Action against corrupt shouldn’t be seen as crackdown on India Inc: PM Modi

The target to nearly double the size of the economy to $5 trn is just a phase and the targets are bigger and higher, says Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday met top industrialists including Mukesh Ambani and Ratan Tata for an ‘’extensive’’ interaction and later followed it up with an address meant to revive the business sentiments, sending out a positive message ahead of the Union Budget.

During his meeting with India Inc bigwigs during the day, the PM focused on issues facing the industry and measures needed to boost the economy. Speaking at the centenary celebrations of Kirloskar Brothers in the evening, he encouraged businesses to invest without fear, stressing that action against a few corrupt entities should not be seen as government crackdown on the corporate sector. The government will walk shoulder to shoulder with the industry, he added, in a bid to revive the animal spirit.

Besides Tata and Ambani, the meeting with the PM was attended by Sunil Mittal, N Chandrasekaran, Anand Mahindra, Sajjan Jindal, Gautam Adani, Venu Srinivasan, A M Naik and Anil Agarwal, among others. An official in the Prime Minister’s Office said, “The PM had an extensive interaction with leading business stalwarts to discuss ways to improve growth and job creation’’.

The Modi government will present its next budget on February 1 and Indian companies are expecting a cut in income tax rates to revive consumer demand. Rationalisation of Goods and Services Tax (GST) is also high on India Inc expectations from the Budget. Although the government has already taken a series of steps to boost the sentiments, including a corporate tax rate cut, companies remain hesitant about fresh investments due to low consumer demand…

Rahul Bajaj criticism can hurt national interest: FM Nirmala Sitharaman

Kiran Mazumdar- Shaw says India Inc is treated as pariahs

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the statement by Rahul Bajaj, chairman of Bajaj Group, on Saturday that India Inc was afraid of criticising the Narendra Modi government “can hurt national interest, if it gains traction”.

“The Home Minister Amit Shah answers on how issues raised by Bajaj were addressed. Questions/criticisms are heard and answered/addressed. Always a better way to seek an answer than spreading one’s own impressions, which, on gaining traction, can hurt national interest,” Sitharaman said on Twitter. Sitharaman was reacting to a statement by Rahul Bajaj on Saturday that Indian business leaders were afraid of criticising the Modi government because they do not have the confidence that the government would appreciate any criticism.

In reply, Shah said India Inc had nothing to fear. “The Centre has been criticised in the media. If you are saying there is such an environment, we need to work to improve on this,” he said. On Sunday, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, chairperson of Biocon, seemed to endorse what Bajaj had said.

“Hope the government reaches out to India Inc for working out solutions to revive consumption and growth. So far we are all pariahs and the government does not want to hear any criticism of our economy,” she tweeted. Other senior ministers however, said there is indeed freedom of expression. “That Rahul Bajaj could stand up to Amit Shah’s face, express himself freely, and instigate others to join him clearly indicate that freedom of expression and democratic values are alive and flourishing in India, “ said Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri…

Rahul Gandhi firm on resigning; Gehlot may be new Congress chief: Report

Different party leaders have tried to convince Rahul Gandhi to carry on as president but he is firm on resigning; Gehlot has been asked to be prepared to take up the role, says a report

Rajasthan Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot may be appointed party president, said a report in the Navbharart Times. The Hindi daily says that the grand old party has made forced to do this after the current President, Rahul Gandhi remained adamant on resigning after the party’s poor showing in general elections. Gehlot has been asked to be prepared to take up the role, the report said.

This comes in the wake of Rahul Gandhi‘s refusal to withdraw his resignation from the post of Congress party chief. Various party leaders have exhorted him to continue as party president but he has been firm on resigning, the report said. If Ashok Gehlot becomes the new party chief, Deputy Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Sachin Pilot may become the CM of the state, it added.

Ashok Gehlot met the Congress President on his birthday yesterday at the party headquarter and urged him to remain the party chief in the interests of his country and people. Mr Gehlot said, “Rahul Gandhi took the fight against the Narendra Modi government for the last five years on issues of uenmployment and youths.”

Gehlot had earlier been the general secretary in-charge of the organisation for the party before he became the Rajasthan chief minister.

Modi 2.0 Cabinet: Here is the full list of ministers in the new government

From Narendra Modi to Rajnath Singh and Smriti Irani, more than 50 leaders took the oath of office and secrecy on May 30

Having notched up a thumping victory in Lok Sabha Elections 2019, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government was on Thursday sworn in for a second term in office. Led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, more than 50 leaders of the BJP and other alliance partners in the NDA were administered the oath of office and secrecy by President Ram Nath Kovind at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.

Apart from Modi, some of the most prominent names in the new Union Cabinet are those of BJP President Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Smriti Irani, Nitin Gadkari, D V Sadananda Gowda, Nirmala Sitharaman, Ram Vilas Paswan and Ravi Shankar Prasad. A surprise entrant in the list of ministers was former foreign secretary Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

The portfolios of the sworn-in ministers are yet to be announced. While many incumbent ministers were among those who took oath, several minsters in the first stint of the Modi government were also left out. The most high-profile among those who will not be in the second Modi Cabinet are Arun Jaitley, who had requested PM Modi on Wednesday that he should not

Here is the full list of ministers who took oath on Thursday: 

Narendra Modi: Narendra Damodardas Modi, the 14th prime minister of India who has been re-elected for a second term in office, is a leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Born in Gujarat’s Vadnagar in 1950, Modi is said to have spent his early childhood working in his family tea stall and also selling tea at railway platforms. 

Rajnath Singh: A Bharatiya Janata party veteran, Rajnath Singh had been the Union home minister in the first term of the Narendra Modi government. He was also the head of the BJP’s manifesto drafting committee.

Amit Shah: A businessman-turned-politician, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah is also referred to as the ‘Chanakya’ of modern Indian politics. A close aide of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s, Amit Shah put his political acumen to use on a pan-Indian basis even before donning the mantle of the BJP president. 

Nitin Gadkari: The Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways and Shipping in the first term of the Modi government, Nitin Gadkari is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He also held the Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation portfolios. 

D V Sadananda Gowda: Gowda, a former chief minister of Karnataka, served as the Minister of Statistics and Programme Implementation in the first term of the Modi government. He had the additional charge of Chemicals and Fertilizers Ministry as well.

Nirmala Sitharaman: Nirmala Sitharaman, a BJP politician and the Minister of State for Defence in the first term of the Modi government, had also held the portfolio of commerce and industry minister with independent charge. 

Ram Vilas Paswan: Ram Vilas Paswan, a politician from Bihar and President of the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), started his political career as a member of the Samyukta Socialist Party and was elected to the Bihar Legislative Assembly in 1969. Paswan joined the Lok Dal in 1974 and was subsequently appointed as the general secretary of the party. ..

Abki baar phir Modi sarkar: BJP’s LS poll mantra at national council meet

BJP council meeting today: BJP chief Amit Shah will inaugurate the BJP national meeting and PM Modi will deliver the concluding speech on Saturday at Ramlila maidan.

Lok sabha Elections 2019: The Modi government’s “social justice” plank with its outreach to Dalits, backward classes and general category is likely to be a key theme at the BJP’s two-day national council meeting starting Friday, as the party looks to set the tone for its Lok Sabha poll campaign.

BJP president Amit Shah will inaugurate the meeting — the biggest ever for its national council with the party expecting participation of close to 12,000 members — while Prime Minister Narendra Modi will deliver the concluding speech on Saturday, laying down the agenda for the general elections.

The meeting, themed ‘Abki baar phir Modi Sarkar‘ is of importance in the view of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Senior BJP leaders were tight-lipped on whether the Ram temple issue will find a mention in the meeting but some delegates said that the party may refer to it amid demands by Hindutva organisations, including its ideological parent RSS, for a law to construct a temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya.

The party has invited its all elected members, ranging from those in local elections to its MPs, besides organisational leaders from across the country, for the meeting…

Contain Source: Business Standard or BS

How election handouts threaten Modi govt’s plan to curb budget deficit

Speculation is mounting of possible cash handouts to farmers and tax exemptions to shore up voter support ahead of polls due by May

Lok sabha Elections 2019: Less than a month before India’s budget, risks are growing that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government will miss fiscal targets for a second year in a row as it gives into populist pressures before a high-stakes election.

Speculation is mounting of possible cash handouts to farmers and tax exemptions to shore up voter support ahead of polls due by May. Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party lost control of key states in provincial elections last month.

Economists at Nirmal Bang Equities Pvt. and Kotak Securities Ltd. predict a fiscal gap of 3.5 percent of gross domestic product in the year through March, compared with a targeted 3.3 percent. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is scheduled to give a budget speech on Feb. 1.

“Increased spending on direct benefits to farmers would make achieving fiscal deficit targets even more challenging,” said William Foster, a senior credit officer at Moody’s Investors Service in New York, citing the limited scope for the government to increase its revenue resources in the near term.

Read More:  Business Standard or BS

Give us Mallya, we’ll give him the toilet he wants: Modi govt to UK court

Five photos of western style toilets were presented to convince the court that acceptable standards would be extended to Mallya

The Narendra Modi government gave an assurance on Tuesday to the British court hearing its application for the extradition of businessman Vijay Mallya to India that if sent back, Mallya will be provided a private western style toilet and wash facilities at Mumbai’s Arthur Road prison, where he is proposed to be held.

Barrister Mark Summers, appearing for the British Crown Prosecution Service on behalf of the Government of India, said: “The Indian government will honour these assurances.” He had earlier submitted a third letter of assurance on the subject to the court, presided over by the Chief Magistrate of the Westminster Magistrates’ Court Emma Arbuthnot.

Mallya was the owner of the now defunct Kingfisher Airlines, which is alleged to owe Rs 90 billion to Indian banks, his figure being Rs 55 billion. He is liable as he provided his personal guarantee in drawing the money. The extradition matter, though, is only about Rs 7.5 billion borrowed from IDBI Bank, where he and executives of the bank are accused of conspiracy and fraud. Mallya denies the charge and is otherwise a significant shareholder in United Breweries, which produces Kingfisher Beer….READ FULL STORY

NITI Aayog : India faces worst water crisis

Currently, 600 million Indians face high to extreme water stress and about 200,000 thousand people die every year due to inadequate access to safe water, said the NITI Aayog report

 

India is suffering from the worst water crisis in its history and millions of lives and livelihoods are under threat, the NITI Aayog has said.

It also warned that the crisis was only going to get worse and by 2030, the country's water demand is projected to be twice the available supply, implying severe water scarcity for hundreds of millions of people and an eventual six per cent loss in the country's GDP.

Currently, 600 million Indians face high to extreme water stress and about 200,000 thousand people die every year due to inadequate access to safe water, said the NITI Aayog report on Composite Water Management Index (CWMI) released on Thursday which aims to enable effective water management in Indian states in the face of this growing crisis.

The report ranks Gujarat at the top in managing its water resources in the reference year (2016-17) followed by Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra.

The worst states include Jharkhand, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

Among North Eastern and Himalayan states, Tripura has been adjudged number one in 2016-17 followed by Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Assam.

In terms of incremental change in the index (over 2015-16 level), Rajasthan holds number one position in general states and Tripura ranks at first position amongst Northeastern and Himalayan states, the report said.

According to the NITI Aayog report, Centre-state and inter-state cooperation were some of the key levers to help address the crisis.

"There is an opportunity to improve Centre-state and inter-state cooperation across the broader water ecosystem. Water management is often currently viewed as a zero-sum game by states due to limited frameworks for inter-state and national management.

Read More : Water Crisis India

Eye on 2019 polls, Modi govt sets monthly deadlines for railway projects

Railway Board Chairman Ashwani Lohani has set targets for zonal railways for timely commissioning of new lines, gauge conversion and doubling projects announced in the budget this year

With general elections just a year away, the railways have set monthly targets for the completion of its major projects with an aim to finish work in time for the country to go to polls in 2019.

In a letter sent to all 16 zones, Railway Board Chairman Ashwani Lohani set such targets for zonal railways for timely commissioning of new lines, gauge conversion and doubling projects announced in the budget this year and said that the tendency to keep most of the works for the last quarter be avoided.

In fact, section-wise deadlines were set for completion in 2018-2019 for the projects to link the northeast to the main rail network.

The projects were Narendra Modi-led government's programmes with a 2020 deadline.

While the Bogibeel project in Dibrugarh, Assam was assigned a completion target of June 2018, in the Jiribam-Imphal line, the Vangaichungpao-Kaimai-Kambiron a section was set a deadline of February 2019. In the (Dimapur) Dhansiri - Kohima (Zubza) line in Nagaland, a section, Dhansiri-Sulhovi was earmarked for completion by March 2019.

Needless to say, the timely commissioning of these projects calls for meticulous planning in respect of preparatory works like approval of plans, arrangement of materials, fixing of executing agencies, creation of posts for maintenance of new assets, fixing of tentative dates for Commissioner Railway Safety inspection, Lohani said in the letter issued on May 9.

All zonal railways must set up a system through which finalisation of projects and other inputs required to achieve the targets were reviewed and monitored at the level of additional general managers, he said.

Timelines for these activities have to be so prepared in advance that the final outcome of commissioning of the projects for traffic is accompanied with the deadline, he said, adding that senior officials of the zones should monitor the projects.