Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the United States on Tuesday to keep an open mind on admitting skilled Indian workers, in comments that pushed back against Republican President Donald Trump&#39;s &quot;America First&quot; rhetoric on jobs.

Modi&#39;s comments reflected concern that India&#39;s $150 billion IT services industry would suffer if the United States curbs the visas, known as H-1B, it relies on to send its software experts to the United States on project work.

&quot;The prime minister referred to the role of skilled Indian talent in enriching the American economy and society,&quot; Modi&#39;s office said in a statement after he met a bipartisan delegation of 26 members of the US&nbsp;Congress.

&quot;He urged developing a reflective, balanced and far-sighted perspective on movement of skilled professionals.&quot;

Indian nationals are by far the largest group of recipients of the 65,000 H-1B visas issued each year to new applicants under a cap mandated by Congress. Exemptions on the H-1B cap are available to up to 20,000 further applicants who have obtained a US&nbsp;master&#39;s degree.

The actual number of Indian nationals working in the United States under the H-1B programme is significantly higher, however, because many visas are rolled over.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, who was born in India, also met Modi on Tuesday. He told the Economic Times earlier that his own career had been made possible by &quot;an enlightened immigration policy&quot;.

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Microsoft&#39;s Chief Executive, Satya Nadella, calls on Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, in New Delhi. (WION)
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Initial confidence that Asia&#39;s third-largest economy would benefit from Trump&#39;s election victory has given way to concern that his isolationist rhetoric and hostility to free trade would hurt India&#39;s hi-tech and outsourcing industry.

The sector, led by Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys Ltd and Wipro Ltd, employs 3.5 million people and is lobbying against proposed US&nbsp;visa curbs - including increases on salaries that H-1B visa holders must earn.

Part of the delegation led by Congressman Bob Goodlatte, a Republican from Virginia who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, met Ravi Shankar Prasad, India&#39;s minister in charge of electronics and IT.

Goodlatte, speaking at the meeting with Prasad, declined to answer a question on visa restrictions, saying it was up to the president to reassess his policies on immigration.

A senior Indian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said India hoped to resolve the visa issue with the United States but declined to be drawn on the details.

The government supported a move by NASSCOM, India&#39;s high-tech industry association, to lobby US&nbsp;lawmakers and companies to urge the administration not to crack down on allowing its skilled workers into the United States, the source said.

(Reuters)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged the United States to keep an open mind on admitting skilled Indian workers

Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the United States on Tuesday to keep an open mind on admitting skilled Indian workers, in comments that pushed back against Republican President Donald Trump's "America First" rhetoric on jobs. Modi's comments reflected concern that India's $150 billion IT services industry would suffer if the United States curbs the visas, known as H-1B, it relies on to send its software experts to the United States on project work. "The prime minister referred to the role of skilled Indian talent in enriching the American economy and society," Modi's office said in a statement after he met a bipartisan delegation of 26 members of the US Congress. "He urged developing a reflective, balanced and far-sighted perspective on movement of skilled professionals." Indian nationals are by far the largest group of recipients of the 65,000 H-1B visas issued each year to new applicants under a cap mandated by Congress. Exemptions on the H-1B cap are available to up to 20,000 further applicants who have obtained a US master's degree. The actual number of Indian nationals working in the United States under the H-1B programme is significantly higher, however, because many visas are rolled over. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, who was born in India, also met Modi on Tuesday. He told the Economic Times earlier that his own career had been made possible by "an enlightened immigration policy". Microsoft's Chief Executive, Satya Nadella, calls on Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, in New Delhi. (WION) × Initial confidence that Asia's third-largest economy would benefit from Trump's election victory has given way to concern that his isolationist rhetoric and hostility to free trade would hurt India's hi-tech and outsourcing industry. The sector, led by Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys Ltd and Wipro Ltd, employs 3.5 million people and is lobbying against proposed US visa curbs - including increases on salaries that H-1B visa holders must earn. Part of the delegation led by Congressman Bob Goodlatte, a Republican from Virginia who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, met Ravi Shankar Prasad, India's minister in charge of electronics and IT. Goodlatte, speaking at the meeting with Prasad, declined to answer a question on visa restrictions, saying it was up to the president to reassess his policies on immigration. A senior Indian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said India hoped to resolve the visa issue with the United States but declined to be drawn on the details. The government supported a move by NASSCOM, India's high-tech industry association, to lobby US lawmakers and companies to urge the administration not to crack down on allowing its skilled workers into the United States, the source said. (Reuters)

H1-B visa: US should adopt balanced approach, says PM Modi

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi may land in trouble for making&nbsp;seemingly divisive statements at an election rally in India&#39;s northern state of Uttar Pradesh on Sunday.

The Congress is set to file a complaint with the Election Commission -- the authority that oversees election process in the country -- for making discriminatory statements at Fatehabad, a town in Uttar Pradesh, where he was addressing a public gathering as part of the state election campaign.

Modi had taunted the Samajwadi Party -- the party in power in Uttar Pradesh -- of being prejudicial towards the Muslims.

&quot;Ramzan me bijli athi hai tho Diwali me bhi ani chahiye; Bhedbhav nhi hona chahiye (If there is electricity during Ramadan then it must be available during Diwali too; there shouldn&#39;t be any discrimination),&quot; he had said.

Another statement that has not gone down well with the Congress is when Modi said: &quot;Gaon me kabristan banta hai to shamshaan bhi banna chahiye&quot; (If land is given for cemetery in a village, it should be given for cremation ground also).&quot;

It is important to mention that the Congress and the Samajwadi Party, also known as SP, are fighting the Uttar Pradesh elections together. So a broadside against the SP is an indirect jibe at the Congress.

Secretary of the Legal and Human Rights Department of the Congress party, KC Mittal, confirmed that the Congress would file a complaint against Modi for making &quot;deplorable&quot; statements during his campaign speech.

Last week, the Congress has asked the Election Commission to take action against Prime Minister Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for hosting a public rally in Uttarakhand without permission.

Uttarakhand Congress president Kishore Upadhyay had dispatched a letter to the Election Commission, terming the Prime Minister&#39;s 10 February public rally as unauthorised and an open case of model code of conduct violation.

In January, the BJP had demanded that the Election Commission freeze the election symbol of Congress alleging that its vice-president Rahul Gandhi violated the model code of conduct by linking his party symbol &#39;hand&#39;&nbsp;with various religious figures.

Uttar Pradesh, India&#39;s largest state,&nbsp;is the middle of a hard-fought, and often bitter, election campaign. There are seven different phases of polling and the result would be declared on March 11.

(WION with inputs from ANI)

The Indian Prime Minister had allegedly accused the Uttar Pradesh's ruling Samajwadi Party of being prejudiced towards Muslims

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi may land in trouble for making seemingly divisive statements at an election rally in India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh on Sunday. The Congress is set to file a complaint with the Election Commission -- the authority that oversees election process in the country -- for making discriminatory statements at Fatehabad, a town in Uttar Pradesh, where he was addressing a public gathering as part of the state election campaign. Modi had taunted the Samajwadi Party -- the party in power in Uttar Pradesh -- of being prejudicial towards the Muslims. "Ramzan me bijli athi hai tho Diwali me bhi ani chahiye; Bhedbhav nhi hona chahiye (If there is electricity during Ramadan then it must be available during Diwali too; there shouldn't be any discrimination)," he had said. Another statement that has not gone down well with the Congress is when Modi said: "Gaon me kabristan banta hai to shamshaan bhi banna chahiye" (If land is given for cemetery in a village, it should be given for cremation ground also)." It is important to mention that the Congress and the Samajwadi Party, also known as SP, are fighting the Uttar Pradesh elections together. So a broadside against the SP is an indirect jibe at the Congress. Secretary of the Legal and Human Rights Department of the Congress party, KC Mittal, confirmed that the Congress would file a complaint against Modi for making "deplorable" statements during his campaign speech. Last week, the Congress has asked the Election Commission to take action against Prime Minister Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for hosting a public rally in Uttarakhand without permission. Uttarakhand Congress president Kishore Upadhyay had dispatched a letter to the Election Commission, terming the Prime Minister's 10 February public rally as unauthorised and an open case of model code of conduct violation. In January, the BJP had demanded that the Election Commission freeze the election symbol of Congress alleging that its vice-president Rahul Gandhi violated the model code of conduct by linking his party symbol 'hand' with various religious figures. Uttar Pradesh, India's largest state, is the middle of a hard-fought, and often bitter, election campaign. There are seven different phases of polling and the result would be declared on March 11. (WION with inputs from ANI)

Congress to file complaint against PM Modi over 'deplorable' campaign speech

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed Uttar Pradesh&#39;s ruling Samajwadi Party and the Opposition parties -- the Congress and the BSP -- for the lack of development in the state.

At an election rally in the state&#39;s Barabanki district, PM Modi claimed that in spite of the central government providing funds for farmers, the state government had not done any work in their favour. He said that Uttar Pradesh (UP) can develop only when the Samajwadi Party (SP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Congress would be removed from the state.

&quot;Uttar Pradesh will progress only when the SP, BSP and Congress are removed. I urge people in UP to elect a BJP government devoted to development,&quot; he said while addressing a rally.

Till the time you will not punish SP, BSP and Congress, Uttar Pradesh will not change,&quot; he added.

Asserting confidence of achieving favourable mandate, Prime Minister Modi said an environment of contempt against the SP, BSP and Congress can be seen in Uttar Pradesh.

&quot;Our government is for the poor, the underprivileged, the marginalised, the farmers. You can change the situation by placing your finger on the right symbol,&quot; he said.

The PM also took pot shots at chief minister Akhilesh Yadav&#39;s government at another election rally in Hardoi district, alleging that police stations in the state had become the SP&#39;s office. He also vowed to eradicate the rule of goons (gunda-raj) in the state if the BJP came to power.&nbsp;

&quot;Can any political party&#39;s office be at police stations? The police take permission from the Samajwadi Party (SP) workers to lodge a case. Police stations have become the Samajwadi Party&#39;s offices. The highest number of political murders are perpetrated in UP.&nbsp;

Law and order has completely collapsed in the state. There should be no discrimination in the deliverance of justice,&quot; he said.&nbsp;

The PM, who was campaigning for the third and fourth phase elections in the state, vowed not to ditch the people in the state.

He drew a parallel with Lord Krishna who was born in UP but made Gujarat his &#39;karma bhoomi&#39; (place of work).

&quot;Krishna was born in Uttar Pradesh but made Gujarat his karma bhoomi. I was born in Gujarat but Uttar Pradesh has adopted me. It is a privilege for me. Uttar Pradesh is like &#39;mai-baap&#39;. I am not a son who would ditch his &#39;mai-baap&#39;. I will always care about Uttar Pradesh,&quot; he said.

The third phase of the UP assembly polls will take place on February 19. The results of the seven-phase elections will be announced on March 11.

Akhilesh Yadav hits back at Modi&#39;s inexperience barb, defends father Mulayam Singh

A day after PM Modi questioned him for forming a coalition with &quot;those who tried to murder&quot; his father Mulayam Singh Yadav, Akhilesh Yadav said Modi&#39;s advisors should have cited better examples like Firozabad where his party was defeated by the Congress in a by-poll.

The de facto chief of the SP said that his party had entered into an alliance with the Congress to keep communal forces at bay.

&quot;Why did he travel so far to 1984 to create anger in me against Congress. He could have mentioned Firozabad where Congress&#39; state unit chief (Raj Babbar) defeated us (in bypoll),&quot; he said, adding they were revisiting such an old incident only because they have already &quot;lost&quot; the elections.

Akhilesh Yadav also hit back at PM Modi for calling him &quot;inexperienced&quot; saying, he had learnt to cycle fast so that neither the BSP&#39;s elephant nor BJP&#39;s lotus could come anywhere near the SP. The elephant and the lotus are the elections symbols of the two parties.

&quot;They termed me as inexperienced but one can ride the bicycle (SP symbol) only after falling down at least once...I have learnt to ride bicycle and that too with great speed so that neither the elephant nor the lotus can come anywhere near,&quot; Akhilesh said at an election meeting in Karhal.

&quot;Modiji said in Kannauj that by entering into an alliance with Congress, I have shown inexperience...We have done this so as to remove all doubts among people about government formation...We have done this to form government and remove communal forces,&quot; he said.

On the BJP&#39;s &quot;achchey din&quot; (good days) slogan, he said, &quot;BJP people say SP could not bring achchey din...This was the slogan of BJP it was never given by the Samajwadis.&quot;

On the BJP&#39;s promise of loan waiver for farmers, he said, &quot;I want to ask what has their government done in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra (where farmers are committing suicide...first you help farmers of Maharashtra&quot;.

Both Gujarat and Maharashtra are ruled by the BJP.

Akhilesh also dismissed claims of tensions with Mulayam Singh claiming &quot;SP is not my party but that of Netaji (Mulayam)&quot;.

At a rally in Etawah, Akhilesh alleged that some people had deliberately tried to create a rift between Mulayam Singh and himself.

&quot;Those who have tried to create distance between Netaji (Mulayam Singh Yadav) and me, the people of Etawah should teach them a lesson,&quot; Akhilesh said. Jinhone Netaji aur mere beech khaayi paida ki hai, Etawah ke log usay sabak sikhaane ka kaam karna: Akhilesh Yadav in Etawah

&quot;The very people we trusted were the ones who made me and Netaji fight,&quot; he added.&nbsp;

PM Modi should stop &quot;Mann ki Baat&quot;: Rahul Gandhi

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi asked PM Modi to stop his radio programme &quot;Mann ki Baat&quot; and instead understand their sufferings in the wake of demonetisation.

Addressing an election rally in Sitapur, Rahul Gandhi also slammed Modi for not waiving off the loans of farmers.&nbsp;

&quot;There was a meeting yesterday (Wednesday). Some people raised their voice against demonetisation. Modiji asked, what is their problem?&quot;

&quot;Modiji, you should stop &quot;Mann Ki Baat&quot; and should listen to the people. You&#39;ll understand the problems people are facing due to demonetisation,&quot; he said.

Hitting out at Modi, Gandhi said that the Prime Minister does not need to be in power in Uttar Pradesh to waive off the loans of farmers.

&quot;To waive off loans, you (Modi) don&#39;t need to be in power in Uttar Pradesh for that. Your government is at the Centre, so you should waive off the loans. Why are you waiting for elections?&quot; Gandhi said. 
 
People won&#39;t be influenced by PM&#39;s &#39;adopted son&#39; drama: Mayawati

BSP chief Mayawati took a dig at PM Modi, saying that the People of UP will not be influenced by his drama of calling himself the adopted son of the state.

She also asked Modi not to spread false information about her party&#39;s work when they were in power in the state.

&quot;He can ask me if his people are unable to tell him,&quot; she said.

Mayawati also expressed confidence that the BSP would win with a majority in the upcoming elections.

&quot;I am glad to inform that in the two phases conducted in UP, majority of the seats have been won by the BSP candidates. I can assert that in the coming phases as well, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) will lead. Our party will form the government in the state with full majority. Keeping in view the wrong policies and functioning of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Samajwadi Party (SP), there is urgent need of BSP in Uttar Pradesh,&quot; she said. 
&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

PM Modi once again hit out at the Akhilesh Yadav government at an election rally in Uttar Pradesh

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed Uttar Pradesh's ruling Samajwadi Party and the Opposition parties -- the Congress and the BSP -- for the lack of development in the state. At an election rally in the state's Barabanki district, PM Modi claimed that in spite of the central government providing funds for farmers, the state government had not done any work in their favour. He said that Uttar Pradesh (UP) can develop only when the Samajwadi Party (SP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Congress would be removed from the state. "Uttar Pradesh will progress only when the SP, BSP and Congress are removed. I urge people in UP to elect a BJP government devoted to development," he said while addressing a rally. Till the time you will not punish SP, BSP and Congress, Uttar Pradesh will not change," he added. Asserting confidence of achieving favourable mandate, Prime Minister Modi said an environment of contempt against the SP, BSP and Congress can be seen in Uttar Pradesh. "Our government is for the poor, the underprivileged, the marginalised, the farmers. You can change the situation by placing your finger on the right symbol," he said. The PM also took pot shots at chief minister Akhilesh Yadav's government at another election rally in Hardoi district, alleging that police stations in the state had become the SP's office. He also vowed to eradicate the rule of goons (gunda-raj) in the state if the BJP came to power. "Can any political party's office be at police stations? The police take permission from the Samajwadi Party (SP) workers to lodge a case. Police stations have become the Samajwadi Party's offices. The highest number of political murders are perpetrated in UP. Law and order has completely collapsed in the state. There should be no discrimination in the deliverance of justice," he said. The PM, who was campaigning for the third and fourth phase elections in the state, vowed not to ditch the people in the state. He drew a parallel with Lord Krishna who was born in UP but made Gujarat his 'karma bhoomi' (place of work). "Krishna was born in Uttar Pradesh but made Gujarat his karma bhoomi. I was born in Gujarat but Uttar Pradesh has adopted me. It is a privilege for me. Uttar Pradesh is like 'mai-baap'. I am not a son who would ditch his 'mai-baap'. I will always care about Uttar Pradesh," he said. The third phase of the UP assembly polls will take place on February 19. The results of the seven-phase elections will be announced on March 11. Akhilesh Yadav hits back at Modi's inexperience barb, defends father Mulayam Singh A day after PM Modi questioned him for forming a coalition with "those who tried to murder" his father Mulayam Singh Yadav, Akhilesh Yadav said Modi's advisors should have cited better examples like Firozabad where his party was defeated by the Congress in a by-poll. The de facto chief of the SP said that his party had entered into an alliance with the Congress to keep communal forces at bay. "Why did he travel so far to 1984 to create anger in me against Congress. He could have mentioned Firozabad where Congress' state unit chief (Raj Babbar) defeated us (in bypoll)," he said, adding they were revisiting such an old incident only because they have already "lost" the elections. Akhilesh Yadav also hit back at PM Modi for calling him "inexperienced" saying, he had learnt to cycle fast so that neither the BSP's elephant nor BJP's lotus could come anywhere near the SP. The elephant and the lotus are the elections symbols of the two parties. "They termed me as inexperienced but one can ride the bicycle (SP symbol) only after falling down at least once...I have learnt to ride bicycle and that too with great speed so that neither the elephant nor the lotus can come anywhere near," Akhilesh said at an election meeting in Karhal. "Modiji said in Kannauj that by entering into an alliance with Congress, I have shown inexperience...We have done this so as to remove all doubts among people about government formation...We have done this to form government and remove communal forces," he said. On the BJP's "achchey din" (good days) slogan, he said, "BJP people say SP could not bring achchey din...This was the slogan of BJP it was never given by the Samajwadis." On the BJP's promise of loan waiver for farmers, he said, "I want to ask what has their government done in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra (where farmers are committing suicide...first you help farmers of Maharashtra". Both Gujarat and Maharashtra are ruled by the BJP. Akhilesh also dismissed claims of tensions with Mulayam Singh claiming "SP is not my party but that of Netaji (Mulayam)". At a rally in Etawah, Akhilesh alleged that some people had deliberately tried to create a rift between Mulayam Singh and himself. "Those who have tried to create distance between Netaji (Mulayam Singh Yadav) and me, the people of Etawah should teach them a lesson," Akhilesh said. Jinhone Netaji aur mere beech khaayi paida ki hai, Etawah ke log usay sabak sikhaane ka kaam karna: Akhilesh Yadav in Etawah "The very people we trusted were the ones who made me and Netaji fight," he added. PM Modi should stop "Mann ki Baat": Rahul Gandhi Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi asked PM Modi to stop his radio programme "Mann ki Baat" and instead understand their sufferings in the wake of demonetisation. Addressing an election rally in Sitapur, Rahul Gandhi also slammed Modi for not waiving off the loans of farmers. "There was a meeting yesterday (Wednesday). Some people raised their voice against demonetisation. Modiji asked, what is their problem?" "Modiji, you should stop "Mann Ki Baat" and should listen to the people. You'll understand the problems people are facing due to demonetisation," he said. Hitting out at Modi, Gandhi said that the Prime Minister does not need to be in power in Uttar Pradesh to waive off the loans of farmers. "To waive off loans, you (Modi) don't need to be in power in Uttar Pradesh for that. Your government is at the Centre, so you should waive off the loans. Why are you waiting for elections?" Gandhi said. People won't be influenced by PM's 'adopted son' drama: Mayawati BSP chief Mayawati took a dig at PM Modi, saying that the People of UP will not be influenced by his drama of calling himself the adopted son of the state. She also asked Modi not to spread false information about her party's work when they were in power in the state. "He can ask me if his people are unable to tell him," she said. Mayawati also expressed confidence that the BSP would win with a majority in the upcoming elections. "I am glad to inform that in the two phases conducted in UP, majority of the seats have been won by the BSP candidates. I can assert that in the coming phases as well, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) will lead. Our party will form the government in the state with full majority. Keeping in view the wrong policies and functioning of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Samajwadi Party (SP), there is urgent need of BSP in Uttar Pradesh," she said. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Now, PM Modi compares himself to Lord Krishna

Pandemonium erupted in Parliament&#39;s Upper House, Rajya Sabha today with the Congress staging a walkout after Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s jibe at former PM Manmohan Singh over 
corruption.

Modi, who was replying to the Motion of Thanks for the President&#39;s budget address said, &quot;For almost 35 years, Manmohan Singhji had a lot of influence on country&#39;s economic policies. Is there not a single taint on him. Only Manmohan Singh understands the art of taking bath in a bathroom wearing a raincoat.&quot;

He was alluding to the fact that the former PM&#39;s name was not singled out for corruption despite the fact that his UPA-led government was implicated in a series of corruption scandals including the allocation of coal blocks, spectrum and telecom licenses.

Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said it was &quot;unbecoming of a prime minister to malign a former prime minister in such a manner&quot;.

&quot;Walked out as protest, such harsh and ugly comments not acceptable. No PM in past made such comments about a former PM,&quot; the former finance minister said.

It is unbecoming of a prime minister to use such language for a former PM, unbecoming for anyone to say such harsh ugly statement,&quot; Chidambaram said.

Senior Congress leader Ahmad Patel said he was &quot;speechless&quot; after the PM&#39;s remarks. Congress politician Kapil Sibal described the allegations as &quot;unsustainable&quot; and said Modi was being &quot;arrogant&quot;.

&quot;Look at his arrogance, he chooses to speak when everyone else is done and then makes unsubstantiated allegations,&quot; Kapil Sibal said.
<centre><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GCZrkqGT-LM" width="560"></iframe><centre>
PM Modi also defended demonetisation, stating that no other country in the world had taken such a big decision and that it would be a case study across world universities. He said banks had received a lot of cash and interest rates had fallen down after demonetisation.

&quot;There wasn&#39;t a decision as big taken anywhere in the world.This can become a big case study for the world universities. The massive decision that India took,&quot; Modi said. Worlds&#39; economists don&#39;t know parameters to assess it. What India did will be a case study for economists worldwide,&quot; Modi added. &quot;You quote foreign economists, I can quote 10 of them on the fact that such an action hasn&#39;t been taken in the world ever.&quot;

Modi also said the fight against corruption was not political and that only political parties were opposing demonetisation. &quot;The government and the people were together during the period of demonetisation. For the first time, a horizontal divide was visible. Mood of the people completely different from mood of politicians,&quot; Modi said.

The Lower House of Parliament, Lok Sabha, yesterday, passed by a voice vote the Motion of Thanks to President&#39;s address amid protests by the Opposition led by the Congress party after the PM attacked them for &quot;dynastic politics.&quot; 
 
The President makes a special address to a joint sitting of both houses of Parliament at the beginning of the first session of the year, usually the Budget Session, outlining the legislative and policy achievements during the preceding year and the roadmap for the year ahead.

After being approved by the Cabinet, the address is followed by a motion of thanks moved in each House by ruling party MPs, followed by discussions that last up to three or four days and conclude with the PM replying to the points raised during the discussion.

After the PM&#39;s reply, MPs vote on the motion of thanks and some may move amendments to the address.

 
(WION)
</centre></centre>

The Congress staged a walkout from Parliament after Modi's remark that Manmohan Singh had been shielded from corruption allegations

Pandemonium erupted in Parliament's Upper House, Rajya Sabha today with the Congress staging a walkout after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's jibe at former PM Manmohan Singh over corruption. Modi, who was replying to the Motion of Thanks for the President's budget address said, "For almost 35 years, Manmohan Singhji had a lot of influence on country's economic policies. Is there not a single taint on him. Only Manmohan Singh understands the art of taking bath in a bathroom wearing a raincoat." He was alluding to the fact that the former PM's name was not singled out for corruption despite the fact that his UPA-led government was implicated in a series of corruption scandals including the allocation of coal blocks, spectrum and telecom licenses. Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram said it was "unbecoming of a prime minister to malign a former prime minister in such a manner". "Walked out as protest, such harsh and ugly comments not acceptable. No PM in past made such comments about a former PM," the former finance minister said. It is unbecoming of a prime minister to use such language for a former PM, unbecoming for anyone to say such harsh ugly statement," Chidambaram said. Senior Congress leader Ahmad Patel said he was "speechless" after the PM's remarks. Congress politician Kapil Sibal described the allegations as "unsustainable" and said Modi was being "arrogant". "Look at his arrogance, he chooses to speak when everyone else is done and then makes unsubstantiated allegations," Kapil Sibal said. PM Modi also defended demonetisation, stating that no other country in the world had taken such a big decision and that it would be a case study across world universities. He said banks had received a lot of cash and interest rates had fallen down after demonetisation. "There wasn't a decision as big taken anywhere in the world.This can become a big case study for the world universities. The massive decision that India took," Modi said. Worlds' economists don't know parameters to assess it. What India did will be a case study for economists worldwide," Modi added. "You quote foreign economists, I can quote 10 of them on the fact that such an action hasn't been taken in the world ever." Modi also said the fight against corruption was not political and that only political parties were opposing demonetisation. "The government and the people were together during the period of demonetisation. For the first time, a horizontal divide was visible. Mood of the people completely different from mood of politicians," Modi said. The Lower House of Parliament, Lok Sabha, yesterday, passed by a voice vote the Motion of Thanks to President's address amid protests by the Opposition led by the Congress party after the PM attacked them for "dynastic politics." The President makes a special address to a joint sitting of both houses of Parliament at the beginning of the first session of the year, usually the Budget Session, outlining the legislative and policy achievements during the preceding year and the roadmap for the year ahead. After being approved by the Cabinet, the address is followed by a motion of thanks moved in each House by ruling party MPs, followed by discussions that last up to three or four days and conclude with the PM replying to the points raised during the discussion. After the PM's reply, MPs vote on the motion of thanks and some may move amendments to the address. (WION)

PM Modi's 'raincoat' jibe against ex-PM Manmohan Singh angers Congress

India&#39;s Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a scathing attack on Uttar Pradesh&#39;s ruling Samajwadi Party(SP) during an election rally in Uttar Pradesh&#39;s Ghaziabad district.

The Indian prime minister attacked the Akhilesh Yadav government over the law and order situation in the state and the constant infighting within the ruling party.

&quot;Girls are afraid of going to school. Your Samajwadi Party (SP) is harbouring goons and they are responsible for this condition of Uttar Pradesh (UP),&quot; PM Modi said while addressing an election rally in UP&#39;s Ghaziabad.

Uttar Pradesh will go to the polls on February 11 in the first phase of polls, in a long drawn seven-phase polling schedule set to culminate with results set to be announced on 11th March. Political pundits&nbsp;believe BJP will win a&nbsp;majority of seats in the assembly but the recent Congress-Samajwadi Party coalition may unsettle their plans to come to power.

PM Modi said rapes and murders were unaccounted for in the state and the Samajwadi Party was neither &quot;worried, nor did it consider it their responsibility to tackle the situation&quot;.

&quot;Today, in Uttar Pradesh, after the sun sets a woman cannot step outside confidently on the streets as they are not safe in the state,&quot; PM Modi asserted.

He also blamed the SP and the Mayawati-led BSP for the lack of development in the state.&nbsp;&quot;Development has gone to &#39;exile&#39; for the last 14 years in the state, this election is about bringing development back,&quot; he said.

&quot;After Bharatiya Janata Party comes to power, we will form a special task force against land mafia. Then we will give back land to the poor and middle class people,&quot; said Modi.

The PM said the politically-crucial state could become the country&#39;s &quot;best state&quot; (Uttam Pradesh) &nbsp;if people chose the right government, alluding to his party, the BJP.

&quot;Nowadays, I am listening to speeches. They abuse the federal government for five minutes. Can you give me an account of your achievements as well,&quot; the prime minister said pointing to the opposition.

&quot;If Bharatiya Janata Party assumes power in Uttar Pradesh we will scrutinise the scams in employment sector and will give jobs to unemployed people,&quot; he said.

Blaming the Samajwadi Party for the lack of development in Uttar Pradesh, Modi said Akhilesh Yadav had &quot;destroyed the state in the last five years&quot;.

&quot;The Samajwadi Party, which has been in power for last five years, it is their duty to answer the people of Uttar Pradesh about the work they have done,&quot; India&#39;s prime minister said.

&quot;When Akhilesh Yadav became Chief Minister, we thought there would be development in the state since he is young and highly educated, but he destroyed the state in five years,&quot; Modi said.

&quot;Due to selfish politics, poor are not getting food even twice a day. Even that does not seem to have had any impact on the Uttar Pradesh (UP) government,&quot; Modi added.

The PM said the objective in the upcoming state assembly election was to bring development in the state.&nbsp;

He also said he would give an account of my achievements in the 2019 general elections.

&quot;Akhilesh is so scared, he has embraced whoever he came across. Who steps in a sinking boat,&quot; Modi sarcastically remarked referring to SP&#39;s alliance with the Congress for the assembly elections in the state.

Modi also took pot-shots at Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, son of SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav, blaming him for the split in the party.&nbsp;

&quot;What have you done to your father (Mulayam Singh Yadav), uncle (Shivpal Yadav) and the daughter-in-laws, nephews and brothers in your family, the people know everything,&quot; he said.

(WION with agency inputs) 
&nbsp;

PM Modi attacked the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party at an election rally in Ghaziabad

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a scathing attack on Uttar Pradesh's ruling Samajwadi Party(SP) during an election rally in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad district. The Indian prime minister attacked the Akhilesh Yadav government over the law and order situation in the state and the constant infighting within the ruling party. "Girls are afraid of going to school. Your Samajwadi Party (SP) is harbouring goons and they are responsible for this condition of Uttar Pradesh (UP)," PM Modi said while addressing an election rally in UP's Ghaziabad. Uttar Pradesh will go to the polls on February 11 in the first phase of polls, in a long drawn seven-phase polling schedule set to culminate with results set to be announced on 11th March. Political pundits believe BJP will win a majority of seats in the assembly but the recent Congress-Samajwadi Party coalition may unsettle their plans to come to power. PM Modi said rapes and murders were unaccounted for in the state and the Samajwadi Party was neither "worried, nor did it consider it their responsibility to tackle the situation". "Today, in Uttar Pradesh, after the sun sets a woman cannot step outside confidently on the streets as they are not safe in the state," PM Modi asserted. He also blamed the SP and the Mayawati-led BSP for the lack of development in the state. "Development has gone to 'exile' for the last 14 years in the state, this election is about bringing development back," he said. "After Bharatiya Janata Party comes to power, we will form a special task force against land mafia. Then we will give back land to the poor and middle class people," said Modi. The PM said the politically-crucial state could become the country's "best state" (Uttam Pradesh) if people chose the right government, alluding to his party, the BJP. "Nowadays, I am listening to speeches. They abuse the federal government for five minutes. Can you give me an account of your achievements as well," the prime minister said pointing to the opposition. "If Bharatiya Janata Party assumes power in Uttar Pradesh we will scrutinise the scams in employment sector and will give jobs to unemployed people," he said. Blaming the Samajwadi Party for the lack of development in Uttar Pradesh, Modi said Akhilesh Yadav had "destroyed the state in the last five years". "The Samajwadi Party, which has been in power for last five years, it is their duty to answer the people of Uttar Pradesh about the work they have done," India's prime minister said. "When Akhilesh Yadav became Chief Minister, we thought there would be development in the state since he is young and highly educated, but he destroyed the state in five years," Modi said. "Due to selfish politics, poor are not getting food even twice a day. Even that does not seem to have had any impact on the Uttar Pradesh (UP) government," Modi added. The PM said the objective in the upcoming state assembly election was to bring development in the state. He also said he would give an account of my achievements in the 2019 general elections. "Akhilesh is so scared, he has embraced whoever he came across. Who steps in a sinking boat," Modi sarcastically remarked referring to SP's alliance with the Congress for the assembly elections in the state. Modi also took pot-shots at Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, son of SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav, blaming him for the split in the party. "What have you done to your father (Mulayam Singh Yadav), uncle (Shivpal Yadav) and the daughter-in-laws, nephews and brothers in your family, the people know everything," he said. (WION with agency inputs)

Development on 'exile' in UP for 14 years: Modi

Thirty-six people were injured, one of them seriously, in a Jallikattu event held at Avanipuram in the district amid high-security today in which more than 900 bulls were used, police said. All the injured were being treated at the medical camp put up near the venue, police said.

More than 700 bull-tamers participated in the events, which were witnessed by thousands of spectators.

The bull-taming sport was formally inaugurated by Revenue Minister R B Udhayakumar and District Collector Veeraraghava Rao. Top officials of the district and police administrations, including Superintendent of Police, were also present at the venue.

Police said all precautionary measures, including mandatory medical tests for bulls and participants as laid down by the state government, were taken before the conduct of the traditional rural sport.

Normally, Jallikattu is held as part of the Pongal festivities in Tamil Nadu. However, it was not held during Pongal this year due to a Supreme Court ban.

Amid continuing protests over Jallikattu ban across the state, the Tamil Nadu Assembly had on January 23 unanimously passed an amendment bill, clearing the path for conducting Jallikattu without any hindrance.

(PTI) 
&nbsp;

All the injured were being treated at the medical camp put up near the venue, police said

Thirty-six people were injured, one of them seriously, in a Jallikattu event held at Avanipuram in the district amid high-security today in which more than 900 bulls were used, police said. All the injured were being treated at the medical camp put up near the venue, police said. More than 700 bull-tamers participated in the events, which were witnessed by thousands of spectators. The bull-taming sport was formally inaugurated by Revenue Minister R B Udhayakumar and District Collector Veeraraghava Rao. Top officials of the district and police administrations, including Superintendent of Police, were also present at the venue. Police said all precautionary measures, including mandatory medical tests for bulls and participants as laid down by the state government, were taken before the conduct of the traditional rural sport. Normally, Jallikattu is held as part of the Pongal festivities in Tamil Nadu. However, it was not held during Pongal this year due to a Supreme Court ban. Amid continuing protests over Jallikattu ban across the state, the Tamil Nadu Assembly had on January 23 unanimously passed an amendment bill, clearing the path for conducting Jallikattu without any hindrance. (PTI)

Tamil Nadu: 36 injured in Jallikattu event at Avanipuram

A brisk 53 per cent turnout has been recorded in the first six hours of voting in the Indian state of Goa on Saturday where the ruling BJP is battling it out with the opposition Congress, AAP and an alliance of MGP, Shiv Sena and GSM for the 40-member House.

&nbsp;Election Commission of India&#39;s data from various polling booth showed that about 53 per cent of 11.10 lakh voters turned up to exercise franchise in the first six hours.

An impressive 83 per cent voting was recorded in the state in 2012 assembly polls, which saw the BJP wresting power from the Congress.

Defence minister Manohar Parrikar, widely seen as the chief ministerial face of the BJP, union minister Shripad Naik and chief minister Laxmikant Parsekar were among the early voters who cast their ballots. Long queues were seen outside almost all the polling stations right from the morning in the state.

Except for minor incidents of EVM failures, which were soon rectified, and cancellation of voting in one booth, polling is progressing peacefully in over 1,642 booths across the state, to decide the fate of 250 contestants in the fray.

The election is being closely fought by major political forces BJP, Congress, AAP and MGP-led alliance, who have mounted a hectic campaign. The polls will decide the&nbsp;future of Goa&#39;s five former chief ministers Churchill Alemao, Pratapsinh Rane, Ravi Naik, Digambar Kamat and Luizinho Faleiro and the incumbent Laxmikant Parsekar.

BJP has put up 36 aspirants, Congress 37 and AAP is contesting on 39 seats, and each of them backing independents in a few seats. BJP, which had a pre-poll alliance in 2012, is going at it alone this time, after the MGP snapped the partnership and forged a front with Goa Suraksha Manch floated by RSS rebel Subhas Velingkar and Shiv Sena.

Sluggish voter turnout in Punjab&nbsp;

Punjab witnessed a sluggish voter turnout of 14 per cent till 11.30 am. Polling began in the state amid heavy security earlier today, with 1,145 candidates contesting across 117 seats. Poll for the first phase will conclude at 5 pm Nearly two crore voters will decide the fate of 1,145 candidates, including 81 women. 22, 615 polling stations have been set up, with over one lakh security personnel deployed for free and fair voting.

Tight security arrangements have also been made for 100 critical polling stations and 5,500 vulnerable pockets of the state.

Voting will today also take place for the Amritsar Lok Sabha seat, which fell vacant following the resignation of state Congress chief Amarinder Singh.

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&nbsp;

Earlier today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged voters to turn up in huge numbers and specially asked the youngsters to exercise their voting rights. &quot;Urging people of Punjab and Goa to turn out in record numbers and vote in the Assembly elections. I particularly urge my young friends to vote,&quot; Modi said in a tweet.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Urging people of Punjab &amp; Goa to turnout in record numbers &amp; vote in the Assembly elections. I particularly urge my young friends to vote.
&mdash; Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/827689041592254466">February 4, 2017</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

(PTI and ANI)

The elections to Punjab and Goa are being billed as a major test of BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's popularity post-demonetisation

A brisk 53 per cent turnout has been recorded in the first six hours of voting in the Indian state of Goa on Saturday where the ruling BJP is battling it out with the opposition Congress, AAP and an alliance of MGP, Shiv Sena and GSM for the 40-member House. Election Commission of India's data from various polling booth showed that about 53 per cent of 11.10 lakh voters turned up to exercise franchise in the first six hours. An impressive 83 per cent voting was recorded in the state in 2012 assembly polls, which saw the BJP wresting power from the Congress. Defence minister Manohar Parrikar, widely seen as the chief ministerial face of the BJP, union minister Shripad Naik and chief minister Laxmikant Parsekar were among the early voters who cast their ballots. Long queues were seen outside almost all the polling stations right from the morning in the state. Except for minor incidents of EVM failures, which were soon rectified, and cancellation of voting in one booth, polling is progressing peacefully in over 1,642 booths across the state, to decide the fate of 250 contestants in the fray. The election is being closely fought by major political forces BJP, Congress, AAP and MGP-led alliance, who have mounted a hectic campaign. The polls will decide the future of Goa's five former chief ministers Churchill Alemao, Pratapsinh Rane, Ravi Naik, Digambar Kamat and Luizinho Faleiro and the incumbent Laxmikant Parsekar. BJP has put up 36 aspirants, Congress 37 and AAP is contesting on 39 seats, and each of them backing independents in a few seats. BJP, which had a pre-poll alliance in 2012, is going at it alone this time, after the MGP snapped the partnership and forged a front with Goa Suraksha Manch floated by RSS rebel Subhas Velingkar and Shiv Sena. Sluggish voter turnout in Punjab Punjab witnessed a sluggish voter turnout of 14 per cent till 11.30 am. Polling began in the state amid heavy security earlier today, with 1,145 candidates contesting across 117 seats. Poll for the first phase will conclude at 5 pm Nearly two crore voters will decide the fate of 1,145 candidates, including 81 women. 22, 615 polling stations have been set up, with over one lakh security personnel deployed for free and fair voting. Tight security arrangements have also been made for 100 critical polling stations and 5,500 vulnerable pockets of the state. Voting will today also take place for the Amritsar Lok Sabha seat, which fell vacant following the resignation of state Congress chief Amarinder Singh. × Earlier today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged voters to turn up in huge numbers and specially asked the youngsters to exercise their voting rights. "Urging people of Punjab and Goa to turn out in record numbers and vote in the Assembly elections. I particularly urge my young friends to vote," Modi said in a tweet. Urging people of Punjab & Goa to turnout in record numbers & vote in the Assembly elections. I particularly urge my young friends to vote. — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 4, 2017 × (PTI and ANI)

India state elections: Goa outshines with 53 per cent voter turnout, Punjab lags behind

By Yoshita Rao

A possible increase in short-term capital gains (STCG) tax could be on the agenda in the Budget for 2017 along with higher levy on dividends earned, a report by Business Standard said on Tuesday.

The federal government has already started gathering feedback from key market participants like Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and the stock exchanges, the report added.

The STCG, which is profits on sale of shares held for less than a period of 12 months, is presently taxed at 15 per cent.

On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his speech said that tax collection from capital markets players is low majorly because of illegal activities.

&ldquo;Those who profit from financial markets must make a fair contribution to nation-building through taxes. For various reasons, the contributions of tax from those who make money on the markets has been low...Low or zero tax rates are given to certain types of financial income. I call upon you to think about the contribution of market participants to the exchequer,&rdquo; PM Modi said.

Shortly after, finance minister, Arun Jaitley, clarified that changes to the long-term capital gains (LTCG), which are currently tax free, will not be made.

However, regarding the consultation of the government with the market regulators, the report said that an announcement regarding the tax on STCG could be expected on February 1, 2017.

The markets on Monday reacted negatively to PM Modi&#39;s announcement.

The report says that currently, besides the dividend distribution tax (DDT) paid by companies, an additional 10 per cent is levied on individuals earning dividend income in excess of Rs 10 lakh annually. The move could increase the effective tax on dividends to 30 per cent&nbsp;for those in the high-income bracket.

Business Standard quoted market players who said that increasing the STCG would be a double whammy for investors as they are currently paying securities transaction tax (STT) on all trades.

The government collects nearly Rs 7,400 crore annually through STT, the report added.

The government has also asked stock exchanges to suggest measures to crack down on tax evasion through penny stocks and the report said that the exchanges have submitted their recommendations to the finance ministry.

The income tax department has unearthed Rs 38,000 crore involving around 1,000 entities who deal in penny stocks, the report said.

(WION)

The federal government has already started gathering feedback from key market participants like Securities and Exchange Board of India

By Yoshita Rao A possible increase in short-term capital gains (STCG) tax could be on the agenda in the Budget for 2017 along with higher levy on dividends earned, a report by Business Standard said on Tuesday. The federal government has already started gathering feedback from key market participants like Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and the stock exchanges, the report added. The STCG, which is profits on sale of shares held for less than a period of 12 months, is presently taxed at 15 per cent. On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his speech said that tax collection from capital markets players is low majorly because of illegal activities. “Those who profit from financial markets must make a fair contribution to nation-building through taxes. For various reasons, the contributions of tax from those who make money on the markets has been low...Low or zero tax rates are given to certain types of financial income. I call upon you to think about the contribution of market participants to the exchequer,” PM Modi said. Shortly after, finance minister, Arun Jaitley, clarified that changes to the long-term capital gains (LTCG), which are currently tax free, will not be made. However, regarding the consultation of the government with the market regulators, the report said that an announcement regarding the tax on STCG could be expected on February 1, 2017. The markets on Monday reacted negatively to PM Modi's announcement. The report says that currently, besides the dividend distribution tax (DDT) paid by companies, an additional 10 per cent is levied on individuals earning dividend income in excess of Rs 10 lakh annually. The move could increase the effective tax on dividends to 30 per cent for those in the high-income bracket. Business Standard quoted market players who said that increasing the STCG would be a double whammy for investors as they are currently paying securities transaction tax (STT) on all trades. The government collects nearly Rs 7,400 crore annually through STT, the report added. The government has also asked stock exchanges to suggest measures to crack down on tax evasion through penny stocks and the report said that the exchanges have submitted their recommendations to the finance ministry. The income tax department has unearthed Rs 38,000 crore involving around 1,000 entities who deal in penny stocks, the report said. (WION)

Short-term capital gains tax may increase to 20% in India's 2017 Budget

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav has shot off a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting him to defer presentation of the Union Budget till the completion of the poll process in five states.

The letter sent to the prime minister earlier this week cited the Election Commission directive on January 23 asking the Central government not to announce any specific scheme for the five states going to polls in keeping with the model code of conduct.

The chief minister said that this may deprive Uttar Pradesh, having the maximum population in the country, of special schemes in the Union Budget which would have a direct impact on state&#39;s development and interest of 20 crore people.

Yadav recalled that in February-March 2012, the then government had taken a decision to defer the budget on its own till the completion of the poll process at that time.

&quot;In my capacity as the representative of the people of the state I request you think about deferring the Budget till after the elections so that the development of the state and schemes in the interests of the people could be announced,&quot; he added.

The Supreme Court had ruled recently that the government does not need to move the budget from February 1 to a date after elections are held in five states.

Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur will be held between February 4 and March 8.

(PTI)

The chief minister said doing so may deprive UP of special schemes in the Union Budget, which would have a direct impact on state's interest

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav has shot off a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting him to defer presentation of the Union Budget till the completion of the poll process in five states. The letter sent to the prime minister earlier this week cited the Election Commission directive on January 23 asking the Central government not to announce any specific scheme for the five states going to polls in keeping with the model code of conduct. The chief minister said that this may deprive Uttar Pradesh, having the maximum population in the country, of special schemes in the Union Budget which would have a direct impact on state's development and interest of 20 crore people. Yadav recalled that in February-March 2012, the then government had taken a decision to defer the budget on its own till the completion of the poll process at that time. "In my capacity as the representative of the people of the state I request you think about deferring the Budget till after the elections so that the development of the state and schemes in the interests of the people could be announced," he added. The Supreme Court had ruled recently that the government does not need to move the budget from February 1 to a date after elections are held in five states. Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur will be held between February 4 and March 8. (PTI)

India: Akhilesh writes to PM Modi, wants Budget presentation after polls

Amid ongoing opposition from political parties regarding the Budget Session, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said at the all-party meet that the Parliament should function despite differences over certain issues during election time.

Ahead of the Budget Session, an all-party meeting was held to seek the Opposition&#39;s support for the smooth conduct of proceedings in both the houses of the Parliament. A similar meeting has been convened by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan.

The government also dismissed the Opposition&#39;s allegation that the advancement of the Budget Session would help the ruling party in upcoming assembly polls in the five states.

Two days ago, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav had requested PM Modi to delay the budget, saying India&#39;s most populous state would be deprived of schemes which could have impact on 20 crore citizens and development of the state.

Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said that the government should not advance the Budget Session as it would impact assembly polls. The Opposition also demanded another all-party meet before next part of the Budget Session is convened in March.

Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress has issued a statement saying the party&#39;s MPs will not be present in Parliament on the first two days of the Budget Session in protest against demonetization which was implemented without taking the Parliament into confidence.

&quot;In the ensuing session, Trinamool will, among other issues, raise the issue of the illegal arrest of its Lok Sabha leader and another MP which is a clear case of political vendetta by the ruling party at the Centre by misusing CBI and abusing its power,&quot; Trinamool said in a statement.

Sixteen opposition parties had this month moved the Election Commission, urging the poll body to ask the government to present the 2017 Budget after the assembly elections are held in the five states of Goa, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Manipur and Goa. 
 
(This report first appeared in DNA)

An all-party meeting was held to seek the Opposition's support for the smooth conduct of proceedings in both the houses of the Parliament

Amid ongoing opposition from political parties regarding the Budget Session, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said at the all-party meet that the Parliament should function despite differences over certain issues during election time. Ahead of the Budget Session, an all-party meeting was held to seek the Opposition's support for the smooth conduct of proceedings in both the houses of the Parliament. A similar meeting has been convened by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan. The government also dismissed the Opposition's allegation that the advancement of the Budget Session would help the ruling party in upcoming assembly polls in the five states. Two days ago, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav had requested PM Modi to delay the budget, saying India's most populous state would be deprived of schemes which could have impact on 20 crore citizens and development of the state. Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said that the government should not advance the Budget Session as it would impact assembly polls. The Opposition also demanded another all-party meet before next part of the Budget Session is convened in March. Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress has issued a statement saying the party's MPs will not be present in Parliament on the first two days of the Budget Session in protest against demonetization which was implemented without taking the Parliament into confidence. "In the ensuing session, Trinamool will, among other issues, raise the issue of the illegal arrest of its Lok Sabha leader and another MP which is a clear case of political vendetta by the ruling party at the Centre by misusing CBI and abusing its power," Trinamool said in a statement. Sixteen opposition parties had this month moved the Election Commission, urging the poll body to ask the government to present the 2017 Budget after the assembly elections are held in the five states of Goa, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Manipur and Goa. (This report first appeared in DNA)

Parliament should function despite differences: PM to Opposition at all-party meet ahead of Budget Session

India Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday paid tribute&nbsp;to the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi on his 69th death anniversary.

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????? ???? ?? ????????? ?? ???? ??-?? ???...Tributes to beloved Bapu on his Punya Tithi.
&mdash; Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/825876496522698752">January 30, 2017</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

President Pranab Mukherjee, Vice-President Hamid Ansari and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will pay tributes to Bapu (father) at Rajghat in Delhi. An inter-religious prayer will also be organised to mark the day.

Later in the day, urban development minister Venkaiah Naidu will inaugurate improvement works at Gandhiji Samadhi.

On this day in 1948, Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated at a prayer meeting.&nbsp;

(ANI)

President Pranab Mukherjee and Vice-President Hamid Ansari will also pay their tributes to Bapu at Rajghat in Delhi today

India Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday paid tribute to the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi on his 69th death anniversary. ????? ???? ?? ????????? ?? ???? ??-?? ???...Tributes to beloved Bapu on his Punya Tithi. — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 30, 2017 × President Pranab Mukherjee, Vice-President Hamid Ansari and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will pay tributes to Bapu (father) at Rajghat in Delhi. An inter-religious prayer will also be organised to mark the day. Later in the day, urban development minister Venkaiah Naidu will inaugurate improvement works at Gandhiji Samadhi. On this day in 1948, Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated at a prayer meeting. (ANI)

Mahatma Gandhi's 69th death anniversary: Indian PM Modi pays tribute

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who inaugurated the four-day-long Vibrant Gujarat summit, was optimistic about the growth potential of &nbsp;the country&#39;s economy despite the global slowdown.&nbsp;

The prime minister said creating an enabling environment for business and attracting investments was&nbsp;his top priority. &quot;We have placed the highest emphasis on ease of doing business,&quot; he said. &quot;My government is strongly committed to continue the reform of the Indian economy.&quot;&nbsp;He also said the total FDI inflows since May 2014 had touched $130 billion, reflecting confidence of foreign investors in Indian economy.&nbsp;

He also emphasised the government&#39;s thrust towards the digitisation of the economy and implementing e-governance in a big way. &quot;Believe me, we are on a threshold of becoming the world&#39;s most digitised economy,&quot; an upbeat Modi said at the summit.

The prime minister also met several delegates from various nations, including CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, on the sidelines of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit held in Gandhinagar, the capital of Indian state Gujarat.

The summit, held once every two years, was launched in 2003 by PM Modi while he was chief minister of Gujarat.&nbsp;

Here are the highlights from PM Modi&#39;s speech:

<ul>
	<li>India has become the fastest growing major economy in the world: PM Modi</li>
	<li>Despite the global slow down we have registered excellent growth. India is a bright spot in the global economy: PM Modi</li>
	<li>My government is strongly committed to continue reforms of the Indian economy: PM Modi</li>
	<li>Have placed highest emphasis on ease of doing business: PM Modi</li>
	<li>It is our vision and mission to bring a paradigm shift in our policies and economy: PM Modi</li>
	<li>We are monitoring implementation of hundreds of action points across various sectors, aimed at improving the regulatory framework: PM Modi</li>
	<li>This is part of our promise of good governance: PM Modi</li>
	<li>We have become 6th largest manufacturing country in the world: PM Modi</li>
	<li>Every day, we are further rationalising our policies and procedures, to make it simple for businesses to establish and grow: PM Modi</li>
	<li>We have liberalised our FDI regime in many sectors and in various ways: PM Modi</li>
	<li>India is today among the most open economies: PM Modi</li>
	<li>&#39;Make in India&#39;&nbsp;has become the biggest brand that India ever had: PM Modi</li>
	<li>We are keen to promote tourism in a big way and this needs tourism infrastructure: PM Modi&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Believe me, we are on a threshold of becoming the world&#39;s most digitised economy: PM Modi</li>
	<li>In doing this, digital technology has played a key role. I often say that e-governance is easy and effective governance: PM Modi</li>
	<li>Over last two-and-a-half years, we&#39;ve also evolved a culture of healthy competition among states, being rated on parameters on good governance: PM Modi</li>
	<li>Gujarat, the land of Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, also represents the business spirit of India: PM&nbsp;Modi</li>
	<li>&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

(WION with inputs from agencies)

The prime minister was speaking at the ongoing Vibrant Gujarat summit in Gujarat capital Gandhinagar

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who inaugurated the four-day-long Vibrant Gujarat summit, was optimistic about the growth potential of the country's economy despite the global slowdown. The prime minister said creating an enabling environment for business and attracting investments was his top priority. "We have placed the highest emphasis on ease of doing business," he said. "My government is strongly committed to continue the reform of the Indian economy." He also said the total FDI inflows since May 2014 had touched $130 billion, reflecting confidence of foreign investors in Indian economy. He also emphasised the government's thrust towards the digitisation of the economy and implementing e-governance in a big way. "Believe me, we are on a threshold of becoming the world's most digitised economy," an upbeat Modi said at the summit. The prime minister also met several delegates from various nations, including CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, on the sidelines of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit held in Gandhinagar, the capital of Indian state Gujarat. The summit, held once every two years, was launched in 2003 by PM Modi while he was chief minister of Gujarat. Here are the highlights from PM Modi's speech: India has become the fastest growing major economy in the world: PM Modi Despite the global slow down we have registered excellent growth. India is a bright spot in the global economy: PM Modi My government is strongly committed to continue reforms of the Indian economy: PM Modi Have placed highest emphasis on ease of doing business: PM Modi It is our vision and mission to bring a paradigm shift in our policies and economy: PM Modi We are monitoring implementation of hundreds of action points across various sectors, aimed at improving the regulatory framework: PM Modi This is part of our promise of good governance: PM Modi We have become 6th largest manufacturing country in the world: PM Modi Every day, we are further rationalising our policies and procedures, to make it simple for businesses to establish and grow: PM Modi We have liberalised our FDI regime in many sectors and in various ways: PM Modi India is today among the most open economies: PM Modi 'Make in India' has become the biggest brand that India ever had: PM Modi We are keen to promote tourism in a big way and this needs tourism infrastructure: PM Modi Believe me, we are on a threshold of becoming the world's most digitised economy: PM Modi In doing this, digital technology has played a key role. I often say that e-governance is easy and effective governance: PM Modi Over last two-and-a-half years, we've also evolved a culture of healthy competition among states, being rated on parameters on good governance: PM Modi Gujarat, the land of Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, also represents the business spirit of India: PM Modi (WION with inputs from agencies)

India a bright spot in the global economy, fastest growing economy in world: PM Modi at summit

India&#39;s Prime Minister Narendra Modi today emphasised the role of the Indian diaspora in the development of the country and thanked them for supporting the Indian government in its steps against corruption and black money.

PM Modi, who was speaking at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, lauded&nbsp;overseas Indians for their role in the country&#39;s development. He&nbsp;said they had made an &quot;invaluable contribution&quot; to the Indian economy by investing over 69 billion US dollars by way of remittances.

&quot;We welcome all your efforts that seek to strengthen India&#39;s partnership with the overseas Indian community,&quot; he said.

&quot;For me, FDI has two definitions &mdash; one is &#39;Foreign Direct Investment&#39; and the other is &#39;First Develop India&#39;,&quot; the prime minister added. &quot;I can say with full confidence that 21st century belongs to India.&quot;

Modi also said engagement with overseas Indian community was a key area of priority for the government. &quot;We want to change brain drain to brain gain,&quot; the PM said. He said the government will soon launch a skill development programme, &quot;Pravasi Kaushal Vikas Yojna,&quot; for the Indian youth seeking employment abroad.

The prime minister also welcomed efforts of the Indian diaspora to strengthen the country&#39;s partnership with the overseas Indian community.&quot;We don&#39;t see the colour of the passports, but the relations written by blood which matter the most.&quot;&nbsp;

Modi said the Indian diaspora represented the best of Indian culture, ethos and values.

&quot;The true identity of this event is you, the overseas Indians. It is a matter of pride for us that you all are here to attend this. There are over 30 million overseas Indians living abroad. They are not just respected for their numbers, but for the contributions they make,&quot; he said.

&quot;They are role models for immigrants from other backgrounds and countries. They take our values and culture wherever they go. The Indian diaspora have contributed their best towards progress in that country,&quot; he added.

PM Modi said those terming the government&#39;s demonetisation move as anti-people&#39; were the &quot;political worshippers&quot; of graft and black money which were making the economy, polity and society hollow.

&quot;Friends you know we have undertaken a big responsibilty in fighting black money and corruption... Black money and corruption have gradually made our polity, economy, society and the country hollow.

&quot;It is unfortunate that there are some &quot;political worshippers&quot;&nbsp;(rajnaitik pujari) of black money who term our actions against it as anti-people,&quot; Modi said at the 14th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, an annual event to mark the contribution of the overseas Indians.

&quot;It is very saddening to see some black money supporters maligning the moves against corruption,&quot; he added.

The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas provides a platform to overseas Indians to engage with the government on issues of concern to the diaspora and to explore opportunities for investment in India. The event also provides an opportunity to overseas Indians to network with other overseas Indians residing in various parts of the world.

Modi also encouraged Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) to convert their PIO Cards into OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) cards.&quot;We have extended the deadline for PIO card conversions to OCI from 31 December 2016, until June 30, 2017 without any penalty,&quot; PM Modi said.&nbsp;

He also said that, starting with Mauritius, the government was working to put in place procedures so that descendants of various Indian communities could become eligible for OCI cards, by addressing the difficulties of PIOs in Fiji, Reunion Islands, Suriname, Guyana and other Caribbean States.

Noting that the Indian diaspora represented the best of Indian culture, ethos and values and was respected for its contributions, Modi said the welfare and safety of all Indians abroad was his government&#39;s &quot;top priority&quot;.

&quot;The security of Indian nationals abroad is of utmost importance to us...Security of all Indians abroad is top priority,&quot; he said.

More than 6,000 delegates from across the world registered for the event at India&#39;s IT capital.&nbsp;

The convention is being held biennially for the first time instead of earlier annual versions.&nbsp;

President Pranab Mukherjee will confer Pravasi Bharatiya Samman awards on January 9, the concluding day.

Vice-President of Suriname Michael Ashwin Satyandre Adhin was the special guest at the Youth PBD yesterday, in which he highlighted India&#39;s potential to be a &quot;Vishwa Guru&quot; (world leader) once again. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

Modi, who was speaking at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, said overseas Indians remitted $69 bn annually to the Indian economy

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi today emphasised the role of the Indian diaspora in the development of the country and thanked them for supporting the Indian government in its steps against corruption and black money. PM Modi, who was speaking at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, lauded overseas Indians for their role in the country's development. He said they had made an "invaluable contribution" to the Indian economy by investing over 69 billion US dollars by way of remittances. "We welcome all your efforts that seek to strengthen India's partnership with the overseas Indian community," he said. "For me, FDI has two definitions — one is 'Foreign Direct Investment' and the other is 'First Develop India'," the prime minister added. "I can say with full confidence that 21st century belongs to India." Modi also said engagement with overseas Indian community was a key area of priority for the government. "We want to change brain drain to brain gain," the PM said. He said the government will soon launch a skill development programme, "Pravasi Kaushal Vikas Yojna," for the Indian youth seeking employment abroad. The prime minister also welcomed efforts of the Indian diaspora to strengthen the country's partnership with the overseas Indian community."We don't see the colour of the passports, but the relations written by blood which matter the most." Modi said the Indian diaspora represented the best of Indian culture, ethos and values. "The true identity of this event is you, the overseas Indians. It is a matter of pride for us that you all are here to attend this. There are over 30 million overseas Indians living abroad. They are not just respected for their numbers, but for the contributions they make," he said. "They are role models for immigrants from other backgrounds and countries. They take our values and culture wherever they go. The Indian diaspora have contributed their best towards progress in that country," he added. PM Modi said those terming the government's demonetisation move as anti-people' were the "political worshippers" of graft and black money which were making the economy, polity and society hollow. "Friends you know we have undertaken a big responsibilty in fighting black money and corruption... Black money and corruption have gradually made our polity, economy, society and the country hollow. "It is unfortunate that there are some "political worshippers" (rajnaitik pujari) of black money who term our actions against it as anti-people," Modi said at the 14th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, an annual event to mark the contribution of the overseas Indians. "It is very saddening to see some black money supporters maligning the moves against corruption," he added. The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas provides a platform to overseas Indians to engage with the government on issues of concern to the diaspora and to explore opportunities for investment in India. The event also provides an opportunity to overseas Indians to network with other overseas Indians residing in various parts of the world. Modi also encouraged Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) to convert their PIO Cards into OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) cards."We have extended the deadline for PIO card conversions to OCI from 31 December 2016, until June 30, 2017 without any penalty," PM Modi said. He also said that, starting with Mauritius, the government was working to put in place procedures so that descendants of various Indian communities could become eligible for OCI cards, by addressing the difficulties of PIOs in Fiji, Reunion Islands, Suriname, Guyana and other Caribbean States. Noting that the Indian diaspora represented the best of Indian culture, ethos and values and was respected for its contributions, Modi said the welfare and safety of all Indians abroad was his government's "top priority". "The security of Indian nationals abroad is of utmost importance to us...Security of all Indians abroad is top priority," he said. More than 6,000 delegates from across the world registered for the event at India's IT capital. The convention is being held biennially for the first time instead of earlier annual versions. President Pranab Mukherjee will confer Pravasi Bharatiya Samman awards on January 9, the concluding day. Vice-President of Suriname Michael Ashwin Satyandre Adhin was the special guest at the Youth PBD yesterday, in which he highlighted India's potential to be a "Vishwa Guru" (world leader) once again. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Overseas Indians respected for contributions they make: PM Modi to Indian diaspora

India&#39;s Congress party vice president Rahul Gandhi and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee slammed prime minister Narendra Modi over demonetisation, saying it had failed to reduce corruption and arrest the laundering of black money.

The Congress vice-president slammed the Modi government for failing to tackle the problem of cash crunch following demonetisation and said the measure had only made things more miserable for the poor and had increased unemployment in the country. Calling demonetisation a &quot;mega scam,&quot; Mamata Banerjee said the Modi government had lost its credibility and become &quot;baseless&quot; and &quot;faceless&quot; in the name of cashlessness.

Here are the key points from their joint press conference:

<ul>
	<li>December 30 is about to come and the situation is the same. The motive of demonetisation has failed completely: Rahul Gandhi 
	&nbsp;</li>
	<li>PM should answer the nation, that was the real motive of demonetisation and what will he do for those affected by it: Rahul Gandhi 
	&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Demonetisation had no impact on corruption and black money. A new black market has emerged to convert black money into white: Rahul Gandhi 
	&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Modi had said good days (acche din) will come, is this his idea of good days : Mamata Banerjee 
	&nbsp;</li>
	<li>All opposition parties will make a common minimum agenda programme: Mamata Banerjee 
	&nbsp;</li>
	<li>The Modi government has become baseless and faceless in the name of cashlessness: Mamata Banerjee&nbsp; 
	&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Demonetisation is a mega scam and the biggest one after independence: Mamata Banerjee 
	&nbsp;</li>
	<li>They do whatever they feel like, federal structure has been totally destroyed. It is not an emergency, it is a super emergency: Mamata Banerjee 
	&nbsp;</li>
	<li>This is a fearless government, they do not care about anything: Mamata Banerjee 
	&nbsp;</li>
	<li>If things remain unresolved even after 50 days, will PM Modi take responsibility to resign as PM of the country?: Mamata Banerjee 
	&nbsp;</li>
	<li>This has sent the country 20 years back in time: Mamata Banerjee&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

 
(WION)

Rahul Gandhi alleged demonetisation had no impact on corruption and black money

India's Congress party vice president Rahul Gandhi and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee slammed prime minister Narendra Modi over demonetisation, saying it had failed to reduce corruption and arrest the laundering of black money. The Congress vice-president slammed the Modi government for failing to tackle the problem of cash crunch following demonetisation and said the measure had only made things more miserable for the poor and had increased unemployment in the country. Calling demonetisation a "mega scam," Mamata Banerjee said the Modi government had lost its credibility and become "baseless" and "faceless" in the name of cashlessness. Here are the key points from their joint press conference: December 30 is about to come and the situation is the same. The motive of demonetisation has failed completely: Rahul Gandhi PM should answer the nation, that was the real motive of demonetisation and what will he do for those affected by it: Rahul Gandhi Demonetisation had no impact on corruption and black money. A new black market has emerged to convert black money into white: Rahul Gandhi Modi had said good days (acche din) will come, is this his idea of good days : Mamata Banerjee All opposition parties will make a common minimum agenda programme: Mamata Banerjee The Modi government has become baseless and faceless in the name of cashlessness: Mamata Banerjee Demonetisation is a mega scam and the biggest one after independence: Mamata Banerjee They do whatever they feel like, federal structure has been totally destroyed. It is not an emergency, it is a super emergency: Mamata Banerjee This is a fearless government, they do not care about anything: Mamata Banerjee If things remain unresolved even after 50 days, will PM Modi take responsibility to resign as PM of the country?: Mamata Banerjee This has sent the country 20 years back in time: Mamata Banerjee (WION)

Demonetisation has failed: Rahul Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee slam PM Modi's initiative

Vowing to carry forward the war against corruption and black money post-demonetisation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said the government would soon operationalise a strong law to effectively deal with &#39;benami&#39; properties and this was just the beginning.

Making his last monthly address this year in his &quot;Mann ki Baat&quot; programme, the prime minister defended the frequent changes in the rules of demonetisation, saying these have been done to reduce the people&#39;s problems and defeat such forces who are out to thwart his government&#39;s fight against black money and corruption.

Modi sought the cooperation of public in making the &quot;war on corruption&quot; a success and said the wrongdoings of some are being caught only with the support of common people who are coming forward with concrete information about hoarders.

&quot;I assure you that this is not the end. This is just the beginning in our fight against corruption. We have to win this war against corruption and black money. There is no question of stopping or going back in this fight,&quot; he said.

The prime minister also lamented the logjam in Parliament that evoked displeasure from the president and the vice president besides all-round public indignation and ire, saying he wanted a good discussion on this campaign as well as on political funding, had both Houses run properly.

He said some people who are spreading rumours that political parties enjoy all concessions and exemptions &quot;are wrong and all are equal before law&quot; and they have to abide by it.

&quot;It was my earnest wish that the ongoing campaign against corruption and black money, including the realm of political parties and political funding, be discussed extensively in the Parliament. Had the House functioned properly, there would have been comprehensive deliberation.

&quot;Some people are spreading rumours that political parties enjoy all kinds of concessions. These people are absolutely in the wrong. The law applies equally to all. Whether it is an individual, an organisation or a political party, everyone has to abide by law and one will have to,&quot; he said, adding that people who cannot endorse corruption and black money openly resort to searching for faults of the government relentlessly.

Giving a push to his plea for cashless economy, Modi also launched two new schemes for traders and customers that will dole out 15,000 prizes every day to those making digital transactions. 
 
(PTI) 
&nbsp;

Modi also defended the frequent changes in the rules of demonetisation, saying these had been done to reduce people's problems

Vowing to carry forward the war against corruption and black money post-demonetisation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said the government would soon operationalise a strong law to effectively deal with 'benami' properties and this was just the beginning. Making his last monthly address this year in his "Mann ki Baat" programme, the prime minister defended the frequent changes in the rules of demonetisation, saying these have been done to reduce the people's problems and defeat such forces who are out to thwart his government's fight against black money and corruption. Modi sought the cooperation of public in making the "war on corruption" a success and said the wrongdoings of some are being caught only with the support of common people who are coming forward with concrete information about hoarders. "I assure you that this is not the end. This is just the beginning in our fight against corruption. We have to win this war against corruption and black money. There is no question of stopping or going back in this fight," he said. The prime minister also lamented the logjam in Parliament that evoked displeasure from the president and the vice president besides all-round public indignation and ire, saying he wanted a good discussion on this campaign as well as on political funding, had both Houses run properly. He said some people who are spreading rumours that political parties enjoy all concessions and exemptions "are wrong and all are equal before law" and they have to abide by it. "It was my earnest wish that the ongoing campaign against corruption and black money, including the realm of political parties and political funding, be discussed extensively in the Parliament. Had the House functioned properly, there would have been comprehensive deliberation. "Some people are spreading rumours that political parties enjoy all kinds of concessions. These people are absolutely in the wrong. The law applies equally to all. Whether it is an individual, an organisation or a political party, everyone has to abide by law and one will have to," he said, adding that people who cannot endorse corruption and black money openly resort to searching for faults of the government relentlessly. Giving a push to his plea for cashless economy, Modi also launched two new schemes for traders and customers that will dole out 15,000 prizes every day to those making digital transactions. (PTI)

PM Modi vows strong law against fictitious properties soon

PM Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated a new campus of Sebi-run National Institute of Securities Markets (NISM) at Patalganga in neighbouring Raigad district near Mumbai, and said that he will not shy away from taking difficult decisions if they are in the country&#39;s interest.

Addressing a gathering, Modi said that demonetisation is a short-term pain, but it will benefit in long-term.

Stating that the government is very keen to encourage start-ups and stock markets are essential for the start-up ecosystem, Modi added,&quot;Our markets should show that they are able to successfully raise capital for projects benefiting the vast majority of our population.&quot;

Here are the 12 things PM Modi said during his address:

<ul>
	<li>This is time of slowdown in global economy; India is being seen as a bright spot with growth projected to be highest in world.</li>
	<li>India&rsquo;s place as the fastest growing large economy has not come about by accident.</li>
	<li>In less than 3 years, government has transformed economy, cut fiscal deficit, CAD; foreign exchange reserves have grown, inflation is lower.</li>
	<li>Long awaited GST will soon be a reality; FDI is at record levels.</li>
	<li>Financial markets can play an important role in the modern economy. However history has shown that financial markets can also do damage if not properly regulated.</li>
	<li>Government will continue to follow sound and prudent economic policies. We will not take decisions for short-term political point scoring.</li>
	<li>Will not shy away from taking difficult decisions if they are in country&#39;s interest.</li>
	<li>Demonetisation is a short-term pain, but will benefit in long-term.</li>
	<li>My aim is to make India a developed country in one generation.</li>
	<li>India has earned a good name for its well regulated securities markets.</li>
	<li>Government is very keen to encourage start-ups. Stock markets are essential for the start-up ecosystem.</li>
	<li>Stock markets should help in raising capital for productive purpose; bond market must become source of long-term infra finance.</li>
</ul>

(This report was first published in DNA)

Modi also said he would not hesitate in taking difficult decisions if they are in the country's interest.

PM Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated a new campus of Sebi-run National Institute of Securities Markets (NISM) at Patalganga in neighbouring Raigad district near Mumbai, and said that he will not shy away from taking difficult decisions if they are in the country's interest. Addressing a gathering, Modi said that demonetisation is a short-term pain, but it will benefit in long-term. Stating that the government is very keen to encourage start-ups and stock markets are essential for the start-up ecosystem, Modi added,"Our markets should show that they are able to successfully raise capital for projects benefiting the vast majority of our population." Here are the 12 things PM Modi said during his address: This is time of slowdown in global economy; India is being seen as a bright spot with growth projected to be highest in world. India’s place as the fastest growing large economy has not come about by accident. In less than 3 years, government has transformed economy, cut fiscal deficit, CAD; foreign exchange reserves have grown, inflation is lower. Long awaited GST will soon be a reality; FDI is at record levels. Financial markets can play an important role in the modern economy. However history has shown that financial markets can also do damage if not properly regulated. Government will continue to follow sound and prudent economic policies. We will not take decisions for short-term political point scoring. Will not shy away from taking difficult decisions if they are in country's interest. Demonetisation is a short-term pain, but will benefit in long-term. My aim is to make India a developed country in one generation. India has earned a good name for its well regulated securities markets. Government is very keen to encourage start-ups. Stock markets are essential for the start-up ecosystem. Stock markets should help in raising capital for productive purpose; bond market must become source of long-term infra finance. (This report was first published in DNA)

Demonetisation short-term pain, will benefit in the long term : PM Modi

The meeting of various opposition parties on the Parliament premises on Friday concluded, with opposition leaders demanding Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s apology in the Rajya Sabha.

The opposition leaders, however, said they were ready for a discussion on the demonetisation issue in the Lok Sabha, but that must be&nbsp;followed by a vote. Bedlam in both Houses of Parliament continued even on Thursday with the Opposition demanding Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s presence in the Rajya Sabha;&nbsp;a pre-condition to hold debate on the demonetisation issue.

Opposition MPs, especially the Congress, sought an apology referring to the Prime Minister&#39;s recent remarks defending the demonetisation. They alleged that Prime Minister has remarked that the opposition parties support black money hoarders, which was protested by BJP members, who stood up and protested against the opposition&#39;s contention of apology.

Meanwhile, accusing the Congress Party of stalling the proceedings in parliament for 16 days, parliamentary affairs minister Ananth Kumar on Friday appealed to the Congress and other opposition parties to rise above politics and get ready for a discussion in the House as the government is ready to answer their question.

&quot;I, once again, appeal to the Congress and other opposition parties to rise above politics and get ready for a discussion in the House as we are ready to answer. The Prime Minister will also intervene and answer. And, at the end, the finance minister will also give reply in both Houses,&quot; Ananth Kumar told ANI.

(ANI)&nbsp;

Bedlam in both Houses of Parliament continued even on Thursday with the Opposition demanding Modi's presence in the Rajya Sabha

The meeting of various opposition parties on the Parliament premises on Friday concluded, with opposition leaders demanding Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's apology in the Rajya Sabha. The opposition leaders, however, said they were ready for a discussion on the demonetisation issue in the Lok Sabha, but that must be followed by a vote. Bedlam in both Houses of Parliament continued even on Thursday with the Opposition demanding Prime Minister Narendra Modi's presence in the Rajya Sabha; a pre-condition to hold debate on the demonetisation issue. Opposition MPs, especially the Congress, sought an apology referring to the Prime Minister's recent remarks defending the demonetisation. They alleged that Prime Minister has remarked that the opposition parties support black money hoarders, which was protested by BJP members, who stood up and protested against the opposition's contention of apology. Meanwhile, accusing the Congress Party of stalling the proceedings in parliament for 16 days, parliamentary affairs minister Ananth Kumar on Friday appealed to the Congress and other opposition parties to rise above politics and get ready for a discussion in the House as the government is ready to answer their question. "I, once again, appeal to the Congress and other opposition parties to rise above politics and get ready for a discussion in the House as we are ready to answer. The Prime Minister will also intervene and answer. And, at the end, the finance minister will also give reply in both Houses," Ananth Kumar told ANI. (ANI)

Demonetisation: Opposition demands Prime Minister's apology, ready for debate in lower house if it comes with voting

For the 11th consecutive day, opposition parties stalled India&#39;s Parliament today, even while Prime Minister Narendra Modi was present in the upper house, Rajya Sabha.&nbsp;Members of Parliament have been demanding the resumption of debate on demonetisation.

Changing stance, the opposition demanded an apology from the Prime Minister for his remarks against those opposing demonetisation, and resorted to noisy protest when the demand was rejected.

During the first half of the day, Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha MPs expressed their concern over the way the commercial plane carrying West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee was kept hovering for a long time while landing at Kolkata airport last night. Banerjee said the aircraft was low on fuel.&nbsp;The government said the incident will be probed.

Starting off the question hour, leader of opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said that while the Prime Minister has been addressing his party MPs in Parliament House and even speaking outside, the opposition parties have been demanding his presence during the debate on demonetisation issue.

Modi sat through the question hour on a day which had&nbsp;questions listed against his name. Subsequently, he was present in the post-lunch session at 2 pm as well.

&quot;We had been demanding for last 15 days (presence of PM). ...We are against blackmoney. We want to speak on this issue but with whom? Our anguish is that the Prime Minister is holding weekly meetings with his MPs in Parliament House. He is also speaking outside. Our demand is that the Prime Minister should be here and listen to us,&quot; Azad said.

When the senior Congress leader also alleged that the PM had remarked that ppposition parties support blackmoney-holders and said it was a &quot;big allegation&quot;, Bharatiya Janata Party members protested the remark.

Law and IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and urban development minister M Venkaiah Naidu insisted that the House should continue with the debate on demonetisation, which started on November 16, the first day of the winter session.

Ansari also said that the debate has not been concluded and called the listed speaker, A U Singh Deo of Biju Janata Dal&nbsp;to start.

Sharad Yadav of Janata Dal (United) also demanded that the Prime Minister be present in the House through the discussion.

&quot;Why are you assuming that he (PM) will not participate?&quot; Ansari asked Yadav.

As Singh Deo rose to speak on demonetisation, Congress members started raising slogans like &quot;Pradhan Mantri Mafi Maango (PM should apologise)&quot; from the aisles.

The House was adjourned for 15 minutes amid the din.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from PTI)

 
&nbsp;

The opposition MPs asked Modi to apologise for his remarks that targeted those opposing demonetisation

For the 11th consecutive day, opposition parties stalled India's Parliament today, even while Prime Minister Narendra Modi was present in the upper house, Rajya Sabha. Members of Parliament have been demanding the resumption of debate on demonetisation. Changing stance, the opposition demanded an apology from the Prime Minister for his remarks against those opposing demonetisation, and resorted to noisy protest when the demand was rejected. During the first half of the day, Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha MPs expressed their concern over the way the commercial plane carrying West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee was kept hovering for a long time while landing at Kolkata airport last night. Banerjee said the aircraft was low on fuel. The government said the incident will be probed. Starting off the question hour, leader of opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said that while the Prime Minister has been addressing his party MPs in Parliament House and even speaking outside, the opposition parties have been demanding his presence during the debate on demonetisation issue. Modi sat through the question hour on a day which had questions listed against his name. Subsequently, he was present in the post-lunch session at 2 pm as well. "We had been demanding for last 15 days (presence of PM). ...We are against blackmoney. We want to speak on this issue but with whom? Our anguish is that the Prime Minister is holding weekly meetings with his MPs in Parliament House. He is also speaking outside. Our demand is that the Prime Minister should be here and listen to us," Azad said. When the senior Congress leader also alleged that the PM had remarked that ppposition parties support blackmoney-holders and said it was a "big allegation", Bharatiya Janata Party members protested the remark. Law and IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and urban development minister M Venkaiah Naidu insisted that the House should continue with the debate on demonetisation, which started on November 16, the first day of the winter session. Ansari also said that the debate has not been concluded and called the listed speaker, A U Singh Deo of Biju Janata Dal to start. Sharad Yadav of Janata Dal (United) also demanded that the Prime Minister be present in the House through the discussion. "Why are you assuming that he (PM) will not participate?" Ansari asked Yadav. As Singh Deo rose to speak on demonetisation, Congress members started raising slogans like "Pradhan Mantri Mafi Maango (PM should apologise)" from the aisles. The House was adjourned for 15 minutes amid the din. (WION with inputs from PTI)

Opposition stalls India's Parliament even with PM Modi present

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee today threatened to demonstrate outside Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s residence against demonetisation, vowing to dislodge him from the seat of power if the scrapping of high-value currency notes is not withdrawn.

&quot;The entire country is suffering. There is no money in banks, ATMS. So far 80 people have died due to the hardships caused by demonetisation. But Narendra Modi is having a sound sleep and giving lectures on taking the country towards cashless economy,&quot; she told a rally in Kolkata.

&quot;Most of the people in rural areas do not have bank accounts. How will they cope up with this situation?&quot; Banerjee said after her protest march from College Square to Esplanade.

Continuing her tirade against Modi, Banerjee said she would fight till the end against the &quot;anti-people&quot; decision which has imposed an &quot;undeclared financial emergency&quot; in the country.

&quot;I will not stop until and unless this decision is rolled back. I had also given solutions on how to cope with this situation. But they (Centre) did not accept it.

&quot;Whoever opposes him, he will send CBI, ED, Income Tax after them to muzzle their voices. But he can&#39;t muzzle my voice. I will again go to Delhi and raise my voice, take out protest march and if needed I will demonstrate in front of Modi&#39;s house...I will not stop until and unless he is out of power,&quot; Banerjee said.

The TMC supremo along with Trinamool Congress leaders and activists led a massive rally in the heart of Kolkata.

She lauded intellectuals for playing a vital role in protesting against the &quot;anti-people&quot; decision.

Banerjee herself raised slogans like &quot;Modi sarkar hai hai&quot; and &quot;Tanashahi nahi chalegi&quot;.&nbsp;

She is also scheduled to address a meeting in Lucknow on November 29 and in Patna the next day.

&quot;Although I don&#39;t have enough strength in Lucknow but I believe common people are with me,&quot; Banerjee&nbsp;said.

&quot;The Prime Minister is threatening other parties who are raising their voice on demonetisation. What more can you do apart from throwing us in jails? There should be a plan of action on demonetisation.&quot;

&quot;What will people eat if they don&#39;t have money? Will they eat debit cards or mobiles?&quot; the TMC chief said.

Banerjee also advised the Left parties, who have called a 12-hour statewide strike on the issue, to refrain from calling strikes as it creates an adverse impact on the economy.

&quot;Why are you calling strikes? If you want to protest why don&#39;t you hit the streets and give slogans against the Modi government? Strikes and bandhs don&#39;t serve any purpose,&quot; she added.

(PTI)

'I will not stop until and unless this decision is rolled back,' Banerjee said at a massive rally in the heart of Kolkata

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee today threatened to demonstrate outside Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence against demonetisation, vowing to dislodge him from the seat of power if the scrapping of high-value currency notes is not withdrawn. "The entire country is suffering. There is no money in banks, ATMS. So far 80 people have died due to the hardships caused by demonetisation. But Narendra Modi is having a sound sleep and giving lectures on taking the country towards cashless economy," she told a rally in Kolkata. "Most of the people in rural areas do not have bank accounts. How will they cope up with this situation?" Banerjee said after her protest march from College Square to Esplanade. Continuing her tirade against Modi, Banerjee said she would fight till the end against the "anti-people" decision which has imposed an "undeclared financial emergency" in the country. "I will not stop until and unless this decision is rolled back. I had also given solutions on how to cope with this situation. But they (Centre) did not accept it. "Whoever opposes him, he will send CBI, ED, Income Tax after them to muzzle their voices. But he can't muzzle my voice. I will again go to Delhi and raise my voice, take out protest march and if needed I will demonstrate in front of Modi's house...I will not stop until and unless he is out of power," Banerjee said. The TMC supremo along with Trinamool Congress leaders and activists led a massive rally in the heart of Kolkata. She lauded intellectuals for playing a vital role in protesting against the "anti-people" decision. Banerjee herself raised slogans like "Modi sarkar hai hai" and "Tanashahi nahi chalegi". She is also scheduled to address a meeting in Lucknow on November 29 and in Patna the next day. "Although I don't have enough strength in Lucknow but I believe common people are with me," Banerjee said. "The Prime Minister is threatening other parties who are raising their voice on demonetisation. What more can you do apart from throwing us in jails? There should be a plan of action on demonetisation." "What will people eat if they don't have money? Will they eat debit cards or mobiles?" the TMC chief said. Banerjee also advised the Left parties, who have called a 12-hour statewide strike on the issue, to refrain from calling strikes as it creates an adverse impact on the economy. "Why are you calling strikes? If you want to protest why don't you hit the streets and give slogans against the Modi government? Strikes and bandhs don't serve any purpose," she added. (PTI)

Demonetisation: Mamata Banerjee threatens to demonstrate outside PM Modi's residence

Three suspected Al-Qaeda operatives were arrested on Monday by India&rsquo;s National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Madurai in India&rsquo;s southern state of Tamil Nadu.

The three were allegedly planning to attack Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with 22 top leaders of India, police said.

Those arrested were identified as M Khareem, Asif Sultan Mohammed and Abbas Ali, PTI reported.

While Khareem was arrested from Usmannagar, Asif Sultan Mohammed was picked up from GR Nagar and Abbas Ali from Ismailpuram, police said.

Police said NIA raided several places on specific information that suspected Al-Qaeda activists were operating from South Tamil Nadu in and around Madurai. &ldquo;Explosive materials and arms have been seized from them,&rdquo; police said.

NIA is searching for two other suspected Al-Qaeda operatives, Hakeem and Dawood Sulaiman.

(WION with inputs from PTI)

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Police said the three allegedly planned to attack 22 top leaders of India

Three suspected Al-Qaeda operatives were arrested on Monday by India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Madurai in India’s southern state of Tamil Nadu. The three were allegedly planning to attack Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with 22 top leaders of India, police said. Those arrested were identified as M Khareem, Asif Sultan Mohammed and Abbas Ali, PTI reported. While Khareem was arrested from Usmannagar, Asif Sultan Mohammed was picked up from GR Nagar and Abbas Ali from Ismailpuram, police said. Police said NIA raided several places on specific information that suspected Al-Qaeda activists were operating from South Tamil Nadu in and around Madurai. “Explosive materials and arms have been seized from them,” police said. NIA is searching for two other suspected Al-Qaeda operatives, Hakeem and Dawood Sulaiman. (WION with inputs from PTI)

Three suspected Al-Qaeda operatives planning to kill 22 top leaders including Indian PM Narendra Modi arrested

India&#39;s Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday launched a flagship housing scheme aimed at providing affordable housing to the poor from Agra.

Called the &quot;Pradhan Mantri Gramin Awas Yojna&quot;, the scheme aims at providing houses to all people in rural areas by 2022.&nbsp;

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We want every Indian to have a house by 2022: PM Narendra Modi in Agra (Uttar Pradesh) <a href="https://t.co/CvpXMkYXwh">pic.twitter.com/CvpXMkYXwh</a>
&mdash; ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/800287453344985088">November 20, 2016</a></blockquote>
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The prime minister also said the scheme would generate employment in the rural areas, especially in the construction sector. Youth would be given training for building houses for the dual purpose of providing employment and building houses.&nbsp;

The houses would also be provided with free gas and electricity connections, PM Modi said while launching the scheme in Agra.

A similar scheme for the urban poor, Pradhan Mantri Shahri Awas Yojna, was launched in 2015. Uttar Pradesh goes to polls next year in January. 
 
(WION) 
&nbsp;

Called the ?Pradhan Mantri Gramin Awas Yojna?, the scheme aims at providing houses to all people in rural areas by 2022

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday launched a flagship housing scheme aimed at providing affordable housing to the poor from Agra. Called the "Pradhan Mantri Gramin Awas Yojna", the scheme aims at providing houses to all people in rural areas by 2022. We want every Indian to have a house by 2022: PM Narendra Modi in Agra (Uttar Pradesh) pic.twitter.com/CvpXMkYXwh — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) November 20, 2016 × The prime minister also said the scheme would generate employment in the rural areas, especially in the construction sector. Youth would be given training for building houses for the dual purpose of providing employment and building houses. The houses would also be provided with free gas and electricity connections, PM Modi said while launching the scheme in Agra. A similar scheme for the urban poor, Pradhan Mantri Shahri Awas Yojna, was launched in 2015. Uttar Pradesh goes to polls next year in January. (WION)

PM Modi launches flagship housing scheme for rural India

A united opposition&#39;s demand for a debate on demonetisation under a rule which entails voting today forced the adjournment of India&#39;s Lower House (Lok Sabha) for the day after the government refused to accede to their request.

The Upper House (Rajya Sabha) was also adjourned after opposition parties - led by the Congress -&nbsp;protested&nbsp;the hardship faced by the people after the Indian government decided to demonetise Rs 500 and Rs 1000 bank notes.

Parliamentarians also insisted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi be present during the discussion.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar told the Lok Sabha the government was willing to debate the issue under a rule which did not entail voting (Rule 193) since it wanted Parliament to have a united stand on the issue.

He also said people were with the government on the issue. &quot;They want black money, fake currency... To be finished. We want cooperation from you. We are ready to discuss. We do not want two voices to emerge from Parliament,&quot; he said.

Speaker Sumitra Mahajan adjourned proceedings for the day after the opposition, including the TMC, Congress, the Left, SP and RJD, refused to budge and marched into the Well of the House.

TMC leader Sudip Bandhyopadhyay, Leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, AND RJD&#39;s Jai Prakash Narayan Yadav led the demand for an adjournment motion.

&quot;We all want a discussion under the Rule 56 so that we can know what is the stand of all parties when they vote. Then everyone will participate,&quot; Kharge said.

He said his party wanted to discuss the &quot;hardship being faced by the people&quot; and the government&#39;s failure to redress the plight.&quot;&nbsp;

Sudip Bandhopadhyay said opposition parties were together. &quot;We are in a mood to censure the government.&quot;

In the Rajya Sabha,&nbsp;pandemonium erupted after TMC&#39;&#39;s Derek O&#39;Brien asked where the prime minister was when the House discusses hardships and inconvience caused by the decision to withdraw the 500 and 1000 rupee notes.

&quot;The person who made the (demonetisation) announcement at 8 o&#39;clock on November 8, where is he,&quot; he said.

(WION with &nbsp;inputs from agencies)

The opposition demanded a response from PM Modi about the hardship caused to people by demonetisation of Rs 500, Rs 1000 notes

A united opposition's demand for a debate on demonetisation under a rule which entails voting today forced the adjournment of India's Lower House (Lok Sabha) for the day after the government refused to accede to their request. The Upper House (Rajya Sabha) was also adjourned after opposition parties - led by the Congress - protested the hardship faced by the people after the Indian government decided to demonetise Rs 500 and Rs 1000 bank notes. Parliamentarians also insisted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi be present during the discussion. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar told the Lok Sabha the government was willing to debate the issue under a rule which did not entail voting (Rule 193) since it wanted Parliament to have a united stand on the issue. He also said people were with the government on the issue. "They want black money, fake currency... To be finished. We want cooperation from you. We are ready to discuss. We do not want two voices to emerge from Parliament," he said. Speaker Sumitra Mahajan adjourned proceedings for the day after the opposition, including the TMC, Congress, the Left, SP and RJD, refused to budge and marched into the Well of the House. TMC leader Sudip Bandhyopadhyay, Leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, AND RJD's Jai Prakash Narayan Yadav led the demand for an adjournment motion. "We all want a discussion under the Rule 56 so that we can know what is the stand of all parties when they vote. Then everyone will participate," Kharge said. He said his party wanted to discuss the "hardship being faced by the people" and the government's failure to redress the plight." Sudip Bandhopadhyay said opposition parties were together. "We are in a mood to censure the government." In the Rajya Sabha, pandemonium erupted after TMC''s Derek O'Brien asked where the prime minister was when the House discusses hardships and inconvience caused by the decision to withdraw the 500 and 1000 rupee notes. "The person who made the (demonetisation) announcement at 8 o'clock on November 8, where is he," he said. (WION with inputs from agencies)

India: Both Houses of Parliament adjourned after demonetisation uproar

India and Israel today agreed to bolster their already close defence partnership and to increase cooperation in combating &quot;extremism and radicalisation&quot;, urging the international community to act tough against terror networks and states harbouring terrorists.

India&#39;s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, who is on his first visit to India, also agreed to deepen their cooperation in the spheres of trade and investment, agriculture, water resources management and cyber crime, news agency PTI reported.

Rivlin, who is the first Israeli President to visit India in two decades, said his country is ready to &quot;make in India and make with India&quot;. He also hoped Modi will visit Israel soon.

&quot;We recognise that terrorism is a global challenge, knows no boundaries and has extensive links with other forms of organised crime,&quot; PM Modi told the press.

In an obvious reference to Pakistan, Modi said, &quot;Regrettably, one of the countries of its origin and spread is in India&#39;s neighbourhood. &quot;We agreed that the international community must act with resolve and determination against terror networks and States that harbour them. Failure to act and silence of speech only encourages the terrorists.&quot;

The Israeli president concurred, saying, &quot;We stand together in defending our people and our values.&quot;

India is Israel&#39;s largest buyer of military hardware and has received various weapons systems, missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles from it over the last few years. However, transactions have largely remained behind the curtains.

PM Modi said both sides had agreed to make their defence partnership &quot;more broad-based&quot; through production and manufacturing partnerships and that Rivlin&#39;s visit had given a &quot;crucial push&quot; to efforts to further strengthen bilateral ties.

He also said the two sides agreed to prioritise &quot;practical and specific engagement in the cyber domain.&quot;

Referring to Israel&#39;s expertise in micro-irrigation in drought-prone areas, the Prime Minister said and water management and conservation, and collaboration in scientific research were identified as areas for priority engagement.

&quot;Make in India and make with India&quot;&nbsp;

PM Modi said both sides agreed that India&#39;s economy offered the scope for many promising opportunities for Israeli companies to collaborate in India&#39;s flagship schemes like Make in India, Digital India, Skill India, and Smart Cities, PTI reported.

&quot;Indian and Israeli companies can also work together in high-technology manufacturing, and services sectors. Make in India and as President Rivlin told me in our discussion, Make with India can generate jobs and benefit both geographies. Our partnership can generate jobs and benefit both geographies,&quot; he said.

India&#39;s bid for UN security council membership

Modi said India was also grateful to Israel for its &quot;clear support&quot; to India&#39;s bid for permanent membership in a reformed UN Security Council.

The prime minister also spoke about the strong people-to-people ties between the two countries. He said the 2000-year old Jewish community in India represented a thriving link to this past and that the people were the &quot;biggest strength and the biggest beneficiaries&quot; of the strong Indo-Israel partnership.

&quot;Two-and-a-half decades of our friendship has brought rich dividends for both our nations. It has also strengthened voices of peace, stability and democracy globally. Your visit provides an opportunity to break new ground and shape new contours of our partnership,&quot; Modi said.

Modi may visit Tel Aviv in first part of 2017 which will be 25th year of formal diplomatic ties between the two countries, PTI reported.&nbsp;

Though it had recognised Israel in 1950, India established full diplomatic relations with the country in 1992.&nbsp;

&quot;As we approach this big milestone, we are both committed to advance our engagement on several fronts. And, build on convergences and commonalities in our interests and concerns on regional and global issues,&quot; Modi said.

Rivlin, who arrived here yesterday, was given a ceremonial reception at the President House (Rashtrapati Bhavan) earlier in the day. He also visited Raj Ghat and paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from PTI)

The Israeli president is on a seven-day visit to India

India and Israel today agreed to bolster their already close defence partnership and to increase cooperation in combating "extremism and radicalisation", urging the international community to act tough against terror networks and states harbouring terrorists. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, who is on his first visit to India, also agreed to deepen their cooperation in the spheres of trade and investment, agriculture, water resources management and cyber crime, news agency PTI reported. Rivlin, who is the first Israeli President to visit India in two decades, said his country is ready to "make in India and make with India". He also hoped Modi will visit Israel soon. "We recognise that terrorism is a global challenge, knows no boundaries and has extensive links with other forms of organised crime," PM Modi told the press. In an obvious reference to Pakistan, Modi said, "Regrettably, one of the countries of its origin and spread is in India's neighbourhood. "We agreed that the international community must act with resolve and determination against terror networks and States that harbour them. Failure to act and silence of speech only encourages the terrorists." The Israeli president concurred, saying, "We stand together in defending our people and our values." India is Israel's largest buyer of military hardware and has received various weapons systems, missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles from it over the last few years. However, transactions have largely remained behind the curtains. PM Modi said both sides had agreed to make their defence partnership "more broad-based" through production and manufacturing partnerships and that Rivlin's visit had given a "crucial push" to efforts to further strengthen bilateral ties. He also said the two sides agreed to prioritise "practical and specific engagement in the cyber domain." Referring to Israel's expertise in micro-irrigation in drought-prone areas, the Prime Minister said and water management and conservation, and collaboration in scientific research were identified as areas for priority engagement. "Make in India and make with India" PM Modi said both sides agreed that India's economy offered the scope for many promising opportunities for Israeli companies to collaborate in India's flagship schemes like Make in India, Digital India, Skill India, and Smart Cities, PTI reported. "Indian and Israeli companies can also work together in high-technology manufacturing, and services sectors. Make in India and as President Rivlin told me in our discussion, Make with India can generate jobs and benefit both geographies. Our partnership can generate jobs and benefit both geographies," he said. India's bid for UN security council membership Modi said India was also grateful to Israel for its "clear support" to India's bid for permanent membership in a reformed UN Security Council. The prime minister also spoke about the strong people-to-people ties between the two countries. He said the 2000-year old Jewish community in India represented a thriving link to this past and that the people were the "biggest strength and the biggest beneficiaries" of the strong Indo-Israel partnership. "Two-and-a-half decades of our friendship has brought rich dividends for both our nations. It has also strengthened voices of peace, stability and democracy globally. Your visit provides an opportunity to break new ground and shape new contours of our partnership," Modi said. Modi may visit Tel Aviv in first part of 2017 which will be 25th year of formal diplomatic ties between the two countries, PTI reported. Though it had recognised Israel in 1950, India established full diplomatic relations with the country in 1992. "As we approach this big milestone, we are both committed to advance our engagement on several fronts. And, build on convergences and commonalities in our interests and concerns on regional and global issues," Modi said. Rivlin, who arrived here yesterday, was given a ceremonial reception at the President House (Rashtrapati Bhavan) earlier in the day. He also visited Raj Ghat and paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi. (WION with inputs from PTI)

India, Israel agree to act tough against terrorist networks, co-operate in trade and investment

Last week, when India&#39;s central bank ordered banks to issue more 100 rupee notes, no one had a clue that it was a precursor to one of Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s boldest economic announcements - the sudden withdrawal of 500 and 1,000 rupee notes ($7.50, $15) from circulation.

It now emerges that the assault against black money was carefully planned over six months by a coterie of PM Modi&#39;s advisors sworn to secrecy, AFP reports. Only a handful of India&#39;s 1.25 billion people - finance minister Arun Jaitley, Reserve Bank of India governor and a few close officials --- were in the loop until the very last minute, AFP quotes Indian media as saying.

Behind-the-scenes: How the operation played out

The Times of India reported that many of Modi&#39;s ministers were only briefed on the plan at a cabinet meeting in New Delhi just before he addressed the nation. They were then not allowed to leave until he had finished his speech to prevent any unwanted leak.

Meanwhile, in India&#39;s commercial capital of Mumbai, RBI&#39;s bank heads had been called to the central bank in the morning to receive a locked currency chest which they were told contained notes of the new 2,000 rupee denomination.&nbsp;The chests were standard procedure for the issuing of new notes, a spokesperson for the RBI told AFP.

The RBI heads were under strict instructions not to open the chest or speak about it until later that night, a report in Mint newspaper says. It was only when they opened it, as Modi was speaking, that they learnt about the new 500 note.

With the glare of the world on the US election, Modi chose to deliver his bombshell announcement in a rare address to the nation barely three hours before the order to close banks and ATMs came into force. People scrambled to withdraw Rs 100 &nbsp;notes to meet the midnight deadline set by the RBI.

Once the queues had trudged away from the millions of ATMs around the country with now precious 100 rupee bills, the task began of refilling the machines with the new currency. Trucks laden with cash started delivering the notes across the country.

&quot;If secrecy had failed people would have invested most of their cash in Hawala rackets, gold or real estate before the announcement, worsening the black money issue,&quot; Paras Savla of Mumbai-based investment management firm KPB &amp; Associates told AFP.

RBI chief Urjit Patel has said production of the new notes had been &quot;ramped up&quot; to meet requirements but Pradip Shah, who helped set up India&#39;s HDFC bank, said it would be a &quot;nightmare&quot; getting money to some rural areas.&nbsp;&quot;A lot of people are going to be inconvenienced,&quot; he told AFP.

The move is part of Modi&#39;s crackdown on so-called black money financial transactions in which cash is used to avoid tax. After closing for a day banks started reissuing new 500 notes and a new denomination of 2,000 rupees on Thursday.

The AFP reports that by spring, the prime minister was convinced that he needed a headline-grabbing reform to show his determination to counter rampant tax evasion and settled on scrapping the two highest denomination bills.

Almost 90 percent of transactions in India are done with cash while 500 and 1,000 notes currently account for more than 85 per cent of the value of cash in circulation, according to research firm Capital Economics.

(WION with inputs from AFP) 
&nbsp;

Only a select few were aware of the Indian prime minister's audacious plan to issue new notes beforehand

Last week, when India's central bank ordered banks to issue more 100 rupee notes, no one had a clue that it was a precursor to one of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's boldest economic announcements - the sudden withdrawal of 500 and 1,000 rupee notes ($7.50, $15) from circulation. It now emerges that the assault against black money was carefully planned over six months by a coterie of PM Modi's advisors sworn to secrecy, AFP reports. Only a handful of India's 1.25 billion people - finance minister Arun Jaitley, Reserve Bank of India governor and a few close officials --- were in the loop until the very last minute, AFP quotes Indian media as saying. Behind-the-scenes: How the operation played out The Times of India reported that many of Modi's ministers were only briefed on the plan at a cabinet meeting in New Delhi just before he addressed the nation. They were then not allowed to leave until he had finished his speech to prevent any unwanted leak. Meanwhile, in India's commercial capital of Mumbai, RBI's bank heads had been called to the central bank in the morning to receive a locked currency chest which they were told contained notes of the new 2,000 rupee denomination. The chests were standard procedure for the issuing of new notes, a spokesperson for the RBI told AFP. The RBI heads were under strict instructions not to open the chest or speak about it until later that night, a report in Mint newspaper says. It was only when they opened it, as Modi was speaking, that they learnt about the new 500 note. With the glare of the world on the US election, Modi chose to deliver his bombshell announcement in a rare address to the nation barely three hours before the order to close banks and ATMs came into force. People scrambled to withdraw Rs 100 notes to meet the midnight deadline set by the RBI. Once the queues had trudged away from the millions of ATMs around the country with now precious 100 rupee bills, the task began of refilling the machines with the new currency. Trucks laden with cash started delivering the notes across the country. "If secrecy had failed people would have invested most of their cash in Hawala rackets, gold or real estate before the announcement, worsening the black money issue," Paras Savla of Mumbai-based investment management firm KPB & Associates told AFP. RBI chief Urjit Patel has said production of the new notes had been "ramped up" to meet requirements but Pradip Shah, who helped set up India's HDFC bank, said it would be a "nightmare" getting money to some rural areas. "A lot of people are going to be inconvenienced," he told AFP. The move is part of Modi's crackdown on so-called black money financial transactions in which cash is used to avoid tax. After closing for a day banks started reissuing new 500 notes and a new denomination of 2,000 rupees on Thursday. The AFP reports that by spring, the prime minister was convinced that he needed a headline-grabbing reform to show his determination to counter rampant tax evasion and settled on scrapping the two highest denomination bills. Almost 90 percent of transactions in India are done with cash while 500 and 1,000 notes currently account for more than 85 per cent of the value of cash in circulation, according to research firm Capital Economics. (WION with inputs from AFP)

India's rupee shake-up: A behind-the-scenes report

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi today vowed to implement Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction in Asian region, news agency Reuters reported.

&quot;We have to wholeheartedly embrace the spirit of Sendai, which calls for an all-of-society approach to disaster risk management. In India, we are committed to walk the talk on the implementation of Sendai Framework,&quot; Modi said in his inaugural address at the Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in New Delhi.

The Sendai Framework is a 15-year global plan to combat disasters. It was adopted at the Third UN World Conference in Sendai, Japan, on March 18, 2015.

The Asian Ministerial Conference will work on formulating a plan to put the Sendai framework into motion.

&quot;The expected outcomes of the conference are an Asian regional plan for implementation of the Sendai framework. Second, a political declaration that reiterates the commitments of the governments to disaster risk reduction and also fundamentally important- stakeholder actions, statements containing various initiatives to reduce disaster risk,&quot; said United Nations secretary general&#39;s special representative for Disaster Risk Reduction, Robert Glasser, Reuters reported.

According to the United Nations, Asia-Pacific is the world&#39;s most disaster-prone region. It accounted for over half of the world&#39;s 344 disasters last year, with more than 16,000 deaths and 59 million people affected in the region alone, according to the UN.

Prime Minister Modi warned of daunting challenges due to the rapid rise of urbanisation in the region.

&quot;Urbanisation will pose greater challenges for disaster risk management, by concentrating people, property and economic activity in smaller areas, many of them in disaster-prone locations. If we do not manage this growth, in terms of both planning and execution, the risk of economic and human losses from disasters will be higher than ever before,&quot; said Modi.

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

Sendai framework is a 15-year global plan to combat disasters which was finalised in Japan last year

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi today vowed to implement Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction in Asian region, news agency Reuters reported. "We have to wholeheartedly embrace the spirit of Sendai, which calls for an all-of-society approach to disaster risk management. In India, we are committed to walk the talk on the implementation of Sendai Framework," Modi said in his inaugural address at the Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in New Delhi. The Sendai Framework is a 15-year global plan to combat disasters. It was adopted at the Third UN World Conference in Sendai, Japan, on March 18, 2015. The Asian Ministerial Conference will work on formulating a plan to put the Sendai framework into motion. "The expected outcomes of the conference are an Asian regional plan for implementation of the Sendai framework. Second, a political declaration that reiterates the commitments of the governments to disaster risk reduction and also fundamentally important- stakeholder actions, statements containing various initiatives to reduce disaster risk," said United Nations secretary general's special representative for Disaster Risk Reduction, Robert Glasser, Reuters reported. According to the United Nations, Asia-Pacific is the world's most disaster-prone region. It accounted for over half of the world's 344 disasters last year, with more than 16,000 deaths and 59 million people affected in the region alone, according to the UN. Prime Minister Modi warned of daunting challenges due to the rapid rise of urbanisation in the region. "Urbanisation will pose greater challenges for disaster risk management, by concentrating people, property and economic activity in smaller areas, many of them in disaster-prone locations. If we do not manage this growth, in terms of both planning and execution, the risk of economic and human losses from disasters will be higher than ever before," said Modi. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

India: Modi vows to implement global disaster plan

Police have asked commuters to avoid major roads in Gurgaon as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit the city in the evening to inaugurate Haryana&rsquo;s golden jubilee celebrations.&nbsp;

Tuesday has been declared a public holiday in India&rsquo;s northern city of Gurgaon as the state of Haryana celebrates 50 years of its formation.

All government offices, schools and colleges in Gurgaon will remain shut on Tuesday.&nbsp;

The Times of India reported the district administration had earlier issued an advisory to private firms, including multinationals, requesting them to either declare the day off or allow their employees to work from home.

Some diversion and restrictions have been made from the security point of view as along with the Prime Minister and Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar would be attending the function at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium, a senior police official told news agency PTI.

Traffic restrictions will start at 2 pm local time (0830 hours GMT)&nbsp;on Tuesday till late midnight, PTI reported.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from PTI)

All government offices, schools and colleges in Gurgaon will remain shut on Tuesday, and commuters have been advised to avoid arterial roads

Police have asked commuters to avoid major roads in Gurgaon as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit the city in the evening to inaugurate Haryana’s golden jubilee celebrations. Tuesday has been declared a public holiday in India’s northern city of Gurgaon as the state of Haryana celebrates 50 years of its formation. All government offices, schools and colleges in Gurgaon will remain shut on Tuesday. The Times of India reported the district administration had earlier issued an advisory to private firms, including multinationals, requesting them to either declare the day off or allow their employees to work from home. Some diversion and restrictions have been made from the security point of view as along with the Prime Minister and Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar would be attending the function at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium, a senior police official told news agency PTI. Traffic restrictions will start at 2 pm local time (0830 hours GMT) on Tuesday till late midnight, PTI reported. (WION with inputs from PTI)

India's Millennium City gets public holiday as PM Modi visits town

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday wrote a letter to&nbsp;Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to address the grievances of the defence forces concerning their pay&nbsp;and to reverse the recent decisions of the government regarding the disability pension that has &quot;adversely&quot; affected the &quot;morale of our armed forces&quot;.

&quot;Just days after our soldiers conducted the surgical strikes, the disability pension system was converted to a new slab system, that in many instances drastically reduces the pension received by these brave men in case of a disability,&quot; the Congress leader wrote in his letter. He was referring to a recommendation by the defence ministry for implementing the 7th Pay Commission&#39;s slab based system for determining pensions as against the current percentage-based method.&nbsp;

Defence personnel are opposed to the slab system, which determines pension on the basis of a three fixed rates&nbsp;rather than on the basis of percentage of pay. The pay commission also steeply slashed the pension rates across all ranks. These have led to a discrepancy in the pension between a defence personnel and his civilian counterpart.

The Congress vice president also urged PM Modi to implement the &quot;One Rank, One Pension&quot;&nbsp;(OROP) scheme, which calls for parity in pension for defence personnel holding the same rank, for same length of service, irrespective of the year they&nbsp;retired. OROP was accepted by the government in 2014, but has not been fully implemented so far.

&quot;OROP must be implemented in a meaningful way to satisfy ex-servicemen, and the anomalies in the 7th Pay Commission must be addressed at the earliest, because soldiers should not have to struggle to claim what is surely due to them on behalf of a grateful nation,&quot; Gandhi&nbsp;said.

Steps should be taken to send a message to soldiers on Diwali expressing &quot;our gratitude both in words and in deed&quot;, Rahul said in his letter to the PM. Modi&nbsp;launched a &nbsp;&quot;#Sandesh2Soldiers&quot;&nbsp;campaign, through which people can send their Diwali greetings and messages to soldiers guarding the nation&#39;s borders. People can send messages&nbsp;on the Narendra Modi App, through MyGov.in, and also through All India Radio.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;As a responsible democracy we must make sure that the brave soldiers who put their lives on the line for each one of us, feel the love, support and gratitude of 125 crore people,&quot; Rahul said.&nbsp;

The Congress scion says the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission, which came into effect, from January 1, 2016, continue to keep the defence forces at a disadvantage, further exacerbating the disparity between them and civil employees.&nbsp;

The 7th Pay Commission has recommended a similar pay structure at the entry level for both civilian and military services, which is not acceptable to the armed forces.&nbsp;

&quot;I therefore urge you Prime Minister to ensure that our soldiers get their due&nbsp;whether it is regarding compensation, disability pension, or parity with civil employees,&quot; he said.

PM Modi had earlier accused the Congress of not taking the OROP issue seriously by earmarking a mere Rs 500 crore for the scheme.

He will celebrate this Diwali with personnel of the Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) at a remote border post in the state of Uttarakhand, PTI reported.

&nbsp;

Don&#39;t subject army to &#39;petty politics&#39;: Government to Rahul

The government on Saturday dismissed Rahul Gandhi&#39;s accusations about the One Rank One Pay (OROP) and the disability pension, with Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad asking him not to subject the army to &quot;petty politics for partisan gains&quot;.

Prasad said equivalence has been in force since 1998-99 and &quot;no new policy initiative undertaken taken by the Narendra Modi government in this regard&quot;.

He said that as far as pension payment on slab system is concerned, it was a recommendation of the Pay Review Committee which the government had not accepted and the percentage system of calculating pension would continue till the anomaly commitee gave its recommendations.

&quot;The government has referred this issue to the anomaly committee. Till the time the anomaly committee gives a recommendation, the payment of pension on percentage basis shall continue,&quot; Prasad said.

&nbsp;

Government reverses recommendation on disability pension

The same day that Rahul Gandhi shot off his letter to PM Modi, the defence ministry said armed forces personnel would continue to get such pension based on percentage system till the Anomaly Committee came out with its report, PTI reported.

A letter issued by the ministry on September 30, introducing the slab-based system recommended by the 7th Pay Commission, was widely criticised by opposition parties and the military.

Following this, the Ministry had referred the matter to the Anomaly Committee. A percentage-based system for calculating disability pension for both defence personnel as well as civilians has been followed as per &nbsp;the 6th Pay Commission recommendations.

(WION with inputs from PTI)

The Congress vice president wrote to Narendra Modi asking him to take measures to ensure that Indian soldiers remain economically secure

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday wrote a letter to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to address the grievances of the defence forces concerning their pay and to reverse the recent decisions of the government regarding the disability pension that has "adversely" affected the "morale of our armed forces". "Just days after our soldiers conducted the surgical strikes, the disability pension system was converted to a new slab system, that in many instances drastically reduces the pension received by these brave men in case of a disability," the Congress leader wrote in his letter. He was referring to a recommendation by the defence ministry for implementing the 7th Pay Commission's slab based system for determining pensions as against the current percentage-based method. Defence personnel are opposed to the slab system, which determines pension on the basis of a three fixed rates rather than on the basis of percentage of pay. The pay commission also steeply slashed the pension rates across all ranks. These have led to a discrepancy in the pension between a defence personnel and his civilian counterpart. The Congress vice president also urged PM Modi to implement the "One Rank, One Pension" (OROP) scheme, which calls for parity in pension for defence personnel holding the same rank, for same length of service, irrespective of the year they retired. OROP was accepted by the government in 2014, but has not been fully implemented so far. "OROP must be implemented in a meaningful way to satisfy ex-servicemen, and the anomalies in the 7th Pay Commission must be addressed at the earliest, because soldiers should not have to struggle to claim what is surely due to them on behalf of a grateful nation," Gandhi said. Steps should be taken to send a message to soldiers on Diwali expressing "our gratitude both in words and in deed", Rahul said in his letter to the PM. Modi launched a "#Sandesh2Soldiers" campaign, through which people can send their Diwali greetings and messages to soldiers guarding the nation's borders. People can send messages on the Narendra Modi App, through MyGov.in, and also through All India Radio. "As a responsible democracy we must make sure that the brave soldiers who put their lives on the line for each one of us, feel the love, support and gratitude of 125 crore people," Rahul said. The Congress scion says the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission, which came into effect, from January 1, 2016, continue to keep the defence forces at a disadvantage, further exacerbating the disparity between them and civil employees. The 7th Pay Commission has recommended a similar pay structure at the entry level for both civilian and military services, which is not acceptable to the armed forces. "I therefore urge you Prime Minister to ensure that our soldiers get their due whether it is regarding compensation, disability pension, or parity with civil employees," he said. PM Modi had earlier accused the Congress of not taking the OROP issue seriously by earmarking a mere Rs 500 crore for the scheme. He will celebrate this Diwali with personnel of the Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) at a remote border post in the state of Uttarakhand, PTI reported. Don't subject army to 'petty politics': Government to Rahul The government on Saturday dismissed Rahul Gandhi's accusations about the One Rank One Pay (OROP) and the disability pension, with Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad asking him not to subject the army to "petty politics for partisan gains". Prasad said equivalence has been in force since 1998-99 and "no new policy initiative undertaken taken by the Narendra Modi government in this regard". He said that as far as pension payment on slab system is concerned, it was a recommendation of the Pay Review Committee which the government had not accepted and the percentage system of calculating pension would continue till the anomaly commitee gave its recommendations. "The government has referred this issue to the anomaly committee. Till the time the anomaly committee gives a recommendation, the payment of pension on percentage basis shall continue," Prasad said. Government reverses recommendation on disability pension The same day that Rahul Gandhi shot off his letter to PM Modi, the defence ministry said armed forces personnel would continue to get such pension based on percentage system till the Anomaly Committee came out with its report, PTI reported. A letter issued by the ministry on September 30, introducing the slab-based system recommended by the 7th Pay Commission, was widely criticised by opposition parties and the military. Following this, the Ministry had referred the matter to the Anomaly Committee. A percentage-based system for calculating disability pension for both defence personnel as well as civilians has been followed as per the 6th Pay Commission recommendations. (WION with inputs from PTI)

Rahul Gandhi's Diwali wish for Indian PM Modi: Implement 'one rank, one pension' scheme for Army

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday kept up India&#39;s efforts to diplomatically isolate Pakistan when he used the forum of the 8th BRICS Summit at Goa to urge the international community to lean on purveyors of terror who justify the use terrorism for political gains.

Without naming Pakistan, he said that the &quot;mother ship&quot; of terrorism &quot;is a country in India&rsquo;s neighbourhood&quot; and that terror modules of the world were linked to that particular country. In the same vein, he called for actions against the &quot;hardware of terrorism&quot;, including, but not limited to, terror financing, supply of weapons and training. 
&nbsp; 
In a double-barrelled attack, Mr Modi also obliquely took a swipe at China which employed the exact phrase (&quot;political gains&quot;) to justify its opposition to a United Nations ban on Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar, who New Delhi accuses of having had a hand in a series of terrorist attacks in India, including the September 18 attack at Uri in Jammu and Kashmir. On October 10, China&#39;s Vice Foreign Minister Li Baodong had said about India that no country should &quot;pursue its own political gains in the name of counter-terrorism&quot;.

Mr Modi continued the fusillade by pointing out that those who nurture, shelter, support or sponsor terrorism are as much a threat to regional and global peace and security as terrorists themselves.

Similar sentiments found a reflection in the Goa Declaration. A relevant extract from the document read: &quot;We strongly condemn the recent several attacks, against some BRICS countries, including that in India[.] There can be no justification whatsoever for any acts of terrorism...&quot;

Mr Modi has been relentless in his pursuit of a proactive policy against Pakistan. He has consistently raised the issue at every multilateral fora. At the G20 Summit at China, he had this to say: &quot;Indeed one single nation in South Asia is spreading these agents of terror in countries of our region[.]

Those who sponsor and support terrorism must be isolated and sanctioned, not rewarded.&quot;

The same narrative was heard at the East Asia Summit at Vietnam, where he spoke about a country &ldquo;whose competitive advantage rests solely in producing and exporting terrorism&rdquo; and that &quot;the time has come for us to stop this global exporter of terror.&quot;

And most recently, India exercised its right of reply to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif&#39;s address to the United Nations General Assembly speech by describing Pakistan as the &quot;Ivy league of terrorism&quot;.

However, the jury is out on whether the Goa Declaration adopted by the BRICS member-states did justice to India&#39;s concerns about cross-border terrorism emanating from its immediate neighbourhood. On the face of it, the language of the relevant paragraphs from the Goa Declaration on the subject of terrorism are similar to the boilerplate formulation contained in some previous BRICS documents.

Asked if the outcome document, which was sanitised of specific references to either Pakistan or the terrorism directed against India, had come as a disappointment to New Delhi, Secretary (Economic Relations) Amar Sinha in the Ministry of External Affairs said, &quot;We are satisfied[.] You don&#39;t have to spell out everything.&quot; Mr Sinha went on to suggest that the Goa Declaration should be read together with the bilateral documents agreed upon by India and the BRICS countries, which highlighted a convergence of ideas.

Although the Goa Declaration mentions the Islamic State terrorist group by name, there were no references to terror groups such as the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), which could be partly be attributed to China which sees Pakistan as an all-weather ally and a countervail to India. For his part, Mr Sinha sought to explain it away by saying that the JeM &quot;is focussed on India&quot; and therefore &quot;does not concern all of BRICS.&quot; 
 
(WION)

Without naming Pakistan, PM Modi said the 'mother ship' of terrorism 'is a country in India?s neighbourhood'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday kept up India's efforts to diplomatically isolate Pakistan when he used the forum of the 8th BRICS Summit at Goa to urge the international community to lean on purveyors of terror who justify the use terrorism for political gains. Without naming Pakistan, he said that the "mother ship" of terrorism "is a country in India’s neighbourhood" and that terror modules of the world were linked to that particular country. In the same vein, he called for actions against the "hardware of terrorism", including, but not limited to, terror financing, supply of weapons and training. In a double-barrelled attack, Mr Modi also obliquely took a swipe at China which employed the exact phrase ("political gains") to justify its opposition to a United Nations ban on Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar, who New Delhi accuses of having had a hand in a series of terrorist attacks in India, including the September 18 attack at Uri in Jammu and Kashmir. On October 10, China's Vice Foreign Minister Li Baodong had said about India that no country should "pursue its own political gains in the name of counter-terrorism". Mr Modi continued the fusillade by pointing out that those who nurture, shelter, support or sponsor terrorism are as much a threat to regional and global peace and security as terrorists themselves. Similar sentiments found a reflection in the Goa Declaration. A relevant extract from the document read: "We strongly condemn the recent several attacks, against some BRICS countries, including that in India[.] There can be no justification whatsoever for any acts of terrorism..." Mr Modi has been relentless in his pursuit of a proactive policy against Pakistan. He has consistently raised the issue at every multilateral fora. At the G20 Summit at China, he had this to say: "Indeed one single nation in South Asia is spreading these agents of terror in countries of our region[.] Those who sponsor and support terrorism must be isolated and sanctioned, not rewarded." The same narrative was heard at the East Asia Summit at Vietnam, where he spoke about a country “whose competitive advantage rests solely in producing and exporting terrorism” and that "the time has come for us to stop this global exporter of terror." And most recently, India exercised its right of reply to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's address to the United Nations General Assembly speech by describing Pakistan as the "Ivy league of terrorism". However, the jury is out on whether the Goa Declaration adopted by the BRICS member-states did justice to India's concerns about cross-border terrorism emanating from its immediate neighbourhood. On the face of it, the language of the relevant paragraphs from the Goa Declaration on the subject of terrorism are similar to the boilerplate formulation contained in some previous BRICS documents. Asked if the outcome document, which was sanitised of specific references to either Pakistan or the terrorism directed against India, had come as a disappointment to New Delhi, Secretary (Economic Relations) Amar Sinha in the Ministry of External Affairs said, "We are satisfied[.] You don't have to spell out everything." Mr Sinha went on to suggest that the Goa Declaration should be read together with the bilateral documents agreed upon by India and the BRICS countries, which highlighted a convergence of ideas. Although the Goa Declaration mentions the Islamic State terrorist group by name, there were no references to terror groups such as the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), which could be partly be attributed to China which sees Pakistan as an all-weather ally and a countervail to India. For his part, Mr Sinha sought to explain it away by saying that the JeM "is focussed on India" and therefore "does not concern all of BRICS." (WION)

At BRICS summit, India calls for action against 'hardware of terrorism'

India&#39;s Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday&nbsp;vowed to combat the &quot;virus&quot; of terrorism in a speech delivered on a festival that traditionally symbolises the victory of good over evil. The PM&#39;s speech on the festival of &#39;Dussehra&#39; comes in the wake of the Uri terror attack in Kashmir and the ensuing attacks&nbsp;against Pakistani terrorists across the Line of Control.

&quot;If you think that we are free from terrorism, then you are wrong. It is a virus affecting our society,&quot; PM Modi said while addressing the&nbsp;rally in the Uttar Pradesh state capital of Lucknow.&nbsp;

Drawing references from the Indian scripture Ramayana, the PM compared the scourge of terrorism to a demon that should be &quot;uprooted and destroyed&quot;.&nbsp;

Calling terrorism an &quot;enemy of humanity&quot;, the PM asked his country to &quot;fight out terrorism collectively&quot;.

He said, &quot;(If) we, one and a quarter billion Indians, come together and be vigilant against terrorists, terrorists cannot succeed.&quot;&nbsp;

&quot;Elements involved in terrorist activities should be uprooted and destroyed. And, at the same time, the powers backing terrorist activities should be punished,&quot; he told the gathering at the city&#39;s Aishbagh Ramleela Ground.

&quot;There is an urgent need to uproot and punish the elements that promote and indulge in terrorist activities.This festival is about the victory of good over evil, and terrorism is an enemy of humanity. Everyone needs to speak in one voice against terrorism. So, when we burn Ravana (Indian demon), we should remember that humanity can&#39;t be saved unless we fight out terrorism together.&quot;&nbsp;

He said that while Indians couldn&#39;t be the popular Lord Ram, they could try to be demi-god Jatayu who was the first to fight terrorism while trying to save the honour of a goddess.

&quot;From the times of Lord Ram our nation has been fighting terrorism as it was Jatayu (a demi-god who had the form of a Vulture), who fought the first fight against terrorism by trying to save goddess Sita when she was being abducted by Ravana.&nbsp;Ramayana stands a witness that the first fighter against terrorism was Jatayu, who fought for a woman&#39;s honour, Even if all of us can&#39;t be Lord Ram, we can all try to be Jatayu, and keep terrorism at the bay,&quot; the PM said.

Modi also compared India to the land of Krishna, another popular god, who as per mythology&nbsp;wiped out people with his weapon, &quot;Sudarshan Chakra&quot;.

&quot;This is the nation of `Chakradhari Mohan (Krishna) and the land of Buddha. We believe in peace, but if needed we can fight against the evil as well,&quot; said Prime Minister Modi.

(WION with inputs from agencies)

The Indian Prime Minister looked to ancient myths to inspire citizens to defeat terrorism

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday vowed to combat the "virus" of terrorism in a speech delivered on a festival that traditionally symbolises the victory of good over evil. The PM's speech on the festival of 'Dussehra' comes in the wake of the Uri terror attack in Kashmir and the ensuing attacks against Pakistani terrorists across the Line of Control. "If you think that we are free from terrorism, then you are wrong. It is a virus affecting our society," PM Modi said while addressing the rally in the Uttar Pradesh state capital of Lucknow. Drawing references from the Indian scripture Ramayana, the PM compared the scourge of terrorism to a demon that should be "uprooted and destroyed". Calling terrorism an "enemy of humanity", the PM asked his country to "fight out terrorism collectively". He said, "(If) we, one and a quarter billion Indians, come together and be vigilant against terrorists, terrorists cannot succeed." "Elements involved in terrorist activities should be uprooted and destroyed. And, at the same time, the powers backing terrorist activities should be punished," he told the gathering at the city's Aishbagh Ramleela Ground. "There is an urgent need to uproot and punish the elements that promote and indulge in terrorist activities.This festival is about the victory of good over evil, and terrorism is an enemy of humanity. Everyone needs to speak in one voice against terrorism. So, when we burn Ravana (Indian demon), we should remember that humanity can't be saved unless we fight out terrorism together." He said that while Indians couldn't be the popular Lord Ram, they could try to be demi-god Jatayu who was the first to fight terrorism while trying to save the honour of a goddess. "From the times of Lord Ram our nation has been fighting terrorism as it was Jatayu (a demi-god who had the form of a Vulture), who fought the first fight against terrorism by trying to save goddess Sita when she was being abducted by Ravana. Ramayana stands a witness that the first fighter against terrorism was Jatayu, who fought for a woman's honour, Even if all of us can't be Lord Ram, we can all try to be Jatayu, and keep terrorism at the bay," the PM said. Modi also compared India to the land of Krishna, another popular god, who as per mythology wiped out people with his weapon, "Sudarshan Chakra". "This is the nation of `Chakradhari Mohan (Krishna) and the land of Buddha. We believe in peace, but if needed we can fight against the evil as well," said Prime Minister Modi. (WION with inputs from agencies)

On Indian festival, PM Modi asks Indians to 'wipe out virus of terrorism'

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi today expressed deep sadness over the bus mishap in India&#39;s eastern state of Bihar in which at least 35 people were killed and said his thoughts were with the bereaved families in this hour of grief. 
 
&quot;Deeply saddened by the bus accident in Bihar&#39;s Madhubani district. My thoughts are with the bereaved families in this hour of grief,&quot; he tweeted. 
 
A private bus, carrying 65 passengers, was on way to Sitamarhi from Madhubani when it fell into a pond at Basaitha chowk along the state highway. 
 
Some of the passengers swam to safety while 10 bodies were fished out from the pond, according to the superintendent of police Deepak Kumar Barnwal who said six others were feared dead in the mishap. 
 
(PTI)&nbsp;

'My thoughts are with the bereaved families in this hour of grief,' he tweeted

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi today expressed deep sadness over the bus mishap in India's eastern state of Bihar in which at least 35 people were killed and said his thoughts were with the bereaved families in this hour of grief. "Deeply saddened by the bus accident in Bihar's Madhubani district. My thoughts are with the bereaved families in this hour of grief," he tweeted. A private bus, carrying 65 passengers, was on way to Sitamarhi from Madhubani when it fell into a pond at Basaitha chowk along the state highway. Some of the passengers swam to safety while 10 bodies were fished out from the pond, according to the superintendent of police Deepak Kumar Barnwal who said six others were feared dead in the mishap. (PTI)

Prime Minister Modi 'deeply saddened' by Bihar bus accident

By Praveen Sharma&nbsp; 
 
For once, it is the government, which has moved with lightning speed in its race to meet the GST rollout deadline of April 1,2017, while India Inc seems to be biting its nails and wondering how will it be able to keep pace with it. 
 
On Monday, the union cabinet led by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the formation of GST Council, which was another major milestone in the journey of implementation of goods and services tax (GST) law, which will unify all existing indirect taxes to create a single nationwide market. 
 
The speed with which the government has moved till now on the crucial tax law it is well on track for the final destination, but corporates have expressed their inability to meet the deadline, which they have asked to be pushed back by a quarter or two. 
 
&quot;Industry bodies have been asking for more time. They want it to be delayed by a quarter or two. They would like to see the fine print and then prepare for the GST regime,&quot; said Mahesh Jaising, partner, BMR &amp; Associates LLP,&nbsp; 
 
And a fine-print wouldn&#39;t emerge before November or December. Jaising said in many overseas markets, where GST has been introduced, corporates were given about a year to tune their system to new tax regime. 
 
However, Jaising&#39;s colleague Rajeev Dimri, leader, indirect tax, BMR &amp; Associates LLP, said there was &quot;no case&quot; for India Inc to be in &quot;wait and watch&quot; any more. 
 
&quot;There is no case anymore for India Inc to remain in the wait and watch mode. It&#39;s high time that businesses roll up their sleeves to work towards creating a GST compliant internal set up by the go-live date,&quot; he said in a statement issued by BMR &amp; Associates LLP, a consulting firm.&nbsp; 
 
As per the article 279A (1) of the amended Indian constitution, the GST Council has to be formed within 60 days after it comes into force (Monday). 
 
The council will make recommendations on matters such as standard GST rate, model GST laws, principles that will govern the place of supply, threshold limits, goods and services that could be exempted from the levy and other matters relating to the indirect tax. 
 
It will be chaired by Indian&nbsp;finance minister while minister of state for finance and state finance ministers will be its members. The central government will have 1/3rd vote and the states will have two-third vote in the Council. Any decision will need 3/4 majority. 
 
Monday also saw Cabinet appointing the revenue secretary as the ex-officio secretary to the Council. The next meeting of the Council is slated to be held on September 22 and September 23. 
 
&quot;We are fully geared up for April 1, 2017, deadline for GST rollout,&quot; Hashmukh Adhia, revenue secretary in the finance ministry told the press after Cabinet meeting. 
 
Once the GST Council works out the details of the GST laws, it will have to be approved in the Parliament in the winter session, which is expected to be reportedly moved ahead by fortnight and held in the first week of November, to meet the deadline of April next fiscal. 
 
Two bills related to biggest tax reform will be taken up in the Parliament&#39;s next session &ndash; Central GST or CGST bill and the Integrated GST bill. States will approve their own GST bills. 
 
Prashant Deshpande, partner, Deloitte Haskins &amp; Sells LLP, said the &quot;immediate agenda&quot; of the Council would be to finalise the GST rate and exemptions; &quot;without a fix on which the stakeholder consensus would be difficult to achieve.&quot; 
 
Pratik Jain, leader - indirect tax, PwC India, also said implementation of GST from April 1, next fiscal would be contingent upon the speed at which the Council is able to build a consensus on issues such as rates, exemptions, dual control etc. 
 
BMR &amp; Associates LLP&#39;s Dimri said with the enforcement of section 12 of the Indian constitution (One Hundred and First Amendment) Act, 2016, the two months&#39; clock for setting up of the GST Council has started ticking. 
 
&quot;As soon as the Council gets formed it will have a platter full of important and critically time-driven deliverables. The most important of them being reaching consensus amongst all states regarding several aspects of levy and administration of GST in India viz. tax rates, list of goods to be exempt / taxable on merit rates of GST, determining the threshold for taxable turnover for goods and services, and so on,&quot; he said. 
 
The Constitutional amendment Bill for GST was passed in both Houses of the Parliament in the Monsoon Session this year after much delay. After being cleared there, it has been ratified by 17 states till now. It needed 15, or half of India&#39;s 29 states to approve it. Last week, it got the Presidential assent.

 
(This report first appeared on DNA)&nbsp;

The Cabinet led by PM Modi approved the formation of GST Council on Monday, a major milestone towards the implementation of the bill

By Praveen Sharma For once, it is the government, which has moved with lightning speed in its race to meet the GST rollout deadline of April 1,2017, while India Inc seems to be biting its nails and wondering how will it be able to keep pace with it. On Monday, the union cabinet led by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the formation of GST Council, which was another major milestone in the journey of implementation of goods and services tax (GST) law, which will unify all existing indirect taxes to create a single nationwide market. The speed with which the government has moved till now on the crucial tax law it is well on track for the final destination, but corporates have expressed their inability to meet the deadline, which they have asked to be pushed back by a quarter or two. "Industry bodies have been asking for more time. They want it to be delayed by a quarter or two. They would like to see the fine print and then prepare for the GST regime," said Mahesh Jaising, partner, BMR & Associates LLP, And a fine-print wouldn't emerge before November or December. Jaising said in many overseas markets, where GST has been introduced, corporates were given about a year to tune their system to new tax regime. However, Jaising's colleague Rajeev Dimri, leader, indirect tax, BMR & Associates LLP, said there was "no case" for India Inc to be in "wait and watch" any more. "There is no case anymore for India Inc to remain in the wait and watch mode. It's high time that businesses roll up their sleeves to work towards creating a GST compliant internal set up by the go-live date," he said in a statement issued by BMR & Associates LLP, a consulting firm. As per the article 279A (1) of the amended Indian constitution, the GST Council has to be formed within 60 days after it comes into force (Monday). The council will make recommendations on matters such as standard GST rate, model GST laws, principles that will govern the place of supply, threshold limits, goods and services that could be exempted from the levy and other matters relating to the indirect tax. It will be chaired by Indian finance minister while minister of state for finance and state finance ministers will be its members. The central government will have 1/3rd vote and the states will have two-third vote in the Council. Any decision will need 3/4 majority. Monday also saw Cabinet appointing the revenue secretary as the ex-officio secretary to the Council. The next meeting of the Council is slated to be held on September 22 and September 23. "We are fully geared up for April 1, 2017, deadline for GST rollout," Hashmukh Adhia, revenue secretary in the finance ministry told the press after Cabinet meeting. Once the GST Council works out the details of the GST laws, it will have to be approved in the Parliament in the winter session, which is expected to be reportedly moved ahead by fortnight and held in the first week of November, to meet the deadline of April next fiscal. Two bills related to biggest tax reform will be taken up in the Parliament's next session – Central GST or CGST bill and the Integrated GST bill. States will approve their own GST bills. Prashant Deshpande, partner, Deloitte Haskins & Sells LLP, said the "immediate agenda" of the Council would be to finalise the GST rate and exemptions; "without a fix on which the stakeholder consensus would be difficult to achieve." Pratik Jain, leader - indirect tax, PwC India, also said implementation of GST from April 1, next fiscal would be contingent upon the speed at which the Council is able to build a consensus on issues such as rates, exemptions, dual control etc. BMR & Associates LLP's Dimri said with the enforcement of section 12 of the Indian constitution (One Hundred and First Amendment) Act, 2016, the two months' clock for setting up of the GST Council has started ticking. "As soon as the Council gets formed it will have a platter full of important and critically time-driven deliverables. The most important of them being reaching consensus amongst all states regarding several aspects of levy and administration of GST in India viz. tax rates, list of goods to be exempt / taxable on merit rates of GST, determining the threshold for taxable turnover for goods and services, and so on," he said. The Constitutional amendment Bill for GST was passed in both Houses of the Parliament in the Monsoon Session this year after much delay. After being cleared there, it has been ratified by 17 states till now. It needed 15, or half of India's 29 states to approve it. Last week, it got the Presidential assent. (This report first appeared on DNA)

Indian government closer to major tax reform law, corporates want more time

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