Cabinet reshuffle is an exercise which is carried out in secrecy but when announced, conveys a loud message. The same has happened today.

While the charge of finance ministry has been given to Piyush Goyal, who has won accolades during his tenure as power minister, the biggest shock is sidelining of Smriti Irani, again. Irani has been moved back to the textiles ministry, from the high profile Information and Broadcasting ministry.

The message is clear from Prime Minister Narendra Modi - silent workers are welcome and controversy making ministers are not. Smriti Irani was first sidelined in the year 2016 after the Rohith Vemula controversy. Prime Minister had to make a special effort to counter the charge of the Opposition that NDA is not anti-Dalit. She kept her low profile and was given a second chance by the Prime Minister in July 2017 when she was appointed as the I&B minister.

Irani was again in news recently&nbsp;for the wrong reason. Irani had come under attack earlier this month after I&B Ministry amended guidelines on accreditation of journalists for, what it said, to check fake news.&nbsp;The amended guidelines had stated that a journalist or a publication could lose accreditation in the event of a confirmed incident of fake news. The guidelines were withdrawn following a directive to do so by the PMO.

The controversy impacted the office of the President. It was followed by the issue related to the freedom of press on which the PM had to intervene. These two incidents were the final nails in the coffin.

This decision also needs to be seen in the context of the rise and rise of the Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman whose quiet work and ability to keep the government away from controversy led to her elevation as the top 5 ministers in the country. Her failure to rally the press and get along with all the constituents added to this.

The inclusion of SS Ahluwalia is seen as an adjustment. He is close to Sushma Swaraj and was a leading light during LK Advani’s tenure as the Deputy Prime Minister (2002-2004). This move is a clear indication that patience and silence can be more rewarding with Modi.

The real beneficiary has been Rajyavardhan Rathore. He already heads the Sports Ministry, and now has also been given independent charge of I&B Ministry. He is already the spokesperson for the government of India.

The reshuffle may be small and limited but the message is loud and clear. Ministers who create controversies at the expense of the government will not be tolerated. Smriti Irani is a case in example. She lost two ministries because of being outspoken. What keeps her alive is probably Amethi where she is pitched against Rahul Gandhi. She has not left the constituency and wants to ensure that BJP can defeat Congress in its own bastion.

The message is clear from the Prime Minister. Silent workers are welcome and controversy making ministers are not

Cabinet reshuffle is an exercise which is carried out in secrecy but when announced, conveys a loud message. The same has happened today. While the charge of finance ministry has been given to Piyush Goyal, who has won accolades during his tenure as power minister, the biggest shock is sidelining of Smriti Irani, again. Irani has been moved back to the textiles ministry, from the high profile Information and Broadcasting ministry. The message is clear from Prime Minister Narendra Modi - silent workers are welcome and controversy making ministers are not. Smriti Irani was first sidelined in the year 2016 after the Rohith Vemula controversy. Prime Minister had to make a special effort to counter the charge of the Opposition that NDA is not anti-Dalit. She kept her low profile and was given a second chance by the Prime Minister in July 2017 when she was appointed as the I&B minister. Irani was again in news recently for the wrong reason. Irani had come under attack earlier this month after I&B Ministry amended guidelines on accreditation of journalists for, what it said, to check fake news. The amended guidelines had stated that a journalist or a publication could lose accreditation in the event of a confirmed incident of fake news. The guidelines were withdrawn following a directive to do so by the PMO. The controversy impacted the office of the President. It was followed by the issue related to the freedom of press on which the PM had to intervene. These two incidents were the final nails in the coffin. This decision also needs to be seen in the context of the rise and rise of the Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman whose quiet work and ability to keep the government away from controversy led to her elevation as the top 5 ministers in the country. Her failure to rally the press and get along with all the constituents added to this. The inclusion of SS Ahluwalia is seen as an adjustment. He is close to Sushma Swaraj and was a leading light during LK Advani’s tenure as the Deputy Prime Minister (2002-2004). This move is a clear indication that patience and silence can be more rewarding with Modi. The real beneficiary has been Rajyavardhan Rathore. He already heads the Sports Ministry, and now has also been given independent charge of I&B Ministry. He is already the spokesperson for the government of India. The reshuffle may be small and limited but the message is loud and clear. Ministers who create controversies at the expense of the government will not be tolerated. Smriti Irani is a case in example. She lost two ministries because of being outspoken. What keeps her alive is probably Amethi where she is pitched against Rahul Gandhi. She has not left the constituency and wants to ensure that BJP can defeat Congress in its own bastion.

Opinion: PM Modi shows way, reshuffles cabinet, sidelines Smriti Irani again

Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday attacked the BJP government over the&nbsp;absence of Union Minister Arun Jaitley and Secretary Hasmukh Adhia from the finance ministry at the same time

Gandhi&nbsp;tweeted a&nbsp;mock letter to Finance Minister addressed by Prime Minister.

Through his letter, Gandhi targetted the government for allegedly interfering in financial policies.

The letter said, "Dear FM, As you are indisposed and Finance Secretary is on vacation with his Guru on a quest for inner peace, I have decided to shut the Finance Ministry till further notice. The PMO will take all financial policy decisions as before. Prime Minister".

His tweet was based on a report that said Jaitley had not attended office for a month because of a kidney ailment and also claimed that finance secretary Adhia has taken leave till May 20 to do yoga and meditation with Swami Visharadanand Saraswathy in Mysuru.

In his letter, Gandhi said that in the absence of the finance ministers, the Prime Minister Office will take the decisions on finance policy "as before".

Jaitley had not attended office for a month due to a kidney ailment. However, sources have claimed that the Finance Minister had been clearing files from his residence. 
 
He attended a&nbsp;cabinet meeting and chaired a meeting of the GST council through video conference on April 25.

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Dear FM, 
 
As you are indisposed and Finance Secretary is on vacation with his Guru on a quest for inner peace, I have decided to shut the Finance Ministry till further notice. 
 
The PMO will take all financial policy decisions as before. 
 
Prime Minister<a href="https://t.co/EqHxbkQSXT">https://t.co/EqHxbkQSXT</a>
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) <a href="https://twitter.com/RahulGandhi/status/993742922549022720?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 8, 2018</a></blockquote>
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'Dear FM, As you are indisposed and Finance Secretary is on vacation with his Guru on a quest for inner peace, I have decided to shut the Finance Ministry till further notice. The PMO will take all financial policy decisions as before,' the letter said. It was signed 'Prime Minister'

Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday attacked the BJP government over the absence of Union Minister Arun Jaitley and Secretary Hasmukh Adhia from the finance ministry at the same time Gandhi tweeted a mock letter to Finance Minister addressed by Prime Minister. Through his letter, Gandhi targetted the government for allegedly interfering in financial policies. The letter said, "Dear FM, As you are indisposed and Finance Secretary is on vacation with his Guru on a quest for inner peace, I have decided to shut the Finance Ministry till further notice. The PMO will take all financial policy decisions as before. Prime Minister". His tweet was based on a report that said Jaitley had not attended office for a month because of a kidney ailment and also claimed that finance secretary Adhia has taken leave till May 20 to do yoga and meditation with Swami Visharadanand Saraswathy in Mysuru. In his letter, Gandhi said that in the absence of the finance ministers, the Prime Minister Office will take the decisions on finance policy "as before". Jaitley had not attended office for a month due to a kidney ailment. However, sources have claimed that the Finance Minister had been clearing files from his residence. He attended a cabinet meeting and chaired a meeting of the GST council through video conference on April 25. Dear FM, As you are indisposed and Finance Secretary is on vacation with his Guru on a quest for inner peace, I have decided to shut the Finance Ministry till further notice. The PMO will take all financial policy decisions as before. Prime Ministerhttps://t.co/EqHxbkQSXT — Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) May 8, 2018 ×

Finance Minister 'indisposed', secretary 'on quest for inner peace': Rahul writes mock letter

The all-powerful GST Council today deferred a decision on levying a cess on sugar and referred the issue of incentivising digital payments to a group of state finance ministers.

The panel, the highest decision making body of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime, in its 27th meeting agreed to a proposal to convert the GST Network -- the company that provides IT backbone to the new indirect tax regime -- into a government-owned entity.

Announcing the decisions taken today, Finance Minister Arun Jaitely, who chaired the meeting conducted through a video conferencing, said a road map for introduction of simplified return filing has been decided.

A single monthly return filing system would come into force in six months, Finance Secretary Hasmukh Adhia said.

Jaitley said while most states were in favour of giving a 2 per cent incentive if all payments are paid digitally or through cheques, some wanted a small negative list and so the issue will be referred to a five-member group of state finance ministers.

Another group of ministers (GoM) would look at the issue of levy of cess on sugar beyond the GST tax rates.

West Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra said some states were not in favour of such a levy.&nbsp;

Jaitley said the GST Network or GSTN currently is 24.5 per cent owned by the central government and a similar percentage is held by state governments collectively. The remaining 51 per cent is with five private financial insitutitions -- HDFC Ltd, HDFC Bank Ltd, ICICI Bank Ltd, NSE Strategic Investment Co and LIC Housing Finance Ltd.

The council agreed to a proposal of buying out the stake of private entities to make GSTN a government-owned entity, he said adding the central government will own 50 per cent and the remaining would be collectively held by state governments.&nbsp;

A single monthly return filing system would come into force in six months, Finance Secretary Hasmukh Adhia said.

The all-powerful GST Council today deferred a decision on levying a cess on sugar and referred the issue of incentivising digital payments to a group of state finance ministers. The panel, the highest decision making body of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime, in its 27th meeting agreed to a proposal to convert the GST Network -- the company that provides IT backbone to the new indirect tax regime -- into a government-owned entity. Announcing the decisions taken today, Finance Minister Arun Jaitely, who chaired the meeting conducted through a video conferencing, said a road map for introduction of simplified return filing has been decided. A single monthly return filing system would come into force in six months, Finance Secretary Hasmukh Adhia said. Jaitley said while most states were in favour of giving a 2 per cent incentive if all payments are paid digitally or through cheques, some wanted a small negative list and so the issue will be referred to a five-member group of state finance ministers. Another group of ministers (GoM) would look at the issue of levy of cess on sugar beyond the GST tax rates. West Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra said some states were not in favour of such a levy. Jaitley said the GST Network or GSTN currently is 24.5 per cent owned by the central government and a similar percentage is held by state governments collectively. The remaining 51 per cent is with five private financial insitutitions -- HDFC Ltd, HDFC Bank Ltd, ICICI Bank Ltd, NSE Strategic Investment Co and LIC Housing Finance Ltd. The council agreed to a proposal of buying out the stake of private entities to make GSTN a government-owned entity, he said adding the central government will own 50 per cent and the remaining would be collectively held by state governments.

GST Council defers decision on sugar cess, refers digital payments incentive issue to GoM

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday withdrew from the Delhi High Court his pleas challenging trial court orders in a criminal defamation case filed against him by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in connection with the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) row.&nbsp

The lawyers for Kejriwal told the high court that since he has been acquitted in the case after he had apologised for his statements against Jaitley in connection with alleged irregularities in DDCA, the AAP convenor's appeals against the trial court orders have become infructuous.

Taking note of the submission, Justice A K Pathak dismissed as withdrawn the two pleas seeking quashing of the summons issued to Kejriwal in the criminal defamation case and expunging of remarks made against him by the trial court.

The trial court had on April 3 acquitted Kejriwal and four other Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders -- Raghav Chadha, Sanjay Singh, Ashutosh and Deepak Bajpai - after a joint application was filed by them and Jaitley to settle the matter.

The application was filed on April 2 after the AAP leaders apologised to Jaitley for their statements against him and his family in connection with alleged irregularities in the DDCA.

Jaitley had accused Kejriwal and other AAP leaders -- Kumar Viswas, Singh, Chadha, Ashutosh and Bajpai -- of making a series of "false, scandalous and defamatory" allegations against him, claiming it adversely affected his reputation.

Vishwas has not yet tendered an apology and hence, the proceedings against him shall continue.

The AAP leaders had alleged financial irregularities in the DDCA when Jaitley was its president from 2000 to 2013, prompting the minister to lodge a defamation case against them while denying all the allegations.

The criminal defamation case has been filed against Arvind Kejriwal by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in connection with the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) row

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday withdrew from the Delhi High Court his pleas challenging trial court orders in a criminal defamation case filed against him by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in connection with the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) row. The lawyers for Kejriwal told the high court that since he has been acquitted in the case after he had apologised for his statements against Jaitley in connection with alleged irregularities in DDCA, the AAP convenor's appeals against the trial court orders have become infructuous. Taking note of the submission, Justice A K Pathak dismissed as withdrawn the two pleas seeking quashing of the summons issued to Kejriwal in the criminal defamation case and expunging of remarks made against him by the trial court. The trial court had on April 3 acquitted Kejriwal and four other Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders -- Raghav Chadha, Sanjay Singh, Ashutosh and Deepak Bajpai - after a joint application was filed by them and Jaitley to settle the matter. The application was filed on April 2 after the AAP leaders apologised to Jaitley for their statements against him and his family in connection with alleged irregularities in the DDCA. Jaitley had accused Kejriwal and other AAP leaders -- Kumar Viswas, Singh, Chadha, Ashutosh and Bajpai -- of making a series of "false, scandalous and defamatory" allegations against him, claiming it adversely affected his reputation. Vishwas has not yet tendered an apology and hence, the proceedings against him shall continue. The AAP leaders had alleged financial irregularities in the DDCA when Jaitley was its president from 2000 to 2013, prompting the minister to lodge a defamation case against them while denying all the allegations.

Kejriwal withdraws appeal in high court against summons in defamation case

<a href="http://cmsuat.wionews.com/india-news/congress-using-impeachment-as-a-political-tool-arun-jaitley--131639">Congress using CJI Deepak Misra's impeachment as a 'political tool': Arun Jaitley</a>

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Friday accused the Congress party of trivialising the power of impeachment and using it as a political tool.

In a scathing Facebook post, the senior BJP leader said the 114-page judgement in the Judge Loya death case authored by Justice D Y Chandrachud on behalf of the three Judge Bench of the Supreme Court "exposes every fact of the conspiracy" to generate falsehood as propaganda in the public and political space.

<a href="http://cmsuat.wionews.com/world/will-not-be-accepted-after-trumps-tweet-on-oil-prices-dip-131685">'Will not be accepted': After Trump's tweet on oil, prices dip</a>

As oil prices touched a new high today, US President tweeted saying it was "very high" and "will not be accepted", after the president's tweet, Brent and WTI crude prices turned "negative".

<a href="http://cmsuat.wionews.com/world/entertainment-natalie-portman-withdraws-her-attendance-from-an-israeli-award-ceremony-131659">Watch: Natalie Portman withdraws attendance from Israeli award ceremony</a>

Hollywood actress Natalie Portman has refused to attend a ceremony in Israel to accept a million-dollar prize because of "recent events" in the country, the organisers said, announcing the prizegiving had been cancelled.

<a href="http://cmsuat.wionews.com/south-asia/entertainment-after-meesha-shafi-more-women-accuse-ali-zafar-of-sexual-harassment-131673">MeToo# in Pak: After Meesha Shafi, more women accuse Ali Zafar of sexual harassment</a>

Meesha Shafi is not the only woman to have gone through harassment by singer Ali Zafar it seems as more women have broken their silence and spoken about Zafar's misconduct.&nbsp;

<a href="http://cmsuat.wionews.com/sports/arsene-wenger-to-step-down-as-arsenal-manager-131646">Arsene Wenger to step down as Arsenal manager</a>

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is to stand down at the end of the season after a reign of almost 22 years that made him the most successful boss in the Premier League club's history.

&nbsp;

Congress using CJI Deepak Misra's impeachment as a 'political tool': Arun Jaitley Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Friday accused the Congress party of trivialising the power of impeachment and using it as a political tool. In a scathing Facebook post, the senior BJP leader said the 114-page judgement in the Judge Loya death case authored by Justice D Y Chandrachud on behalf of the three Judge Bench of the Supreme Court "exposes every fact of the conspiracy" to generate falsehood as propaganda in the public and political space. 'Will not be accepted': After Trump's tweet on oil, prices dip As oil prices touched a new high today, US President tweeted saying it was "very high" and "will not be accepted", after the president's tweet, Brent and WTI crude prices turned "negative". Watch: Natalie Portman withdraws attendance from Israeli award ceremony Hollywood actress Natalie Portman has refused to attend a ceremony in Israel to accept a million-dollar prize because of "recent events" in the country, the organisers said, announcing the prizegiving had been cancelled. MeToo# in Pak: After Meesha Shafi, more women accuse Ali Zafar of sexual harassment Meesha Shafi is not the only woman to have gone through harassment by singer Ali Zafar it seems as more women have broken their silence and spoken about Zafar's misconduct. Arsene Wenger to step down as Arsenal manager Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is to stand down at the end of the season after a reign of almost 22 years that made him the most successful boss in the Premier League club's history.

News brief: Big stories of the day

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Friday accused the Congress party of trivialising the power of impeachment and using it as a political tool.

In a scathing Facebook post, the senior BJP leader said the 114-page judgement in the Judge Loya death case authored by Justice D Y Chandrachud on behalf of the three Judge Bench of the Supreme Court "exposes every fact of the conspiracy" to generate falsehood as propaganda in the public and political space.

He further said Amit Shah (now BJP president) had no role in Sohrabuddin Case and it was an alleged encounter executed by some central agencies through the state&nbsp;police.&nbsp;

Referring to the move of Congress and six other opposition parties to impeach Chief Justice of India Deepak Misra, Jaitley said: "The Congress Party and its friends have started using impeachment as a political tool".

Stressing that trivialising the use of power of impeachment is a "dangerous event", he said the move is an attempt to "intimidate" a judge and send a "message"&nbsp;to other judges, "that if you don't agree with us, fifty MP's are enough for a revenge action".

Referring to the judgement in Loya death case, Jaitley said never ever so blatantly in the past have national political parties, a few retired judges and some senior lawyers "so closely identified themselves with the generation of falsehood that they almost come out as conspirators".&nbsp;

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Jaitley said Amit Shah (now BJP President) had no role in Sohrabuddin Case and it was an alleged encounter executed by some central agencies through the State Police.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Friday accused the Congress party of trivialising the power of impeachment and using it as a political tool. In a scathing Facebook post, the senior BJP leader said the 114-page judgement in the Judge Loya death case authored by Justice D Y Chandrachud on behalf of the three Judge Bench of the Supreme Court "exposes every fact of the conspiracy" to generate falsehood as propaganda in the public and political space. He further said Amit Shah (now BJP president) had no role in Sohrabuddin Case and it was an alleged encounter executed by some central agencies through the state police. Referring to the move of Congress and six other opposition parties to impeach Chief Justice of India Deepak Misra, Jaitley said: "The Congress Party and its friends have started using impeachment as a political tool". Stressing that trivialising the use of power of impeachment is a "dangerous event", he said the move is an attempt to "intimidate" a judge and send a "message" to other judges, "that if you don't agree with us, fifty MP's are enough for a revenge action". Referring to the judgement in Loya death case, Jaitley said never ever so blatantly in the past have national political parties, a few retired judges and some senior lawyers "so closely identified themselves with the generation of falsehood that they almost come out as conspirators". ×

Congress using CJI Deepak Misra's impeachment as a 'political tool': Arun Jaitley

The Secretary of the Department of Economic Affairs, SC Garg has ensured that in the next few days there will be a supply of about Rs 2500 crore of Rs 500 notes per day while in a month the supply would go up to 70,000- 75,000 crore.

His assurance has come after&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/atms-in-several-states-run-of-cash-130963">ATMs in several cities ran out of cash on Tuesday</a>.

On Tuesday, people in the states of Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat reported that they were unable to withdraw cash since several machines within their city had run out of money.&nbsp;

SC Garg also said that currently the Department prints about 500 crore of Rs 500 notes per day. He added that the department was taking steps to raise the production to five times.&nbsp;

Earlier, Finance minister Arun Jaitley had said that the temporary shortage in cash was&nbsp;caused by "sudden and unusual increase in some areas and is being tackled quickly".

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We print about 500 cr of Rs 500 notes per day. We have taken steps to raise this production 5 times. In next couple of days, we'll have supply of about 2500 cr of Rs 500 notes per day. In a month, supply would be about 70000-75000 cr: SC Garg, Secy, Dept of Economic Affairs <a href="https://t.co/bD84VjhKQJ">pic.twitter.com/bD84VjhKQJ</a>
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/986168620886691840?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 17, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The Secretary of the Department of Economic Affairs, SC Garg has ensured that in the next few days there will be a supply of about Rs 2500 crore of Rs 500 notes per day while in a month the supply would go up to 70,000-75,000 crore

The Secretary of the Department of Economic Affairs, SC Garg has ensured that in the next few days there will be a supply of about Rs 2500 crore of Rs 500 notes per day while in a month the supply would go up to 70,000- 75,000 crore. His assurance has come after ATMs in several cities ran out of cash on Tuesday. On Tuesday, people in the states of Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat reported that they were unable to withdraw cash since several machines within their city had run out of money. SC Garg also said that currently the Department prints about 500 crore of Rs 500 notes per day. He added that the department was taking steps to raise the production to five times. Earlier, Finance minister Arun Jaitley had said that the temporary shortage in cash was caused by "sudden and unusual increase in some areas and is being tackled quickly". We print about 500 cr of Rs 500 notes per day. We have taken steps to raise this production 5 times. In next couple of days, we'll have supply of about 2500 cr of Rs 500 notes per day. In a month, supply would be about 70000-75000 cr: SC Garg, Secy, Dept of Economic Affairs pic.twitter.com/bD84VjhKQJ — ANI (@ANI) April 17, 2018 ×

Have taken steps to raise printing of cash: Secy, Dept of Economic Affairs

The Delhi High Court today asked Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal why cannot he apologise to a constable for allegedly using the slang 'thulla' for policemen, when he has been seeking pardon from others like Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

Justice Anu Malhotra said if Kejriwal is apologising to others for his remarks, why can't he do the same to the police officials and settle the matter.

His counsel said he would seek instructions from the chief minister on this, following which the court listed the matter for further hearing on May 29.

The court was hearing a plea by Kejriwal seeking quashing of a trial court order summoning him in a criminal defamation complaint filed by a constable.

During the past few weeks, Kejriwal has tendered apology to Jaitley, Bikram Majithia and others for his comments against them.

The court had earlier stayed the trial court order summoning Kejriwal in the defamation complaint filed by Delhi Police constable Anil Kumar Taneja, who had sought dismissal of his petition seeking stay and quashing of the trial court order summoning him.&nbsp;

Opposing the Chief Minister's plea, the constable in his reply, filed through advocate L N Rao, had alleged that Kejriwal had "crossed all limits of decency" by using the insulting word 'thulla' for a policeman in an interview to a news channel.

Taneja, who had filed the criminal defamation complaint filed on July 23, 2015, had claimed that by using the slang, Kejriwal "has intentionally insulted entire Delhi Police force as a whole and caused unnecessary provocation to the police personnel in Delhi".

The high court in July last had asked Kejriwal to explain the meaning of word 'thulla' he had allegedly used against the policemen while staying the trial court's order.

He word used by Kejriwal is a Hindi word and the high court wanted to know its meaning as it does not exist in the dictionary.

Earlier, Kejriwal's counsel had told the court that the word 'Thulla' was not used against all policemen but against those indulging in wrong practices.&nbsp;

Justice Anu Malhotra said if Kejriwal is apologising to others for his remarks, why can't he do the same to the police officials and settle the matter

The Delhi High Court today asked Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal why cannot he apologise to a constable for allegedly using the slang 'thulla' for policemen, when he has been seeking pardon from others like Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. Justice Anu Malhotra said if Kejriwal is apologising to others for his remarks, why can't he do the same to the police officials and settle the matter. His counsel said he would seek instructions from the chief minister on this, following which the court listed the matter for further hearing on May 29. The court was hearing a plea by Kejriwal seeking quashing of a trial court order summoning him in a criminal defamation complaint filed by a constable. During the past few weeks, Kejriwal has tendered apology to Jaitley, Bikram Majithia and others for his comments against them. The court had earlier stayed the trial court order summoning Kejriwal in the defamation complaint filed by Delhi Police constable Anil Kumar Taneja, who had sought dismissal of his petition seeking stay and quashing of the trial court order summoning him. Opposing the Chief Minister's plea, the constable in his reply, filed through advocate L N Rao, had alleged that Kejriwal had "crossed all limits of decency" by using the insulting word 'thulla' for a policeman in an interview to a news channel. Taneja, who had filed the criminal defamation complaint filed on July 23, 2015, had claimed that by using the slang, Kejriwal "has intentionally insulted entire Delhi Police force as a whole and caused unnecessary provocation to the police personnel in Delhi". The high court in July last had asked Kejriwal to explain the meaning of word 'thulla' he had allegedly used against the policemen while staying the trial court's order. He word used by Kejriwal is a Hindi word and the high court wanted to know its meaning as it does not exist in the dictionary. Earlier, Kejriwal's counsel had told the court that the word 'Thulla' was not used against all policemen but against those indulging in wrong practices.

High Court asks Arvind Kejriwal why can't he apologise for 'thulla' remark

Finance minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday underwent a series of medical tests at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) ahead of his kidney transplant surgery.

Jaitley, 65, who was admitted to AIIMS Friday evening in New Delhi, has been kept under observation. Sources said that keeping a kidney transplant patient under one-day observation is a routine medical procedure and his surgery is likely to be done on Sunday. The Union minister also underwent some medical tests following his admission to the hospital.

Jaitley is suffering from a kidney ailment and has not been attending office since Monday. He has not even taken oath of office after being re-elected to the Rajya Sabha. He has also been forced to cancel domestic public appearances as well as foreign visits, including a London visit scheduled for next week. The Finance Minister was to attend the 10th UK-India Economic and Financial Dialogue in London.

On Thursday, the Finance Minister had confirmed about his ailment with a post on Twitter. “I am being treated for kidney related problems & certain infections that I have contracted. I am therefore currently working from controlled environment at home. The future course of my treatment would be determined by the doctors treating me,” he had tweeted.

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I am being treated for kidney related problems & certain infections that I have contracted. I am therefore currently working from controlled environment at home. The future course of my treatment would be determined by the doctors treating me.
— Arun Jaitley (@arunjaitley) <a href="https://twitter.com/arunjaitley/status/981897254964486144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 5, 2018</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

He is likely to be operated by nephrologist Dr Sandeep Guleria from Apollo hospital, also brother of AIIMS director Randeep Guleria, who is a family friend of Jaitley.&nbsp;

In 2014 he had a gastric bypass operation to keep his diabetes in check.&nbsp;

Jaitley, 65, who was admitted to AIIMS Friday evening in New Delhi, has been kept under observation. Sources said that keeping a kidney transplant patient under one-day observation is a routine medical procedure and his surgery is likely to be done on Sunday

Finance minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday underwent a series of medical tests at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) ahead of his kidney transplant surgery. Jaitley, 65, who was admitted to AIIMS Friday evening in New Delhi, has been kept under observation. Sources said that keeping a kidney transplant patient under one-day observation is a routine medical procedure and his surgery is likely to be done on Sunday. The Union minister also underwent some medical tests following his admission to the hospital. Jaitley is suffering from a kidney ailment and has not been attending office since Monday. He has not even taken oath of office after being re-elected to the Rajya Sabha. He has also been forced to cancel domestic public appearances as well as foreign visits, including a London visit scheduled for next week. The Finance Minister was to attend the 10th UK-India Economic and Financial Dialogue in London. On Thursday, the Finance Minister had confirmed about his ailment with a post on Twitter. “I am being treated for kidney related problems & certain infections that I have contracted. I am therefore currently working from controlled environment at home. The future course of my treatment would be determined by the doctors treating me,” he had tweeted. I am being treated for kidney related problems & certain infections that I have contracted. I am therefore currently working from controlled environment at home. The future course of my treatment would be determined by the doctors treating me. — Arun Jaitley (@arunjaitley) April 5, 2018 × He is likely to be operated by nephrologist Dr Sandeep Guleria from Apollo hospital, also brother of AIIMS director Randeep Guleria, who is a family friend of Jaitley. In 2014 he had a gastric bypass operation to keep his diabetes in check.

Video: Arun Jaitley to undergo kidney transplant today

Rahul Gandhi wishes Arun Jaitley a speedy recovery&nbsp

Congress president Rahul Gandhi wished Finance Minister Arun Jaitley a speedy recovery after the latter yesterday tweeted that he was treated for kidney related problems.&nbsp

Rahul tweeted ''I’m truly sorry to hear this @arunjaitley ji. I pray for your speedy recovery.''

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I’m truly sorry to hear this <a href="https://twitter.com/arunjaitley?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@arunjaitley</a> ji. I pray for your speedy recovery. <a href="https://t.co/NWRFo9ep9a">https://t.co/NWRFo9ep9a</a>
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) <a href="https://twitter.com/RahulGandhi/status/982112489096724480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 6, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Yesterday <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/being-treated-for-kidney-related-problems-working-from-controlled-environment-at-home-arun-jaitley-128590">Jaitley tweeted</a> that he was being treated for kidney-related problems and certain infections that he has contracted.

''I am being treated for kidney related problems & certain infections that I have contracted. I am therefore currently working from controlled environment at home. The future course of my treatment would be determined by the doctors treating me,'' Jaitley tweeted on Thursday.&nbsp

Another Congress leader Shahi Tharoor also wished Jaitley a speedy recovery.&nbsp

''All the best @arunjaitley for a speedy & complete recovery,'' Tharoor tweeted.

Rahul tweeted ''I’m truly sorry to hear this @arunjaitley ji. I pray for your speedy recovery.''

Rahul Gandhi wishes Arun Jaitley a speedy recovery Congress president Rahul Gandhi wished Finance Minister Arun Jaitley a speedy recovery after the latter yesterday tweeted that he was treated for kidney related problems. Rahul tweeted ''I’m truly sorry to hear this @arunjaitley ji. I pray for your speedy recovery.'' I’m truly sorry to hear this @arunjaitley ji. I pray for your speedy recovery. https://t.co/NWRFo9ep9a — Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) April 6, 2018 × Yesterday Jaitley tweeted that he was being treated for kidney-related problems and certain infections that he has contracted. ''I am being treated for kidney related problems & certain infections that I have contracted. I am therefore currently working from controlled environment at home. The future course of my treatment would be determined by the doctors treating me,'' Jaitley tweeted on Thursday. Another Congress leader Shahi Tharoor also wished Jaitley a speedy recovery. ''All the best @arunjaitley for a speedy & complete recovery,'' Tharoor tweeted.

Rahul Gandhi wishes Arun Jaitley a speedy recovery

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said Thursday that hew as being treated for "kidney-related problems" and that he was working from a "controlled environment at home".&nbsp

"I am being treated for kidney related problems & certain infections that I have contracted. I am therefore currently working from controlled environment at home," he tweeted.&nbsp

"The future course of my treatment would be determined by the doctors treating me," he added.&nbsp

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I am being treated for kidney related problems & certain infections that I have contracted. I am therefore currently working from controlled environment at home. The future course of my treatment would be determined by the doctors treating me.
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Government officials said Thursday that Jaitley had <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/finance-minister-arun-jaitley-unwell-cancels-foreign-travel-128454?first_load=no">cancelled</a> a visit to London next week for annual economic talks.

Jaitley, 65, was due to meet Britain's finance minister Philip Hammond at the India-UK economic dialogue and deliver a talk on "Looking Ahead to 2022: India's Global Vision" at Chatham House, a policy think tank.

The organisers of the talk said the programme had been cancelled, without giving a reason.

"He will not visit London next week as he is not keeping well," one of the Indian officials said.

Jaitley skipped a meeting of finance ministers from the Group of 20 countries in Argentina last month. He told Reuters at the time he was not in a position to take a long flight.

In 2014 he had a gastric bypass operation to keep his diabetes in check.&nbsp

Jaitley went to Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences for tests related to a kidney ailment, officials at the Finance Ministry and at the medical facility said.

A medical report is due on Friday, one of the Finance Ministry officials said. They declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter and the Finance Ministry did not make any formal comment on the minister's health.&nbsp

(With inputs from Reuters) 
&nbsp

'The future course of my treatment would be determined by the doctors treating me,' he added

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said Thursday that hew as being treated for "kidney-related problems" and that he was working from a "controlled environment at home". "I am being treated for kidney related problems & certain infections that I have contracted. I am therefore currently working from controlled environment at home," he tweeted. "The future course of my treatment would be determined by the doctors treating me," he added. I am being treated for kidney related problems & certain infections that I have contracted. I am therefore currently working from controlled environment at home. The future course of my treatment would be determined by the doctors treating me. — Arun Jaitley (@arunjaitley) April 5, 2018 × Government officials said Thursday that Jaitley had cancelled a visit to London next week for annual economic talks. Jaitley, 65, was due to meet Britain's finance minister Philip Hammond at the India-UK economic dialogue and deliver a talk on "Looking Ahead to 2022: India's Global Vision" at Chatham House, a policy think tank. The organisers of the talk said the programme had been cancelled, without giving a reason. "He will not visit London next week as he is not keeping well," one of the Indian officials said. Jaitley skipped a meeting of finance ministers from the Group of 20 countries in Argentina last month. He told Reuters at the time he was not in a position to take a long flight. In 2014 he had a gastric bypass operation to keep his diabetes in check. Jaitley went to Delhi's All India Institute of Medical Sciences for tests related to a kidney ailment, officials at the Finance Ministry and at the medical facility said. A medical report is due on Friday, one of the Finance Ministry officials said. They declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter and the Finance Ministry did not make any formal comment on the minister's health. (With inputs from Reuters)

Being treated for kidney-related problems, working from controlled environment at home: Arun Jaitley

The Delhi High Court today closed the Rs 10 crore defamation suit filed by Union minister Arun Jaitley after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal apologised to him.

Jaitley had filed this second defamation suit after Kejriwal's former lawyer Ram Jethmalani allegedly "abused" him in open court during the proceedings of the original defamation suit against the Aam Aadmi Party chief and five other party functionaries.

Justice Manmohan allowed the settlement application jointly filed by Jaitley and Kejriwal and disposed of the suit following the AAP chief's apology, which was accepted by the BJP leader.

The court accepted the written undertaking and statement of both the leaders and decreed the suit in accordance with the settlement application.

During the hearing, advocate Anupam Srivastava, appearing for Kejriwal, told the court that the matter was settled and Jaitley accepted the apology tendered by the AAP leader.

Senior advocate Rajiv Nayyar and advocate Manik Dogra, representing Jaitley, also said the dispute was settled by the parties.

The court noted that the settlement application was signed by the leaders as well as their advocates who undertook that their clients would abide by the undertaking given.

Another bench of the high court is scheduled to hear during the day Jaitley and Kejriwal's settlement application in the first defamation suit.

Kejriwal had on March 19 opposed in the High Court the second Rs 10 crore defamation suit filed against him by Jaitley over the use of an objectionable word by Jethmalani. He claimed that he had never instructed his then counsel to use any scandalous words against the minister during a recording of evidence.

During the cross-examination of the minister on May 17 last year before Joint Registrar, Jethmalani had used a term Jaitley found objectionable. 
AAP leaders had accused the BJP leader of corruption as the president of the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA), a post he had held from 2000 to 2013.

Jaitley, who had denied all allegations levelled by the AAP leaders in December 2015, had filed a civil defamation suit seeking Rs 10 crore damages from Kejriwal and five other leaders of his party, claiming they had made "false and defamatory" statements in the case involving DDCA, thereby harming his reputation.

The court accepted the written undertaking and statement of both the leaders and decreed the suit in accordance with the settlement application

The Delhi High Court today closed the Rs 10 crore defamation suit filed by Union minister Arun Jaitley after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal apologised to him. Jaitley had filed this second defamation suit after Kejriwal's former lawyer Ram Jethmalani allegedly "abused" him in open court during the proceedings of the original defamation suit against the Aam Aadmi Party chief and five other party functionaries. Justice Manmohan allowed the settlement application jointly filed by Jaitley and Kejriwal and disposed of the suit following the AAP chief's apology, which was accepted by the BJP leader. The court accepted the written undertaking and statement of both the leaders and decreed the suit in accordance with the settlement application. During the hearing, advocate Anupam Srivastava, appearing for Kejriwal, told the court that the matter was settled and Jaitley accepted the apology tendered by the AAP leader. Senior advocate Rajiv Nayyar and advocate Manik Dogra, representing Jaitley, also said the dispute was settled by the parties. The court noted that the settlement application was signed by the leaders as well as their advocates who undertook that their clients would abide by the undertaking given. Another bench of the high court is scheduled to hear during the day Jaitley and Kejriwal's settlement application in the first defamation suit. Kejriwal had on March 19 opposed in the High Court the second Rs 10 crore defamation suit filed against him by Jaitley over the use of an objectionable word by Jethmalani. He claimed that he had never instructed his then counsel to use any scandalous words against the minister during a recording of evidence. During the cross-examination of the minister on May 17 last year before Joint Registrar, Jethmalani had used a term Jaitley found objectionable. AAP leaders had accused the BJP leader of corruption as the president of the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA), a post he had held from 2000 to 2013. Jaitley, who had denied all allegations levelled by the AAP leaders in December 2015, had filed a civil defamation suit seeking Rs 10 crore damages from Kejriwal and five other leaders of his party, claiming they had made "false and defamatory" statements in the case involving DDCA, thereby harming his reputation.

Delhi High Court closes defamation suit filed by Jaitley against Kejriwal

Arun Jaitley on Monday accepted Arvind Kejriwal and other AAP leaders' <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/kejriwal-apologises-again-arun-jaitley-refuses-to-roll-back-defamation-case--127838">apology</a>, Jaitley counsel confirmed today.&nbsp;

A joint plea was today moved by Union Minister Arun Jaitley and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to "settle" their over two-year-old litigation regarding alleged defamatory statements made against the BJP leader after the AAP supremo apologised for his remarks.&nbsp;

The joint application was mentioned before Justice Manmohan by advocates Manik Dogra and Anupam Srivastava, who appeared for Jaitley and Kejriwal, respectively.&nbsp; 
 
The court agreed to list the matter for hearing before the appropriate bench tomorrow if no technical objection is raised by the registry.&nbsp;

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and three other AAP colleagues Sanjay Singh, Raghav Chadha and Ashutosh apologised to Jaitley in a defamation case he had filed against him.&nbsp;

"In the civil case, we'll agree to a decree in the matter based on apology and the acceptance thereof," said M Dogra, Jaitley's counsel.&nbsp;

In his apology letter, Kejriwal admitted having made "certain statements" about Jaitley in connection to his tenure as the President of the Delhi & District Cricket Association.&nbsp;

Jaitley had filed a Rs 10-crore defamation suit against Kejriwal and five other AAP leaders -- Raghav Chadha, Kumar Vishwas, Sanjay Singh, Ashutosh and Deepak Bajpai. All six alleged financial irregularities in the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) when Jaitley was its president.

Embroiled in a legal mess with 30 defamation lawsuits, Kejriwal has been on an apology spree since last month. After apologising to Punjab ex-minister Bikram Majithia, Kejriwal apologised to Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and Congress leader Kapil Sibal's son Amit Sibal.&nbsp;

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and three other AAP colleagues Sanjay Singh, Raghav Chadha and Ashutosh apologised to Jaitley in a defamation case he had filed against him

Arun Jaitley on Monday accepted Arvind Kejriwal and other AAP leaders' apology, Jaitley counsel confirmed today. A joint plea was today moved by Union Minister Arun Jaitley and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to "settle" their over two-year-old litigation regarding alleged defamatory statements made against the BJP leader after the AAP supremo apologised for his remarks. The joint application was mentioned before Justice Manmohan by advocates Manik Dogra and Anupam Srivastava, who appeared for Jaitley and Kejriwal, respectively. The court agreed to list the matter for hearing before the appropriate bench tomorrow if no technical objection is raised by the registry. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and three other AAP colleagues Sanjay Singh, Raghav Chadha and Ashutosh apologised to Jaitley in a defamation case he had filed against him. "In the civil case, we'll agree to a decree in the matter based on apology and the acceptance thereof," said M Dogra, Jaitley's counsel. In his apology letter, Kejriwal admitted having made "certain statements" about Jaitley in connection to his tenure as the President of the Delhi & District Cricket Association. Jaitley had filed a Rs 10-crore defamation suit against Kejriwal and five other AAP leaders -- Raghav Chadha, Kumar Vishwas, Sanjay Singh, Ashutosh and Deepak Bajpai. All six alleged financial irregularities in the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) when Jaitley was its president. Embroiled in a legal mess with 30 defamation lawsuits, Kejriwal has been on an apology spree since last month. After apologising to Punjab ex-minister Bikram Majithia, Kejriwal apologised to Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and Congress leader Kapil Sibal's son Amit Sibal.

Jaitley accepts Kejriwal apology, duo move HC to 'settle' defamation cases

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Aam Aadmi Party leaders Sanjay Singh, Raghav Chadha and Ashutosh have apologized to Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in a joint letter.

The apology came after Jaitley had filed a defamation case against the AAP leaders.&nbsp;

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Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, AAP leaders Sanjay Singh,Ashutosh and Raghav Chadha apologize to Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in the defamation case he had filed against them <a href="https://t.co/CJFqxVD738">pic.twitter.com/CJFqxVD738</a>
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In his letter, Kejriwal admitted having made "certain statements" about Jaitley in connection to his tenure as the President of the Delhi & District Cricket Association.&nbsp;

Kejriwal further noted that the statements made by him were based on the information served to him by those who claimed to have first-hand knowledge about DDCA affairs.&nbsp;

"Therefore, I unequivocally withdraw all the allegations made by me in question whether made in print, electronic or social media against you. I offer my sincere apology to you and your family members for any harm caused to your reputation as a consequence of my allegations," the letter read.&nbsp;

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Defamation suit(by FM Arun Jaitley) not being withdrawn, Joint application being filed for decree based on apology by Arvind Kejriwal and other AAP leaders: Sources
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/980711787908780032?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 2, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Meanwhile, Arun Jaitley has refused to roll back the case against Kejriwal and other AAP leaders named in the lawsuit.&nbsp;

(With inputs from ANI)&nbsp;

In his letter, Kejriwal admitted having made "certain statements" about Jaitley in connection with his tenure as the President of the Delhi & District Cricket Association

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Aam Aadmi Party leaders Sanjay Singh, Raghav Chadha and Ashutosh have apologized to Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in a joint letter. The apology came after Jaitley had filed a defamation case against the AAP leaders. Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, AAP leaders Sanjay Singh,Ashutosh and Raghav Chadha apologize to Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in the defamation case he had filed against them pic.twitter.com/CJFqxVD738 — ANI (@ANI) April 2, 2018 × In his letter, Kejriwal admitted having made "certain statements" about Jaitley in connection to his tenure as the President of the Delhi & District Cricket Association. Kejriwal further noted that the statements made by him were based on the information served to him by those who claimed to have first-hand knowledge about DDCA affairs. "Therefore, I unequivocally withdraw all the allegations made by me in question whether made in print, electronic or social media against you. I offer my sincere apology to you and your family members for any harm caused to your reputation as a consequence of my allegations," the letter read. Defamation suit(by FM Arun Jaitley) not being withdrawn, Joint application being filed for decree based on apology by Arvind Kejriwal and other AAP leaders: Sources — ANI (@ANI) April 2, 2018 × Meanwhile, Arun Jaitley has refused to roll back the case against Kejriwal and other AAP leaders named in the lawsuit. (With inputs from ANI)

Kejriwal apologises again, Arun Jaitley refuses to roll back defamation case

BJP won 12&nbsp;of the remaining 26&nbsp;seats that were at stake in crucial Rajya Sabha biennial polls in seven states on Saturday&nbsp;amid high drama in Uttar Pradesh where it clinched an extra ninth seat overcoming the newfound bonhomie between former arch rivals SP and BSP.

For the 59 Rajya Sabha seats to be filled, 33 candidates from 10 states were declared elected unopposed on March 15 with the BJP accounting for 16 of them.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and BJP leader GVL Narsimha Rao, SP&#39;s Jaya Bachchan (all from Uttar Pradesh), Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who was backed by ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, and BJP&#39;s Rajeev Chandrasekhar (from Karnataka) were among the prominent winners.

Backed by ruling CPI(M)-led LDF, M P Veerendra Kumar, the President of the Kerala unit of Janata Dal (U) Sharad Yadav faction, was elected from Kerala defeating his Congress rival, in a bypoll after he resigned from Rajya Sabha as a mark of protest following JD(U) leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar joining hands with BJP-led NDA.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted the winners in the Rajya Sabha polls. &quot;Congratulations to all those elected to the Rajya Sabha from various states and best wishes for their parliamentary career. I hope they effectively voice the aspirations of the states they will represent,&quot; he tweeted.

There was a two-hour delay in the counting of votes in UP as the opposition Samajwadi Party and BSP lodged a complaint with the Election Commission.

Besides BJP&#39;s prominent winner Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, others who made it to the Upper House of Parliament from the party are Ashok Bajpai, Vijay Pal Singh Tomar, Sakal Deep Rajbhar, Kanta Kardam, Anil Jain, Harnath Singh Yadav, GVL Narasimha Rao and ninth candidate Anil Kumar Agarwal, who pulled off a surprise win with the help of second preference votes.

The remaining seat went to the Samajwadi Party (Jaya Bachchan) in the polls marred by cross-voting from both the sides, which led to the defeat of BSP candidate in the prestigious battle of ballots, touted as a test for the new-found bonhomie between the parties headed by Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati.

The Rajya Sabha results came days after the BJP lost Lok Sabha bypolls to Gorakhpur and Phulpur to a joint force of the SP and the BSP.

In West Bengal, Singhvi and four Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidates -- Nadimul Haque, Subhasish Chakraborty, Abir Biswas and Santunu Sen -- won the Rajya Sabha election.

The TMC supported Singhvi in the Rajya Sabha poll who contested as the fifth candidate as the Congress did not have the strength in the Assembly to get its candidate elected.

Singhvi secured 47 votes, he said.

Nadimul Haque secured 52 votes, Subhasish Chakraborty got 54 votes, Abir Biswas bagged 52 and Santunu Sen secured 51 votes, Koley said.

The ruling Congress in Karnataka bagged three Rajya Sabha seats whil BJP wone in one in the biennial election, amid a boycott of the poll by the JDS, alleging electoral malpractice.

Congress&#39;s L Hanumanthaiah, Syed Naseer Hussain and G C Chandrasekhar, and BJP&#39;s Rajeev Chandrashekar were declared elected after a complaint by the JDS to the Election Commission caused a delay in taking up counting of votes.

With its strength in the Assembly, the Congress was sure of winning two seats and eyed the third seat and won it with the support of JDS rebels and independents.

The fight was for the third seat between the third candidate of the Congress&#39; Chandrasekhar and JDS&#39; B M Farooq, with the ruling party pulling off a bonus victory.

Businessman Rajeev Chandrasekhar secured 50 votes, six more than required, with the support from smaller parties and independents.

Congress&#39;s Chandrasekhar received 46 votes, Hanumanthaiah 44 and Hussain 42.

In Telangana, TRS candidates B Prakash, B Lingaiah Yadav and J Santosh Kumar were elected to the Rajya Sabha.

Prakash, Yadav and Santosh Kumar got 33, 32 and 32 votes respectively. Balaram obtained 10 votes, official sources said.

BJP national general secretary Saroj Pandey won the lone Rajya Sabha seat for which polling was held in Chhattisgarh.&nbsp;

The House currently has 49 BJP MLAs, 39 Congress legislators, one BSP member and an independent legislator.

Arun Jaitley and GVL Narsimha Rao, SP's Jaya Bachchan (all from Uttar Pradesh), Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi and BJP's Rajeev Chandrasekhar (from Karnataka) were among the prominent winners.

BJP won 12 of the remaining 26 seats that were at stake in crucial Rajya Sabha biennial polls in seven states on Saturday amid high drama in Uttar Pradesh where it clinched an extra ninth seat overcoming the newfound bonhomie between former arch rivals SP and BSP. For the 59 Rajya Sabha seats to be filled, 33 candidates from 10 states were declared elected unopposed on March 15 with the BJP accounting for 16 of them. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and BJP leader GVL Narsimha Rao, SP's Jaya Bachchan (all from Uttar Pradesh), Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who was backed by ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, and BJP's Rajeev Chandrasekhar (from Karnataka) were among the prominent winners. Backed by ruling CPI(M)-led LDF, M P Veerendra Kumar, the President of the Kerala unit of Janata Dal (U) Sharad Yadav faction, was elected from Kerala defeating his Congress rival, in a bypoll after he resigned from Rajya Sabha as a mark of protest following JD(U) leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar joining hands with BJP-led NDA. Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted the winners in the Rajya Sabha polls. "Congratulations to all those elected to the Rajya Sabha from various states and best wishes for their parliamentary career. I hope they effectively voice the aspirations of the states they will represent," he tweeted. There was a two-hour delay in the counting of votes in UP as the opposition Samajwadi Party and BSP lodged a complaint with the Election Commission. Besides BJP's prominent winner Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, others who made it to the Upper House of Parliament from the party are Ashok Bajpai, Vijay Pal Singh Tomar, Sakal Deep Rajbhar, Kanta Kardam, Anil Jain, Harnath Singh Yadav, GVL Narasimha Rao and ninth candidate Anil Kumar Agarwal, who pulled off a surprise win with the help of second preference votes. The remaining seat went to the Samajwadi Party (Jaya Bachchan) in the polls marred by cross-voting from both the sides, which led to the defeat of BSP candidate in the prestigious battle of ballots, touted as a test for the new-found bonhomie between the parties headed by Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati. The Rajya Sabha results came days after the BJP lost Lok Sabha bypolls to Gorakhpur and Phulpur to a joint force of the SP and the BSP. In West Bengal, Singhvi and four Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidates -- Nadimul Haque, Subhasish Chakraborty, Abir Biswas and Santunu Sen -- won the Rajya Sabha election. The TMC supported Singhvi in the Rajya Sabha poll who contested as the fifth candidate as the Congress did not have the strength in the Assembly to get its candidate elected. Singhvi secured 47 votes, he said. Nadimul Haque secured 52 votes, Subhasish Chakraborty got 54 votes, Abir Biswas bagged 52 and Santunu Sen secured 51 votes, Koley said. The ruling Congress in Karnataka bagged three Rajya Sabha seats whil BJP wone in one in the biennial election, amid a boycott of the poll by the JDS, alleging electoral malpractice. Congress's L Hanumanthaiah, Syed Naseer Hussain and G C Chandrasekhar, and BJP's Rajeev Chandrashekar were declared elected after a complaint by the JDS to the Election Commission caused a delay in taking up counting of votes. With its strength in the Assembly, the Congress was sure of winning two seats and eyed the third seat and won it with the support of JDS rebels and independents. The fight was for the third seat between the third candidate of the Congress' Chandrasekhar and JDS' B M Farooq, with the ruling party pulling off a bonus victory. Businessman Rajeev Chandrasekhar secured 50 votes, six more than required, with the support from smaller parties and independents. Congress's Chandrasekhar received 46 votes, Hanumanthaiah 44 and Hussain 42. In Telangana, TRS candidates B Prakash, B Lingaiah Yadav and J Santosh Kumar were elected to the Rajya Sabha. Prakash, Yadav and Santosh Kumar got 33, 32 and 32 votes respectively. Balaram obtained 10 votes, official sources said. BJP national general secretary Saroj Pandey won the lone Rajya Sabha seat for which polling was held in Chhattisgarh. The House currently has 49 BJP MLAs, 39 Congress legislators, one BSP member and an independent legislator.

BJP bags 12 Rajya Sabha seats, crushes SP-BSP bonhomie in UP

German luxury car maker Audi today said it will increase prices of its vehicles by up to Rs 9 lakh from April 1 to pass on the impact of increased customs duty in the Budget.

The price across the entire model range will be increased by up to 4 per cent owing to the hike in the customs duty announced in the Union Budget, Audi India said in a statement.

The price increase will range from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 9 lakh and will be effective from 1st April 2018, it added.

Audi sells a host of vehicles in India ranging from SUV Q3 with price starting at Rs 35.35 lakh to sports car R8 which is tagged at Rs 2.63 crore.

Audi India Head Rahil Ansari said, &quot;The increase in custom duty and introduction of social welfare surcharge in lieu of an education cess (which is higher than the erstwhile cess) in the Union Budget made the increase in price inevitable.&quot;

The company has tried to absorb the impact of the increase in customs duty and has minimised the price hike, he added.

Seeking support from the government for luxury car industry, Ansari said,&quot;There is no doubt that increase in car sales would definitely help the government in garnering more accumulated taxes.&quot;

In the Budget for 2018-19, finance minister Arun Jaitley had increased custom duty on CKD (completely knocked down) imports of motor vehicles, motor cars, motor cycles from 10 per cent to 15 per cent.

The government had also raised custom duty on specified parts/accessories of motor vehicles, motor cars, motor cycles from 7.5 per cent to 15 per cent.

The price across the entire model range will be increased by up to 4% owing to the hike in the customs duty announced in the Union Budget, Audi India said in a statement

German luxury car maker Audi today said it will increase prices of its vehicles by up to Rs 9 lakh from April 1 to pass on the impact of increased customs duty in the Budget. The price across the entire model range will be increased by up to 4 per cent owing to the hike in the customs duty announced in the Union Budget, Audi India said in a statement. The price increase will range from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 9 lakh and will be effective from 1st April 2018, it added. Audi sells a host of vehicles in India ranging from SUV Q3 with price starting at Rs 35.35 lakh to sports car R8 which is tagged at Rs 2.63 crore. Audi India Head Rahil Ansari said, "The increase in custom duty and introduction of social welfare surcharge in lieu of an education cess (which is higher than the erstwhile cess) in the Union Budget made the increase in price inevitable." The company has tried to absorb the impact of the increase in customs duty and has minimised the price hike, he added. Seeking support from the government for luxury car industry, Ansari said,"There is no doubt that increase in car sales would definitely help the government in garnering more accumulated taxes." In the Budget for 2018-19, finance minister Arun Jaitley had increased custom duty on CKD (completely knocked down) imports of motor vehicles, motor cars, motor cycles from 10 per cent to 15 per cent. The government had also raised custom duty on specified parts/accessories of motor vehicles, motor cars, motor cycles from 7.5 per cent to 15 per cent.

Audi to hike car prices by up to Rs 9 lakh from April

A day after TDP quit NDA over lack of financial support, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today said the Centre was committed to giving Andhra Pradesh a special package equivalent to a special category state and has been endlessly waiting for the state government to revert on mechanism of receiving it.

Jaitley said the modalities of giving the special package were agreed way back in September 2016 but the state government only in January this year suggested a change in route of receiving funds, to which the Centre agreed but has not heard from it ever since.

&quot;A solution has been put on the table. It is for Andhra Pradesh to decide whether they want the resources or they want to make an issue (out of it),&quot; he told PTI here.

The Telugu Desam Party (TDP), which has 16 MPs in the 545-member Lok Sabha, first pulled out its ministers from the Narendra Modi government and yesterday decided to quit the alliance itself.

The party, which is in power in Andhra Pradesh, had been demanding greater financial assistance to make up for the disadvantage it has been put to since its division in 2014.

Jaitley, however, said the Centre has been fully committed to giving the promised funds to the state and there has been no delay on its part.

He said the so-called special category status cannot be given to Andhra Pradesh in its literal sense after implementation of the award of 14th Finance Commission, which deals with sharing of central government&#39;s financial resources with the states.

The constitutionally-mandated Commission gave increased share of states fund in central taxes to 42 per cent from 32 per cent previously and meeting revenue deficit in case any state needs to be extraordinarly compensated.

The minister said a special category state gets to pay just 10 per cent share of the money to be spent on a centrally sponsored scheme in comparison to general category states having to pay 40 per cent. The remaining 90 per cent in case of special category states and 60 per cent in general category states is borne by the Centre.

The 30 per cent equivalent advantage that the special category states had was agreed to be given to Andhra Pradesh for five years. &quot;We found a solution on September 16, 2016 that instead of a special category, we will give a special package,&quot; he said adding the funds equivalent to 30 per cent additional funding was to be met in some other form.

Andhra Pradesh, he said, suggested that this should come to it in form of external aided projects wherein the repayment is 90 per cent borne by the Centre and 10 per cent by the state.

&quot;We agreed,&quot; he said.But in January this year, Andhra Pradesh changed its stance and said it should come via NABARD, Jaitley said adding the Centre told the state that such funding would increase its fiscal deficit and restrict borrowing space.

So it was suggested that a special purpose vehicle be created into which NABARD can transfer funds. The Centre would have repaid such funds to the extent of 90 per cent, he said.

&quot;On February 7 their officers said they will find out the details and come. No one has come till now,&quot; he said. &quot;We have been literally waiting for them to come.&quot;

&quot;The Centre has always been willing to give and there is no delay on our part,&quot; he said. &quot;The changeover has been done in January by Andhra Pradesh not by us.&quot;

On meeting the revenue deficit faced by the state due to carving out of Telangana, Jaitley said 14th Finance Commission has already calculated the funds for 2015 to 2020, which the Centre will pay.

For the 10 months prior to that, the deficit can be calculated either by taking the 2013-14 as the base or by extrapolating revenue of 2015-16. In the first case only Rs 138 crore is left to be paid and if the second is used, Rs 1,600 crore is due. &quot;We have said take it,&quot; he said.

&quot;We have been waiting endlessly for a response from them to resolve the issue,&quot; he added.

The Telugu Desam Party (TDP), which has 16 MPs in the 545-member Lok Sabha, first pulled out its ministers from the Narendra Modi government and yesterday decided to quit the alliance itself

A day after TDP quit NDA over lack of financial support, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today said the Centre was committed to giving Andhra Pradesh a special package equivalent to a special category state and has been endlessly waiting for the state government to revert on mechanism of receiving it. Jaitley said the modalities of giving the special package were agreed way back in September 2016 but the state government only in January this year suggested a change in route of receiving funds, to which the Centre agreed but has not heard from it ever since. "A solution has been put on the table. It is for Andhra Pradesh to decide whether they want the resources or they want to make an issue (out of it)," he told PTI here. The Telugu Desam Party (TDP), which has 16 MPs in the 545-member Lok Sabha, first pulled out its ministers from the Narendra Modi government and yesterday decided to quit the alliance itself. The party, which is in power in Andhra Pradesh, had been demanding greater financial assistance to make up for the disadvantage it has been put to since its division in 2014. Jaitley, however, said the Centre has been fully committed to giving the promised funds to the state and there has been no delay on its part. He said the so-called special category status cannot be given to Andhra Pradesh in its literal sense after implementation of the award of 14th Finance Commission, which deals with sharing of central government's financial resources with the states. The constitutionally-mandated Commission gave increased share of states fund in central taxes to 42 per cent from 32 per cent previously and meeting revenue deficit in case any state needs to be extraordinarly compensated. The minister said a special category state gets to pay just 10 per cent share of the money to be spent on a centrally sponsored scheme in comparison to general category states having to pay 40 per cent. The remaining 90 per cent in case of special category states and 60 per cent in general category states is borne by the Centre. The 30 per cent equivalent advantage that the special category states had was agreed to be given to Andhra Pradesh for five years. "We found a solution on September 16, 2016 that instead of a special category, we will give a special package," he said adding the funds equivalent to 30 per cent additional funding was to be met in some other form. Andhra Pradesh, he said, suggested that this should come to it in form of external aided projects wherein the repayment is 90 per cent borne by the Centre and 10 per cent by the state. "We agreed," he said.But in January this year, Andhra Pradesh changed its stance and said it should come via NABARD, Jaitley said adding the Centre told the state that such funding would increase its fiscal deficit and restrict borrowing space. So it was suggested that a special purpose vehicle be created into which NABARD can transfer funds. The Centre would have repaid such funds to the extent of 90 per cent, he said. "On February 7 their officers said they will find out the details and come. No one has come till now," he said. "We have been literally waiting for them to come." "The Centre has always been willing to give and there is no delay on our part," he said. "The changeover has been done in January by Andhra Pradesh not by us." On meeting the revenue deficit faced by the state due to carving out of Telangana, Jaitley said 14th Finance Commission has already calculated the funds for 2015 to 2020, which the Centre will pay. For the 10 months prior to that, the deficit can be calculated either by taking the 2013-14 as the base or by extrapolating revenue of 2015-16. In the first case only Rs 138 crore is left to be paid and if the second is used, Rs 1,600 crore is due. "We have said take it," he said. "We have been waiting endlessly for a response from them to resolve the issue," he added.

Centre endlessly waiting for Andhra to revert on special package: Arun Jaitley

Billionaire jeweller Nirav Modi obtained his first fraudulent guarantee from PNB&#39;s Brady House branch in Mumbai on March 10, 2011, and managed to get 1,212 more such guarantees over the next 74 months, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said today.

Companies linked to Nirav Modi obtained Letters of Undertaking or LoUs, which were used to get loans from overseas branches of Indian banks, up to five guarantees on a single day, with the help of rogue employees of the country&#39;s second-biggest state-run bank.

Mr Jaitley said the last fraudulent LoU was issued on May 23, 2017. During these six years, 53 genuine (non-fraudulent) LoUs were also issued to Nirav Modi Group - the first being on March 5, 2011, and last on November 6, 2017, he said.

The fraudulent LoUs had a validity of up to one year.

Payments due in January this year were against LoU issued in February last year, he said, listing date-wise the LoUs issued.

Companies linked to Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi defrauded PNB to the tune of Rs. 13,600 crore. Choksi&#39;s Gitanjali Group defrauded Rs. 7,080.86 crore while the rest is attributed to companies of Modi.

Mr Jaitley said, &quot;PNB Head Office received a report suspicious outstanding unauthorised transactions from Circle Office, Mumbai on January 23, 2018.&quot;

&quot;Immediately an investigating team was constituted which gave its preliminary report on January 25, 2018. On January 29, 2018 (January 26 to 28 being public holidays), fraud was reported to RBI and complaint lodged with CBI Mumbai,&quot; he said.

PNB informed the department of financial services, under Mr Jaitley, on February 6.

Companies linked to Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi defrauded PNB to the tune of Rs. 13,600 crore.

Billionaire jeweller Nirav Modi obtained his first fraudulent guarantee from PNB's Brady House branch in Mumbai on March 10, 2011, and managed to get 1,212 more such guarantees over the next 74 months, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said today. Companies linked to Nirav Modi obtained Letters of Undertaking or LoUs, which were used to get loans from overseas branches of Indian banks, up to five guarantees on a single day, with the help of rogue employees of the country's second-biggest state-run bank. Mr Jaitley said the last fraudulent LoU was issued on May 23, 2017. During these six years, 53 genuine (non-fraudulent) LoUs were also issued to Nirav Modi Group - the first being on March 5, 2011, and last on November 6, 2017, he said. The fraudulent LoUs had a validity of up to one year. Payments due in January this year were against LoU issued in February last year, he said, listing date-wise the LoUs issued. Companies linked to Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi defrauded PNB to the tune of Rs. 13,600 crore. Choksi's Gitanjali Group defrauded Rs. 7,080.86 crore while the rest is attributed to companies of Modi. Mr Jaitley said, "PNB Head Office received a report suspicious outstanding unauthorised transactions from Circle Office, Mumbai on January 23, 2018." "Immediately an investigating team was constituted which gave its preliminary report on January 25, 2018. On January 29, 2018 (January 26 to 28 being public holidays), fraud was reported to RBI and complaint lodged with CBI Mumbai," he said. PNB informed the department of financial services, under Mr Jaitley, on February 6.

Nirav Modi got 1,213 fraudulent guarantees in six years: Arun Jaitley

Congress party president Rahul Gandhi on Monday alleged that Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is silent on the Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud to save her daughter, whose law firm, according to a media report, had a brief retainership with Mehul Choksi-owned Geetanjali Gems.

Gandhi tweeted, &quot;It&#39;s now revealed that our FM&#39;s silence on the PNB SCAM was to protect his lawyer daughter, who was paid a large retainer by the accused just a month before the SCAM became public. When other law firms of the accused have been raided by the CBI, why not hers?&quot;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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It&#39;s now revealed that our FM&#39;s silence on the PNB SCAM was to protect his lawyer daughter, who was paid a large retainer by the accused just a month before the SCAM became public. When other law firms of the accused have been raided by the CBI, why not hers? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ModiRobsIndia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ModiRobsIndia</a> <a href="https://t.co/As9y9Dv0RZ">https://t.co/As9y9Dv0RZ</a>
&mdash; Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficeOfRG/status/973079089140690946?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 12, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Celebrated jeweller Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi are accused in the Rs. 12,600-crore PNB fraud, causing a slugfest in the political corridors of India.The mega-swindle started in 2011 and was detected in January this year, after which the PNB officials reported it to the concerned agencies.

It's now revealed that our FM's silence on the PNB SCAM was to protect his lawyer daughter, Gandhi tweeted

Congress party president Rahul Gandhi on Monday alleged that Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is silent on the Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud to save her daughter, whose law firm, according to a media report, had a brief retainership with Mehul Choksi-owned Geetanjali Gems. Gandhi tweeted, "It's now revealed that our FM's silence on the PNB SCAM was to protect his lawyer daughter, who was paid a large retainer by the accused just a month before the SCAM became public. When other law firms of the accused have been raided by the CBI, why not hers?" It's now revealed that our FM's silence on the PNB SCAM was to protect his lawyer daughter, who was paid a large retainer by the accused just a month before the SCAM became public. When other law firms of the accused have been raided by the CBI, why not hers? #ModiRobsIndia https://t.co/As9y9Dv0RZ — Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) March 12, 2018 × Celebrated jeweller Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi are accused in the Rs. 12,600-crore PNB fraud, causing a slugfest in the political corridors of India.The mega-swindle started in 2011 and was detected in January this year, after which the PNB officials reported it to the concerned agencies.

Rahul Gandhi accuses Arun Jaitley of being silent on PNB scam

Congress party president Rahul Gandhi on Monday alleged that Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is silent on the Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud to save her daughter, whose law firm, according to a media report, had a brief retainership with Mehul Choksi-owned Geetanjali Gems.

Gandhi tweeted, "It's now revealed that our FM's silence on the PNB SCAM was to protect his lawyer daughter, who was paid a large retainer by the accused just a month before the SCAM became public. When other law firms of the accused have been raided by the CBI, why not hers?"

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
It's now revealed that our FM's silence on the PNB SCAM was to protect his lawyer daughter, who was paid a large retainer by the accused just a month before the SCAM became public. When other law firms of the accused have been raided by the CBI, why not hers? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ModiRobsIndia?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ModiRobsIndia</a> <a href="https://t.co/As9y9Dv0RZ">https://t.co/As9y9Dv0RZ</a>
— Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficeOfRG/status/973079089140690946?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 12, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Celebrated jeweller Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi are accused in the Rs. 12,600-crore PNB fraud, causing a slugfest in the political corridors of India.The mega-swindle started in 2011 and was detected in January this year, after which the PNB officials reported it to the concerned agencies.

Briefing reporters about the GST Council meet in New Delhi, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today said the electronic way or <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/gst-meet-e-way-bill-for-inter-state-movement-of-goods-to-be-implemented-by-april-1-33919">e-way bill </a>for movement of goods between states will be implemented from April 1.

The GST Council extended the present system of return filing by three months and GST council Businesses will continue to file summary sales return GSTR-3B till June.

However, for intra-state movement, the e-way bill would be rolled out in a phased manner beginning April 15 and will cover all the states by June 1.

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.&nbsp;Besides plugging tax evasion, the e-way bill is supposed to boost revenues by 15-20 per cent.

The Council could not decide on a simplified GST return form and entrusted the ministerial panel under Sushil Modi to chalk out a single page form which is simpler and evasion proof.

Tax exemptions to exporters have also been extended by six months to September.

(With inputs from PTI) 
&nbsp;

Briefing reporters about the GST Council meet in New Delhi, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today said the electronic way or e-way bill for movement of goods between states will be implemented from April 1

Briefing reporters about the GST Council meet in New Delhi, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today said the electronic way or e-way bill for movement of goods between states will be implemented from April 1. The GST Council extended the present system of return filing by three months and GST council Businesses will continue to file summary sales return GSTR-3B till June. However, for intra-state movement, the e-way bill would be rolled out in a phased manner beginning April 15 and will cover all the states by June 1. 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. Besides plugging tax evasion, the e-way bill is supposed to boost revenues by 15-20 per cent. The Council could not decide on a simplified GST return form and entrusted the ministerial panel under Sushil Modi to chalk out a single page form which is simpler and evasion proof. Tax exemptions to exporters have also been extended by six months to September. (With inputs from PTI)

GST council meet: E-way bill from April, says Arun Jaitley

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, currently a Rajya Sabha member of parliament (MP) from Gujarat, will be contesting from Uttar Pradesh, according to Bhartiya Janta Party&#39;s&nbsp;list of eight candidates announced ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections to be held in six different states.

Other than Arun Jaitley, Human Resources and Development Minister Prakash Javadekar was shifted to his home state Maharashtra. He was elected from Madhya Pradesh in 2014.

The announcement was made on Wednesday by BJP&#39;s central election committee.

Five other union ministers and one general secretary were also announced who will be contesting from the same states they have been elected from earlier.

According to the statement, Social Justice Minister Thawarchand Gehlot will contest from Madhya Pradesh, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad from Bihar and J P Nadda from Himachal Pradesh.

Parshottam Rupala and Manusukh Mandaviya will contest from Gujarat. Bhupender Yadav, the party&#39;s general secretary, will again contest from Rajasthan.

Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has also been shifted to Madhya Pradesh from Bihar.

(With inputs from PTI)

Other than Arun Jaitley, Human Resources and Development Minister Prakash Javadekar was shifted to his home state Maharashtra

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, currently a Rajya Sabha member of parliament (MP) from Gujarat, will be contesting from Uttar Pradesh, according to Bhartiya Janta Party's list of eight candidates announced ahead of the Rajya Sabha elections to be held in six different states. Other than Arun Jaitley, Human Resources and Development Minister Prakash Javadekar was shifted to his home state Maharashtra. He was elected from Madhya Pradesh in 2014. The announcement was made on Wednesday by BJP's central election committee. Five other union ministers and one general secretary were also announced who will be contesting from the same states they have been elected from earlier. According to the statement, Social Justice Minister Thawarchand Gehlot will contest from Madhya Pradesh, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad from Bihar and J P Nadda from Himachal Pradesh. Parshottam Rupala and Manusukh Mandaviya will contest from Gujarat. Bhupender Yadav, the party's general secretary, will again contest from Rajasthan. Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has also been shifted to Madhya Pradesh from Bihar. (With inputs from PTI)

Arun Jaitley to contest for Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh

The Congress Wednesday said that the TDP&#39;s decision to pull out of the NDA government at the Centre was &quot;too little, too late&quot; as it &quot;has done nothing&quot; to protect the interests of Andhra Pradesh in the past four years.

&#39;&#39;This is too little and too late. The TDP has been an ally of the BJP for four years now and has done nothing to protect the interests of Andhra Pradesh,&quot; senior Congress leader from Andhra Pradesh and former union minister MM Pallam Raju said.

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/finance-minister-arun-jaitley-promises-funds-equivalent-of-special-status-to-andhra-pradesh-35020">Will give money equivalent </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/finance-minister-arun-jaitley-promises-funds-equivalent-of-special-status-to-andhra-pradesh-35020">of</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/finance-minister-arun-jaitley-promises-funds-equivalent-of-special-status-to-andhra-pradesh-35020"> special status to Andhra Pradesh says Arun Jaitley</a>

His remarks came soon after Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP leader N Chandrababu Naidu, in a late night press conference, announced that his party&#39;s two central ministers -- Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju and Minister of State for Science and Technology Y S Chowdary -- would resign from the government tomorrow.

Raju said the TDP has &quot;abandoned&quot; the interests of the state and that &#39;&#39;this is political posturing in view of the prevailing public mood&#39;&#39;.

Another Congress leader, when asked if the TDP pull-out of the NDA could create any potential of understanding with the Congress, said there was no such possibility.

For all these years the Congress has been struggling to secure what is rightfully the due of the state and the TDP has &quot;sacrificed&quot; the state&#39;s interests and is now indulging in political posturing. &quot;Pulling out ministers from the government means nothing,&quot; the party leader said.

Commenting on the development, CPI leader D Raja said, &quot;This clearly shows cracks have appeared in NDA...It needs to be seen what Naidu does after this.&quot;

Political parties in Andhra Pradesh have been demanding special category status for the state after Telangana was carved out of it in 2014.

Naidu&#39;s announcement came barely hours after Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley told a press conference in New Delhi this evening that funds equivalent to what a special category state receives would be extended to Andhra

Pradesh, but drew a line saying politics cannot increase the quantum of money.

We have now come out of the NDA. Party-to-party (TDP-BJP ties) issue will be decided later,&nbsp;Naidu added, hinting that their alliance may continue in the future.

&quot;When the intended purpose (of joining the Union Cabinet) has not been served, there is no point in continuing. For me the sole agenda is to safeguard the interests of the state,&nbsp;he said.

The remarks came soon after N Chandrababu Naidu announced that his party's two central ministers -- Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju and Minister of State for Science and Technology Y S Chowdary -- would resign from the government

The Congress Wednesday said that the TDP's decision to pull out of the NDA government at the Centre was "too little, too late" as it "has done nothing" to protect the interests of Andhra Pradesh in the past four years. ''This is too little and too late. The TDP has been an ally of the BJP for four years now and has done nothing to protect the interests of Andhra Pradesh," senior Congress leader from Andhra Pradesh and former union minister MM Pallam Raju said. Also read: Will give money equivalent of special status to Andhra Pradesh says Arun Jaitley His remarks came soon after Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and TDP leader N Chandrababu Naidu, in a late night press conference, announced that his party's two central ministers -- Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju and Minister of State for Science and Technology Y S Chowdary -- would resign from the government tomorrow. Raju said the TDP has "abandoned" the interests of the state and that ''this is political posturing in view of the prevailing public mood''. Another Congress leader, when asked if the TDP pull-out of the NDA could create any potential of understanding with the Congress, said there was no such possibility. For all these years the Congress has been struggling to secure what is rightfully the due of the state and the TDP has "sacrificed" the state's interests and is now indulging in political posturing. "Pulling out ministers from the government means nothing," the party leader said. Commenting on the development, CPI leader D Raja said, "This clearly shows cracks have appeared in NDA...It needs to be seen what Naidu does after this." Political parties in Andhra Pradesh have been demanding special category status for the state after Telangana was carved out of it in 2014. Naidu's announcement came barely hours after Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley told a press conference in New Delhi this evening that funds equivalent to what a special category state receives would be extended to Andhra Pradesh, but drew a line saying politics cannot increase the quantum of money. We have now come out of the NDA. Party-to-party (TDP-BJP ties) issue will be decided later, Naidu added, hinting that their alliance may continue in the future. "When the intended purpose (of joining the Union Cabinet) has not been served, there is no point in continuing. For me the sole agenda is to safeguard the interests of the state, he said.

TDP pull-out of Modi government too little, too late: Congress

In a bid to pacify the sulking ally Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today promised Andhra Pradesh funds equivalent to what a special category state receives but drew a line saying politics cannot increase the quantum of money.

As the TDP threatened to quit the ruling NDA alliance led by the BJP at the Centre, Jaitley said his government was committed to meeting all promises made to Andhra Pradesh at the time of carving out of Telangana four years back.

But giving special category status, as demanded by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, to any state apart from those in the North East and three hilly provinces is not constitutionally possible after the implementation of the 14th Finance Commission recommendation, he said.

However, to make up for that, the Centre would give Andhra Pradesh funds equivalent to what a special category status state gets, he said. 
For special category status category states, the Centre meets 90 per cent of the funds required in a centrally sponsored scheme as against 60 per cent in case of normal category states. The remaining funds are provided by the state governments.

He said the Centre had committed 90 per cent of the funds for centrally sponsored schemes in Andhra Pradesh, equivalent to special category states, through other means like external agencies like World Bank, but the state government wanted funds to be routed through agri-lending bank NABARD. The Centre is agreeable to even that provided a mechanism is worked out, he told reporters at his office here.

Asked about the threat of TDP to pull out of the NDA if more funds are not allocated, he said: &quot;political issue cannot increase the quantum of money because the Centre has no free-floating funds&quot;. 
&quot;Every state in India has the right to the central fund in the same manner. Sentiment does not decide the quantum of funds, it is the constitutional award of the Finance Commission which decides on the quantum of funds that the states get,&quot; he said.

Asked about Congress President Rahul Gandhi&#39;s promise to give the state the special category status if his party is voted to power, Jaitley said, &quot;I still have to follow constitutional award&quot; of the 14th Finance Commission. 
He said the Centre is committed to giving funds to Andhra Pradesh equivalent to what a special status state gets, he said.

The 14th Finance Commission raised the share of states in taxes collected by the Centre to 42 per cent from 32 per cent but abolished special category states.

&quot;The principal issue relates to what is the implication of a special status. The special status was originally granted to states in North East because they have their own resources which were inadequate and the revenue was inadequate,&quot; he said.

Jaitley said while the promise of special category status to Andhra Pradesh was legally possible when the state was bifurcated, there is no such category after constitutional award by the 14 Finance Commission.

&quot;Instead states which are in deficit in terms of revenue, we are compensating them because everyone gets a hike of 10 per cent to 42 per cent plus for a certain period; revenue deficit will be taken care of and a provision for revenue deficit was made in the case of Andhra Pradesh,&quot; he said.

For Andhra Pradesh, the 90:10 funding of schemes instead of usual 60:40 would be implemented &quot;notwithstanding the fact that the word special status is not there&quot;, he said.

During consultations in 2016, it was proposed that grants given by external agencies like World Bank, ADB and JICA to Andhra Pradesh would be repaid 90 per cent by the Centre and remaining 10 per cent by the state.

However, in January this year, the state government modified the request and demanded the money through NABARD.

&quot;Now if NABARD gives directly to the central government, it gets added to the fiscal deficit. If it gives to the state government, it will get added to the state&#39;s fiscal deficit, and therefore reduces the borrowing capacity of the state,&quot; he said.

To overcome this, it was proposed last month that a special purpose vehicle is created in the state which deals with the development work. The NABARD fund will come into that corporation and the money would be repaid to NABARD 90:10 ratio.

&quot;We are awaiting a response, I hope it is a positive response, and the state tells us in what manner they want,&quot; he said. &quot;At no stage has the Centre said that we won&#39;t give it.&quot;

Jaitley hoped for a positive outcome as he believed that the state needs assistance.

On revenue deficit, he said Rs 4,000 crore has already been paid for 2014-15 and only Rs 138 crore remains.

On the demand for tax incentives, he said in his Budget proposals he has already announced measures like investment and depreciation allowance.

&quot;AP has suffered because of bifurcation and whatever support is required because of that (we will give),&quot; he said, adding all issues have to be resolved within the framework of Centre and state relation.

The Centre is agreeable to even that provided a mechanism is worked out, he told reporters at his office here.

In a bid to pacify the sulking ally Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today promised Andhra Pradesh funds equivalent to what a special category state receives but drew a line saying politics cannot increase the quantum of money. As the TDP threatened to quit the ruling NDA alliance led by the BJP at the Centre, Jaitley said his government was committed to meeting all promises made to Andhra Pradesh at the time of carving out of Telangana four years back. But giving special category status, as demanded by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, to any state apart from those in the North East and three hilly provinces is not constitutionally possible after the implementation of the 14th Finance Commission recommendation, he said. However, to make up for that, the Centre would give Andhra Pradesh funds equivalent to what a special category status state gets, he said. For special category status category states, the Centre meets 90 per cent of the funds required in a centrally sponsored scheme as against 60 per cent in case of normal category states. The remaining funds are provided by the state governments. He said the Centre had committed 90 per cent of the funds for centrally sponsored schemes in Andhra Pradesh, equivalent to special category states, through other means like external agencies like World Bank, but the state government wanted funds to be routed through agri-lending bank NABARD. The Centre is agreeable to even that provided a mechanism is worked out, he told reporters at his office here. Asked about the threat of TDP to pull out of the NDA if more funds are not allocated, he said: "political issue cannot increase the quantum of money because the Centre has no free-floating funds". "Every state in India has the right to the central fund in the same manner. Sentiment does not decide the quantum of funds, it is the constitutional award of the Finance Commission which decides on the quantum of funds that the states get," he said. Asked about Congress President Rahul Gandhi's promise to give the state the special category status if his party is voted to power, Jaitley said, "I still have to follow constitutional award" of the 14th Finance Commission. He said the Centre is committed to giving funds to Andhra Pradesh equivalent to what a special status state gets, he said. The 14th Finance Commission raised the share of states in taxes collected by the Centre to 42 per cent from 32 per cent but abolished special category states. "The principal issue relates to what is the implication of a special status. The special status was originally granted to states in North East because they have their own resources which were inadequate and the revenue was inadequate," he said. Jaitley said while the promise of special category status to Andhra Pradesh was legally possible when the state was bifurcated, there is no such category after constitutional award by the 14 Finance Commission. "Instead states which are in deficit in terms of revenue, we are compensating them because everyone gets a hike of 10 per cent to 42 per cent plus for a certain period; revenue deficit will be taken care of and a provision for revenue deficit was made in the case of Andhra Pradesh," he said. For Andhra Pradesh, the 90:10 funding of schemes instead of usual 60:40 would be implemented "notwithstanding the fact that the word special status is not there", he said. During consultations in 2016, it was proposed that grants given by external agencies like World Bank, ADB and JICA to Andhra Pradesh would be repaid 90 per cent by the Centre and remaining 10 per cent by the state. However, in January this year, the state government modified the request and demanded the money through NABARD. "Now if NABARD gives directly to the central government, it gets added to the fiscal deficit. If it gives to the state government, it will get added to the state's fiscal deficit, and therefore reduces the borrowing capacity of the state," he said. To overcome this, it was proposed last month that a special purpose vehicle is created in the state which deals with the development work. The NABARD fund will come into that corporation and the money would be repaid to NABARD 90:10 ratio. "We are awaiting a response, I hope it is a positive response, and the state tells us in what manner they want," he said. "At no stage has the Centre said that we won't give it." Jaitley hoped for a positive outcome as he believed that the state needs assistance. On revenue deficit, he said Rs 4,000 crore has already been paid for 2014-15 and only Rs 138 crore remains. On the demand for tax incentives, he said in his Budget proposals he has already announced measures like investment and depreciation allowance. "AP has suffered because of bifurcation and whatever support is required because of that (we will give)," he said, adding all issues have to be resolved within the framework of Centre and state relation.

Arun Jaitley: Will give money equivalent of special status to Andhra Pradesh

In a sharp reaction to the detection of banking frauds, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday targeted wilful defaulters, calling them &ldquo;scars on the economy&quot; and took a dig at banking regulators, saying in India only politicians faced flak for such issues while regulators manage to skip the heat.&nbsp;

Speaking at the Global Business Summit, Jaitley said incidents of bank frauds will impact ease of doing business in India.

&ldquo;The old concept that the money that has been borrowed may or may not be returned has to end now. The law would be tightened to ensure criminal acts in business punished wherever the culprit is,&rdquo; Arun Jaitley said at the event.

&ldquo;Cases of willful default is something which is much more than a business failure and also bank frauds. If you periodically have incidents like these, the entire effort of ease of doing business goes to background and these scars on the economy take the front seat,&rdquo; Jaitley said.

Highlighting the role of regulators in the economy, Jaitley hinted at the introduction of new regulations, adding that they need to keep a &quot;third eye&quot; on the sector. He also said tighter laws need to be implemented to ensure criminal acts in business lead to punishment, wherever the culprit is.

&quot;Unfortunately, in the Indian system, we politicians are accountable, but regulators are not,&quot; he added.

In lieu of the 1.77 billion dollar Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud involving top jewellery designer Nirav Modi, and his uncle Mehul Choksi, Jaitley had earlier stressed on the need for supervisory agencies to assess what new systems had to be put in place to find those who were cheating banks.

&quot;What were auditors doing? If both internal and external auditors have looked the other way and failed to detect, then I think CA professionals must introspect. Supervisory agencies also must introspect what are the additional mechanisms they have to put in place,&quot; he said.

(With inputs from ANI)

"Unfortunately, in the Indian system, we politicians are accountable, but regulators are not," Jaitley said.

In a sharp reaction to the detection of banking frauds, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday targeted wilful defaulters, calling them “scars on the economy" and took a dig at banking regulators, saying in India only politicians faced flak for such issues while regulators manage to skip the heat. Speaking at the Global Business Summit, Jaitley said incidents of bank frauds will impact ease of doing business in India. “The old concept that the money that has been borrowed may or may not be returned has to end now. The law would be tightened to ensure criminal acts in business punished wherever the culprit is,” Arun Jaitley said at the event. “Cases of willful default is something which is much more than a business failure and also bank frauds. If you periodically have incidents like these, the entire effort of ease of doing business goes to background and these scars on the economy take the front seat,” Jaitley said. Highlighting the role of regulators in the economy, Jaitley hinted at the introduction of new regulations, adding that they need to keep a "third eye" on the sector. He also said tighter laws need to be implemented to ensure criminal acts in business lead to punishment, wherever the culprit is. "Unfortunately, in the Indian system, we politicians are accountable, but regulators are not," he added. In lieu of the 1.77 billion dollar Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud involving top jewellery designer Nirav Modi, and his uncle Mehul Choksi, Jaitley had earlier stressed on the need for supervisory agencies to assess what new systems had to be put in place to find those who were cheating banks. "What were auditors doing? If both internal and external auditors have looked the other way and failed to detect, then I think CA professionals must introspect. Supervisory agencies also must introspect what are the additional mechanisms they have to put in place," he said. (With inputs from ANI)

In India, politicians are accountable but regulators are not, says Arun Jaitley

Breaking his silence over the Rs 11,400 crore fraud at India&#39;s second-biggest bank, PNB, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today said the state will chase down cheaters to the end even as he took the management of the lender to task for its failure to check the delinquents.

Without naming either the alleged kingpin of the fraud, billionaire jeweller Nirav Modi, or Punjab National Bank, Jaitley questioned the ethics of some businesses in the country and asked as to why the bank&#39;s internal and external auditors could not detect the fraud which had been going on for 7 long years.

&quot;It is incumbent on us as a state, till the last legitimate capacity of the state, to chase these people (fraudsters) to the last possible conclusion to make sure the country is not cheated,&quot; he said addressing the annual meeting of Association of Development Financial Institutions in Asia &amp; Pacific (ADFIAP) here.

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/cbi-arrests-former-head-of-pnbs-brady-house-mumbai-branch-33561" target="_blank">CBI arrests former head of PNB&#39;s Brady House branch</a>

Modi, whose diamond creations have draped Hollywood stars such as Kate Winslet and Dakota Johnson, and firms linked to him are alleged to have acquired fraudulent letters of undertaking (LoUs) from one PNB branch in Mumbai between 2011 and 2017 to obtain loans from Indian banks overseas. Investigative agencies have raided Modi&#39;s properties and arrested bank employees.

Jaitley said the government had been step by step addressing issues like high-level of bad debts and need for more capital, but the effort has been put to challenge with the unravelling of the fraud.

He reminded the public sector banks that Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave managements the autonomy they needed with none from the government calling.

&quot;When authority is given to the managements you are expected to utilise that authority effectively and in a right manner. Therefore the question for the management itself is were they found lacking? And on the face of it the answer seems yes they were,&quot; he said.

The lenders, he said, were &quot;unable to check who amongst them were delinquent&quot;. He went on to ask what the auditors were doing.

&quot;Both internal and external auditors really have looked the other way or failed to detect,&quot; he said.

Chartered accountants and those who control the discipline, should start introspection and &quot;say what legitimate actions are to be taken&quot;, he said.

&quot;And also there is an important challenge where the supervisory agencies are now to introspect as what are the additional mechanisms they have to put in place to ensure that stray cases don&#39;t become a pattern again,&quot; he said. &quot;And stray cases are nipped in the bud and an example be made out of people that these bad examples itself are never to be repeated.&quot;

Jaitley said frauds have a cost to the country as well as to the tax payer.

&quot;It&#39;s a direct cost and it has an indirect cost that it impinges on development, which impinges on the lending capacity of banks as an institution and therefore impinges upon developmental finance,&quot; he said.

On the banking sector, the Finance Minister said financing for trade and businesses increases when banks have the ability to lend.

This ability over the past few years has faced challenges in increased bad debt or NPAs. &quot;One of the direct consequences of this was that the ability of the state to spend and lend even for developmental activities itself will get curtailed,&quot; he said.

After struggling to find solution, the government &quot;finally hit upon the right point through the insolvency and bankruptcy code&quot; that provides for recovery of due amounts through sale of assets of defaulters.

Jaitley said initial response to the Code has been encouraging.

Also, he said, government is infusing an unprecedented Rs 2.11 lakh crore capital in the banks.

&quot;That decision itself as some of my friends in Parliament described also had moral issues because at the end of the day when NPAs become unacceptably high, you expect the taxpayer really to fund what unprincipled sections of the industry have been able to take out,&quot; he said.

Stating that though there is a moral hazard in that kind of solution, he said there was no other option and government had to take that difficult course itself.

&quot;As it seems, situation appeared to be coming on track (but) you have now again emerging challenges,&quot; he said. &quot;Therefore these emerging challenges eventually all strike at one of the big purposes, which is development and growth and the need for developmental banks itself. And the need for the increasing the capacity of the developmental finance itself. Any such system of banking really functions on trust.&quot;

That trust is inherent in the lender-creditor relationship. &quot;I think that relationship in India blurred itself out when a section, not so ethical a section perhaps thought that it was not its responsibility to pay back. And therefore we had to come back with hard solutions,&quot; he added.&nbsp;

'It is incumbent on us as a state, till the last legitimate capacity of the state, to chase these people (fraudsters) to the last possible conclusion to make sure the country is not cheated,' Jaitley said

Breaking his silence over the Rs 11,400 crore fraud at India's second-biggest bank, PNB, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today said the state will chase down cheaters to the end even as he took the management of the lender to task for its failure to check the delinquents. Without naming either the alleged kingpin of the fraud, billionaire jeweller Nirav Modi, or Punjab National Bank, Jaitley questioned the ethics of some businesses in the country and asked as to why the bank's internal and external auditors could not detect the fraud which had been going on for 7 long years. "It is incumbent on us as a state, till the last legitimate capacity of the state, to chase these people (fraudsters) to the last possible conclusion to make sure the country is not cheated," he said addressing the annual meeting of Association of Development Financial Institutions in Asia & Pacific (ADFIAP) here. Also read: CBI arrests former head of PNB's Brady House branch Modi, whose diamond creations have draped Hollywood stars such as Kate Winslet and Dakota Johnson, and firms linked to him are alleged to have acquired fraudulent letters of undertaking (LoUs) from one PNB branch in Mumbai between 2011 and 2017 to obtain loans from Indian banks overseas. Investigative agencies have raided Modi's properties and arrested bank employees. Jaitley said the government had been step by step addressing issues like high-level of bad debts and need for more capital, but the effort has been put to challenge with the unravelling of the fraud. He reminded the public sector banks that Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave managements the autonomy they needed with none from the government calling. "When authority is given to the managements you are expected to utilise that authority effectively and in a right manner. Therefore the question for the management itself is were they found lacking? And on the face of it the answer seems yes they were," he said. The lenders, he said, were "unable to check who amongst them were delinquent". He went on to ask what the auditors were doing. "Both internal and external auditors really have looked the other way or failed to detect," he said. Chartered accountants and those who control the discipline, should start introspection and "say what legitimate actions are to be taken", he said. "And also there is an important challenge where the supervisory agencies are now to introspect as what are the additional mechanisms they have to put in place to ensure that stray cases don't become a pattern again," he said. "And stray cases are nipped in the bud and an example be made out of people that these bad examples itself are never to be repeated." Jaitley said frauds have a cost to the country as well as to the tax payer. "It's a direct cost and it has an indirect cost that it impinges on development, which impinges on the lending capacity of banks as an institution and therefore impinges upon developmental finance," he said. On the banking sector, the Finance Minister said financing for trade and businesses increases when banks have the ability to lend. This ability over the past few years has faced challenges in increased bad debt or NPAs. "One of the direct consequences of this was that the ability of the state to spend and lend even for developmental activities itself will get curtailed," he said. After struggling to find solution, the government "finally hit upon the right point through the insolvency and bankruptcy code" that provides for recovery of due amounts through sale of assets of defaulters. Jaitley said initial response to the Code has been encouraging. Also, he said, government is infusing an unprecedented Rs 2.11 lakh crore capital in the banks. "That decision itself as some of my friends in Parliament described also had moral issues because at the end of the day when NPAs become unacceptably high, you expect the taxpayer really to fund what unprincipled sections of the industry have been able to take out," he said. Stating that though there is a moral hazard in that kind of solution, he said there was no other option and government had to take that difficult course itself. "As it seems, situation appeared to be coming on track (but) you have now again emerging challenges," he said. "Therefore these emerging challenges eventually all strike at one of the big purposes, which is development and growth and the need for developmental banks itself. And the need for the increasing the capacity of the developmental finance itself. Any such system of banking really functions on trust." That trust is inherent in the lender-creditor relationship. "I think that relationship in India blurred itself out when a section, not so ethical a section perhaps thought that it was not its responsibility to pay back. And therefore we had to come back with hard solutions," he added.

Will chase PNB fraudster to the end, says Jaitley. Blames bank management for scam

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday said that it was incumbent on the state to chase down those who cheat the banking system.

The Finance Minister called out to the auditors, senior banking officials, chartered accountants and supervisory agencies &quot;to introspect&quot;.

&quot;When authority is given to the management then you are expected to utilize authority effectively and in the right manner. Therefore, the question for management here is if they were found lacking, on the face of it seems they were,&quot; Jaitley noted.&nbsp;

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When authority is given to the managements then you are expected to utilize authority effectively and in the right manner and therefore question for management is if they were found lacking, on the face of it seems they were: FM Arun Jaitley on banks <a href="https://t.co/rwI7W38iaT">pic.twitter.com/rwI7W38iaT</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/965941717789704192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 20, 2018</a></blockquote>
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&quot;Also what were the auditors doing? If both internal and external auditors have looked other way and failed to detect then I think CA professionals must introspect. Supervisory agencies also must introspect what are the additional mechanisms they have to put in place,&quot; he added further.&nbsp;

The Finance Minister was speaking at the 41st Annual Meeting of Association of Development Financial Institutions in Asia and Pacific (ADFIAP). His statements came in the wake of a mega scam where the PNB detected a 1.77 billion dollar fraud involving jeweller Nirav Modi and others.

(With inputs from ANI)&nbsp;

Those who cheat banking system will be chased down: Arun Jaitley

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday said that it was incumbent on the state to chase down those who cheat the banking system. The Finance Minister called out to the auditors, senior banking officials, chartered accountants and supervisory agencies "to introspect". "When authority is given to the management then you are expected to utilize authority effectively and in the right manner. Therefore, the question for management here is if they were found lacking, on the face of it seems they were," Jaitley noted. When authority is given to the managements then you are expected to utilize authority effectively and in the right manner and therefore question for management is if they were found lacking, on the face of it seems they were: FM Arun Jaitley on banks pic.twitter.com/rwI7W38iaT — ANI (@ANI) February 20, 2018 × "Also what were the auditors doing? If both internal and external auditors have looked other way and failed to detect then I think CA professionals must introspect. Supervisory agencies also must introspect what are the additional mechanisms they have to put in place," he added further. The Finance Minister was speaking at the 41st Annual Meeting of Association of Development Financial Institutions in Asia and Pacific (ADFIAP). His statements came in the wake of a mega scam where the PNB detected a 1.77 billion dollar fraud involving jeweller Nirav Modi and others. (With inputs from ANI)

Since the multi-crore Punjab National Bank &nbsp;(PNB) scam involving tainted diamond czar Nirav Modi came to light, Congress president Rahul Gandhi seized the opportunity and launched a repeated&nbsp;attack on the Modi-led BJP government saying that the scam of this magnitude cannot have been done without a high-level protection. It must have been known by the people in government beforehand otherwise it is not possible, he said yesterday.&nbsp;

On Sunday, the Gandhi scion stepped up the attack on the ruling dispensation and questioned the silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in the matter.

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PM Modi tells kids how to pass exams for 2 hrs, but won&#39;t speak for 2 mins on the 22,000Cr banking scam. 
 
Mr Jaitley is in hiding. 
 
Stop behaving as if you&#39;re guilty! Speak up. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ModiRobsIndia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ModiRobsIndia</a>
&mdash; Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficeOfRG/status/965120267411337216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2018</a></blockquote>
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PM tells kids how to pass exams for 2 hours, but won&#39;t&nbsp;speak for two minutes on the Rs 22,000 crore banking scam, he tweeted.

&#39;&#39;PM Modi tells kids how to pass exams for 2 hrs, but won&#39;t speak for 2 mins on the 22,000Cr banking scam,&#39;&#39; he tweeted.

Gandhi also accused Arun Jaitley of hiding. 
&nbsp; 
&#39;&#39;Mr Jaitley is in hiding,&#39;&#39; he tweeted and urged both the BJP leaders to speak on the issue.&nbsp;

Rahul Gandhi linked the PNB scam to demonetisation yesterday and said the PM Modi&rsquo;s decision to demonetise Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes, was the catalyst for the bank scam.&nbsp;

&ldquo;On that day, PM took the entire nation&rsquo;s money and put this into banks. Now, his friends and cronies have stolen that money from the banks,&rdquo; the Congress president said.

Continuing its crackdown on the scam, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday arrested three officials of &nbsp;Punjab National Bank in connection with the Rs 11300 crore scam.

The arrested officials include the then deputy manager of PNB Gokulnath Shetty, single window operator Manoj Kharat, and authorised signatory of the Nirav Modi Group of Firms Hemant Bhatt.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Gandhi scion stepped up the attack on the ruling dispensation on Sunday by taking to Twitter

Since the multi-crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam involving tainted diamond czar Nirav Modi came to light, Congress president Rahul Gandhi seized the opportunity and launched a repeated attack on the Modi-led BJP government saying that the scam of this magnitude cannot have been done without a high-level protection. It must have been known by the people in government beforehand otherwise it is not possible, he said yesterday. On Sunday, the Gandhi scion stepped up the attack on the ruling dispensation and questioned the silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in the matter. PM Modi tells kids how to pass exams for 2 hrs, but won't speak for 2 mins on the 22,000Cr banking scam. Mr Jaitley is in hiding. Stop behaving as if you're guilty! Speak up. #ModiRobsIndia — Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) February 18, 2018 × PM tells kids how to pass exams for 2 hours, but won't speak for two minutes on the Rs 22,000 crore banking scam, he tweeted. ''PM Modi tells kids how to pass exams for 2 hrs, but won't speak for 2 mins on the 22,000Cr banking scam,'' he tweeted. Gandhi also accused Arun Jaitley of hiding. ''Mr Jaitley is in hiding,'' he tweeted and urged both the BJP leaders to speak on the issue. Rahul Gandhi linked the PNB scam to demonetisation yesterday and said the PM Modi’s decision to demonetise Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes, was the catalyst for the bank scam. “On that day, PM took the entire nation’s money and put this into banks. Now, his friends and cronies have stolen that money from the banks,” the Congress president said. Continuing its crackdown on the scam, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday arrested three officials of Punjab National Bank in connection with the Rs 11300 crore scam. The arrested officials include the then deputy manager of PNB Gokulnath Shetty, single window operator Manoj Kharat, and authorised signatory of the Nirav Modi Group of Firms Hemant Bhatt.

PM Modi won't speak, Arun Jaitley is in hiding, Rahul Gandhi steps up attack on BJP over PNB scam

Former Union Minister and senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal blamed the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and the Prime Minister&#39;s Office (PMO) for the<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/pnb-scam-fraud-came-to-light-due-to-alertness-of-nda-govt-says-union-minister-prakash-javadekar-33092" target="_blank">&nbsp;PNB Bank fraud</a>.

While addressing a press conference he said the Finance Ministry and the PMO&nbsp;were aware of the scam and they &quot;turned a blind eye&quot; to&nbsp;it.&nbsp;He said, &quot; they were aware that our country was being looted and they are aware even now&quot;.

He also asked the government to release the details of the people who are in debts in jewellery&nbsp;business.&nbsp;

Taking a jibe at the &quot; ease of doing business&quot;&nbsp; he&nbsp;said &quot;anyone can come and borrow loans from our banks and evade without repaying it. This is not the kind of ease of business that we want from our country&#39;&#39;.&nbsp;

He also blamed the Prime Minister for encouraging &#39;&#39;crony capitalism&#39;&#39; in the country and&nbsp;said that the PM institutionalised c<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/pnb-scam-a-type-of-crony-capitalism-cpi-m-33028" target="_blank">rony capitalism</a>.&nbsp;

Hitting out at PM Modi&#39;s pakoda comment, Sibal said &quot; Our guard is very busy these days in giving advice to the people for making pakodas&nbsp;but while he is asleep the thief managed to slip away&quot;.

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Humaare desh ke jo chowkidar hain, woh pakode banaane ki salah de rahe hain. Aaj ki paristithi yeh hai ki chowkidar so raha hai aur chor bhaag gaya hai: Kapil Sibal, Congress. <a href="https://t.co/mPDsuy3NcX">pic.twitter.com/mPDsuy3NcX</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/964758299139805184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 17, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Sibal responded to the allegations on previous UPA government for&nbsp;PNB Bank fraud case and said that the credit given before 2014 was not outstanding.&nbsp;

While speaking on the<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/former-allahabad-bank-director-says-he-resigned-as-he-was-pressured-to-give-loan-to-gitanjali-gems-33085" target="_blank"> resignation of the Former bank director</a>, Dinesh Dubey, Sibal said: &quot; Today anything can be made to say by the help of police, One should check his resignation letter to know the reality&quot;.

Sibal also assured that they will bring the reality of the case in case the&nbsp;NDA&nbsp;fails to do so.

While addressing a press conference he said the Finance Ministry and the PMO were aware of the scam and they 'turned a blind eye' to it

Former Union Minister and senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal blamed the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) for the PNB Bank fraud. While addressing a press conference he said the Finance Ministry and the PMO were aware of the scam and they "turned a blind eye" to it. He said, " they were aware that our country was being looted and they are aware even now". He also asked the government to release the details of the people who are in debts in jewellery business. Taking a jibe at the " ease of doing business" he said "anyone can come and borrow loans from our banks and evade without repaying it. This is not the kind of ease of business that we want from our country''. He also blamed the Prime Minister for encouraging ''crony capitalism'' in the country and said that the PM institutionalised crony capitalism. Hitting out at PM Modi's pakoda comment, Sibal said " Our guard is very busy these days in giving advice to the people for making pakodas but while he is asleep the thief managed to slip away". Humaare desh ke jo chowkidar hain, woh pakode banaane ki salah de rahe hain. Aaj ki paristithi yeh hai ki chowkidar so raha hai aur chor bhaag gaya hai: Kapil Sibal, Congress. pic.twitter.com/mPDsuy3NcX — ANI (@ANI) February 17, 2018 × Sibal responded to the allegations on previous UPA government for PNB Bank fraud case and said that the credit given before 2014 was not outstanding. While speaking on the resignation of the Former bank director, Dinesh Dubey, Sibal said: " Today anything can be made to say by the help of police, One should check his resignation letter to know the reality". Sibal also assured that they will bring the reality of the case in case the NDA fails to do so.

Kapil Sibal blames FM, PMO for PNB Bank fraud

In a big blow to Delhi chief minister and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal, Anoop George Chaudhary,&nbsp;his&nbsp;lawyer in the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/delhi-chief-minister-arvind-kejriwal-to-face-trial-in-arun-jaitleys-criminal-defamation-case-13792" target="_blank">defamation case filed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley</a>, has quit.&nbsp;

Chaudhary cited &quot;bad briefing&quot; as a reason&nbsp;for his quitting.

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Senior Counsel Anoop George Chaudhari quits as <a href="https://twitter.com/ArvindKejriwal?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ArvindKejriwal</a> lawyer in the <a href="https://twitter.com/arunjaitley?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@arunjaitley</a> defamation case. Blames bad briefing which led to embarrassment before the court during cross examination <a href="https://t.co/sdljzm8jOM">pic.twitter.com/sdljzm8jOM</a>
&mdash; Bar &amp; Bench (@barandbench) <a href="https://twitter.com/barandbench/status/964444004996624384?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 16, 2018</a></blockquote>
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In a letter issued to Advocate Instructing Counsel, he wrote: &quot; I shall no longer be able to appear for Defendant No.1 Arvind Kejriwal and am withdrawing from the case due to the inadequate briefing which resulted in an embarrassing situation before Justice Endlaw on 12th of February.&quot;

Earlier Ram<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/ram-jethmalani-to-arvind-kejriwal-you-used-worse-abuses-than-crook-for-arun-jaitley-18374" target="_blank"> Jethmalani quit </a>as Kejriwal&#39;s lawyer from the same case citing his &quot;lie&quot; as the reason.

He said, &quot;The reason behind it is he has spoken a lie. He has gone and said that I have not given any instructions, but fact is he did and I have them recorded. I&#39;m not disappointed at all; I did all that I could do. If he does not pay me I don&#39;t mind, because I have fought for many for free. It does not make a difference if I lose one&quot;.

Arun Jaitley had filed a suit seeking Rs 10 crore in damages after Kejriwal and the five other AAP leaders accused him of alleged irregularities and financial bungling in the DDCA.

The finance minister alleged that the AAP leaders made &quot;false and defamatory&quot; statement harming his reputation.

In a big blow to Arvind Kejriwal, Anoop George Chaudhary quit as his lawyer in the defamation case filed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley

In a big blow to Delhi chief minister and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal, Anoop George Chaudhary, his lawyer in the defamation case filed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, has quit. Chaudhary cited "bad briefing" as a reason for his quitting. Senior Counsel Anoop George Chaudhari quits as @ArvindKejriwal lawyer in the @arunjaitley defamation case. Blames bad briefing which led to embarrassment before the court during cross examination pic.twitter.com/sdljzm8jOM — Bar & Bench (@barandbench) February 16, 2018 × In a letter issued to Advocate Instructing Counsel, he wrote: " I shall no longer be able to appear for Defendant No.1 Arvind Kejriwal and am withdrawing from the case due to the inadequate briefing which resulted in an embarrassing situation before Justice Endlaw on 12th of February." Earlier Ram Jethmalani quit as Kejriwal's lawyer from the same case citing his "lie" as the reason. He said, "The reason behind it is he has spoken a lie. He has gone and said that I have not given any instructions, but fact is he did and I have them recorded. I'm not disappointed at all; I did all that I could do. If he does not pay me I don't mind, because I have fought for many for free. It does not make a difference if I lose one". Arun Jaitley had filed a suit seeking Rs 10 crore in damages after Kejriwal and the five other AAP leaders accused him of alleged irregularities and financial bungling in the DDCA. The finance minister alleged that the AAP leaders made "false and defamatory" statement harming his reputation.

Arun Jaitley defamation case: Arvind Kejriwal's lawyer quits

The Finance Minister while addressing the media on the recapitalisation of public sector banks has assured that the&nbsp;banks were &quot;article of faith&quot; and would never fail.

He said that the Department of Financial Services has been undertaking a detailed exercise as to the amount of capital that needs to be infused into public sector banks.&nbsp;

Jaitley said that the main objective of the flow of this capital to the public sector is to keep these banks in good health.

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Department of Financial Services has been undertaking a detailed exercise as to the amount of capital that needs to be infused into public sector banks: FM Jaitley <a href="https://t.co/fuXhrtQyBY">pic.twitter.com/fuXhrtQyBY</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/956107708947603456?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The main objective of this flows from the Government&#39;s responsibility to keep public sector banks in good health: FM Jaitley <a href="https://t.co/DYT7BRswom">pic.twitter.com/DYT7BRswom</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/956108002804752384?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Referring to the poor condition of the public sector&nbsp;banks, Jaitley said that the government aims to build an institutional mechanism to ensure that they do not experience the same problem that they &quot;inherited&quot;.

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WATCH?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WATCH</a>: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley addresses the media in Delhi <a href="https://t.co/LE2L43PX2z">https://t.co/LE2L43PX2z</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/956106955621220352?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Jaitly was addressing the media to devise a plan for Rs 2.11 lakh crore recapitalisation plan which the ministry had announced in October 2017.&nbsp;

The plan was introduced to support the struggling public sector banks incurring losses for a long time.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Speaking in the recapitalisation of public sector banks, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has said that the Department of Financial Services has been undertaking a detailed exercise as to the amount of capital that needs to be infused into public sector banks.

The Finance Minister while addressing the media on the recapitalisation of public sector banks has assured that the banks were "article of faith" and would never fail. He said that the Department of Financial Services has been undertaking a detailed exercise as to the amount of capital that needs to be infused into public sector banks. Jaitley said that the main objective of the flow of this capital to the public sector is to keep these banks in good health. Department of Financial Services has been undertaking a detailed exercise as to the amount of capital that needs to be infused into public sector banks: FM Jaitley pic.twitter.com/fuXhrtQyBY — ANI (@ANI) January 24, 2018 × The main objective of this flows from the Government's responsibility to keep public sector banks in good health: FM Jaitley pic.twitter.com/DYT7BRswom — ANI (@ANI) January 24, 2018 × Referring to the poor condition of the public sector banks, Jaitley said that the government aims to build an institutional mechanism to ensure that they do not experience the same problem that they "inherited". #WATCH: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley addresses the media in Delhi https://t.co/LE2L43PX2z — ANI (@ANI) January 24, 2018 × Jaitly was addressing the media to devise a plan for Rs 2.11 lakh crore recapitalisation plan which the ministry had announced in October 2017. The plan was introduced to support the struggling public sector banks incurring losses for a long time.

Govt to ensure good flow of capital to public sector banks to ensure their good health: Arun Jaitley

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