General Affairs
Uttar Pradesh: Donations dry up at temples, dargahs; anger over media ‘lies’
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Minutes after the Banke Bihari temple in Vrindavan shuts for the afternoon, the main hall is abuzz. This is the time the deity is supposed to sleep but 15 uniformed guards troop in and sit in circles atop a wide alcove. There are a few armed policemen around.
Four lawyers, in black coats, take up positions on chairs arranged in front of the guards and sit among two members of the temple trust. Another guard drags a heavy strong box and places it in front of the lawyers and trustees.
All is ready now. The lawers and trustees nod in approval. Seconds later, five locks — sealed and marked — on the strong box are opened and out tumbles a cascade of currency notes. One of the guards gives a gentle shake to nudge out more notes and coins — of all denominations. The notes are piled on a blanket and passed on to the guards sitting above, who begin counting and stacking them.
This is Vrindavan post demonetisation. With banks running out of currency notes and money in short supply from treasury chests, the government has directed the biggest temples in Vrindavan to deposit the money they receive in donations into their bank accounts every day.
The Banke Bihari temple alone has contributed Rs 1.2 crore in five days. And given the short two-hour duration in the afternoon when it is closed and when these boxes can be opened, the temple has got around to sorting just six of its 15 donation boxes so far.
“Many of these boxes have not been opened for two months, so we don’t know the effect of the withdrawal of Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes on donations. However, we have noticed a dip in the number of visitors to the temple, which means donations may also decrease,” says a temple official.
Almost 70 km away in Aligarh, there’s a similar trend, except there’s not enough money in donations to warrant government directions to make bank deposits.
Mohammad Naseem, the imam of the Barchi Bahadur Dargah, says, “Today is Thursday, the busiest day of the week here and you can see the crowds. There wouldn’t be space for us to stand and speak on any other Thursday. This move by the government has caused hardship to many, particularly the poor.” It’s the poor who mostly visit the dargah.
“How or why will a person who has to feed a family waste money in these times on donations? Currency in hand is most important at this point,” says Vrindavan Bihari, the head priest of the 173-year-old Nimbark Kot temple.
The temple has also curtailed its Nimbark Jayanti Mahotsav, held for one month every year starting October. “It includes a yatra across the city, a sammelan where priests discuss a particular topic, and food and prasad for the devotees on the last day,” says Vrindavan Bihari.
The programmes were reviewed minutes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech. “We had to cancel the sammelan and decided to reduce the number of tickets we hand out for the food and prasad,” he says. From 2,000 tickets last year, the number was cut to 700.
In Aligarh, small businesses have been forced to extend their credit lines or stop supplies all together. Noorjehan, a flower and chaddar seller outside the Barchi Bahadur dargah, says, “I set up my shop every Thursday. But today, I have barely made enough to pay my suppliers. I will have to pay them from my pocket this week and that means standing in the bank for several hours. Next week, I may not put up the stall, there is no point in buying goods for customers who don’t want them.”
With Uttar Pradesh heading into arguably its most polarised elections ever, the shock of demonetisation is also manifesting in contempt for the media across this area. Naseem says he has stopped watching TV and reading most newspapers. “They do not show the truth; it’s very frustrating. TV news says the lines have lessened and the cash crunch is over, but when I rush to the bank, the line is longer than ever. How can they show such lies?” he asks.
Mehmood, a dargah trustee, and Abdul Jabbar, the owner of a clothes shop that adjoins Aligarh’s Jama Masjid, speak of TV reporters pushing microphones into their faces for reactions to the demonetisation. “They moved the microphone away when I started to narrate my troubles, and went to someone else who said it’s great for the country. It may be great for the country, but the poor implementation and troubles it has caused cannot be ignored,” Jabbar says.
Jabbar adds that he doesn’t have money to replenish his clothes stock. “I saw the demonetisation in 1978. Then, life was unaffected. This is traumatic,” he says.
A woman customer listening to the conversation jumps in. “Most TV channels only show lies and only the men. It’s the women who keep money at home and use it to run the house. Where are our voices? Nobody asks us anything. We are also voters. Let the elections come,” she says.
Anshuman Sharma Gopaljee, a Ram Kathavachak in Vrindavan, says what TV is doing is “wrong”. “I have stopped watching the news. Nowadays it’s blatant lies. There is an ATM outside my house and they were showing visuals of just a few people in the queue. I looked outside the window and there was a long line and even a small quarrel between customers.”
A senior photographer in Vrindavan, who didn’t want to be named, says, “There are times when reporters do this on their own and times when they have orders to do so. Who can tell what happens? The media is deeply divided along party lines. On demonetisation, depending on which channel you watch, there are absolutely no troubles at all or the world is ending.”
On the border between Vrindavan and Mathura is a small temple, with no devotees this morning. The head priest, Ashok, was once a stringer with three TV channels. So why is he a priest now? “Once upon a time, it was great work. Our stories genuinely brought some change. Ab mazaa nahin aata hai (It wasn’t fun anymore).”
Minutes after the Banke Bihari temple in Vrindavan shuts for the afternoon, the main hall is abuzz. This is the time the deity is supposed to sleep but 15 uniformed guards troop in and sit in circles atop a wide alcove. There are a few armed policemen around.
Four lawyers, in black coats, take up positions on chairs arranged in front of the guards and sit among two members of the temple trust. Another guard drags a heavy strong box and places it in front of the lawyers and trustees.
All is ready now. The lawers and trustees nod in approval. Seconds later, five locks — sealed and marked — on the strong box are opened and out tumbles a cascade of currency notes. One of the guards gives a gentle shake to nudge out more notes and coins — of all denominations. The notes are piled on a blanket and passed on to the guards sitting above, who begin counting and stacking them.
This is Vrindavan post demonetisation. With banks running out of currency notes and money in short supply from treasury chests, the government has directed the biggest temples in Vrindavan to deposit the money they receive in donations into their bank accounts every day.
The Banke Bihari temple alone has contributed Rs 1.2 crore in five days. And given the short two-hour duration in the afternoon when it is closed and when these boxes can be opened, the temple has got around to sorting just six of its 15 donation boxes so far.
“Many of these boxes have not been opened for two months, so we don’t know the effect of the withdrawal of Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes on donations. However, we have noticed a dip in the number of visitors to the temple, which means donations may also decrease,” says a temple official.
Almost 70 km away in Aligarh, there’s a similar trend, except there’s not enough money in donations to warrant government directions to make bank deposits.
Mohammad Naseem, the imam of the Barchi Bahadur Dargah, says, “Today is Thursday, the busiest day of the week here and you can see the crowds. There wouldn’t be space for us to stand and speak on any other Thursday. This move by the government has caused hardship to many, particularly the poor.” It’s the poor who mostly visit the dargah.
“How or why will a person who has to feed a family waste money in these times on donations? Currency in hand is most important at this point,” says Vrindavan Bihari, the head priest of the 173-year-old Nimbark Kot temple.
The temple has also curtailed its Nimbark Jayanti Mahotsav, held for one month every year starting October. “It includes a yatra across the city, a sammelan where priests discuss a particular topic, and food and prasad for the devotees on the last day,” says Vrindavan Bihari.
The programmes were reviewed minutes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech. “We had to cancel the sammelan and decided to reduce the number of tickets we hand out for the food and prasad,” he says. From 2,000 tickets last year, the number was cut to 700.
In Aligarh, small businesses have been forced to extend their credit lines or stop supplies all together. Noorjehan, a flower and chaddar seller outside the Barchi Bahadur dargah, says, “I set up my shop every Thursday. But today, I have barely made enough to pay my suppliers. I will have to pay them from my pocket this week and that means standing in the bank for several hours. Next week, I may not put up the stall, there is no point in buying goods for customers who don’t want them.”
With Uttar Pradesh heading into arguably its most polarised elections ever, the shock of demonetisation is also manifesting in contempt for the media across this area. Naseem says he has stopped watching TV and reading most newspapers. “They do not show the truth; it’s very frustrating. TV news says the lines have lessened and the cash crunch is over, but when I rush to the bank, the line is longer than ever. How can they show such lies?” he asks.
Mehmood, a dargah trustee, and Abdul Jabbar, the owner of a clothes shop that adjoins Aligarh’s Jama Masjid, speak of TV reporters pushing microphones into their faces for reactions to the demonetisation. “They moved the microphone away when I started to narrate my troubles, and went to someone else who said it’s great for the country. It may be great for the country, but the poor implementation and troubles it has caused cannot be ignored,” Jabbar says.
Jabbar adds that he doesn’t have money to replenish his clothes stock. “I saw the demonetisation in 1978. Then, life was unaffected. This is traumatic,” he says.
Jabbar adds that he doesn’t have money to replenish his clothes stock. “I saw the demonetisation in 1978. Then, life was unaffected. This is traumatic,” he says.
A woman customer listening to the conversation jumps in. “Most TV channels only show lies and only the men. It’s the women who keep money at home and use it to run the house. Where are our voices? Nobody asks us anything. We are also voters. Let the elections come,” she says.
Anshuman Sharma Gopaljee, a Ram Kathavachak in Vrindavan, says what TV is doing is “wrong”. “I have stopped watching the news. Nowadays it’s blatant lies. There is an ATM outside my house and they were showing visuals of just a few people in the queue. I looked outside the window and there was a long line and even a small quarrel between customers.”
A senior photographer in Vrindavan, who didn’t want to be named, says, “There are times when reporters do this on their own and times when they have orders to do so. Who can tell what happens? The media is deeply divided along party lines. On demonetisation, depending on which channel you watch, there are absolutely no troubles at all or the world is ending.”
A senior photographer in Vrindavan, who didn’t want to be named, says, “There are times when reporters do this on their own and times when they have orders to do so. Who can tell what happens? The media is deeply divided along party lines. On demonetisation, depending on which channel you watch, there are absolutely no troubles at all or the world is ending.”
On the border between Vrindavan and Mathura is a small temple, with no devotees this morning. The head priest, Ashok, was once a stringer with three TV channels. So why is he a priest now? “Once upon a time, it was great work. Our stories genuinely brought some change. Ab mazaa nahin aata hai (It wasn’t fun anymore).”
As families meet, out come new stories of 26/11 eight years ago
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When well-meaning folk tell her, emptily, that this too shall pass, Shruti Kamble usually knows they haven’t the faintest idea what kind of challenges she faces, eight years since her husband, a staffer at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, died after taking a bullet to his abdomen during the 26/11 attacks. Shruti knows the truth is that the grief doesn’t pass. On Saturday morning, as on the morning of every 26/11 since 2009, she was up early. By 4 am, she had already spent an hour in the kitchen and was on the roof of her home in Gorai, nearly 50 km from South Mumbai, placing on a tray her husband’s favourite food, a cup of masala chai and a few squares of kaju katli, his favourite mithai, for the birds to carry away. “The pain is as fresh now, even eight years later,” she says.
But Saturday brought a rare moment of catharsis, and clarity, when Shruti met Bhisham Mansukhani, a travel journalist trapped in the Taj that night. Bhisham and Shruti’s paths may well have never crossed, their worlds far apart even if connected irreversibly by Rajan Kamble. “He was so brave. His bravery saved us that night,” Bhisham told Shruti soon after they were introduced at the inauguration of the 26/11 Stories of Strength exhibition hosted by The Indian Express. Bhisham was seated right across the couch where guests laid Rajan Kamble after he was hit. Bhisham narrated how his mother was sitting nearby, praying, while a doctor couple in the room tried to stanch the blood gushing from his gut. Three times Shruti asked, “Did he say anything?”
Between November 28 and December 3 when Rajan died, Shruti visited him in hospital everyday, but he couldn’t speak. The last conversations she had with her husband were by means of facial expressions and nods and grunts that he managed.
But Saturday brought a rare moment of catharsis, and clarity, when Shruti met Bhisham Mansukhani, a travel journalist trapped in the Taj that night. Bhisham and Shruti’s paths may well have never crossed, their worlds far apart even if connected irreversibly by Rajan Kamble. “He was so brave. His bravery saved us that night,” Bhisham told Shruti soon after they were introduced at the inauguration of the 26/11 Stories of Strength exhibition hosted by The Indian Express. Bhisham was seated right across the couch where guests laid Rajan Kamble after he was hit. Bhisham narrated how his mother was sitting nearby, praying, while a doctor couple in the room tried to stanch the blood gushing from his gut. Three times Shruti asked, “Did he say anything?”
Between November 28 and December 3 when Rajan died, Shruti visited him in hospital everyday, but he couldn’t speak. The last conversations she had with her husband were by means of facial expressions and nods and grunts that he managed.
Judicial appointments: AG Mukul Rohatgi talks of judiciary’s limits; Justice Khehar says well aware
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Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi on Saturday asked the judiciary to exercise “self-restraint” and be mindful of its “Laxman Rekha” even as it sought to police the other two organs of democracy.
Minutes later, Justice J S Khehar, who is next in line to become the Chief Justice of India, responded to the top law officer of the government, saying the judiciary was well aware of its Laxman Rekha. The current Chief Justice, Justice T S Thakur, retires on January 3.
“Be is the 39th amendment in the Constitution (placing office of the Prime Minister beyond the ambit of judicial scrutiny) or the latest amendment that had the element of affecting independence of the judiciary (amendment to replace the collegium with a National Judicial Appointments Commission), the Supreme Court has struck them down… It has upheld the constitutional ethos and its principles… that, if I may respectfully tell the Attorney General, is our Laxman Rekha,” Justice Khehar said.
They were speaking at a function organised by the Supreme Court to celebrate Constitution Day.
Earlier, the AG had said that while the judiciary had been given the power under the Constitution to ensure that the executive and legislature did not cross their limits, it must also remember its own limits.
“Self-control and self-restraint are as important as policing… even judiciary must also remember it has a Laxman Rekha… If other two organs have it, it is not as if judiciary doesn’t have one,” he said.
Rohatgi added that the judiciary must remember that “greater the power, greater the need for circumspection”. In an obvious reference to the running battle between the judiciary and the executive over the power to appoint judges, the AG said it was time to introspect whether an equilibrium had been reached despite the churning over decades.
Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi on Saturday asked the judiciary to exercise “self-restraint” and be mindful of its “Laxman Rekha” even as it sought to police the other two organs of democracy.
Minutes later, Justice J S Khehar, who is next in line to become the Chief Justice of India, responded to the top law officer of the government, saying the judiciary was well aware of its Laxman Rekha. The current Chief Justice, Justice T S Thakur, retires on January 3.
“Be is the 39th amendment in the Constitution (placing office of the Prime Minister beyond the ambit of judicial scrutiny) or the latest amendment that had the element of affecting independence of the judiciary (amendment to replace the collegium with a National Judicial Appointments Commission), the Supreme Court has struck them down… It has upheld the constitutional ethos and its principles… that, if I may respectfully tell the Attorney General, is our Laxman Rekha,” Justice Khehar said.
They were speaking at a function organised by the Supreme Court to celebrate Constitution Day.
Earlier, the AG had said that while the judiciary had been given the power under the Constitution to ensure that the executive and legislature did not cross their limits, it must also remember its own limits.
“Self-control and self-restraint are as important as policing… even judiciary must also remember it has a Laxman Rekha… If other two organs have it, it is not as if judiciary doesn’t have one,” he said.
Rohatgi added that the judiciary must remember that “greater the power, greater the need for circumspection”. In an obvious reference to the running battle between the judiciary and the executive over the power to appoint judges, the AG said it was time to introspect whether an equilibrium had been reached despite the churning over decades.“Self-control and self-restraint are as important as policing… even judiciary must also remember it has a Laxman Rekha… If other two organs have it, it is not as if judiciary doesn’t have one,” he said.
PM Modi to address Parivartan Yatra rally in Kushinagar today
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the BJP’s Parivartan Yatra rally at Kushinagar district on Sunday, his fifth visit to eastern UP in the last seven months.
Eastern UP holds particular significance for the BJP. Out of 18 Lok Sabha constituencies of Eastern UP, BJP had won all in 2014 Parliamentary elections except for Azamgarh that went to SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav.
Kushinagar is important for Buddhists for it is believed to be the place where Buddha achieved nirvana and monks are expected to attend the rally.
On November 14, the PM had addressed a public meeting in eastern UP’s Ghazipur district where he had also laid various infrastructure development projects while recalling the instance of a Parliament session of 1962 when Ghazipur MP Vishwanath had spoke about the poverty in eastern UP.
Before Ghazipuir, PM was in Gorakhpur on July 22 to address a public meeting after laying foundation of reopening of a fertilizer factory and a new 700-bed AIIMS with an expenditure of more than Rs 1000 crore. He had also announced national highways from Sanauli to Gorakhpur (Rs 570 crore), Indo-Nepal border to Rudauli (Rs 550 crore) and Gorakhpur-Varanasi (Rs 650 crore) to be developed.
Earlier on May 1, Modi had launched Pradhan Mantri Ujjawala Yojana (PMUY) in Ballia district which has the target to provide LPG connections to nearly 10,000 to 50000 households in each Lok Sabha constituency.
On October 24, PM had visited Varanasi to lay foundation stone of City Gas Distribution Project and dedicating DLW expansion. That day, Government of India had given an advertisement in media with message -‘Viksit Purvanchal— Samridha Bharat’.
In the cabinet expansion on July 5, Mirzapur MP Anupriya Patel and Chandauli MP Mahendra Nath Pandey were inducted in the government and now there are four ministers from the region while Prime Minister himself is from Varanasi. Deoria MP Kalraj Mishra and Ghazipur MP Manoj Sinha were already there in the cabinet.
Among the 403 assembly segments of UP, more than 100 constituencies fall in eastern UP but the BJP has only a dozen MLAs from the region. Most of the seats were won by Samajwadi Party (SP) in 2012 Assembly polls with Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) coming in second. In Gorakhpur region—in which Kushinagar falls— comprises of 62 Assembly seats. BJP had won eight in 2012. There are more than a dozen seats in the region where BJP has never won in the history of elections.
In Ballia district, BJP has one MLA while SP has five seats. BJP has started two of its ongoing four Parivartan Yatras-from Ballia and Sonbhadra-both in eastern UP.
BJP’s concern for eastern UP may be also because Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal (U) president Nitish Kumar has launched his Uttar Pradesh Assembly election campaign from Varanasi region by addressing a state level convention of the party workers on May 12. Nitish earlier in February had addressed a gathering of backward castes and dalits in Ghazipur district.
BJP has already announced alliance with Apna Dal and Suheldeo Bharatiya Samaj Party to get hold of OBC and Dalit votes of the region.
BJP UP chief spokesperson Hridya Narain Dixit said the party was not giving special attention to eastern UP with aim of getting votes in the upcoming assembly elections, but that the region remained neglected in development for over decades.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the BJP’s Parivartan Yatra rally at Kushinagar district on Sunday, his fifth visit to eastern UP in the last seven months.
Eastern UP holds particular significance for the BJP. Out of 18 Lok Sabha constituencies of Eastern UP, BJP had won all in 2014 Parliamentary elections except for Azamgarh that went to SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav.
Kushinagar is important for Buddhists for it is believed to be the place where Buddha achieved nirvana and monks are expected to attend the rally.
On November 14, the PM had addressed a public meeting in eastern UP’s Ghazipur district where he had also laid various infrastructure development projects while recalling the instance of a Parliament session of 1962 when Ghazipur MP Vishwanath had spoke about the poverty in eastern UP.
Before Ghazipuir, PM was in Gorakhpur on July 22 to address a public meeting after laying foundation of reopening of a fertilizer factory and a new 700-bed AIIMS with an expenditure of more than Rs 1000 crore. He had also announced national highways from Sanauli to Gorakhpur (Rs 570 crore), Indo-Nepal border to Rudauli (Rs 550 crore) and Gorakhpur-Varanasi (Rs 650 crore) to be developed.
Earlier on May 1, Modi had launched Pradhan Mantri Ujjawala Yojana (PMUY) in Ballia district which has the target to provide LPG connections to nearly 10,000 to 50000 households in each Lok Sabha constituency.
On October 24, PM had visited Varanasi to lay foundation stone of City Gas Distribution Project and dedicating DLW expansion. That day, Government of India had given an advertisement in media with message -‘Viksit Purvanchal— Samridha Bharat’.
In the cabinet expansion on July 5, Mirzapur MP Anupriya Patel and Chandauli MP Mahendra Nath Pandey were inducted in the government and now there are four ministers from the region while Prime Minister himself is from Varanasi. Deoria MP Kalraj Mishra and Ghazipur MP Manoj Sinha were already there in the cabinet.
Among the 403 assembly segments of UP, more than 100 constituencies fall in eastern UP but the BJP has only a dozen MLAs from the region. Most of the seats were won by Samajwadi Party (SP) in 2012 Assembly polls with Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) coming in second. In Gorakhpur region—in which Kushinagar falls— comprises of 62 Assembly seats. BJP had won eight in 2012. There are more than a dozen seats in the region where BJP has never won in the history of elections.
In Ballia district, BJP has one MLA while SP has five seats. BJP has started two of its ongoing four Parivartan Yatras-from Ballia and Sonbhadra-both in eastern UP.
BJP’s concern for eastern UP may be also because Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal (U) president Nitish Kumar has launched his Uttar Pradesh Assembly election campaign from Varanasi region by addressing a state level convention of the party workers on May 12. Nitish earlier in February had addressed a gathering of backward castes and dalits in Ghazipur district.
BJP has already announced alliance with Apna Dal and Suheldeo Bharatiya Samaj Party to get hold of OBC and Dalit votes of the region.
BJP UP chief spokesperson Hridya Narain Dixit said the party was not giving special attention to eastern UP with aim of getting votes in the upcoming assembly elections, but that the region remained neglected in development for over decades.
Tea estate on Indo-Bhutan border pays workers online
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Five days after Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal set December 15 as the deadline for all tea estates to open bank accounts for labourers, Menoka, a 100-year-old tea estate, on Saturday not only became the first tea estate to open the accounts, but also paid all labourers online. The tea estate is located in Baksa district on the Indo-Bhutan border.
“We are happy that we have been able to do it first. The biggest achievement is that all our labourers are happy. Two weeks ago, they were worried after hearing about demonetisation. But, last week, we managed to pay them in cash with the help of the district administration and this week, they have received wages online,” Pradeep Kumar Singh, manager of Menoka told The Sunday Express over phone. Following the online transfer of wages, the labourers drew the money they needed for the week from the local Customer Service Point of SBI, Singh added.
Currently, 476 permanent plantation labourers work at Menoka, a 354-hectare garden.
Most tea estates in Assam disburse wages on a weekly basis. “While Menoka has done it, three other tea estates in our district, Nagrijuli, Fatemabad and Doomni have managed to get bank accounts opened for more than 50 per cent of their workers,” said Sanjeeb Kumar Gogoi, deputy commissioner of Baksa.
Kishan Kumar Sharma, sub-divisional officer of Tamulpur said the labourers had quickly adapted to the change.
Sunny Chakraborty, manager of SBI’s branch at Darranga-mela said: “Arranging low-denomination cash for tea estate labourers was an issue. But, we managed to do it through team effort.
Five days after Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal set December 15 as the deadline for all tea estates to open bank accounts for labourers, Menoka, a 100-year-old tea estate, on Saturday not only became the first tea estate to open the accounts, but also paid all labourers online. The tea estate is located in Baksa district on the Indo-Bhutan border.
“We are happy that we have been able to do it first. The biggest achievement is that all our labourers are happy. Two weeks ago, they were worried after hearing about demonetisation. But, last week, we managed to pay them in cash with the help of the district administration and this week, they have received wages online,” Pradeep Kumar Singh, manager of Menoka told The Sunday Express over phone. Following the online transfer of wages, the labourers drew the money they needed for the week from the local Customer Service Point of SBI, Singh added.
Currently, 476 permanent plantation labourers work at Menoka, a 354-hectare garden.
Most tea estates in Assam disburse wages on a weekly basis. “While Menoka has done it, three other tea estates in our district, Nagrijuli, Fatemabad and Doomni have managed to get bank accounts opened for more than 50 per cent of their workers,” said Sanjeeb Kumar Gogoi, deputy commissioner of Baksa.
Kishan Kumar Sharma, sub-divisional officer of Tamulpur said the labourers had quickly adapted to the change.
Sunny Chakraborty, manager of SBI’s branch at Darranga-mela said: “Arranging low-denomination cash for tea estate labourers was an issue. But, we managed to do it through team effort.
Business Affairs
Currency withdrawal: RBI sets 100 per cent incremental CRR to manage liquidity
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The Reserve Bank of India has announced an incremental cash reserve ratio (CRR) of 100 per cent for banks for the fortnight beginning Sunday in order to tackle the surge in deposits following demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes. “On the increase in NDTL (net demand and time liabilities) between September 16 and November 11, scheduled banks shall maintain an incremental CRR of 100 per cent, effective the fortnight beginning November 26, 2016,” the RBI said in a circular. CRR is the portion of deposits to be maintained with the RBI.
The RBI said it will review the decision on December 9 or earlier as the incremental CRR is intended to be a temporary measure within RBI’s liquidity management framework to drain excess liquidity in the system. The regular CRR would continue to be at 4 per cent. The excess liquidity is estimated to be around Rs 3 lakh crore. As per the RBI circular, the entire amount collected would have to be kept with the RBI as CRR.
After the withdrawal of the legal tender status of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 denomination bank notes beginning November 9, 2016, there has been a surge in deposits relative to the expansion in bank credit, leading to large excess liquidity in the system, it said.The RBI also observed that the magnitude of surplus liquidity available with the banking system is expected to increase further in the fortnights ahead. “In view of this, it has been decided to absorb a part of this surplus liquidity by applying an incremental cash reserve ratio (CRR) as a purely temporary measure,” it said.
This is intended to absorb a part of the surplus liquidity arising from the return of now defunct Rs 500/1000 notes to the banking system, while leaving adequate liquidity with banks to meet the credit needs of the productive sectors of the economy, it said.
The RBI has separately revived the Guarantee Scheme to enable deposit of Rs 500/1000 balances at the RBI or at currency chests and get immediate value, it said. This measure should also facilitate banks’ compliance with the incremental CRR, it added. In view of the problem of mounting deposits it has decided to revive the Guarantee Scheme wherein banks can deposit the notes directly with the offices of the RBI under whose jurisdiction they are located.
The notes will remain in the vaults of RBI, under the lock and key of the depositing banks till taken up for examination.
The Reserve Bank of India has announced an incremental cash reserve ratio (CRR) of 100 per cent for banks for the fortnight beginning Sunday in order to tackle the surge in deposits following demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes. “On the increase in NDTL (net demand and time liabilities) between September 16 and November 11, scheduled banks shall maintain an incremental CRR of 100 per cent, effective the fortnight beginning November 26, 2016,” the RBI said in a circular. CRR is the portion of deposits to be maintained with the RBI.
The RBI said it will review the decision on December 9 or earlier as the incremental CRR is intended to be a temporary measure within RBI’s liquidity management framework to drain excess liquidity in the system. The regular CRR would continue to be at 4 per cent. The excess liquidity is estimated to be around Rs 3 lakh crore. As per the RBI circular, the entire amount collected would have to be kept with the RBI as CRR.
After the withdrawal of the legal tender status of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 denomination bank notes beginning November 9, 2016, there has been a surge in deposits relative to the expansion in bank credit, leading to large excess liquidity in the system, it said.The RBI also observed that the magnitude of surplus liquidity available with the banking system is expected to increase further in the fortnights ahead. “In view of this, it has been decided to absorb a part of this surplus liquidity by applying an incremental cash reserve ratio (CRR) as a purely temporary measure,” it said.
This is intended to absorb a part of the surplus liquidity arising from the return of now defunct Rs 500/1000 notes to the banking system, while leaving adequate liquidity with banks to meet the credit needs of the productive sectors of the economy, it said.
The RBI has separately revived the Guarantee Scheme to enable deposit of Rs 500/1000 balances at the RBI or at currency chests and get immediate value, it said. This measure should also facilitate banks’ compliance with the incremental CRR, it added. In view of the problem of mounting deposits it has decided to revive the Guarantee Scheme wherein banks can deposit the notes directly with the offices of the RBI under whose jurisdiction they are located.
The notes will remain in the vaults of RBI, under the lock and key of the depositing banks till taken up for examination.
50% domestic procurement plan: Petroleum ministry purchase policy runs into rough weather
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The Petroleum Ministry’s plan to infuse 50 per cent domestically manufactured content in all public sector oil and gas contracts has run into rough weather with the Commerce Department saying that proposed purchase preference policy violated the WTO rules. “Under the WTO National Treatment on Internal Taxation and Regulation, any discrimination to imports in comparison to domestically manufactured goods is inconsistent with the obligations undertaken by the member countries, including India,” commerce department commented on the draft policy.
Through purchase preference, petroleum ministry wanted all public sector undertakings (PSUs) to specify a certain percentage of required domestic content in supplies of goods and services while keeping the contract open for bidding by all — those providing local content product as well as those supplying pure imports.
However, if the price quoted by a bidder — foreign or domestic — was within 10 percent of the lowest bid and met the stipulated domestic content norm, he would get purchase preference provided he matched the price offered by the lowest bidder. In case of lowest bid with stipulated domestic content, there would be no preference option.
Commerce department said that though WTO rules provided an exception for PSUs, the exemption was limited for products purchased for “immediate and ultimate consumption in governmental purposes and not otherwise for resale or use in the production of goods for resale”.
Agreeing with this view, the petroleum ministry cautioned that “though procurement/purchases by PSUs may be considered as government procurement, it would be difficult to establish that the PSUs are not using the procured goods and services for the purpose of their commercial operations”.
Voicing its uncertainty over the fate of the proposed policy, the ministry said: “A study of the WTO provisions indicates that in case of procurement of services, there may not be any major issue of violation. As regards procurement of goods, the jury is still out.”
It attempted to justify the policy on grounds that it did not discourage competition nor provide price preference, but
Article 17 of the WTO pact says that even state enterprises shall make purchases “solely in accordance with commercial considerations, including price, quality, availability, marketability, transportation and other conditions”.
On January 27 this year, petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan had announced the purchase preference policy to promote domestic manufacturing in PSUs annual capital expenditure at Rs 90,000 crores. He had expected the policy to be rolled out in the ongoing financial year 2016-17.
The Petroleum Ministry’s plan to infuse 50 per cent domestically manufactured content in all public sector oil and gas contracts has run into rough weather with the Commerce Department saying that proposed purchase preference policy violated the WTO rules. “Under the WTO National Treatment on Internal Taxation and Regulation, any discrimination to imports in comparison to domestically manufactured goods is inconsistent with the obligations undertaken by the member countries, including India,” commerce department commented on the draft policy.
Through purchase preference, petroleum ministry wanted all public sector undertakings (PSUs) to specify a certain percentage of required domestic content in supplies of goods and services while keeping the contract open for bidding by all — those providing local content product as well as those supplying pure imports.
However, if the price quoted by a bidder — foreign or domestic — was within 10 percent of the lowest bid and met the stipulated domestic content norm, he would get purchase preference provided he matched the price offered by the lowest bidder. In case of lowest bid with stipulated domestic content, there would be no preference option.
Commerce department said that though WTO rules provided an exception for PSUs, the exemption was limited for products purchased for “immediate and ultimate consumption in governmental purposes and not otherwise for resale or use in the production of goods for resale”.
Agreeing with this view, the petroleum ministry cautioned that “though procurement/purchases by PSUs may be considered as government procurement, it would be difficult to establish that the PSUs are not using the procured goods and services for the purpose of their commercial operations”.
Voicing its uncertainty over the fate of the proposed policy, the ministry said: “A study of the WTO provisions indicates that in case of procurement of services, there may not be any major issue of violation. As regards procurement of goods, the jury is still out.”
It attempted to justify the policy on grounds that it did not discourage competition nor provide price preference, but
Article 17 of the WTO pact says that even state enterprises shall make purchases “solely in accordance with commercial considerations, including price, quality, availability, marketability, transportation and other conditions”.
On January 27 this year, petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan had announced the purchase preference policy to promote domestic manufacturing in PSUs annual capital expenditure at Rs 90,000 crores. He had expected the policy to be rolled out in the ongoing financial year 2016-17.
Opening accounts: Special camps for reaching out to the unbanked
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The government has asked banks to launch special camps to open bank accounts for workers not having accounts. These camps are likely to start from Monday to facilitate account opening for workers of both organised and unorganised sectors. “The location of these camps and other relevant modalities may be decided at the district-level by a committee comprising of collector cum district magistrate, lead district manager of the bank, labour officers of the central and the state government,” according to a communication from Union labour secretary M Sathiyavathy to the concerned departments on Friday.
The move comes in the backdrop of the Centre’s decision to withdraw old currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 from circulation. The government has also stopped the facility of exchanging these old notes at the bank counters since Friday. These policy changes have adversely affected, especially those who do not have a bank account.
With staff at most banks tied with with work related to replacement of old currency, other facilities such as opening of new bank accounts and clearance of cheques have slowed down since November 8.
The labour and finance ministries have discussed the contours of the special camp scheme with the state governments representatives and banks. While announcing its decision to stop over the counter exchange of old currency, the finance ministry had said that people not having account should be encouraged to open bank accounts.
The government has asked lead district managers of the banks to communicate to branches where these camps are to be organised. “This campaign will continue in the coming days through concerned bank branches, their business correspondents and the camps as required,” the labour secretary said.
The government has asked banks to launch special camps to open bank accounts for workers not having accounts. These camps are likely to start from Monday to facilitate account opening for workers of both organised and unorganised sectors. “The location of these camps and other relevant modalities may be decided at the district-level by a committee comprising of collector cum district magistrate, lead district manager of the bank, labour officers of the central and the state government,” according to a communication from Union labour secretary M Sathiyavathy to the concerned departments on Friday.
The move comes in the backdrop of the Centre’s decision to withdraw old currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 from circulation. The government has also stopped the facility of exchanging these old notes at the bank counters since Friday. These policy changes have adversely affected, especially those who do not have a bank account.
With staff at most banks tied with with work related to replacement of old currency, other facilities such as opening of new bank accounts and clearance of cheques have slowed down since November 8.
The labour and finance ministries have discussed the contours of the special camp scheme with the state governments representatives and banks. While announcing its decision to stop over the counter exchange of old currency, the finance ministry had said that people not having account should be encouraged to open bank accounts.
The government has asked lead district managers of the banks to communicate to branches where these camps are to be organised. “This campaign will continue in the coming days through concerned bank branches, their business correspondents and the camps as required,” the labour secretary said.
Demonetisation: In two weeks, 60% rise in total balance in Jan Dhan accounts
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In the two weeks after the Centre’s demonetisation move, the total balance in Jan Dhan accounts increased by nearly 60 per cent, online data updated by the government on Saturday revealed. While the total deposit in Jan Dhan accounts was Rs 45,637 crore on November 9, a day after demonetisation was announced, it was Rs 72,835 crore on November 23 — an increase of Rs 27,198 crore.
In the first week of demonetisation, the total balance under the scheme went up by Rs 18,615 crore — nearly 60 times the weekly average of Rs 311 crore between March 31 and November 9 this year. In the second week, between November 17 and 23, the surge eased to a total deposit of Rs 8,582, still 27 times the weekly average.
As a result, the average balance in Jan Dhan accounts that hovered between Rs 1,697-1,799 in this financial year since April, has now jumped to Rs 2,836.63.
In poll-bound Uttar Pradesh, the balance in Jan Dhan accounts saw a rise of Rs 4,287.55 crore, the highest in the country. It was followed by Rajasthan (Rs 2,574.85 crore) and West Bengal (Rs 2,553.85 crore). Punjab and Goa, the other two poll-bound states, saw an increase of Rs 936.73 crore and Rs 31.06 crore, respectively, in the balance in Jan Dhan accounts.
While the increase in balance in accounts in public sector banks was 56 per cent, it was 66 per cent in private sector banks. The highest surge was seen in accounts in regional rural banks where the balance in these accounts increased by as much as 77 per cent.
The balance in Jan Dhan accounts in public sector banks rose from Rs 36,403 crore to Rs 56,668 crore in this duration. In the regional rural banks, which are subsidiaries of public sector banks in rural India, the balance in Jan Dhan accounts increased from Rs 7,631 crore to Rs 13,507 crore in this period. In private sector banks, the balance climbed to Rs 2,659 crore from Rs 1,602 crore.
According to the data, 16.47 lakh new Jan Dhan accounts have been opened in these two weeks and there has been a 0.33 percent drop in the total number of accounts with zero balance. While on November 9, the percentage of accounts with zero balance was 23.27, it was 22.94 per cent on November 23. The total number of Jan Dhan accounts on November 9 was 25.51 crore and it rose to 25.67 crore by November 23.
Sources in banks said that there were small deposits in accounts in some areas after the announcement of demonetisation as many people who had Rs 1000 and Rs 500 notes deposited them in their accounts. In certain areas, however, the deposits were huge. Last week, Minister of State for Finance, Santosh Gangwar, told The Indian Express that government is aware of these facts and scrutiny of such accounts is on.
On September 13, The Indian Express had reported based on its investigation that many branch managers were forced to put small amounts like Re 1 or Rs 2 or Rs 5 from their own pocket in zero balance Jan Dhan accounts just to reduce the total number of such accounts due to pressure from the top level.
In the two weeks after the Centre’s demonetisation move, the total balance in Jan Dhan accounts increased by nearly 60 per cent, online data updated by the government on Saturday revealed. While the total deposit in Jan Dhan accounts was Rs 45,637 crore on November 9, a day after demonetisation was announced, it was Rs 72,835 crore on November 23 — an increase of Rs 27,198 crore.
In the first week of demonetisation, the total balance under the scheme went up by Rs 18,615 crore — nearly 60 times the weekly average of Rs 311 crore between March 31 and November 9 this year. In the second week, between November 17 and 23, the surge eased to a total deposit of Rs 8,582, still 27 times the weekly average.
As a result, the average balance in Jan Dhan accounts that hovered between Rs 1,697-1,799 in this financial year since April, has now jumped to Rs 2,836.63.
In poll-bound Uttar Pradesh, the balance in Jan Dhan accounts saw a rise of Rs 4,287.55 crore, the highest in the country. It was followed by Rajasthan (Rs 2,574.85 crore) and West Bengal (Rs 2,553.85 crore). Punjab and Goa, the other two poll-bound states, saw an increase of Rs 936.73 crore and Rs 31.06 crore, respectively, in the balance in Jan Dhan accounts.
While the increase in balance in accounts in public sector banks was 56 per cent, it was 66 per cent in private sector banks. The highest surge was seen in accounts in regional rural banks where the balance in these accounts increased by as much as 77 per cent.
The balance in Jan Dhan accounts in public sector banks rose from Rs 36,403 crore to Rs 56,668 crore in this duration. In the regional rural banks, which are subsidiaries of public sector banks in rural India, the balance in Jan Dhan accounts increased from Rs 7,631 crore to Rs 13,507 crore in this period. In private sector banks, the balance climbed to Rs 2,659 crore from Rs 1,602 crore.
According to the data, 16.47 lakh new Jan Dhan accounts have been opened in these two weeks and there has been a 0.33 percent drop in the total number of accounts with zero balance. While on November 9, the percentage of accounts with zero balance was 23.27, it was 22.94 per cent on November 23. The total number of Jan Dhan accounts on November 9 was 25.51 crore and it rose to 25.67 crore by November 23.
Sources in banks said that there were small deposits in accounts in some areas after the announcement of demonetisation as many people who had Rs 1000 and Rs 500 notes deposited them in their accounts. In certain areas, however, the deposits were huge. Last week, Minister of State for Finance, Santosh Gangwar, told The Indian Express that government is aware of these facts and scrutiny of such accounts is on.
On September 13, The Indian Express had reported based on its investigation that many branch managers were forced to put small amounts like Re 1 or Rs 2 or Rs 5 from their own pocket in zero balance Jan Dhan accounts just to reduce the total number of such accounts due to pressure from the top level.
Pre-budget meeting: Industry urges Arun Jaitley to speed-up disinvestment
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Steps to enhance consumption and productivity after the government’s move to withdraw high-denomination currency notes along with reduction in corporate income tax were some of the suggestions made by India Inc in its pre-budget meeting with finance minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday. The finance minister on his part nudged the industry to increase private sector investment, especially in infrastructure.
Industry representatives in their meeting with finance ministry officials suggested that the government should accelerate PSU disinvestment, reduce corporate tax to 18 per cent, including all surcharges and cess and cut minimum alternate tax.
“Demonetisation issue was discussed in the meeting. We need to make sure that the inconvenience that some of the people are facing must get better and I am sure they (government) are working on it…what more can be done to enhance consumption, production and investment. Those discussions have taken place,” industrialist Rajan Mittal told reporters after the meeting.
CII said that though demonetisation is right and a welcome move for the long term, but “it is widely felt among industry members that we need to offset the immediate downturn that industry will go through”.
It suggested that to revive investments, the government should undertake divestment/privatisation of 100 companies, including the 74 identified by NITI Aayog, by December 31, 2017. FICCI President Harshvardhan Neotia also said that currency withdrawal will have a short-term impact on the economy.
In their suggestions for the upcoming Budget, FICCI recommended increase in personal income tax slab and reduction in MAT. Exporters body FIEO President S C Ralhan suggested creation of export development fund to boost shipments.
Assocham said the demonetisation move now needs to be followed up with stronger reforms on the taxation side.
Other suggestions included tax concessions to both individual taxpayers and corporate sector along with an increase in minimum exemption limit for Personal Income Tax to Rs 5 lakh. Also, it was suggested that interest rates be reduced for manufacturing and other sectors especially for micro, small and medium enterprises.
Earlier, the finance minister also held pre-budget meeting with representatives of social sector, wherein he emphasised that inclusive growth is high on government’s priority and that the allocation of resources to the social sector is increasing. The government wants to make an extensive social welfare system with focus on better education system .., he said.
Steps to enhance consumption and productivity after the government’s move to withdraw high-denomination currency notes along with reduction in corporate income tax were some of the suggestions made by India Inc in its pre-budget meeting with finance minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday. The finance minister on his part nudged the industry to increase private sector investment, especially in infrastructure.
Industry representatives in their meeting with finance ministry officials suggested that the government should accelerate PSU disinvestment, reduce corporate tax to 18 per cent, including all surcharges and cess and cut minimum alternate tax.
“Demonetisation issue was discussed in the meeting. We need to make sure that the inconvenience that some of the people are facing must get better and I am sure they (government) are working on it…what more can be done to enhance consumption, production and investment. Those discussions have taken place,” industrialist Rajan Mittal told reporters after the meeting.
CII said that though demonetisation is right and a welcome move for the long term, but “it is widely felt among industry members that we need to offset the immediate downturn that industry will go through”.
It suggested that to revive investments, the government should undertake divestment/privatisation of 100 companies, including the 74 identified by NITI Aayog, by December 31, 2017. FICCI President Harshvardhan Neotia also said that currency withdrawal will have a short-term impact on the economy.
In their suggestions for the upcoming Budget, FICCI recommended increase in personal income tax slab and reduction in MAT. Exporters body FIEO President S C Ralhan suggested creation of export development fund to boost shipments.
Assocham said the demonetisation move now needs to be followed up with stronger reforms on the taxation side.
Other suggestions included tax concessions to both individual taxpayers and corporate sector along with an increase in minimum exemption limit for Personal Income Tax to Rs 5 lakh. Also, it was suggested that interest rates be reduced for manufacturing and other sectors especially for micro, small and medium enterprises.
Earlier, the finance minister also held pre-budget meeting with representatives of social sector, wherein he emphasised that inclusive growth is high on government’s priority and that the allocation of resources to the social sector is increasing. The government wants to make an extensive social welfare system with focus on better education system .., he said.
General Awareness
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India
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This list contains the places chosen by the UNESCO as heritage sites in India.UNESCO is a specialized agency of United Nations.UNESCO was created for the conservation and protection of the worlds inheritance of books,works of art and monuments of history and science.As of now there are 35 world Heritage sites in India.27 cultural sites and 8 natural sites and also sites which are on tentative list.
This list contains the places chosen by the UNESCO as heritage sites in India.UNESCO is a specialized agency of United Nations.UNESCO was created for the conservation and protection of the worlds inheritance of books,works of art and monuments of history and science.As of now there are 35 world Heritage sites in India.27 cultural sites and 8 natural sites and also sites which are on tentative list.
List of 25 cultural Heritage Sites.
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Name of the Site Location Year of Inscription Agra Fort Uttar Pradesh 1983 Ajanta Caves Maharashtra 1983 Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi Madhya Pradesh 1989 Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park Gujarat 2004 Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus) Maharashtra 2004 Churches and Convents of Goa Goa 1986 Elephanta Caves Maharashtra 1987 Ellora Cave Maharashtra 1983 Fatehpur Sikri Uttar Pradesh 1986 Great Living Chola Temples Tamil Nadu 1987 Group of Monuments at Hampi Karnataka 1986 Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram Tamil Nadu 1984 Group of Monuments at Pattadakal Karnataka 1987 Hill Forts of Rajasthan Rajasthan 2013 Humayun’s Tomb, Delhi Delhi 1993 Khajuraho Group of Monuments Madhya Pradesh 1986 Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya Bihar 2002 Mountain Railways of India Darjeeling, West Bengal
Nilgiri, Tamil Nadu
Kalka-Shimla, Himachal Pradesh 1999 Qutb Minar and its Monuments, Delhi Delhi 1993 Rani-ki-Vav (the Queen’s Stepwell) Gujarat 2014 Red Fort Complex Delhi 2007 Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka Madhya Pradesh 2003 Sun Temple, Konârak Orissa 1984 Taj Mahal Uttar Pradesh 1983 The Jantar Mantar, Jaipur Rajasthan 2010 The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier Chhattisgarh 2016 Nalanda Mahavihara (Nalanda University) Bihar 2016
| Name of the Site | Location | Year of Inscription |
| Agra Fort | Uttar Pradesh | 1983 |
| Ajanta Caves | Maharashtra | 1983 |
| Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi | Madhya Pradesh | 1989 |
| Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park | Gujarat | 2004 |
| Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus) | Maharashtra | 2004 |
| Churches and Convents of Goa | Goa | 1986 |
| Elephanta Caves | Maharashtra | 1987 |
| Ellora Cave | Maharashtra | 1983 |
| Fatehpur Sikri | Uttar Pradesh | 1986 |
| Great Living Chola Temples | Tamil Nadu | 1987 |
| Group of Monuments at Hampi | Karnataka | 1986 |
| Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram | Tamil Nadu | 1984 |
| Group of Monuments at Pattadakal | Karnataka | 1987 |
| Hill Forts of Rajasthan | Rajasthan | 2013 |
| Humayun’s Tomb, Delhi | Delhi | 1993 |
| Khajuraho Group of Monuments | Madhya Pradesh | 1986 |
| Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya | Bihar | 2002 |
| Mountain Railways of India | Darjeeling, West Bengal Nilgiri, Tamil Nadu Kalka-Shimla, Himachal Pradesh | 1999 |
| Qutb Minar and its Monuments, Delhi | Delhi | 1993 |
| Rani-ki-Vav (the Queen’s Stepwell) | Gujarat | 2014 |
| Red Fort Complex | Delhi | 2007 |
| Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka | Madhya Pradesh | 2003 |
| Sun Temple, Konârak | Orissa | 1984 |
| Taj Mahal | Uttar Pradesh | 1983 |
| The Jantar Mantar, Jaipur | Rajasthan | 2010 |
| The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier | Chhattisgarh | 2016 |
| Nalanda Mahavihara (Nalanda University) | Bihar | 2016 |
List of Seven Natural Heritage Sites
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Name Of the Site Location Year of Inscription Great Himalayan National Park Conservation Area Himachal Pradesh 2014 Kaziranga National Park Assam 1985 Keoladeo National Park Rajasthan 1985 Manas Wildlife Sanctuary Assam 1985 Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks Uttarakhand 1988 Sundarbans National Park West Bengal 1987 Western Ghats Covers Four states
(Kerala ,Karnataka,Tamilnadu and Maharashtra) 2012 Khangchendzonga National Park Sikkim 2016
Note: In the case of western ghats a total of thirty nine properties (including national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and reserve forests) were designated as world heritage sites – twenty in the state of Kerala, ten in Karnataka, five in Tamil Nadu and four in Maharashtra
Also there is a tentative list of world heritage sites in India,which is already mentioned in the given below link.
Three new sites added in 2016 : Nalanda Mahavihara (Nalanda University) in Bihar ,The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier in Chandigarh and Khangchendzonga National Park in Sikkim.
| Name Of the Site | Location | Year of Inscription |
| Great Himalayan National Park Conservation Area | Himachal Pradesh | 2014 |
| Kaziranga National Park | Assam | 1985 |
| Keoladeo National Park | Rajasthan | 1985 |
| Manas Wildlife Sanctuary | Assam | 1985 |
| Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks | Uttarakhand | 1988 |
| Sundarbans National Park | West Bengal | 1987 |
| Western Ghats | Covers Four states (Kerala ,Karnataka,Tamilnadu and Maharashtra) | 2012 |
| Khangchendzonga National Park | Sikkim | 2016 |
Note: In the case of western ghats a total of thirty nine properties (including national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and reserve forests) were designated as world heritage sites – twenty in the state of Kerala, ten in Karnataka, five in Tamil Nadu and four in Maharashtra
Also there is a tentative list of world heritage sites in India,which is already mentioned in the given below link.
Three new sites added in 2016 : Nalanda Mahavihara (Nalanda University) in Bihar ,The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier in Chandigarh and Khangchendzonga National Park in Sikkim.
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