SEBI Chief Madhabi Puri Buch has skipped the Parliamentary Accounts Committee (PAC) deposition scheduled for October 24.

Buch cited personal work which cannot be avoided as the reason for not attending the meeting.

The PAC postponed its meeting slated for today after Buch expressed her inability to attend.

PAC Chairman and Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal said the committee, in its first meeting, had agreed to have a suo moto issue for regulatory bodies to consider.

He said that was the reason the SEBI Chief was summoned.

The parliamentary panel has now decided to postpone the meeting after Buch informed the committee about her absence.

Buch and four other representatives of the SEBI were slotted for the deposition on October 24th after her earlier request for exemption was denied by the panel.

Venugopal said, "First of all, they sought an exemption, and the SEBI chairperson sought an exemption from appearing before the committee, which we denied. After that, she confirmed she and her team would be present."

According to media reports, a stormy session was expected at Buch's deposition.

With reports quoting sources calling for the ruling party members to stand off against the opposition party's politically targeted attacks.

But with Buch skipping the meeting, Venugopal said her absence could be construed as an attempt to avoid the panel's questions.

He said: "Today morning at 9:30 she informed me that she is not in a position to travel to Delhi. Considering a woman's request we thought that it is better to postpone today's meeting for another day."

A political firestorm is brewing after the PAC moved the meeting to a later date.

Media reports show Ravi Shankar Prasad, a BJP MP and its members, charged that chairman Venugopal made choices on his own initiative.

According to Ravi Shankar Prasad, several PAC members, including BJP leaders, complained to the speaker of the Lok Sabha over Venugopal's actions.

There was no objection to the committee's plan to include the performance review of regulatory bodies on its agenda.

Venugopal's decision to call Buch, however, alarmed members of the ruling party.

Buch has been at the centre of a political controversy sparked by accusations made against her by Hindenburg and the opposition party - the Congress.

SEBI Chief Madhabi Puri Buch has skipped the Parliamentary Accounts Committee (PAC) deposition scheduled for October 24. Buch cited personal work which cannot be avoided as the reason for not attending the meeting.

SEBI Chief Madhabi Puri Buch has skipped the Parliamentary Accounts Committee (PAC) deposition scheduled for October 24. Buch cited personal work which cannot be avoided as the reason for not attending the meeting. The PAC postponed its meeting slated for today after Buch expressed her inability to attend. PAC Chairman and Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal said the committee, in its first meeting, had agreed to have a suo moto issue for regulatory bodies to consider. He said that was the reason the SEBI Chief was summoned. The parliamentary panel has now decided to postpone the meeting after Buch informed the committee about her absence. Buch and four other representatives of the SEBI were slotted for the deposition on October 24th after her earlier request for exemption was denied by the panel. Venugopal said, "First of all, they sought an exemption, and the SEBI chairperson sought an exemption from appearing before the committee, which we denied. After that, she confirmed she and her team would be present." According to media reports, a stormy session was expected at Buch's deposition. With reports quoting sources calling for the ruling party members to stand off against the opposition party's politically targeted attacks. But with Buch skipping the meeting, Venugopal said her absence could be construed as an attempt to avoid the panel's questions. He said: "Today morning at 9:30 she informed me that she is not in a position to travel to Delhi. Considering a woman's request we thought that it is better to postpone today's meeting for another day." A political firestorm is brewing after the PAC moved the meeting to a later date. Media reports show Ravi Shankar Prasad, a BJP MP and its members, charged that chairman Venugopal made choices on his own initiative. According to Ravi Shankar Prasad, several PAC members, including BJP leaders, complained to the speaker of the Lok Sabha over Venugopal's actions. There was no objection to the committee's plan to include the performance review of regulatory bodies on its agenda. Venugopal's decision to call Buch, however, alarmed members of the ruling party. Buch has been at the centre of a political controversy sparked by accusations made against her by Hindenburg and the opposition party - the Congress.

SEBI Chief skips parliamentary committee meeting

Media reports citing sources said several significant Democratic donors have informed Future Forward, the biggest super PAC of supporters of the United States President Joe Biden that pledges totalling about $90 million are now on hold if the incumbent remains the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.&nbsp;

According to a New York Times report, some eight-figure pledges are among the frozen funds. This comes after Biden's poor debate performance against his rival and predecessor Donald Trump.

A group donor shared that Future Forward had approached them and their friends several times since the debate, asking for money, but they had been “holding off.”

The two people briefed on the frozen pledges declined to say which individual donors were pulling back promised checks, which were estimated to total around or above $90 million.&nbsp;

A second source close to the group told the NYT that the super PAC has been delaying big strategic choices until it has a clear idea of who would be at the top of the ticket.

The financial freeze coincides with the conversation among some of Biden's advisors about how to convince the president to withdraw from the race.

According to reports, Biden's campaign has been quietly testing Vice President Kamala Harris' chances against Trump. The number of congressional Democrats urging the incumbent president to stand down is rising.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/watch-italian-pm-giorgia-melonis-eye-roll-as-biden-arrives-late-to-nato-summit-goes-viral-740260">Watch | Italian PM Giorgia Meloni's eye-roll as Biden arrives late to NATO summit goes viral</a>

The possible shortage of super PAC funds also coincides with the campaign preparing for a challenging July fundraising period, as key donors question Biden's chances of winning in November.

Future Forward, designated by Biden's campaign as its primary super PAC for the 2024 race, has already reserved $250 million in TV and digital ads starting after the Democratic National Convention (DNC) next month.

Following the debate, a leaked poll from an organisation closely associated with Future Forward revealed that the super PAC had evaluated the likability of potential Biden alternatives, including Harris, California Governor Gavin Newsom, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

President Biden has had a worse overall favorability rating than all the others, according to the poll.

<h2>Hakeem Jeffries withholds support for Biden after press conference:&nbsp;Reports</h2>

House&nbsp;Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries&nbsp;reportedly declined to give&nbsp;Biden his support when they met after the president's press conference Thursday (Jul 11)&nbsp;night, according to CNN.

According to CNN, Jeffries "bluntly" expressed the opinions of his caucus during the discussion, though it's unclear if Biden requested his support.

(With inputs from agencies)

Media reports citing sources said several significant Democratic donors have informed Future Forward, the biggest super PAC of supporters of the United States President Joe Biden that pledges totalling about $90 million are now on hold if the incumbent remains the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.

Media reports citing sources said several significant Democratic donors have informed Future Forward, the biggest super PAC of supporters of the United States President Joe Biden that pledges totalling about $90 million are now on hold if the incumbent remains the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. According to a New York Times report, some eight-figure pledges are among the frozen funds. This comes after Biden's poor debate performance against his rival and predecessor Donald Trump. A group donor shared that Future Forward had approached them and their friends several times since the debate, asking for money, but they had been “holding off.” The two people briefed on the frozen pledges declined to say which individual donors were pulling back promised checks, which were estimated to total around or above $90 million. A second source close to the group told the NYT that the super PAC has been delaying big strategic choices until it has a clear idea of who would be at the top of the ticket. The financial freeze coincides with the conversation among some of Biden's advisors about how to convince the president to withdraw from the race. According to reports, Biden's campaign has been quietly testing Vice President Kamala Harris' chances against Trump. The number of congressional Democrats urging the incumbent president to stand down is rising. Also read: Watch | Italian PM Giorgia Meloni's eye-roll as Biden arrives late to NATO summit goes viral The possible shortage of super PAC funds also coincides with the campaign preparing for a challenging July fundraising period, as key donors question Biden's chances of winning in November. Future Forward, designated by Biden's campaign as its primary super PAC for the 2024 race, has already reserved $250 million in TV and digital ads starting after the Democratic National Convention (DNC) next month. Following the debate, a leaked poll from an organisation closely associated with Future Forward revealed that the super PAC had evaluated the likability of potential Biden alternatives, including Harris, California Governor Gavin Newsom, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. President Biden has had a worse overall favorability rating than all the others, according to the poll. Hakeem Jeffries withholds support for Biden after press conference: Reports House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries reportedly declined to give Biden his support when they met after the president's press conference Thursday (Jul 11) night, according to CNN. According to CNN, Jeffries "bluntly" expressed the opinions of his caucus during the discussion, though it's unclear if Biden requested his support. (With inputs from agencies)

Biden's campaign faces $90 million setback as major donors freeze funds after debate against Trump

Facebook has announced steps to combat misinformation and voter suppression ahead of the November 2020 US&nbsp;presidential election, on the same day it disclosed the removal of a network of Russian accounts targeting US&nbsp;voters on Instagram.

Facebook said on Monday it would increase transparency through measures such as showing more information about the confirmed owner of a Facebook page and more prominently labeling content that independent fact-checkers have marked as false.

The social media giant has come under fire in recent weeks over its policy of exempting ads run by politicians from fact-checking, drawing ire from Democratic presidential candidates Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren.

Last week, Facebook CEO Mark <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/zuckerberg-defends-facebooks-approach-to-free-speech-draws-line-on-china-257158">Zuckerberg defended</a> the policy, saying social media had introduced transformative avenues for speech that should not be shut down.

That same day, the Biden campaign called for the removal of an ad run by a super PAC campaign group, not a politician, that it said contained false claims about the former vice president.

Katie Harbath, Facebook's head of global elections policy, said in response that if the now inactive ad ran again, it would be sent to Facebook's third-party fact-checkers.

On Monday, Facebook said would be putting into effect its planned ban on paid ads that tell people in the United States not to vote. Zuckerberg told reporters on a conference call that the ban on voter misinformation would also apply to ads run by politicians.

The company will start labeling state-controlled media on its page and in the site's ad library. In a blog post, Facebook said it planned to expand this labeling to specific posts on both Facebook and Instagram early next year.

Facebook, Twitter&nbsp;and YouTube, the video-streaming service of Alphabet's Google, all recently came under scrutiny after showing ads from Chinese state-controlled media that criticized Hong Kong protesters.

This month, the Senate committee investigating Russian interference in the 2016 US&nbsp;election said that the Kremlin’s best-known propaganda arm increased its social media activity after that vote.

"The bottom line here is that elections have changed significantly since 2016 and Facebook has changed too." Zuckerberg said on Monday.

"We face increasingly sophisticated attacks from nation states like Russia, Iran and China, but I'm confident we're more prepared."

Theories that China has interfered in US&nbsp;elections are absurd and laughable, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying at a regular press briefing in Beijing on Tuesday.

If someone says China interfered in the US&nbsp;election, they should provide proof, said Hua. China has never had any interest in interfering with other countries' internal affairs, she said.

Moscow and Tehran have also repeatedly denied the allegations.

Facebook will introduce a new US&nbsp;presidential candidate spend tracker to show how much they have spent on political ads as part of the company's efforts to make its ad library easier to use, Zuckerberg said.

Facebook launched an online library of political ads in 2018, but the database has been criticized by researchers as being poorly maintained and failing to provide useful ad targeting information.

The company plans to heighten protection of the Facebook and Instagram accounts of candidates, elected officials and their teams through a program called Facebook Protect. Participants in the program will be required to turn on two-factor authentication and their accounts will be monitored for signs of hacking.

Facebook has announced steps to combat misinformation and voter suppression ahead of the November 2020 US presidential election, on the same day it disclosed the removal of a network of Russian accounts targeting US voters on Instagram.

Facebook has announced steps to combat misinformation and voter suppression ahead of the November 2020 US presidential election, on the same day it disclosed the removal of a network of Russian accounts targeting US voters on Instagram. Facebook said on Monday it would increase transparency through measures such as showing more information about the confirmed owner of a Facebook page and more prominently labeling content that independent fact-checkers have marked as false. The social media giant has come under fire in recent weeks over its policy of exempting ads run by politicians from fact-checking, drawing ire from Democratic presidential candidates Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren. Last week, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg defended the policy, saying social media had introduced transformative avenues for speech that should not be shut down. That same day, the Biden campaign called for the removal of an ad run by a super PAC campaign group, not a politician, that it said contained false claims about the former vice president. Katie Harbath, Facebook's head of global elections policy, said in response that if the now inactive ad ran again, it would be sent to Facebook's third-party fact-checkers. On Monday, Facebook said would be putting into effect its planned ban on paid ads that tell people in the United States not to vote. Zuckerberg told reporters on a conference call that the ban on voter misinformation would also apply to ads run by politicians. The company will start labeling state-controlled media on its page and in the site's ad library. In a blog post, Facebook said it planned to expand this labeling to specific posts on both Facebook and Instagram early next year. Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, the video-streaming service of Alphabet's Google, all recently came under scrutiny after showing ads from Chinese state-controlled media that criticized Hong Kong protesters. This month, the Senate committee investigating Russian interference in the 2016 US election said that the Kremlin’s best-known propaganda arm increased its social media activity after that vote. "The bottom line here is that elections have changed significantly since 2016 and Facebook has changed too." Zuckerberg said on Monday. "We face increasingly sophisticated attacks from nation states like Russia, Iran and China, but I'm confident we're more prepared." Theories that China has interfered in US elections are absurd and laughable, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying at a regular press briefing in Beijing on Tuesday. If someone says China interfered in the US election, they should provide proof, said Hua. China has never had any interest in interfering with other countries' internal affairs, she said. Moscow and Tehran have also repeatedly denied the allegations. Facebook will introduce a new US presidential candidate spend tracker to show how much they have spent on political ads as part of the company's efforts to make its ad library easier to use, Zuckerberg said. Facebook launched an online library of political ads in 2018, but the database has been criticized by researchers as being poorly maintained and failing to provide useful ad targeting information. The company plans to heighten protection of the Facebook and Instagram accounts of candidates, elected officials and their teams through a program called Facebook Protect. Participants in the program will be required to turn on two-factor authentication and their accounts will be monitored for signs of hacking.

Facebook announces steps to clamp down on misinformation ahead of 2020 election

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Indian Parliament headed by KV Thomas grilled the Governor of Reserve Bank of India on Friday. Highly placed sources confirmed to WION that when members asked Urjit Patel as to who took the decision for demonetisation, Urjit Patel chose to remain silent.&nbsp;

PAC also saw a&nbsp;heated debate between the opposition and ruling party members as some members said that committee meeting was on the state of the&nbsp;economy and not demonetisation per say. Sources also said that there were many questions on demonetisation on which Urjit Patel chose to remain silent or gave general answers.

The committee members also asked the RBI governor to look into cases of irregular deposits in the cooperative banks of which he took note of. Some members also requested the RBI that it must look into the issue of cess which is charged when a digital transaction takes place. The members were of the opinion that the current reprieve should continue till things normalise in the economic system.

Sources said that Patel will be called again for questioning as many questions remained answered. Both the PAC and the Standing Committee of Finance are looking into the issue of demonetisation. 
 
(WION)

Highly placed sources told WION that Urjit Patel chose to remain silent or gave generic replies to several questions

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Indian Parliament headed by KV Thomas grilled the Governor of Reserve Bank of India on Friday. Highly placed sources confirmed to WION that when members asked Urjit Patel as to who took the decision for demonetisation, Urjit Patel chose to remain silent. PAC also saw a heated debate between the opposition and ruling party members as some members said that committee meeting was on the state of the economy and not demonetisation per say. Sources also said that there were many questions on demonetisation on which Urjit Patel chose to remain silent or gave general answers. The committee members also asked the RBI governor to look into cases of irregular deposits in the cooperative banks of which he took note of. Some members also requested the RBI that it must look into the issue of cess which is charged when a digital transaction takes place. The members were of the opinion that the current reprieve should continue till things normalise in the economic system. Sources said that Patel will be called again for questioning as many questions remained answered. Both the PAC and the Standing Committee of Finance are looking into the issue of demonetisation. (WION)

India's central bank chief remains mum during demonetisation grilling

A parliamentary committee has asked the governor of India&#39;s central bank to appear before it and explain how the decision of demonetisation was taken and for details on how it has impacted the economy, Reuters reported.

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which is probing the government&#39;s decision to scrap high-value Rs 500 and Rs 1000 bank notes (($7.34-$14.69) has asked Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor, Urjit Patel, to appear before it on January 20, the commmitte&#39;s chairman, KV Thomas, also a senior member of the opposition Congress party, told Reuters.

The PAC has asked Patel to provide details on the value of currency that has been returned to the bank, the quantity of 
&quot;black money&quot; it has received and the amount of new currency released so far, Thomas said.

The committee has sent the RBI governor a list of questions on the demonetisation process. It has also asked other finance ministry officials, including the revenue secretary and finance secretary to appear before it, Thomas said.

In an unexpected move, PM Modi announced the demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes on November 8 to curb the influence of black money circulating in the economy.

The opposition parties have criticised the government and the central bank over shortages of new currency notes and restrictions on depositing old notes that have caused long queues at banks and ATMs.

Thomas added that the governor has also been asked about the country&#39;s preparedness to handle cashless transactions.

&quot;We had decided to call the RBI governor sometime in December but because the prime minister had asked for 50 days, we 
decided to postpone it to sometime January,&quot; Thomas told Reuters. &quot;We did not want to give it a political colour.&quot;

Urijit Patel is already set to testify before another parliamentary committee on the demonetisation issue.

Last month, the RBI unexpectedly kept its key policy rate unchanged at 6.25 per cent, despite calls for action in the face of an intense cash shortage. The bank was widely expected to cut the rate by at least 25 bps. 
 
(WION with inputs from Reuters) 
&nbsp;

RBI governor Urjit Patel has been asked to explain how the decision of demonetisation was taken

A parliamentary committee has asked the governor of India's central bank to appear before it and explain how the decision of demonetisation was taken and for details on how it has impacted the economy, Reuters reported. The Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which is probing the government's decision to scrap high-value Rs 500 and Rs 1000 bank notes (($7.34-$14.69) has asked Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor, Urjit Patel, to appear before it on January 20, the commmitte's chairman, KV Thomas, also a senior member of the opposition Congress party, told Reuters. The PAC has asked Patel to provide details on the value of currency that has been returned to the bank, the quantity of "black money" it has received and the amount of new currency released so far, Thomas said. The committee has sent the RBI governor a list of questions on the demonetisation process. It has also asked other finance ministry officials, including the revenue secretary and finance secretary to appear before it, Thomas said. In an unexpected move, PM Modi announced the demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes on November 8 to curb the influence of black money circulating in the economy. The opposition parties have criticised the government and the central bank over shortages of new currency notes and restrictions on depositing old notes that have caused long queues at banks and ATMs. Thomas added that the governor has also been asked about the country's preparedness to handle cashless transactions. "We had decided to call the RBI governor sometime in December but because the prime minister had asked for 50 days, we decided to postpone it to sometime January," Thomas told Reuters. "We did not want to give it a political colour." Urijit Patel is already set to testify before another parliamentary committee on the demonetisation issue. Last month, the RBI unexpectedly kept its key policy rate unchanged at 6.25 per cent, despite calls for action in the face of an intense cash shortage. The bank was widely expected to cut the rate by at least 25 bps. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Parliamentary committee to question governor of India's central bank over demonetisation

Pac, News on Pac, stories on Pac, articles on Pac, Pac stories at Wion, Pac news, Pac latest news