Kapil Sibal, Congress <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TripleTalaqBill?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TripleTalaqBill</a> <a href="https://t.co/Th6dkvfmya">pic.twitter.com/Th6dkvfmya</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/948556188848828416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad cited a recent incident of Triple Talaq. He said Congress which supported the Triple Talaq in Lok Sabha took a completely divergent view in Rajya Sabha. He added that the Congress supported the bill in Lok Sabha because&nbsp;they were in less number.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Even y&#39;day, triple talaq happened in UP. Congress which supported <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TripleTalaqBill?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TripleTalaqBill</a> in Lok Sabha, took a completely divergent view in Rajya Sabha. They supported it in LS in compulsion since they were less in no. Let the country know Cong&#39; hypocrisy &amp; double standard: RS Prasad <a href="https://t.co/9UgXx3dBby">pic.twitter.com/9UgXx3dBby</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/948508721931370496?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Trinamool Congress MP Derek O Brien referred to the bill as &quot;faulty&quot; and&nbsp;said that the bill should be consulted with stakeholders.</p>

<p>He said that &quot; We are all for this bill, it is a faulty bill. No womens&#39; groups, stakeholders were consulted. All we ask for is that talk to stakeholders&quot;.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">We are all for this bill, it is a faulty bill. No womens&#39; groups, stakeholders were consulted. All we ask for is that talk to all stakeholders: Trinamool Congress MP Derek O&#39; Brien <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TripleTalaqBill?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TripleTalaqBill</a> <a href="https://t.co/7Dj8GAeD8y">pic.twitter.com/7Dj8GAeD8y</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/948512112350916608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>SP leader Naresh Agrawal doubted on the women who were present in Rajya Sabha to observe the tabling of the bill.</p>

<p>He said &quot; What is the guarantee&nbsp;that the women present (in the Rajya Sabha to observe tabling of Triple Talaq) were Muslim. Did you see? Who knows they might be members of BJP <em>Mahila&nbsp;morcha</em>?</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="hi">Iski kya gurantee hai ki woh Muslim thi? Aapne dekha? Kya pata BJP ke mahila morcha ki sadasya hon?: Naresh Agrawal, SP on Muslim women who were present in Rajya Sabha to observe tabling of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TripleTalaqBil?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TripleTalaqBil</a> <a href="https://t.co/Pz1Gl2zns2">pic.twitter.com/Pz1Gl2zns2</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/948514185113100289?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>The leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said &quot;This government is trying to mislead Muslim women and the general public,&quot;&nbsp;&quot;What are they giving to Muslim women. They are merely projecting themselves as their &#39;messiah&#39;, but they are in fact only trying to befool the Muslim women,&quot; &quot;When the husband of the Muslim woman goes to jail as per the law, who will run the family. We wanted the government to have provisions for the welfare of women.</p>

<p>West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee said &quot;We did not oppose the triple talaq bill because we are for women. I know many Muslims who abide by the law. This bill, brought by the BJP government, is a defective one. &quot;Instead of protecting the Muslim women, it will cause them harm. The BJP is playing petty politics with the bill,&quot;.</p>

<p>The Triple Talaq bill was tabled in the Rajya Sabha today by&nbsp;Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad.</p>

<p>Disruptions followed as soon as the Bill was tabled leading to&nbsp;adjournment of the Upper House&nbsp;till 11 am Thursday.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


The Triple Talaq bill was tabled in the Rajya Sabha today by?Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley hit out at the Congress for opposing the Triple Talaq Bill. Jaitley said that the support that the Congress party extended for the Triple Talaq bill in Lok Sabha was a sham. He further blamed the party for disrupting the Upper House and not letting an end to the "injustice". He said " It is clear that the Congress Party is opposing the Triple Talaq Bill. The support they extended in Lok Sabha was a sham. Today was a golden moment for the House to end the injustice, but because of Congress it could not happen." It is clear that the Congress Party is opposing the #TripleTalaqBill. The support they extended in Lok Sabha was a sham. Today was a golden moment for the House to end the injustice, but because of Congress it could not happen : Union Minister Arun Jaitley pic.twitter.com/6VCnKq8or3 — ANI (@ANI) January 3, 2018 × Earlier in the Upper House of Parliament, Jaitley called the opposition's demand of Standing Committee as "invalid Resolution". He said that such motion should be given 24 hours in advance. The house is taken by surprise that a motion is suddenly moved, it has not been submitted a day before. The motion has to be give at least 24 hours in advance: Arun Jaitley on Anand Sharma's notice #TripleTalaqBill pic.twitter.com/GbQZw3Nskk — ANI (@ANI) January 3, 2018 × The whole country is watching that in the other house you supported the bill and in this house you are trying to derail the bill: Arun Jaitley in Rajya Sabha #TripleTalaqBill — ANI (@ANI) January 3, 2018 × He also gave reasons for why the bill should not be referred to the Select Committee. Referring to the six-month injunction to the bill he said that the country expects an urgency from the Parliament. He added that the Legislature must act with a sense of responsibility. Reason why it should not be referred (to select committee) is that when the practice was declared unconstitutional, 2 of the judges held it as unfair & used their extraordinary power to suspend it for 6 months, which expire on 22 Feb: Arun Jaitley in RS #TripleTalaqBill 1/2 — ANI (@ANI) January 3, 2018 × Judges said, 'we are now suspending it for 6 months & we beseech all parties, therefore within this period come out with apt legislation.' So, there is an urgency that country expects from Parl. Legislature must act with sense of responsibility: Jaitley in RS #TripleTalaqBill 2/2 — ANI (@ANI) January 3, 2018 × Congress leader Kapil Sibal responded to Arun Jaitley. He (Arun Jaitley) referred to judgement of SC, I want to correct the record because I appeared in the case on behalf of Muslim Personal Law Board. What he said was in context of the minority judgement: Kapil Sibal, Congress in Rajya Sabha #TripleTalaqBill — ANI (@ANI) January 3, 2018 × Sibal later said that they agree with the bill, but not with the criminalisation. He said " We are for this bill, as SC deemed the practice as unconstitutional and that is what the bill says, we agree with it, but when it comes to criminalization, neither minority nor majority judgement (of SC) mentioned it, that is what we oppose." We are for this bill, as SC deemed the practice as unconstitutional & that is what the bill says, we agree with it, but when it comes to criminalization, neither minority nor majority judgement (of SC) mentioned it, that is what we oppose: Kapil Sibal, Congress #TripleTalaqBill pic.twitter.com/Th6dkvfmya — ANI (@ANI) January 3, 2018 × Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad cited a recent incident of Triple Talaq. He said Congress which supported the Triple Talaq in Lok Sabha took a completely divergent view in Rajya Sabha. He added that the Congress supported the bill in Lok Sabha because they were in less number. Even y'day, triple talaq happened in UP. Congress which supported #TripleTalaqBill in Lok Sabha, took a completely divergent view in Rajya Sabha. They supported it in LS in compulsion since they were less in no. Let the country know Cong' hypocrisy & double standard: RS Prasad pic.twitter.com/9UgXx3dBby — ANI (@ANI) January 3, 2018 × Trinamool Congress MP Derek O Brien referred to the bill as "faulty" and said that the bill should be consulted with stakeholders. He said that " We are all for this bill, it is a faulty bill. No womens' groups, stakeholders were consulted. All we ask for is that talk to stakeholders". We are all for this bill, it is a faulty bill. No womens' groups, stakeholders were consulted. All we ask for is that talk to all stakeholders: Trinamool Congress MP Derek O' Brien #TripleTalaqBill pic.twitter.com/7Dj8GAeD8y — ANI (@ANI) January 3, 2018 × SP leader Naresh Agrawal doubted on the women who were present in Rajya Sabha to observe the tabling of the bill. He said " What is the guarantee that the women present (in the Rajya Sabha to observe tabling of Triple Talaq) were Muslim. Did you see? Who knows they might be members of BJP Mahila morcha? Iski kya gurantee hai ki woh Muslim thi? Aapne dekha? Kya pata BJP ke mahila morcha ki sadasya hon?: Naresh Agrawal, SP on Muslim women who were present in Rajya Sabha to observe tabling of #TripleTalaqBil pic.twitter.com/Pz1Gl2zns2 — ANI (@ANI) January 3, 2018 × The leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said "This government is trying to mislead Muslim women and the general public," "What are they giving to Muslim women. They are merely projecting themselves as their 'messiah', but they are in fact only trying to befool the Muslim women," "When the husband of the Muslim woman goes to jail as per the law, who will run the family. We wanted the government to have provisions for the welfare of women. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee said "We did not oppose the triple talaq bill because we are for women. I know many Muslims who abide by the law. This bill, brought by the BJP government, is a defective one. "Instead of protecting the Muslim women, it will cause them harm. The BJP is playing petty politics with the bill,". The Triple Talaq bill was tabled in the Rajya Sabha today by Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad. Disruptions followed as soon as the Bill was tabled leading to adjournment of the Upper House till 11 am Thursday.

Government, Opposition spar over triple talaq

<p>Terror-related incidents happened fewer under BJP government than UPA rule, shows an official data accessed by the news agency ANI.</p>

<p>ANI revealed data of Jammu and Kashmir terror incidents which shows how such incidents happened less during&nbsp;BJP government as&nbsp;compared to the UPA government.</p>

<p>More terrorist have been killed by security forces during the BJP government than under UPA.</p>

<p>580 terrorist have been killed since BJP took charge in 2014, though under UPA rule 471 were killed.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">J&amp;K Terror incidents: Acc. to latest official data accessed by ANI more terrorists were killed by security forces during BJP govt than in UPA. BJP Govt (2014,2015,2016&amp;2017) number of terrorists killed were 580 vs UPA govt (2010,2011,2012,2013) no. of terrorists killed were 471.</p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/948136233107988480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 2, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>The data also shows that lesser number of civilians deaths in terrorist-related violence happened under BJP government.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Under BJP rule there were 100 casualties and in UPA&#39;s tenure from 2010 to 2013 there were 108 casualties.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">J&amp;K Terror incidents: Latest official data accessed by ANI there were lesser number of civilians killed in terrorist related violence in BJP govt than UPA. BJP Govt (2014, 2015, 2016 &amp; 2017) there were 100 casualties vs UPA govt (2010, 2011, 2012 &amp; 2013) there were 108 casualties</p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/948136231304445952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 2, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Also in terror-related incidents, it saw a dip under BJP government.</p>

<p>There were 1094 terror-related incidents under BJP government and 1218 incidents under UPA rule.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">J&amp;K Terror Incidents: According to latest official data accessed by ANI there were lesser terror related incidents in BJP govt than UPA govt. BJP (2014, 2015, 2016 &amp; 2017) there were 1094 incidents vs UPA (2010, 2011, 2012 &amp; 2013) there were 1218 incidents.</p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/948136229261864960?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 2, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>In the past,&nbsp; Prime Minister&nbsp;Narendra Modi has repeatedly claimed that terrorism has been reduced especially in Jammu and Kashmir.</p>

<p>On Tuesday, Union Minister Hansraj Ahir announced in Lok Sabha&nbsp;that&nbsp;10,000 crores have been taken aside for internal security related expenditure in Jammu and Kashmir, Northeastern region and the Naxal-hit areas.</p>


Today ANI revealed a data of Jammu and Kashmir terror incidents which shows how such incidents happened less in BJP government in compare to UPA government

Terror-related incidents happened fewer under BJP government than UPA rule, shows an official data accessed by the news agency ANI. ANI revealed data of Jammu and Kashmir terror incidents which shows how such incidents happened less during BJP government as compared to the UPA government. More terrorist have been killed by security forces during the BJP government than under UPA. 580 terrorist have been killed since BJP took charge in 2014, though under UPA rule 471 were killed. J&K Terror incidents: Acc. to latest official data accessed by ANI more terrorists were killed by security forces during BJP govt than in UPA. BJP Govt (2014,2015,2016&2017) number of terrorists killed were 580 vs UPA govt (2010,2011,2012,2013) no. of terrorists killed were 471. — ANI (@ANI) January 2, 2018 × The data also shows that lesser number of civilians deaths in terrorist-related violence happened under BJP government. Under BJP rule there were 100 casualties and in UPA's tenure from 2010 to 2013 there were 108 casualties. J&K Terror incidents: Latest official data accessed by ANI there were lesser number of civilians killed in terrorist related violence in BJP govt than UPA. BJP Govt (2014, 2015, 2016 & 2017) there were 100 casualties vs UPA govt (2010, 2011, 2012 & 2013) there were 108 casualties — ANI (@ANI) January 2, 2018 × Also in terror-related incidents, it saw a dip under BJP government. There were 1094 terror-related incidents under BJP government and 1218 incidents under UPA rule. J&K Terror Incidents: According to latest official data accessed by ANI there were lesser terror related incidents in BJP govt than UPA govt. BJP (2014, 2015, 2016 & 2017) there were 1094 incidents vs UPA (2010, 2011, 2012 & 2013) there were 1218 incidents. — ANI (@ANI) January 2, 2018 × In the past, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has repeatedly claimed that terrorism has been reduced especially in Jammu and Kashmir. On Tuesday, Union Minister Hansraj Ahir announced in Lok Sabha that 10,000 crores have been taken aside for internal security related expenditure in Jammu and Kashmir, Northeastern region and the Naxal-hit areas.

Lesser terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir under BJP rule: Report

<p>Amid reports of the rising presence of bitcoins and other forms of virtual currencies (VCs) in India, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday reiterated that the former are not accepted as a lawful and legal tender in India.</p>

<p>&quot;Since December 24, 2013, the government and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) have maintained the same stand on bitcoins and other forms of virtual currencies. Through multiple notifications, the two parties have notified the public time and again that bitcoins will not be considered lawful or legal tender in India,&quot; Jaitley said while responding to a question raised in the Rajya Sabha earlier today.</p>

<p>Further, Jaitley stated that an expert group was commissioned to look into the matter, adding that a report will be filed by them on the matter.</p>

<p>&quot;The government does not want to take any substantial steps before the report is filed. We will look into the report and then issue corrective measures after a thorough understanding of the situation. We will also take the global scenario into consideration. However, we have clearly stated that dealing with VCs is at one&#39;s own risk,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>When asked on measures taken to protect citizens from the dangers involved in cryptocurrencies and availability of data on the same, Jaitley noted that 11 exchanges have been identified in India, and reiterated that experts groups are looking into the same.</p>

<p>&quot;Bitcoins are not restricted to India; it is a problem world over. There are 785 VCs in operation worldwide presently. Cryptocurrency lacks dependence and function with anonymity within a virtual community. All operations are online. We have identified 11 exchanges dealing with VCs in India. We are awaiting the official report from experts,&quot; said Jaitley.</p>

<p>On a related note, the Ministry of Finance on Friday issued a statement cautioning investors regarding risks of dealing with cryptocurrencies.</p>

<p>Linking them to &#39;Ponzi schemes&#39;, the ministry argued that unlike others, virtual currencies have no intrinsic value and are not backed by any kind of assets. The price of Bitcoin and other VCs, therefore, is entirely based on speculation, which results in spurt and volatility in their prices.</p>

<p>Prior to this, the users, holders, and traders of VCs were cautioned three times, in December 2013, February 2017 and December, 2017, by the RBI about potential financial, operational, legal, customer protection and security related risks that they are exposing themselves to by investing in Bitcoin and/ or other VCs.</p>

<p>For the unversed, Bitcoins are a part of a rising new genre of digital payments called &#39;cryptocurrencies&#39; that work on blockchain technology with no centralised administrator.</p>

<p>This virtual currency emerged in the aftermath of the financial crisis and allows people to bypass banks and traditional payment processes to pay for goods and services.</p>


Arun Jaitley further stated that an expert group was commissioned to look into the matter, adding that a report will be filed by them on the matter

Amid reports of the rising presence of bitcoins and other forms of virtual currencies (VCs) in India, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday reiterated that the former are not accepted as a lawful and legal tender in India. "Since December 24, 2013, the government and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) have maintained the same stand on bitcoins and other forms of virtual currencies. Through multiple notifications, the two parties have notified the public time and again that bitcoins will not be considered lawful or legal tender in India," Jaitley said while responding to a question raised in the Rajya Sabha earlier today. Further, Jaitley stated that an expert group was commissioned to look into the matter, adding that a report will be filed by them on the matter. "The government does not want to take any substantial steps before the report is filed. We will look into the report and then issue corrective measures after a thorough understanding of the situation. We will also take the global scenario into consideration. However, we have clearly stated that dealing with VCs is at one's own risk," he said. When asked on measures taken to protect citizens from the dangers involved in cryptocurrencies and availability of data on the same, Jaitley noted that 11 exchanges have been identified in India, and reiterated that experts groups are looking into the same. "Bitcoins are not restricted to India; it is a problem world over. There are 785 VCs in operation worldwide presently. Cryptocurrency lacks dependence and function with anonymity within a virtual community. All operations are online. We have identified 11 exchanges dealing with VCs in India. We are awaiting the official report from experts," said Jaitley. On a related note, the Ministry of Finance on Friday issued a statement cautioning investors regarding risks of dealing with cryptocurrencies. Linking them to 'Ponzi schemes', the ministry argued that unlike others, virtual currencies have no intrinsic value and are not backed by any kind of assets. The price of Bitcoin and other VCs, therefore, is entirely based on speculation, which results in spurt and volatility in their prices. Prior to this, the users, holders, and traders of VCs were cautioned three times, in December 2013, February 2017 and December, 2017, by the RBI about potential financial, operational, legal, customer protection and security related risks that they are exposing themselves to by investing in Bitcoin and/ or other VCs. For the unversed, Bitcoins are a part of a rising new genre of digital payments called 'cryptocurrencies' that work on blockchain technology with no centralised administrator. This virtual currency emerged in the aftermath of the financial crisis and allows people to bypass banks and traditional payment processes to pay for goods and services.

Bitcoins not legal tender in India, reiterates Jaitley

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/medical-council-bill-sent-to-standing-committee-doctors-call-off-protest-28339">Medical Council Bill sent to Standing Committee, Doctors call off protest</a></p>

<p>The Medical Council Bill which had led to protests by doctors was sent to the Standing Committee today.&nbsp;The move led the doctors to call off the 12-hour nationwide stir that was called by the Indian Medical Association (IMA).</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/watch-protesters-in-chembur-disrupt-traffic-over-bhima-koregaon-clash-28335">Watch: Protesters in Chembur disrupt traffic over Bhima Koregaon clash</a></p>

<p>A day after a youth died in Pune during the 200th anniversary of Bhima Koregaon battle, protesters in Chembur and Mulund in Mumbai area disrupted traffic and virtually halted the eastern<br />
expressway.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/high-court-stays-jail-term-for-ex-jharkhand-cm-madhu-koda-in-coal-scam-case-28321">High Court stays jail term for ex-Jharkhand CM Madhu Koda in coal scam case</a></p>

<p>Delhi High Court today stayed the 3-year jail term to former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda in the coal scam case. The court also stayed the 25 lakh fine imposed on the former chief minister of Jharkhand, till the next date of hearing.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/business-economy/finance-minister-jaitley-announces-guidelines-for-electoral-bonds-28329">Finance minister Jaitley announces guidelines for electoral bonds</a></p>

<p>In a move aimed at electoral reforms, finance minister Arun Jaitley today announced guidelines for electoral bonds for funding of political parties.The finance minister said the electoral bonds would be available in multiples of Rs 1,000, Rs 10,000, Rs 1 lakh, Rs 10 lakh and Rs 1 crore.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/delhi-rickshaw-pullers-son-to-train-at-usain-bolts-club-28296">Delhi rickshaw puller&#39;s son to train at same Jamaica academy as Usain Bolt</a></p>

<p>16-year-old Nisar Ahmed will soon be heading to the Racers Track Club in Kingston, Jamaica, home of athletics superstar Usain Bolt.&nbsp;Nisar will train there for a month.&nbsp;At the recent Delhi State Athletics meet, the Government Boys Secondary School, Ashok Vihar student broke two national under-16 records.</p>


Medical Council Bill sent to Standing Committee, Doctors call off protest The Medical Council Bill which had led to protests by doctors was sent to the Standing Committee today. The move led the doctors to call off the 12-hour nationwide stir that was called by the Indian Medical Association (IMA). Watch: Protesters in Chembur disrupt traffic over Bhima Koregaon clash A day after a youth died in Pune during the 200th anniversary of Bhima Koregaon battle, protesters in Chembur and Mulund in Mumbai area disrupted traffic and virtually halted the eastern expressway. High Court stays jail term for ex-Jharkhand CM Madhu Koda in coal scam case Delhi High Court today stayed the 3-year jail term to former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda in the coal scam case. The court also stayed the 25 lakh fine imposed on the former chief minister of Jharkhand, till the next date of hearing. Finance minister Jaitley announces guidelines for electoral bonds In a move aimed at electoral reforms, finance minister Arun Jaitley today announced guidelines for electoral bonds for funding of political parties.The finance minister said the electoral bonds would be available in multiples of Rs 1,000, Rs 10,000, Rs 1 lakh, Rs 10 lakh and Rs 1 crore. Delhi rickshaw puller's son to train at same Jamaica academy as Usain Bolt 16-year-old Nisar Ahmed will soon be heading to the Racers Track Club in Kingston, Jamaica, home of athletics superstar Usain Bolt. Nisar will train there for a month. At the recent Delhi State Athletics meet, the Government Boys Secondary School, Ashok Vihar student broke two national under-16 records.

WION Evening News Brief, January 2, 2018

<p>The government today ruled out having a single rate for all commodities under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) saying items like food products have been placed at minimum taxation levels while luxury goods were in the higher categories.</p>

<p>During the Question Hour in Rajya Sabha, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said there were countries which had applied a uniform tax rate on all commodities but these were nations where the entire population was above the poverty line.</p>

<p>In India, food items have been placed in zero or the minimum slab while luxury items get taxed more, he said.</p>

<p>While the question of a single slab in India does not arise, the process of rationalisation would continue, he said.</p>

<p>Many items which were earlier in the 28 per cent bracket were brought into the 18 per cent bracket and this process of rationalisation would continue, the minister said.</p>

<p>He also said the GST council had formed a committee under the convenorship A B Pandey, chairman GSTN, to look into issues relating to the filing of returns and suggest a simpler mechanism to mitigate the compliance requirements for taxpayers.</p>

<p>&quot;The committee shall recommend changes to be made in the process of filing of returns in GST, including the threshold, if any, for quarterly filing,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>The report of the committee will be placed before the GST council for making recommendations on this issue, Jaitley said.</p>


Many items which were earlier in the 28 per cent bracket were brought into the 18 per cent bracket and this process of rationalisation would continue

The government today ruled out having a single rate for all commodities under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) saying items like food products have been placed at minimum taxation levels while luxury goods were in the higher categories. During the Question Hour in Rajya Sabha, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said there were countries which had applied a uniform tax rate on all commodities but these were nations where the entire population was above the poverty line. In India, food items have been placed in zero or the minimum slab while luxury items get taxed more, he said. While the question of a single slab in India does not arise, the process of rationalisation would continue, he said. Many items which were earlier in the 28 per cent bracket were brought into the 18 per cent bracket and this process of rationalisation would continue, the minister said. He also said the GST council had formed a committee under the convenorship A B Pandey, chairman GSTN, to look into issues relating to the filing of returns and suggest a simpler mechanism to mitigate the compliance requirements for taxpayers. "The committee shall recommend changes to be made in the process of filing of returns in GST, including the threshold, if any, for quarterly filing," he said. The report of the committee will be placed before the GST council for making recommendations on this issue, Jaitley said.

No single rate for all items under GST: Arun Jaitley

<p>The Indian economy slowed down in 2016-17, with the gross domestic product declining drastically from 8 per cent in 2015-16 to 7.1 per cent the next year, government said on Friday.</p>

<p>Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the slower economic growth reflected lower growth in the industry and the services sectors, due to a number of factors including structural, external, fiscal and monetary factors.</p>

<p>He said in the Lok Sabha that the lower rate of global economic growth in 2016, along with a reduction in gross fixed investment to GDP ratio, stressed balance sheets of the corporate sector, lower credit growth in industry sector were some of the reasons for the low growth rate in 2016-17.</p>

<p>&quot;Slower growth in 2016-17 reflects lower growth in industry and services sector. Economic growth of a country depends on a number of factors including structural, external, fiscal and monetary factors,&quot; he said during Question Hour.</p>

<p>As per the latest estimates from Central Statistics Office, the growth rate of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at constant prices was 7.5 per cent, 8.0 per cent and 7.1 per cent respectively in 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17.</p>

<p>The growth in GDP at constant market prices was 5.7 per cent and 6.3 per cent in Quarter 1 (Q1) and Quarter 2 (Q2) of 2017-18 respectively.</p>

<p>Jaitley claimed that despite the slowdown, as per the IMF, India was the fastest growing major economy in 2016 and second fastest growing major economy in 2017 in the world.</p>

<p>He said the government has taken various initiatives to boost the growth of the economy, including giving a fillip to manufacturing, concrete measures for transport and power sectors as well as other urban and rural infrastructure, comprehensive reforms in the foreign direct investment policy and special package for textile industry.</p>

<p>The minister said the government had also announced various measures in the 2017-18 budget to promote growth which included a push to infrastructure development by giving infrastructure status to affordable housing, higher allocation to highway construction and focus on coastal connectivity.</p>

<p>&quot;For highways development, the Bharatmala Pariyojana has been launched. The government has launched a phased programme for bank recapitalisation. This entails infusion of capital to the public sector banks, that is expected to encourage banks to enhance lending,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>Jaitley said the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code was enacted to achieve insolvency resolution in a time bound manner.</p>

<p>He said the other growth promotion measures included lower income tax for companies with annual turnover up to Rs. 50 crore, further measures to improve the ease of doing business, and a major push to the digital economy.</p>

<p>Jaitley said as per information available from Reserve Bank of India, the gross bank credit (outstanding) for agriculture and allied sectors was Rs. 9,923.87 billion as of 2016-17 as against Rs. 8,829.42 billion as on 2015-16.</p>

<p>&quot;The introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) has provided a significant opportunity to improve growth momentum by reducing barriers to trade, business and related economic activities,&quot; he added.</p>


Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the slower economic growth reflected lower growth in the industry and the services sectors

The Indian economy slowed down in 2016-17, with the gross domestic product declining drastically from 8 per cent in 2015-16 to 7.1 per cent the next year, government said on Friday. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the slower economic growth reflected lower growth in the industry and the services sectors, due to a number of factors including structural, external, fiscal and monetary factors. He said in the Lok Sabha that the lower rate of global economic growth in 2016, along with a reduction in gross fixed investment to GDP ratio, stressed balance sheets of the corporate sector, lower credit growth in industry sector were some of the reasons for the low growth rate in 2016-17. "Slower growth in 2016-17 reflects lower growth in industry and services sector. Economic growth of a country depends on a number of factors including structural, external, fiscal and monetary factors," he said during Question Hour. As per the latest estimates from Central Statistics Office, the growth rate of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at constant prices was 7.5 per cent, 8.0 per cent and 7.1 per cent respectively in 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17. The growth in GDP at constant market prices was 5.7 per cent and 6.3 per cent in Quarter 1 (Q1) and Quarter 2 (Q2) of 2017-18 respectively. Jaitley claimed that despite the slowdown, as per the IMF, India was the fastest growing major economy in 2016 and second fastest growing major economy in 2017 in the world. He said the government has taken various initiatives to boost the growth of the economy, including giving a fillip to manufacturing, concrete measures for transport and power sectors as well as other urban and rural infrastructure, comprehensive reforms in the foreign direct investment policy and special package for textile industry. The minister said the government had also announced various measures in the 2017-18 budget to promote growth which included a push to infrastructure development by giving infrastructure status to affordable housing, higher allocation to highway construction and focus on coastal connectivity. "For highways development, the Bharatmala Pariyojana has been launched. The government has launched a phased programme for bank recapitalisation. This entails infusion of capital to the public sector banks, that is expected to encourage banks to enhance lending," he said. Jaitley said the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code was enacted to achieve insolvency resolution in a time bound manner. He said the other growth promotion measures included lower income tax for companies with annual turnover up to Rs. 50 crore, further measures to improve the ease of doing business, and a major push to the digital economy. Jaitley said as per information available from Reserve Bank of India, the gross bank credit (outstanding) for agriculture and allied sectors was Rs. 9,923.87 billion as of 2016-17 as against Rs. 8,829.42 billion as on 2015-16. "The introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) has provided a significant opportunity to improve growth momentum by reducing barriers to trade, business and related economic activities," he added.

India's economic growth slowed down in 2016-17: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley

<p>The BJP has moved a privilege motion against Congress President Rahul Gandhi in the Rajya Sabha.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The motion was moved after Gandhi referred to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley as Mr &quot;Jaitlie&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Dear Mr Jaitlie - thank you for reminding India that our PM never means what he says or says what he means. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BJPLies?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BJPLies</a> <a href="https://t.co/I7n1f07GaX">pic.twitter.com/I7n1f07GaX</a></p>
&mdash; Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficeOfRG/status/946038581306441728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 27, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&quot;Dear Mr Jaitlie - thank you for reminding India that our PM never means what he says or says what he means,&quot; Gandhi had tweeted on December 27.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The motion was moved by BJP MP Bhupendra Yadav on Thursday.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Rajya Sabha chairman Venkaiah Naidu said would will examine the motion and take an appropriate decision.&nbsp;</p>

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The motion was moved by BJP MP Bhupendra Yadav

The BJP has moved a privilege motion against Congress President Rahul Gandhi in the Rajya Sabha. The motion was moved after Gandhi referred to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley as Mr "Jaitlie". Dear Mr Jaitlie - thank you for reminding India that our PM never means what he says or says what he means. #BJPLies pic.twitter.com/I7n1f07GaX — Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) December 27, 2017 × "Dear Mr Jaitlie - thank you for reminding India that our PM never means what he says or says what he means," Gandhi had tweeted on December 27. The motion was moved by BJP MP Bhupendra Yadav on Thursday. Rajya Sabha chairman Venkaiah Naidu said would will examine the motion and take an appropriate decision.

Privilege motion against Rahul Gandhi in Rajya Sabha

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/mumbai-building-fire-5-civic-body-officials-suspended-after-14-killed-in-massive-blaze-28058">Mumbai building fire: 5 civic body officials suspended after 14 killed in massive blaze</a><br />
Five officials of the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) were suspended after a massive blaze killed 14 people in the Kamala Mills compound in Lower Parel area of Central Mumbai early on Friday.&nbsp;</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/indias-economic-growth-slowed-down-in-2016-17-finance-minister-arun-jaitley-28049">India&#39;s economic growth slowed down in 2016-17: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley</a><br />
The Indian economy slowed down in 2016-17, with the gross domestic product declining drastically from 8 per cent in 2015-16 to 7.1 per cent the next year, government said on Friday.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/hyderabad-gets-a-made-in-india-robocop-28059">Hyderabad gets a made in India &#39;Robocop&#39;</a><br />
A smart policing robot was launched in Hyderabad on Friday by a city-based start-up. The robot is fully made in India, all its components are sourced from within the country.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/delhi-govt-to-introduce-school-of-excellence-for-providing-quality-education-28066">Delhi govt to introduce &#39;School of Excellence&#39; for providing quality education</a><br />
In order to provide quality education, the Delhi government today decided to introduce a new type of school named &#39;School of Excellence&#39; in the national capital.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/gunman-attacks-church-near-cairo-shot-dead-police-28047">Cairo: Gunman attacks church, shot dead by police</a><br />
At least people were killed, including the gunman, confirmed Egypt&#39;s Health Ministry. The Islamic State had previously claimed responsibility for multiple bombings and shootings over the past year.</p>


CM Fadnavis promised action against errant civic officials and the owners of a pub, adding that he had ordered safety audit of all such structures in the city.

Mumbai building fire: 5 civic body officials suspended after 14 killed in massive blaze Five officials of the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) were suspended after a massive blaze killed 14 people in the Kamala Mills compound in Lower Parel area of Central Mumbai early on Friday. India's economic growth slowed down in 2016-17: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley The Indian economy slowed down in 2016-17, with the gross domestic product declining drastically from 8 per cent in 2015-16 to 7.1 per cent the next year, government said on Friday. Hyderabad gets a made in India 'Robocop' A smart policing robot was launched in Hyderabad on Friday by a city-based start-up. The robot is fully made in India, all its components are sourced from within the country. Delhi govt to introduce 'School of Excellence' for providing quality education In order to provide quality education, the Delhi government today decided to introduce a new type of school named 'School of Excellence' in the national capital. Cairo: Gunman attacks church, shot dead by police At least people were killed, including the gunman, confirmed Egypt's Health Ministry. The Islamic State had previously claimed responsibility for multiple bombings and shootings over the past year.

WION Evening News Brief, December 29, 2017

<p>The government and the opposition used the Kulbhusan Jadhav issue to work out their row, which had stalled Parliament for the last two weeks, but news reports said Thursday that another one was brewing over Karnataka BJP MP Ananth Kumar Hegde&#39;s <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/those-who-call-themselves-secular-dont-know-about-their-parentage-mp-ananth-kumar-hegde-27714" target="_blank">statements</a> on secular people not knowing their parentage and changing the constitution.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The impasse had begun over Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/modi-claims-pakistan-trying-to-influence-gujarat-elections-26391" target="_blank">statement</a> while campaigning for the Gujarat election that Congress leaders were conspiring with Pakistan to affect the outcome of the Gujarat election.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The impasse had hit the winter session of Parliament, with the Congress demanding an apology from the prime minister on the floor of the house.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Congress had later -- after the BJP had said there was no apology coming -- watered down its demand for an apology to asking for a clarification.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, Leader of the House Arun Jaitley said Modi in his statements and speeches, &quot;did not question nor did he mean to question the commitment to this nation either by Dr Manmohan Singh, the former Prime Minister, or Hamid Ansari, the former vice president.&quot;</p>

<p>&quot;Any such perception is completely erroneous. We hold these leaders in high esteem, as also their commitment to this nation,&quot; Jaitley said.</p>

<p>Responding to his statement, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said: &quot;I want to thank the Leader of the House that he issued a clarification on the issue which was causing the deadlock.&quot;</p>

<p>&quot;If during the elections, any member of our party gave such a statement that was against the stature of the prime minister, then our party dissociates itself from any such statement and we would not want any word to be said against the stature of the prime minister,&quot; Azad said.</p>

<p>News reports said Thursday that it was a formal meeting between Jaitley and and Azad earlier and other informal meetings that helped break the deadlock.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Azad later said the Congress wanted to discuss the treatment meted out by Pakistan to Kulbhushan Jadhav&#39;s wife and mother.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Azad was reported as saying that &quot;for us it is India first and opposition second&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He added that &quot;we want to raise our voice for a fellow citizen&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>But the reports added that while the government and opposition had shut down one front, they had opened another.&nbsp;</p>

<p>On Wednesday, the opposition forced the shutdown of the Lok Sabha a number of times.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Apart from taking offence to his comments on secularism, the opposition also accused Hegde -- he is a union minister -- of disrespecting the architect of the constitution BR Ambedkar by saying &quot;we are here to change it&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The government has since distanced itself from Hegde&#39;s comments but the opposition says he should either apologise or quit.&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from PTI)</em></p>


Ghulam Nabi Azad said the Congress had wanted to talk about Kulbhushan Jadhav which was proving impossible in a checkmated winter session of Parliament

The government and the opposition used the Kulbhusan Jadhav issue to work out their row, which had stalled Parliament for the last two weeks, but news reports said Thursday that another one was brewing over Karnataka BJP MP Ananth Kumar Hegde's statements on secular people not knowing their parentage and changing the constitution. The impasse had begun over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement while campaigning for the Gujarat election that Congress leaders were conspiring with Pakistan to affect the outcome of the Gujarat election. The impasse had hit the winter session of Parliament, with the Congress demanding an apology from the prime minister on the floor of the house. The Congress had later -- after the BJP had said there was no apology coming -- watered down its demand for an apology to asking for a clarification. In the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, Leader of the House Arun Jaitley said Modi in his statements and speeches, "did not question nor did he mean to question the commitment to this nation either by Dr Manmohan Singh, the former Prime Minister, or Hamid Ansari, the former vice president." "Any such perception is completely erroneous. We hold these leaders in high esteem, as also their commitment to this nation," Jaitley said. Responding to his statement, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad said: "I want to thank the Leader of the House that he issued a clarification on the issue which was causing the deadlock." "If during the elections, any member of our party gave such a statement that was against the stature of the prime minister, then our party dissociates itself from any such statement and we would not want any word to be said against the stature of the prime minister," Azad said. News reports said Thursday that it was a formal meeting between Jaitley and and Azad earlier and other informal meetings that helped break the deadlock. Azad later said the Congress wanted to discuss the treatment meted out by Pakistan to Kulbhushan Jadhav's wife and mother. Azad was reported as saying that "for us it is India first and opposition second". He added that "we want to raise our voice for a fellow citizen". But the reports added that while the government and opposition had shut down one front, they had opened another. On Wednesday, the opposition forced the shutdown of the Lok Sabha a number of times. Apart from taking offence to his comments on secularism, the opposition also accused Hegde -- he is a union minister -- of disrespecting the architect of the constitution BR Ambedkar by saying "we are here to change it". The government has since distanced itself from Hegde's comments but the opposition says he should either apologise or quit. (With inputs from PTI)

Government, opposition use Jadhav issue to end deadlock, but another brews

<p>Union Finance Minister and Minister of Corporate Affairs, Arun Jaitley spoke on PM Modi&#39;s remarks on former prime minister Manmohan Singh today at Rajya Sabha.</p>

<p>Jaitley clarified, &quot;PM in his speeches didn&#39;t question, nor meant to question the commitment to this nation of either former <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/manmohan-singh-reiterates-pain-and-anguish-in-video-26668">PM Manmohan Singh</a> or Former VP Hamid Ansari.&quot;</p>

<p>He called any such perception &quot;erroneous&quot;.</p>

<p>&quot;We hold these leaders in high esteem, as well as their commitment to India,&quot; shared Jaitley.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">PM in his speeches didn&#39;t question, nor meant to question the commitment to this nation of either former PM Manmohan Singh or Former VP Hamid Ansari, any such perception is erroneous, we hold these leaders in high esteem, as well as their commitment to India: Arun Jaitley in RS <a href="https://t.co/nhwp8tBXTs">pic.twitter.com/nhwp8tBXTs</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/945936542878507009?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 27, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Both the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/sachin-tendulkars-unable-to-lead-debate-as-rajya-sabha-gets-adjourned-27360">houses of Parliament were adjourned previously</a> over sloganeering by the Opposition against PM Modi&#39;s remarks.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Congress party had also staged a walkout from the Lok Sabha after seeking an apology from PM Modi over his remarks against Manmohan Singh for an alleged &quot;secret meeting with Pakistani officials&quot;.</p>

<p>&quot;There were media reports yesterday about a meeting at Mani Shankar Aiyar&#39;s house. It was attended by Pakistan&#39;s high commissioner, Pakistan&#39;s former foreign minister, India&#39;s former vice president and former prime minister Manmohan Singh,&quot; PM Modi spoke at an election rally at Palanpur earlier this month.</p>

<p>Congress has strongly condemned PM Modi&#39;s remark, demanding his apology for the same.</p>

<p>Pakistan&#39;s Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri trashed Modi&#39;s allegations, calling them &quot;baseless&quot;.&nbsp;</p>


Jaitley called any such perception "erroneous"

Union Finance Minister and Minister of Corporate Affairs, Arun Jaitley spoke on PM Modi's remarks on former prime minister Manmohan Singh today at Rajya Sabha. Jaitley clarified, "PM in his speeches didn't question, nor meant to question the commitment to this nation of either former PM Manmohan Singh or Former VP Hamid Ansari." He called any such perception "erroneous". "We hold these leaders in high esteem, as well as their commitment to India," shared Jaitley. PM in his speeches didn't question, nor meant to question the commitment to this nation of either former PM Manmohan Singh or Former VP Hamid Ansari, any such perception is erroneous, we hold these leaders in high esteem, as well as their commitment to India: Arun Jaitley in RS pic.twitter.com/nhwp8tBXTs — ANI (@ANI) December 27, 2017 × Both the houses of Parliament were adjourned previously over sloganeering by the Opposition against PM Modi's remarks. The Congress party had also staged a walkout from the Lok Sabha after seeking an apology from PM Modi over his remarks against Manmohan Singh for an alleged "secret meeting with Pakistani officials". "There were media reports yesterday about a meeting at Mani Shankar Aiyar's house. It was attended by Pakistan's high commissioner, Pakistan's former foreign minister, India's former vice president and former prime minister Manmohan Singh," PM Modi spoke at an election rally at Palanpur earlier this month. Congress has strongly condemned PM Modi's remark, demanding his apology for the same. Pakistan's Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri trashed Modi's allegations, calling them "baseless".

'PM Modi didn't question former PM Manmohan Singh's commitment to nation,' Arun Jaitley clarifies

<p>The Lok Sabha passed the Goods and Services Tax (Compensation to States) Amendment Bill 2017 on Wednesday.</p>

<p>The bill was introduced by Arun Jaitley in the lower house last week.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The approval would allow increasing the maximum rate at which the Compensation Cess can be levied from 15 to 25 per cent&nbsp; on motor vehicles for transport of not more than 13 persons, including the driver [falling under sub-headings 870210, 8702 20, 8702 30 or 8702 90]; and motor vehicles falling under headings 8703.</p>

<p>On Wednesday another bill was passed by the Lok Sabha, providing protection to unauthorised colonies and slums from punitive action for three more years.</p>

<p>Today both the houses were adjourned after Opposition leader Ghulam Nabi Azad stalled the house over Union Minister Ananth Kumar Hegde&#39;s statements on secularism and changing the constitution.&nbsp;</p>

<p>(<em>With inputs from ANI)</em></p>


The bill was introduced by Arun Jaitley in lower house, last week

The Lok Sabha passed the Goods and Services Tax (Compensation to States) Amendment Bill 2017 on Wednesday. The bill was introduced by Arun Jaitley in the lower house last week. The approval would allow increasing the maximum rate at which the Compensation Cess can be levied from 15 to 25 per cent on motor vehicles for transport of not more than 13 persons, including the driver [falling under sub-headings 870210, 8702 20, 8702 30 or 8702 90]; and motor vehicles falling under headings 8703. On Wednesday another bill was passed by the Lok Sabha, providing protection to unauthorised colonies and slums from punitive action for three more years. Today both the houses were adjourned after Opposition leader Ghulam Nabi Azad stalled the house over Union Minister Ananth Kumar Hegde's statements on secularism and changing the constitution. (With inputs from ANI)

Lok Sabha passes GST amendment bill

<p>Hours after Finance Minister Aruj Jaitley issued clarification regarding Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s comments on former&nbsp;prime minister Manmohan Singh and former vice-president&nbsp;Hamid Ansari, Congress president Rahul Gandhi targeted Jaitley on Twitter by sarcastically thanking him for reminding the nation that &#39;&#39;our PM never means what he says or says what he means&#39;&#39;.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Dear Mr Jaitlie - thank you for reminding India that our PM never means what he says or says what he means. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BJPLies?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BJPLies</a> <a href="https://t.co/I7n1f07GaX">pic.twitter.com/I7n1f07GaX</a></p>
&mdash; Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficeOfRG/status/946038581306441728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 27, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Rahul Gandhi tweeted ``Dear Mr Jaitlie - thank you for reminding India that our PM never means what he says or says what he means.&#39;&#39;</p>

<p>The Congress president called the BJP leader as &#39;Mr Jaitlie&#39; to imply that he was a liar too.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Rahul Gandhi also posted the video of Modi&#39;s speech where he accused former &nbsp;PM Manmohan Singh of colluding with Pakistan to defeat the BJP in the Gujarat polls.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Jaitley today clarified, &quot;PM in his speeches didn&#39;t question, nor meant to question the commitment to this nation of either former PM Manmohan Singh or Former VP Hamid Ansari.&quot;</p>

<p>&quot;We hold these leaders in high esteem, as well as their commitment to India,&quot; said Jaitley and called any such perception &quot;erroneous&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Both the houses of Parliament were adjourned previously over sloganeering by the Opposition against PM Modi&#39;s remarks.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Congress party had also staged a walkout from the Lok Sabha after seeking an apology from PM Modi over his remarks against Manmohan Singh for an alleged &quot;secret meeting with Pakistani officials&quot;.<br />
&nbsp;</p>


Jaitley today clarified, "PM in his speeches didn't question, nor meant to question the commitment to this nation of either former PM Manmohan Singh or Former VP Hamid Ansari."

Hours after Finance Minister Aruj Jaitley issued clarification regarding Prime Minister Narendra Modi's comments on former prime minister Manmohan Singh and former vice-president Hamid Ansari, Congress president Rahul Gandhi targeted Jaitley on Twitter by sarcastically thanking him for reminding the nation that ''our PM never means what he says or says what he means''. Dear Mr Jaitlie - thank you for reminding India that our PM never means what he says or says what he means. #BJPLies pic.twitter.com/I7n1f07GaX — Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) December 27, 2017 × Rahul Gandhi tweeted ``Dear Mr Jaitlie - thank you for reminding India that our PM never means what he says or says what he means.'' The Congress president called the BJP leader as 'Mr Jaitlie' to imply that he was a liar too. Rahul Gandhi also posted the video of Modi's speech where he accused former PM Manmohan Singh of colluding with Pakistan to defeat the BJP in the Gujarat polls. Jaitley today clarified, "PM in his speeches didn't question, nor meant to question the commitment to this nation of either former PM Manmohan Singh or Former VP Hamid Ansari." "We hold these leaders in high esteem, as well as their commitment to India," said Jaitley and called any such perception "erroneous". Both the houses of Parliament were adjourned previously over sloganeering by the Opposition against PM Modi's remarks. The Congress party had also staged a walkout from the Lok Sabha after seeking an apology from PM Modi over his remarks against Manmohan Singh for an alleged "secret meeting with Pakistani officials".

'PM never means what he says or says what he means': Rahul Gandhi taunts Arun Jaitley

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/malegaon-blast-case-sadhvi-pragya-and-lt-col-purohit-will-be-tried-under-uaps-act-along-with-other-accused-27869">Malegaon blasts case: Partial relief for Sadhvi Pragya, Col Purohit</a></p>

<p>In a partial relief to Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, Lt Col Prasad Purohit and six others who face trial under an anti-terror law in the 2008 Malegaon bomb blasts case, the court dropped provisions under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against all the accused.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/pm-modi-didnt-question-former-pm-manmohan-singhs-commitment-to-nation-arun-jaitley-clarifies-27866">&#39;PM Modi didn&#39;t question former PM Manmohan Singh&#39;s commitment to nation,&#39; Arun Jaitley clarifies</a></p>

<p>Union Finance Minister and Minister of Corporate Affairs, Arun Jaitley spoke on PM Modi&#39;s remarks on former prime minister Manmohan Singh today at Rajya Sabha.</p>

<p>Jaitley clarified, &quot;PM in his speeches didn&#39;t question, nor meant to question the commitment to this nation of either former PM Manmohan Singh or Former VP Hamid Ansari.&quot;</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-sends-shoes-of-jadhavs-wife-for-forensic-testing-27860">Pakistan sends shoes of Jadhav&#39;s wife for forensic testing</a></p>

<p>Pakistani authorities have sent the shoes worn by Kulbhushan Jadhav&#39;s wife for forensic examination to determine the nature of the suspected presence of a foreign object, a media report said today.</p>

<p>The authorities were ascertaining whether the &quot;metallic object&quot; in the shoes was a camera or a recording chip, Pakistan Today quoted Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Mohammad Faisal as saying.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/car-bomb-injures-14-afghanistan-soldiers-in-helmand-27872">Car bomb injures 14 Afghanistan soldiers in Helmand</a></p>

<p>At least 14 Afghan soldiers were injured in a car bombing at 505 Boost Police Zone in Lashkargah city, capital of Helmand Province on Wednesday.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/1-killed-3-injured-after-gunman-opens-fire-in-moscow-factory-hostages-held-ria-27849">1 killed, 3 injured after gunman opens fire in Moscow factory, hostages held: RIA</a></p>

<p>A gunman opened a fire in a pastry-making factory in Moscow on Wednesday, killing one person and taking an unknown number as hostages, Russian state news agency RIA said, citing a law enforcement source.</p>


Malegaon blasts case: Partial relief for Sadhvi Pragya, Col Purohit In a partial relief to Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, Lt Col Prasad Purohit and six others who face trial under an anti-terror law in the 2008 Malegaon bomb blasts case, the court dropped provisions under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against all the accused. 'PM Modi didn't question former PM Manmohan Singh's commitment to nation,' Arun Jaitley clarifies Union Finance Minister and Minister of Corporate Affairs, Arun Jaitley spoke on PM Modi's remarks on former prime minister Manmohan Singh today at Rajya Sabha. Jaitley clarified, "PM in his speeches didn't question, nor meant to question the commitment to this nation of either former PM Manmohan Singh or Former VP Hamid Ansari." Pakistan sends shoes of Jadhav's wife for forensic testing Pakistani authorities have sent the shoes worn by Kulbhushan Jadhav's wife for forensic examination to determine the nature of the suspected presence of a foreign object, a media report said today. The authorities were ascertaining whether the "metallic object" in the shoes was a camera or a recording chip, Pakistan Today quoted Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Mohammad Faisal as saying. Car bomb injures 14 Afghanistan soldiers in Helmand At least 14 Afghan soldiers were injured in a car bombing at 505 Boost Police Zone in Lashkargah city, capital of Helmand Province on Wednesday. 1 killed, 3 injured after gunman opens fire in Moscow factory, hostages held: RIA A gunman opened a fire in a pastry-making factory in Moscow on Wednesday, killing one person and taking an unknown number as hostages, Russian state news agency RIA said, citing a law enforcement source.

WION Evening New Brief, December 27, 2017

<p><a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/GST-collections" pg="AS1_InlineMedia#AS1_https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/gst-collections-slip-to-rs-80808-crore-in-november/articleshow/62254633.cms~GST collections-https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/GST-collections">GST collections</a>&nbsp;slipped for a second straight month to Rs 80,808 crore in November, down from over Rs 83,000 crore in the previous month.</p>

<p>The total collection of&nbsp;<a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/gst" pg="AS1_InlineMedia#AS1_https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/gst-collections-slip-to-rs-80808-crore-in-november/articleshow/62254633.cms~GST-https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/gst">GST</a>&nbsp;till December 25 stood at Rs 80,808 crore for November and 53.06 lakh returns have been filed for the month, a finance ministry statement said.<br />
<br />
Of the Rs 80,808 crore collected, Rs 7,798 crore has been garnered as compensation cess in November - the fifth month of GST roll out.<br />
<br />
Besides, Rs 13,089 crore has been collected as Central GST, Rs 18,650 crore as State GST, Rs 41,270 crore as Integrated Goods and Services Tax.<br />
<br />
Further, Rs 10,348 crore is being transferred from IGST to CGST account and Rs 14,488 crore is being transferred from IGST to SGST account by way of settlement of funds on account of cross utilisation of IGST credit for payment of CGST and SGST, respectively or due to inter-state business to consumer transactions.</p>

<p>Thus, a total amount of Rs 24,836 crore is being transferred from IGST to CGST/SGST account by way of settlement, the statement added.<br />
<br />
Thus, the total collection of CGST and SGST for the month of December 2017 (up to December 25) is Rs 23,437 crore and Rs 33,138 crore, respectively.</p>

<p>As per the data available, GST collections in July was over Rs 95,000 crore, while in August the figure was over Rs 91,000 crore.<br />
<br />
In September, it was over Rs 92,150 crore and in October it was over Rs 83,000 crore.</p>


Of the Rs 80,808 crore collected, Rs 7,798 crore has been garnered as compensation cess in November

GST collections slipped for a second straight month to Rs 80,808 crore in November, down from over Rs 83,000 crore in the previous month. The total collection of GST till December 25 stood at Rs 80,808 crore for November and 53.06 lakh returns have been filed for the month, a finance ministry statement said. Of the Rs 80,808 crore collected, Rs 7,798 crore has been garnered as compensation cess in November - the fifth month of GST roll out. Besides, Rs 13,089 crore has been collected as Central GST, Rs 18,650 crore as State GST, Rs 41,270 crore as Integrated Goods and Services Tax. Further, Rs 10,348 crore is being transferred from IGST to CGST account and Rs 14,488 crore is being transferred from IGST to SGST account by way of settlement of funds on account of cross utilisation of IGST credit for payment of CGST and SGST, respectively or due to inter-state business to consumer transactions. Thus, a total amount of Rs 24,836 crore is being transferred from IGST to CGST/SGST account by way of settlement, the statement added. Thus, the total collection of CGST and SGST for the month of December 2017 (up to December 25) is Rs 23,437 crore and Rs 33,138 crore, respectively. As per the data available, GST collections in July was over Rs 95,000 crore, while in August the figure was over Rs 91,000 crore. In September, it was over Rs 92,150 crore and in October it was over Rs 83,000 crore.

GST collections slip to Rs 80,808 crore in November

<p>Newly elected BJP MLAs of Gujarat will meet in Gandhinagar tomorrow to choose the next chief minister, a top party official said today.</p>

<p>The BJP legislature party will meet to elect its leader in the presence of central observers for the exercise, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and party general secretary Saroj Pandey, the party&#39;s state chief Jitu Vaghani told reporters here.</p>

<p>State BJP incharge Bhupender Yadav and co-incharge V Satish would also attend the meeting at party headquarters &#39;Kamalam&#39; tomorrow afternoon.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/who-will-be-the-next-gujarat-chief-minister-here-are-the-top-contenders-27197" target="_blank">Who will be the next Gujarat Chief Minister? Here are the top contenders</a></p>

<p>&quot;All the MLAs along with party observers and in-charge leaders would meet tomorrow to select the leader of the ruling party (chief minister). All the MLAs have been intimated to remain present in tomorrow&#39;s meeting,&quot; Vaghani said.</p>

<p>Earlier today, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and members of his council of ministers resigned. Rupani, a front-runner for the chief minister&#39;s post, has been asked to continue as caretaker chief minister till a new government is sworn in.</p>

<p>Governor O P Kohli had dissolved the Assembly yesterday following the declaration of election results.</p>

<p>In the recently concluded polls, BJP retained power by winning 99 seats in the 182-member Assembly, while the Congress bagged 77. Six seats were won by others.&nbsp;</p>


Earlier today, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and members of his council of ministers resigned

Newly elected BJP MLAs of Gujarat will meet in Gandhinagar tomorrow to choose the next chief minister, a top party official said today. The BJP legislature party will meet to elect its leader in the presence of central observers for the exercise, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and party general secretary Saroj Pandey, the party's state chief Jitu Vaghani told reporters here. State BJP incharge Bhupender Yadav and co-incharge V Satish would also attend the meeting at party headquarters 'Kamalam' tomorrow afternoon. Who will be the next Gujarat Chief Minister? Here are the top contenders "All the MLAs along with party observers and in-charge leaders would meet tomorrow to select the leader of the ruling party (chief minister). All the MLAs have been intimated to remain present in tomorrow's meeting," Vaghani said. Earlier today, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and members of his council of ministers resigned. Rupani, a front-runner for the chief minister's post, has been asked to continue as caretaker chief minister till a new government is sworn in. Governor O P Kohli had dissolved the Assembly yesterday following the declaration of election results. In the recently concluded polls, BJP retained power by winning 99 seats in the 182-member Assembly, while the Congress bagged 77. Six seats were won by others.

BJP MLAs to meet Friday to choose next Gujarat CM

<p>The Congress has decided to make a big deal of the insinuation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Congress leaders had discussed the Gujarat elections with former Pakistani foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri and the Pakistani high commissioner to India at a dinner hosted by former Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/modi-claims-pakistan-trying-to-influence-gujarat-elections-26391" target="_blank">Modi claims Pakistan trying to influence Gujarat elections</a></p>

<p>Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma said the Congress wants the prime minister to express regret and clarify his statement in Parliament.</p>

<p>&ldquo;Prime minister should undo what he has done. He should take back his words,&rdquo; Sharma said.</p>

<p>Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad and Anand Sharma met Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar in Parliament on Tuesday to discuss the issue.</p>

<p>In the case of a deadlock, Parliament is expected to see adjournments over the issue.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Highly-placed sources in the government told WION that the prime minister is not going to reply on the issue, nor is there an apology coming.&nbsp;</p>

<p>There is however a small possibility that&nbsp;Finance Minister Arun Jaitley may respond to the issue on the floor of the house.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The BJP is&nbsp;also&nbsp;expected to be aggressive on the issue, and may recall previous incidents of Narendra Modi being attacked by Congress leaders.</p>

<p>Sources in the Congress said the proposition has been suggested to the Centre and they are waiting for the government&rsquo;s response.</p>

<p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to be in Lok Sabha on Wednesday and the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.</p>

<p>Modi had insinuated that Pakistan was trying to influence the assembly elections in Pakistan.</p>

<p>Mani Shankar Aiyar&#39;s dinner&nbsp;was also attended by former prime minister Manmohan Singh, former vice-president Hamid Ansari, former army chief Deepak Kapoor and a number of retired Indian bureaucrats.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


The BJP wants Prime Minister Modi to apologise for insinuating that the Congress discussed the Gujarat elections with Pakistani leaders

The Congress has decided to make a big deal of the insinuation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Congress leaders had discussed the Gujarat elections with former Pakistani foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri and the Pakistani high commissioner to India at a dinner hosted by former Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar. Also read: Modi claims Pakistan trying to influence Gujarat elections Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma said the Congress wants the prime minister to express regret and clarify his statement in Parliament. “Prime minister should undo what he has done. He should take back his words,” Sharma said. Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad and Anand Sharma met Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar in Parliament on Tuesday to discuss the issue. In the case of a deadlock, Parliament is expected to see adjournments over the issue. Highly-placed sources in the government told WION that the prime minister is not going to reply on the issue, nor is there an apology coming. There is however a small possibility that Finance Minister Arun Jaitley may respond to the issue on the floor of the house. The BJP is also expected to be aggressive on the issue, and may recall previous incidents of Narendra Modi being attacked by Congress leaders. Sources in the Congress said the proposition has been suggested to the Centre and they are waiting for the government’s response. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to be in Lok Sabha on Wednesday and the Rajya Sabha on Thursday. Modi had insinuated that Pakistan was trying to influence the assembly elections in Pakistan. Mani Shankar Aiyar's dinner was also attended by former prime minister Manmohan Singh, former vice-president Hamid Ansari, former army chief Deepak Kapoor and a number of retired Indian bureaucrats.

Storm gathering, BJP & Congress to spar over 'Pakistani dinner' in winter session of Parliament

<p>BJP is all set to form its government in both the states as they won with a full majority in both Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh.</p>

<p>Minister of health and family welfare, JP Nadda said that finance minister Arun Jaitley and party secretary Saroj Pandey will go to Gujarat to discuss the leadership in the state.</p>

<p>Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman and rural development minister Narendra Tomar will be going to Himachal Pradesh to discuss&nbsp;the leadership in Himachal Pradesh.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">FM Arun Jaitley and General Secy of the party Saroj Pandey will go as observers to Gujarat &amp; discuss about the leadership in the state. Similarly Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Narendra Tomar will go to Himachal Pradesh to discuss about the leadership there: JP Nadda <a href="https://t.co/nSWF2znl5m">pic.twitter.com/nSWF2znl5m</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/942759669239390208?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 18, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>However, Prem Kumar Dhumal BJP&#39;s chief minister candidate lost in its constituency Sujanpur in Himachal Pradesh, which means BJP would have to choose another leader for the post.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Personal loss is not of much importance.The gain that victory has brought to state BJP is important. Thankful to people of the state for voting for BJP. In politics, sometimes one wins, sometimes one loses. I was not expecting to lose, I will do an analysis: PK Dhumal <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Himachal?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Himachal</a> <a href="https://t.co/7UrumoxVhp">pic.twitter.com/7UrumoxVhp</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/942715521652244481?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 18, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Dhumal&nbsp;lost against Congress&#39; Rajinder Rana in Sujanpur, after he changed his traditional constituency of Hamirpur.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Congress leader and six-time chief minister Virbhadra Singh won from Arki.</p>

<p>In Gujarat, incumbent chief minister Vijay Rupani won from Rajkot.</p>

<p>Currently, BJP has won 41 seats with a lead in 3 seats, while Congress has won 19 seats with lead in 2 seats.</p>


Currently, BJP has won 41 seats with a lead in 3 seats, while Congress has won 19 seats with lead in 2 seats

BJP is all set to form its government in both the states as they won with a full majority in both Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh. Minister of health and family welfare, JP Nadda said that finance minister Arun Jaitley and party secretary Saroj Pandey will go to Gujarat to discuss the leadership in the state. Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman and rural development minister Narendra Tomar will be going to Himachal Pradesh to discuss the leadership in Himachal Pradesh. FM Arun Jaitley and General Secy of the party Saroj Pandey will go as observers to Gujarat & discuss about the leadership in the state. Similarly Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Narendra Tomar will go to Himachal Pradesh to discuss about the leadership there: JP Nadda pic.twitter.com/nSWF2znl5m — ANI (@ANI) December 18, 2017 × However, Prem Kumar Dhumal BJP's chief minister candidate lost in its constituency Sujanpur in Himachal Pradesh, which means BJP would have to choose another leader for the post. Personal loss is not of much importance.The gain that victory has brought to state BJP is important. Thankful to people of the state for voting for BJP. In politics, sometimes one wins, sometimes one loses. I was not expecting to lose, I will do an analysis: PK Dhumal #Himachal pic.twitter.com/7UrumoxVhp — ANI (@ANI) December 18, 2017 × Dhumal lost against Congress' Rajinder Rana in Sujanpur, after he changed his traditional constituency of Hamirpur. Congress leader and six-time chief minister Virbhadra Singh won from Arki. In Gujarat, incumbent chief minister Vijay Rupani won from Rajkot. Currently, BJP has won 41 seats with a lead in 3 seats, while Congress has won 19 seats with lead in 2 seats.

Nirmala Sitharaman and Narendra Tomar will go to Himachal to discuss leadership: JP Nadda

<p>The all-powerful GST Council will meet on Saturday to discuss early implementation of e-way bill as well as ways to plug tax evasion.</p>

<p>Headed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, the meeting will be held via video conferencing and deliberate on cementing gaps in the system as well as curbing evasion, sources said.</p>

<p>The meeting assumes importance as there has been Rs 12,000 crore revenue decline in the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in October over the preceding month and tax evasion is considered one of the reasons for this, they said.</p>

<p>This would be the 24th meeting of the Council. The last meeting was held in Guwahati in November where taxes on 178 items were slashed.</p>

<p>In an earlier meeting, the council had decided that e-way bill - an electronic document generated on the GST Network portal - would be introduced in a staggered manner from January 1 and subsequently nation-wide from April 1.</p>

<p>However, the need to review the rollout timeline stems from revenue shortfall registered last month.</p>

<p>The GST revenue for October stood at Rs 83,346 crore, the lowest compared to the first three months since the implementation of GST from July 1. It was significantly down from the September figure of Rs 95,131 crore.</p>

<p>Jaitley had said on Thursday that the council has prepared schedule with regard to e-way bill to check evasion.</p>

<p>&quot;I think Council has already taken decision with regard to time schedule, with regard to e-way bill itself. That will help in enhancing collection,&quot; he had said.</p>

<p>Besides, sources said, invoice matching is also something that the council will deliberate on Saturday.</p>

<p>An e-way bill is required for movement of goods worth more than Rs 50,000. When goods are transported for less than 10 km within the state, the supplier or the transporter need not furnish details on the portal.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


The meeting assumes importance as there has been Rs 12,000 crore revenue decline in the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in October over the preceding month and tax evasion is considered one of the reasons for this, they said.

The all-powerful GST Council will meet on Saturday to discuss early implementation of e-way bill as well as ways to plug tax evasion. Headed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, the meeting will be held via video conferencing and deliberate on cementing gaps in the system as well as curbing evasion, sources said. The meeting assumes importance as there has been Rs 12,000 crore revenue decline in the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in October over the preceding month and tax evasion is considered one of the reasons for this, they said. This would be the 24th meeting of the Council. The last meeting was held in Guwahati in November where taxes on 178 items were slashed. In an earlier meeting, the council had decided that e-way bill - an electronic document generated on the GST Network portal - would be introduced in a staggered manner from January 1 and subsequently nation-wide from April 1. However, the need to review the rollout timeline stems from revenue shortfall registered last month. The GST revenue for October stood at Rs 83,346 crore, the lowest compared to the first three months since the implementation of GST from July 1. It was significantly down from the September figure of Rs 95,131 crore. Jaitley had said on Thursday that the council has prepared schedule with regard to e-way bill to check evasion. "I think Council has already taken decision with regard to time schedule, with regard to e-way bill itself. That will help in enhancing collection," he had said. Besides, sources said, invoice matching is also something that the council will deliberate on Saturday. An e-way bill is required for movement of goods worth more than Rs 50,000. When goods are transported for less than 10 km within the state, the supplier or the transporter need not furnish details on the portal.

GST Council to meet on Saturday; discuss roll out of e-way bill

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