General Affairs
PM Modi Confident Of Tourism Boost In Goa With Mopa Airport
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PANAJI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today expressed confidence that tourism industry would get a major boost in Goa after the commissioning of the Greenfield airport at Mopa in the state.
"For several years, people have been listening to the tales that the Greenfield airport will come up in North Goa.
The promises were made during election and forgotten.
"I am happy that I am fulfilling the assurance which was given by (former PM) Atal Behari Vajpayee. With the commissioning of the airport, 50 lakh people will come to Goa (annually)," PM Modi said after laying foundation stone of the state's civilian airport at Mopa in North Goa's Pernem taluka.
"You can imagine how much tourism will increase due to the airport," he said.
He also said ample employment opportunities will be created during construction of the project and after it is commissioned.
The Prime Minister, who also laid the foundation stone for Electronic City planned at Tuem village in North Goa, said, "In the 21st century, I can see Goa which is digitally based, youth-driven and most modern state."
"The modern Goa will be technologically empowered. Goa will be the power house to change the face of India," he said.
In his hour-long speech, PM Modi congratulated Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar for ending the long standing political instability in the state after the 2012 elections.
"The political instability had hindered the state's capability to grow. I congratulate Manohar Parrikar for bringing in the culture of political stability in the state," he said.
The BJP had come to power in Goa in 2012 with a clear majority under the leadership of Parrikar, who then became Chief Minister of the state before taking over as Defence Minister at the Centre.
"For several years, people have been listening to the tales that the Greenfield airport will come up in North Goa.
The promises were made during election and forgotten.
"I am happy that I am fulfilling the assurance which was given by (former PM) Atal Behari Vajpayee. With the commissioning of the airport, 50 lakh people will come to Goa (annually)," PM Modi said after laying foundation stone of the state's civilian airport at Mopa in North Goa's Pernem taluka.
He also said ample employment opportunities will be created during construction of the project and after it is commissioned.
The Prime Minister, who also laid the foundation stone for Electronic City planned at Tuem village in North Goa, said, "In the 21st century, I can see Goa which is digitally based, youth-driven and most modern state."
"The modern Goa will be technologically empowered. Goa will be the power house to change the face of India," he said.
In his hour-long speech, PM Modi congratulated Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar for ending the long standing political instability in the state after the 2012 elections.
"The political instability had hindered the state's capability to grow. I congratulate Manohar Parrikar for bringing in the culture of political stability in the state," he said.
The BJP had come to power in Goa in 2012 with a clear majority under the leadership of Parrikar, who then became Chief Minister of the state before taking over as Defence Minister at the Centre.
BJP MP Kirit Somaiya To Release List Of Companies With Black Money
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MUMBAI: BJP MP Kirit Somaiya today claimed that he would release a list of bogus companies where black money of 'some people' in the city was parked.
"I will show the Shiv Sena president what a surgical strike on black money means, when I release the list next week," he said referring to Uddhav Thackeray daring Prime Minister Narendra Modi to conduct "surgical strikes" on Swiss banks to bring back black money.
Mr Thackeray had spoken of public inconvenience following the Centre's demonetisation move, saying it amounted to "torture" of people.
"People have put immense faith in you (PM). Do not betray their trust or you will see the impact of peoples' surgical strike against you," he had said.
Mr Somaiya told PTI that Mayawati, Mulayam and Uddhav Thackeray should clarify if they were worried about poor people or those with boxes of money.
"When I release the list, the 'Mumbai mafia' and the Congress and NCP will know where the black money is marked," he said.
The BJP MP has been using the term 'Mumbai mafia' over the last several days to denote alleged corruption by Shiv Sena in BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
"Uddhav Thackeray will come to know where the Mumbai mafia money is parked, when I disclose the names of the companies concerned next week," Mr Somaiya added.
"I will show the Shiv Sena president what a surgical strike on black money means, when I release the list next week," he said referring to Uddhav Thackeray daring Prime Minister Narendra Modi to conduct "surgical strikes" on Swiss banks to bring back black money.
"People have put immense faith in you (PM). Do not betray their trust or you will see the impact of peoples' surgical strike against you," he had said.
"When I release the list, the 'Mumbai mafia' and the Congress and NCP will know where the black money is marked," he said.
The BJP MP has been using the term 'Mumbai mafia' over the last several days to denote alleged corruption by Shiv Sena in BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
"Uddhav Thackeray will come to know where the Mumbai mafia money is parked, when I disclose the names of the companies concerned next week," Mr Somaiya added.
Army Chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag Concludes Nepal Visit
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KATHMANDU: Army chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag today concluded his three-day official visit to Nepal during which he assured the country's leadership of India's commitment to capacity and capability building of Nepal's army.
During his visit, General Singh held bilateral talks with his Nepalese counterpart General Rajendra Chhetri and other senior government officials on military and security issues.
He was visiting the Himalayan nation, leading a delegation of the Indian Army at the invitation of General Chhetri. The visit was aimed at boosting India's military and security ties with the landlocked country.
During his stay, General Singh paid a courtesy call to President Bidya Devi Bhandari and met Defence Minister Balkrishna Khand.
He also called on Prime Minister Prachanda.
"Army chief assured him that we are committed to capability and capacity building of Nepal Army," according to Indian Army sources.
Yesterday, he visited Rupandehi district in western Nepal yesterday, where he observed "Surya Kiran" - a joint military exercise held between Nepal and Indian armies, according to a statement issued by the Nepal Army Headquarters.
Such high-level visits by top Indian military officials have helped deepen military ties between the two countries as well as expand cooperation, the statement said.
During his visit, General Singh held bilateral talks with his Nepalese counterpart General Rajendra Chhetri and other senior government officials on military and security issues.
He was visiting the Himalayan nation, leading a delegation of the Indian Army at the invitation of General Chhetri. The visit was aimed at boosting India's military and security ties with the landlocked country.
During his stay, General Singh paid a courtesy call to President Bidya Devi Bhandari and met Defence Minister Balkrishna Khand.
"Army chief assured him that we are committed to capability and capacity building of Nepal Army," according to Indian Army sources.
Yesterday, he visited Rupandehi district in western Nepal yesterday, where he observed "Surya Kiran" - a joint military exercise held between Nepal and Indian armies, according to a statement issued by the Nepal Army Headquarters.
Such high-level visits by top Indian military officials have helped deepen military ties between the two countries as well as expand cooperation, the statement said.
Annual Board Exams To Begin In Kashmir Tomorrow
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SRINAGAR: The annual board examinations, scheduled to begin in Kashmir tomorrow, will be an acid test for the PDP-BJP coalition government which announced the schedule for examinations despite opposition from various quarters, including the student community.
All arrangements have been put in place for the smooth conduct of the examinations for the Class 10 and 12 which are scheduled to start on November 14 and 15, respectively, officials said, allaying fears of any trouble or inconvenience to the students appearing for the annual exams.
"All arrangements are in place for over one lakh students scheduled to appear for the 10th and 12th class examinations. While 484 exam centres have been set up for about 48,000 candidates for class 12th examination across Kashmir division, as many as 550 exam centres have been established for 5,5000 candidates for class 10th examination," an official of School Education department told PTI.
Schools in the Valley went on a two-week summer holiday on July 1 but could not resume functioning due to the unrest which was triggered by the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani along with his two associates in an encounter with security forces in a village in Kokernag area of south Kashmir's Anantnag district on July 8.
The unrest has left 85 persons dead and thousands injured while hundreds of people including students were booked under Public Safety Act (PSA) for participating in the protests.
The official decried the burning of schools, saying it should not have happened.
As many as 32 schools have been targeted by unknown persons since the unrest began in Kashmir on July 8.
The official said over 98 per cent of students have already collected their admit cards to appear in the examinations - an encouraging development attributed to the government decision to provide 50 per cent relaxation in syllabus.
The government has also decided to hold separate examination for class 10 and 12 in March next year if they fail to appear in already scheduled exams in November but the students had to attempt 100 per cent of the question paper.
Education Minister Naeem Akhtar said he is hopeful that the exams would be conducted in a peaceful atmosphere and the students will get all the facilities which they need to write their papers.
"All the arrangements that were supposed to be done by the administration have been done and God willing, I am hopeful that exams will be conducted in peaceful atmosphere and children will get all the facilities they need," Naeem Akhtar told reporters at the sidelines of a function here.
All arrangements have been put in place for the smooth conduct of the examinations for the Class 10 and 12 which are scheduled to start on November 14 and 15, respectively, officials said, allaying fears of any trouble or inconvenience to the students appearing for the annual exams.
Schools in the Valley went on a two-week summer holiday on July 1 but could not resume functioning due to the unrest which was triggered by the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani along with his two associates in an encounter with security forces in a village in Kokernag area of south Kashmir's Anantnag district on July 8.
The unrest has left 85 persons dead and thousands injured while hundreds of people including students were booked under Public Safety Act (PSA) for participating in the protests.
The official decried the burning of schools, saying it should not have happened.
As many as 32 schools have been targeted by unknown persons since the unrest began in Kashmir on July 8.
The official said over 98 per cent of students have already collected their admit cards to appear in the examinations - an encouraging development attributed to the government decision to provide 50 per cent relaxation in syllabus.
The government has also decided to hold separate examination for class 10 and 12 in March next year if they fail to appear in already scheduled exams in November but the students had to attempt 100 per cent of the question paper.
Education Minister Naeem Akhtar said he is hopeful that the exams would be conducted in a peaceful atmosphere and the students will get all the facilities which they need to write their papers.
"All the arrangements that were supposed to be done by the administration have been done and God willing, I am hopeful that exams will be conducted in peaceful atmosphere and children will get all the facilities they need," Naeem Akhtar told reporters at the sidelines of a function here.
Don't Sell Old Notes To Touts, Cautions PM Modi
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BELGAUM, KARNATAKA: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today cautioned people against selling their 500- and 1000-rupee notes to the touts in lieu of smaller amounts.
"Don't give your notes to anyone in a hurry. You have time till December 30. The government will pay you back in full. The government is committed to give your full money," PM Modi said during a rally in Belgaum.
He admitted that there were inconveniences caused to the people but it was in the national interest.
"There is pain among people due to my decision (to demonitise high currency notes), but the nation will gain from this," he said.
"I'll stand by you till the very end," the Prime Minister added.
"For 70 years the country has been looted, give me 70 months and I'll clean up the entire nation (from black money)."
He also credited bank officials for working overtime for effective implementation of the move.
"Even retired officials offered voluntary services and this is commendable," said PM Modi.
PM Modi arrived Belgaum after a three-hour visit to Goa where he digitally laid the foundation stone for a new greenfield airport at Mopa plateau and an electronic city in Tuem, both Pernem sub district.
"Don't give your notes to anyone in a hurry. You have time till December 30. The government will pay you back in full. The government is committed to give your full money," PM Modi said during a rally in Belgaum.
He admitted that there were inconveniences caused to the people but it was in the national interest.
"There is pain among people due to my decision (to demonitise high currency notes), but the nation will gain from this," he said.
"I'll stand by you till the very end," the Prime Minister added.
He also credited bank officials for working overtime for effective implementation of the move.
"Even retired officials offered voluntary services and this is commendable," said PM Modi.
PM Modi arrived Belgaum after a three-hour visit to Goa where he digitally laid the foundation stone for a new greenfield airport at Mopa plateau and an electronic city in Tuem, both Pernem sub district.
Business Affairs
Action against 'benami' property holders next, says PM Modi
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday launched a scathing attack on detractors of the demonetisation move, especially the Congress, saying those involved in mega scams were now standing in queues to exchange Rs 4,000 and announcing that more anti-graft measures were on the anvil.
Modi, who got emotional while addressing a function at Panaji over the problems being faced by the people and the long queues in banks, urged them to bear with him till December 30, saying "I will give you the India you desired".
He stressed the need to go cashless and adopt plastic money.
Making a combative but emotional speech, he said he was ready to face the consequences of his moves as certain forces are "up against me" as their 70 years of loot was now in trouble as a result of demonetisation.
"I know that (some) forces are up against me, they may not let me live, they may ruin me because their loot of 70 years is in trouble, but I am prepared," Modi said in the speech which saw him getting emotional a few times.
"This government does not want to bother honest people but doesn't want to spare the dishonest. Bear with me for 50 days. Has India been looted or not? ..... I am not going to stop at this. I will expose the history of corruption of 70 years since Independence," Modi said.
"This (demonetisation) is not an end. I have more projects in mind to make India corruption-free. .... We will take action against 'benami' property. This is major step to eradicate corruption and black money ... If any money that was looted in India and has left Indian shores, it is our duty to find out about it," he said in his speeches, both at Panaji in Goa and Belagavi in Karnataka.
Hitting out at the erstwhile UPA government for not fighting corruption, Modi said "those who were involved in the coal scam, 2G scam and other scams, now have to stand in queues to exchange Rs 4000.
"When Congress stopped 25 paise, did we say anything? You could dare to stop only 25 paise, that's what your power was limited to. But you did not make higher denomination currency notes illegal. ... We did it. People have chosen a government and they expect so much from it."
He said the people had voted against corruption in 2014.
"I am doing what I was asked to do by the people of this country. This had become clear from the very first meeting of my Cabinet when I formed the SIT (on blackmoney). We never kept the people in dark.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday launched a scathing attack on detractors of the demonetisation move, especially the Congress, saying those involved in mega scams were now standing in queues to exchange Rs 4,000 and announcing that more anti-graft measures were on the anvil.
Modi, who got emotional while addressing a function at Panaji over the problems being faced by the people and the long queues in banks, urged them to bear with him till December 30, saying "I will give you the India you desired".
He stressed the need to go cashless and adopt plastic money.
Making a combative but emotional speech, he said he was ready to face the consequences of his moves as certain forces are "up against me" as their 70 years of loot was now in trouble as a result of demonetisation.
"I know that (some) forces are up against me, they may not let me live, they may ruin me because their loot of 70 years is in trouble, but I am prepared," Modi said in the speech which saw him getting emotional a few times.
"This government does not want to bother honest people but doesn't want to spare the dishonest. Bear with me for 50 days. Has India been looted or not? ..... I am not going to stop at this. I will expose the history of corruption of 70 years since Independence," Modi said.
"This (demonetisation) is not an end. I have more projects in mind to make India corruption-free. .... We will take action against 'benami' property. This is major step to eradicate corruption and black money ... If any money that was looted in India and has left Indian shores, it is our duty to find out about it," he said in his speeches, both at Panaji in Goa and Belagavi in Karnataka.
Hitting out at the erstwhile UPA government for not fighting corruption, Modi said "those who were involved in the coal scam, 2G scam and other scams, now have to stand in queues to exchange Rs 4000.
"When Congress stopped 25 paise, did we say anything? You could dare to stop only 25 paise, that's what your power was limited to. But you did not make higher denomination currency notes illegal. ... We did it. People have chosen a government and they expect so much from it."
He said the people had voted against corruption in 2014.
"I am doing what I was asked to do by the people of this country. This had become clear from the very first meeting of my Cabinet when I formed the SIT (on blackmoney). We never kept the people in dark.
Will expose corruption since Independence: PM Narendra Modi
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi while addressing a gathering after laying foundation stone of Mopa greenfield airport in Goa said that this suffering is for 50 days; After cleanliness, not even a mosquito can fly.
Terming the whole demonetisation exercise as a secret operation, PM Modi said it was 10 months of work involving printing new notes that was announced on November 8.
Here's what PM Modi said at the event:
- People in 2G scam have to stand in queue for Rs 4000.
- "Previous govts neglected this; Did I hide anything? We took a key step to help honest citizen to defeat the menace of graft
- Demonetisation was a major step to fight blackmoney and corruption; People had asked me to fight graft
- First time Rs 67,000 crore black money deposited under amnesty scheme; Total of Rs 1,25,000 crore has been deposited in govt exchequer.
- If any money that was looted in India and has left Indian shores, it is our duty to find out about it
- If I commit any mistake, I am ready to face any punishment the country will give me. But I promise to deliver corruption-free India
- Will expose corruption since Independence; If I have to employ 1 lakh youths for this, will do
- I was not born to sit on a chair of high office. Whatever I had, my family, my home-I left it for nation.
- Have more projects in mind to make India corruption-free; cooperate with me for 50 days to ensure this
- Give me only 50 days, if I fail, I am ready to accept any punishment from the country, PM Modi said
Prime Minister Narendra Modi while addressing a gathering after laying foundation stone of Mopa greenfield airport in Goa said that this suffering is for 50 days; After cleanliness, not even a mosquito can fly.
Terming the whole demonetisation exercise as a secret operation, PM Modi said it was 10 months of work involving printing new notes that was announced on November 8.
Here's what PM Modi said at the event:
- People in 2G scam have to stand in queue for Rs 4000.
- "Previous govts neglected this; Did I hide anything? We took a key step to help honest citizen to defeat the menace of graft
- Demonetisation was a major step to fight blackmoney and corruption; People had asked me to fight graft
- First time Rs 67,000 crore black money deposited under amnesty scheme; Total of Rs 1,25,000 crore has been deposited in govt exchequer.
- If any money that was looted in India and has left Indian shores, it is our duty to find out about it
- If I commit any mistake, I am ready to face any punishment the country will give me. But I promise to deliver corruption-free India
- Will expose corruption since Independence; If I have to employ 1 lakh youths for this, will do
- I was not born to sit on a chair of high office. Whatever I had, my family, my home-I left it for nation.
- Have more projects in mind to make India corruption-free; cooperate with me for 50 days to ensure this
- Give me only 50 days, if I fail, I am ready to accept any punishment from the country, PM Modi said
Jaitley regrets inconvenience, urges patience in changing notes
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Amid rising anger among people across India over exchanging the scrapped currency, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday regretted hardships caused due to withdrawal of high denomination notes but advised the public to be patient as the move will have larger benefits for the economy in long term.
He said it may take up to 3 weeks for all the 2 lakh cash vending ATMs to operate normally as each one has to be calibrated individually to dispense new sized notes of Rs 2000 and Rs 500 besides lower denomination currency of Rs 100.
Assuring that RBI and banks have stacked up enough currency to replace the Rs 14 lakh crore worth of Rs1000/500 notes that have been declared invalid, he said the government is constantly monitoring the situation as it is a "massive operation".
As banks have been asked to remain open this weekend to cope with the rush, the Finance Ministry held a video- conference call with top Reserve Bank of India (RBI) officials to assess the emerging situation and coordinate currency distribution across the country.
At a hurriedly called press conference, Jaitley urged people not to flock the banks to exchange the now-defunct banknotes, asking them to stagger it over the 50-day window provided by the government for the purpose.
The briefing, second in three days, was called after anger and chaos over never-ending queues were witnessed at banks that struggled to exchange old notes and give out newer Rs 2000 notes and smaller denomination currency.
Hardly 40 per cent of the ATMs were operating in the country and they too ran out of cash within hours. The new Rs 500 note was available only in Delhi and Mumbai and RBI has already started releasing soiled Rs 100 notes to cope with the demand.
"ATMs could not have been calibrated (before the announcement) because of secrecy issue. Thousands of people are involved in recalibration exercise (and) secrecy could not have been maintained. Recalibration takes at least 2-3 weeks," he said.
Terming demonetisation as a massive operation, he said there will be inconvenience in the first few days "but the long term advantages of this are to the overall economy".
"It is a regret that people are being inconvenienced.
Because a replacement of this magnitude will cause inconvenience as you have to go to the bank, you have to stand in a queue," he said.
In the short run, he said, some "obvious" disruption will be caused in the short term.
"But once the money is available both in the system and more so in the banking system, the advantages of that to the economy and businesses will be far more. The capacity of the banks with all this additional capital to lend and support businesses is going to be far higher.
"And therefore medium term and long term advantages to the economy as against this temporary inconvenience or disruption, are far too many," he said.
Later in the day, Finance Ministry in a statement said so far only 60 per cent of the ATMs are in operation out of 2 lakh and rest are expected to be operational in the next few days.
Out of 2 lakh ATMs, about 1.2 lakh are operational, a Finance Ministry statement said adding that presently only Rs 100 notes are being disbursed from the ATMs.
"Recalibration (requires both software and hardware changes) of ATMs is going on, which will be completed by end of this month/ early December. Other denominations will then be disbursed by ATMs," it added.
To take stock of cash exchange programme, Finance Ministry today met officials from the RBI, Indian Banks Association (IBA). Besides, a few major banks participated in the review meeting.
The availability of cash and issuance of cash to bank branches and Post Offices on a daily basis is being constantly monitored and necessary rebalancing being done for more efficient allocation of banknotes of requisite denominations between different areas, Finance Ministry said in a statement.
To cater to the requirement of rural areas, banks were advised to supply notes of smaller denominations (Rs 100 and less) as well as Rs 10 coins.
Amid rising anger among people across India over exchanging the scrapped currency, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday regretted hardships caused due to withdrawal of high denomination notes but advised the public to be patient as the move will have larger benefits for the economy in long term.
He said it may take up to 3 weeks for all the 2 lakh cash vending ATMs to operate normally as each one has to be calibrated individually to dispense new sized notes of Rs 2000 and Rs 500 besides lower denomination currency of Rs 100.
Assuring that RBI and banks have stacked up enough currency to replace the Rs 14 lakh crore worth of Rs1000/500 notes that have been declared invalid, he said the government is constantly monitoring the situation as it is a "massive operation".
As banks have been asked to remain open this weekend to cope with the rush, the Finance Ministry held a video- conference call with top Reserve Bank of India (RBI) officials to assess the emerging situation and coordinate currency distribution across the country.
At a hurriedly called press conference, Jaitley urged people not to flock the banks to exchange the now-defunct banknotes, asking them to stagger it over the 50-day window provided by the government for the purpose.
The briefing, second in three days, was called after anger and chaos over never-ending queues were witnessed at banks that struggled to exchange old notes and give out newer Rs 2000 notes and smaller denomination currency.
Hardly 40 per cent of the ATMs were operating in the country and they too ran out of cash within hours. The new Rs 500 note was available only in Delhi and Mumbai and RBI has already started releasing soiled Rs 100 notes to cope with the demand.
"ATMs could not have been calibrated (before the announcement) because of secrecy issue. Thousands of people are involved in recalibration exercise (and) secrecy could not have been maintained. Recalibration takes at least 2-3 weeks," he said.
Terming demonetisation as a massive operation, he said there will be inconvenience in the first few days "but the long term advantages of this are to the overall economy".
"It is a regret that people are being inconvenienced.
Because a replacement of this magnitude will cause inconvenience as you have to go to the bank, you have to stand in a queue," he said.
In the short run, he said, some "obvious" disruption will be caused in the short term.
"But once the money is available both in the system and more so in the banking system, the advantages of that to the economy and businesses will be far more. The capacity of the banks with all this additional capital to lend and support businesses is going to be far higher.
"And therefore medium term and long term advantages to the economy as against this temporary inconvenience or disruption, are far too many," he said.
Later in the day, Finance Ministry in a statement said so far only 60 per cent of the ATMs are in operation out of 2 lakh and rest are expected to be operational in the next few days.
Later in the day, Finance Ministry in a statement said so far only 60 per cent of the ATMs are in operation out of 2 lakh and rest are expected to be operational in the next few days.
Out of 2 lakh ATMs, about 1.2 lakh are operational, a Finance Ministry statement said adding that presently only Rs 100 notes are being disbursed from the ATMs.
"Recalibration (requires both software and hardware changes) of ATMs is going on, which will be completed by end of this month/ early December. Other denominations will then be disbursed by ATMs," it added.
To take stock of cash exchange programme, Finance Ministry today met officials from the RBI, Indian Banks Association (IBA). Besides, a few major banks participated in the review meeting.
The availability of cash and issuance of cash to bank branches and Post Offices on a daily basis is being constantly monitored and necessary rebalancing being done for more efficient allocation of banknotes of requisite denominations between different areas, Finance Ministry said in a statement.
To cater to the requirement of rural areas, banks were advised to supply notes of smaller denominations (Rs 100 and less) as well as Rs 10 coins.
Aviation Ministry refutes reports of new UDAN levy on airlines
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After the official launch of UDAN scheme last month by the Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju, the government has taken its first step towards the implementation of UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik), a plan that aims to making flying affordable for masses. However, the move is not expected to go down well with the existing flyers.
According to news reports, the government plans to impose a levy of Rs 7,500-Rs 8,500 on departure of every flight by scheduled carriers on major routes such as Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Kolkata. The levy will go into regional connectivity fund (RCF) that will provide corpus to the regional connectivity scheme. The state governments will contribute about 20 per cent to RCF. When combined, the government is looking at building around Rs 500 crore corpus each year.
When Business Today contacted an official in aviation ministry, he said that civil aviation secretary R.N. Choubey has been misquoted. "It's a big decision. Such decisions have to be consulted with the finance ministry," the official said.
Under UDAN, the airfare would vary from Rs 1,420 to Rs 3,500 for fixed-wing aircraft, depending on the distance covered. It will boost flying in regional centres as airfares will become affordable for a vast majority of middle class Indians. The intent of the government is to fly 300 million domestic passengers by 2022 from 85 million in 2015/16.
After the official launch of UDAN scheme last month by the Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju, the government has taken its first step towards the implementation of UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik), a plan that aims to making flying affordable for masses. However, the move is not expected to go down well with the existing flyers.
According to news reports, the government plans to impose a levy of Rs 7,500-Rs 8,500 on departure of every flight by scheduled carriers on major routes such as Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Kolkata. The levy will go into regional connectivity fund (RCF) that will provide corpus to the regional connectivity scheme. The state governments will contribute about 20 per cent to RCF. When combined, the government is looking at building around Rs 500 crore corpus each year.
When Business Today contacted an official in aviation ministry, he said that civil aviation secretary R.N. Choubey has been misquoted. "It's a big decision. Such decisions have to be consulted with the finance ministry," the official said.
Under UDAN, the airfare would vary from Rs 1,420 to Rs 3,500 for fixed-wing aircraft, depending on the distance covered. It will boost flying in regional centres as airfares will become affordable for a vast majority of middle class Indians. The intent of the government is to fly 300 million domestic passengers by 2022 from 85 million in 2015/16.
Mobile Wallets register massive growth in app downloads
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The announcement of the abolition of Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 rupee bank notes has led to a sudden increase in the download of mobile wallets such as Paytm, Freecharge, etc. The expanding ecosystem of these digital wallets is coming to the rescue of consumers as apart from recharging mobiles and paying bills (mobile, electricity, DTH and more), they are able to make payments at nearby mom-and-pop stores who have already registered for these services.
Paytm has already registered a massive growth across India within hours of the announcement with 435 per cent increase in overall traffic for offline transactions on the platform. The company also registered 200 per cent hike in the number of app download. The number of Saved Cards also grew by 30 per cent, pointing at a strong set of repeat customers the platform has now acquired. The company has noted 1,000 per cent growth in money added to the wallet.
Another independent wallet, MobiKwik has registered 40 per cent growth in app downloads within 18 hours of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes pullout. User traffic and merchant queries went up by 200 per cent among its over 35 million users. Upasana Taku, co-founder, MobiKwik said, "With this policy change, we expect a 10X impact - we expect to easily hit $10 billion in payments volume by 2017. Indian users do a trillion US dollars' worth of payments annually, off which more than 90 per cent are in cash. We were earlier trending to process $1 bln payments by 2017."
Even Freecharge reported a sharp 12X overnight jump in the average wallet balance as consumers loaded up their wallets. Oxigen Wallet also revealed a significant increase in the load money transactions by upto 40-45 per cent during the first half of the day.
Madhur Deora, CFO - Paytm said, "This is the biggest and most ambitious step ever to crack down on black money and fake currency. We stand by the government in its efforts towards taking black money out of the equation and offering a major boost to the Indian economy."
The announcement of the abolition of Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 rupee bank notes has led to a sudden increase in the download of mobile wallets such as Paytm, Freecharge, etc. The expanding ecosystem of these digital wallets is coming to the rescue of consumers as apart from recharging mobiles and paying bills (mobile, electricity, DTH and more), they are able to make payments at nearby mom-and-pop stores who have already registered for these services.
Paytm has already registered a massive growth across India within hours of the announcement with 435 per cent increase in overall traffic for offline transactions on the platform. The company also registered 200 per cent hike in the number of app download. The number of Saved Cards also grew by 30 per cent, pointing at a strong set of repeat customers the platform has now acquired. The company has noted 1,000 per cent growth in money added to the wallet.
Another independent wallet, MobiKwik has registered 40 per cent growth in app downloads within 18 hours of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes pullout. User traffic and merchant queries went up by 200 per cent among its over 35 million users. Upasana Taku, co-founder, MobiKwik said, "With this policy change, we expect a 10X impact - we expect to easily hit $10 billion in payments volume by 2017. Indian users do a trillion US dollars' worth of payments annually, off which more than 90 per cent are in cash. We were earlier trending to process $1 bln payments by 2017."
Even Freecharge reported a sharp 12X overnight jump in the average wallet balance as consumers loaded up their wallets. Oxigen Wallet also revealed a significant increase in the load money transactions by upto 40-45 per cent during the first half of the day.
Madhur Deora, CFO - Paytm said, "This is the biggest and most ambitious step ever to crack down on black money and fake currency. We stand by the government in its efforts towards taking black money out of the equation and offering a major boost to the Indian economy."
General Awareness
World Pneumonia Day – November 12 2016
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World Pneumonia Day is celebrated globally every year on November 12 to generate awareness about the killer disease ‘pneumonia’. The theme of this year is “Keep the Promise, Stop Pneumonia Now”.
- The World Pneumonia Day was first hosted in the year 2009 and over 100 organizations joined hands to form the Global Coalition against child Pneumonia.
- The Global Coalition against Child Pneumonia provides support for World Pneumonia Day and is comprised of over 140 NGOs, academic institutions, government agencies and foundations.
- The day aims to bring together the people from all over the world to promote the prevention and treatment of the disease, and generate action to fight the illness.
- World Pneumonia Day helps in highlighting the severity of Pneumonia and encourages organizations to sought ways of combating the disease.
- According to a study conducted by UNICEF, more than 900,000 children died of Pneumonia in 2013 that accounted 15% children under the age of 5 and 2% newborn worldwide.
Pneumonia :
Pneumonia is a preventable and curable disease and yet is a leading cause for a child to die from the infection every 20 seconds. A number of people are unaware of pneumonia’s massive death toll. Thus there is an urgent need to bring this health crisis to public’s attention so that together we can ensure the fight against pneumonia is won.
- Haemophilus influenzae type B and Streptococcus pneumonia are the two most common causes of deadly pneumonia; however there are effective vaccines that if started early are capable of curing the lives of about 1 million children worldwide.
- WHO and UNICEF released Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control ofPneumonia and Diarrhoea (GAPPD) on World Pneumonia Day, 2009.
GAPPD aims to
- Reduce preventable childhood deaths;
- Improve coverage; and
- Implement essential policies in 139 countries.
India has highest number of pneumonia & diarrhoea deaths among children: Report
The Pneumonia and Diarrhoea Progress Report for 2016 was released by International Vaccine Access Centre (IVAC) on World Pneumonia Day on November 12. As per the report: India has highest number of pneumonia & diarrhoea deaths among children with about 3 lakh children dying in 2016.
Important Highlights of Report:
The top five countries with highest child pneumonia and diarrhoea deaths are India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola.
- The top 15 countries contributing to child pneumonia and diarrhoea deaths were unchanged between 2015 and 2016. These 15 highest burden countries consist of India, Nigeria, Pakistan, DRC, Angola, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Chad, Afghanistan, Niger, China, Sudan, Bangladesh, Somalia, and United Republic of Tanzania.
- Only six of the highest-burden countries (Angola, Ethiopia, India, Niger, Sudan and Tanzania) have introduced rotavirus vaccines program to help prevent a substantial portion of diarrhea deaths and hospitalization. India introduced rotavirus vaccines in four states in 2015.
- Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines’ (PCV) was first introduced globally in 2000 (the United States was first to implement the vaccine), yet five of the highest pneumonia burden countries (India, Indonesia, Chad,China and Somalia) are still not using the vaccine in their routine immunisation programs.
- The report also revealed that India has a pneumonia mortality rate of 7 and diarrhea mortality rate of 5 per 1000 live births; lower than 11 of the top 15 countries.
- The Health Ministry recently announced that the PCV that can combat pneumonia will be rolled out as part of the Universal Immunisation Programme, in a phased manner in Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
- Although some progress has been made by the affected nations in combating pneumonia and diarrhoea among young children but still remains responsible for hundreds of thousands of preventable deaths around the world.
World Pneumonia Day is celebrated globally every year on November 12 to generate awareness about the killer disease ‘pneumonia’. The theme of this year is “Keep the Promise, Stop Pneumonia Now”.
- The World Pneumonia Day was first hosted in the year 2009 and over 100 organizations joined hands to form the Global Coalition against child Pneumonia.
- The Global Coalition against Child Pneumonia provides support for World Pneumonia Day and is comprised of over 140 NGOs, academic institutions, government agencies and foundations.
- The day aims to bring together the people from all over the world to promote the prevention and treatment of the disease, and generate action to fight the illness.
- World Pneumonia Day helps in highlighting the severity of Pneumonia and encourages organizations to sought ways of combating the disease.
- According to a study conducted by UNICEF, more than 900,000 children died of Pneumonia in 2013 that accounted 15% children under the age of 5 and 2% newborn worldwide.
Pneumonia :
Pneumonia is a preventable and curable disease and yet is a leading cause for a child to die from the infection every 20 seconds. A number of people are unaware of pneumonia’s massive death toll. Thus there is an urgent need to bring this health crisis to public’s attention so that together we can ensure the fight against pneumonia is won.
- Haemophilus influenzae type B and Streptococcus pneumonia are the two most common causes of deadly pneumonia; however there are effective vaccines that if started early are capable of curing the lives of about 1 million children worldwide.
- WHO and UNICEF released Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control ofPneumonia and Diarrhoea (GAPPD) on World Pneumonia Day, 2009.
GAPPD aims to
- Reduce preventable childhood deaths;
- Improve coverage; and
- Implement essential policies in 139 countries.
India has highest number of pneumonia & diarrhoea deaths among children: Report
The Pneumonia and Diarrhoea Progress Report for 2016 was released by International Vaccine Access Centre (IVAC) on World Pneumonia Day on November 12. As per the report: India has highest number of pneumonia & diarrhoea deaths among children with about 3 lakh children dying in 2016.
Important Highlights of Report:
The top five countries with highest child pneumonia and diarrhoea deaths are India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola.
- The top 15 countries contributing to child pneumonia and diarrhoea deaths were unchanged between 2015 and 2016. These 15 highest burden countries consist of India, Nigeria, Pakistan, DRC, Angola, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Chad, Afghanistan, Niger, China, Sudan, Bangladesh, Somalia, and United Republic of Tanzania.
- Only six of the highest-burden countries (Angola, Ethiopia, India, Niger, Sudan and Tanzania) have introduced rotavirus vaccines program to help prevent a substantial portion of diarrhea deaths and hospitalization. India introduced rotavirus vaccines in four states in 2015.
- Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines’ (PCV) was first introduced globally in 2000 (the United States was first to implement the vaccine), yet five of the highest pneumonia burden countries (India, Indonesia, Chad,China and Somalia) are still not using the vaccine in their routine immunisation programs.
- The report also revealed that India has a pneumonia mortality rate of 7 and diarrhea mortality rate of 5 per 1000 live births; lower than 11 of the top 15 countries.
- The Health Ministry recently announced that the PCV that can combat pneumonia will be rolled out as part of the Universal Immunisation Programme, in a phased manner in Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
- Although some progress has been made by the affected nations in combating pneumonia and diarrhoea among young children but still remains responsible for hundreds of thousands of preventable deaths around the world.
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