India showcased its military might in its 68th Republic Day parade on Thursday, in a first, &#39;black cat&#39; commandos of elite counter-terror force National Security Guard (NSG) participated in the Republic Day parade at Rajpath.

A contingent of about 140 personnel in black overalls, balaclava headgear and carrying special assault rifle MP-5 added dashing sheen to the parade.&nbsp;The commandos were given a rapturous round of applause by the spectators as they marched down Rajpath singing the NSG song &quot;Hum haina haina hindustan&quot; penned by renowned poet and lyricist Javed Akhtar.

The march past by the NSG also displayed &#39;Sherpa&#39; - a specially designed hijack intervention vehicle - and two gypsies used for anti-hijack operations. &nbsp;The NSG, which selects the best of the officers and men from the Indian army as well as from various central armed police forces, was raised in 1984.

Unmatched dedication and ruthless training is the bedrock of the force which ensures that they take on counter-terrorist operations across the country at short notice.

Be it any national or international event in the country, it is called upon to provide discreet security cover. NSG is also the only counter-hijack force of the country.&nbsp;Specialised in hostage rescue, the force is fully trained to operate in various scenarios be it urban, jungle, land, air or water.

Ever since its inception, the NSG has carried out 115 anti-terror operations, including against the 26/11 Mumbai attack and the attack on Air Force Station, Pathankot. 
It possesses three Ashok Chakra, three Kirti Chakra, three Shaurya Chakra, 40 Sena Medal, 16 Vishisht Seva Medal and many more for meritorious service.&nbsp;

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The UAE presidential guard presents its ceremonial salute to Indian President Pranab Mukherjee.&nbsp; (ANI)
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The &#39;Black Cat&#39; commandos -- they&#39;re formally called the National Security Guard or NSG -- took part for the first time. (ANI)
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The Indian army&#39;s missile-firing capable T-90 Bhishma&nbsp;tank, Infantry Combat Vehicle BMP-2K, and Mobile Autonomous Launcher of the BrahMos Missile System were the main draws in the mechanised columns. (ANI)
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The UAE military contingent was led by Lt Col Abood Musabeh Abood Musabeh Alghfeli.

The parade commenced at 9 am with four Mi-17 helicopters flying the tricolour, while three other helicopters flying ensigns of the Army, Navy and Air Force showered flower petals on the people below.&nbsp;

The helicopters paved the way for parade commander Lt Gen MM&nbsp;Narwane, GoC, Delhi Area, to take over.

The other highlight of the parade was a fly-past by the Tejas, India`s single-seat, single-jet engine, multi-role light fighter designed for the Indian army and navy.

Another was the marching contingent of the National Security Guards (NSG), popularly known as the black cat commandos.

The Indian army&#39;s missile-firing capable T-90 Bhishma&nbsp;tank, Infantry Combat Vehicle BMP-2K, Mobile Autonomous Launcher of the BrahMos Missile System, Weapon Locating Raddar&nbsp;Swathi, Akash Weapon System, CBRN Reconnaissance Vehicle and Dhanush Gun System were the main draws in the mechanised columns.

An Indian Air Force (IAF) tableau, with the theme &quot;Air Dominance Through Network Centric Operations&quot;, rolled down Rajpath with scaled-down models of the Su-30 MKI, Mirage-2000, AWACS, UAV, Apache and Communication Satellite on display.

The Indian navy&#39;s&nbsp;tableau bore the theme: &quot;Indian Navy -- Professional Force-Anchoring Stability, Security and National Prosperity&quot;.

The tableau showcased marine commandos poised for action, the indigenously-built Kolkata Class Destroyer, and the Kalvari Class next-generation attack submarine. The tableaux also displayed a model of the P-8I Long Range Maritime Patrol Aircraft.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) showcased its Advanced Towed Artillery System and Medium Power Radar Arudha.

Lakshadweep was participating in the parade after 23 years.&nbsp;

(Agencies)

In a first, 'black cat' commandos of the elite counter-terror force - National Security Guard - participated in the Republic Day parade

India showcased its military might in its 68th Republic Day parade on Thursday, in a first, 'black cat' commandos of elite counter-terror force National Security Guard (NSG) participated in the Republic Day parade at Rajpath. A contingent of about 140 personnel in black overalls, balaclava headgear and carrying special assault rifle MP-5 added dashing sheen to the parade. The commandos were given a rapturous round of applause by the spectators as they marched down Rajpath singing the NSG song "Hum haina haina hindustan" penned by renowned poet and lyricist Javed Akhtar. The march past by the NSG also displayed 'Sherpa' - a specially designed hijack intervention vehicle - and two gypsies used for anti-hijack operations. The NSG, which selects the best of the officers and men from the Indian army as well as from various central armed police forces, was raised in 1984. Unmatched dedication and ruthless training is the bedrock of the force which ensures that they take on counter-terrorist operations across the country at short notice. Be it any national or international event in the country, it is called upon to provide discreet security cover. NSG is also the only counter-hijack force of the country. Specialised in hostage rescue, the force is fully trained to operate in various scenarios be it urban, jungle, land, air or water. Ever since its inception, the NSG has carried out 115 anti-terror operations, including against the 26/11 Mumbai attack and the attack on Air Force Station, Pathankot. It possesses three Ashok Chakra, three Kirti Chakra, three Shaurya Chakra, 40 Sena Medal, 16 Vishisht Seva Medal and many more for meritorious service. The UAE presidential guard presents its ceremonial salute to Indian President Pranab Mukherjee. (ANI) × The 'Black Cat' commandos -- they're formally called the National Security Guard or NSG -- took part for the first time. (ANI) × The Indian army's missile-firing capable T-90 Bhishma tank, Infantry Combat Vehicle BMP-2K, and Mobile Autonomous Launcher of the BrahMos Missile System were the main draws in the mechanised columns. (ANI) × The UAE military contingent was led by Lt Col Abood Musabeh Abood Musabeh Alghfeli. The parade commenced at 9 am with four Mi-17 helicopters flying the tricolour, while three other helicopters flying ensigns of the Army, Navy and Air Force showered flower petals on the people below. The helicopters paved the way for parade commander Lt Gen MM Narwane, GoC, Delhi Area, to take over. The other highlight of the parade was a fly-past by the Tejas, India`s single-seat, single-jet engine, multi-role light fighter designed for the Indian army and navy. Another was the marching contingent of the National Security Guards (NSG), popularly known as the black cat commandos. The Indian army's missile-firing capable T-90 Bhishma tank, Infantry Combat Vehicle BMP-2K, Mobile Autonomous Launcher of the BrahMos Missile System, Weapon Locating Raddar Swathi, Akash Weapon System, CBRN Reconnaissance Vehicle and Dhanush Gun System were the main draws in the mechanised columns. An Indian Air Force (IAF) tableau, with the theme "Air Dominance Through Network Centric Operations", rolled down Rajpath with scaled-down models of the Su-30 MKI, Mirage-2000, AWACS, UAV, Apache and Communication Satellite on display. The Indian navy's tableau bore the theme: "Indian Navy -- Professional Force-Anchoring Stability, Security and National Prosperity". The tableau showcased marine commandos poised for action, the indigenously-built Kolkata Class Destroyer, and the Kalvari Class next-generation attack submarine. The tableaux also displayed a model of the P-8I Long Range Maritime Patrol Aircraft. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) showcased its Advanced Towed Artillery System and Medium Power Radar Arudha. Lakshadweep was participating in the parade after 23 years. (Agencies)

NSG commandos debut at India's Republic Day parade

The government is ready to start using the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Amendment Act, 2016, Prime Minister Modi said Sunday.&nbsp;

Modi had on Sunday said during his Mann Ki Baat radio address that his government would soon operationalise a strong law to effectively deal with &quot;benami&quot;&nbsp;properties.&nbsp;

The word &quot; benami &quot; means &ldquo;without name&rdquo;. A benami property is property bought by a person, but not in his or her name. &nbsp;

The Act itself was passed before the recent&nbsp;demonetisation was announced.

The Lok Sabha passed the Benami Transactions Amendment Bill, 2015 on July 28 this year. Finance minister Arun Jaitley had tabled the bill in the Lok Sabha, saying the legislation would target &quot;black&quot;&nbsp;money, help seize benami property, and prosecute the people responsible for it.&nbsp;

&quot;A lot of people who have unaccounted money buy benami property in the name of fictitious persons ... these transactions have to be discouraged,&quot; he had said.&nbsp;

The Act came into effect on November 1,&nbsp;and aims to put a stop to &quot;benami&quot;&nbsp;or proxy transactions.&nbsp;

After the Act came into effect, the existing Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Act, 1988 was renamed the Prohibition of Benami Property Transactions Act (PBPT) 1988.

What the Prohibition of Benami Property Transactions (PBPT) Act will do:

1. &nbsp; &nbsp;The PBPT Act defines benami transactions and prohibits them, stating that violation of the Act will be punishable with imprisonment and a fine.

2. &nbsp; &nbsp;It prohibits the recovery of the property held benami from the benamidar by the real owner.&nbsp;

3. &nbsp; &nbsp;Properties held benami are liable for confiscation by the government, without payment of compensation.&nbsp;

4. &nbsp; &nbsp;An appellate mechanism has been provided under the PBPT Act in the form of the Adjudicating Authority and Appellate Tribunal.&nbsp;

5. &nbsp; &nbsp;The Adjudicating Authority referred to in section 6(1) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA) and the Appellate Tribunal referred to in section 25 of the PMLA have been notified as the Adjudicating Authority and Appellate Tribunal, respectively, for purposes of the PBPT Act.&nbsp;

6. &nbsp; &nbsp;A Joint/Additional Commissioner of Income-tax, an Assistant/Deputy Commissioner of Income-tax and a Tax Recovery Officer&hellip; have been notified to perform the functions and exercise the powers of the Approving Authority, Initiating Officer and Administrator, respectively under the PBPT Act.&nbsp;

(WION) 
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Violators will be imprisoned & fined, and their property confiscated

The government is ready to start using the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Amendment Act, 2016, Prime Minister Modi said Sunday. Modi had on Sunday said during his Mann Ki Baat radio address that his government would soon operationalise a strong law to effectively deal with "benami" properties. The word " benami " means “without name”. A benami property is property bought by a person, but not in his or her name. The Act itself was passed before the recent demonetisation was announced. The Lok Sabha passed the Benami Transactions Amendment Bill, 2015 on July 28 this year. Finance minister Arun Jaitley had tabled the bill in the Lok Sabha, saying the legislation would target "black" money, help seize benami property, and prosecute the people responsible for it. "A lot of people who have unaccounted money buy benami property in the name of fictitious persons ... these transactions have to be discouraged," he had said. The Act came into effect on November 1, and aims to put a stop to "benami" or proxy transactions. After the Act came into effect, the existing Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Act, 1988 was renamed the Prohibition of Benami Property Transactions Act (PBPT) 1988. What the Prohibition of Benami Property Transactions (PBPT) Act will do: 1. The PBPT Act defines benami transactions and prohibits them, stating that violation of the Act will be punishable with imprisonment and a fine. 2. It prohibits the recovery of the property held benami from the benamidar by the real owner. 3. Properties held benami are liable for confiscation by the government, without payment of compensation. 4. An appellate mechanism has been provided under the PBPT Act in the form of the Adjudicating Authority and Appellate Tribunal. 5. The Adjudicating Authority referred to in section 6(1) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA) and the Appellate Tribunal referred to in section 25 of the PMLA have been notified as the Adjudicating Authority and Appellate Tribunal, respectively, for purposes of the PBPT Act. 6. A Joint/Additional Commissioner of Income-tax, an Assistant/Deputy Commissioner of Income-tax and a Tax Recovery Officer… have been notified to perform the functions and exercise the powers of the Approving Authority, Initiating Officer and Administrator, respectively under the PBPT Act. (WION)

What the Benami Properties Act will do

Former Indian finance minister P Chidambaram on Tuesday said it will take at least seven months for the government to replace the 500 and 1000 rupees banknotes that were ordered out of circulation on November 8.

&quot;Take a simple arithmetic...they demonetised 2,200 (total volume) crore Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes. The capacity of all printing presses taken together is 300 crore notes (rpt) notes per month. So, even if you print note for note, it will take seven months. If you print smaller denominations notes like Rs 100 for Rs 500, it will take five times more time... Think somebody didn&#39;t think through... that&#39;s not unusual for government,&quot; Chidambaram said.

Speaking at a literature festival in Mumbai, Chidambaram said that the after-effects of the demonetisation decision will continue for a longer period than expected.

&quot;You are seeing the first-order effects of withdrawing, sucking out 86 per cent of the currency in circulation from the market. The first order will continue for several weeks now. Then you will see the second-order effects.&quot;

The demonetised Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes accounted for over 86 per cent of the total Rs 16.24 lakh crore value of banknotes in circulation as on March 31, 2016, according to Reserve Bank of India&#39;s latest annual report.

The first order effects he explained could be seen in less consumption by people which meant that produce, especially perishable produce like vegetables, fruits, were not being sold.

The second oredr effects were already visible in places like Tirupur and Surat, where lay-offs and retrenchments have started, he said.

The 71-year-old politician further said the demonetisation move was not well thought out and wondered if the government had consulted its chief economic advisor before taking the decision.

&quot;My suspicion is the only knowledgeable economist in the government, Dr Arvind Subramanian, was not consulted,&quot; he said.

He also said that it was too early to quantify the damage caused by the decision.

Chidambaram said that the 50 days that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked for the results of his initiative to show might ease the liquidity crisis for individual hands. He, however, said that it would not solve any other issues.

&quot;The PM&#39;s time out for 50 days might ease the liquidity crisis at individual&#39;s hands, but it won&#39;t solve many other problems.&quot;

(With inputs from PTI)

Chidambaram said that the after-effects of the demonetisation decision will continue for a longer period than expected

Former Indian finance minister P Chidambaram on Tuesday said it will take at least seven months for the government to replace the 500 and 1000 rupees banknotes that were ordered out of circulation on November 8. "Take a simple arithmetic...they demonetised 2,200 (total volume) crore Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes. The capacity of all printing presses taken together is 300 crore notes (rpt) notes per month. So, even if you print note for note, it will take seven months. If you print smaller denominations notes like Rs 100 for Rs 500, it will take five times more time... Think somebody didn't think through... that's not unusual for government," Chidambaram said. Speaking at a literature festival in Mumbai, Chidambaram said that the after-effects of the demonetisation decision will continue for a longer period than expected. "You are seeing the first-order effects of withdrawing, sucking out 86 per cent of the currency in circulation from the market. The first order will continue for several weeks now. Then you will see the second-order effects." The demonetised Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes accounted for over 86 per cent of the total Rs 16.24 lakh crore value of banknotes in circulation as on March 31, 2016, according to Reserve Bank of India's latest annual report. The first order effects he explained could be seen in less consumption by people which meant that produce, especially perishable produce like vegetables, fruits, were not being sold. The second oredr effects were already visible in places like Tirupur and Surat, where lay-offs and retrenchments have started, he said. The 71-year-old politician further said the demonetisation move was not well thought out and wondered if the government had consulted its chief economic advisor before taking the decision. "My suspicion is the only knowledgeable economist in the government, Dr Arvind Subramanian, was not consulted," he said. He also said that it was too early to quantify the damage caused by the decision. Chidambaram said that the 50 days that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked for the results of his initiative to show might ease the liquidity crisis for individual hands. He, however, said that it would not solve any other issues. "The PM's time out for 50 days might ease the liquidity crisis at individual's hands, but it won't solve many other problems." (With inputs from PTI)

Demonetisation: Will take at least 7 months to replace old currency, says former finance minister P Chidambaram

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi today once again remained absent in the afternoon session of the Rajya Sabha -- the upper house of the Indian Parliament.

Both the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha were later adjourned for the day.

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Opposition creates uproar in Rajya Sabha over PM&#39;s absence
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/801707375598047232">November 24, 2016</a></blockquote>
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Finance minister Arun Jaitley, while addressing opposition in the House, said that the government was ready for debate.

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The Opposition has been calling for Modi to come to Parliament and make a statement on demonetisation ever since the start of the winter session last week.&nbsp;

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh kicked off the debate in the morning, saying it is &quot;important to take note of the grievances of the people suffering&quot;.&nbsp;

And that &quot;those who say demonetisation is good in the long run, should recall (the) quote, &#39;In the long run we are all dead&#39;.&quot;

Earlier in the day too, both houses of Parliament were adjourned&nbsp;till noon Thursday because of the uproar over demonetisation.

Parliament has now been disrupted every single day since the start of the winter session last week. The Lok Sabha or the lower house has been adjourned for the day, again because of the continuing uproar over demonetisation. &nbsp;

The Opposition has also decided not to hold talks with the government up to November 28, which is when they will hold their nationwide Akrosh rally to protest against the demonetisation of the country&#39;s 500- and 1,000-rupee notes. Akrosh means &quot;rage&quot;.&nbsp;

Home minister Rajnath Singh had called a meeting with leaders of the Opposition today but they skipped it, deciding to meet on their own.&nbsp;

Parliamentary affairs minister Ananth Kumar had earlier reached out to the Opposition in an attempt to break the deadlock in Parliament.

(WION)

Let's talk, says the government. Former prime minister Manmohan Singh debates on demonetisation

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi today once again remained absent in the afternoon session of the Rajya Sabha -- the upper house of the Indian Parliament. Both the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha were later adjourned for the day. Opposition creates uproar in Rajya Sabha over PM's absence — ANI (@ANI_news) November 24, 2016 × Finance minister Arun Jaitley, while addressing opposition in the House, said that the government was ready for debate. Opposition ka pramukh prastav tha ke PM charcha me rahen or fir unhone bahane dhundne shuru kar diye: FM Arun Jaitley on RS uproar — ANI (@ANI_news) November 24, 2016 × The Opposition has been calling for Modi to come to Parliament and make a statement on demonetisation ever since the start of the winter session last week. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh kicked off the debate in the morning, saying it is "important to take note of the grievances of the people suffering". And that "those who say demonetisation is good in the long run, should recall (the) quote, 'In the long run we are all dead'." Earlier in the day too, both houses of Parliament were adjourned till noon Thursday because of the uproar over demonetisation. Parliament has now been disrupted every single day since the start of the winter session last week. The Lok Sabha or the lower house has been adjourned for the day, again because of the continuing uproar over demonetisation. The Opposition has also decided not to hold talks with the government up to November 28, which is when they will hold their nationwide Akrosh rally to protest against the demonetisation of the country's 500- and 1,000-rupee notes. Akrosh means "rage". Home minister Rajnath Singh had called a meeting with leaders of the Opposition today but they skipped it, deciding to meet on their own. Parliamentary affairs minister Ananth Kumar had earlier reached out to the Opposition in an attempt to break the deadlock in Parliament. (WION)

Demonetisation: Both Houses of Parliament adjourned after opposition protests Indian Prime Minister's absence

As the government attempts to find a truce with a united opposition, which has disrupted both the Houses of Parliament since the beginning of the Winter Session, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the Upper house (Rajya Sabha) and is likely to participate in the discussion on demonetisation.

Since the first day of the ongoing Winter Session, the opposition leaders are calling for the Prime Minister to speak on the issue.

Even though most of them support the government&#39;s move on fight against black money, they are protesting against the way it was implemented as even after third week of the announcement on November 8, long queues can be seen outside ATMs and banks, with people looking to either exchange or deposit old notes.

Rejecting the demand of opposition parties to roll back the decision on demonetisation, union minister M. Venkaiah Naidu yesterday said the nation has supported the government`s step to unearth black money and added that the decision has been taken keeping in view of the welfare of the farmers and the marginalised sections of society.

He said that Prime Minister Modi took a bold decision to curb black money by invalidating the currency notes of 500 and 1,000 denominations.

For the fifth day yesterday, Parliament could not transact any substantial business due to uproar on demonetisation issue as both the Lok Sabha (Lower house) and the Rajya Sabha witnessed repeated adjournments amid allegations and counter-allegations by the members of opposition and treasury benches.

Earlier, opposition Congress&#39;s Anand Sharma alleged that the government has created financial anarchy in the country by demonetisation.

Sharad Yadav of the Janata Dal (United) reiterated his demand for payment of compensation to the kith and kin of those who have reportedly died of trauma while queuing outside banks and ATMs.

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati said the situation in the country is grim and the absence of the Prime Minister in the House is an &quot;insult&quot;.

Sitaram Yechury of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) said the government is answerable to the House and the Parliament is answerable to the people.

(ANI)&nbsp;

While many support the move against black money, opposition is protesting against the way it was implemented causing inconvenience

As the government attempts to find a truce with a united opposition, which has disrupted both the Houses of Parliament since the beginning of the Winter Session, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the Upper house (Rajya Sabha) and is likely to participate in the discussion on demonetisation. Since the first day of the ongoing Winter Session, the opposition leaders are calling for the Prime Minister to speak on the issue. Even though most of them support the government's move on fight against black money, they are protesting against the way it was implemented as even after third week of the announcement on November 8, long queues can be seen outside ATMs and banks, with people looking to either exchange or deposit old notes. Rejecting the demand of opposition parties to roll back the decision on demonetisation, union minister M. Venkaiah Naidu yesterday said the nation has supported the government`s step to unearth black money and added that the decision has been taken keeping in view of the welfare of the farmers and the marginalised sections of society. He said that Prime Minister Modi took a bold decision to curb black money by invalidating the currency notes of 500 and 1,000 denominations. For the fifth day yesterday, Parliament could not transact any substantial business due to uproar on demonetisation issue as both the Lok Sabha (Lower house) and the Rajya Sabha witnessed repeated adjournments amid allegations and counter-allegations by the members of opposition and treasury benches. Earlier, opposition Congress's Anand Sharma alleged that the government has created financial anarchy in the country by demonetisation. Sharad Yadav of the Janata Dal (United) reiterated his demand for payment of compensation to the kith and kin of those who have reportedly died of trauma while queuing outside banks and ATMs. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati said the situation in the country is grim and the absence of the Prime Minister in the House is an "insult". Sitaram Yechury of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) said the government is answerable to the House and the Parliament is answerable to the people. (ANI)

Demonetisation: Modi to attend Rajya Sabha today

More than 93 per cent of the five lakh people who participated in a survey on the Narendra Modi App have supported demonetisation, the Prime Minister&#39;s office&nbsp;said Wednesday, a day after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought the public&#39;s feedback on the issue.

&quot;I thank people for the historic participation in the survey. It&#39;s satisfying to read the insightful views &amp; comments,&quot; the Prime Minister tweeted along with the results of the survey conducted on the Narendra Modi App.

&quot;Unprecedented response to App Survey, record number of citizens share their view,&quot; said the title of a write-up on narendramodi.in; the link to which was shared by Modi on his Twitter account.

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I thank people for the historic participation in the survey. Its satisfying to read the insightful views &amp; comments. <a href="https://t.co/xf14LEiQHT">https://t.co/xf14LEiQHT</a> <a href="https://t.co/cGSBPlCnE5">pic.twitter.com/cGSBPlCnE5</a>
&mdash; Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/801412548721446912">November 23, 2016</a></blockquote>
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The survey result was read out by IT and Telecom minister Ravi Shankar Prasad at Cabinet meeting this evening, prompting Modi to say that it &quot;reflects the mood&quot; of the people.

In just over 24 hours of the survey, more than 5 lakh people have participated and expressed their opinion, it said, adding &quot;This is a staggering number by any stretch. No opinion survey conducted in India, on such policy or political issues, even comes close to sampling so many responses.&quot;

More than 93 per cent people support the move to demonetise the old 500 and 1000 Rupee notes, it said. Of the over 5 lakh responses so far, only 2 per cent have rated the move as &#39;very poor&#39; or &#39;one star&#39;, the survey result said.

More than 90 per cent of the respondents feel the government&#39;s move to tackle black money is above four-star rating, the survey result says. 73 per cent of them give it five-star rating of &#39;brilliant&#39;.

On the overall fight against corruption, more than 92 per cent of respondents either rate the government as &#39;very good&#39; or &#39;good&#39; while 57 per cent of them rate the fight as &#39;very good&#39;.

&quot;As high as 86 per cent people believe that some so- called anti-corruption activists are now actually batting in support of black money, corruption and even terrorist financing!&quot;, the write-up said.

The write-up said the demonetisation survey was launched on the NM App yesterday at 10 am&nbsp;and &quot;the response has been phenomenal.&quot;

Modi&#39;s move to gauge the views of the people directly came at a time when the opposition has escalated its attack on the issue of demonetisation.

Explaining the reason behind the Prime Minister&#39;s move on survey, the write-up said Modi&#39;s &quot;belief in participative governance and direct engagement with people is unwavering&quot; and &quot;time and again, he has directly engaged with the people and sought their views on a wide range of issues.

&quot;...It was then decided to speak directly to the people and take their views in an open, free, fair, and equitable poll.

&quot;Instead of intermediaries speaking on behalf of people, let the people speak for themselves. Let them say whether they support or oppose the demonetisation move.

&quot;Let them offer suggestions to alleviate the genuine inconveniences that some people may be facing. If someone has a well-argued case of opposing the move, let them say that too. Overall, instead of just opinion, let data speak for the support for the move.&quot;

Contending that the questions to which the Prime Minister had sought answers were &quot;comprehensive and direct&quot;, the write-up said the queries also included opportunity to give feedback.

&quot;The overall aim included means to make the implementation stronger and more effective,&quot; it said.

The questions included &quot;Do you have any suggestions/ideas or insights you would like to share with PM Narendra Modi.

(PTI)

The prime minister's office said 5 lakh people participated in the survey within 24 hours

More than 93 per cent of the five lakh people who participated in a survey on the Narendra Modi App have supported demonetisation, the Prime Minister's office said Wednesday, a day after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought the public's feedback on the issue. "I thank people for the historic participation in the survey. It's satisfying to read the insightful views & comments," the Prime Minister tweeted along with the results of the survey conducted on the Narendra Modi App. "Unprecedented response to App Survey, record number of citizens share their view," said the title of a write-up on narendramodi.in; the link to which was shared by Modi on his Twitter account. I thank people for the historic participation in the survey. Its satisfying to read the insightful views & comments. https://t.co/xf14LEiQHT pic.twitter.com/cGSBPlCnE5 — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 23, 2016 × The survey result was read out by IT and Telecom minister Ravi Shankar Prasad at Cabinet meeting this evening, prompting Modi to say that it "reflects the mood" of the people. In just over 24 hours of the survey, more than 5 lakh people have participated and expressed their opinion, it said, adding "This is a staggering number by any stretch. No opinion survey conducted in India, on such policy or political issues, even comes close to sampling so many responses." More than 93 per cent people support the move to demonetise the old 500 and 1000 Rupee notes, it said. Of the over 5 lakh responses so far, only 2 per cent have rated the move as 'very poor' or 'one star', the survey result said. More than 90 per cent of the respondents feel the government's move to tackle black money is above four-star rating, the survey result says. 73 per cent of them give it five-star rating of 'brilliant'. On the overall fight against corruption, more than 92 per cent of respondents either rate the government as 'very good' or 'good' while 57 per cent of them rate the fight as 'very good'. "As high as 86 per cent people believe that some so- called anti-corruption activists are now actually batting in support of black money, corruption and even terrorist financing!", the write-up said. The write-up said the demonetisation survey was launched on the NM App yesterday at 10 am and "the response has been phenomenal." Modi's move to gauge the views of the people directly came at a time when the opposition has escalated its attack on the issue of demonetisation. Explaining the reason behind the Prime Minister's move on survey, the write-up said Modi's "belief in participative governance and direct engagement with people is unwavering" and "time and again, he has directly engaged with the people and sought their views on a wide range of issues. "...It was then decided to speak directly to the people and take their views in an open, free, fair, and equitable poll. "Instead of intermediaries speaking on behalf of people, let the people speak for themselves. Let them say whether they support or oppose the demonetisation move. "Let them offer suggestions to alleviate the genuine inconveniences that some people may be facing. If someone has a well-argued case of opposing the move, let them say that too. Overall, instead of just opinion, let data speak for the support for the move." Contending that the questions to which the Prime Minister had sought answers were "comprehensive and direct", the write-up said the queries also included opportunity to give feedback. "The overall aim included means to make the implementation stronger and more effective," it said. The questions included "Do you have any suggestions/ideas or insights you would like to share with PM Narendra Modi. (PTI)

Survey on Narendra Modi app: 93% support demonetisation

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Sunday urged the public&nbsp;to not hoard money following the government&#39;s decision to withdraw large denomination notes in an attempt to expose undeclared wealth.

With long queues outside banks across the country for exchanging 500 and 1,000 rupee notes that the government abolished in a decision made Tuesday evening, the government has urged people to&nbsp;keep calm.

The government also today announced that the cash withdrawal limit will now be increased from Rs 2,000 to Rs 2,500 per transaction.

The banned denominations made up more than 80 per cent of the currency in circulation, Reuters reported.

The RBI has, however, stated that small denomination currency notes were available with both the central bank and with other lenders and hence there was no reason to panic.

Meanwhile, Mamata Banerjee, chief minister of India&#39;s eastern state of West Bengal called the situation &quot;nothing short of an emergency&quot;.

&quot;I have never seen such a thing. People have money in their accounts but can&#39;t access it. They can&#39;t pay for treatment of a family member in hospital, weddings have been put on hold, daily business has taken a beating,&quot; Reuters reported her as saying.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s said that the move was also aimed at curbing illegal political donations that fund India&#39;s elections.

Current 500&nbsp;and 1,000-rupee notes can be redeemed at banks and post offices until December&nbsp;30.

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

Thousands of people were again standing outside banks across the country trying to change 500 and 1,000 rupee bills the government abolished

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Sunday urged the public to not hoard money following the government's decision to withdraw large denomination notes in an attempt to expose undeclared wealth. With long queues outside banks across the country for exchanging 500 and 1,000 rupee notes that the government abolished in a decision made Tuesday evening, the government has urged people to keep calm. The government also today announced that the cash withdrawal limit will now be increased from Rs 2,000 to Rs 2,500 per transaction. The banned denominations made up more than 80 per cent of the currency in circulation, Reuters reported. The RBI has, however, stated that small denomination currency notes were available with both the central bank and with other lenders and hence there was no reason to panic. Meanwhile, Mamata Banerjee, chief minister of India's eastern state of West Bengal called the situation "nothing short of an emergency". "I have never seen such a thing. People have money in their accounts but can't access it. They can't pay for treatment of a family member in hospital, weddings have been put on hold, daily business has taken a beating," Reuters reported her as saying. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's said that the move was also aimed at curbing illegal political donations that fund India's elections. Current 500 and 1,000-rupee notes can be redeemed at banks and post offices until December 30. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

No need to be anxious, enough cash available, assures RBI

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

India&#39;s Central Information Commission (CIC) has sought files related to foreign travels of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the external affairs ministry (MEA). The MEA had refused to answer a Right to Information (RTI) query requesting access to these documents citing security concerns.

Commodore (retired) Lokesh Batra had sought these details to assess the expenditure incurred Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s foreign travels.

Chief information commissioner Radha Krishna Mathur directed the MEA to peruse the files to ascertain whether there were any security concerns in the records on the basis of which information can be denied. &quot;The Commission observed that without perusal of the file&nbsp;it cannot be decided that whether the sought for information contains security related information,&quot; Mathur said, directing the ministry to produce one representative file before it.

Batra told the CIC that the case involved&nbsp;substantive public interest as the bailout amount being given to Air India, reported to be in thousands of crores of rupees, is tax-payers&#39; money. He said his RTI application sought information on four points -- details of expenses incurred on air travel during foreign visits of the incumbent Prime Minister and former prime ministers, the laid-down instructions, procedure&nbsp;involved in charting flights for PM&#39;s foreign visits and later filing &#39;flight returns&#39; and raising invoices, and clearance of bills on completion of the visit, copy of bills, etc.

Batra told the Commission that the website of the Prime Minister&#39;s Office (PMO), as on September 13, 2016, was showing that the bills were under process for payment, or were not received for journeys undertaken by the PM between June 15, 2014 and September 8, 2016.

He said there is a need for reforms by understanding the causes of long delays in payments to Air India. In its response, MEA told Batra that the details of PM&#39;s flight expenses contained information with security implications and were exempted from disclosure under section 8(1)(g) of the RTI Act.

The ministry said in view of security reasons, the file inspection by the appellant cannot be allowed.

(PTI)

The details are being sought to assess expenditure, but the external affairs ministry has refused to provide the same

India's Central Information Commission (CIC) has sought files related to foreign travels of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the external affairs ministry (MEA). The MEA had refused to answer a Right to Information (RTI) query requesting access to these documents citing security concerns. Commodore (retired) Lokesh Batra had sought these details to assess the expenditure incurred Prime Minister Narendra Modi's foreign travels. Chief information commissioner Radha Krishna Mathur directed the MEA to peruse the files to ascertain whether there were any security concerns in the records on the basis of which information can be denied. "The Commission observed that without perusal of the file it cannot be decided that whether the sought for information contains security related information," Mathur said, directing the ministry to produce one representative file before it. Batra told the CIC that the case involved substantive public interest as the bailout amount being given to Air India, reported to be in thousands of crores of rupees, is tax-payers' money. He said his RTI application sought information on four points -- details of expenses incurred on air travel during foreign visits of the incumbent Prime Minister and former prime ministers, the laid-down instructions, procedure involved in charting flights for PM's foreign visits and later filing 'flight returns' and raising invoices, and clearance of bills on completion of the visit, copy of bills, etc. Batra told the Commission that the website of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), as on September 13, 2016, was showing that the bills were under process for payment, or were not received for journeys undertaken by the PM between June 15, 2014 and September 8, 2016. He said there is a need for reforms by understanding the causes of long delays in payments to Air India. In its response, MEA told Batra that the details of PM's flight expenses contained information with security implications and were exempted from disclosure under section 8(1)(g) of the RTI Act. The ministry said in view of security reasons, the file inspection by the appellant cannot be allowed. (PTI)

India: Information commission seeks details of PM Modi's foreign visit expenses

India&#39;s interior minister Rajnath Singh today briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the situation in Kashmir after returning from his two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir. 
 
The interior minister, in an hour-long meeting, apprised Modi about the ground situation of the state assessed by the all-party delegation which visited Srinagar and Jammu on September 4 and 5. 
 
&quot;Briefed the Prime Minister on all-party delegation&#39;s visit to J&amp;K and also apprised him of the situation in the state,&quot; Singh said in a tweet after the meeting at the Prime Minster&#39;s residence. 
 
While the Prime Minister returned to the capital last night after his visit to Vietnam and China, the interior minister too had come back from Jammu and Kashmir last evening. 
 
Sources said the members of the all-party delegation are likely to meet in Delhi tomorrow to discuss their findings and chalk out future plans for Jammu and Kashmir. 
 
The all-party delegation seeking to end the turbulence in Kashmir concluded its visit yesterday with no breakthrough. 
 
Unhappy at the stubborn refusal of Hurriyat leaders to meet some MPs who had literally knocked at their doors in Srinagar, Singh had said that their conduct was against &quot;democracy, humanity or even &#39;Kashmiriyat&#39; (Kashmiri ethos)&quot;.&nbsp; 
 
(PTI)

In an hour-long meeting, Rajnath Singh apprised Modi about the ground situation in the state

India's interior minister Rajnath Singh today briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the situation in Kashmir after returning from his two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir. The interior minister, in an hour-long meeting, apprised Modi about the ground situation of the state assessed by the all-party delegation which visited Srinagar and Jammu on September 4 and 5. "Briefed the Prime Minister on all-party delegation's visit to J&K and also apprised him of the situation in the state," Singh said in a tweet after the meeting at the Prime Minster's residence. While the Prime Minister returned to the capital last night after his visit to Vietnam and China, the interior minister too had come back from Jammu and Kashmir last evening. Sources said the members of the all-party delegation are likely to meet in Delhi tomorrow to discuss their findings and chalk out future plans for Jammu and Kashmir. The all-party delegation seeking to end the turbulence in Kashmir concluded its visit yesterday with no breakthrough. Unhappy at the stubborn refusal of Hurriyat leaders to meet some MPs who had literally knocked at their doors in Srinagar, Singh had said that their conduct was against "democracy, humanity or even 'Kashmiriyat' (Kashmiri ethos)". (PTI)

India's interior minister briefs PM Modi on Kashmir situation

India&#39;s parliament today passed a landmark tax reform&nbsp;bill&nbsp;that will pave the way for the introduction of a new national sales tax, and create a common market across the country for the first time. 
 
Parliament&#39;s upper house, Rajya Sabha, passed the long-awaited Goods and Services Tax (GST)&nbsp;bill&nbsp;unanimously after Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s government reached a consensus with opposition parties over the new tax regime. The Constitution (122nd Amendment) Bill, 2014 was approved by the upper house with 203 votes in favour and none against, after a seven-hour debate during which a rare bonhomie was witnessed among the ruling and the opposition parties. 
 
The GST will replace a patchwork of central and state levies on goods and services and is one of the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party government&#39;s biggest reforms since taking power in May 2014.&nbsp;Prime Minister Modi thanked the leaders and members of all the parties in a tweet&nbsp;after the bill received a thumbs up. 
&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
On this truly historic occasion of the passage of the GST Bill in the Rajya Sabha, I thank the leaders and members of all parties.
&mdash; Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/760874175766507521">August 3, 2016</a></blockquote>
&nbsp;

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
I would like to add that GST will also be the best example of cooperative federalism. Together we will take India to new heights of progress
&mdash; Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/760874652960821249">August 3, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="~/platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script> 
The battle to introduce the economy-boosting GST has been one of the fiercest of Modi&#39;s premiership, with Congress repeatedly blocking the bill for more than a year, before finally agreeing to several amendments. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s the biggest tax reform since independence,&quot; finance minister Arun Jaitley told the NDTV television channel earlier today.&nbsp;&quot;It integrates India into one economic entity India becomes a big market, there will be a seamless transfer of goods and services across the country.&quot; 
 
Investors have billed the GST as a &quot;silver bullet&quot; for India&#39;s economy that would supplant multiple federal and state levies, a chaotic structure that inflates costs for businesses. 
&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
GST Bill passed.India&#39;s enormous market--a caged tiger--will now be unleashed. GoodShowTeam India!
&mdash; anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) <a href="https://twitter.com/anandmahindra/status/760876374634721280">August 3, 2016</a></blockquote>
&nbsp;

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Passing of the GST Amendment Bill will boost foreign investor sentiment <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GSTBill?src=hash">#GSTBill</a> 
Watch for inflows
&mdash; Mahesh (@invest_mutual) <a href="https://twitter.com/invest_mutual/status/760875005089423360">August 3, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="~/platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script> 
Hailing the passage of the bill as an extremely progressive step, Walmart India today reacted positively. 
 
&quot;Passing of the GST bill today in Rajya Sabha is an extremely progressive step and long awaited one. GST is one of the critical tax reforms which has potential to create one single market in India for goods &amp; services and will boost country&#39;s economy significantly,&quot; Walmart India president and CEO Krish Iyer said in a statement. 
 
Businesses have lobbied hard for the tax, with lobby group the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) estimating the GST will add 1.5 to 2 percentage points to the annual economic growth rate. 
 
&quot;It is very much in the category of what one would call a big-bang reform,&quot; CII president Naushad Forbes told AFP.&nbsp;&quot;It will be a huge benefit to the ease of doing business, it&#39;s a huge potential efficiency gainer. It&#39;s a very significant potential contribution to the economy in the longer term,&quot; he said. 
 
India&#39;s GDP expanded 7.6 per cent in 2015-16, making it the fastest-growing major economy in the world.&nbsp;The actual tax is still some way off, however, with the government targeting April 2017 for its introduction, a date many experts say is overly optimistic. 
 
The bill that cleared the upper house today simply amends the constitution to grant the government new taxation powers.&nbsp;The bill must also be ratified by at least half of India&#39;s 29 states, before a specific GST bill can be introduced to enshrine the tax in law. 
 
The main rate of GST is still a hot topic for debate, with experts suggesting it is likely to end up at around 18 per cent.&nbsp;While GST may push up inflation in the short term because the price of some goods will rise, economists say it will boost business activity and deter tax evasion. 
 
About 150 countries worldwide have some form of GST or VAT (Value Added Tax), according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. 
 
(Agencies)

The passage of the bill was held up for years by political infighting, and its advancement marks a victory for Prime Minister Narendra Modi

India's parliament today passed a landmark tax reform bill that will pave the way for the introduction of a new national sales tax, and create a common market across the country for the first time. Parliament's upper house, Rajya Sabha, passed the long-awaited Goods and Services Tax (GST) bill unanimously after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government reached a consensus with opposition parties over the new tax regime. The Constitution (122nd Amendment) Bill, 2014 was approved by the upper house with 203 votes in favour and none against, after a seven-hour debate during which a rare bonhomie was witnessed among the ruling and the opposition parties. The GST will replace a patchwork of central and state levies on goods and services and is one of the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party government's biggest reforms since taking power in May 2014. Prime Minister Modi thanked the leaders and members of all the parties in a tweet after the bill received a thumbs up. On this truly historic occasion of the passage of the GST Bill in the Rajya Sabha, I thank the leaders and members of all parties. — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 3, 2016 I would like to add that GST will also be the best example of cooperative federalism. Together we will take India to new heights of progress — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 3, 2016 The battle to introduce the economy-boosting GST has been one of the fiercest of Modi's premiership, with Congress repeatedly blocking the bill for more than a year, before finally agreeing to several amendments. "It's the biggest tax reform since independence," finance minister Arun Jaitley told the NDTV television channel earlier today. "It integrates India into one economic entity India becomes a big market, there will be a seamless transfer of goods and services across the country." Investors have billed the GST as a "silver bullet" for India's economy that would supplant multiple federal and state levies, a chaotic structure that inflates costs for businesses. GST Bill passed.India's enormous market--a caged tiger--will now be unleashed. GoodShowTeam India! — anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) August 3, 2016 Passing of the GST Amendment Bill will boost foreign investor sentiment #GSTBill Watch for inflows — Mahesh (@invest_mutual) August 3, 2016 Hailing the passage of the bill as an extremely progressive step, Walmart India today reacted positively. "Passing of the GST bill today in Rajya Sabha is an extremely progressive step and long awaited one. GST is one of the critical tax reforms which has potential to create one single market in India for goods & services and will boost country's economy significantly," Walmart India president and CEO Krish Iyer said in a statement. Businesses have lobbied hard for the tax, with lobby group the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) estimating the GST will add 1.5 to 2 percentage points to the annual economic growth rate. "It is very much in the category of what one would call a big-bang reform," CII president Naushad Forbes told AFP. "It will be a huge benefit to the ease of doing business, it's a huge potential efficiency gainer. It's a very significant potential contribution to the economy in the longer term," he said. India's GDP expanded 7.6 per cent in 2015-16, making it the fastest-growing major economy in the world. The actual tax is still some way off, however, with the government targeting April 2017 for its introduction, a date many experts say is overly optimistic. The bill that cleared the upper house today simply amends the constitution to grant the government new taxation powers. The bill must also be ratified by at least half of India's 29 states, before a specific GST bill can be introduced to enshrine the tax in law. The main rate of GST is still a hot topic for debate, with experts suggesting it is likely to end up at around 18 per cent. While GST may push up inflation in the short term because the price of some goods will rise, economists say it will boost business activity and deter tax evasion. About 150 countries worldwide have some form of GST or VAT (Value Added Tax), according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. (Agencies)

Indian parliament's upper house passes landmark tax reform bill

India&#39;s next central bank governor could learn a lot about stubbornly high prices in rural areas by driving down a ramshackle road in Uttar Pradesh state to talk to small farmers like Dharmendra Malik. 
 
After cooling last year due largely to lower oil prices, India&#39;s old nemesis inflation is back on the prowl and is threatening to breach the Reserve Bank of India&#39;s (RBI) target, a harsh welcome for its new chief who is expected to be appointed soon. 
 
Rising prices are also feeding rural perceptions that Prime Minister Narendra Modi increasingly favours the urban middle class, a key voter base. Millions of government employees recently received hefty pay hikes, while more farmers are going bust. 
 
The dusty village of Sisauli puts the dilemma facing India&#39;s policymakers into clear focus.&nbsp;Sisuali is three hours by rough road from New Delhi, making transporting goods difficult and expensive.&nbsp;Layers of middlemen also clog the supply chain and take their cuts. Some farmers say their produce can go through at least four intermediaries before reaching customers. 
 
Malik says he sold rice for 16 Rupees (24 cents) a kilogram to a middle man. In a market 10 minutes away, it retails for three times as much. 
 
&quot;Inflation has come down only on paper; in reality, there is no let up in surging prices,&quot; Sudhir Kumar said in his grocery shop, which also has a small TV set he uses to keep an eye on commodity prices. 
 
Decades of neglect bubbling over 
 
Rural India has long suffered from neglect, but tensions are rising as food prices have surged after two years of drought. 
 
Retail inflation in rural areas has consistently outpaced urban areas in the past 18 months, hitting 6.20 per cent in June, well above 5.26 per cent in cities such as Mumbai.&nbsp;That has pushed overall inflation to a near two-year high of 5.77 per cent in June, near the upper end of the RBI&#39;s 2-6 per cent inflation target. 
 
RBI officials have stressed that many of the causes are structural and beyond the central bank&#39;s control, but the spike in inflation could complicate the next governor&#39;s job. 
 
Though India has become the world&#39;s fastest growing large economy, political pressure on the RBI is growing to cut interest rates more aggressively to spur full employment, at the risk of unleashing even stronger inflationary forces. 
 
Outgoing Governor Raghuram Rajan was lauded by investors for introducing inflation targeting last year, restoring the RBI&#39;s credibility by linking price management to numerical targets. Investors are closely watching to see if his successor will stick to tough targets or water them down. 
 
Economists polled by Reuters see only one more rate cut over the next year, if inflation does not pick-up too sharply. 
 
No easy fixes 
 
Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is already facing a tough electoral test in the state next year. Uttar Pradesh will be a crucial test for its re-election bid in 2019. 
 
&quot;You are not ready to pay more to farmers because that is bad economics,&quot; said Malik. &quot;But no one complains when hefty pay increases are given to government employees.&quot; &nbsp; 
 
The government is making some strides. It is spending on infrastructure and is seeking to weed out middlemen by giving farmers an option of selling their goods across India via electronic trading platforms set up at wholesale markets.&nbsp;But progress is slow, and middlemen continue to hold sway as farmers lack the means to ship directly to buyers. 
 
Rate cuts would do little for villagers such as Narpendar Jhinjha, a heavily indebted 52-year-old farmer, who says another bad year will force him to sell his land. 
 
&quot;A farmer is hit on both sides,&quot; Jhinja said, referring to low crop prices and higher prices for goods he needs to buy.&nbsp;&quot;And on top of that we have our loans to pay for. Farmers have been condemned to a life of misery.&quot; 
 
(Reuters)

Rising prices also feed rural perceptions that Prime Minister Narendra Modi increasingly favours the urban middle class, a key voter base

India's next central bank governor could learn a lot about stubbornly high prices in rural areas by driving down a ramshackle road in Uttar Pradesh state to talk to small farmers like Dharmendra Malik. After cooling last year due largely to lower oil prices, India's old nemesis inflation is back on the prowl and is threatening to breach the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) target, a harsh welcome for its new chief who is expected to be appointed soon. Rising prices are also feeding rural perceptions that Prime Minister Narendra Modi increasingly favours the urban middle class, a key voter base. Millions of government employees recently received hefty pay hikes, while more farmers are going bust. The dusty village of Sisauli puts the dilemma facing India's policymakers into clear focus. Sisuali is three hours by rough road from New Delhi, making transporting goods difficult and expensive. Layers of middlemen also clog the supply chain and take their cuts. Some farmers say their produce can go through at least four intermediaries before reaching customers. Malik says he sold rice for 16 Rupees (24 cents) a kilogram to a middle man. In a market 10 minutes away, it retails for three times as much. "Inflation has come down only on paper; in reality, there is no let up in surging prices," Sudhir Kumar said in his grocery shop, which also has a small TV set he uses to keep an eye on commodity prices. Decades of neglect bubbling over Rural India has long suffered from neglect, but tensions are rising as food prices have surged after two years of drought. Retail inflation in rural areas has consistently outpaced urban areas in the past 18 months, hitting 6.20 per cent in June, well above 5.26 per cent in cities such as Mumbai. That has pushed overall inflation to a near two-year high of 5.77 per cent in June, near the upper end of the RBI's 2-6 per cent inflation target. RBI officials have stressed that many of the causes are structural and beyond the central bank's control, but the spike in inflation could complicate the next governor's job. Though India has become the world's fastest growing large economy, political pressure on the RBI is growing to cut interest rates more aggressively to spur full employment, at the risk of unleashing even stronger inflationary forces. Outgoing Governor Raghuram Rajan was lauded by investors for introducing inflation targeting last year, restoring the RBI's credibility by linking price management to numerical targets. Investors are closely watching to see if his successor will stick to tough targets or water them down. Economists polled by Reuters see only one more rate cut over the next year, if inflation does not pick-up too sharply. No easy fixes Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is already facing a tough electoral test in the state next year. Uttar Pradesh will be a crucial test for its re-election bid in 2019. "You are not ready to pay more to farmers because that is bad economics," said Malik. "But no one complains when hefty pay increases are given to government employees." The government is making some strides. It is spending on infrastructure and is seeking to weed out middlemen by giving farmers an option of selling their goods across India via electronic trading platforms set up at wholesale markets. But progress is slow, and middlemen continue to hold sway as farmers lack the means to ship directly to buyers. Rate cuts would do little for villagers such as Narpendar Jhinjha, a heavily indebted 52-year-old farmer, who says another bad year will force him to sell his land. "A farmer is hit on both sides," Jhinja said, referring to low crop prices and higher prices for goods he needs to buy. "And on top of that we have our loans to pay for. Farmers have been condemned to a life of misery." (Reuters)

India's next central bank chief will face stubborn old foe: Rural inflation

Kashmir today saw sporadic violence which left one person dead, raising the toll to 25 (AFP reports 32 dead), even as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi reviewed the situation and appealed for calm with the hope that no innocent person would face any inconvenience or suffer any loss. 
 
One person was killed in firing by security forces on a mob in Kupwara district of Kashmir, police sources said. 
 
There were some other incidents of violence, including a militant strike on a police post and a mob attack on the family of a police officer in which his wife and daughter were injured. 
 
In Delhi, Modi held a high-level meeting to review the Kashmir situation soon after his return from his five-day Africa visit. It was attended by Indian interior minister Rajnath Singh, finance minister Arun Jaitley, defence minister Manohar Parrikar, foreign minister Sushma Swaraj and national security adviser Ajit Doval. 
 
The Prime Minister voiced concern over the situation in the state where the death toll rose to 25 in the violent protests and clashes with security forces, triggered by the killing of Hizbul militant commander Burhan Wani last Friday. 
 
&quot;He (PM) has appealed to the people of Jammu and Kashmir to maintain peace so that the situation can normalise. He (PM) also expressed hope that no innocent person should face any kind of inconvenience or loss,&quot; minister of state in the Prime Minister&#39;s office Jitendra Singh said after the meeting. 
 
Modi said the government at the centre will provide whatever help is needed by the state government, according to Jitendra Singh. 
 
The Prime Minister also expressed satisfaction over the progress of the Amarnath Yatra.&nbsp;He was given a detailed presentation of the situation prevailing in the Valley. 
 
&quot;The Prime Minister kept taking updates about the Jammu and Kashmir situation during his visit abroad. The biggest evidence of his concern is that he called this review meeting within hours of returning from the tour and took details,&quot; Singh told reporters. 
 
In Kashmir, while normal life remained paralysed, unidentified militants targeted a police post in Sopore, about 55 kms from Srinagar, firing seven to eight rounds but no one was injured. 
 
In another incident, unidentified persons hurled a petrol bomb towards security forces posted on law and order duty in Noorbagh area of Srinagar, an official said, adding nobody was injured in this too. 
 
In Awantipora area of Pulwama in south Kashmir, a mob beat up and injured wife and daughter of a police sub-inspector Mohammad Ashraf Pal and damaged his house. 
 
The injured were shifted to sub district hospital Awantipora where their condition is stated to be stable. 
 
Pal, who is posted as duty officer at Sangam police post in Bibjehara area of Anantnag district, was not at home at the time of the attack, which follows a series of attacks on police personnel and installations since the killing Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani on last Friday. 
 
(PTI)

A mob attacks a police officer's family, injuring his wife and daughter. The PM reviews the situation, appeals for calm

Kashmir today saw sporadic violence which left one person dead, raising the toll to 25 (AFP reports 32 dead), even as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi reviewed the situation and appealed for calm with the hope that no innocent person would face any inconvenience or suffer any loss. One person was killed in firing by security forces on a mob in Kupwara district of Kashmir, police sources said. There were some other incidents of violence, including a militant strike on a police post and a mob attack on the family of a police officer in which his wife and daughter were injured. In Delhi, Modi held a high-level meeting to review the Kashmir situation soon after his return from his five-day Africa visit. It was attended by Indian interior minister Rajnath Singh, finance minister Arun Jaitley, defence minister Manohar Parrikar, foreign minister Sushma Swaraj and national security adviser Ajit Doval. The Prime Minister voiced concern over the situation in the state where the death toll rose to 25 in the violent protests and clashes with security forces, triggered by the killing of Hizbul militant commander Burhan Wani last Friday. "He (PM) has appealed to the people of Jammu and Kashmir to maintain peace so that the situation can normalise. He (PM) also expressed hope that no innocent person should face any kind of inconvenience or loss," minister of state in the Prime Minister's office Jitendra Singh said after the meeting. Modi said the government at the centre will provide whatever help is needed by the state government, according to Jitendra Singh. The Prime Minister also expressed satisfaction over the progress of the Amarnath Yatra. He was given a detailed presentation of the situation prevailing in the Valley. "The Prime Minister kept taking updates about the Jammu and Kashmir situation during his visit abroad. The biggest evidence of his concern is that he called this review meeting within hours of returning from the tour and took details," Singh told reporters. In Kashmir, while normal life remained paralysed, unidentified militants targeted a police post in Sopore, about 55 kms from Srinagar, firing seven to eight rounds but no one was injured. In another incident, unidentified persons hurled a petrol bomb towards security forces posted on law and order duty in Noorbagh area of Srinagar, an official said, adding nobody was injured in this too. In Awantipora area of Pulwama in south Kashmir, a mob beat up and injured wife and daughter of a police sub-inspector Mohammad Ashraf Pal and damaged his house. The injured were shifted to sub district hospital Awantipora where their condition is stated to be stable. Pal, who is posted as duty officer at Sangam police post in Bibjehara area of Anantnag district, was not at home at the time of the attack, which follows a series of attacks on police personnel and installations since the killing Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani on last Friday. (PTI)

One more killed in firing in Kashmir, conflicting reports put total toll between 25 & 32

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi could name his policy adviser,&nbsp;Arvind Panagariya, as the next governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), two television channels reported today, citing unnamed government sources.

The TV channels - CNBC Awaaz and ABP News - also said that a formal announcement of the decision was expected in next 48 hours.

Modi&#39;s office declined to comment, but said a decision on the new central bank governor would be made before July 18. Panagariya&#39;s office also refused to comment.

Panagariya, who heads the government&#39;s main economic advisory body NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India), is also India&#39;s Group of 20 summit negotiator.

The term of outgoing RBI chief Raghuram Rajan ends in early September. Rajan shocked markets late last month by announcing he would not seek reappointment. 
 
(Reuters)

PM Narendra Modi's office declined to comment, but said the decision on the new Reserve Bank of India governor will be made before July 18

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi could name his policy adviser, Arvind Panagariya, as the next governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), two television channels reported today, citing unnamed government sources. The TV channels - CNBC Awaaz and ABP News - also said that a formal announcement of the decision was expected in next 48 hours. Modi's office declined to comment, but said a decision on the new central bank governor would be made before July 18. Panagariya's office also refused to comment. Panagariya, who heads the government's main economic advisory body NITI Aayog (National Institution for Transforming India), is also India's Group of 20 summit negotiator. The term of outgoing RBI chief Raghuram Rajan ends in early September. Rajan shocked markets late last month by announcing he would not seek reappointment. (Reuters)

Indian government policy adviser Arvind Panagariya could be made next RBI chief

Visa waiver for diplomatic or official passport holders was among the five agreements signed between India and Tanzania today to accelerate ties between both nations to the next level. 
 
The other agreements include LOC of US $92 million for rehabilitation and improvement of Zanzibar&#39;s water supply system, Water Resource Management and Development, Establishment of vocational training centre at Zanzibar, Agreement between National Small Industries Corporation of India and Small Industries of Development Organization Tanzania. 
 
Asserting that India and Tanzania have agreed to work closely to combat the twin threats of terrorism and climate change, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said both nations will deepen overall defence and security partnership.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Being neighbours across Indian Ocean, President and I agreed to deepen our overall defence and security partnership, especially in the maritime domain. Our in-depth discussions on regional and global issues reflected our considerable convergence on issues of common interest and concern,&quot; he said. 
 
&quot;On climate change, India had led the efforts to form an International Solar Alliance at COP 21 in Paris. In this Alliance, which has the support of over 120 countries, we welcome Tanzania as a crucial partner,&quot; he said. 
 
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Tanzanian President John Pombe Joseph Magufuli witnessed the signing of agreements at the State House in Dar-es-Salaam. 
 
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted, &quot;A close and friendly partner. PM and President witness the exchange of 5 agreements across various sectors.&quot;Prime Minister Modi and President Magufuli prior to the exchange of agreements held delegation-level talks during which both sides reviewed full spectrum of relations between the two nations. 
 
&quot;Reviewing the full spectrum of #IndiaTanzania relations. President @Magufuli and PM lead delegation level talks,&quot; Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted. 
 
The Prime Minister&#39;s Office tweeted, &quot;Discussing India-Tanzania relations with President @MagufuliJP during the bilateral meeting and delegation talks. 
 
Prime Minister Modi was earlier today accorded a ceremonial welcome at the State House kicking-off his first engagement in Tanzania.&nbsp;He landed at Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar-es-Salaam earlier in the day as part of his four-nation Africa tour aimed at enhancing ties with the continent, particularly in the economic sphere. 
 
(ANI)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

This was among the five agreements signed today. The two countries also decided to deepen their defence and security partnership

Visa waiver for diplomatic or official passport holders was among the five agreements signed between India and Tanzania today to accelerate ties between both nations to the next level. The other agreements include LOC of US $92 million for rehabilitation and improvement of Zanzibar's water supply system, Water Resource Management and Development, Establishment of vocational training centre at Zanzibar, Agreement between National Small Industries Corporation of India and Small Industries of Development Organization Tanzania. Asserting that India and Tanzania have agreed to work closely to combat the twin threats of terrorism and climate change, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said both nations will deepen overall defence and security partnership. "Being neighbours across Indian Ocean, President and I agreed to deepen our overall defence and security partnership, especially in the maritime domain. Our in-depth discussions on regional and global issues reflected our considerable convergence on issues of common interest and concern," he said. "On climate change, India had led the efforts to form an International Solar Alliance at COP 21 in Paris. In this Alliance, which has the support of over 120 countries, we welcome Tanzania as a crucial partner," he said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Tanzanian President John Pombe Joseph Magufuli witnessed the signing of agreements at the State House in Dar-es-Salaam. Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted, "A close and friendly partner. PM and President witness the exchange of 5 agreements across various sectors."Prime Minister Modi and President Magufuli prior to the exchange of agreements held delegation-level talks during which both sides reviewed full spectrum of relations between the two nations. "Reviewing the full spectrum of #IndiaTanzania relations. President @Magufuli and PM lead delegation level talks," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted. The Prime Minister's Office tweeted, "Discussing India-Tanzania relations with President @MagufuliJP during the bilateral meeting and delegation talks. Prime Minister Modi was earlier today accorded a ceremonial welcome at the State House kicking-off his first engagement in Tanzania. He landed at Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar-es-Salaam earlier in the day as part of his four-nation Africa tour aimed at enhancing ties with the continent, particularly in the economic sphere. (ANI)

India, Tanzania to extend visa waivers to each other's diplomatic or official passport holders

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will head to Africa on Thursday, seeking to boost his country&#39;s economic influence in a region long dominated by rival Asian power China. 
 
India has been working to improve ties with African nations as it vies for a greater share of the continent&#39;s natural resources. Last year, it hosted a major summit of Africa&#39;s heads of state in New Delhi. 
 
Modi will head first to Mozambique, marking the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister in 34 years, before travelling on to South Africa, Tanzania and Kenya. 
 
&quot;The visit marks an unprecedented diplomatic outreach to the African continent and underlines the importance that India places on forging a multi-layered relationship with a rising continent,&quot; political analyst Manish Chand said. 
 
&quot;The visit is not going to be just about the optics. It is underpinned by a substantive agenda encompassing all areas of interest - economic as well as strategic,&quot; said Chand, the editor of Africa Quarterly. 
 
India&#39;s economic presence in Africa is dwarfed by that of China, whose trade with the continent topped $200 billion last year - more than the GDP of the 30 smallest African economies combined. 
 
But it is gaining ground, dominated by the energy sector and led by private entrepreneurs.&nbsp;India is now South Africa&#39;s sixth largest trade partner, with two-way trade reaching $5.3 billion in 2015-16. 
 
South Africa has also been vocal on the need to reform the UN security council, making it a natural ally in India&#39;s long-running campaign to be made a permanent member. 
 
India and Africa are together home to a third of the world&#39;s population, but neither India nor any African country has a permanent seat on the council, which is made up of China, Russia, the United States, the United Kingdom and France. 
 
&quot;South Africa is seen as a representative of the continent,&quot; said Chand.&nbsp;&quot;It&#39;s a part of the BRICS grouping and has been shaping the global discourse.&quot; 
 
With 1.3 million people of Indian origin, it also has the largest diaspora population in Africa, a major element of Modi&#39;s diplomatic push across the world since taking office two years ago. 
 
On Friday, he will address a thousands-strong audience at a stadium in Johannesburg, having hosted similar rallies for the diaspora in cities from New York to London. 
 
India&#39;s foreign ministry sought to downplay any rivalry with China and denied New Delhi had neglected the continent in the past. 
 
&quot;(Relations between India and Africa) are like the two banks of the river which are apart but never separate. We are trying to bridge that,&quot; said Amar Sinha, secretary for economic relations in the foreign ministry. 
 
&quot;Africa is a huge continent, it has tremendous requirement for development assistance and infrastructure building. Everybody can chip in.&quot; 
 
(AFP)

First visit by an Indian PM in 34 years. China's trade with Africa touched $200 billion last year, whereas India captured only $5.3 billion

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will head to Africa on Thursday, seeking to boost his country's economic influence in a region long dominated by rival Asian power China. India has been working to improve ties with African nations as it vies for a greater share of the continent's natural resources. Last year, it hosted a major summit of Africa's heads of state in New Delhi. Modi will head first to Mozambique, marking the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister in 34 years, before travelling on to South Africa, Tanzania and Kenya. "The visit marks an unprecedented diplomatic outreach to the African continent and underlines the importance that India places on forging a multi-layered relationship with a rising continent," political analyst Manish Chand said. "The visit is not going to be just about the optics. It is underpinned by a substantive agenda encompassing all areas of interest - economic as well as strategic," said Chand, the editor of Africa Quarterly. India's economic presence in Africa is dwarfed by that of China, whose trade with the continent topped $200 billion last year - more than the GDP of the 30 smallest African economies combined. But it is gaining ground, dominated by the energy sector and led by private entrepreneurs. India is now South Africa's sixth largest trade partner, with two-way trade reaching $5.3 billion in 2015-16. South Africa has also been vocal on the need to reform the UN security council, making it a natural ally in India's long-running campaign to be made a permanent member. India and Africa are together home to a third of the world's population, but neither India nor any African country has a permanent seat on the council, which is made up of China, Russia, the United States, the United Kingdom and France. "South Africa is seen as a representative of the continent," said Chand. "It's a part of the BRICS grouping and has been shaping the global discourse." With 1.3 million people of Indian origin, it also has the largest diaspora population in Africa, a major element of Modi's diplomatic push across the world since taking office two years ago. On Friday, he will address a thousands-strong audience at a stadium in Johannesburg, having hosted similar rallies for the diaspora in cities from New York to London. India's foreign ministry sought to downplay any rivalry with China and denied New Delhi had neglected the continent in the past. "(Relations between India and Africa) are like the two banks of the river which are apart but never separate. We are trying to bridge that," said Amar Sinha, secretary for economic relations in the foreign ministry. "Africa is a huge continent, it has tremendous requirement for development assistance and infrastructure building. Everybody can chip in." (AFP)

Indian PM Modi heads to Africa with an eye on China

A bureaucrat-turned-politician, Arjun Ram Meghwal, the chief whip of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Lower House of India&#39;s Parliament (Lok Sabha), is known for his penchant for pedalling to the Parliament. 
 
Meghwal was born into family of weavers in the western state of Rajasthan&#39;s Kishmidesar village of Bikaner district. He began his career as a telephone operator while pursuing his LLB and got into the Rajasthan Civil Services after two failed attempts. 
 
He was later promoted to the Indian Administrative Service (IAS). 
 
A two-time member of Parliament, the 61-year-old was first elected to the Lok Sabha in 2009 from Bikaner constituency which was earlier represented by Bollywood star Dharmendra. 
 
Known for his active participation in Lok Sabha debates on a variety of issues, Meghwal had recently attacked the judiciary for its &quot;extra constitutional&quot; activism. The leader had demanded that &quot;running commentary&quot; by judges should end. 
 
Easily identified by his green and saffron turban, Meghwal has of late started using a bicycle to commute to Parliament during sessions. This, he says, saves fuel, protects environment and keeps him fit. He often sings bhajans (hymns) in the morning which he says keep him mentally alert. 
 
As an MP, he has been a member of various parliamentary Committees including on defence, science and technology, environment and forest, personnel, public grievances and law and justice. 
 
Meghwal has participated in many programmes for development of Rajasthani language and its inclusion in 8th Schedule of the Constitution. 
 
From ploughing the fields to being an advocate and a lawmaker, P P Chaudhary, who cut his teeth in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh a right-wing volunteer organisation&nbsp;(RSS), has been catapulted to the centrestage of politics with his induction in the Union Council of Ministers. 
 
Born in a poor farmer family, 62-year-old Chaudhary joined the RSS when he was eight years old as a &#39;Bal Swayamsevak&#39; &nbsp;(child volunteer) in 1961. Hailing from Bhavi in Jodhpur district of Rajasthan, Chaudhary worked hard to study law and went on to become a senior advocate of the Supreme Court. 
 
He was given a ticket by the BJP from Pali in Rajasthan and won the seat in 2014 Lok Sabha polls. 
 
Specialising in constitutional matters, he claims to have argued nearly 11,000 cases in his long professional career of almost four decades. He was also standing counsel of the Central Government in 1990. 
 
He has also handled cases relating to farmers and those relating to land acquisition, as well as public interest litigations. He also fought cases relating to para-teachers in Rajasthan up to the Supreme Court and the Vasundhara Raje government gave them jobs after coming to power. 
 
He was part of the Joint Committee of Parliament that looked into the contentious Land Acquisition bill brought in by National Democratic Alliance party (NDA) and later abandoned it. 
 
He has been active as a social worker and has worked to uplift the educational status of children, especially girls, in rural areas 
. 
Chaudhary also worked actively for the cause of farmers in Rajasthan and took initiatives like irrigation projects organic farming. 
 
He has been elected for three years as Member of the International Executive Committee, Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, London, UK, where he effectively put forward the India&#39;s view point on Jammu and Kashmir. 
 
He also claimed to have provided insurance cover for 1.31 lakh women of Pali Lok Sabha constituency--one of the 25 Lok Sabha constituencies in Rajasthan-- from his own salary as a parliamentarian.&nbsp; 
 
From an obscure local village--self governance--body (panchayat) functionary to a Union Minister, it has been a spectacular political journey for Ajay Tamta. 
 
Tamta, who would turn 44 on July 16, cut his teeth in politics as a member of district panchayat in his home state Uttarakhand in northern India and rose to become its vice president. 
 
The induction of the leader from Almora comes at a time when BJP is promoting leaders of the socially disadvantaged communities in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand where assembly polls are due early next year. 
 
A first-term member of the Lower House of India&#39;s Parliament, Tamta is a member of the Standing Committee on Human Resource Development (HRD) as also of the Consultative Committee in the ministry of water resources,river development&nbsp;and Ganga (river) rejuvenation. He was earlier a member of the Committee on Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. 
 
Earlier he was a minister in his home state between 2007 and 2009. 
 
He had contested state assembly polls in 2002 as an independent but lost. Tamta tried his luck at the hustings again in 2007 and won on BJP ticket. 
 
Mahendra Nath Pandey from&nbsp;Uttar Pradesh, where it is going the whole hog to win after being out of power for a decade-and-a-half. 
 
Pandey, a first-time Lok Sabha member, is a member of Parliament&nbsp;from Chandauli bordering the eastern state of Bihar. 
 
Pandey&#39;s induction in the Union government is being seen as an attempt to reach out to the significantly large Brahmin vote bank in the state. The Brahmins, who were traditionally Congress supporters, had been siding with BJP in the post-Mandal era. However, a large chunk of them later also voted for Mayawati&#39;s Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). 
 
The 58-year-old leader is a two-time Member of the Legislative Assembly&nbsp;and was elected to the UP Legislative Assembly in 1991 and 1996. He was the secretary of the BJP legislature party. 
 
In 1997, Pandey became Minister of State (MoS)&nbsp;for Housing and Urban Development and was the MoS Planning (Independent charge) between 1998 and 2000. He was also the MoS Panchayati Raj in UP between 2000 and 2002. 
 
He has a Masters in Journalism and PhD (Hindi) from Banaras Hindu University (BHU). 
 
Pandey is currently a member of the Business Advisory Committee and the Committee of Parliament on Official Language. 
In the past, he was a member of the Standing Committee on Rural Development and Consultative Committee, Ministry of Steel and Mines. 
 
Rajen Gohaine is a&nbsp;four-time BJP MP from Assam&nbsp;is a known champion for the cause of small tea growers in the Northeastern state. 
Gohain, 65, who was first elected to Lok Sabha in 1999 from Nagaon, is a law graduate and was actively involved in the six-year-long Assam agitation against illegal immigrants in early 1980s. 
 
He belongs to the Ahom community like former Assam chief minister&nbsp;Tarun Gogoi and his induction into the Modi government an attempt by the BJP to penetrate into this community, traditionally known as Congress supporters. 
 
Despite Nagaon being a minority dominated constituency, Gohain was elected to the Lower House for four consecutive terms. 
 
&quot;I will try my level best to serve the people of Assam. I request the people of Assam to be with me in this journey,&quot; Gohain said. 
He has been a leading figure in Assam to fight for the cause of small tea garden owners, who often allege discrimination by big tea companies. 
 
A state-level hockey player in his school days, Gohain was also a long-distance runner. 
 
He is Chairperson of the&nbsp;Parliamentary Committee on Welfare of Other Backward Classes. 
 
(PTI)

Know the new Indian policy makers as Prime Minister Narendra Modi rejigs his cabinet.

A bureaucrat-turned-politician, Arjun Ram Meghwal, the chief whip of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Lower House of India's Parliament (Lok Sabha), is known for his penchant for pedalling to the Parliament. Meghwal was born into family of weavers in the western state of Rajasthan's Kishmidesar village of Bikaner district. He began his career as a telephone operator while pursuing his LLB and got into the Rajasthan Civil Services after two failed attempts. He was later promoted to the Indian Administrative Service (IAS). A two-time member of Parliament, the 61-year-old was first elected to the Lok Sabha in 2009 from Bikaner constituency which was earlier represented by Bollywood star Dharmendra. Known for his active participation in Lok Sabha debates on a variety of issues, Meghwal had recently attacked the judiciary for its "extra constitutional" activism. The leader had demanded that "running commentary" by judges should end. Easily identified by his green and saffron turban, Meghwal has of late started using a bicycle to commute to Parliament during sessions. This, he says, saves fuel, protects environment and keeps him fit. He often sings bhajans (hymns) in the morning which he says keep him mentally alert. As an MP, he has been a member of various parliamentary Committees including on defence, science and technology, environment and forest, personnel, public grievances and law and justice. Meghwal has participated in many programmes for development of Rajasthani language and its inclusion in 8th Schedule of the Constitution. From ploughing the fields to being an advocate and a lawmaker, P P Chaudhary, who cut his teeth in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh a right-wing volunteer organisation (RSS), has been catapulted to the centrestage of politics with his induction in the Union Council of Ministers. Born in a poor farmer family, 62-year-old Chaudhary joined the RSS when he was eight years old as a 'Bal Swayamsevak' (child volunteer) in 1961. Hailing from Bhavi in Jodhpur district of Rajasthan, Chaudhary worked hard to study law and went on to become a senior advocate of the Supreme Court. He was given a ticket by the BJP from Pali in Rajasthan and won the seat in 2014 Lok Sabha polls. Specialising in constitutional matters, he claims to have argued nearly 11,000 cases in his long professional career of almost four decades. He was also standing counsel of the Central Government in 1990. He has also handled cases relating to farmers and those relating to land acquisition, as well as public interest litigations. He also fought cases relating to para-teachers in Rajasthan up to the Supreme Court and the Vasundhara Raje government gave them jobs after coming to power. He was part of the Joint Committee of Parliament that looked into the contentious Land Acquisition bill brought in by National Democratic Alliance party (NDA) and later abandoned it. He has been active as a social worker and has worked to uplift the educational status of children, especially girls, in rural areas . Chaudhary also worked actively for the cause of farmers in Rajasthan and took initiatives like irrigation projects organic farming. He has been elected for three years as Member of the International Executive Committee, Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, London, UK, where he effectively put forward the India's view point on Jammu and Kashmir. He also claimed to have provided insurance cover for 1.31 lakh women of Pali Lok Sabha constituency--one of the 25 Lok Sabha constituencies in Rajasthan-- from his own salary as a parliamentarian. From an obscure local village--self governance--body (panchayat) functionary to a Union Minister, it has been a spectacular political journey for Ajay Tamta. Tamta, who would turn 44 on July 16, cut his teeth in politics as a member of district panchayat in his home state Uttarakhand in northern India and rose to become its vice president. The induction of the leader from Almora comes at a time when BJP is promoting leaders of the socially disadvantaged communities in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand where assembly polls are due early next year. A first-term member of the Lower House of India's Parliament, Tamta is a member of the Standing Committee on Human Resource Development (HRD) as also of the Consultative Committee in the ministry of water resources,river development and Ganga (river) rejuvenation. He was earlier a member of the Committee on Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Earlier he was a minister in his home state between 2007 and 2009. He had contested state assembly polls in 2002 as an independent but lost. Tamta tried his luck at the hustings again in 2007 and won on BJP ticket. Mahendra Nath Pandey from Uttar Pradesh, where it is going the whole hog to win after being out of power for a decade-and-a-half. Pandey, a first-time Lok Sabha member, is a member of Parliament from Chandauli bordering the eastern state of Bihar. Pandey's induction in the Union government is being seen as an attempt to reach out to the significantly large Brahmin vote bank in the state. The Brahmins, who were traditionally Congress supporters, had been siding with BJP in the post-Mandal era. However, a large chunk of them later also voted for Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). The 58-year-old leader is a two-time Member of the Legislative Assembly and was elected to the UP Legislative Assembly in 1991 and 1996. He was the secretary of the BJP legislature party. In 1997, Pandey became Minister of State (MoS) for Housing and Urban Development and was the MoS Planning (Independent charge) between 1998 and 2000. He was also the MoS Panchayati Raj in UP between 2000 and 2002. He has a Masters in Journalism and PhD (Hindi) from Banaras Hindu University (BHU). Pandey is currently a member of the Business Advisory Committee and the Committee of Parliament on Official Language. In the past, he was a member of the Standing Committee on Rural Development and Consultative Committee, Ministry of Steel and Mines. Rajen Gohaine is a four-time BJP MP from Assam is a known champion for the cause of small tea growers in the Northeastern state. Gohain, 65, who was first elected to Lok Sabha in 1999 from Nagaon, is a law graduate and was actively involved in the six-year-long Assam agitation against illegal immigrants in early 1980s. He belongs to the Ahom community like former Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi and his induction into the Modi government an attempt by the BJP to penetrate into this community, traditionally known as Congress supporters. Despite Nagaon being a minority dominated constituency, Gohain was elected to the Lower House for four consecutive terms. "I will try my level best to serve the people of Assam. I request the people of Assam to be with me in this journey," Gohain said. He has been a leading figure in Assam to fight for the cause of small tea garden owners, who often allege discrimination by big tea companies. A state-level hockey player in his school days, Gohain was also a long-distance runner. He is Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Welfare of Other Backward Classes. (PTI)

India's ministry reshuffle: Profiles of ministers inducted

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi today carried out a major expansion of his Council of Ministers, inducting 19 new faces, including several from the disadvantaged sections of India&#39;s caste riddled society as well as from poll-bound states like the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. 
 
Prakash Javadekar, who held the independent charge of environment, was promoted to the cabinet rank while all new inductees took oath as ministers of state. 
 
Today&#39;s exercise underlines the ruling party&#39;s attempt at wooing the disadvantaged sections, whose votes would be crucial to its fortunes in key northwestern states like Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat. 
 
All barring Vijay Goel and Faggan Kulaste are new faces while a few have been ministers in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled state governments. 
 
Ajay Tamta, Arjun Ram Meghwal, Krishna Raj, Ramdas Athawale, Ramesh C were MPs sworn in as ministers by Indian President Pranab Mukherjee at a ceremony in Rashtrapati Bhawan. 
 
Others who were inducted in the Modi government included Anupriya Patel, S S Ahluwalia, P P Chadudhary, C R Chaudhary, M J Akbar, J Bhabhor, Purshotam Rupala Mansukhbhai Mandaviya, S R Bhamre, Mahendra Nath Padey, A M Dave, Rajen Gohain. 
While Patel and Athawale are BJP allies, all others are from BJP. 
 
Among the 19 inductees, three MPs from Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh took oath while four from Rajasthan were also sworn in. 
 
Five ministers of state were dropped: Nihalchand, Ram Shankar Katheria, Sanwar Lal Jat, Manuskhbhai D Vasva and M K Kundariya. 
Today&#39;s expansion took the total strength of the Council of Ministers to 78, four below the Constitutional bar of 82. The Council of Ministers can have a maximum of 15 per cent of the total strength of the lower house of the Indian Parliament, Lok Sabha, which has 542 members. 
 
Official sources said the exercise was aimed at infusing more &quot;experience, expertise and energy&quot; into the government. 
 
The choices also underscore BJP&#39;s attempts to strengthen its vote base among dalits and other backward castes, party sources said, adding that states, where it has done well in the Lok Sabha polls and also where it faces state polls, have also now got ample representation. 
 
The &nbsp;party has been trying to woo the weaker sections ahead of the crucial Uttar Pradesh polls. 
 
(PTI)

The exercise underlines the ruling party's attempt at wooing the disadvantaged sections, whose votes will be crucial ahead of state polls

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi today carried out a major expansion of his Council of Ministers, inducting 19 new faces, including several from the disadvantaged sections of India's caste riddled society as well as from poll-bound states like the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Prakash Javadekar, who held the independent charge of environment, was promoted to the cabinet rank while all new inductees took oath as ministers of state. Today's exercise underlines the ruling party's attempt at wooing the disadvantaged sections, whose votes would be crucial to its fortunes in key northwestern states like Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat. All barring Vijay Goel and Faggan Kulaste are new faces while a few have been ministers in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled state governments. Ajay Tamta, Arjun Ram Meghwal, Krishna Raj, Ramdas Athawale, Ramesh C were MPs sworn in as ministers by Indian President Pranab Mukherjee at a ceremony in Rashtrapati Bhawan. Others who were inducted in the Modi government included Anupriya Patel, S S Ahluwalia, P P Chadudhary, C R Chaudhary, M J Akbar, J Bhabhor, Purshotam Rupala Mansukhbhai Mandaviya, S R Bhamre, Mahendra Nath Padey, A M Dave, Rajen Gohain. While Patel and Athawale are BJP allies, all others are from BJP. Among the 19 inductees, three MPs from Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh took oath while four from Rajasthan were also sworn in. Five ministers of state were dropped: Nihalchand, Ram Shankar Katheria, Sanwar Lal Jat, Manuskhbhai D Vasva and M K Kundariya. Today's expansion took the total strength of the Council of Ministers to 78, four below the Constitutional bar of 82. The Council of Ministers can have a maximum of 15 per cent of the total strength of the lower house of the Indian Parliament, Lok Sabha, which has 542 members. Official sources said the exercise was aimed at infusing more "experience, expertise and energy" into the government. The choices also underscore BJP's attempts to strengthen its vote base among dalits and other backward castes, party sources said, adding that states, where it has done well in the Lok Sabha polls and also where it faces state polls, have also now got ample representation. The party has been trying to woo the weaker sections ahead of the crucial Uttar Pradesh polls. (PTI)

India's ministry reshuffle: 19 fresh faces inducted, 1 promoted

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) today&nbsp;successfully placed 20 satellites in orbit with its flagship launch vehicle, PSLV C-34 from Sriharikota island in southern India. 
 
ISRO&#39;s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)-C34 took off at 9:26 am (0456 GMT) from Satish Dhawan Space Center carrying 17 foreign and three indigenous satellites. 
 
The mission lasted for 26 and a half minutes by which time all satellites were put into a polar synchronous orbit of 505 kilometres&nbsp;height one by one. 
 
The 320 tonne PSLV C-34 carried 17 foreign small satellites from Canada, Indonesia, Germany and the US but the main passenger was a 727 kilogram&nbsp;Indian earth observation satellite called Cartosat, which can take images at sub-meter resolution. The rocket also placed two Indian academic community built satellites, Sathyabhamasat and Swayam in the space. 
 
With 20 satellites, the Indian space agency has beaten its previous record of placing 10 satellites in April 2008. 
 
ISRO Chairman A S Kiran Kumar called it a major accomplishment for the Indian space agency. 
 
&quot;Today, PSLV C34 has done its job and we have the current generation of earth observation satellite, Cartosat-2 series and along with this, another 17 satellites have been put into the orbit,&quot; said Kumar. 
 
Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi congratulated ISRO team on the historic achievement. 
 
&quot;20 satellites in a go! @isro continues to break new barriers. Hearty congratulations to our scientists on the monumental accomplishment,&quot; read his tweet. 
 
Currently, Russia holds the world record for placing the most number of satellites in a single launch. Its Dnepr rocket launched 37 satellites in 2014. 
 
Till date India has successfully launched 57 foreign satellites. 
 
(Reuters)

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated ISRO and described today's launch as a 'monumental' accomplishment

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) today successfully placed 20 satellites in orbit with its flagship launch vehicle, PSLV C-34 from Sriharikota island in southern India. ISRO's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)-C34 took off at 9:26 am (0456 GMT) from Satish Dhawan Space Center carrying 17 foreign and three indigenous satellites. The mission lasted for 26 and a half minutes by which time all satellites were put into a polar synchronous orbit of 505 kilometres height one by one. The 320 tonne PSLV C-34 carried 17 foreign small satellites from Canada, Indonesia, Germany and the US but the main passenger was a 727 kilogram Indian earth observation satellite called Cartosat, which can take images at sub-meter resolution. The rocket also placed two Indian academic community built satellites, Sathyabhamasat and Swayam in the space. With 20 satellites, the Indian space agency has beaten its previous record of placing 10 satellites in April 2008. ISRO Chairman A S Kiran Kumar called it a major accomplishment for the Indian space agency. "Today, PSLV C34 has done its job and we have the current generation of earth observation satellite, Cartosat-2 series and along with this, another 17 satellites have been put into the orbit," said Kumar. Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi congratulated ISRO team on the historic achievement. "20 satellites in a go! @isro continues to break new barriers. Hearty congratulations to our scientists on the monumental accomplishment," read his tweet. Currently, Russia holds the world record for placing the most number of satellites in a single launch. Its Dnepr rocket launched 37 satellites in 2014. Till date India has successfully launched 57 foreign satellites. (Reuters)

Indian Space Research Organisation launches 20 satellites in succession

United Nations experts on Thursday called on India to repeal a law on foreign donations to charities, accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s government of using it to block funds to organisations considered critical of the state. 
 
Since Modi swept to power more than two years ago, his right-wing nationalist government has tightened surveillance on foreign-funded charities regulated under the Foreign Contributions Regulation Act (FCRA). 
 
More than 10,000 civil society groups in India have had their licences to receive overseas donations cancelled or suspended since 2014, impairing their ability to work in areas from health to the environment. 
 
The government says the groups violate the FCRA by not disclosing details of their donations or have used foreign funds to engage in &quot;anti-national&quot; activities. 
 
But U.N. experts said they were stunned by the way India was applying the law to stymie its critics. 
 
&quot;We are alarmed that FCRA provisions are being used more and more to silence organisations involved in advocating civil, political, economic, social, environmental or cultural priorities, which may differ from those backed by the government,&quot; said a statement by U.N. Special Rapporteurs Michel Forst, David Kaye and Maina Kiai, who focus on human rights defenders and freedoms of expression and association. 
 
Groups such as Greenpeace India, Lawyers Collective and the Sabrang Trust have had their licenses suspended, said the statement from the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights. 
 
Greenpeace campaigns against nuclear power and coal mining, Lawyers Collective works on sexual minorities rights and Sabrang Trust is run by Teesta Setalvad, a prominent human rights activist and Modi critic. 
 
A home ministry official contacted by the Thomson Reuters Foundation said he was not in a position to respond immediately to the comments by the U.N. experts. 
 
There is no official number of charities operating in India, but the government estimates at least two million non-profits work in such areas as the environment, climate change and protecting minority rights. 
 
A 2013 report by the home ministry said some 43,500 groups were registered as charities that received foreign funds but slightly less than half provided details of their donations. 
 
Home ministry officials have said they are enforcing the FCRA to make the non-profit sector compliant and transparent and ensure charities are not engaging in illegal political or anti-national activities. 
 
The U.N. experts said use of the FCRA was &quot;overly broad&quot; and activities deemed political or against the economic interest of the state were vague. 
 
They singled out the treatment of the Lawyers Collective, which works on improving the rights of sexual minorities and those living with HIV/AIDS as an attempt to intimidate, delegitimise and silence the group. 
 
&quot;Human rights defenders and civil society must have the ability to do their important job without being subjected to increased limitations on their access to foreign funding,&quot; the U.N. experts said. 
(Reuters)

More than 10,000 civil society groups in India cannot work due to cancellation of their licences to receive overseas donations

United Nations experts on Thursday called on India to repeal a law on foreign donations to charities, accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government of using it to block funds to organisations considered critical of the state. Since Modi swept to power more than two years ago, his right-wing nationalist government has tightened surveillance on foreign-funded charities regulated under the Foreign Contributions Regulation Act (FCRA). More than 10,000 civil society groups in India have had their licences to receive overseas donations cancelled or suspended since 2014, impairing their ability to work in areas from health to the environment. The government says the groups violate the FCRA by not disclosing details of their donations or have used foreign funds to engage in "anti-national" activities. But U.N. experts said they were stunned by the way India was applying the law to stymie its critics. "We are alarmed that FCRA provisions are being used more and more to silence organisations involved in advocating civil, political, economic, social, environmental or cultural priorities, which may differ from those backed by the government," said a statement by U.N. Special Rapporteurs Michel Forst, David Kaye and Maina Kiai, who focus on human rights defenders and freedoms of expression and association. Groups such as Greenpeace India, Lawyers Collective and the Sabrang Trust have had their licenses suspended, said the statement from the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights. Greenpeace campaigns against nuclear power and coal mining, Lawyers Collective works on sexual minorities rights and Sabrang Trust is run by Teesta Setalvad, a prominent human rights activist and Modi critic. A home ministry official contacted by the Thomson Reuters Foundation said he was not in a position to respond immediately to the comments by the U.N. experts. There is no official number of charities operating in India, but the government estimates at least two million non-profits work in such areas as the environment, climate change and protecting minority rights. A 2013 report by the home ministry said some 43,500 groups were registered as charities that received foreign funds but slightly less than half provided details of their donations. Home ministry officials have said they are enforcing the FCRA to make the non-profit sector compliant and transparent and ensure charities are not engaging in illegal political or anti-national activities. The U.N. experts said use of the FCRA was "overly broad" and activities deemed political or against the economic interest of the state were vague. They singled out the treatment of the Lawyers Collective, which works on improving the rights of sexual minorities and those living with HIV/AIDS as an attempt to intimidate, delegitimise and silence the group. "Human rights defenders and civil society must have the ability to do their important job without being subjected to increased limitations on their access to foreign funding," the U.N. experts said. (Reuters)

India using funding law to foil dissenting charities: UN experts