Some of the most prominent Chinese tech firms and government authorities have come under fire after a report said that discriminatory hiring practices based on gender are widespread in China and are linked to a shrinking proportion of women in the labor force.

The report called "Only Men Need Apply," was published on Monday by Human Rights Watch says that discrimination in hiring by Chinese government authorities and private companies is contributing to a widening gender gap in the world's second-largest economy.

The group said it analyzed more than 36,000 jobs ads. Besides Alibaba (BABA), the report highlights sexist ads from other top Chinese tech firms, including Baidu (BIDU), Huawei and Tencent (TCEHY).

Job ads posted by Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, Baidu Inc and Tencent Holdings Ltd were among those that deterred female applicants or objectified women, said Human Rights Watch in a report released on Monday.

In many of the adverts, prospective employers boasted of “beautiful girls” at their workplace as a selling point for new employees, while others included specific height, appearance and temperament requirements for women that were unrelated to the roles.

“We have investigated these incidents and are making immediate changes. We are sorry they occurred and we will take swift action to ensure they do not happen again,” Tencent said in a statement.

An Alibaba spokeswoman said the company “will conduct stricter reviews of the recruiting advertisements to ensure compliance with our policy.”

A Baidu spokeswoman said the postings were “isolated instances”. They include a video posted on an official Baidu social media account in September 2016 in which a male company employee said that one of the reasons that he was "so happy every day" was because he could "go to work with beautiful girls."

Human Rights Watch also called attention to posts by Tencent, which runs China's biggest messaging app.

It cited an October 2016 social media post by Tencent promoting the company's recruitment fairs in the United States in which an employee was quoted as saying, "The reason I joined Tencent originated from a primal impulse. It was mainly because the ladies at human resources and that interviewed me were very pretty."

Human Rights Watch said that so far in 2018, 19 per cent of the Chinese civil service job adverts it reviewed were “men only” or at least said men were preferred. Only one job posting this year listed a preference for a female candidate, it said.

The Human Rights Watch report received a muted response on Chinese social media on Tuesday, with almost no posts commenting on the issue on popular microblog platforms such as Alibaba-backed Weibo or Tencent’s mobile chat app WeChat.

The report called 'Only Men Need Apply,' was published on Monday by Human Rights Watch says that discrimination in hiring by Chinese government authorities and private companies is contributing to a widening gender gap in the world's second largest economy

Some of the most prominent Chinese tech firms and government authorities have come under fire after a report said that discriminatory hiring practices based on gender are widespread in China and are linked to a shrinking proportion of women in the labor force. The report called "Only Men Need Apply," was published on Monday by Human Rights Watch says that discrimination in hiring by Chinese government authorities and private companies is contributing to a widening gender gap in the world's second-largest economy. The group said it analyzed more than 36,000 jobs ads. Besides Alibaba (BABA), the report highlights sexist ads from other top Chinese tech firms, including Baidu (BIDU), Huawei and Tencent (TCEHY). Job ads posted by Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, Baidu Inc and Tencent Holdings Ltd were among those that deterred female applicants or objectified women, said Human Rights Watch in a report released on Monday. In many of the adverts, prospective employers boasted of “beautiful girls” at their workplace as a selling point for new employees, while others included specific height, appearance and temperament requirements for women that were unrelated to the roles. “We have investigated these incidents and are making immediate changes. We are sorry they occurred and we will take swift action to ensure they do not happen again,” Tencent said in a statement. An Alibaba spokeswoman said the company “will conduct stricter reviews of the recruiting advertisements to ensure compliance with our policy.” A Baidu spokeswoman said the postings were “isolated instances”. They include a video posted on an official Baidu social media account in September 2016 in which a male company employee said that one of the reasons that he was "so happy every day" was because he could "go to work with beautiful girls." Human Rights Watch also called attention to posts by Tencent, which runs China's biggest messaging app. It cited an October 2016 social media post by Tencent promoting the company's recruitment fairs in the United States in which an employee was quoted as saying, "The reason I joined Tencent originated from a primal impulse. It was mainly because the ladies at human resources and that interviewed me were very pretty." Human Rights Watch said that so far in 2018, 19 per cent of the Chinese civil service job adverts it reviewed were “men only” or at least said men were preferred. Only one job posting this year listed a preference for a female candidate, it said. The Human Rights Watch report received a muted response on Chinese social media on Tuesday, with almost no posts commenting on the issue on popular microblog platforms such as Alibaba-backed Weibo or Tencent’s mobile chat app WeChat.

Chinese tech giants, government departments under fire for gender-based job ads

The Jammu & Kashmir government on Tuesday approved the implementation of 7th pay commission recommendations.

Official sources said that the government employees will draw revised salaries from the current month.

“As already announced by Govt, the employees to draw revised scales of pay from the current month,” said the information department of J&K on Twitter.

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Implementation of 7th Pay Commission Recommendations approved by State Cabinet
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“The government will have to clear Rs 7500 crore as arrears of employees and pensioners to give retrospective effect to the pay commission recommendations,” said the source.

J&K has a total employee population of around 4.5 lakh persons, working in different departments.&nbsp;

The government had made the commitment to implementing the pay commission recommendations from April 1, during the budget session earlier this year with retrospective effect from January 2016.

J&K has a total employee population of around 4.5 lakh persons, working in different departments.

The Jammu & Kashmir government on Tuesday approved the implementation of 7th pay commission recommendations. Official sources said that the government employees will draw revised salaries from the current month. “As already announced by Govt, the employees to draw revised scales of pay from the current month,” said the information department of J&K on Twitter. Implementation of 7th Pay Commission Recommendations approved by State Cabinet — DIPR-J&K (@diprjk) April 24, 2018 × “The government will have to clear Rs 7500 crore as arrears of employees and pensioners to give retrospective effect to the pay commission recommendations,” said the source. J&K has a total employee population of around 4.5 lakh persons, working in different departments. The government had made the commitment to implementing the pay commission recommendations from April 1, during the budget session earlier this year with retrospective effect from January 2016.

J&K government approves 7th pay commission recommendations

Thousands of students staged a protest across Bangladesh which started on Sunday against discriminatory quotas for government jobs in favour of special groups which also left 100 students injured at the country’s top university left after clashes.&nbsp;

Hundreds of university students across Bangladesh blockaded roads on Tuesday in the third day of protests against what they say are discriminatory quotas for government jobs. Students took to the streets in Dhaka and elsewhere despite assurances from the government that it would review the controversial quota system.

The mass protests roiling campuses across the country have been among the biggest faced by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in her decade in power.

"We'll continue our agitation until the authorities accept our demands," said Rahat, one of the roughly 500 students camped out at the university's main square.

Following the violence that erupted on Sunday and continued into the early hours of Monday, classes at Dhaka University ground to a halt as thousands occupied the main square chanting “Reform, reform!” Students at state-run universities in Chittagong, Khulna, Rajshahi, Barisal, Rangpur, Sylhet and Savar also boycotted classes and staged sit-ins, police and media said.

At Jahangirnagar University alone, more than 1,000 students joined the demonstrations, said Ataur Rahman, a protester in Savar where the university is located.

The students are angry at the government’s decision to set aside 56% of civil service jobs for the families of veterans from the 1971 war of independence and for disadvantaged minorities.

The Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, discussed the quota issue at its weekly meeting on Monday, said cabinet secretary Shafiul Alam. She has asked senior Minister Obaidul Quader to hold a meeting with the protest leaders, he said.

Hundreds of police patrolled key entry points to the campus.

Organisers in Dhaka said they had been holding peaceful protests on Sunday when police started firing tear gas and rubber bullets, and used batons and water cannon to clear a central square.

"More than 100 people were injured," police inspector Bacchu Mia told AFP, adding they were treated in hospital but their condition was not serious.

Protesters threw rocks, vandalised the home of the Dhaka University vice-chancellor, torched two cars and ransacked the fine arts institute, said senior police officer Azimul Haque.

Hasan Al Mamun, a leader of the protests, said tens of thousands of students joined the demonstrations nationwide. Police declined to estimate the number.

Al Mamun said the quota for top-grade jobs should be reduced to only 10 per cent.

"These quotas are discriminatory. Due to the quota system, 56 per cent of the jobs are set aside for five per cent of the country's population. And 95 per cent of the people can compete for the 44 per cent," he said.

Students are particularly upset at the 30 per cent quota set aside for descendants of veterans of the independence war.

(With inputs from agencies)

<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/j6fQ60yJBfk" width="560"></iframe>

Students are particularly upset at the 30 per cent quota set aside for descendants of veterans of the independence war

Thousands of students staged a protest across Bangladesh which started on Sunday against discriminatory quotas for government jobs in favour of special groups which also left 100 students injured at the country’s top university left after clashes. Hundreds of university students across Bangladesh blockaded roads on Tuesday in the third day of protests against what they say are discriminatory quotas for government jobs. Students took to the streets in Dhaka and elsewhere despite assurances from the government that it would review the controversial quota system. The mass protests roiling campuses across the country have been among the biggest faced by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in her decade in power. "We'll continue our agitation until the authorities accept our demands," said Rahat, one of the roughly 500 students camped out at the university's main square. Following the violence that erupted on Sunday and continued into the early hours of Monday, classes at Dhaka University ground to a halt as thousands occupied the main square chanting “Reform, reform!” Students at state-run universities in Chittagong, Khulna, Rajshahi, Barisal, Rangpur, Sylhet and Savar also boycotted classes and staged sit-ins, police and media said. At Jahangirnagar University alone, more than 1,000 students joined the demonstrations, said Ataur Rahman, a protester in Savar where the university is located. The students are angry at the government’s decision to set aside 56% of civil service jobs for the families of veterans from the 1971 war of independence and for disadvantaged minorities. The Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, discussed the quota issue at its weekly meeting on Monday, said cabinet secretary Shafiul Alam. She has asked senior Minister Obaidul Quader to hold a meeting with the protest leaders, he said. Hundreds of police patrolled key entry points to the campus. Organisers in Dhaka said they had been holding peaceful protests on Sunday when police started firing tear gas and rubber bullets, and used batons and water cannon to clear a central square. "More than 100 people were injured," police inspector Bacchu Mia told AFP, adding they were treated in hospital but their condition was not serious. Protesters threw rocks, vandalised the home of the Dhaka University vice-chancellor, torched two cars and ransacked the fine arts institute, said senior police officer Azimul Haque. Hasan Al Mamun, a leader of the protests, said tens of thousands of students joined the demonstrations nationwide. Police declined to estimate the number. Al Mamun said the quota for top-grade jobs should be reduced to only 10 per cent. "These quotas are discriminatory. Due to the quota system, 56 per cent of the jobs are set aside for five per cent of the country's population. And 95 per cent of the people can compete for the 44 per cent," he said. Students are particularly upset at the 30 per cent quota set aside for descendants of veterans of the independence war. (With inputs from agencies)

Watch: At least 100 students injured in Bangladesh anti-quota protests

The government today said both fiscal and revenue deficit for 2017-18 financial year would be lower than the revised estimates presented in the Budget.

Also, the revenue deficit was projected higher at 2.6 per cent of the GDP from previous target of 1.9 per cent in the Union Budget presented on February 1.

After taking into consideration almost all revenues and expenditure, "I can confirm that both&nbspfiscal deficit&nbspand revenue deficit are lower than the revised estimates for 2017/18," Subhash Chandra Garg said on Twitter.

India revised its fiscal deficit target to 3.5 per cent of GDP from an earlier 3.2 per cent of GDP for the 2017/18 fiscal year that ended on March 31. 
 
Earlier, Finance Secretary Hasmukh Adhia told reporters India has raised Rs 9.95 lakh crore ($152.82 billion) in direct taxes in 2017/18 compared with a collection target of Rs 9.8 lakh crore.

He said the government has collected Rs 9.95 lakh crore from direct taxes, crossing the Budget estimate of Rs 9.80 lakh crore for the last fiscal ended March 31. However, the collection is short of the Rs 10.05 lakh crore revised estimates.

With regard to revenues from the Goods and Services Tax, the mop up is 98 per cent of the Rs 4.44 lakh crore target set in the revised budgetary estimates.

"On the whole, this year has been very good inspite of the fact that it was a year of uncertainty for revenue because of GST introduction. But still both in direct and indirect taxes revenues, we have broadly met our target and we are very much on course to achieve our fiscal deficit target," Adhia said.

Noting that he was "absolutely confident" of meeting the fiscal deficit target for 2017-18, he said that even the tax figures would go up. "So in next 3-4 days we will get more additions to revenues which we have so far up to March 31," he added.

On whether there would be any spending cut to meet the 3.5 per cent fiscal deficit target, Adhia said, "No. Not any major cut".

According to him, there might be "less expenditure" as some departments might not have spent the entire amount allocated to them for the entire fiscal.

"If a department, inspite of giving them the money is unable to spend, then it becomes natural savings. That kind of natural savings may be there, but not otherwise," Adhia said.

Official data on fiscal deficit for 2017-18 would be released later this month.

Last week, the government reported a fiscal deficit of Rs 7.16 lakh crore or 120.3 per cent of the revised target for April 2017 to February 2018 period.

Till February, the government's revenue receipt stood at Rs 12.83 lakh crore or 79.09 per cent of revised budgetary estimates. Total expenditure incurred by the government during the period was over Rs 19.99 lakh crore, which is 90.14 per cent of revised estimates for 2017-18.

For 2018-19, the fiscal deficit or gap between total expenditure and revenues has been pegged at 3.3 per cent. 
The government's statement about public finances come days before the Reserve Bank of India would be announcing its first bi-monthly monetary policy for 2018-19 on April 5.&nbsp

The fiscal deficit target for the last financial year was revised upwards to 3.5 per cent of the GDP from original projection of 3.2 per cent, following GST implementation and deferment of spectrum auction

The government today said both fiscal and revenue deficit for 2017-18 financial year would be lower than the revised estimates presented in the Budget. Also, the revenue deficit was projected higher at 2.6 per cent of the GDP from previous target of 1.9 per cent in the Union Budget presented on February 1. After taking into consideration almost all revenues and expenditure, "I can confirm that both&nbspfiscal deficit&nbspand revenue deficit are lower than the revised estimates for 2017/18," Subhash Chandra Garg said on Twitter. India revised its fiscal deficit target to 3.5 per cent of GDP from an earlier 3.2 per cent of GDP for the 2017/18 fiscal year that ended on March 31. Earlier, Finance Secretary Hasmukh Adhia told reporters India has raised Rs 9.95 lakh crore ($152.82 billion) in direct taxes in 2017/18 compared with a collection target of Rs 9.8 lakh crore. He said the government has collected Rs 9.95 lakh crore from direct taxes, crossing the Budget estimate of Rs 9.80 lakh crore for the last fiscal ended March 31. However, the collection is short of the Rs 10.05 lakh crore revised estimates. With regard to revenues from the Goods and Services Tax, the mop up is 98 per cent of the Rs 4.44 lakh crore target set in the revised budgetary estimates. "On the whole, this year has been very good inspite of the fact that it was a year of uncertainty for revenue because of GST introduction. But still both in direct and indirect taxes revenues, we have broadly met our target and we are very much on course to achieve our fiscal deficit target," Adhia said. Noting that he was "absolutely confident" of meeting the fiscal deficit target for 2017-18, he said that even the tax figures would go up. "So in next 3-4 days we will get more additions to revenues which we have so far up to March 31," he added. On whether there would be any spending cut to meet the 3.5 per cent fiscal deficit target, Adhia said, "No. Not any major cut". According to him, there might be "less expenditure" as some departments might not have spent the entire amount allocated to them for the entire fiscal. "If a department, inspite of giving them the money is unable to spend, then it becomes natural savings. That kind of natural savings may be there, but not otherwise," Adhia said. Official data on fiscal deficit for 2017-18 would be released later this month. Last week, the government reported a fiscal deficit of Rs 7.16 lakh crore or 120.3 per cent of the revised target for April 2017 to February 2018 period. Till February, the government's revenue receipt stood at Rs 12.83 lakh crore or 79.09 per cent of revised budgetary estimates. Total expenditure incurred by the government during the period was over Rs 19.99 lakh crore, which is 90.14 per cent of revised estimates for 2017-18. For 2018-19, the fiscal deficit or gap between total expenditure and revenues has been pegged at 3.3 per cent. The government's statement about public finances come days before the Reserve Bank of India would be announcing its first bi-monthly monetary policy for 2018-19 on April 5.

Fiscal, revenue deficit to be lower than estimates: Government

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/everything-you-want-to-know-about-cambridge-analytica-36662">Cambridge Analytica</a>, the firm at the centre of Facebook users' data breach scandal, has sought one more week to respond to government's notice on whether it was involved in misuse of data to profile Indians and influence their voting behavior.

The notice had gone out to Cambridge Analytica over media reports about questionable practices attributed to the UK-based firm in its efforts to allegedly influence elections by harvesting data of Facebook users globally.

Sources privy to the development said that Cambridge Analytica has now sought an additional time of one week to send its response to the notice issued by the Indian government.

Also, the government of Nigeria is scrutinising the reports of the data mining firm Cambridge Analytica, which swiped the data of more than 50 million Facebook users to sway elections in many countries.

The affected countries include Nigeria, where Cambridge Analytica waged a campaign to perpetuate discord and hack into personal records of the then leading opposition candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria’s Premium Times reported.

Also read:&nbsp<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/chris-wylie-left-in-2014-has-no-direct-knowledge-of-companys-practices-cambridge-analytica-126812">Chris Wylie left in 2014, has no direct knowledge of company's practices: Cambridge Analytica</a>

Cambridge Analytica and Facebook came under fire after the British firm was accused of harvesting personal information of over 50 million Facebook users illegally to influence polls in several countries.

The IT Ministry shot off notices to both <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/india-queries-cambridge-analytica-over-alleged-facebook-data-breach-36931">Cambridge Analytica</a> and Facebook on the data breach issue, giving them time till March 31, and April 7, respectively, to respond.

The government questioned Cambridge Analytica on whether it had been "engaged in any assignment to utilise data of Indians" pertaining to the recent breach, and also the entities that had used its services. Details were also sought on the methods used by the company to acquire such data and whether consent was taken from users.

An official statement issued last month had said: "Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, Government of India, has issued a notice... To Cambridge Analytica, wherein the serious breach of propriety and misuse of data intended to profile and influence voting behaviour has been highlighted".

"Was there any profiling done on the basis of such data?," the Ministry had asked the company, following reports that political parties had used the data analytics firm during elections.

Also read:&nbsp<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/cambridge-analyticas-parent-company-involved-in-honor-killing-cases-in-india-reports-127122">Cambridge Analytica's parent company involved in 'honor killing' cases in India: Reports</a>

Meanwhile, Facebook users whose data was harvested by Cambridge Analytica could be entitled to more than £12,000 in compensation, according to reports.

Facebook could face costs of £625billion and be forced to pay £12,500 in damages to the people affected, reports quoted Dr Maureen Mapp as saying.&nbsp

Law and IT Minster Ravi Shankar Prasad has already<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/india-queries-cambridge-analytica-over-alleged-facebook-data-breach-36931"> warned the social media giant </a>of "stringent" action for any attempt to influence polls through data theft, and had even threatened to summon its CEO Mark Zuckerberg, if needed.&nbsp

The notice had gone out to Cambridge Analytica over media reports about questionable practices attributed to the UK-based firm in its efforts to allegedly influence elections by harvesting data of Facebook users globally

Cambridge Analytica, the firm at the centre of Facebook users' data breach scandal, has sought one more week to respond to government's notice on whether it was involved in misuse of data to profile Indians and influence their voting behavior. The notice had gone out to Cambridge Analytica over media reports about questionable practices attributed to the UK-based firm in its efforts to allegedly influence elections by harvesting data of Facebook users globally. Sources privy to the development said that Cambridge Analytica has now sought an additional time of one week to send its response to the notice issued by the Indian government. Also, the government of Nigeria is scrutinising the reports of the data mining firm Cambridge Analytica, which swiped the data of more than 50 million Facebook users to sway elections in many countries. The affected countries include Nigeria, where Cambridge Analytica waged a campaign to perpetuate discord and hack into personal records of the then leading opposition candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria’s Premium Times reported. Also read: Chris Wylie left in 2014, has no direct knowledge of company's practices: Cambridge Analytica Cambridge Analytica and Facebook came under fire after the British firm was accused of harvesting personal information of over 50 million Facebook users illegally to influence polls in several countries. The IT Ministry shot off notices to both Cambridge Analytica and Facebook on the data breach issue, giving them time till March 31, and April 7, respectively, to respond. The government questioned Cambridge Analytica on whether it had been "engaged in any assignment to utilise data of Indians" pertaining to the recent breach, and also the entities that had used its services. Details were also sought on the methods used by the company to acquire such data and whether consent was taken from users. An official statement issued last month had said: "Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, Government of India, has issued a notice... To Cambridge Analytica, wherein the serious breach of propriety and misuse of data intended to profile and influence voting behaviour has been highlighted". "Was there any profiling done on the basis of such data?," the Ministry had asked the company, following reports that political parties had used the data analytics firm during elections. Also read: Cambridge Analytica's parent company involved in 'honor killing' cases in India: Reports Meanwhile, Facebook users whose data was harvested by Cambridge Analytica could be entitled to more than £12,000 in compensation, according to reports. Facebook could face costs of £625billion and be forced to pay £12,500 in damages to the people affected, reports quoted Dr Maureen Mapp as saying. Law and IT Minster Ravi Shankar Prasad has already warned the social media giant of "stringent" action for any attempt to influence polls through data theft, and had even threatened to summon its CEO Mark Zuckerberg, if needed.

Cambridge Analytica asks for one more week on data breach notice

Petrol price today hit a four-year high of Rs 73.73 a litre while diesel rates touched an all-time high of Rs 64.58 in the national capital, renewing calls for the government to cut excise tax rates.

State-owned oil firms, which have been since June last year revising auto fuel prices daily, today raised petrol and diesel rates by 18 paise per litre each in Delhi, according to a price notification.

Petrol in the national capital now costs Rs 73.73 a litre, the highest since September 14, 2014 when rates had hit Rs 76.06. Diesel price at Rs 64.58 is the highest ever, with previous high of Rs 64.22 being on February 7, 2018.

The Oil Ministry had earlier this year sought a reduction in excise duty on petrol an diesel to cushion the impact rising international oil rates but Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in his Budget presented on February 1 ignored those calls.

India has the highest retail prices of petrol and diesel among South Asian nations as taxes account for half of the pump rates.

Jaitley had raised excise duty nine times between November 2014 and January 2016 to shore up finances as global oil prices fell, but then cut the tax just once in October last year by Rs 2 a litre.

Subsequent to that excise duty reduction, the Centre had asked states to also lower VAT but just four of them -- Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh -- reduced rates while others including BJP-ruled ones ignored the call.

The central government had cut excise duty by Rs 2 per litre in October 2017, when petrol price reached Rs 70.88 per litre in Delhi and diesel Rs. 59.14. Because of the reduction in excise duty, diesel prices had on October 4, 2017 come down to Rs

56.89 per litre and petrol to Rs 68.38 per litre. However, a global rally in crude prices pushed domestic fuel prices far higher than those levels.

The October 2017 excise duty cut cost the government Rs 26,000 crore in annual revenue and about Rs 13,000 crore during the remaining part of the current fiscal year.

The government had between November 2014 and January 2016 raised excise duty on petrol and diesel on nine occasions to take away gains arising from plummeting global oil prices. In all, duty on petrol rate was hiked by Rs 11.77 per litre and that on diesel by 13.47 a litre in those 15 months that helped government's excise mop up more than double to Rs 242,000 crore in 2016-17 from Rs 99,000 crore in 2014-15.

State-owned oil companies -- Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation -- in June last year dumped the 15-year old practice of revising rates on the 1st and 16th of every month . Instead, they adopted a daily price revision system to instantly reflect changes in cost. Since then, prices are revised on a daily basis.&nbsp

Petrol was selling at Rs 73.73 and diesel at Rs 64.58 a litre in Delhi, renewing calls for the government to cut excise tax rates

Petrol price today hit a four-year high of Rs 73.73 a litre while diesel rates touched an all-time high of Rs 64.58 in the national capital, renewing calls for the government to cut excise tax rates. State-owned oil firms, which have been since June last year revising auto fuel prices daily, today raised petrol and diesel rates by 18 paise per litre each in Delhi, according to a price notification. Petrol in the national capital now costs Rs 73.73 a litre, the highest since September 14, 2014 when rates had hit Rs 76.06. Diesel price at Rs 64.58 is the highest ever, with previous high of Rs 64.22 being on February 7, 2018. The Oil Ministry had earlier this year sought a reduction in excise duty on petrol an diesel to cushion the impact rising international oil rates but Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in his Budget presented on February 1 ignored those calls. India has the highest retail prices of petrol and diesel among South Asian nations as taxes account for half of the pump rates. Jaitley had raised excise duty nine times between November 2014 and January 2016 to shore up finances as global oil prices fell, but then cut the tax just once in October last year by Rs 2 a litre. Subsequent to that excise duty reduction, the Centre had asked states to also lower VAT but just four of them -- Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh -- reduced rates while others including BJP-ruled ones ignored the call. The central government had cut excise duty by Rs 2 per litre in October 2017, when petrol price reached Rs 70.88 per litre in Delhi and diesel Rs. 59.14. Because of the reduction in excise duty, diesel prices had on October 4, 2017 come down to Rs 56.89 per litre and petrol to Rs 68.38 per litre. However, a global rally in crude prices pushed domestic fuel prices far higher than those levels. The October 2017 excise duty cut cost the government Rs 26,000 crore in annual revenue and about Rs 13,000 crore during the remaining part of the current fiscal year. The government had between November 2014 and January 2016 raised excise duty on petrol and diesel on nine occasions to take away gains arising from plummeting global oil prices. In all, duty on petrol rate was hiked by Rs 11.77 per litre and that on diesel by 13.47 a litre in those 15 months that helped government's excise mop up more than double to Rs 242,000 crore in 2016-17 from Rs 99,000 crore in 2014-15. State-owned oil companies -- Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation -- in June last year dumped the 15-year old practice of revising rates on the 1st and 16th of every month . Instead, they adopted a daily price revision system to instantly reflect changes in cost. Since then, prices are revised on a daily basis.

Petrol prices hit 4-year high, diesel at all-time high

Malaysia's parliament has been witnessing protests against the government's plan to redraw electoral boundaries. The move is likely to favour the ruling coalition in general elections that will be held soon.

Prime Minister Najib Razak is likely to press for a parliamentary approval today for the redrawn boundaries. Critics believe that the move, in case it materialises, is likely to worsen malapportionment leading to drawing of constitutional boundaries on racial lines to ensure electoral victory for the ruling coalition.

The protesters want the plan to be withdrawn and legal challenges cleared in the court.

The National Front coalition has faced severe setbacks in the last two elections including losing popular vote to the opposition for the first time in 2013.&nbsp

Najib also figures at the centre of a multibillion-dollar financial scandal.&nbsp

The protesters want the plan to be withdrawn and legal challenges cleared in the court

Malaysia's parliament has been witnessing protests against the government's plan to redraw electoral boundaries. The move is likely to favour the ruling coalition in general elections that will be held soon. Prime Minister Najib Razak is likely to press for a parliamentary approval today for the redrawn boundaries. Critics believe that the move, in case it materialises, is likely to worsen malapportionment leading to drawing of constitutional boundaries on racial lines to ensure electoral victory for the ruling coalition. The protesters want the plan to be withdrawn and legal challenges cleared in the court. The National Front coalition has faced severe setbacks in the last two elections including losing popular vote to the opposition for the first time in 2013. Najib also figures at the centre of a multibillion-dollar financial scandal.

Malaysia: Protests simmer over government's attempt to redraw electoral boundaries

There is no proposal for scrapping Article 370, which gives special status to Jammu and Kashmir, under the government's consideration, the Lok Sabha was informed today.

Union Minister of State for Home Hansraj Gangaram Ahir made the assertion while replying to a written question from BJP MP Ashwini Kumar.

"There is currently no such proposal under consideration of the government," Ahir said.

Kumar had asked whether the government was committed to scrapping Article 370 of the Constitution.

'There is currently no such proposal under consideration of the government,' Union Minister of State for Home Hansraj Ahir said

There is no proposal for scrapping Article 370, which gives special status to Jammu and Kashmir, under the government's consideration, the Lok Sabha was informed today. Union Minister of State for Home Hansraj Gangaram Ahir made the assertion while replying to a written question from BJP MP Ashwini Kumar. "There is currently no such proposal under consideration of the government," Ahir said. Kumar had asked whether the government was committed to scrapping Article 370 of the Constitution.

No proposal to scrap Article 370 for Kashmir, says government

The government of India has asked to give the Supreme Court a power point presentation on the Aadhaar programme.&nbsp;

The presentation, should the court accept the proposition, will be given by the CEO, Dr Ajay Bhushan Pandey, of the UIDAI. The Unique Identification Authority of India is the body rolling out the programme.&nbsp;

The programme aims to give every single India a unique identification number, but it has gathered plenty of opposition.&nbsp;

The aim of the presentation is to allay those concerns.&nbsp;

The Chief Justice of India responded to the request, saying he would fix a time after discussing the matter with the other judges on the bench hearing the cases against Aadhaar.&nbsp;

&quot;There are technical points related to surveillance, data security and exclusion,&quot; the court said.&nbsp;

There were a number of petitions filed against the Aadhaar programme, with people saying that it is an invasion of privacy, and that it could be misused.&nbsp;

The court had clubbed all the petitions, saying it would hear them together.&nbsp;

Most recently, the court had extended &mdash; indefinitely, until its judgement was out &mdash; the date for the linking of Aadhaar numbers to cell phones, and bank accounts.&nbsp;

The earlier date to do the aforesaid linking was March 31, 2018

The presentation, should the court accept the proposition, will be given by the CEO, Dr Ajay Bhushan Pandey, of the UIDAI. The aim of the presentation is to allay people's fears about Aadhaar

The government of India has asked to give the Supreme Court a power point presentation on the Aadhaar programme. The presentation, should the court accept the proposition, will be given by the CEO, Dr Ajay Bhushan Pandey, of the UIDAI. The Unique Identification Authority of India is the body rolling out the programme. The programme aims to give every single India a unique identification number, but it has gathered plenty of opposition. The aim of the presentation is to allay those concerns. The Chief Justice of India responded to the request, saying he would fix a time after discussing the matter with the other judges on the bench hearing the cases against Aadhaar. "There are technical points related to surveillance, data security and exclusion," the court said. There were a number of petitions filed against the Aadhaar programme, with people saying that it is an invasion of privacy, and that it could be misused. The court had clubbed all the petitions, saying it would hear them together. Most recently, the court had extended — indefinitely, until its judgement was out — the date for the linking of Aadhaar numbers to cell phones, and bank accounts. The earlier date to do the aforesaid linking was March 31, 2018

Centre asks to give Supreme Court power point presentation on Aadhaar

According to unpublished government data, the Modi government spent as much as rupees 35 lakh to buy and install air purifiers for Prime Minister&#39;s offices and other federal departments and government agencies like NITI Aayog between the year 2014 and 2017.&nbsp;

The country has been battling escalating air pollution over the past years with alarming levels in Delhi among other metro cities. In the wake of worsening air quality, as many as 140 air purifiers were purchased for Prime Minister Narendra Modi&rsquo;s offices, Reuters reported.&nbsp;

According to Reuters, in the last three years, the home ministry spent about $20,000 (Rs 13 lakh) to buy 44 air purifiers; 25 of which were allocated for PM Modi&#39;s parliament house offices.

Reuters filed a right to information plea to which NITI Aayog responded stating that the devices were &quot;issued to officers at the level of joint secretary and equivalent and above, as per their requests&quot;.&nbsp;

Traditionally, government officials cannot really make demands for such devices, there is no federal policy allowing the same until the demands come from bureaucrats.

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley announced an allocation of $177 million to curb air pollution resulting from crop residue burning in this year&#39;s budget. A scheme for pollution control was also outlined.&nbsp;

(With inputs from Reuters)&nbsp;

Traditionally, government officials cannot really make demands for such devices, there is no federal policy allowing the same

According to unpublished government data, the Modi government spent as much as rupees 35 lakh to buy and install air purifiers for Prime Minister's offices and other federal departments and government agencies like NITI Aayog between the year 2014 and 2017. The country has been battling escalating air pollution over the past years with alarming levels in Delhi among other metro cities. In the wake of worsening air quality, as many as 140 air purifiers were purchased for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s offices, Reuters reported. According to Reuters, in the last three years, the home ministry spent about $20,000 (Rs 13 lakh) to buy 44 air purifiers; 25 of which were allocated for PM Modi's parliament house offices. Reuters filed a right to information plea to which NITI Aayog responded stating that the devices were "issued to officers at the level of joint secretary and equivalent and above, as per their requests". Traditionally, government officials cannot really make demands for such devices, there is no federal policy allowing the same until the demands come from bureaucrats. Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley announced an allocation of $177 million to curb air pollution resulting from crop residue burning in this year's budget. A scheme for pollution control was also outlined. (With inputs from Reuters)

Modi government spent over Rs 35 lakh on installing air purifiers in offices: Report 

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang today unveiled his new Cabinet as part of the government&#39;s efforts to stabilise the world&#39;s second largest economy and appointed a missile expert as the defence minister amidst regional tensions with its neighbours over territorial disputes.

The new line-up approved by the rubber-stamp parliament, the National People&#39;s Congress, includes four Vice Premiers, Han Zheng, Sun Chunlan, Hu Chunhua and Liu He.

Their names were approved by nearly 3,000 deputies of the NPC after they were proposed by Premier Li Keqiang, who himself was re-appointed to the post under the new political setup headed by President Xi Jinping.

Xi was re-elected last week for a second five-year term, days after the NPC ratified constitutional amendment, removing term limits for President and Vice President. His close confidant and former anti-corruption chief Wang Qishan has been elected as the Vice President.

Vice Premier Liu He is expected to play a bigger role in the management of the Chinese economy, the world&#39;s second largest after the US.

China which was witnessing nearly three decades of double-digit growth slowed down in 2016 with a slight improvement last year. Debt?fuelled investment in infrastructure and real estate has underpinned China&#39;s growth for years.

While Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has been elevated as the State Councillor which makes him a top diplomat holding dual posts, another key appointment from India&#39;s point of view was that of the appointment of Lt Gen Wei Fenghe as the new Defence Minister.

Wei is widely regarded as the man behind the international face of China&#39;s rapid military modernisation and its reorganisation.

He played a key role in splitting the strategic missile force into two parts of Rocket Force and the Strategic Support Force.

Chen Wenqing remains the security czar overseeing the internal security, including espionage and counterintelligence as well as counter terrorism specially in the volatile Xinjiang province.

Also, the Yi Gang, a reformist has been appointed as the new governor of its central bank, the People&#39;s Bank of China, marking the first change at its helm in 15 years.

He will replace Zhou Xiaochuan who has headed the central bank for more than 15 years during which China has transitioned to become world&#39;s second largest economy replacing Japan.

Yi was deputy to Zhou and was largely regarded as a reformist and head of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange which oversees the country&#39;s over USD 3 trillion forex reserves, the highest in the world.

The new appointments came as China unveiled a massive reshuffle plan of various ministries to make the government better-structured, more efficient and service-oriented, affecting more than two dozen ministries and organisations.

The new revamped administration will have 26 ministries and commissions of the State Council which is the central Cabinet. The new entities included ministry of natural resources, veterans&#39; affairs and emergency management.

The plan includes merger of the Ministry of Culture and National Tourism Administration into one.

The sweeping changes include the merger of China&#39;s banking and insurance regulators and the setting up of a special bureau to oversee immigration issues.

China has been involved in territorial disputes with its neighbours.

China claims almost all of South China Sea and also laid claims on the Senkaku islands under the control of Japan in East China Sea and resorted to aggressive patrols in the last two years.

China also claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of South Tibet. The India-China border dispute covered 3,488 km along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

Another territorial dispute China had with India was on Dokalam. The Dokalam standoff began on June 16 after the People&#39;s Liberation Army&#39;s troops began building a road in an area claimed by Bhutan. The Indian troops intervened to stop it, saying it posed a security risk to the Chicken Neck, the narrow corridor connecting India with its northeastern states.

The standoff ended on August 28 following mutual agreement under which China stopped the road building and India withdrew its troops.&nbsp;

The new line-up approved by the rubber-stamp parliament, the National People's Congress, includes four Vice Premiers, Han Zheng, Sun Chunlan, Hu Chunhua and Liu He

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang today unveiled his new Cabinet as part of the government's efforts to stabilise the world's second largest economy and appointed a missile expert as the defence minister amidst regional tensions with its neighbours over territorial disputes. The new line-up approved by the rubber-stamp parliament, the National People's Congress, includes four Vice Premiers, Han Zheng, Sun Chunlan, Hu Chunhua and Liu He. Their names were approved by nearly 3,000 deputies of the NPC after they were proposed by Premier Li Keqiang, who himself was re-appointed to the post under the new political setup headed by President Xi Jinping. Xi was re-elected last week for a second five-year term, days after the NPC ratified constitutional amendment, removing term limits for President and Vice President. His close confidant and former anti-corruption chief Wang Qishan has been elected as the Vice President. Vice Premier Liu He is expected to play a bigger role in the management of the Chinese economy, the world's second largest after the US. China which was witnessing nearly three decades of double-digit growth slowed down in 2016 with a slight improvement last year. Debt?fuelled investment in infrastructure and real estate has underpinned China's growth for years. While Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has been elevated as the State Councillor which makes him a top diplomat holding dual posts, another key appointment from India's point of view was that of the appointment of Lt Gen Wei Fenghe as the new Defence Minister. Wei is widely regarded as the man behind the international face of China's rapid military modernisation and its reorganisation. He played a key role in splitting the strategic missile force into two parts of Rocket Force and the Strategic Support Force. Chen Wenqing remains the security czar overseeing the internal security, including espionage and counterintelligence as well as counter terrorism specially in the volatile Xinjiang province. Also, the Yi Gang, a reformist has been appointed as the new governor of its central bank, the People's Bank of China, marking the first change at its helm in 15 years. He will replace Zhou Xiaochuan who has headed the central bank for more than 15 years during which China has transitioned to become world's second largest economy replacing Japan. Yi was deputy to Zhou and was largely regarded as a reformist and head of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange which oversees the country's over USD 3 trillion forex reserves, the highest in the world. The new appointments came as China unveiled a massive reshuffle plan of various ministries to make the government better-structured, more efficient and service-oriented, affecting more than two dozen ministries and organisations. The new revamped administration will have 26 ministries and commissions of the State Council which is the central Cabinet. The new entities included ministry of natural resources, veterans' affairs and emergency management. The plan includes merger of the Ministry of Culture and National Tourism Administration into one. The sweeping changes include the merger of China's banking and insurance regulators and the setting up of a special bureau to oversee immigration issues. China has been involved in territorial disputes with its neighbours. China claims almost all of South China Sea and also laid claims on the Senkaku islands under the control of Japan in East China Sea and resorted to aggressive patrols in the last two years. China also claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of South Tibet. The India-China border dispute covered 3,488 km along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Another territorial dispute China had with India was on Dokalam. The Dokalam standoff began on June 16 after the People's Liberation Army's troops began building a road in an area claimed by Bhutan. The Indian troops intervened to stop it, saying it posed a security risk to the Chicken Neck, the narrow corridor connecting India with its northeastern states. The standoff ended on August 28 following mutual agreement under which China stopped the road building and India withdrew its troops.

China unveils brand new Cabinet to run revamped government under Xi

The no-confidence motion against the government was again not taken up after both houses of Parliament were adjourned Monday morning.&nbsp;

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No confidence motion not introduced, Lok Sabha adjourned till tomorrow after continuous uproar. <a href="https://t.co/bdT3dbBWA8">pic.twitter.com/bdT3dbBWA8</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/975622822293893120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The Lok Sabha had earlier been adjourned till 12 pm. But a little after the house sat down,&nbsp;it was adjourned after a continuous uproar.&nbsp;

The TDP&#39;s MPs would not allow Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to run the house.&nbsp; Each time the Lok Sabha would convene, they would run into the well of the house.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Rajya Sabha had earlier already been adjourned till Tuesday.&nbsp;

The YSR Congress and the TDP have asked for a trust vote against the government over the issue of special status to Andhra Pradesh. The central government had refused to give the state the special status it was asking for, but had said it would give Andhra the monetary equivalent of special status.&nbsp;

Andhra Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had recently asked the two TDP ministers in the union cabinet &mdash; Ashok Gajapathi Raju and YS Chowdary &mdash; to put in their papers. He had then later he would take his next steps accordingly.&nbsp;

The YSR Congress and the TDP had asked for the trust vote &mdash; a minimum of 50 members have to accept the motion for the vote to be held &mdash; last week. The Left, the AIADMK, the Aam Aadmi Party, and the AIMIM will support the vote.&nbsp;

Should the motion be accepted, this will be the first no-trust vote against the central government.&nbsp;

That said, the Narendra-led Modi NDA government is at the moment in no danger of falling. It has a simple majority on its own, and enough independent MPs in the house it could approach, should the need ever arise, to sail through a no-trust vote.&nbsp;

The parties asking for the vote seem to <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/want-no-trust-vote-debate-but-not-trying-to-make-government-fall-tdp-mp-36314" target="_blank">understand</a> that. The TDP MP RM Naidu said Monday morning:&nbsp;

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We are going to go move no-confidence motion,gather support of all respective parties in Parliament. It&#39;s responsibility of all parties in Parliament to support us. Trying to gather as much support as possible so debate happens, not trying to make the govt fall: RM Naidu, TDP MP <a href="https://t.co/LbdfpLAQAd">pic.twitter.com/LbdfpLAQAd</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/975587133309313024?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2018</a></blockquote>
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The TDP however, commentators says, wishes to attack the government on the issue before assembly elections in Andhra next year &mdash; which is exactly what opposition parties in the state are doing to it. Taking on the central government also allows the TDP to ward off the YSR Congress&#39;s Jagan Mohan Reddy, who has been pushing for special status for Andhra for some four years now.&nbsp;

More fireworks can be expected on Tuesday when Parliament reconvenes; the YSR Congress&#39;s YV Subba Reddy has asked for the motion to be taken up tomorrow again.&nbsp;

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YSRCP MP YV Subba Reddy again writes to Secretary General Lok Sabha to include in list of business for tomorrow &#39;no confidence motion in the council of ministers&#39;. <a href="https://t.co/6fsIhkk10H">pic.twitter.com/6fsIhkk10H</a>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/975639641847140352?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2018</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

The YSR Congress and the TDP have been trying to push the motion over the 'special status' issue for Andhra Pradesh

The no-confidence motion against the government was again not taken up after both houses of Parliament were adjourned Monday morning. No confidence motion not introduced, Lok Sabha adjourned till tomorrow after continuous uproar. pic.twitter.com/bdT3dbBWA8 — ANI (@ANI) March 19, 2018 × The Lok Sabha had earlier been adjourned till 12 pm. But a little after the house sat down, it was adjourned after a continuous uproar. The TDP's MPs would not allow Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to run the house. Each time the Lok Sabha would convene, they would run into the well of the house. The Rajya Sabha had earlier already been adjourned till Tuesday. The YSR Congress and the TDP have asked for a trust vote against the government over the issue of special status to Andhra Pradesh. The central government had refused to give the state the special status it was asking for, but had said it would give Andhra the monetary equivalent of special status. Andhra Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had recently asked the two TDP ministers in the union cabinet — Ashok Gajapathi Raju and YS Chowdary — to put in their papers. He had then later he would take his next steps accordingly. The YSR Congress and the TDP had asked for the trust vote — a minimum of 50 members have to accept the motion for the vote to be held — last week. The Left, the AIADMK, the Aam Aadmi Party, and the AIMIM will support the vote. Should the motion be accepted, this will be the first no-trust vote against the central government. That said, the Narendra-led Modi NDA government is at the moment in no danger of falling. It has a simple majority on its own, and enough independent MPs in the house it could approach, should the need ever arise, to sail through a no-trust vote. The parties asking for the vote seem to understand that. The TDP MP RM Naidu said Monday morning: We are going to go move no-confidence motion,gather support of all respective parties in Parliament. It's responsibility of all parties in Parliament to support us. Trying to gather as much support as possible so debate happens, not trying to make the govt fall: RM Naidu, TDP MP pic.twitter.com/LbdfpLAQAd — ANI (@ANI) March 19, 2018 × The TDP however, commentators says, wishes to attack the government on the issue before assembly elections in Andhra next year — which is exactly what opposition parties in the state are doing to it. Taking on the central government also allows the TDP to ward off the YSR Congress's Jagan Mohan Reddy, who has been pushing for special status for Andhra for some four years now. More fireworks can be expected on Tuesday when Parliament reconvenes; the YSR Congress's YV Subba Reddy has asked for the motion to be taken up tomorrow again. YSRCP MP YV Subba Reddy again writes to Secretary General Lok Sabha to include in list of business for tomorrow 'no confidence motion in the council of ministers'. pic.twitter.com/6fsIhkk10H — ANI (@ANI) March 19, 2018 ×

No-confidence motion not taken up, both houses of Parliament adjourned till Tuesday

The YSR Congress and the Telugu Desam Party will pitch for taking up their notices of no-confidence motion against the Modi government when the Lok Sabha meets today amid no signs of a let-up in the deadlock in its proceedings.

Y V Subba Reddy of the YSR Congress has written to the Lok Sabha secretariat to put his notice for the motion in the revised list of business today. The TDP has also moved a notice for a no-confidence motion.

When their notices were not taken up last week, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar had argued that they could not be due to the House being not in order, with members of several parties raising slogans in the Well.

With the Telangana Rashtra Samithi and the AIADMK, which have often cooperated with the government on its legislative business, protesting over a host of issues, it remains uncertain if order is restored today.

While the first two weeks of the last phase of the Budget Session have been a virtual washout, the government has managed to get some key bills and the budget passed amid a din through a voice vote without a debate.

The YSR Congress was the first to give a notice last week for a no-trust motion after the Centre made it clear that it would not grant Special Category Status to Andhra Pradesh.

Not to be outdone by its main rival in the state, the TDP, a longtime BJP ally, then decided to break its ties over the issue and brought a no-confidence motion of its own.

Both parties have been lobbying with opposition parties for support to their respective notices. A no-confidence motion notice has to be supported by at least 50 MPs to be taken up in the House.

The government has expressed confidence that the notices, even if they are admitted, will be defeated given its strength in the Lok Sabha.

The current strength of the Lok Sabha is 539 and the ruling BJP has 274 members, more than the majority mark of 270, and enjoys the support of several allies.

With the 16-member TDP quitting the BJP-led NDA, the ruling alliance strength has reduced.&nbsp;

Both parties had asked for the vote last week over the issue of 'special status' for Andhra

The YSR Congress and the Telugu Desam Party will pitch for taking up their notices of no-confidence motion against the Modi government when the Lok Sabha meets today amid no signs of a let-up in the deadlock in its proceedings. Y V Subba Reddy of the YSR Congress has written to the Lok Sabha secretariat to put his notice for the motion in the revised list of business today. The TDP has also moved a notice for a no-confidence motion. When their notices were not taken up last week, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar had argued that they could not be due to the House being not in order, with members of several parties raising slogans in the Well. With the Telangana Rashtra Samithi and the AIADMK, which have often cooperated with the government on its legislative business, protesting over a host of issues, it remains uncertain if order is restored today. While the first two weeks of the last phase of the Budget Session have been a virtual washout, the government has managed to get some key bills and the budget passed amid a din through a voice vote without a debate. The YSR Congress was the first to give a notice last week for a no-trust motion after the Centre made it clear that it would not grant Special Category Status to Andhra Pradesh. Not to be outdone by its main rival in the state, the TDP, a longtime BJP ally, then decided to break its ties over the issue and brought a no-confidence motion of its own. Both parties have been lobbying with opposition parties for support to their respective notices. A no-confidence motion notice has to be supported by at least 50 MPs to be taken up in the House. The government has expressed confidence that the notices, even if they are admitted, will be defeated given its strength in the Lok Sabha. The current strength of the Lok Sabha is 539 and the ruling BJP has 274 members, more than the majority mark of 270, and enjoys the support of several allies. With the 16-member TDP quitting the BJP-led NDA, the ruling alliance strength has reduced.

YSR Congress, TDP to pitch for no-trust vote against government today

The government today categorically said there was no proposal to discontinue Rs 2,000 currency note, which was introduced post demonetisation in November 2016.

The government also informed the Lok Sabha that it had decided to conduct field trials of plastic currency notes of Rs 10 in five cites.

&quot;There is no proposal under consideration of the government to stop Rs 2,000 note,&quot; Minister of State for Finance P Radhakrishnan said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha to a question whether the finance ministry has any plan to stop the note in near future.

The sizes of new Rs 500 and Rs 2,000 denomination in the Mahatma Gandhi (New) series is 66mm X 150 mm and 66 mm and 166 mm, respectively.

The difference between the two currency notes is 10 mm for easy identification, he said in reply to another question.

The government had scrapped old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes on November 9 with an aim to check black money and push digital economy.

As regards plastic notes, the minister said: &quot;It has been decided to conduct field trial of plastic banknotes in denominations of Rs 10 at five locations&quot;.

The trial would be conducted in Kochi, Mysore, Jaipur, Shimla and Bhubaneshwar, he said, adding that the note will be printed in Indian presses on imported substrate.

He, however, did not specified any timeline.&nbsp;

The government also informed the Lok Sabha that it had decided to conduct field trials of plastic currency notes of Rs 10 in five cites

The government today categorically said there was no proposal to discontinue Rs 2,000 currency note, which was introduced post demonetisation in November 2016. The government also informed the Lok Sabha that it had decided to conduct field trials of plastic currency notes of Rs 10 in five cites. "There is no proposal under consideration of the government to stop Rs 2,000 note," Minister of State for Finance P Radhakrishnan said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha to a question whether the finance ministry has any plan to stop the note in near future. The sizes of new Rs 500 and Rs 2,000 denomination in the Mahatma Gandhi (New) series is 66mm X 150 mm and 66 mm and 166 mm, respectively. The difference between the two currency notes is 10 mm for easy identification, he said in reply to another question. The government had scrapped old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes on November 9 with an aim to check black money and push digital economy. As regards plastic notes, the minister said: "It has been decided to conduct field trial of plastic banknotes in denominations of Rs 10 at five locations". The trial would be conducted in Kochi, Mysore, Jaipur, Shimla and Bhubaneshwar, he said, adding that the note will be printed in Indian presses on imported substrate. He, however, did not specified any timeline.

Rs 2,000 notes will not be discontinued: Government

The Supreme Court on Monday pulled up the Centre for delay in the investigation of the alleged 1.76 lakh crore 2G Spectrum case.

The court asked the government if there was any kind of pressure being faced from any quarter in the ongoing course of the investigation.&nbsp;

It further underlined the importance of the case, saying the people of the country cannot be fooled and kept in the dark.

A bench of Justices Arun Misra and Naveen Sinha directed the Centre to file a status report on investigation into the 2G spectrum scam and related cases arising out of it, including the Aircel-Maxis deal, in two weeks.

&quot;Aircel maxis ki janch abhi adhuri hai ..jise lekar supreme court ne ye aadeh diya..saath hi kendra sarkar ko jamkar fatkara ki 2G mamla bada mehatpurna hai aur desh ki janta ko gumrah aur andhere me nahi rakha ja sakta hai,&quot; the court said.

The apex court also ordered the investigating agencies, CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to complete their probe into the 2G spectrum allocation cases and other related matters in six months.

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Delhi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Delhi</a>: Supreme Court has directed the CBI &amp; ED to complete all the cases related to 2G scam in 6 months.
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The bench observed that the investigation has been going on for long time.&nbsp;

&quot;2G se jude sabhi mamlon aur pehluon ki janch har surat me 6 mahine me puri kar li jaye..nahi to janch adhikariyon ke khilaf awmanna ki karwahi ki jayegi,&quot; the bench added.

The apex court also relieved senior advocate Anand Grover, who was appointed by it in 2014 as Special Public Prosecutor in the 2G spectrum case.

The 2G &nbsp;scam came to light after the Comptroller and Auditor General in its report in 2010 claimed that the Telecom Ministry had caused a loss of Rs 1.76 lakh crore to the national exchequer by allocating 2G spectrum and licences to some companies at throwaway prices. 
&nbsp;

The court asked the government if there was any kind of pressure being faced from any quarter

The Supreme Court on Monday pulled up the Centre for delay in the investigation of the alleged 1.76 lakh crore 2G Spectrum case. The court asked the government if there was any kind of pressure being faced from any quarter in the ongoing course of the investigation. It further underlined the importance of the case, saying the people of the country cannot be fooled and kept in the dark. A bench of Justices Arun Misra and Naveen Sinha directed the Centre to file a status report on investigation into the 2G spectrum scam and related cases arising out of it, including the Aircel-Maxis deal, in two weeks. "Aircel maxis ki janch abhi adhuri hai ..jise lekar supreme court ne ye aadeh diya..saath hi kendra sarkar ko jamkar fatkara ki 2G mamla bada mehatpurna hai aur desh ki janta ko gumrah aur andhere me nahi rakha ja sakta hai," the court said. The apex court also ordered the investigating agencies, CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to complete their probe into the 2G spectrum allocation cases and other related matters in six months. #Delhi: Supreme Court has directed the CBI & ED to complete all the cases related to 2G scam in 6 months. — ANI (@ANI) March 12, 2018 × The bench observed that the investigation has been going on for long time. "2G se jude sabhi mamlon aur pehluon ki janch har surat me 6 mahine me puri kar li jaye..nahi to janch adhikariyon ke khilaf awmanna ki karwahi ki jayegi," the bench added. The apex court also relieved senior advocate Anand Grover, who was appointed by it in 2014 as Special Public Prosecutor in the 2G spectrum case. The 2G scam came to light after the Comptroller and Auditor General in its report in 2010 claimed that the Telecom Ministry had caused a loss of Rs 1.76 lakh crore to the national exchequer by allocating 2G spectrum and licences to some companies at throwaway prices.

2G case: SC pulls up Centre, asks to file status report on investigation in two weeks

Torrential rain has caused havoc in Queensland&rsquo;s north The Bureau of Meteorology said, adding that rains are now easing but it is still not over.&nbsp;

In the past four days, the amount of rainfall across Queensland has seen the region between Townsville and Cairns declared a disaster zone by the state government.

About 90 per cent of homes have been impacted in the northern town of Ingham, reports said. At least 20 schools and preschools in north Queensland will be closed on Monday after the &nbsp;torrential rain and flooding.

More than 200 homes at Ingham needed to be evacuated and locals at Innisfail were also affected by the dangerous weather.

With the possible threat of a cyclone looming off the coast, insurance expert Bessie Hassan was quoted saying ib reports that: &ldquo;Being precautionary now could prevent potentially thousands of dollars worth of damage later on.&rdquo;

The government would work to make disaster funding available to individuals and local governments, media reports said.&nbsp;

An aerial rescue operation is currently underway to rescue 68 Townsville school kids and 10 staff who were completely stranded at Echo Creek Adventure Camp as waters came dangerously close.

Three other students were flown out from the site yesterday, due to concerns about a possible gastro outbreak.

While Queensland has the highest occurrence of floods in the country, it&rsquo;s concerning that the sunshine state is also the least prepared for a natural disaster, with a staggering 823,560 of Queenslanders not having any measures in place to protect themselves.

Meanwhile, a giant spider was found dangling for life on a branch overhanging flooded water. The spider is believed to be a whistling spider (Australian tarantula) &mdash; the name relates to the sound they make when feeling threatened. They are also known as bird-eating spiders.

Found in the warmer and more arid regions of Australia, the largest species can grow a body length of 6cm and a leg span of 16cm, with powerful fangs 1cm long.

The government would work to make disaster funding available to individuals and local governments, media reports said

Torrential rain has caused havoc in Queensland’s north The Bureau of Meteorology said, adding that rains are now easing but it is still not over. In the past four days, the amount of rainfall across Queensland has seen the region between Townsville and Cairns declared a disaster zone by the state government. About 90 per cent of homes have been impacted in the northern town of Ingham, reports said. At least 20 schools and preschools in north Queensland will be closed on Monday after the torrential rain and flooding. More than 200 homes at Ingham needed to be evacuated and locals at Innisfail were also affected by the dangerous weather. With the possible threat of a cyclone looming off the coast, insurance expert Bessie Hassan was quoted saying ib reports that: “Being precautionary now could prevent potentially thousands of dollars worth of damage later on.” The government would work to make disaster funding available to individuals and local governments, media reports said. An aerial rescue operation is currently underway to rescue 68 Townsville school kids and 10 staff who were completely stranded at Echo Creek Adventure Camp as waters came dangerously close. Three other students were flown out from the site yesterday, due to concerns about a possible gastro outbreak. While Queensland has the highest occurrence of floods in the country, it’s concerning that the sunshine state is also the least prepared for a natural disaster, with a staggering 823,560 of Queenslanders not having any measures in place to protect themselves. Meanwhile, a giant spider was found dangling for life on a branch overhanging flooded water. The spider is believed to be a whistling spider (Australian tarantula) — the name relates to the sound they make when feeling threatened. They are also known as bird-eating spiders. Found in the warmer and more arid regions of Australia, the largest species can grow a body length of 6cm and a leg span of 16cm, with powerful fangs 1cm long.

Queensland floods: Schools shut, aerial rescue operation underway

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra&#39;ad Al Hussein stated that Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte needed a psychiatric evaluation after his government included a UN official in a list of 600 people they want labelled as terrorists.

&quot;He needs to submit himself to some sort of psychiatric examination. This kind of comment is unacceptable. These attacks cannot go unanswered; the UN human rights council must take a position,&quot; said Zeid.

In a petition filed in a Manila court last month, the department of justice listed more than 600 people it wanted to be categorised as rebels for &ldquo;using acts of terror&rdquo; to undermine the government. Among them was the UN special rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, for allegedly being a senior member of the Maoist rebel group.

The petition, made public on Friday, would give the government power to closely monitor the movements and limit the resources of anyone on the list.

Tauli-Corpuz denounced the government for labelling her as a terrorist and putting her life at risk, calling the allegations &ldquo;baseless, malicious and irresponsible&rdquo;.

The UN said the accusations were an act of retaliation for Tauli-Corpuz&rsquo;s recent criticism of the attacks on and killings of indigenous Lumad people in the Philippines. It said the claims violated the UN convention on human rights.

Victoria Tauli-Corpuz has been in the post since 2014, denounced the government, calling the complaint &ldquo;baseless, malicious and, irresponsible&rdquo;.&nbsp;

Many human rights activists have jumped to condemn the Filipino leader, who recently started a campaign against communist rebels and has a history of taking controversial actions against those he considers criminals.&nbsp;

After joining the office in 2016, Duterte tried to find a solution to a long-standing conflict with the communists, even putting leftist politicians in his cabinet. But since peace talks failed, he started a campaign against the groups, recently claiming that the rebels were trying to overthrow the government using acts of terror.

In a petition filed in a Manila court last month, the department of justice listed more than 600 people it wanted to be categorised as rebels for 'using acts of terror' to undermine the government

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein stated that Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte needed a psychiatric evaluation after his government included a UN official in a list of 600 people they want labelled as terrorists. "He needs to submit himself to some sort of psychiatric examination. This kind of comment is unacceptable. These attacks cannot go unanswered; the UN human rights council must take a position," said Zeid. In a petition filed in a Manila court last month, the department of justice listed more than 600 people it wanted to be categorised as rebels for “using acts of terror” to undermine the government. Among them was the UN special rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, for allegedly being a senior member of the Maoist rebel group. The petition, made public on Friday, would give the government power to closely monitor the movements and limit the resources of anyone on the list. Tauli-Corpuz denounced the government for labelling her as a terrorist and putting her life at risk, calling the allegations “baseless, malicious and irresponsible”. The UN said the accusations were an act of retaliation for Tauli-Corpuz’s recent criticism of the attacks on and killings of indigenous Lumad people in the Philippines. It said the claims violated the UN convention on human rights. Victoria Tauli-Corpuz has been in the post since 2014, denounced the government, calling the complaint “baseless, malicious and, irresponsible”. Many human rights activists have jumped to condemn the Filipino leader, who recently started a campaign against communist rebels and has a history of taking controversial actions against those he considers criminals. After joining the office in 2016, Duterte tried to find a solution to a long-standing conflict with the communists, even putting leftist politicians in his cabinet. But since peace talks failed, he started a campaign against the groups, recently claiming that the rebels were trying to overthrow the government using acts of terror.

Rodrigo Duterte needs a psychiatric evaluation, says UN

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday announced an increase to the dearness allowance from 5 per cent to 7 per cent for its 11 million employees and pensioners.&nbsp;

&quot;The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its approval to release an additional instalment of Dearness Allowance (DA) to Central Government employees and Dearness Relief (DR) to pensioners from January 1, 2018 representing an increase of 2 per cent over the existing rate of 5 per cent of the Basic Pay/Pension, to compensate for price rise,&quot; the official statement noted.

The government believes that that the hike will benefit around 48.41 lakh central government employees and 61.17 lakh pensioners.

The combined impact on the exchequer on account of both dearness allowance (DA) and dearness relief (DR) is estimated to be somewhere around Rs 6,077.72 crore per annum, and Rs 7,090.68 crore in 2018-19 (for a period of 14 months from January 2018 to February 2019) -- an increase which is in accordance with the accepted formula based on the recommendations of the 7th Central Pay Commission.&nbsp;

(With inputs from PTI)&nbsp;

The government believes that that the hike will benefit around 48.41 lakh central government employees and 61.17 lakh pensioners

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday announced an increase to the dearness allowance from 5 per cent to 7 per cent for its 11 million employees and pensioners. "The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its approval to release an additional instalment of Dearness Allowance (DA) to Central Government employees and Dearness Relief (DR) to pensioners from January 1, 2018 representing an increase of 2 per cent over the existing rate of 5 per cent of the Basic Pay/Pension, to compensate for price rise," the official statement noted. The government believes that that the hike will benefit around 48.41 lakh central government employees and 61.17 lakh pensioners. The combined impact on the exchequer on account of both dearness allowance (DA) and dearness relief (DR) is estimated to be somewhere around Rs 6,077.72 crore per annum, and Rs 7,090.68 crore in 2018-19 (for a period of 14 months from January 2018 to February 2019) -- an increase which is in accordance with the accepted formula based on the recommendations of the 7th Central Pay Commission. (With inputs from PTI)

Government hikes dearness allowance to 7% from 5%

A special court on Thursday hearing the high treason case against former president General (R) Pervez Musharraf ordered the government to arrest him and seize his property.

The hearing resumed on Thursday after a gap of nine months.

According to Geo TV, Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Yahya Afridi is heading the bench which includes Lahore High Court Chief Justice Yawar Ali and Balochistan High Court Justice Tahira Safdar.

The bench, formed in 2013, is hearing the case of imposition of extra-constitutional emergency by Musharraf in November 2007.

As the hearing went underway, the Interior Ministry submitted in court a report on Musharraf&#39;s properties, stating that four of the seven properties are owned by the former president and army chief.

Ten years ago, Musharraf imposed an emergency. Prosecutor Akram Sheikh, presenting arguments, pressed the court to order Musharraf&#39;s arrest and production in court.

The court inquired from the Federal Investigation Agency officials what the procedure is to bring back an absconder from abroad. The officials replied that the Interior Ministry sends them a request in this regard after which action is taken.

Chief Justice Afridi remarked that the court is ordering the arrest and seizure of Musharraf&#39;s properties. Musharraf&#39;s counsel, Akhtar Shah, pleaded the court not to order confiscation of Musharraf&#39;s properties until March 21, but Justice Afridi remarked that this court procedure and cannot be curtailed.

The hearing was then adjourned until March 21.

The former army chief was indicted in the case in March 2014 after he appeared before the court and rejected all charges.

On March 18, 2016, the former president left Pakistan for Dubai for medical treatment after his name was removed from the Exit Control List (ECL) on the orders of the Supreme Court.

A few months later, the special court had declared him a proclaimed offender and ordered the confiscation of his property owing to his no-show.&nbsp;

(With inputs from ANI)

The bench, formed in 2013, is hearing the case of imposition of extra-constitutional emergency by Musharraf in November 2007

A special court on Thursday hearing the high treason case against former president General (R) Pervez Musharraf ordered the government to arrest him and seize his property. The hearing resumed on Thursday after a gap of nine months. According to Geo TV, Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Yahya Afridi is heading the bench which includes Lahore High Court Chief Justice Yawar Ali and Balochistan High Court Justice Tahira Safdar. The bench, formed in 2013, is hearing the case of imposition of extra-constitutional emergency by Musharraf in November 2007. As the hearing went underway, the Interior Ministry submitted in court a report on Musharraf's properties, stating that four of the seven properties are owned by the former president and army chief. Ten years ago, Musharraf imposed an emergency. Prosecutor Akram Sheikh, presenting arguments, pressed the court to order Musharraf's arrest and production in court. The court inquired from the Federal Investigation Agency officials what the procedure is to bring back an absconder from abroad. The officials replied that the Interior Ministry sends them a request in this regard after which action is taken. Chief Justice Afridi remarked that the court is ordering the arrest and seizure of Musharraf's properties. Musharraf's counsel, Akhtar Shah, pleaded the court not to order confiscation of Musharraf's properties until March 21, but Justice Afridi remarked that this court procedure and cannot be curtailed. The hearing was then adjourned until March 21. The former army chief was indicted in the case in March 2014 after he appeared before the court and rejected all charges. On March 18, 2016, the former president left Pakistan for Dubai for medical treatment after his name was removed from the Exit Control List (ECL) on the orders of the Supreme Court. A few months later, the special court had declared him a proclaimed offender and ordered the confiscation of his property owing to his no-show. (With inputs from ANI)

Pakistan court orders government to arrest Pervez Musharraf, seize his properties

The Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) chief Neiphiu Rio met Nagaland governor PB Acharya to stake claim to form the government on Sunday.

BJP-NDPP also submitted a list of elected candidates to the Nagaland governor.

NDPP leader Neiphiu Rio claimed the support of 32 MLAs in the state&#39;s 60-member Assembly.

This was accepted by Nagaland Governor PB Acharya, who said Neiphiu Rio had the majority and should form the government.

Acharya said he has asked Rio to submit signatures of all the 32 MLAs supporting him by tomorrow.

The NDPP and the BJP have won 18 and 12 seats respectively while the lone JD(U) MLA G Kaito Aye and Independent legislator Tongpang Ozukum were backing the alliance, NDPP secretary-general Abu Metha said.

Rio is a three-time chief minister of the state.&nbsp;

(With inputs from PTI)

NDPP leader Neiphiu Rio staked claim to form the government in Nagaland, declaring the support of 32 MLAs in the state's 60-member Assembly

The Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) chief Neiphiu Rio met Nagaland governor PB Acharya to stake claim to form the government on Sunday. BJP-NDPP also submitted a list of elected candidates to the Nagaland governor. NDPP leader Neiphiu Rio claimed the support of 32 MLAs in the state's 60-member Assembly. This was accepted by Nagaland Governor PB Acharya, who said Neiphiu Rio had the majority and should form the government. Acharya said he has asked Rio to submit signatures of all the 32 MLAs supporting him by tomorrow. The NDPP and the BJP have won 18 and 12 seats respectively while the lone JD(U) MLA G Kaito Aye and Independent legislator Tongpang Ozukum were backing the alliance, NDPP secretary-general Abu Metha said. Rio is a three-time chief minister of the state. (With inputs from PTI)

NDPP's Neiphiu Rio stakes claim to form government in Nagaland

US businesses and diplomats are pressing India to cut tariffs, industry and government sources say, after New Delhi&#39;s move to increase customs duties on dozens of products to help its flagship Make-in-India drive aggravated differences over trade.

Ford, which has two plants in India, has sought a reversal of the new tariffs on auto components, while Apple Inc is concerned its iPhones have become even more expensive in the price-conscious $10 billion smartphone market.

<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eNDuo3eS5zs" width="560"></iframe>

India and the United States have built close political ties and Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Washington last summer, bear-hugging President Donald Trump in his personalised style of diplomacy. But trade friction is casting a shadow.

A US State Department spokesperson told Reuters India must lower trade barriers, which were holding back economic ties.

Trump has already called out India for its duties on Harley-Davidson motorbikes, and this month Modi ordered them cut to 50 percent from 75 percent for high-end bikes.

But that has not satisfied Trump, who pointed to zero duties for Indian bikes sold in the United States, saying he would push for a &quot;reciprocal tax&quot; against countries, including U.S. allies, that levy tariffs on American products.

&quot;It is important that India make greater efforts to lower barriers to trade, including tariff and non-tariff barriers, which will lower prices to consumers, promote development of value chains in India,&quot; said the State Department spokesperson, referring to Trump&#39;s comments on motorbikes.

The U.S. Congress has been pushing over the past year for greater pressure on India to dismantle economic barriers, and now House Republicans have raised the issue of the new round of duties with New Delhi.

&quot;We conveyed our concerns to the Indian government last week to raising tariffs above WTO rates &ndash; especially as it relates to information technology,&quot; a Republican aide told Reuters.

Import Taxes

India announced higher import tax on electronics products such as mobile phones and television sets in December, and then on 40 more items in the budget this month. These included goods as varied as sunglasses, juices and auto components.

India says the move is aimed at giving local industry the chance to grow and is part of a broader plan to lift the share manufacturing makes up of GDP to a quarter, from around 15 percent, and create the tens of thousands of jobs needed for a young workforce.

US&nbsp;commerce department referred questions to the US&nbsp;Trade Representative&#39;s (USTR) office, where a spokesman declined to comment.

The Indian commerce ministry did not respond to a request for a comment on the US&nbsp;criticism of the import taxes.

But a senior finance ministry official defended the decision to raise duties, saying it reflected a trend in other parts of the world.

&quot;When all the major economies, including the U.S. and China, are following protectionist policies, why are we being questioned,&quot; the official said.

Trade Ties

Bilateral trade between India and the United States has grown to about $115 billion in 2016 from $20 billion in 2001. The United States buys close to a fifth of India&#39;s goods and services exports and its trade deficit has widened from $13 billion in 2006 to $31 billion in 2016.

The USTR&#39;s office is &quot;fairly negative&quot; on India at this point and is analysing the impact of the customs trade tariffs on various American companies, an industry source aware of the matter told Reuters.

&quot;They are more vigilant than earlier, they are in bulldog mode under Trump,&quot; the source said. A spokesperson for the USTR&#39;s office declined to comment.

Even before the new round of hikes, India has been seen as one of the most protected major economies. The United States had an average tariff rate of 3.4 percent on imported goods in 2016. compared with 13.5 percent for India, according to the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

China, which the Trump administration is targeting for its trade practices, had an average tariff rate of 9.9 percent that year.

Apple, whose top-end iPhone costs nearly $1,700 after the company raised prices twice in recent months due to higher duties, is in talks with other firms on whether the issue could be raised at the WTO, an industry source said.

Apple did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Ford and European carmaker Volkswagen have written to Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley saying&nbsp;the new tariffs are going to hurt the auto sector and should be reviewed, sources said.

Anurag Mehrotra, Ford India&#39;s managing director, said the company has invested $2 billion in the country and the government&#39;s move would hit the automobile sector.

&quot;Like many, we also see it as the return of protectionism,&quot; Mehrotra told Reuters, adding he expected car prices to rise up to 4 percent due to new duties.

Andreas Lauermann, the head of Volkswagen&#39;s India unit said it &quot;remains a challenge to invest further&quot; because of sudden tax hikes. 
&nbsp;

India and the United States have built close political ties. But trade friction is casting a shadow.

US businesses and diplomats are pressing India to cut tariffs, industry and government sources say, after New Delhi's move to increase customs duties on dozens of products to help its flagship Make-in-India drive aggravated differences over trade. Ford, which has two plants in India, has sought a reversal of the new tariffs on auto components, while Apple Inc is concerned its iPhones have become even more expensive in the price-conscious $10 billion smartphone market. India and the United States have built close political ties and Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Washington last summer, bear-hugging President Donald Trump in his personalised style of diplomacy. But trade friction is casting a shadow. A US State Department spokesperson told Reuters India must lower trade barriers, which were holding back economic ties. Trump has already called out India for its duties on Harley-Davidson motorbikes, and this month Modi ordered them cut to 50 percent from 75 percent for high-end bikes. But that has not satisfied Trump, who pointed to zero duties for Indian bikes sold in the United States, saying he would push for a "reciprocal tax" against countries, including U.S. allies, that levy tariffs on American products. "It is important that India make greater efforts to lower barriers to trade, including tariff and non-tariff barriers, which will lower prices to consumers, promote development of value chains in India," said the State Department spokesperson, referring to Trump's comments on motorbikes. The U.S. Congress has been pushing over the past year for greater pressure on India to dismantle economic barriers, and now House Republicans have raised the issue of the new round of duties with New Delhi. "We conveyed our concerns to the Indian government last week to raising tariffs above WTO rates – especially as it relates to information technology," a Republican aide told Reuters. Import Taxes India announced higher import tax on electronics products such as mobile phones and television sets in December, and then on 40 more items in the budget this month. These included goods as varied as sunglasses, juices and auto components. India says the move is aimed at giving local industry the chance to grow and is part of a broader plan to lift the share manufacturing makes up of GDP to a quarter, from around 15 percent, and create the tens of thousands of jobs needed for a young workforce. US commerce department referred questions to the US Trade Representative's (USTR) office, where a spokesman declined to comment. The Indian commerce ministry did not respond to a request for a comment on the US criticism of the import taxes. But a senior finance ministry official defended the decision to raise duties, saying it reflected a trend in other parts of the world. "When all the major economies, including the U.S. and China, are following protectionist policies, why are we being questioned," the official said. Trade Ties Bilateral trade between India and the United States has grown to about $115 billion in 2016 from $20 billion in 2001. The United States buys close to a fifth of India's goods and services exports and its trade deficit has widened from $13 billion in 2006 to $31 billion in 2016. The USTR's office is "fairly negative" on India at this point and is analysing the impact of the customs trade tariffs on various American companies, an industry source aware of the matter told Reuters. "They are more vigilant than earlier, they are in bulldog mode under Trump," the source said. A spokesperson for the USTR's office declined to comment. Even before the new round of hikes, India has been seen as one of the most protected major economies. The United States had an average tariff rate of 3.4 percent on imported goods in 2016. compared with 13.5 percent for India, according to the World Trade Organisation (WTO). China, which the Trump administration is targeting for its trade practices, had an average tariff rate of 9.9 percent that year. Apple, whose top-end iPhone costs nearly $1,700 after the company raised prices twice in recent months due to higher duties, is in talks with other firms on whether the issue could be raised at the WTO, an industry source said. Apple did not respond to a Reuters request for comment. Ford and European carmaker Volkswagen have written to Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley saying the new tariffs are going to hurt the auto sector and should be reviewed, sources said. Anurag Mehrotra, Ford India's managing director, said the company has invested $2 billion in the country and the government's move would hit the automobile sector. "Like many, we also see it as the return of protectionism," Mehrotra told Reuters, adding he expected car prices to rise up to 4 percent due to new duties. Andreas Lauermann, the head of Volkswagen's India unit said it "remains a challenge to invest further" because of sudden tax hikes.

US tells India to cut tariffs as trade friction heats up

A PIL has been filed in the Supreme Court urging the government to adopt &#39;two-child policy&#39; across the country.&nbsp;

The petition also stated that the government should adopt all such measures to motivate the country to follow two-child policy.

China introduced the &#39;one-child policy&#39; as a part of its family planning policy in the year 1979.

The petitioner claimed that the current state of increase in population is putting natural resources under immense pressure and is also leading to environmental pollution.&nbsp;

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PIL filed in Supreme Court seeking direction to Union Govt to adopt and implement two child policy norms throughout India. Petition also stated that govt should adopt all such measures to motivate the people of the country to follow two child policy.
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/963016413773488128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 12, 2018</a></blockquote>
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According to reports, the number of births in China fell 630,000 in 2017, a year after the government repealed its one-child policy. &nbsp;

 
&nbsp;

The petition also stated that the government should adopt measures to motivate the country to follow two-child policy

A PIL has been filed in the Supreme Court urging the government to adopt 'two-child policy' across the country. The petition also stated that the government should adopt all such measures to motivate the country to follow two-child policy. China introduced the 'one-child policy' as a part of its family planning policy in the year 1979. The petitioner claimed that the current state of increase in population is putting natural resources under immense pressure and is also leading to environmental pollution. PIL filed in Supreme Court seeking direction to Union Govt to adopt and implement two child policy norms throughout India. Petition also stated that govt should adopt all such measures to motivate the people of the country to follow two child policy. — ANI (@ANI) February 12, 2018 × According to reports, the number of births in China fell 630,000 in 2017, a year after the government repealed its one-child policy.

PIL urges government to adopt 'two-child' policy in India

Seoul`s presidential Blue House rejected criticism on Tuesday that next month`s Winter Games had been hijacked by North Korea, saying the event will help defuse tensions over Pyongyang`s nuclear and missile programmes.

Some opposition politicians and conservatives in South Korea have criticised North Korea`s participation in the Games to be held in the South Korean alpine resort town of Pyeongchang, dubbing them the &quot;Pyongyang Olympics&quot;.

&quot;Just one month ago, acute tensions gripped the Korean peninsula, but the administration`s efforts to tackle the crisis through dialogue has led to North Korea`s participation in the Olympics,&quot; Blue House spokesman Park Soo-hyun told a news conference.&nbsp;

&quot;We`re confident that the Olympics will be a stepping stone to bring peace to the Korean peninsula, to Northeast Asia and the world.&quot;

After a months-long standoff over the North`s nuclear and missile tests, the two Koreas agreed during their first formal talks in nearly two years that the South will help arrange the North to join in the Games.&nbsp;

Some specific plans, however, including fielding a joint women`s ice hockey team and marching under a united flag, have proven controversial, with conservatives and younger South Koreans upset that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is stealing the spotlight.

The administration of South Korea`s liberal president, Moon Jae-in, is under pressure over its offer to send athletes to a North Korean ski resort for joint training. Experts say the move risks giving Kim`s regime legitimacy and some much needed cash.

Seoul officials are on a three-day trip to the North starting Tuesday to inspect the resort`s facilities and the newly built Kalma Airport nearby that may be used to fly in the South Korean skiers, who are not expected to attend the Games.

Moon`s approval rating has fallen to a four-month low at 66 percent, a poll showed on Monday, due to a backlash over the decision regarding the combined hockey team.

Small but vocal groups of demonstrators staged a protest at Seoul`s central train station on Monday where a North Korean delegation had arrived, burning a picture of Kim. One sign at the protest read: &quot;We`re opposed to Kim Jong Un`s Pyongyang Olympics!&quot;.&nbsp;

North Korea`s Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country, which is in charge of inter-Korean affairs, called the picture-burning protest a &quot;shuddering, hideous crime&quot;, urging Seoul to apologise and punish those involved.&nbsp;

&quot;We will never tolerate hideous acts of the conservative hooligans who insulted the sacred dignity and symbol of the DPRK, and the dishonest behaviour of the South Korean authorities who connived at such acts&quot;, said a spokesman of the organisation via the official KCNA news agency on Tuesday.&nbsp;

The official was referring to North Korea by its full name, the Democratic People`s Republic of Korea.

&quot;We cannot but take a serious consideration of our follow-up measures regarding the Winter Olympics.&quot;&nbsp;

NEW ANNIVERSARY

Separately, North Korea announced on Tuesday it will mark Feb. 8 as a new anniversary for the founding of its military.

The anniversary, previously held on April 25 and marked with a large military parade, will now take place just one day before the Olympics begins.&nbsp;

The South Korean military said a detailed analysis is needed to understand the North`s intention behind the date change.&nbsp;

Cheong Seong-chang, a senior fellow at the Sejong Institute south of Seoul, said the anniversary change may be an effort by Kim to distinguish himself from his father and grandfather, emboldened by last year`s progress on the nuclear and missile programmes.&nbsp;

&quot;He could also be seeking to steal the show from the South by holding a grand anniversary event just before the Olympics begin, and unveiling weapons like new intercontinental ballistic missiles&quot;, Cheong said.&nbsp;

Accusations arose that next month's Winter Games had been hijacked by North Korea

Seoul`s presidential Blue House rejected criticism on Tuesday that next month`s Winter Games had been hijacked by North Korea, saying the event will help defuse tensions over Pyongyang`s nuclear and missile programmes. Some opposition politicians and conservatives in South Korea have criticised North Korea`s participation in the Games to be held in the South Korean alpine resort town of Pyeongchang, dubbing them the "Pyongyang Olympics". "Just one month ago, acute tensions gripped the Korean peninsula, but the administration`s efforts to tackle the crisis through dialogue has led to North Korea`s participation in the Olympics," Blue House spokesman Park Soo-hyun told a news conference. "We`re confident that the Olympics will be a stepping stone to bring peace to the Korean peninsula, to Northeast Asia and the world." After a months-long standoff over the North`s nuclear and missile tests, the two Koreas agreed during their first formal talks in nearly two years that the South will help arrange the North to join in the Games. Some specific plans, however, including fielding a joint women`s ice hockey team and marching under a united flag, have proven controversial, with conservatives and younger South Koreans upset that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is stealing the spotlight. The administration of South Korea`s liberal president, Moon Jae-in, is under pressure over its offer to send athletes to a North Korean ski resort for joint training. Experts say the move risks giving Kim`s regime legitimacy and some much needed cash. Seoul officials are on a three-day trip to the North starting Tuesday to inspect the resort`s facilities and the newly built Kalma Airport nearby that may be used to fly in the South Korean skiers, who are not expected to attend the Games. Moon`s approval rating has fallen to a four-month low at 66 percent, a poll showed on Monday, due to a backlash over the decision regarding the combined hockey team. Small but vocal groups of demonstrators staged a protest at Seoul`s central train station on Monday where a North Korean delegation had arrived, burning a picture of Kim. One sign at the protest read: "We`re opposed to Kim Jong Un`s Pyongyang Olympics!". North Korea`s Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country, which is in charge of inter-Korean affairs, called the picture-burning protest a "shuddering, hideous crime", urging Seoul to apologise and punish those involved. "We will never tolerate hideous acts of the conservative hooligans who insulted the sacred dignity and symbol of the DPRK, and the dishonest behaviour of the South Korean authorities who connived at such acts", said a spokesman of the organisation via the official KCNA news agency on Tuesday. The official was referring to North Korea by its full name, the Democratic People`s Republic of Korea. "We cannot but take a serious consideration of our follow-up measures regarding the Winter Olympics." NEW ANNIVERSARY Separately, North Korea announced on Tuesday it will mark Feb. 8 as a new anniversary for the founding of its military. The anniversary, previously held on April 25 and marked with a large military parade, will now take place just one day before the Olympics begins. The South Korean military said a detailed analysis is needed to understand the North`s intention behind the date change. Cheong Seong-chang, a senior fellow at the Sejong Institute south of Seoul, said the anniversary change may be an effort by Kim to distinguish himself from his father and grandfather, emboldened by last year`s progress on the nuclear and missile programmes. "He could also be seeking to steal the show from the South by holding a grand anniversary event just before the Olympics begin, and unveiling weapons like new intercontinental ballistic missiles", Cheong said.

South Korea government rejects 'Pyongyang Olympics' criticism

After over six years, Tamil Nadu government today hiked the fares of buses under State-run transport corporations and private entities approximately by 20 to 54.54 per cent, saying it was inevitable.

Significantly, the government also announced a fund for accident compensation and prevention, besides a panel to go into restructuring of bus fares in future.

Effective from tomorrow, the fare has been hiked for buses across categories viz moffusil, city, ordinary, express, deluxe, bypass-non-stop, ultra deluxe, airconditioned and Volvo modes, an official release said.

While the minimum hike is in the ordinary category, where the fare of Rs&nbsp;5 for 10 km would now be Rs&nbsp;6 (20 per cent hike), the highest is in Volvo buses, where the fare of Rs&nbsp;33 for 30 km will now go up to Rs&nbsp;51 (54.54 per cent hike).

In town buses, the fare has been hiked from a minimum of Rs&nbsp;3 to Rs&nbsp;5 and the maximum from Rs&nbsp;12 to Rs&nbsp;19.

The government cited a host of factors for the hike, including an increase in fuel price and maintenance, annual increment in salaries, pension and purchase of new buses to increase efficiency.

Defending the hike, it said the last time fares were increased was on November 18, 2011, when diesel cost Rs&nbsp;43.10, whereas the price now was Rs&nbsp;65.83.

The government also cited data to claim that the fares, despite the increase, was lesser than in neighbouring states, including Andhra Pradesh.

A recent interim direction of the Madras High Court in a transport-related petition was also cited to support the decision to effect a hike in fares.

The government quoted the interim order as saying, &quot;data furnished in the supporting affidavit shows that the present bus fare is inadequate to meet, even the operational cost.&quot;

The court had also said, &quot;with the existing funds and resources, maintenance cost, debt, loss and such other economic factors ...the need to revise bus fare, appears to be inevitable, though it may cause inconvenience.&quot;

The government said that since 2000 to date, Karnataka had hiked the fare 16 times, while Andhra Pradesh and Kerala had done so eight times.

In the past seven years, the Tamil Nadu government gave Rs&nbsp;12,059.17 crore subsidy to State-run transport corporations to help them tackle the fund crunch.

These corporations have so far incurred a recurring loss of Rs&nbsp;20,488 crore, the government said.

&quot;Though the increase in fare was avoided so far, it is now inevitable so as to tackle the fund crunch and to continue to give the people a good transport service,&quot; the release said.

In a significant step, the government said an integrated &#39;Accident prevention, compensation and toll fee fund&#39; would be set up, under which speed governors would be installed in long-distance express buses as part of accident prevention efforts.

Private transport entities will be permitted to establish similar funds.

Unlike neighbouring states, the fare in Tamil Nadu presently does not cover insurance and toll fee components.

Henceforth, the fare will cover an integrated component of accident insurance and toll fee as well, it said.

From a minimum of Rs&nbsp;1 (up to Rs&nbsp;25 fare) a maximum of Rs&nbsp;10 will be levied (for fares above Rs&nbsp;501) for this purpose.

Defending its decision, the government said since timely compensation for accidents was not provided, as many as 652 State-run transport corporation buses were under court attachment proceedings. Also, the state transport corporations spent an average of Rs&nbsp;12 crore per month towards toll fee.

A new accident compensation fund will ensure that victims (or their kin in case of death) would be provided compensation ranging between Rs&nbsp;2.5 to Rs&nbsp;five lakh immediately, it said.

For those injured, it would be between Rs&nbsp;10,000 to Rs&nbsp;two lakh depending upon the nature of injuries and duration of hospitalisation. For those who suffer permanent disability or head injury, the compensation will be Rs&nbsp;five lakh, it said.

The government said restructuring of fares in future would be done by a committee of senior government officials based on a computation involving indices covering fuel price hike, changes in maintenance and repair cost and increment in salaries.

There are eight State-run transport corporations in Tamil Nadu with 22,509 buses, employing 1,40,615 personnel.

Workers of Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) owing allegiance to 17 trade unions, including those affiliated to DMK and Left parties, had gone strike on January 4 after failure of talks with the government on wage revision.

While unions wanted a 2.57 times hike, the government offered only 2.44, resulting in a stalemate.

The strike severely crippled public sector bus services, causing immense hardship to the public, including office-goers in cities though the government tried to maintain services by roping in temporary drivers and private buses.

The AIADMK backed union, besides some others, had not participated in the protests.

The unions had called off the strike on January 11 after the Madras High Court appointed an arbitrator to settle their wage dispute with the government.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

In town buses the fare has been hiked from a minimum of Rs 3 to Rs 5 and the maximum from Rs 12 to Rs 19

After over six years, Tamil Nadu government today hiked the fares of buses under State-run transport corporations and private entities approximately by 20 to 54.54 per cent, saying it was inevitable. Significantly, the government also announced a fund for accident compensation and prevention, besides a panel to go into restructuring of bus fares in future. Effective from tomorrow, the fare has been hiked for buses across categories viz moffusil, city, ordinary, express, deluxe, bypass-non-stop, ultra deluxe, airconditioned and Volvo modes, an official release said. While the minimum hike is in the ordinary category, where the fare of Rs 5 for 10 km would now be Rs 6 (20 per cent hike), the highest is in Volvo buses, where the fare of Rs 33 for 30 km will now go up to Rs 51 (54.54 per cent hike). In town buses, the fare has been hiked from a minimum of Rs 3 to Rs 5 and the maximum from Rs 12 to Rs 19. The government cited a host of factors for the hike, including an increase in fuel price and maintenance, annual increment in salaries, pension and purchase of new buses to increase efficiency. Defending the hike, it said the last time fares were increased was on November 18, 2011, when diesel cost Rs 43.10, whereas the price now was Rs 65.83. The government also cited data to claim that the fares, despite the increase, was lesser than in neighbouring states, including Andhra Pradesh. A recent interim direction of the Madras High Court in a transport-related petition was also cited to support the decision to effect a hike in fares. The government quoted the interim order as saying, "data furnished in the supporting affidavit shows that the present bus fare is inadequate to meet, even the operational cost." The court had also said, "with the existing funds and resources, maintenance cost, debt, loss and such other economic factors ...the need to revise bus fare, appears to be inevitable, though it may cause inconvenience." The government said that since 2000 to date, Karnataka had hiked the fare 16 times, while Andhra Pradesh and Kerala had done so eight times. In the past seven years, the Tamil Nadu government gave Rs 12,059.17 crore subsidy to State-run transport corporations to help them tackle the fund crunch. These corporations have so far incurred a recurring loss of Rs 20,488 crore, the government said. "Though the increase in fare was avoided so far, it is now inevitable so as to tackle the fund crunch and to continue to give the people a good transport service," the release said. In a significant step, the government said an integrated 'Accident prevention, compensation and toll fee fund' would be set up, under which speed governors would be installed in long-distance express buses as part of accident prevention efforts. Private transport entities will be permitted to establish similar funds. Unlike neighbouring states, the fare in Tamil Nadu presently does not cover insurance and toll fee components. Henceforth, the fare will cover an integrated component of accident insurance and toll fee as well, it said. From a minimum of Rs 1 (up to Rs 25 fare) a maximum of Rs 10 will be levied (for fares above Rs 501) for this purpose. Defending its decision, the government said since timely compensation for accidents was not provided, as many as 652 State-run transport corporation buses were under court attachment proceedings. Also, the state transport corporations spent an average of Rs 12 crore per month towards toll fee. A new accident compensation fund will ensure that victims (or their kin in case of death) would be provided compensation ranging between Rs 2.5 to Rs five lakh immediately, it said. For those injured, it would be between Rs 10,000 to Rs two lakh depending upon the nature of injuries and duration of hospitalisation. For those who suffer permanent disability or head injury, the compensation will be Rs five lakh, it said. The government said restructuring of fares in future would be done by a committee of senior government officials based on a computation involving indices covering fuel price hike, changes in maintenance and repair cost and increment in salaries. There are eight State-run transport corporations in Tamil Nadu with 22,509 buses, employing 1,40,615 personnel. Workers of Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) owing allegiance to 17 trade unions, including those affiliated to DMK and Left parties, had gone strike on January 4 after failure of talks with the government on wage revision. While unions wanted a 2.57 times hike, the government offered only 2.44, resulting in a stalemate. The strike severely crippled public sector bus services, causing immense hardship to the public, including office-goers in cities though the government tried to maintain services by roping in temporary drivers and private buses. The AIADMK backed union, besides some others, had not participated in the protests. The unions had called off the strike on January 11 after the Madras High Court appointed an arbitrator to settle their wage dispute with the government.

Tamil Nadu hikes bus fares after six years

Urban Development Minister Hardeep Singh Puri announced nine new smart cities in the latest round of the central government&#39;s flagship Smart Cities Mission, on Friday.&nbsp;

The nine cities chosen in the fourth round are; Bareilly, Moradabad and Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh, Erode in Tamil Nadu, Bihar Sharif in Bihar, Silvasa in Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Diu in Daman and Diu, Kavarati in Lakshadweep and Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
LIVE: Union Minister <a href="https://twitter.com/HardeepSPuri?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HardeepSPuri</a> announces the list of nine new <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SmartCities?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SmartCities</a>, which have emerged winners in Round 4 
1 Silvassa 
2 Erode 
3 Diu 
4 Biharsharif 
5 Bareilly 
6 Itanagar 
7 Moradabad 
8 Saharanpur 
9 Kavaratti 
 
Watch: <a href="https://t.co/0q38QkRBi7">https://t.co/0q38QkRBi7</a> <a href="https://t.co/q62lDXrPg9">pic.twitter.com/q62lDXrPg9</a>
&mdash; PIB India (@PIB_India) <a href="https://twitter.com/PIB_India/status/954291970221854720?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 19, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

This makes a total number of cities under the new project at 99. Shillong will be the 100th if it provides its proposal to the centre in the next three months.&nbsp;

Silvassa in the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli has topped the list of winning cities in this round of competition.

According to the scheme, each city will get a sum of&nbsp;Rs 500 crore from the centre for coming up with new projects. An equal amount, on matching basis, will have to be contributed by the state or urban local bodies.

The minister stated that the nine cities have proposed an investment of Rs 12,824 crore rupees, for the 35.5 lakh people living in the area, and to develop 409 projects. He said, with the selection of these nine cities, the total proposed investment in 99 smart cities will be Rs 2,03,979 crore.

The mission of hundred smart cities was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June 2015.

The West Bengal government, however, has already announced that it would not participate in the centre&#39;s Smart Cities Mission.

Asked whether New Town was still a part of the Smart Cities Mission, Puri said, &quot;West Bengal is part of India and it bid for the scheme and New Town was one of the announced city for the mission.&quot;

&#39;Smart City Centers&#39;, based on advanced technologies, have become operational in four cities - Pune, Surat, Vadodara and Kakinada and work is in progress in 18 more cities.

As on January 17,&nbsp;Puri said there were 2,948 projects worth Rs 1.38 lakh crore in various stages of implementation, while 189 projects worth Rs. 2,237 crore have been completed.

(With PTI inputs)

The nine cities chosen in the fourth round are Bareilly, Moradabad and Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh, Erode in Tamil Nadu, Bihar Sharif in Bihar, Silvasa in Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Diu in Daman and Diu, Kavarati in Lakshadweep and Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh

Urban Development Minister Hardeep Singh Puri announced nine new smart cities in the latest round of the central government's flagship Smart Cities Mission, on Friday. The nine cities chosen in the fourth round are; Bareilly, Moradabad and Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh, Erode in Tamil Nadu, Bihar Sharif in Bihar, Silvasa in Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Diu in Daman and Diu, Kavarati in Lakshadweep and Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh. LIVE: Union Minister @HardeepSPuri announces the list of nine new #SmartCities, which have emerged winners in Round 4 1 Silvassa 2 Erode 3 Diu 4 Biharsharif 5 Bareilly 6 Itanagar 7 Moradabad 8 Saharanpur 9 Kavaratti Watch: https://t.co/0q38QkRBi7 pic.twitter.com/q62lDXrPg9 — PIB India (@PIB_India) January 19, 2018 × This makes a total number of cities under the new project at 99. Shillong will be the 100th if it provides its proposal to the centre in the next three months. Silvassa in the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli has topped the list of winning cities in this round of competition. According to the scheme, each city will get a sum of Rs 500 crore from the centre for coming up with new projects. An equal amount, on matching basis, will have to be contributed by the state or urban local bodies. The minister stated that the nine cities have proposed an investment of Rs 12,824 crore rupees, for the 35.5 lakh people living in the area, and to develop 409 projects. He said, with the selection of these nine cities, the total proposed investment in 99 smart cities will be Rs 2,03,979 crore. The mission of hundred smart cities was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June 2015. The West Bengal government, however, has already announced that it would not participate in the centre's Smart Cities Mission. Asked whether New Town was still a part of the Smart Cities Mission, Puri said, "West Bengal is part of India and it bid for the scheme and New Town was one of the announced city for the mission." 'Smart City Centers', based on advanced technologies, have become operational in four cities - Pune, Surat, Vadodara and Kakinada and work is in progress in 18 more cities. As on January 17, Puri said there were 2,948 projects worth Rs 1.38 lakh crore in various stages of implementation, while 189 projects worth Rs. 2,237 crore have been completed. (With PTI inputs)

Government announces 9 new smart cities

<a href="http://indianexpress.com/article/what-is/what-is-aadhaar-card-and-where-is-it-mandatory-4587547/">Aadhaar</a>-issuing authority UIDAI on Saturday clarified that no essential service or benefit like medical facility, hospitalisation, school admission or ration through PDS can be denied for the want of the biometric national ID. Significantly, the latest development comes a day after a&nbsp;pregnant woman was denied admission in a hospital in Gurgaon for not furnishing her Aadhaar card.

UIDAI has taken a serious note of some of the cases reported in media recently in which it is claimed that the want of Aadhaar has resulted in the denial of essential services like hospitalisation or medical help by some lower level staffs causing grave inconvenience to people. While real facts behind such claims of denial are being investigated by the concerned agencies and strict action will be taken in case denial has occurred.&nbsp;

UIDAI said in a statement here today that the Government is sensitive to the fact that NO emergency services such as hospitalisation, etc., be denied for the want of any document whatsoever including Aadhaar. Aadhaar is meant to bring transparency and accountability in public service deliveries through effective use of technology and it should not be misused and made an excuse to any denial in the services.

The Cabinet Secretariat has issued instructions&nbsp;dated 19th December&nbsp;2017 to ensure that bonafide beneficiaries are not deprived of their due benefits as alternative provisions have been made in the Aadhaar Act, 2016.

Recent cases of denial of services like hospitalisation by the medical staff due to the lack of Aadhaar card has become a major concern for the UIDAI department.

UIDAI further explained that there are detailed guidelines issued for exception handling mechanism for extending benefits to beneficiaries who do not possess Aadhaar or in cases where Aadhaar authentication is not successful due to any reason. UIDAI is again writing a letter to the Chief Secretaries of all the States/UTs to ensure that Section 7 of Aadhaar Act, 2016 is implemented in its true letter and spirit for all the schemes at the ground level in service deliveries to beneficiaries so that no denial happens due to want of Aadhaar.

&quot;Aadhaar enables people to establish their identity so that they receive their entitlements and exercise their rights without any fear of being excluded.&nbsp;However, there have been some media reports that some service providers are denying essential and other services for want of Aadhaar. Such violations are punishable under respective laws of the land. Under no circumstance, anyone can be denied a service just because he/she doesn&#39;t have an Aadhaar,&quot; the statement said.&nbsp;

If one does not have Aadhaar or if Aadhaar online verification is not successful due to some reason, the agency or department has to provide the service using alternate means of identification and recording them in exception registers, which should be audited periodically by the higher authorities&nbsp;

&quot;If any official of a department denies a service for the lack of Aadhaar or lack of successful verification due to technical or any such reasons, a complaint should be lodged with the higher authorities of those departments for such unlawful denials,&quot; it added.&nbsp;

On Friday, an incident was reported from Gurgaon&rsquo;s Civil Hospital where a pregnant woman was denied admission and she gave birth outside the doors of the hospital. The Hospital has suspended a doctor and a nurse for the alleged lapse and ordered an enquiry into the incident.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The UIDAI statement asked government departments/ministries and State/UT governments to ensure that no essential service or benefit shall be denied to a genuine beneficiary for the want of Aadhaar card

Aadhaar-issuing authority UIDAI on Saturday clarified that no essential service or benefit like medical facility, hospitalisation, school admission or ration through PDS can be denied for the want of the biometric national ID. Significantly, the latest development comes a day after a pregnant woman was denied admission in a hospital in Gurgaon for not furnishing her Aadhaar card. UIDAI has taken a serious note of some of the cases reported in media recently in which it is claimed that the want of Aadhaar has resulted in the denial of essential services like hospitalisation or medical help by some lower level staffs causing grave inconvenience to people. While real facts behind such claims of denial are being investigated by the concerned agencies and strict action will be taken in case denial has occurred. UIDAI said in a statement here today that the Government is sensitive to the fact that NO emergency services such as hospitalisation, etc., be denied for the want of any document whatsoever including Aadhaar. Aadhaar is meant to bring transparency and accountability in public service deliveries through effective use of technology and it should not be misused and made an excuse to any denial in the services. The Cabinet Secretariat has issued instructions dated 19th December 2017 to ensure that bonafide beneficiaries are not deprived of their due benefits as alternative provisions have been made in the Aadhaar Act, 2016. Recent cases of denial of services like hospitalisation by the medical staff due to the lack of Aadhaar card has become a major concern for the UIDAI department. UIDAI further explained that there are detailed guidelines issued for exception handling mechanism for extending benefits to beneficiaries who do not possess Aadhaar or in cases where Aadhaar authentication is not successful due to any reason. UIDAI is again writing a letter to the Chief Secretaries of all the States/UTs to ensure that Section 7 of Aadhaar Act, 2016 is implemented in its true letter and spirit for all the schemes at the ground level in service deliveries to beneficiaries so that no denial happens due to want of Aadhaar. "Aadhaar enables people to establish their identity so that they receive their entitlements and exercise their rights without any fear of being excluded. However, there have been some media reports that some service providers are denying essential and other services for want of Aadhaar. Such violations are punishable under respective laws of the land. Under no circumstance, anyone can be denied a service just because he/she doesn't have an Aadhaar," the statement said. If one does not have Aadhaar or if Aadhaar online verification is not successful due to some reason, the agency or department has to provide the service using alternate means of identification and recording them in exception registers, which should be audited periodically by the higher authorities "If any official of a department denies a service for the lack of Aadhaar or lack of successful verification due to technical or any such reasons, a complaint should be lodged with the higher authorities of those departments for such unlawful denials," it added. On Friday, an incident was reported from Gurgaon’s Civil Hospital where a pregnant woman was denied admission and she gave birth outside the doors of the hospital. The Hospital has suspended a doctor and a nurse for the alleged lapse and ordered an enquiry into the incident.

No essential service can be denied for want of Aadhaar: UIDAI

The ambitious National Health Protection Scheme will be implemented by the end of the year, the Finance Minister told Rajya Sabha earlier today.&nbsp;

The scheme plans to provide Rs 5 lakh annual medical insurance cover to 10 crore poor and needy families in the country. Modi government&#39;s pilot health scheme was announced in the Budget 2018-19.

&quot;I believe that once the work starts, the scheme will be fully implemented by the end of the year,&quot; Jaitley said in Rajya Sabha today.&nbsp;

Finance Secretary Hasmukh Adhia had previously noted that it would take another six months for the scheme to be worked out and that the same may not get implemented in this financial year.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley allocated a relatively small sum -- of Rs 2,000 crore -- for the Ayushman Bharat health scheme. The yojna was described and touted as the world&#39;s largest government-funded healthcare programme in Jaitley&#39;s budget speech with an aim to provide medical insurance to around 50 crore poor people.&nbsp;

The Finance Minister later clarified and noted the amount to be an initial outlay and that more funds would be made available to the scheme.&nbsp;

Finance Secretary Hasmukh Adhia had previously noted that it would take another six months for the scheme to be worked out

The ambitious National Health Protection Scheme will be implemented by the end of the year, the Finance Minister told Rajya Sabha earlier today. The scheme plans to provide Rs 5 lakh annual medical insurance cover to 10 crore poor and needy families in the country. Modi government's pilot health scheme was announced in the Budget 2018-19. "I believe that once the work starts, the scheme will be fully implemented by the end of the year," Jaitley said in Rajya Sabha today. Finance Secretary Hasmukh Adhia had previously noted that it would take another six months for the scheme to be worked out and that the same may not get implemented in this financial year. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley allocated a relatively small sum -- of Rs 2,000 crore -- for the Ayushman Bharat health scheme. The yojna was described and touted as the world's largest government-funded healthcare programme in Jaitley's budget speech with an aim to provide medical insurance to around 50 crore poor people. The Finance Minister later clarified and noted the amount to be an initial outlay and that more funds would be made available to the scheme.

Government to implement National Health Protection Scheme this year: Arun Jaitley

Nepal&#39;s Communist parties have secured a majority of seats in the upper house of parliament, the election commission said Thursday, paving the way for the leftist alliance to form the next government two months after historic general elections.

The alliance of the main Communist party and former Maoist rebels won a strong majority in the indirectly elected upper house, according to results announced Thursday.

The results of the national vote held late last year have not yet been confirmed, but an incomplete tally suggests the alliance also secured a majority in the directly elected lower house.

Last year&#39;s landmark elections capped Nepal&#39;s rocky 11-year transition from monarchy to federal democracy after a brutal civil war between Maoist guerrillas and the state.

The elections were the first under the country&#39;s new post-war constitution, which sets out a sweeping overhaul of the political system, devolving significant power from the centre to the seven provinces.

The final results were delayed by disagreements over how the new election rules in the constitution should be implemented.

But the alliance is on course to take a majority of seats in the lower house of parliament, elected through a mix of first-past-the-post and proportional representation.

&quot;We hope the wait for a new prime minister will now be over,&quot; the English-language Republica newspaper said in an editorial.

The leader of the Communist CPN-UML, K.P. Sharma Oli, is tipped to be the next prime minister.

During his last term in office, relations between Nepal and its traditional ally India reached a nadir, as the Communist leader cosied up to China.

New Delhi appears determined to redress that balance and sent its foreign minister Sushma Swaraj to Kathmandu last week on a charm offensive.

India nearly doubled its aid to Nepal in its latest annual budget.

India has always had strong influence over its small northern neighbour, but in recent years Beijing has vastly outspent it, investing in large-scale infrastructure projects in Nepal.

The upper house is chosen by an electoral college of provincial lawmakers and other locally elected officials.

The alliance of the main Communist party and former Maoist rebels won a strong majority in the indirectly elected upper house, according to results announced Thursday.

Nepal's Communist parties have secured a majority of seats in the upper house of parliament, the election commission said Thursday, paving the way for the leftist alliance to form the next government two months after historic general elections. The alliance of the main Communist party and former Maoist rebels won a strong majority in the indirectly elected upper house, according to results announced Thursday. The results of the national vote held late last year have not yet been confirmed, but an incomplete tally suggests the alliance also secured a majority in the directly elected lower house. Last year's landmark elections capped Nepal's rocky 11-year transition from monarchy to federal democracy after a brutal civil war between Maoist guerrillas and the state. The elections were the first under the country's new post-war constitution, which sets out a sweeping overhaul of the political system, devolving significant power from the centre to the seven provinces. The final results were delayed by disagreements over how the new election rules in the constitution should be implemented. But the alliance is on course to take a majority of seats in the lower house of parliament, elected through a mix of first-past-the-post and proportional representation. "We hope the wait for a new prime minister will now be over," the English-language Republica newspaper said in an editorial. The leader of the Communist CPN-UML, K.P. Sharma Oli, is tipped to be the next prime minister. During his last term in office, relations between Nepal and its traditional ally India reached a nadir, as the Communist leader cosied up to China. New Delhi appears determined to redress that balance and sent its foreign minister Sushma Swaraj to Kathmandu last week on a charm offensive. India nearly doubled its aid to Nepal in its latest annual budget. India has always had strong influence over its small northern neighbour, but in recent years Beijing has vastly outspent it, investing in large-scale infrastructure projects in Nepal. The upper house is chosen by an electoral college of provincial lawmakers and other locally elected officials.

Nepal Communist parties poised to take power

The government will soon launch a Rs 100 crore project to ensure accurate dissemination and synchronisation of Indian Standard Time (IST), a move aimed at putting in place accurate timing system nationwide.

Accurate time dissemination and precise time synchronisation would have &quot;significant impact&quot; on diverse areas including banking, telecom, weather forecast, disaster management and automatic signalling in railways, a senior consumer affairs ministry official said.

As part of the ambitious project, the ministry would strengthen the infrastructural facilities of 5 existing regional reference standards laboratories. Besides, two more such labs would be soon set up. 
&quot;We are launching a Rs 100 crore project for time dissemination initiative. In budget for 2018-19, Rs 20 crore has already been provided,&quot; Consumer Affairs Secretary Avinash Kumar Srivastava told reporters here.

To have accurate time dissemination, the facilities at the five labs located in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, Faridabad and Guwahati would be strengthened with the help of National Physical Laboratory (NPL).

&quot;Synchronisation of all networks and computers within the country with a national clock is a must, especially for the real time application in strategic sector and national security,&quot; a senior ministry official explained.

For instance, non-uniformity of time across different systems could create problems in investigation of cyber crime, the official added.

The ministry is implementing the Legal Metrology Act, which covers the provisions for units of weights and measures.

According to the ministry, accurate time dissemination and precise time synchronisation has significant impact on industrial, strategic, societal and other spheres.

Such a framework would be key to monitoring of power grids, international trade, banking system, weather forecast and disaster management, among others.

The synchronisation of time could even reduce mobile phone bills, the secretary said, without elaborating.

A group of secretaries on Science and Technology had flagged that all telecom and internet service providers were not mandatorily adopting the Indian Standard Time.

A Standard Time and Frequency Signal (STFS) Dissemination Service using INSAT system is provided by National Physical Laboratory (NPL). The particular time has a precision of better than one microsecond and accuracy of better than 20 microseconds, as per ISRO website.

Accurate time dissemination and precise time synchronisation would have "significant impact" on diverse areas including banking, telecom, weather forecast, disaster management and automatic signalling in railways, a senior consumer affairs ministry official said

The government will soon launch a Rs 100 crore project to ensure accurate dissemination and synchronisation of Indian Standard Time (IST), a move aimed at putting in place accurate timing system nationwide. Accurate time dissemination and precise time synchronisation would have "significant impact" on diverse areas including banking, telecom, weather forecast, disaster management and automatic signalling in railways, a senior consumer affairs ministry official said. As part of the ambitious project, the ministry would strengthen the infrastructural facilities of 5 existing regional reference standards laboratories. Besides, two more such labs would be soon set up. "We are launching a Rs 100 crore project for time dissemination initiative. In budget for 2018-19, Rs 20 crore has already been provided," Consumer Affairs Secretary Avinash Kumar Srivastava told reporters here. To have accurate time dissemination, the facilities at the five labs located in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, Faridabad and Guwahati would be strengthened with the help of National Physical Laboratory (NPL). "Synchronisation of all networks and computers within the country with a national clock is a must, especially for the real time application in strategic sector and national security," a senior ministry official explained. For instance, non-uniformity of time across different systems could create problems in investigation of cyber crime, the official added. The ministry is implementing the Legal Metrology Act, which covers the provisions for units of weights and measures. According to the ministry, accurate time dissemination and precise time synchronisation has significant impact on industrial, strategic, societal and other spheres. Such a framework would be key to monitoring of power grids, international trade, banking system, weather forecast and disaster management, among others. The synchronisation of time could even reduce mobile phone bills, the secretary said, without elaborating. A group of secretaries on Science and Technology had flagged that all telecom and internet service providers were not mandatorily adopting the Indian Standard Time. A Standard Time and Frequency Signal (STFS) Dissemination Service using INSAT system is provided by National Physical Laboratory (NPL). The particular time has a precision of better than one microsecond and accuracy of better than 20 microseconds, as per ISRO website.

Government looks to synchronise Indian Standard Time

The Centre today told the Supreme Court that the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act was a &quot;demand-driven scheme&quot; and it has not curtailed the demand for funds by the states under it.

Attorney General (AG) K K Venugopal told a bench comprising justices Madan B Lokur and N V Ramana that there were no instances where the Centre has either capped number of days of employment under the Act or not released funds to the states.

&quot;We have paid increased amount (to the states). The MGNREGA is a demand-driven scheme and at no stage, the demand (of the states for funds) has been curtailed by the Union of India,&quot; he submitted.

Venugopal put forwards the arguments while countering the submissions of advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the NGO-turned-political party Swaraj Abhiyan.

Bhushan claimed in the court that the Centre has no authority in law to reduce the &quot;person days&quot; from the projection made by the states under the Act and due of lack of funds, the states were unable to give employement to the people.

&quot;The Act provides for 100 days of employement (in a year). It is a statutory obligation,&quot; he said, adding, &quot;They are denying statutory rights to the people.&quot;

At the outset, the AG told the bench that according to the provision of the Act, a Central Employment Guarantee Council was there and the petitioner could make a representation before the body since a large number of issues were raised in the plea.

When the bench asked Bhushan about it, he said issues raised were &quot;purely legal&quot; and the apex court should deal with them.

&quot;If you (petitioner) are saying there are purely legal issues, we will hear them but no further affidavit should be filed. Or you give a representation before the council. They will give us a report and we will see,&quot; it said.

When the AG said that the petitioner should appear before the council, Bhushan claimed, &quot;That body is filled with politically affiliated persons.&quot;

Venugopal contended, &quot;The petitioner is now a political party and thus making a political attack.&quot;

The bench posted the matter for further hearing on February 13 and said that it would go into the legal issues only.

During the hearing, the bench asked the AG as to how funds were allotted to the states under the Act.

A senior government official, who was present in the court, explained to the bench about the process of fund- allocation to the states and said there was no paucity of funds under the Act.

The official also said that in the financial year 2017- 18, initially Rs 48,000 crore was allotted under the Act but when the states demanded more funds, the Ministry of Finance allotted an additional Rs 7,000 crore.

The AG said that in 2016-17 financial year, 20 states crossed the agreed budget and the Centre provided the funds to them.

The Centre had in December last year refuted the claims of the petitioner that there was a delay on the government&#39;s part in releasing funds under the Act.

The court, which is hearing the plea which has sought relief measures in drought-hit states in the country, had earlier said that state food commissions, as mandated under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013, should be set up even in states not hit by drought.

The plea has alleged that parts of 12 states-- Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, Haryana and Chhattisgarh-- were hit by drought and authorities were not providing adequate relief.&nbsp;

'We have paid increased amount (to the states). The MGNREGA is a demand-driven scheme and at no stage, the demand (of the states for funds) has been curtailed by the Union of India,' the Centre said Thursday

The Centre today told the Supreme Court that the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act was a "demand-driven scheme" and it has not curtailed the demand for funds by the states under it. Attorney General (AG) K K Venugopal told a bench comprising justices Madan B Lokur and N V Ramana that there were no instances where the Centre has either capped number of days of employment under the Act or not released funds to the states. "We have paid increased amount (to the states). The MGNREGA is a demand-driven scheme and at no stage, the demand (of the states for funds) has been curtailed by the Union of India," he submitted. Venugopal put forwards the arguments while countering the submissions of advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the NGO-turned-political party Swaraj Abhiyan. Bhushan claimed in the court that the Centre has no authority in law to reduce the "person days" from the projection made by the states under the Act and due of lack of funds, the states were unable to give employement to the people. "The Act provides for 100 days of employement (in a year). It is a statutory obligation," he said, adding, "They are denying statutory rights to the people." At the outset, the AG told the bench that according to the provision of the Act, a Central Employment Guarantee Council was there and the petitioner could make a representation before the body since a large number of issues were raised in the plea. When the bench asked Bhushan about it, he said issues raised were "purely legal" and the apex court should deal with them. "If you (petitioner) are saying there are purely legal issues, we will hear them but no further affidavit should be filed. Or you give a representation before the council. They will give us a report and we will see," it said. When the AG said that the petitioner should appear before the council, Bhushan claimed, "That body is filled with politically affiliated persons." Venugopal contended, "The petitioner is now a political party and thus making a political attack." The bench posted the matter for further hearing on February 13 and said that it would go into the legal issues only. During the hearing, the bench asked the AG as to how funds were allotted to the states under the Act. A senior government official, who was present in the court, explained to the bench about the process of fund- allocation to the states and said there was no paucity of funds under the Act. The official also said that in the financial year 2017- 18, initially Rs 48,000 crore was allotted under the Act but when the states demanded more funds, the Ministry of Finance allotted an additional Rs 7,000 crore. The AG said that in 2016-17 financial year, 20 states crossed the agreed budget and the Centre provided the funds to them. The Centre had in December last year refuted the claims of the petitioner that there was a delay on the government's part in releasing funds under the Act. The court, which is hearing the plea which has sought relief measures in drought-hit states in the country, had earlier said that state food commissions, as mandated under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013, should be set up even in states not hit by drought. The plea has alleged that parts of 12 states-- Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, Haryana and Chhattisgarh-- were hit by drought and authorities were not providing adequate relief.

Have not curtailed demand for NREGA funds by states: Govt to SC

The Supreme Court on Tuesday came down heavily on the Centre for filing an 845-page affidavit containing incomplete information about solid waste management across the country and said the apex court is not a &quot;garbage collector&quot;.

The top court declined to take the affidavit on record and said the government cannot dump &quot;junk&quot; before it.

&quot;What are you trying to do? Are you trying to impress us? We are not impressed. You are trying to dump everything on us. We are not going to accept it,&quot; a bench comprising Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta said.

&quot;Don&#39;t do this. Whatever junk you have, you dump it before us. We are not garbage collectors. Be absolutely clear about this,&quot; the bench said.

The bench directed the Centre to file a chart within three weeks indicating whether the states and union territories have constituted state-level advisory boards in accordance with the provisions of Solid Waste Management Rules 2016.

It also directed the government to state in its chart the date the advisory boards were constituted in the states and UTs, names of members of the boards and also details of any meetings conducted by them.

At the outset, the counsel appearing for the Centre said they would file an 845-page affidavit in the matter during the course of the day.

However, when the bench posed certain queries, the counsel was unable to answer them properly.

The counsel informed the court that they have received information from 22 states about constitution of state-level advisory boards and have compiled data received from the respective states.

&quot;There is no point in filing affidavits if they contain nothing. We are not taking this affidavit on record ... You have not seen it and you want us to see this affidavit,&quot; the bench observed.

The court had on December 12 last year asked the Centre to follow up on the matter of solid waste management with all states and UTs and furnish details before it.

The court had earlier expressed grave concern over the deaths due to vector-borne diseases like dengue and chikungunya and said lack of waste management was the cause of several lives being lost across the country.

It referred to the Solid Waste Management Rules 2016 and said the duties of various ministries, like the Ministry of Environment and Forests and the Ministry of Urban Development, were specified in it.

In 2015, the apex court had on its own taken cognizance of death of a seven-year-old boy due to dengue. He had been allegedly denied treatment by five private hospitals and his distraught parents subsequently committed suicide.

The court came down on the Centre for filing an 845-page affidavit containing incomplete information about solid waste management

The Supreme Court on Tuesday came down heavily on the Centre for filing an 845-page affidavit containing incomplete information about solid waste management across the country and said the apex court is not a "garbage collector". The top court declined to take the affidavit on record and said the government cannot dump "junk" before it. "What are you trying to do? Are you trying to impress us? We are not impressed. You are trying to dump everything on us. We are not going to accept it," a bench comprising Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta said. "Don't do this. Whatever junk you have, you dump it before us. We are not garbage collectors. Be absolutely clear about this," the bench said. The bench directed the Centre to file a chart within three weeks indicating whether the states and union territories have constituted state-level advisory boards in accordance with the provisions of Solid Waste Management Rules 2016. It also directed the government to state in its chart the date the advisory boards were constituted in the states and UTs, names of members of the boards and also details of any meetings conducted by them. At the outset, the counsel appearing for the Centre said they would file an 845-page affidavit in the matter during the course of the day. However, when the bench posed certain queries, the counsel was unable to answer them properly. The counsel informed the court that they have received information from 22 states about constitution of state-level advisory boards and have compiled data received from the respective states. "There is no point in filing affidavits if they contain nothing. We are not taking this affidavit on record ... You have not seen it and you want us to see this affidavit," the bench observed. The court had on December 12 last year asked the Centre to follow up on the matter of solid waste management with all states and UTs and furnish details before it. The court had earlier expressed grave concern over the deaths due to vector-borne diseases like dengue and chikungunya and said lack of waste management was the cause of several lives being lost across the country. It referred to the Solid Waste Management Rules 2016 and said the duties of various ministries, like the Ministry of Environment and Forests and the Ministry of Urban Development, were specified in it. In 2015, the apex court had on its own taken cognizance of death of a seven-year-old boy due to dengue. He had been allegedly denied treatment by five private hospitals and his distraught parents subsequently committed suicide.

'We are not garbage collectors,' Supreme Court tells Centre

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