General Affairs
Election Commission Postpones Bypoll For Anantnag Assembly Seat
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NEW DELHI: The Election Commission today postponed the Anantnag bypoll after the Jammu and Kashmir government said the law and order situation in the district was "not conducive".
In an official release, the Election Commission said the Chief Secretary of Jammu and Kashmir BR Sharma has apprised it that the law and order situation of Anantnag district "due to certain recent incidents is not conducive at the moment for the holding bye-election".
He requested the Election Commission to postpone the Anantnag bypoll, it said. Located in South Kashmir, Anantnag seat fell vacant after the death of the then state Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed on January 7.
The Election Commission had announced bypoll to this seat along with eight other Assembly seats on May 16.
The Election Commission also postponed bypoll for Ghoradongari assembly seat in Madhya Pradesh due to Simhastha Mahakumbh beginning from April 22 as police personnel will be deployed to manage the religious congregation where nearly five crore people expected to participate.
NEW DELHI: The Election Commission today postponed the Anantnag bypoll after the Jammu and Kashmir government said the law and order situation in the district was "not conducive".In an official release, the Election Commission said the Chief Secretary of Jammu and Kashmir BR Sharma has apprised it that the law and order situation of Anantnag district "due to certain recent incidents is not conducive at the moment for the holding bye-election".
The Election Commission had announced bypoll to this seat along with eight other Assembly seats on May 16.
The Election Commission also postponed bypoll for Ghoradongari assembly seat in Madhya Pradesh due to Simhastha Mahakumbh beginning from April 22 as police personnel will be deployed to manage the religious congregation where nearly five crore people expected to participate.
Ram Vilas Paswan Dubs Nitish Kumar Being 'PM Material' As Frivolous Issue
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PATNA: Taking a dim view of JD(U) and RJD endorsing Nitish Kumar having 'PM material', LJP chief and Union Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan today described the issue as "frivolous."
"It's a frivolous question...I don't wish to comment on it," he said in reply to a question on his views on JD(U) and RJD endorsing Mr Kumar having 'PM material'.
"What is the material" about it? Mr Paswan shot back at reporters when pressed further for his views on the issue.
Mr Paswan said that he had been given mandate to make Bihar a crime-free state, but murder, including that of police officers, had become the order of the day.
"There is a murder taking place everyday....even police officers are falling prey to criminals," he said, adding that three policemen were killed by criminals in the state.
Mr Paswan, however, said that nobody was stopping one from projecting oneself as PM candidate.
JD(U) leaders have been egging on Kumar to take forward his prime ministerial ambition by describing him as 'PM material' ever since he has taken over the post of the party's national president from Sharad Yadav recently.
RJD president Lalu Prasad and his Deputy Chief Minister son Tejaswi Yadav also endorsed the chief minister's prime ministerial ambition.
"It's a frivolous question...I don't wish to comment on it," he said in reply to a question on his views on JD(U) and RJD endorsing Mr Kumar having 'PM material'.
Mr Paswan said that he had been given mandate to make Bihar a crime-free state, but murder, including that of police officers, had become the order of the day.
"There is a murder taking place everyday....even police officers are falling prey to criminals," he said, adding that three policemen were killed by criminals in the state.
Mr Paswan, however, said that nobody was stopping one from projecting oneself as PM candidate.
JD(U) leaders have been egging on Kumar to take forward his prime ministerial ambition by describing him as 'PM material' ever since he has taken over the post of the party's national president from Sharad Yadav recently.
RJD president Lalu Prasad and his Deputy Chief Minister son Tejaswi Yadav also endorsed the chief minister's prime ministerial ambition.
Uttarakhand Verdict: Congress Attacks BJP, Says PM, Amit Shah Must Apologise
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NEW DELHI: The Uttarakhand High Court's verdict setting aside imposition of President's Rule in the state today spurred an elated Congress to attack the BJP, demanding an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah for "trampling" democracy and "murdering" Constitution.
The verdict is a "slap on face of BJP" for trying to dislodge an elected government, it said.
Terming the court's verdict as a victory of people of Uttarakhand, democracy and constitutional norms, AICC Incharge Communications Randeep Singh Surjewala said Prime Minister Modi and Amit Shah should learn a lesson from this "decisive and resounding verdict."
"This is a victory for the people of Uttarakhand, democracy and constitutional norms. This is also a slap on the face of those in BJP who sought to dislodge an elected government, elected with the mandate of people in Uttarakhand.", Surjewala said.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah will be well advised to now tender an unconditional apology to the nation and also to people of Uttarakhand for trampling upon democracy, murdering constitution norms and subjugating the will of people to their blind quest to dislodge Congress governments. We welcome the verdict," the Congress leader said.
He said that it proves the full majority which Congress enjoys and the "sinister conspiracies" which are being hatched from Arunanchal Pradesh to Uttarakhand and many other states to dislodge elected governments by "foul means, use of money and muscle power" should now at least come to an end.
Dealing a major blow to the Modi government, the Uttarakhand High Court today quashed the imposition of President' rule in the state and revived the Congress government headed by Harish Rawat, who has been asked to prove his majority on April 29.
NEW DELHI: The Uttarakhand High Court's verdict setting aside imposition of President's Rule in the state today spurred an elated Congress to attack the BJP, demanding an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah for "trampling" democracy and "murdering" Constitution.The verdict is a "slap on face of BJP" for trying to dislodge an elected government, it said.
"This is a victory for the people of Uttarakhand, democracy and constitutional norms. This is also a slap on the face of those in BJP who sought to dislodge an elected government, elected with the mandate of people in Uttarakhand.", Surjewala said.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah will be well advised to now tender an unconditional apology to the nation and also to people of Uttarakhand for trampling upon democracy, murdering constitution norms and subjugating the will of people to their blind quest to dislodge Congress governments. We welcome the verdict," the Congress leader said.
He said that it proves the full majority which Congress enjoys and the "sinister conspiracies" which are being hatched from Arunanchal Pradesh to Uttarakhand and many other states to dislodge elected governments by "foul means, use of money and muscle power" should now at least come to an end.
Dealing a major blow to the Modi government, the Uttarakhand High Court today quashed the imposition of President' rule in the state and revived the Congress government headed by Harish Rawat, who has been asked to prove his majority on April 29.
26/11 Case To Delay Further If India Doesn't Send Witnesses: Pakistan
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LAHORE: With the last three hearings in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack case being adjourned, Pakistani officials have warned that the trial, going on for six years, could face further delay if India does not send 24 witnesses to Pakistan to record their statements.
"The hearing of the case is adjourned without any proceedings during the last three consecutive weeks (hearings) April 6, 13 and 20, because the Pakistani government is still awaiting its counterpart's response about sending (Indian) witnesses to Pakistan for recording statements in the case," a court official said today.
He said the case may further be delayed if India does not send witnesses to Pakistan.
Pakistan has asked India to send all the 24 Indian witnesses to depose before the anti-terrorism court holding the Mumbai attack trial.
According to the prosecution, the trial court had completed recording the statements of all Pakistani witnesses in the case which has been underway in the country for more than six years.
"Now the ball is in India's court. The Indian government should send all Indian witnesses of the Mumbai case to Pakistan to record their statements so that the trial could further move ahead," a prosecution lawyer had said.
On the other hand, the Anti-Terrorism Court Islamabad has not yet announced its verdict on the application of prosecution requesting to make amendment in the charges against the suspects, including LeT Operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, in abetment to murder of each individual in the carnage.
The court which is holding the trial of the seven suspects in the Mumbai attack case last month had reserved the verdict after the prosecution and defence lawyers completed their arguments on (prosecution) plea that amendment in the charges against all the seven suspects in abetment to murder of each individual in the Mumbai attack should be made.
The prosecution had sought the amendment to the changes "for further strengthening the case against the suspects". It had pleaded for including the postmortem reports of those killed in the attack.
The prosecution said India should be asked to send the postmortem reports of each victim of the Mumbai terror attack while the defence lawyers opposed it.
Lakhvi, Abdul Wajid, Mazhar Iqbal, Hamad Amin Sadiq, Shahid Jameel Riaz, Jamil Ahmed and Younis Anjum are accused of abetment to murder, attempted murder, planning and executing the Mumbai attacks.
Lakhvi, believed to be the mastermind of the Mumbai attacks, is living in undisclosed location after he was released from jail on a bail a year ago. The other six suspects are in Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail.
"The hearing of the case is adjourned without any proceedings during the last three consecutive weeks (hearings) April 6, 13 and 20, because the Pakistani government is still awaiting its counterpart's response about sending (Indian) witnesses to Pakistan for recording statements in the case," a court official said today.
Pakistan has asked India to send all the 24 Indian witnesses to depose before the anti-terrorism court holding the Mumbai attack trial.
According to the prosecution, the trial court had completed recording the statements of all Pakistani witnesses in the case which has been underway in the country for more than six years.
"Now the ball is in India's court. The Indian government should send all Indian witnesses of the Mumbai case to Pakistan to record their statements so that the trial could further move ahead," a prosecution lawyer had said.
On the other hand, the Anti-Terrorism Court Islamabad has not yet announced its verdict on the application of prosecution requesting to make amendment in the charges against the suspects, including LeT Operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, in abetment to murder of each individual in the carnage.
The court which is holding the trial of the seven suspects in the Mumbai attack case last month had reserved the verdict after the prosecution and defence lawyers completed their arguments on (prosecution) plea that amendment in the charges against all the seven suspects in abetment to murder of each individual in the Mumbai attack should be made.
The prosecution had sought the amendment to the changes "for further strengthening the case against the suspects". It had pleaded for including the postmortem reports of those killed in the attack.
The prosecution said India should be asked to send the postmortem reports of each victim of the Mumbai terror attack while the defence lawyers opposed it.
Lakhvi, Abdul Wajid, Mazhar Iqbal, Hamad Amin Sadiq, Shahid Jameel Riaz, Jamil Ahmed and Younis Anjum are accused of abetment to murder, attempted murder, planning and executing the Mumbai attacks.
Lakhvi, believed to be the mastermind of the Mumbai attacks, is living in undisclosed location after he was released from jail on a bail a year ago. The other six suspects are in Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail.
Malaysia Introduces E-Visa For Indian Tourists
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MUMBAI: The Malaysian government recently introduced the Electronic Travel Authorization Visa (e-visa) for a short visit to the country.
At this point in time, the e-visa facility is available to Indians residing in India only and is valid for a single journey stay of maximum 30 days in Malaysia for tourism purposes, Tourism Malaysia said in a release.
The Malaysia e-visa will cost Rs 2,710 and can be obtained within 24-48 hours with a validity of 3 months. Tourism Malaysia is an agency under Malaysia Tourism and Culture Ministry.
India is a significant contributor to the tourism economy of Malaysia and ranks sixth as a source market globally.
Last year as many as 7,22,141 Indian tourists visited the country.
"We are always trying to make travel to Malaysia as convenient as it can get and the introduction of e-visa is a major step in that direction," Tourism Malaysia, Mumbai, Director Mohd Hafiz said.
"We are confident that with this ease in visa process more and more Indians will now consider Malaysia as a destination of choice for their next holiday," Mr Hafiz added.
MUMBAI: The Malaysian government recently introduced the Electronic Travel Authorization Visa (e-visa) for a short visit to the country.At this point in time, the e-visa facility is available to Indians residing in India only and is valid for a single journey stay of maximum 30 days in Malaysia for tourism purposes, Tourism Malaysia said in a release.
India is a significant contributor to the tourism economy of Malaysia and ranks sixth as a source market globally.
Last year as many as 7,22,141 Indian tourists visited the country.
"We are always trying to make travel to Malaysia as convenient as it can get and the introduction of e-visa is a major step in that direction," Tourism Malaysia, Mumbai, Director Mohd Hafiz said.
"We are confident that with this ease in visa process more and more Indians will now consider Malaysia as a destination of choice for their next holiday," Mr Hafiz added.
Business Affairs
Sensex inches higher for sixth day, fails to hold onto 26,000 level
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Market benchmark Sensex ended with a small gain on Thursday after giving up much of its 200-point early lead as advances in banking stocks offset losses in IT sector amid reports that Reserve Bank trimmed the list of companies required for bad loan provisioning.
Broader markets, however, came under pressure as investors locked in gains, pulling down the small-cap and mid-cap index by 0.52 per cent and 0.50 per cent, respectively.
Global setup continued to remain positive ahead of a euro zone interest rate decision later in the day and rebound in crude oil prices.
Oil prices edged higher, helped by US crude inventory figures, lending a positive bias to Asian stocks earlier in the day, said Anand James Chief Market Strategist of Geojit BNP Paribas Financial Services.
Lenders zoomed amid reports that the apex bank eased the pressure on lenders to set aside cash for defaults.
Country's biggest lender ICICI Bank topped the gainers list by surging 6.26 per cent to Rs 253.05 while state-run SBI too attracted buyers' attention and jumped 3.68 per cent.
Sensex resumed higher at 25,979.68 and firmed up to cross the 26,000-level after 15 weeks on initial buying, but slumped afterwards to 25,783.12 before ending at 25,880.38, still showing a gain of 36.20 points or 0.14 per cent.
The gauge had gained over 1,170 points in the past five sessions on the back of upbeat macroeconomic data, forecast of an above-normal monsoon and Infosys' strong revenue guidance.
The NSE Nifty snapped six-day rally, slipping marginally by 2.70 points or 0.03 per cent to close at 7,912.05.
It had gained 368.30 points or 4.88 per cent in the last six days. Shares of Wipro, India's third-largest IT firm, fell by 7.01 per cent as the company reported 1.6 per cent drop in net profit to Rs 2,235 crore due to pressure on margins even as it aims to double revenue to $15 billion by 2020, while its board approved a Rs 2,500-crore share buy-back plan.
Besides, sentiment turned cautious after the Uttarakhand High Court quashed the imposition of President's rule in the state and revived the Congress government headed by Harish Rawat.
The development may make the political wrangling worst at the national level. Overseas, most Asian markets ended higher with the Japan's Nikkei ending 2.70 per cent up and Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 1.82 per cent. European indexes were in a better shape in ahead a euro zone interest rate decision amid overnight gains on the Wall Street.
Market benchmark Sensex ended with a small gain on Thursday after giving up much of its 200-point early lead as advances in banking stocks offset losses in IT sector amid reports that Reserve Bank trimmed the list of companies required for bad loan provisioning.
Broader markets, however, came under pressure as investors locked in gains, pulling down the small-cap and mid-cap index by 0.52 per cent and 0.50 per cent, respectively.
Global setup continued to remain positive ahead of a euro zone interest rate decision later in the day and rebound in crude oil prices.
Oil prices edged higher, helped by US crude inventory figures, lending a positive bias to Asian stocks earlier in the day, said Anand James Chief Market Strategist of Geojit BNP Paribas Financial Services.
Lenders zoomed amid reports that the apex bank eased the pressure on lenders to set aside cash for defaults.
Country's biggest lender ICICI Bank topped the gainers list by surging 6.26 per cent to Rs 253.05 while state-run SBI too attracted buyers' attention and jumped 3.68 per cent.
Sensex resumed higher at 25,979.68 and firmed up to cross the 26,000-level after 15 weeks on initial buying, but slumped afterwards to 25,783.12 before ending at 25,880.38, still showing a gain of 36.20 points or 0.14 per cent.
The gauge had gained over 1,170 points in the past five sessions on the back of upbeat macroeconomic data, forecast of an above-normal monsoon and Infosys' strong revenue guidance.
The NSE Nifty snapped six-day rally, slipping marginally by 2.70 points or 0.03 per cent to close at 7,912.05.
It had gained 368.30 points or 4.88 per cent in the last six days. Shares of Wipro, India's third-largest IT firm, fell by 7.01 per cent as the company reported 1.6 per cent drop in net profit to Rs 2,235 crore due to pressure on margins even as it aims to double revenue to $15 billion by 2020, while its board approved a Rs 2,500-crore share buy-back plan.
Besides, sentiment turned cautious after the Uttarakhand High Court quashed the imposition of President's rule in the state and revived the Congress government headed by Harish Rawat.
The development may make the political wrangling worst at the national level. Overseas, most Asian markets ended higher with the Japan's Nikkei ending 2.70 per cent up and Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 1.82 per cent. European indexes were in a better shape in ahead a euro zone interest rate decision amid overnight gains on the Wall Street.
UK govt willing to buy 25% in Tata Steel plants
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The UK government on Thursday announced it is willing to acquire 25 per cent stake in Tata Steel's UK operations to help potential buyers eyeing ownership of the Indian steel firm 's loss-making plants.
The money "worth hundreds of millions of pounds" is being put up jointly by the UK and Welsh governments and will be made available to potential buyers as part of a support package for the crisis-hit steel industry, according to the business department in London.
Business Secretary Sajid Javid had earlier said any money would be offered on commercial terms, quashing talks of nationalising the industry.
At least two potential buyers have shown interest in buying the business.
One option is a management buyout backed by the chief of Tata's Port Talbot factory, the UK's largest steel operation, the BBC reported.
Steel company Liberty House, owned by Indian-origin Sanjeev Gupta, has also said it was interested in buying parts of the business.
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The UK government on Thursday announced it is willing to acquire 25 per cent stake in Tata Steel's UK operations to help potential buyers eyeing ownership of the Indian steel firm 's loss-making plants.
The money "worth hundreds of millions of pounds" is being put up jointly by the UK and Welsh governments and will be made available to potential buyers as part of a support package for the crisis-hit steel industry, according to the business department in London.
Business Secretary Sajid Javid had earlier said any money would be offered on commercial terms, quashing talks of nationalising the industry.
At least two potential buyers have shown interest in buying the business.
One option is a management buyout backed by the chief of Tata's Port Talbot factory, the UK's largest steel operation, the BBC reported.
Steel company Liberty House, owned by Indian-origin Sanjeev Gupta, has also said it was interested in buying parts of the business.
Vodafone invites banks to pitch for India IPO
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Vodafone Group has set the ball rolling for its long-awaited India IPO by inviting banks, including Citigroup, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, to submit pitches to manage it, people with direct knowledge of the deal said.
The listing of Vodafone 's Indian unit is expected to raise between $2 billion and $2.5 billion, the people said, making it the biggest IPO since state-owned Coal India Ltd's $3.5 billion listing in 2010. Vodafone had raised the prospect of a listing in India as early as 2011.
Other banks approached by the British telecoms heavyweight included Bank of America Merrill Lynch, UBS Group as well as Indian banks ICICI Securities and Kotak Investment Banking, the people added, requesting anonymity as the process is confidential.
The selected banks have been asked to submit pitches next week to win underwriting mandates for the stock, the people familiar with the deal said.
Vodafone is likely to pick about half a dozen banks to manage the sale in the next two weeks, these people added. Vodafone India is likely to be valued at about $20 billion, according to analysts' estimates.
Vodafone, which in November said it had started preparations to float its Indian unit, reiterated what it said earlier.
"We have previously said that we have started preparations for a potential IPO, which includes private conversations with banks, but this is a lengthy process and no decision will be made until we are at the end of it," Vodafone said in a statement issued in London.
Goldman Sachs, UBS and Bank of America Merrill Lynch declined to comment. Citigroup, Morgan Stanley and the Indian banks did not respond to requests for comment.
Vodafone is expected to use the IPO proceeds to buy additional mobile radio waves and expand its operations in India's crowded and cut-throat mobile phone market.
Vodafone entered India in 2007, when it acquired a majority stake in Hutchinson Essar. It now fully controls the unit.
Its market share has increased from 15.6 percent in 2007 to 18.4 percent in the latest reported July-Sept 2015 quarter, according to Indian telecoms regulator TRAI.
The company has about 188.3 million mobile subscribers and is the second-largest mobile operator behind Bharti Airtel.
Vodafone Group has set the ball rolling for its long-awaited India IPO by inviting banks, including Citigroup, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, to submit pitches to manage it, people with direct knowledge of the deal said.
The listing of Vodafone 's Indian unit is expected to raise between $2 billion and $2.5 billion, the people said, making it the biggest IPO since state-owned Coal India Ltd's $3.5 billion listing in 2010. Vodafone had raised the prospect of a listing in India as early as 2011.
Other banks approached by the British telecoms heavyweight included Bank of America Merrill Lynch, UBS Group as well as Indian banks ICICI Securities and Kotak Investment Banking, the people added, requesting anonymity as the process is confidential.
The selected banks have been asked to submit pitches next week to win underwriting mandates for the stock, the people familiar with the deal said.
Vodafone is likely to pick about half a dozen banks to manage the sale in the next two weeks, these people added. Vodafone India is likely to be valued at about $20 billion, according to analysts' estimates.
Vodafone, which in November said it had started preparations to float its Indian unit, reiterated what it said earlier.
"We have previously said that we have started preparations for a potential IPO, which includes private conversations with banks, but this is a lengthy process and no decision will be made until we are at the end of it," Vodafone said in a statement issued in London.
Goldman Sachs, UBS and Bank of America Merrill Lynch declined to comment. Citigroup, Morgan Stanley and the Indian banks did not respond to requests for comment.
Vodafone is expected to use the IPO proceeds to buy additional mobile radio waves and expand its operations in India's crowded and cut-throat mobile phone market.
Vodafone entered India in 2007, when it acquired a majority stake in Hutchinson Essar. It now fully controls the unit.
Its market share has increased from 15.6 percent in 2007 to 18.4 percent in the latest reported July-Sept 2015 quarter, according to Indian telecoms regulator TRAI.
The company has about 188.3 million mobile subscribers and is the second-largest mobile operator behind Bharti Airtel.
Mitsubishi Motors investigated over false mileage data
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Officials are investigating after Mitsubishi Motors Corp after the company said it had found employees manipulated fuel efficiency data of more than 620,000 light vehicles it manufactured.
Local media reports showed investigators from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism entering offices of the company's assembly plant in central Japan's Nagoya today.
Yesterday, the company apologised for what it said was intentional falsification of mileage test data that falsely boosted fuel economy by about 5 per cent to 10 per cent.
Trading in Mitsubishi Motors' shares halted before the close today after the shares fell more than 20 per cent.
Mitsubishi Motors was tarnished by a massive recall cover-up of safety defects 15 years ago.
The inaccurate tests by the Tokyo-based automaker involved so-called "minicars" with tiny engines whose main attraction is generally great mileage. Mitsubishi was reporting mileage of up to 30.4 kilometers per litre.
The inaccurate tests by the Tokyo-based automaker involved 157,000 of its own-brand eK wagon and eK Space light passenger cars, and 468,000 Dayz and Dayz Roox vehicles produced for Nissan Motor Co.
All are so-called "minicars" with tiny engines whose main attraction is generally great mileage. They were produced from March 2013.
Officials are investigating after Mitsubishi Motors Corp after the company said it had found employees manipulated fuel efficiency data of more than 620,000 light vehicles it manufactured.
Local media reports showed investigators from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism entering offices of the company's assembly plant in central Japan's Nagoya today.
Yesterday, the company apologised for what it said was intentional falsification of mileage test data that falsely boosted fuel economy by about 5 per cent to 10 per cent.
Trading in Mitsubishi Motors' shares halted before the close today after the shares fell more than 20 per cent.
Mitsubishi Motors was tarnished by a massive recall cover-up of safety defects 15 years ago.
The inaccurate tests by the Tokyo-based automaker involved so-called "minicars" with tiny engines whose main attraction is generally great mileage. Mitsubishi was reporting mileage of up to 30.4 kilometers per litre.
The inaccurate tests by the Tokyo-based automaker involved 157,000 of its own-brand eK wagon and eK Space light passenger cars, and 468,000 Dayz and Dayz Roox vehicles produced for Nissan Motor Co.
All are so-called "minicars" with tiny engines whose main attraction is generally great mileage. They were produced from March 2013.
Aadhaar's Identity Crisis
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Nikhil Dey, a renowned social activist who has been working with peasants in the villages of Rajasthan for decades, is finding more disgruntled poor around him these days. It all began with the decision of Rajasthan government to make Aadhaar-based authentication mandatory for supply of subsidised foodgrains through the public distribution system (PDS), a couple of months ago. While the objective of biometric authentication was to ensure that the subsidised foodgrains (wheat at Rs 2 and rice at Rs 3 a kg) reaches the real beneficiary by avoiding leakages, the process seems to have made life difficult, instead of making it easy, for most beneficiaries in Rajasthan.
"If you see what is happening in ration (PDS) shops in Rajasthan, the POS machines that are meant to identify the people are a complete disaster. Not even 50 per cent of the people are able to validate themselves through these machines," Dey says.
Dey agrees that in a theoretical sense, if his fingerprint is authenticated and if it works seamlessly, it is quite a breakthrough. "But it needs to work with, say, 98 per cent efficacy, because then, for the rest of the people, you can provide subsidised rice or direct cash transfer through manual mode. But when you are identifying only 30 or 40 per cent, and majority of the genuine beneficiaries is failing to make use of the POS system, and will have to be served manually, you are not ending corruption, you are inviting corruption." All three claims made in favour of Aadhaar-linked direct benefit transfer (DBT) are doubtful, he says.
There is this claim of efficiency, stopping corruption, and of inclusion. All three are going in the opposite direction, points out Dey. "When I am going to a ration shop, putting my thumb impression, maybe the Internet is not working or the machine is malfunctioning. I am in a situation where everyone in the village, including the dealer, says I am Nikhil, but my benefit gets delayed or deprived, only because the machine says I am not Nikhil.
Here I am not included, I am excluded." Multiple attempts mean time and frustration. It's costing money, it's costing time, it's costing resources and it is not accurate, asserts Dey. "We have to delink from this theoretical world of everything working perfectly to understandwhat is practically happening." Dey says that all the "song and dance" about DBT has no meaning as it was happening very effectively even without Aadhaar. "NREGA is already a DBT. The money goes into people's post office account or bank accounts. So people are getting the benefits directly. All I am saying is that even without Aadhaar, NREGA was already DBT, and pension was already DBT."
D.K. Mittal, former mission director, DBT Scheme, and ex-secretary, Financial Services, Ministry of Finance, agrees. "There are two aspects to the Aadhaar programme.
One is to identify a person by providing him a unique number, and the other is to provide direct subsidies by using the Aadhaar bridge payment platform." While Aadhaar is a wonderful programme for the purpose of identification, it was a mistake to converge the benefit transfer scheme and the Aadhaar, believes Mittal.
"Why do you mix the two? Fiftysixty per cent of the country's population work using their hands (depend on manual labour). Their fingerprints are subject to wear and tear even within a year. Even if the finger prints remain recognisable, there are connectivity problems, which makes payments through Aadhaar bridge payment system difficult," Mittal adds.
The Elixir
The statutory backing the citizen's unique identification number got with the enactment of The Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act 2016, in March and its high rate of enrolment (over 100 crore) has made it convenient for governments - Central and states - to project Aadhaar and biometric identifications as the best solution for all kinds of hurdles that trouble government-citizen interface.
The Central government has already introduced Aadhaar bridge payment system to transfer cooking gas subsidy to LPG customers across the country. Four states - Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Puducherry and Delhi - have attempted Aadhaar-linked PDS system that Rajasthan is busy experimenting with now. Some others are trying Aadhaar-linked scholarships and pension payments to eligible citizens. The government claims that all such attempts resulted in saving public money.
The DBT mission, which is now under the direct administrative control of the Cabinet Secretariat, has identified about 30 schemes where direct cash transfer can be implemented. The scope of the project has been enlarged to cover all Central sector schemes and Centresponsored schemes. Of the Rs 6,031 crore that was disbursed through the DBT mode in January 2016, 37 per cent funds were transferred using the Aadhaar bridge payment system. This includes about 61 per cent of the benefit schemes implemented by the Rural Development Ministry (including NREGA) and 62.5 per cent of cooking gas subsidy payment by the Petroleum Ministry.
Delivering a lecture on 'the new economics of financial inclusion' in Australia on March 31, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that the Indian financial inclusion model - of which Aadhaar is an integral part - has received international acclaim. "The deployment of JAM trinity of Jan Dhan Yojana, Aadhaar, and mobile telephones is a hugely innovative intervention to carry this (financial inclusion) forward and place government finances at prudent levels," he said.
The government's financial inclusion policy has three objectives. It aims at providing social security, affordable credit to entrepreneurs and to fix the subsidy leakage problem through targeted DBT programmes. Jaitley claims that the database of 1.2 billion bank accounts when linked with 900 million mobile phones and a billion Aadhaar numbers would effectively ensure that the subsidy flow only happens to those who actually need it.
The importance of JAM trinity has been emphasised in the government's Economic Survey 2015/16 in a dedicated chapter that talks about 'spreading JAM across India's economy'. It clearly states that the project should meet all three objectives - the government must be able to identify beneficiaries; it must be able to transfer money to beneficiaries and the beneficiaries must be able to easily access their money.
The failure of the first category leads to inclusion errors and leakage - benefits intended for the poor flow to rich and 'ghost' households, resulting in fiscal loss. The failure of the other two leads to exclusion errors - genuine beneficiaries being unable to avail benefits. The survey wanted the government to be especially sensitive to exclusion errors, which typically hurt the poorest and can be invoked as reason - and highlighted by leakage beneficiaries - to roll back DBT schemes. The second alert becomes very significant in the backdrop of the Rajasthan experience.
The survey also acknowledges that despite huge improvements in financial inclusion due to Jan Dhan, the JAM preparedness indicators suggest that there is still some way to go before bank-beneficiary linkages are strong enough to pursue DBT without committing exclusion errors. "In that sense, the JAM agenda is currently jammed by the last-mile challenge of getting money from banks into beneficiaries' hands, especially in rural India," it says. The problem highlighted by the survey is not Aadhaar authentication but absence of last-mile connectivity for banking institutions for seamless transfer of cash into the hands of the beneficiary.
P.D.T. Achary, former Secretary General of Lok Sabha
While the government insists that the Aadhaar Act is meant only to facilitate DBT by identifying the genuine beneficiaries and weed out duplication and corruption, it is being proposed for all kinds of authentication purposes, including e-verification of income-tax returns to mobile SIM issuance. And it is not just the governments that are excited about Aadhaar and DBT.
Early this year, an investor note from stock broking firm Ambit Capital Pvt Ltd said that the implementation of DBT for food subsidies can result in Rs 45,500 crore annual rise in disposable incomes of targeted households, which in turn can drive a 14 per cent increase in rural FMCG demand. Hindustan Unilever, Colgate and Dabur are likely to be the biggest beneficiaries, the brokerage said.
While the methodology adopted by Ambit could be questioned, there cannot be any doubt over the business opportunity Aadhaar and DBT linkage offers for another segment - the mobile phone operators and the software companies.
While the JAM Trinity talks about mobile banking, and thereby increase the scope of services and reach of mobile phone-linked payment solutions, the technology companies are getting huge assignments from banking establishments and government agencies to turn their core systems Aadhaar-friendly.
For instance, while the current National Electronic Fund Transfer (NEFT) platform was capable of handling any load of electronic cash transfer, it needed a tweak to handle DBT through Aadhaar-linked authentication. And any change meant business for technology firms. "By compelling banks to enable Aadhaar platform, you have made them change their core banking architecture. The National Payment Corporation of India (NPCA) itself is known to have spent a substantial amount to change its core banking solutions (CBS)," says an ex-bureaucrat, who was associated with the banking sector. In fact, every bank has done, or is doing it. The front-end of all the departments that handle DBT are working on their software to have it handle Aadhaar-linked payment demands. And all this simply means huge, long-term and recurring business opportunities for the IT companies that are facing margin pressures due to the economic lull in their traditional developed country markets.
Technically Sound?
The Aadhaar Bill was introduced as a Money Bill to avoid Rajya Sabha scruitiny, where the ruling NDA government is a minority. Experts, including members of the opposition Congress Party, have expressed doubts over the constitutionality and legitimacy of this action. Some are even moving the Supreme Court, which is already hearing some public interest litigations that were filed against the plans to make Aadhaar mandatory for DBT.
"Subtle attempts have been made to give Aadhaar Bill the appearance of a Money Bill by referring to the Consolidated Fund of India (CFI) in certain clauses. But this does not alter the character of the Bill, which does not deal with the CFI," P.D.T. Achary, former Secretary General of the Lok Sabha, says. According to him, the Aadhaar Bill comes under the category of financial bills, which should have been passed by both Houses of Parliament.
Gopal Krishna, an activist associated with Delhi-based Citizens Forum for Civil Liberties (CFCL), fears that a universal Aadhaar will have far-reaching implications that go beyond an effective DBT rollout. "There are ownership risks, technology risks and privacy concerns", he says. Krishna also points out that countries like the UK, Australia, France, the Phillippines, Germany, and Europe have rejected UID/Aadhaar-like projects while Asian countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal are moving on similar lines as that of India. "Is it a coincidence that the similar schemes are unfolding in South Asia? Isn't there a design behind persuading and compelling developing countries to biometrically profile their citizens?" he asks.
Unique ID
Even if one dismisses the conspiracy theory, the fact remains that your unique number, once included in all official documents, leaves a trail that can be traced easily even when your biometric data remains protected. It has also a positive role to play.
Aadhaar authentication can be of unexpected help, too, as was evident when floods ravaged Chennai city recently. For dozens of hapless flood victims, whose entire belongings and identification documents got washed away, fingerprint or iris authentication was more than enough to avail the official relief. The biometric identification also helped them trace back their other identities.
In a bid to get the Aadhaar Bill passed at any cost, the government has deliberately framed it as a piece of legislation meant for the targeted delivery of financial and other subsidies, benefits and services, but in essence it is a law that provides statutory backing to an authority that issues a unique number as your national identity. In that sense, the original title of the Bill, the 'National Identification Authority of India Bill 2010', is very much relevant.
Unless the Supreme Court decides on the contrary, the enrolment and seeding of Aadhaar numbers for multiple purposes will only increase in the coming days. While it will definitely enhance the business opportunities of several stakeholders, one will have to wait till the next elections to understand its success, as that is the only time the real beneficiaries get to cast their feedback as votes.
If Rajasthan is an indication, the government needs to be more cautious in its approach.
Nikhil Dey, a renowned social activist who has been working with peasants in the villages of Rajasthan for decades, is finding more disgruntled poor around him these days. It all began with the decision of Rajasthan government to make Aadhaar-based authentication mandatory for supply of subsidised foodgrains through the public distribution system (PDS), a couple of months ago. While the objective of biometric authentication was to ensure that the subsidised foodgrains (wheat at Rs 2 and rice at Rs 3 a kg) reaches the real beneficiary by avoiding leakages, the process seems to have made life difficult, instead of making it easy, for most beneficiaries in Rajasthan.
"If you see what is happening in ration (PDS) shops in Rajasthan, the POS machines that are meant to identify the people are a complete disaster. Not even 50 per cent of the people are able to validate themselves through these machines," Dey says.
Dey agrees that in a theoretical sense, if his fingerprint is authenticated and if it works seamlessly, it is quite a breakthrough. "But it needs to work with, say, 98 per cent efficacy, because then, for the rest of the people, you can provide subsidised rice or direct cash transfer through manual mode. But when you are identifying only 30 or 40 per cent, and majority of the genuine beneficiaries is failing to make use of the POS system, and will have to be served manually, you are not ending corruption, you are inviting corruption." All three claims made in favour of Aadhaar-linked direct benefit transfer (DBT) are doubtful, he says.
There is this claim of efficiency, stopping corruption, and of inclusion. All three are going in the opposite direction, points out Dey. "When I am going to a ration shop, putting my thumb impression, maybe the Internet is not working or the machine is malfunctioning. I am in a situation where everyone in the village, including the dealer, says I am Nikhil, but my benefit gets delayed or deprived, only because the machine says I am not Nikhil.
D.K. Mittal, former mission director, DBT Scheme, and ex-secretary, Financial Services, Ministry of Finance, agrees. "There are two aspects to the Aadhaar programme.
One is to identify a person by providing him a unique number, and the other is to provide direct subsidies by using the Aadhaar bridge payment platform." While Aadhaar is a wonderful programme for the purpose of identification, it was a mistake to converge the benefit transfer scheme and the Aadhaar, believes Mittal.
"Why do you mix the two? Fiftysixty per cent of the country's population work using their hands (depend on manual labour). Their fingerprints are subject to wear and tear even within a year. Even if the finger prints remain recognisable, there are connectivity problems, which makes payments through Aadhaar bridge payment system difficult," Mittal adds.
The Elixir
The Elixir
The statutory backing the citizen's unique identification number got with the enactment of The Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act 2016, in March and its high rate of enrolment (over 100 crore) has made it convenient for governments - Central and states - to project Aadhaar and biometric identifications as the best solution for all kinds of hurdles that trouble government-citizen interface.
The Central government has already introduced Aadhaar bridge payment system to transfer cooking gas subsidy to LPG customers across the country. Four states - Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Puducherry and Delhi - have attempted Aadhaar-linked PDS system that Rajasthan is busy experimenting with now. Some others are trying Aadhaar-linked scholarships and pension payments to eligible citizens. The government claims that all such attempts resulted in saving public money.
Delivering a lecture on 'the new economics of financial inclusion' in Australia on March 31, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that the Indian financial inclusion model - of which Aadhaar is an integral part - has received international acclaim. "The deployment of JAM trinity of Jan Dhan Yojana, Aadhaar, and mobile telephones is a hugely innovative intervention to carry this (financial inclusion) forward and place government finances at prudent levels," he said.
The government's financial inclusion policy has three objectives. It aims at providing social security, affordable credit to entrepreneurs and to fix the subsidy leakage problem through targeted DBT programmes. Jaitley claims that the database of 1.2 billion bank accounts when linked with 900 million mobile phones and a billion Aadhaar numbers would effectively ensure that the subsidy flow only happens to those who actually need it.
The importance of JAM trinity has been emphasised in the government's Economic Survey 2015/16 in a dedicated chapter that talks about 'spreading JAM across India's economy'. It clearly states that the project should meet all three objectives - the government must be able to identify beneficiaries; it must be able to transfer money to beneficiaries and the beneficiaries must be able to easily access their money.
The failure of the first category leads to inclusion errors and leakage - benefits intended for the poor flow to rich and 'ghost' households, resulting in fiscal loss. The failure of the other two leads to exclusion errors - genuine beneficiaries being unable to avail benefits. The survey wanted the government to be especially sensitive to exclusion errors, which typically hurt the poorest and can be invoked as reason - and highlighted by leakage beneficiaries - to roll back DBT schemes. The second alert becomes very significant in the backdrop of the Rajasthan experience.
The survey also acknowledges that despite huge improvements in financial inclusion due to Jan Dhan, the JAM preparedness indicators suggest that there is still some way to go before bank-beneficiary linkages are strong enough to pursue DBT without committing exclusion errors. "In that sense, the JAM agenda is currently jammed by the last-mile challenge of getting money from banks into beneficiaries' hands, especially in rural India," it says. The problem highlighted by the survey is not Aadhaar authentication but absence of last-mile connectivity for banking institutions for seamless transfer of cash into the hands of the beneficiary.
P.D.T. Achary, former Secretary General of Lok Sabha
While the government insists that the Aadhaar Act is meant only to facilitate DBT by identifying the genuine beneficiaries and weed out duplication and corruption, it is being proposed for all kinds of authentication purposes, including e-verification of income-tax returns to mobile SIM issuance. And it is not just the governments that are excited about Aadhaar and DBT.
Gopal Krishna, an activist associated with Delhi-based Citizens Forum for Civil Liberties (CFCL), fears that a universal Aadhaar will have far-reaching implications that go beyond an effective DBT rollout. "There are ownership risks, technology risks and privacy concerns", he says. Krishna also points out that countries like the UK, Australia, France, the Phillippines, Germany, and Europe have rejected UID/Aadhaar-like projects while Asian countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal are moving on similar lines as that of India. "Is it a coincidence that the similar schemes are unfolding in South Asia? Isn't there a design behind persuading and compelling developing countries to biometrically profile their citizens?" he asks.
Early this year, an investor note from stock broking firm Ambit Capital Pvt Ltd said that the implementation of DBT for food subsidies can result in Rs 45,500 crore annual rise in disposable incomes of targeted households, which in turn can drive a 14 per cent increase in rural FMCG demand. Hindustan Unilever, Colgate and Dabur are likely to be the biggest beneficiaries, the brokerage said.
While the methodology adopted by Ambit could be questioned, there cannot be any doubt over the business opportunity Aadhaar and DBT linkage offers for another segment - the mobile phone operators and the software companies.
While the JAM Trinity talks about mobile banking, and thereby increase the scope of services and reach of mobile phone-linked payment solutions, the technology companies are getting huge assignments from banking establishments and government agencies to turn their core systems Aadhaar-friendly.
For instance, while the current National Electronic Fund Transfer (NEFT) platform was capable of handling any load of electronic cash transfer, it needed a tweak to handle DBT through Aadhaar-linked authentication. And any change meant business for technology firms. "By compelling banks to enable Aadhaar platform, you have made them change their core banking architecture. The National Payment Corporation of India (NPCA) itself is known to have spent a substantial amount to change its core banking solutions (CBS)," says an ex-bureaucrat, who was associated with the banking sector. In fact, every bank has done, or is doing it. The front-end of all the departments that handle DBT are working on their software to have it handle Aadhaar-linked payment demands. And all this simply means huge, long-term and recurring business opportunities for the IT companies that are facing margin pressures due to the economic lull in their traditional developed country markets.
Technically Sound?
The Aadhaar Bill was introduced as a Money Bill to avoid Rajya Sabha scruitiny, where the ruling NDA government is a minority. Experts, including members of the opposition Congress Party, have expressed doubts over the constitutionality and legitimacy of this action. Some are even moving the Supreme Court, which is already hearing some public interest litigations that were filed against the plans to make Aadhaar mandatory for DBT.
"Subtle attempts have been made to give Aadhaar Bill the appearance of a Money Bill by referring to the Consolidated Fund of India (CFI) in certain clauses. But this does not alter the character of the Bill, which does not deal with the CFI," P.D.T. Achary, former Secretary General of the Lok Sabha, says. According to him, the Aadhaar Bill comes under the category of financial bills, which should have been passed by both Houses of Parliament.
Unique ID
Even if one dismisses the conspiracy theory, the fact remains that your unique number, once included in all official documents, leaves a trail that can be traced easily even when your biometric data remains protected. It has also a positive role to play.
Aadhaar authentication can be of unexpected help, too, as was evident when floods ravaged Chennai city recently. For dozens of hapless flood victims, whose entire belongings and identification documents got washed away, fingerprint or iris authentication was more than enough to avail the official relief. The biometric identification also helped them trace back their other identities.
In a bid to get the Aadhaar Bill passed at any cost, the government has deliberately framed it as a piece of legislation meant for the targeted delivery of financial and other subsidies, benefits and services, but in essence it is a law that provides statutory backing to an authority that issues a unique number as your national identity. In that sense, the original title of the Bill, the 'National Identification Authority of India Bill 2010', is very much relevant.
Unless the Supreme Court decides on the contrary, the enrolment and seeding of Aadhaar numbers for multiple purposes will only increase in the coming days. While it will definitely enhance the business opportunities of several stakeholders, one will have to wait till the next elections to understand its success, as that is the only time the real beneficiaries get to cast their feedback as votes.
If Rajasthan is an indication, the government needs to be more cautious in its approach.
General Awareness
The three day Curtain Raiser International Yoga Fest inaugurated by Shri Shripad Yesso Naik
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Introduction: Punjab & Haryana capital Chandigarh decided to host National Level celebration of International Yoga Day
Inaugurated by: Minister of State for AYUSH (Independent Charge) and Health & Family Welfare, Shri Shripad Yesso Naik
Organised by: Ministry of AYUSH
Important points delivered:
- Among 193 countries, 177 countries of UN member states supported the ideal of declaring 21st June as International Day of Yoga
- For past few decades, the health aspects of Yoga have become more significant
- Major role in the prevention and Management of non-communicable diseases where life lasting medicine is not having permanent or cost effective solution
- Yoga is beneficial to people working in high altitude areas and in extreme climatic conditions and various stressful situations
- It can enhance the endurance among the sports person
Secretary of AYUSH, Shri Ajit Sharan highlighted that Yoga Olympiad being organised by NCERT in view of the need to popularize Yoga among the youth
- Dr. H. Nagendra, Chancellor, S-VYASA University, Bangalore and Chairperson of the Committee of Yoga Experts for International Yoga Day, highlighted the activities being planned
- The AYUSH Minster released the Common Yoga Protocol DVD at the Festival
Govt decides Chandigarh to host International Yoga day
Prime Minister led First International Yoga day was observed on 21st June and observed world over by millions on the same day.
Venue: Rajpath in New Delhi
Participated by: 35,000 people including dignitaries from 84 countries
Performed 21 yoga Asanas for 35 minutes
Now it is decided that Chandigarh the dual capital of Punjab and Haryana on June 21st of 2016 to host International Yoga day.
- Importance of Yoga: It improves the quality of life
- Yoga: Father of Modern Yoga: Patanjali
- Introduction: Punjab & Haryana capital Chandigarh decided to host National Level celebration of International Yoga DayInaugurated by: Minister of State for AYUSH (Independent Charge) and Health & Family Welfare, Shri Shripad Yesso NaikOrganised by: Ministry of AYUSHImportant points delivered:
- Among 193 countries, 177 countries of UN member states supported the ideal of declaring 21st June as International Day of Yoga
- For past few decades, the health aspects of Yoga have become more significant
- Major role in the prevention and Management of non-communicable diseases where life lasting medicine is not having permanent or cost effective solution
- Yoga is beneficial to people working in high altitude areas and in extreme climatic conditions and various stressful situations
- It can enhance the endurance among the sports person
Secretary of AYUSH, Shri Ajit Sharan highlighted that Yoga Olympiad being organised by NCERT in view of the need to popularize Yoga among the youth- Dr. H. Nagendra, Chancellor, S-VYASA University, Bangalore and Chairperson of the Committee of Yoga Experts for International Yoga Day, highlighted the activities being planned
- The AYUSH Minster released the Common Yoga Protocol DVD at the Festival
Govt decides Chandigarh to host International Yoga dayPrime Minister led First International Yoga day was observed on 21st June and observed world over by millions on the same day.Venue: Rajpath in New Delhi
Participated by: 35,000 people including dignitaries from 84 countries
Performed 21 yoga Asanas for 35 minutesNow it is decided that Chandigarh the dual capital of Punjab and Haryana on June 21st of 2016 to host International Yoga day.
- Importance of Yoga: It improves the quality of life
- Yoga: Father of Modern Yoga: Patanjali
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