General Affairs
Shan-e-Punjab Express Becomes First Indian Train To Have CCTV Surveillance
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NEW DELHI: Shan-e-Punjab Express today became country's first train to have CCTV cameras installed in all coaches, as part of Railways' efforts to strengthen security of passengers particularly women travellers.
"We have promised it in the budget and today we have fulfilled our promise," Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu said after flagging off the CCTV-equipped train from Amritsar through video-conferencing in the national capital.
About 122 surveillance cameras have been installed in all 21 coaches including ladies compartment of Shan-e-Punjab Express at an estimated cost of Rs 36 lakh.
"Passengers' security is our prime concern and measures have been taken for it. There are helplines, CCTV and integrated security system being provided at many stations," he said.
The CCTVs have been installed strategically at all doors and Mr Prabhu assured that the new measure will not compromise the privacy of passengers instead will act as deterrent against crime.
The guard's compartment of the New Delhi-Amritsar Shan-e-Punjab Express has been provided with a LCD screen for monitoring CCTV footage in the women's coach for prompt action.
CCTV footage of all coaches are being recorded on a portable device with a storage capacity of one month and can be retrieved by security personnel whenever required. Railways aims to equip more trains with such facilities to curb crime against women and reduce thefts and other such incidents in trains.
If a bulk order of CCTV is given then the cost will come down significantly, he said and added "We want to put it on the fast track and we are working it out."
Referring to cyber security, he said it is an issue and we have to address it through technology. Seeking states' cooperation, he said law and order is a state issue and we have to enhance security at rail premises with state governments' cooperation.
Notably, three coaches in a Mumbai suburban train have also been equipped with CCTV cameras on a pilot basis.
NEW DELHI: Shan-e-Punjab Express today became country's first train to have CCTV cameras installed in all coaches, as part of Railways' efforts to strengthen security of passengers particularly women travellers."We have promised it in the budget and today we have fulfilled our promise," Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu said after flagging off the CCTV-equipped train from Amritsar through video-conferencing in the national capital.
"Passengers' security is our prime concern and measures have been taken for it. There are helplines, CCTV and integrated security system being provided at many stations," he said.
The CCTVs have been installed strategically at all doors and Mr Prabhu assured that the new measure will not compromise the privacy of passengers instead will act as deterrent against crime.
The guard's compartment of the New Delhi-Amritsar Shan-e-Punjab Express has been provided with a LCD screen for monitoring CCTV footage in the women's coach for prompt action.
CCTV footage of all coaches are being recorded on a portable device with a storage capacity of one month and can be retrieved by security personnel whenever required. Railways aims to equip more trains with such facilities to curb crime against women and reduce thefts and other such incidents in trains.
If a bulk order of CCTV is given then the cost will come down significantly, he said and added "We want to put it on the fast track and we are working it out."
Referring to cyber security, he said it is an issue and we have to address it through technology. Seeking states' cooperation, he said law and order is a state issue and we have to enhance security at rail premises with state governments' cooperation.
Notably, three coaches in a Mumbai suburban train have also been equipped with CCTV cameras on a pilot basis.
NIA Court Issues Non-Bailable Warrant Against Jaish Chief Masood Azhar
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NEW DELHI: The NIA today secured non-bailable arrest warrants against Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Maulana Masood Azhar, his brother Abdul Rauf and two others for allegedly conspiring to carry out terror strike on the strategic Indian Air Force base in Pathankot.
A special NIA court based in Mohali issued the 'open-ended non-bailable warrant' against Azhar, his brother, main handlers Kashif Jaan and Shaid Latif for allegedly entering into a criminal conspiracy with JeM terrorists for carrying out a terror strike on the IAF base.
The strategic base was attacked by terrorists of banned JeM during the intervening night of January 1 and 2 in which seven security personnel were killed. Four bodies of terrorists were recovered from the encounter site which lasted for nearly 80 hours.
The special court issued the arrest warrant after weighing the evidence presented by the NIA before it which included telephonic conversation between the terrorists and the Jaish handlers like Jaan and Latif.
The video of Rauf, brother of Azhar, was also presented before the court.
In the video which was uploaded on a website being hosted from Pakistan, Rauf had claimed responsibility for the attack and complimented his boys for it. The video has since been removed and the website has also gone off the cyber world.
The NIA has already sought voice samples of Azhar and three others from Pakistan's Joint Investigation Team (JIT) which came to India for carrying out a probe in the Pathankot terror probe.
The non-bailable warrant will be sent to the Interpol. India had built a strong case for proscribing Azhar as terrorist at the UN but the move was vetoed by China. An Interpol Red Corner notice is already pending against Azhar for being allegedly involved in the conspiracy behind attacks on Parliament and Jammu and Kashmir state assembly.
Similarly an Interpol Red Corner Notice is pending against Rauf in connection with the IC-814 hijacking case of 1999. India has complained to Pakistan about the slow pace of probe in the Parliament attack case and Azhar being given a free hand to continue with his anti-India rhetoric. Islamabad has not heeded to New Delhi's demands to bring to book Azhar and other JeM top brass.
In the meantime, the NIA said that after posting the pictures of the four dead terrorists on its official website, more information was coming from across the world which included many people from Pakistan who were eager to share details pertaining to the slain militants.
The four terrorists were identified as Nasir Hussain (Punjab province), Abu Bakar, (Gujranwala), Umar Farooq and Abdul Qayum (both from Sindh).
NEW DELHI: The NIA today secured non-bailable arrest warrants against Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Maulana Masood Azhar, his brother Abdul Rauf and two others for allegedly conspiring to carry out terror strike on the strategic Indian Air Force base in Pathankot.
A special NIA court based in Mohali issued the 'open-ended non-bailable warrant' against Azhar, his brother, main handlers Kashif Jaan and Shaid Latif for allegedly entering into a criminal conspiracy with JeM terrorists for carrying out a terror strike on the IAF base.
The strategic base was attacked by terrorists of banned JeM during the intervening night of January 1 and 2 in which seven security personnel were killed. Four bodies of terrorists were recovered from the encounter site which lasted for nearly 80 hours.
The special court issued the arrest warrant after weighing the evidence presented by the NIA before it which included telephonic conversation between the terrorists and the Jaish handlers like Jaan and Latif.
The video of Rauf, brother of Azhar, was also presented before the court.
In the video which was uploaded on a website being hosted from Pakistan, Rauf had claimed responsibility for the attack and complimented his boys for it. The video has since been removed and the website has also gone off the cyber world.
The NIA has already sought voice samples of Azhar and three others from Pakistan's Joint Investigation Team (JIT) which came to India for carrying out a probe in the Pathankot terror probe.
The non-bailable warrant will be sent to the Interpol. India had built a strong case for proscribing Azhar as terrorist at the UN but the move was vetoed by China. An Interpol Red Corner notice is already pending against Azhar for being allegedly involved in the conspiracy behind attacks on Parliament and Jammu and Kashmir state assembly.
Similarly an Interpol Red Corner Notice is pending against Rauf in connection with the IC-814 hijacking case of 1999. India has complained to Pakistan about the slow pace of probe in the Parliament attack case and Azhar being given a free hand to continue with his anti-India rhetoric. Islamabad has not heeded to New Delhi's demands to bring to book Azhar and other JeM top brass.
In the meantime, the NIA said that after posting the pictures of the four dead terrorists on its official website, more information was coming from across the world which included many people from Pakistan who were eager to share details pertaining to the slain militants.
The four terrorists were identified as Nasir Hussain (Punjab province), Abu Bakar, (Gujranwala), Umar Farooq and Abdul Qayum (both from Sindh).
A special NIA court based in Mohali issued the 'open-ended non-bailable warrant' against Azhar, his brother, main handlers Kashif Jaan and Shaid Latif for allegedly entering into a criminal conspiracy with JeM terrorists for carrying out a terror strike on the IAF base.
The special court issued the arrest warrant after weighing the evidence presented by the NIA before it which included telephonic conversation between the terrorists and the Jaish handlers like Jaan and Latif.
The video of Rauf, brother of Azhar, was also presented before the court.
In the video which was uploaded on a website being hosted from Pakistan, Rauf had claimed responsibility for the attack and complimented his boys for it. The video has since been removed and the website has also gone off the cyber world.
The NIA has already sought voice samples of Azhar and three others from Pakistan's Joint Investigation Team (JIT) which came to India for carrying out a probe in the Pathankot terror probe.
The non-bailable warrant will be sent to the Interpol. India had built a strong case for proscribing Azhar as terrorist at the UN but the move was vetoed by China. An Interpol Red Corner notice is already pending against Azhar for being allegedly involved in the conspiracy behind attacks on Parliament and Jammu and Kashmir state assembly.
Similarly an Interpol Red Corner Notice is pending against Rauf in connection with the IC-814 hijacking case of 1999. India has complained to Pakistan about the slow pace of probe in the Parliament attack case and Azhar being given a free hand to continue with his anti-India rhetoric. Islamabad has not heeded to New Delhi's demands to bring to book Azhar and other JeM top brass.
In the meantime, the NIA said that after posting the pictures of the four dead terrorists on its official website, more information was coming from across the world which included many people from Pakistan who were eager to share details pertaining to the slain militants.
The four terrorists were identified as Nasir Hussain (Punjab province), Abu Bakar, (Gujranwala), Umar Farooq and Abdul Qayum (both from Sindh).
Next Session Of Parliament To Begin From April 25
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NEW DELHI: Parliament will meet from April 25 to May 13 for a new session owing to prorogation of the two houses last month during the inter-session period.
A Lok Sabha press release said the eighth session of 16th Lok Sabha will commence on April 25.
"Subject to exigencies of government business, the session is likely to conclude on May 13," the release said.
Rajya Sabha officials said that they had information of the house meeting from April 25 to May 13.
A separate parliament session had been necessitated after President Pranab Mukherjee prorogued the two houses following the central government deciding to go for an ordinance to facilitate government expenditure from the Consolidated Fund of India for Uttarakhand after the state was placed under the President's Rule last month.
The session will would transact the remaining agenda of budget session that started on February 23. The first half of session had concluded on March 16 and the parliament was to meet for the second half of budget session from April 25 to May 13.
NEW DELHI: Parliament will meet from April 25 to May 13 for a new session owing to prorogation of the two houses last month during the inter-session period.A Lok Sabha press release said the eighth session of 16th Lok Sabha will commence on April 25.
"Subject to exigencies of government business, the session is likely to conclude on May 13," the release said.
Rajya Sabha officials said that they had information of the house meeting from April 25 to May 13.
A separate parliament session had been necessitated after President Pranab Mukherjee prorogued the two houses following the central government deciding to go for an ordinance to facilitate government expenditure from the Consolidated Fund of India for Uttarakhand after the state was placed under the President's Rule last month.
The session will would transact the remaining agenda of budget session that started on February 23. The first half of session had concluded on March 16 and the parliament was to meet for the second half of budget session from April 25 to May 13.
India Plans First-Ever Auction For Diamond Mine Soon, Says Top Officer
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NEW DELHI: India plans to hold its first-ever auction for a diamond mine in a little over a month, the country's top mines official said on Friday.
Madhya Pradesh will soon float tenders for the auction of the Hatupur block which is likely to be completed in about forty days, mines secretary Balvinder Kumar told news agency Reuters.
The block, spread over an area of 136 hectares, has 604,336 tonnes of mineral resources.
India began auctioning mines such as coal, iron ore and bauxite after a raft of legal battles over illegal allocation of resources.
Mining major Rio Tinto has evinced interest in mining diamonds from another mine in Madhya Pradesh but environmental hurdles have hobbled the project, local media reports said.
Vedanta Ltd won India's first-ever auction of a gold mine last month as the nation opened up the sector to private companies to curb overseas purchases of the metal that cost it $36 billion last year.
Madhya Pradesh will soon float tenders for the auction of the Hatupur block which is likely to be completed in about forty days, mines secretary Balvinder Kumar told news agency Reuters.
The block, spread over an area of 136 hectares, has 604,336 tonnes of mineral resources.
India began auctioning mines such as coal, iron ore and bauxite after a raft of legal battles over illegal allocation of resources.
Mining major Rio Tinto has evinced interest in mining diamonds from another mine in Madhya Pradesh but environmental hurdles have hobbled the project, local media reports said.
Vedanta Ltd won India's first-ever auction of a gold mine last month as the nation opened up the sector to private companies to curb overseas purchases of the metal that cost it $36 billion last year.
German Journalists 'Surprised' By Impact Of Panama Papers
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MUNICH, GERMANY: The two German journalists of the Sueddeutsche Zeitung daily behind the Panama Papers revelations say they are surprised by the global shockwaves the leak caused and promised more sensational disclosures.
"I never imagined there would be such a reaction, that it would be on every television channel and that we would receive media requests from all around the world," one of the reporters, Bastian Obermayer, 38, told AFP.
Germany's second-biggest daily in sales, the Sueddeutsche received from an anonymous source more than 11 million documents of the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca that cast a harsh spotlight on the shady financial dealings of many of the world's rich and powerful.
The liberal daily shared the massive leak with a consortium of hundreds of international investigative journalists who have mined the mountains of data for more than a year.
Since Sunday, the revelations have brought down Iceland's prime minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson, forced the resignation of a senior UEFA official and raised the heat on British Prime Minister David Cameron and Argentine President Mauricio Macri.
"We are still in the middle of the revelations," said the other journalist, who has a confusingly similar surname, Frederik Obermaier, 32, speaking at the newspaper's headquarters in Munich.
"In the coming days, there will be more topics that will make big headlines in many countries."
'Destroy The System'
In the mass leak, "we are seeing the most different types crimes, we see how the drug cartels launder money, that arms merchants are implicated, that sanctions are being circumvented, we are seeing tax fraud," said Obermayer.
"If politicians really want to stop it, they must act now."
"We really need a hammer to destroy the system of offshore companies," he added, arguing that "the policy of small steps is not enough".
The data showed that, as national governments take steps against tax cheats, "they adapt, they find new ideas" to divert and hide their money, he said.
His colleague, Frederik Obermaier, was more reserved: "I think there is a lot of talk, but what will be done in the end is a different thing."
The reporters said they don't know the name of the source at the origin of the scoop, and that they received the data on offshore companies "more than one year ago".
"I do not know if it's a man or a woman, or a group. I don't know the identity of this person," said Obermaier, adding however that "we have become a bit more familiar over the year" with the leaker.
At pains to protect their source, the journalists also declined to reveal whether the person had been in contact again or had reacted to the international reverberations.
But they were clear on the source's "moral" motivation, that the person "wants these crimes to be made public".
"Our source has obviously seen a lot of this data and thought it had to be published," said Obermaier, while his colleague stressed that the source "wants Mossack Fonseca to cease operations".
'Future Of Journalism'
It was Bastian Obermayer who received the first contact from the anonymous source, offering the explosive information.
On the choice of Sueddeutsche, "we can only speculate on the reasons why we were contacted", he said.
Founded in Munich after World War II, the broadsheet is considered one of Germany's major newspapers of record, along with the conservative Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, and is number two in sales after tabloid-style Bild.
Having initially reacted in a "sceptical" way, Obermayer said he soon realised, together with his colleague, that the initial documents received were genuine.
Later they decided to share the treasure trove of data in a massive research project with journalists from around the world.
"I never imagined there would be such a reaction, that it would be on every television channel and that we would receive media requests from all around the world," one of the reporters, Bastian Obermayer, 38, told AFP.
Germany's second-biggest daily in sales, the Sueddeutsche received from an anonymous source more than 11 million documents of the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca that cast a harsh spotlight on the shady financial dealings of many of the world's rich and powerful.
The liberal daily shared the massive leak with a consortium of hundreds of international investigative journalists who have mined the mountains of data for more than a year.
Since Sunday, the revelations have brought down Iceland's prime minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson, forced the resignation of a senior UEFA official and raised the heat on British Prime Minister David Cameron and Argentine President Mauricio Macri.
"We are still in the middle of the revelations," said the other journalist, who has a confusingly similar surname, Frederik Obermaier, 32, speaking at the newspaper's headquarters in Munich.
"In the coming days, there will be more topics that will make big headlines in many countries."
'Destroy The System'
In the mass leak, "we are seeing the most different types crimes, we see how the drug cartels launder money, that arms merchants are implicated, that sanctions are being circumvented, we are seeing tax fraud," said Obermayer.
"If politicians really want to stop it, they must act now."
"We really need a hammer to destroy the system of offshore companies," he added, arguing that "the policy of small steps is not enough".
The data showed that, as national governments take steps against tax cheats, "they adapt, they find new ideas" to divert and hide their money, he said.
His colleague, Frederik Obermaier, was more reserved: "I think there is a lot of talk, but what will be done in the end is a different thing."
The reporters said they don't know the name of the source at the origin of the scoop, and that they received the data on offshore companies "more than one year ago".
"I do not know if it's a man or a woman, or a group. I don't know the identity of this person," said Obermaier, adding however that "we have become a bit more familiar over the year" with the leaker.
At pains to protect their source, the journalists also declined to reveal whether the person had been in contact again or had reacted to the international reverberations.
But they were clear on the source's "moral" motivation, that the person "wants these crimes to be made public".
"Our source has obviously seen a lot of this data and thought it had to be published," said Obermaier, while his colleague stressed that the source "wants Mossack Fonseca to cease operations".
'Future Of Journalism'
It was Bastian Obermayer who received the first contact from the anonymous source, offering the explosive information.
On the choice of Sueddeutsche, "we can only speculate on the reasons why we were contacted", he said.
Founded in Munich after World War II, the broadsheet is considered one of Germany's major newspapers of record, along with the conservative Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, and is number two in sales after tabloid-style Bild.
Having initially reacted in a "sceptical" way, Obermayer said he soon realised, together with his colleague, that the initial documents received were genuine.
Later they decided to share the treasure trove of data in a massive research project with journalists from around the world.
Business Affairs
Sensex, Nifty register worst fall in six weeks ahead of Q4 earnings; TCS top loser
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In a thin trading session, the S&P BSE Sensex on Friday ended flat below its crucial psychological level of 25,000, while broader CNX Nifty managed to settle above its key 7,550-mark.
The headline indices hit their worst weekly fall in six due to profit-taking in recent outperformers while investors took a pause before a busy week of corporate results.
The 30-share index ended the day at 24,673, down 11.58 points, while broad-based 50-share index quoted 7,555, up 8.75 points at close.
Market breadth turned positive with 16 of the 30 Sensex components ending the day in red.
Daily stock trading volume was weak with bond and currency markets closed for a public holiday. The NSE index saw only about a quarter of the 30-day average volume in the first four hours of trading.
The next key trigger will be January-March results starting next week, said traders, adding that margins were expected to be muted on sluggish global and domestic demand.
Next week, cement makers ACC and Ambuja Cements, and software services provider Infosys are due to report their quarterly results.
"Today being the last day of the week and with currency and bond markets shut, not much trading activity is expected," said K K Mital, head-portfolio management services at Globe Capital Market.
"Earnings report next week would determine the trend but we don't expect any major correction from hereon."
TCS was the worst performing stock on Sensex and lost 1.7 per cent on the BSE.
Recent underperformers led the gains, with ICICI Bank and State Bank of India up 0.7 per cent each.
The S&P BSE Bankex index was up 0.21 per cent after the newly-formed bank bureau board met for the first time on Friday and discussed issues including capital infusion, merger of weak banks with strong ones.
Reliance Communications ended flat after hitting two-month low as Moody's downgraded the telecoms company's ratings to "negative" from "stable", citing persistent delays in non-core assets sales.
Private sector crude oil producer Cairn India declined 1.43 per cent after London-listed Cairn Energy, which holds about 10 pct stake in the Indian company, called an annual general meeting to dispose of or reduce its stake.
Among Asian markets, Japan's Nikkei added 0.46 per cent, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng index gained 0.51 per cent. China's Shanghai Composite bucked the trend to shed 0.78 per cent.
In a thin trading session, the S&P BSE Sensex on Friday ended flat below its crucial psychological level of 25,000, while broader CNX Nifty managed to settle above its key 7,550-mark.
The headline indices hit their worst weekly fall in six due to profit-taking in recent outperformers while investors took a pause before a busy week of corporate results.
The 30-share index ended the day at 24,673, down 11.58 points, while broad-based 50-share index quoted 7,555, up 8.75 points at close.
Market breadth turned positive with 16 of the 30 Sensex components ending the day in red.
Daily stock trading volume was weak with bond and currency markets closed for a public holiday. The NSE index saw only about a quarter of the 30-day average volume in the first four hours of trading.
The next key trigger will be January-March results starting next week, said traders, adding that margins were expected to be muted on sluggish global and domestic demand.
Next week, cement makers ACC and Ambuja Cements, and software services provider Infosys are due to report their quarterly results.
"Today being the last day of the week and with currency and bond markets shut, not much trading activity is expected," said K K Mital, head-portfolio management services at Globe Capital Market.
"Earnings report next week would determine the trend but we don't expect any major correction from hereon."
TCS was the worst performing stock on Sensex and lost 1.7 per cent on the BSE.
Recent underperformers led the gains, with ICICI Bank and State Bank of India up 0.7 per cent each.
The S&P BSE Bankex index was up 0.21 per cent after the newly-formed bank bureau board met for the first time on Friday and discussed issues including capital infusion, merger of weak banks with strong ones.
Reliance Communications ended flat after hitting two-month low as Moody's downgraded the telecoms company's ratings to "negative" from "stable", citing persistent delays in non-core assets sales.
Private sector crude oil producer Cairn India declined 1.43 per cent after London-listed Cairn Energy, which holds about 10 pct stake in the Indian company, called an annual general meeting to dispose of or reduce its stake.
Among Asian markets, Japan's Nikkei added 0.46 per cent, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng index gained 0.51 per cent. China's Shanghai Composite bucked the trend to shed 0.78 per cent.
Bharti Airtel acquires 4G spectrum in 8 circles for Rs 3,500 cr
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Bharti Airtel, country's largest telecom operator , on Friday announced the acquisition of 20 MHz spectrum in 8 circles from Aircel for Rs 3,500 crore.
Bharti will acquire spectrum or radiowaves in 2,300 MHz band in Tamil Nadu, Bihar, West Bengal, Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, North East, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, the company said in a statement.
Aircel had won the spectrum in a government auction and is entitled to hold it till September 20, 2030.
"The transfer of right to use for the circles of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha is subject to the revision of spectrum caps with the upcoming auction to be conducted by DoT," it added.
With the acquisition, Bharti Airtel will become a pan India 4G operator.
Bharti Airtel, country's largest telecom operator , on Friday announced the acquisition of 20 MHz spectrum in 8 circles from Aircel for Rs 3,500 crore.
Bharti will acquire spectrum or radiowaves in 2,300 MHz band in Tamil Nadu, Bihar, West Bengal, Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, North East, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, the company said in a statement.
Aircel had won the spectrum in a government auction and is entitled to hold it till September 20, 2030.
"The transfer of right to use for the circles of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha is subject to the revision of spectrum caps with the upcoming auction to be conducted by DoT," it added.
With the acquisition, Bharti Airtel will become a pan India 4G operator.
Central govt employees get 6% DA hike from Jan 1
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Dearness allowance for central government employees has been hiked to 125 per cent of basic pay, up by 6 percentage points, with effect from January 1, 2016, the Finance Ministry said.
"...Dearness Allowance payable to central government employees shall be enhanced from existing rate of 119 per cent to 125 per cent from January 1,2016," according to a Finance Ministry office memorandum bringing into effect the DA hike announced last month.
The decision to release an additional instalment of DA to central government employees and Dearness Relief (DR) to Pensioners from January 1, 2016, was taken by Union Cabinet on March 23.
The combined impact on the exchequer on account of both DA and Dearness Relief would be of Rs 6,796.50 crore per annum and Rs 7,929.24 crore respectively, in 2016-17 (for a period of 14 months from January, 2016 to February, 2017).
The DA will benefit 50 lakh central government employees and 58 lakh pensioners.
Dearness Allowance is paid as a portion of basic pay of employees to neutralise the impact of inflation. Pensioners get Dearness Relief.
The Centre revises DA twice a year on the basis of one year average of retail inflation for industrial workers as per a pre-determined formula.
In September last year, DA was increased to 119 per cent from 113 per cent with effect from July 1, 2015. In April last year, the government had hiked DA by 6 percentage points to 113 per cent of the basic pay with effect from January 1, 2015.
Dearness allowance for central government employees has been hiked to 125 per cent of basic pay, up by 6 percentage points, with effect from January 1, 2016, the Finance Ministry said.
"...Dearness Allowance payable to central government employees shall be enhanced from existing rate of 119 per cent to 125 per cent from January 1,2016," according to a Finance Ministry office memorandum bringing into effect the DA hike announced last month.
The decision to release an additional instalment of DA to central government employees and Dearness Relief (DR) to Pensioners from January 1, 2016, was taken by Union Cabinet on March 23.
The combined impact on the exchequer on account of both DA and Dearness Relief would be of Rs 6,796.50 crore per annum and Rs 7,929.24 crore respectively, in 2016-17 (for a period of 14 months from January, 2016 to February, 2017).
The DA will benefit 50 lakh central government employees and 58 lakh pensioners.
Dearness Allowance is paid as a portion of basic pay of employees to neutralise the impact of inflation. Pensioners get Dearness Relief.
The Centre revises DA twice a year on the basis of one year average of retail inflation for industrial workers as per a pre-determined formula.
In September last year, DA was increased to 119 per cent from 113 per cent with effect from July 1, 2015. In April last year, the government had hiked DA by 6 percentage points to 113 per cent of the basic pay with effect from January 1, 2015.
PM Narendra Modi says Jan Dhan Yojana will check chit funds
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Raising Saradha scam issue for the first time in Assam poll campaign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday Jan Dhan Yojana has been launched to ensure that such fraud did not take place in future and promised that those involved in scams during Congress rule will not be spared.
"The poor went to chit funds because they did not have access to the banks. It was my government that has stopped them from going to chit funds by allowing them to open zero-balance bank accounts under the PM Jan Dhan Yojana," PM Modi told an election rally in Raha (Assam).
Attacking former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for his statement that his government believed in more work than mere talks, Modi said what he said was true and the scams of his period have started speaking now.
"Manmohanji ne kahan ki zubaan se zyada kaam bolta hain aur ab toh aapka kaam bolne laga hain. Yeh toh saach hain ki paap bolte hain aur ab toh parche khulne lage hain aur sab pareshan hain (Manmohanji had said that work speaks more than words and now their work has started speaking. It is true that sins do speak, now the results of their misdeeds are out and all are disturbed)," he said.
Two persons had been convicted in the coal scam and those involved in other scams like 2G would not be spared, he said.
"I have only one mantra and that is if we want the welfare of people, we must ensure employment for youths, education for children and medicines for the elderly. Besides, my three agenda for the nation is --development, speedy development and all-round development," he said.
Raising Saradha scam issue for the first time in Assam poll campaign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday Jan Dhan Yojana has been launched to ensure that such fraud did not take place in future and promised that those involved in scams during Congress rule will not be spared.
"The poor went to chit funds because they did not have access to the banks. It was my government that has stopped them from going to chit funds by allowing them to open zero-balance bank accounts under the PM Jan Dhan Yojana," PM Modi told an election rally in Raha (Assam).
Attacking former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for his statement that his government believed in more work than mere talks, Modi said what he said was true and the scams of his period have started speaking now.
"Manmohanji ne kahan ki zubaan se zyada kaam bolta hain aur ab toh aapka kaam bolne laga hain. Yeh toh saach hain ki paap bolte hain aur ab toh parche khulne lage hain aur sab pareshan hain (Manmohanji had said that work speaks more than words and now their work has started speaking. It is true that sins do speak, now the results of their misdeeds are out and all are disturbed)," he said.
Two persons had been convicted in the coal scam and those involved in other scams like 2G would not be spared, he said.
"I have only one mantra and that is if we want the welfare of people, we must ensure employment for youths, education for children and medicines for the elderly. Besides, my three agenda for the nation is --development, speedy development and all-round development," he said.
2017 H-1B cap reached in first five days: US
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In less than five days after it started receiving applications for H-1B visas for the fiscal year 2017 beginning October 1, 2016, the US said on Friday the Congressional-mandated cap for the visas has been reached.
US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has reached the congressionally-mandated H-1B cap of 60,000 for the fiscal year 2017, the agency said in a statement.
It has also received more than the limit of 20,000 H-1B petitions filed under the US advanced degree exemption, USCIS said. It started accepting H-1B applications on April 1.
In its statement, USCIS said it will use a computer-generated process, also known as the lottery, to randomly select the petitions needed to meet the caps of 65,000 visas for the general category and 20,000 for the advanced degree exemption.
USCIS will first randomly select petitions for the advanced degree exemption.
All unselected advanced degree petitions will become part of the random selection process for the 65,000 general cap.
The agency will reject and return filing fees for all unselected cap-subject petitions that are not duplicate filings, the official statement said.
Before running the lottery, USCIS will complete initial intake for all filings received during the filing period, which ended April 7.
Due to the high number of petitions, USCIS is not yet able to announce the date it will conduct the random selection process, the statement said adding that it will continue to accept and process petitions that are otherwise exempt from the cap.
In less than five days after it started receiving applications for H-1B visas for the fiscal year 2017 beginning October 1, 2016, the US said on Friday the Congressional-mandated cap for the visas has been reached.
US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has reached the congressionally-mandated H-1B cap of 60,000 for the fiscal year 2017, the agency said in a statement.
It has also received more than the limit of 20,000 H-1B petitions filed under the US advanced degree exemption, USCIS said. It started accepting H-1B applications on April 1.
In its statement, USCIS said it will use a computer-generated process, also known as the lottery, to randomly select the petitions needed to meet the caps of 65,000 visas for the general category and 20,000 for the advanced degree exemption.
USCIS will first randomly select petitions for the advanced degree exemption.
All unselected advanced degree petitions will become part of the random selection process for the 65,000 general cap.
The agency will reject and return filing fees for all unselected cap-subject petitions that are not duplicate filings, the official statement said.
Before running the lottery, USCIS will complete initial intake for all filings received during the filing period, which ended April 7.
Due to the high number of petitions, USCIS is not yet able to announce the date it will conduct the random selection process, the statement said adding that it will continue to accept and process petitions that are otherwise exempt from the cap.
General Awareness
World Bank initiated “Climate Action Plan”
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Washington, D.C. HeadquarteredWorld Bank presented its ambitious climate action plan that will help nations to create an additional 30 gigawatts of renewable energy,early warning frameworks and in creating climate smart agriculture investment plans for at least 40 nations.
- The World Bank has set the objective for accomplishing this plan by 2020.
- The plan has been made on the sidelines of landmark Paris Climate Agreement in New York in order to protect the planet for future generations.
Key features of plan
- Increase sources of renewable energy
- Decrease in high-carbon energy sources
- Develop green transport systems
- Build sustainable, livable cities for growing urban populations
The World Bank Action Plan is centered around helping nations to shape their national strategies and influence private sector investment.
Financing regarding this plan
- International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group is expanding its climate investments from the current USD 2.2 billion a year to USD 3.5 billion a year with an addition of USD 13 billion by 2020.
- World Bank – It also proposed to mobilize USD 25 billion in commercial financing for clean energy throughout the following five years.
Keys World Bank
Establishment – 1944
Motto – Working for a World Free of Poverty
President – Jim Yong Kim
Washington, D.C. HeadquarteredWorld Bank presented its ambitious climate action plan that will help nations to create an additional 30 gigawatts of renewable energy,early warning frameworks and in creating climate smart agriculture investment plans for at least 40 nations.- The World Bank has set the objective for accomplishing this plan by 2020.
- The plan has been made on the sidelines of landmark Paris Climate Agreement in New York in order to protect the planet for future generations.
- Increase sources of renewable energy
- Decrease in high-carbon energy sources
- Develop green transport systems
- Build sustainable, livable cities for growing urban populations
The World Bank Action Plan is centered around helping nations to shape their national strategies and influence private sector investment.Financing regarding this plan- International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group is expanding its climate investments from the current USD 2.2 billion a year to USD 3.5 billion a year with an addition of USD 13 billion by 2020.
- World Bank – It also proposed to mobilize USD 25 billion in commercial financing for clean energy throughout the following five years.
Keys World Bank
Establishment – 1944
Motto – Working for a World Free of Poverty
President – Jim Yong Kim
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