General Affairs
Parliament Should Function Despite Differences: PM Narendra Modi
-
Seeking cooperation of all parties in running Parliament during Budget session, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said it is a 'mahapanchayat' which should function despite differences which may crop up during poll season.
After the Winter Session was washed out due to protests over demonetisation, PM Modi reached out to the opposition on the eve of the Budget session at an all-party meeting in Delhi called by the government that was attended by all major parties except Trinamool Congress, which has been unhappy over the note ban and arrest of its lawmakers in chit fund cases.
The government, however, asserted that the Budget will be presented as scheduled, rejecting the opposition's allegations that it will impact the upcoming assembly elections.
Speaking to reporters, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar said that during the meeting Prime Minister Modi sought support of all parties and said "in election time, there can be some differences among us, but Parliament is mahapanchayat. It should function."
Mr Kumar said all parties responded positively and said that they want the House to function smoothly.
Rejecting the opposition's allegation that government should not have advanced the session as early presentation of the Union Budget will impact the level playing field during upcoming state assembly elections, the Minister said Supreme Court and Election Commission have already given their judgement on this.
"The government's efforts will be that the budget should benefit all and takes the country forward," Kumar said. Earlier speaking to reporters, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha and senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said that government should not have advanced the Budget session.
Mr Azad also cited a similar situation in 2012 when the then UPA government had postponed the budget session due to state assembly elections.
"We have asked the government that they should avoid any such announcement in the budget session which affects level playing field in the five state assembly elections," Mr Azad said.
The Congress leader has also asked the government to call another all-party meeting before next part of budget session.
Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia and CPI(M) leader Sitram Yechury demanded that there should be discussion on demonetisation also during the first phase of session.
"We have told the government that there should be discussion on demonetisation for two days as the people across India have suffered due to this irrational move of the government," Mr Yechury told reporters.
He also said that presentation of budget on February 1 is "non-scientific" as it will not take into consideration the statistical data of third quarter which comes only in mid- February.
After the Winter Session was washed out due to protests over demonetisation, PM Modi reached out to the opposition on the eve of the Budget session at an all-party meeting in Delhi called by the government that was attended by all major parties except Trinamool Congress, which has been unhappy over the note ban and arrest of its lawmakers in chit fund cases.
The government, however, asserted that the Budget will be presented as scheduled, rejecting the opposition's allegations that it will impact the upcoming assembly elections.
Speaking to reporters, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar said that during the meeting Prime Minister Modi sought support of all parties and said "in election time, there can be some differences among us, but Parliament is mahapanchayat. It should function."
Mr Kumar said all parties responded positively and said that they want the House to function smoothly.
Rejecting the opposition's allegation that government should not have advanced the session as early presentation of the Union Budget will impact the level playing field during upcoming state assembly elections, the Minister said Supreme Court and Election Commission have already given their judgement on this.
"The government's efforts will be that the budget should benefit all and takes the country forward," Kumar said. Earlier speaking to reporters, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha and senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said that government should not have advanced the Budget session.
Mr Azad also cited a similar situation in 2012 when the then UPA government had postponed the budget session due to state assembly elections.
"We have asked the government that they should avoid any such announcement in the budget session which affects level playing field in the five state assembly elections," Mr Azad said.
The Congress leader has also asked the government to call another all-party meeting before next part of budget session.
Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia and CPI(M) leader Sitram Yechury demanded that there should be discussion on demonetisation also during the first phase of session.
"We have told the government that there should be discussion on demonetisation for two days as the people across India have suffered due to this irrational move of the government," Mr Yechury told reporters.
He also said that presentation of budget on February 1 is "non-scientific" as it will not take into consideration the statistical data of third quarter which comes only in mid- February.
Double Trouble for Arvind Kejriwal, Will Face Trial in Defamation Cases
-
Not long after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal learned today that he must face trial in a Delhi court in a criminal defamation case filed against him by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, another court has summoned him and ordered him to face trial on defamation charges. The Chief Minister has been sued by former Test cricketer Chetan Chauhan.
The Delhi court hearing Mr Jaitley's allegations said Mr Kejriwal had exhibited "dilatory tactics to delay trial" and must be present in court on March 25 when charges will be framed against him and five other senior leaders of his Aam Aadmi Party.
Before that he has to appear in the other Delhi court on February 18 in the case filed by Chetan Chauhan of the BJP.
Mr Jaitley had in December 2015, filed civil and criminal defamation cases against Mr Kejriwal and the other AAP leaders for accusing him of corruption linked to Delhi's cricket body DDCA, which he headed for 13 years till 2013. The other AAP leaders named in the case are Ashutosh, Kumar Vishwas, Sanjay Singh, Raghav Chaddha and Deepak Bajpai.
Mr Jaitley has alleged that Mr Kejriwal made false allegations for "political mileage, causing irreversible damage to him." Besides filing a criminal complaint, he also filed a civil suit seeking Rs. 10 crore in damages.
"We had always maintained that this was nothing but delay tactics and there was no basis in law for what they were asking for" said senior lawyer Siddharth Luthra who is representing Mr Jaitley.
Chetan Chuahan has filed defamation charges against the Delhi Chief Minister and suspended BJP lawmaker Kirti Azad for alleging a sex racket in the DDCA or Delhi & District Cricket Association when Mr Chauhan was its vice president.
Neither Arun Jaitley nor Arvind Kejriwal and his colleagues were present in court today. Both had moved applications through their lawyers asking for exemption from appearing.
While Mr Kejriwal said he and the other AAP leaders were out campaigning in Punjab, where assembly elections will be held this week, Mr Jaitley had informed the court that he was busy with meetings and could not appear today.
Mr Kejriwal's lawyer Rishikesh Kumar, said, "We will challenge the dismissal of our petition in the High court as we believe that it is the right of the persons who have been accused to be heard before declining on framing of notice or charges."
Last year, both the Delhi High Court and then the Supreme Court had dismissed Mr Kejriwal's request that the Finance Minister's criminal defamation case against him be suspended.
The Delhi court hearing Mr Jaitley's allegations said Mr Kejriwal had exhibited "dilatory tactics to delay trial" and must be present in court on March 25 when charges will be framed against him and five other senior leaders of his Aam Aadmi Party.
Before that he has to appear in the other Delhi court on February 18 in the case filed by Chetan Chauhan of the BJP.
Mr Jaitley has alleged that Mr Kejriwal made false allegations for "political mileage, causing irreversible damage to him." Besides filing a criminal complaint, he also filed a civil suit seeking Rs. 10 crore in damages.
"We had always maintained that this was nothing but delay tactics and there was no basis in law for what they were asking for" said senior lawyer Siddharth Luthra who is representing Mr Jaitley.
Chetan Chuahan has filed defamation charges against the Delhi Chief Minister and suspended BJP lawmaker Kirti Azad for alleging a sex racket in the DDCA or Delhi & District Cricket Association when Mr Chauhan was its vice president.
Neither Arun Jaitley nor Arvind Kejriwal and his colleagues were present in court today. Both had moved applications through their lawyers asking for exemption from appearing.
While Mr Kejriwal said he and the other AAP leaders were out campaigning in Punjab, where assembly elections will be held this week, Mr Jaitley had informed the court that he was busy with meetings and could not appear today.
Mr Kejriwal's lawyer Rishikesh Kumar, said, "We will challenge the dismissal of our petition in the High court as we believe that it is the right of the persons who have been accused to be heard before declining on framing of notice or charges."
Last year, both the Delhi High Court and then the Supreme Court had dismissed Mr Kejriwal's request that the Finance Minister's criminal defamation case against him be suspended.
5 Soldiers Rescued From Under Snow In Jammu and Kashmir's Macchil Die
-
The five soldiers who were rescued after being trapped in snow on Saturday in Jammu and Kashmir's Macchil sector, have died. The soldiers had got buried in snow after a track leading to their post had caved in. They had been taken to a hospital in Srinagar, where they were receiving medical care.
The soldiers from the 56 Rashtriya Rifles were on routine counter insurgency duties when the accident took place, sources said.
Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed heavy snow last week and authorities had issued warning about snow-related accidents and avalanches. Power and communication lines were cut in some areas. A large number of people were evacuated from the high-risk areas after the warning by the authorities.
Four avalanches had hit the Gurez sector and Sonmarg on Wednesday, killing 15 soldiers and five civilians.
Two of the avalanches had hit a military post and a patrol along the Line of Control in Gurez. Despite the hostile weather, the army rescuers had managed to take six of the soldiers to safety. The bodies of three soldiers were recovered. Another avalanche in the morning had killed a family of four in the same area.
In Sonmarg, an army officer died after being buried in snow during an avalanche the same morning. A 60-year-old man died after he was buried in snow during an avalanche in Uri sector of Kashmir's Baramulla district. Though he was rescued and taken to a hospital, he did not survive.
In 2012, a massive avalanche in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir killed 140 people.
The soldiers from the 56 Rashtriya Rifles were on routine counter insurgency duties when the accident took place, sources said.
Four avalanches had hit the Gurez sector and Sonmarg on Wednesday, killing 15 soldiers and five civilians.
Two of the avalanches had hit a military post and a patrol along the Line of Control in Gurez. Despite the hostile weather, the army rescuers had managed to take six of the soldiers to safety. The bodies of three soldiers were recovered. Another avalanche in the morning had killed a family of four in the same area.
In Sonmarg, an army officer died after being buried in snow during an avalanche the same morning. A 60-year-old man died after he was buried in snow during an avalanche in Uri sector of Kashmir's Baramulla district. Though he was rescued and taken to a hospital, he did not survive.
In 2012, a massive avalanche in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir killed 140 people.
Ex-PM Manmohan Singh Helped Vijay Mallya, Alleges BJP
-
Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh helped tycoon Vijay Mallya get loans, the BJP alleged today, citing letters that have been reported in the media.
The BJP cited a report that said the UPA government facilitated loans to Mr Mallya after he allegedly wrote to Manmohan Singh and former Finance Minister P Chidambaram in 2011 and 2013.
The letters allegedly requested that loans to Mr Mallya's defunct Kingfisher Airlines from a consortium of banks be speeded up.
"From where did Vijay Mallya procure such funds? Was sinking ship (Congress) helping sinking airline (Kingfisher)" questioned BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra.
Mr Patra said even though the loans were not repaid, Mr Mallya was granted loans again and again.
Mr Mallya moved to Britain in March last year in the middle of efforts by a group of banks to recover nearly 9,000 crores in unpaid loans to Kingfisher airlines.
Indian agencies have since made several attempts to bring back the businessman, who faces warrants in courts. Mr Mallya has said he is living in "forced exile".
The BJP cited a report that said the UPA government facilitated loans to Mr Mallya after he allegedly wrote to Manmohan Singh and former Finance Minister P Chidambaram in 2011 and 2013.
The letters allegedly requested that loans to Mr Mallya's defunct Kingfisher Airlines from a consortium of banks be speeded up.
Mr Patra said even though the loans were not repaid, Mr Mallya was granted loans again and again.
Mr Mallya moved to Britain in March last year in the middle of efforts by a group of banks to recover nearly 9,000 crores in unpaid loans to Kingfisher airlines.
Indian agencies have since made several attempts to bring back the businessman, who faces warrants in courts. Mr Mallya has said he is living in "forced exile".
SAARC Member States To Meet In Nepal This Week
-
Senior officials of the eight member states of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) will meet in Kathmandu this week to attend the Programming Committee.
This will be the first meeting of the SAARC member countries since the postponement of the 19th SAARC summit in Islamabad last November, officials said on Sunday.
During the meeting, SAARC member states will discuss a number of issues including the budget of the SAARC Secretariat and five regional centers of SAARC, Xinhua news agency quoted officials of the Nepalese Ministry of Foreign Affairs as saying.
Nepal, current chair of the SAARC, had decided to postpone the SAARC Summit until further notice after four nations Afghanistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh and India decided to boycott the summit in Islamabad scheduled for November 9 and 10 last year.
India and three other nations had blamed Pakistan for not creating a conducive environment and not cooperating on combating cross-border terrorism in South Asia for holding the SAARC Summit, while Pakistan vehemently denied the charges.
SAARC is a regional body founded in 1985 in South Asia, comprising Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
This will be the first meeting of the SAARC member countries since the postponement of the 19th SAARC summit in Islamabad last November, officials said on Sunday.
During the meeting, SAARC member states will discuss a number of issues including the budget of the SAARC Secretariat and five regional centers of SAARC, Xinhua news agency quoted officials of the Nepalese Ministry of Foreign Affairs as saying.
Nepal, current chair of the SAARC, had decided to postpone the SAARC Summit until further notice after four nations Afghanistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh and India decided to boycott the summit in Islamabad scheduled for November 9 and 10 last year.
India and three other nations had blamed Pakistan for not creating a conducive environment and not cooperating on combating cross-border terrorism in South Asia for holding the SAARC Summit, while Pakistan vehemently denied the charges.
SAARC is a regional body founded in 1985 in South Asia, comprising Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Business Affairs
RBI removes ATM withdrawal limit for current accounts from Feb 1
-
Reserve Bank on Monday reversed its decision enforcing limits on cash withdrawals from bank accounts and ATMs. The limit on cash withdrawals were brought in by the RBI after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced demonetisation on November 8, 2016.
In a notification on Monday, the central bank said after a review of the pace of remonetisation, it has been decided to partially restore status quo ante as under:
- Limits placed vide the circulars cited above on cash withdrawals from Current accounts/ Cash credit accounts/ Overdraft accounts stand withdrawn with immediate effect.
- The limits on Savings Bank accounts will continue for the present and are under consideration for withdrawal in the near future.
- Limits vide the circulars cited above placed on cash withdrawals from ATMs stand withdrawn from February 01, 2017. However, banks may, at their discretion, have their own operating limits as was the case before November 8, 2016, subject to 2 (ii) above.
"Further, banks are urged to encourage their constituents to sustain the movement towards digitisation of payments and switching over of payments from cash mode to non-cash mode," RBI added.
Reserve Bank on Monday reversed its decision enforcing limits on cash withdrawals from bank accounts and ATMs. The limit on cash withdrawals were brought in by the RBI after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced demonetisation on November 8, 2016.
In a notification on Monday, the central bank said after a review of the pace of remonetisation, it has been decided to partially restore status quo ante as under:
- Limits placed vide the circulars cited above on cash withdrawals from Current accounts/ Cash credit accounts/ Overdraft accounts stand withdrawn with immediate effect.
- The limits on Savings Bank accounts will continue for the present and are under consideration for withdrawal in the near future.
- Limits vide the circulars cited above placed on cash withdrawals from ATMs stand withdrawn from February 01, 2017. However, banks may, at their discretion, have their own operating limits as was the case before November 8, 2016, subject to 2 (ii) above.
"Further, banks are urged to encourage their constituents to sustain the movement towards digitisation of payments and switching over of payments from cash mode to non-cash mode," RBI added.
Govt readies budget to soothe voters after cash crunch
-
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will present the most challenging budget of his tenure on Wednesday, as he seeks to appease voters still hurting from the radical monetary shock therapy that his government has administered.
The 2017/18 budget comes less than three months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's bold and risky gamble to outlaw high-value old currency bills, which has slammed the brakes on Asia's third-largest economy and hit the poor particularly hard.
According to one survey, a third of people say their incomes have fallen, with nearly a tenth saying they are much worse off.
Judging how quickly the economy will recover is a tough call, making Jaitley's revenue projections a shot in the dark.
A delay in the launch of a new national sales tax has added to the uncertainty. The Goods and Services tax (GST) is expected to improve tax compliance and check evasion, but the union and state governments have yet to work out its details.
Officials say his fourth budget will likely offer modest tax concessions and ramp up spending to ease the pain caused by Modi's decision in November to scrap 86 percent of the currency in circulation in a bid to purge the cash-reliant economy of illicit "black money" and expose untaxed wealth.
Paying for those giveaways may require Jaitley to slow the pace of fiscal tightening, officials told Reuters.
As well as buoying consumer spending, which contributes nearly 60 percent to gross domestic product, sops to voters could also shore up the fortunes of Modi's nationalist party in five regional elections for which voting begins on Saturday.
The electoral outcome, particularly in the battleground state of Uttar Pradesh that is home to one in every six Indians, is being viewed by analysts as a mid-term "referendum" on Modi.
If voters deliver a negative verdict on his cash clampdown, his chances of winning a second term in 2019 as prime minister would suffer.
Yet even though the cash crunch has inflicted the most pain on the poor, Modi has said in his campaign speeches it would punish the venal rich. Bad economics may be good politics, say some analysts.
"Indian politics is determined by intangible factors of voter perception and not necessarily just the tangible economic numbers," said Shailesh Kumar, a senior analyst with Eurasia Group.
"For the Indian voter, demonetisation signals that Modi is trying, and is perhaps the only one doing something to address corruption."
DEBT-FUELLED SPENDING
Private economists expect Jaitley to plan a union fiscal deficit of 3.3-3.4 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) for 2017/18.
That is higher than the 3 percent pledged earlier but lower than 3.5 percent that the government has budgeted for the current year to the end of March.
That would create space to invest an extra $6 billion, but would be anathema to ratings agencies concerned that India's high national debt exposes it to shocks, such as a possible spike in oil prices.
Federal revenues are expected to increase as a share of GDP by 0.5 percent in the current fiscal year, thanks to incremental hikes in fuel duties.
Ahead of the GST's expected launch from July 1, Jaitley may increase the service tax rate to bring it into line with the proposed standard rate under the new tax regime.
An income tax amnesty scheme launched after Modi's banknote ban is also likely to lift receipts, but officials are reluctant to say by how much. Similarly, expansion in the formal economy following demonetisation should widen the tax base.
"The new (financial) year is likely to be a year of direct tax buoyancy," said Pranjul Bhandari, chief India economist at HSBC.
India, meanwhile, risks losing its status as the world's fastest-growing big economy to China. The International Monetary Fund this month cut its 2016/17 forecast by one percentage point to 6.6 percent.
India's automobile sales saw their biggest monthly fall in 16 years in December, the first full calendar month after the note ban. Sales took the biggest hit in rural areas where cash transactions predominate.
CMIE, an economic think tank, fears a failure to revive consumer demand will leave growth languishing at about 6 percent over the next five years, a marked slowdown from an average rate of 7.1 percent in the past three years.
"Government (spending) has a smaller role and can contain the damage only partially," said Mahesh Vyas, chief executive officer at CMIE.
The 2017/18 budget comes less than three months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's bold and risky gamble to outlaw high-value old currency bills, which has slammed the brakes on Asia's third-largest economy and hit the poor particularly hard.
According to one survey, a third of people say their incomes have fallen, with nearly a tenth saying they are much worse off.
Judging how quickly the economy will recover is a tough call, making Jaitley's revenue projections a shot in the dark.
A delay in the launch of a new national sales tax has added to the uncertainty. The Goods and Services tax (GST) is expected to improve tax compliance and check evasion, but the union and state governments have yet to work out its details.
Officials say his fourth budget will likely offer modest tax concessions and ramp up spending to ease the pain caused by Modi's decision in November to scrap 86 percent of the currency in circulation in a bid to purge the cash-reliant economy of illicit "black money" and expose untaxed wealth.
Paying for those giveaways may require Jaitley to slow the pace of fiscal tightening, officials told Reuters.
As well as buoying consumer spending, which contributes nearly 60 percent to gross domestic product, sops to voters could also shore up the fortunes of Modi's nationalist party in five regional elections for which voting begins on Saturday.
The electoral outcome, particularly in the battleground state of Uttar Pradesh that is home to one in every six Indians, is being viewed by analysts as a mid-term "referendum" on Modi.
If voters deliver a negative verdict on his cash clampdown, his chances of winning a second term in 2019 as prime minister would suffer.
Yet even though the cash crunch has inflicted the most pain on the poor, Modi has said in his campaign speeches it would punish the venal rich. Bad economics may be good politics, say some analysts.
"Indian politics is determined by intangible factors of voter perception and not necessarily just the tangible economic numbers," said Shailesh Kumar, a senior analyst with Eurasia Group.
"For the Indian voter, demonetisation signals that Modi is trying, and is perhaps the only one doing something to address corruption."
DEBT-FUELLED SPENDING
Private economists expect Jaitley to plan a union fiscal deficit of 3.3-3.4 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) for 2017/18.
That is higher than the 3 percent pledged earlier but lower than 3.5 percent that the government has budgeted for the current year to the end of March.
That would create space to invest an extra $6 billion, but would be anathema to ratings agencies concerned that India's high national debt exposes it to shocks, such as a possible spike in oil prices.
Federal revenues are expected to increase as a share of GDP by 0.5 percent in the current fiscal year, thanks to incremental hikes in fuel duties.
Ahead of the GST's expected launch from July 1, Jaitley may increase the service tax rate to bring it into line with the proposed standard rate under the new tax regime.
An income tax amnesty scheme launched after Modi's banknote ban is also likely to lift receipts, but officials are reluctant to say by how much. Similarly, expansion in the formal economy following demonetisation should widen the tax base.
"The new (financial) year is likely to be a year of direct tax buoyancy," said Pranjul Bhandari, chief India economist at HSBC.
India, meanwhile, risks losing its status as the world's fastest-growing big economy to China. The International Monetary Fund this month cut its 2016/17 forecast by one percentage point to 6.6 percent.
India's automobile sales saw their biggest monthly fall in 16 years in December, the first full calendar month after the note ban. Sales took the biggest hit in rural areas where cash transactions predominate.
CMIE, an economic think tank, fears a failure to revive consumer demand will leave growth languishing at about 6 percent over the next five years, a marked slowdown from an average rate of 7.1 percent in the past three years.
"Government (spending) has a smaller role and can contain the damage only partially," said Mahesh Vyas, chief executive officer at CMIE.
Sensex, Nifty fall amid mixed global cues
-
The benchmark indices opened on a flat note on the back of cautious investors anticipating Donald Trump's protectionist policies.
On a domestic front, investors kept low awaiting the Union Budget later this week and key earnings report later in the day.
At 9.45 AM, The S&P BSE Sensex was trading 27,826, down 55.91 points while the Nifty50 was trading 8,622, down 18.70 points.
"The ongoing uptrend in the indices could continue further towards 8737 and 8820 in near term. However, citing the 'Union Budget 2017-2018' which is scheduled to be announced on 1st February, there could be increased volatility during the forthcoming week. Hence, traders are advised to trade with proper risk management strategies on their trading positions," said an Angel Broking report.
L&T gained 1 per cent after the company reported a 38.86 per cent rise in consolidated net profit at Rs 972.47 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2016 against Rs 700.34 crore reported for the corresponding quarter last year.
Among the top performers on the BSE Sensex were Airtel and Sun pharma gaining 4.42 per cent and 2.06 per cent respectively.
However, BSE IT sector index fell 0.5 per cent after Donald Trump's immigration ban order as IT firms remained uncertain on how this will affect the H1B visa norms.
Infosys, TCS, Wipro fell over 1 per cent each, becoming the biggest laggards on BSE Sensex.
Budget
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is likely to hike service tax rate to 16-18 per cent from the current 15 per cent in the Budget as a forerunner to GST rollout later this year
The move, that will make air travel, restaurant bills, phone bills and other services expensive.
Global Markets
Among the Asian stock markets, China's Shanghai Composite Index was trading flat, up 9 points, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index fell 13 points while Japan's Nikkei slid 0.5 per cent early on Monday.
Wall Street ended on a mixed note on Friday after the initial fourth-quarter GDP read fell short of estimates, but managed to record weekly gains of around 1%. The Dow Jones slipped 10 points but held above 20,000-mark.
The benchmark indices opened on a flat note on the back of cautious investors anticipating Donald Trump's protectionist policies.
On a domestic front, investors kept low awaiting the Union Budget later this week and key earnings report later in the day.
At 9.45 AM, The S&P BSE Sensex was trading 27,826, down 55.91 points while the Nifty50 was trading 8,622, down 18.70 points.
"The ongoing uptrend in the indices could continue further towards 8737 and 8820 in near term. However, citing the 'Union Budget 2017-2018' which is scheduled to be announced on 1st February, there could be increased volatility during the forthcoming week. Hence, traders are advised to trade with proper risk management strategies on their trading positions," said an Angel Broking report.
L&T gained 1 per cent after the company reported a 38.86 per cent rise in consolidated net profit at Rs 972.47 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2016 against Rs 700.34 crore reported for the corresponding quarter last year.
Among the top performers on the BSE Sensex were Airtel and Sun pharma gaining 4.42 per cent and 2.06 per cent respectively.
However, BSE IT sector index fell 0.5 per cent after Donald Trump's immigration ban order as IT firms remained uncertain on how this will affect the H1B visa norms.
Infosys, TCS, Wipro fell over 1 per cent each, becoming the biggest laggards on BSE Sensex.
Budget
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is likely to hike service tax rate to 16-18 per cent from the current 15 per cent in the Budget as a forerunner to GST rollout later this year
The move, that will make air travel, restaurant bills, phone bills and other services expensive.
Global Markets
Among the Asian stock markets, China's Shanghai Composite Index was trading flat, up 9 points, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index fell 13 points while Japan's Nikkei slid 0.5 per cent early on Monday.
Wall Street ended on a mixed note on Friday after the initial fourth-quarter GDP read fell short of estimates, but managed to record weekly gains of around 1%. The Dow Jones slipped 10 points but held above 20,000-mark.
Among the Asian stock markets, China's Shanghai Composite Index was trading flat, up 9 points, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index fell 13 points while Japan's Nikkei slid 0.5 per cent early on Monday.
Wall Street ended on a mixed note on Friday after the initial fourth-quarter GDP read fell short of estimates, but managed to record weekly gains of around 1%. The Dow Jones slipped 10 points but held above 20,000-mark.
Demonetisation after-effect: Business expectation index declines during Q3
-
The Business Expectations Index (BEI), released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), indicated a decline in business sentiments in the December 2016 quarter to 101.1 from 102.7, in the second quarter of 2016-17.
The business sentiments of the Indian manufacturing sector, as inferred from the BEI, deteriorated for the second successive quarter. It is evident that demonetisation played a significant role in causing a decline in the sentiments.
The survey indicated slight moderation in the sentiments in demand condition for the second successive quarter. In respect of several parameters like order books, capacity utilisation and imports, the level of optimism was lower during the quarter-ended December 2016 than the preceding quarter. Other components of the index including employment, salary and financial situation saw a moderation in sentiments.
Sentiments on cost of raw material and cost of finance saw a reduction in pessimism. With slight increase in selling price, the profit margin was perceived to have declined further. On the other hand, respondents were more optimistic about the export performance while the optimism on production remained unchanged.
RBI calculates BEI by using weighted net responses of participants of its Industrial Outlook Survey on nine indicators. The survey provides qualitative assessment of business situation of companies in the manufacturing sector.
It also evaluates the expectations of companies for the succeeding quarter. As per the latest round of the survey, i.e. the 76th round, the outlook on business sentiments in the expectations period (January-March 2017) indicated a pattern similar to the one during quarter-ended December 2016. Outlook for order books and production deteriorated. However, optimism was expressed in pending orders, exports and cost of finance. However, pressure from rise in cost of raw material is expected to result in deterioration of the profit margin.
The Business Expectations Index (BEI), released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), indicated a decline in business sentiments in the December 2016 quarter to 101.1 from 102.7, in the second quarter of 2016-17.
The business sentiments of the Indian manufacturing sector, as inferred from the BEI, deteriorated for the second successive quarter. It is evident that demonetisation played a significant role in causing a decline in the sentiments.
The survey indicated slight moderation in the sentiments in demand condition for the second successive quarter. In respect of several parameters like order books, capacity utilisation and imports, the level of optimism was lower during the quarter-ended December 2016 than the preceding quarter. Other components of the index including employment, salary and financial situation saw a moderation in sentiments.
Sentiments on cost of raw material and cost of finance saw a reduction in pessimism. With slight increase in selling price, the profit margin was perceived to have declined further. On the other hand, respondents were more optimistic about the export performance while the optimism on production remained unchanged.
RBI calculates BEI by using weighted net responses of participants of its Industrial Outlook Survey on nine indicators. The survey provides qualitative assessment of business situation of companies in the manufacturing sector.
It also evaluates the expectations of companies for the succeeding quarter. As per the latest round of the survey, i.e. the 76th round, the outlook on business sentiments in the expectations period (January-March 2017) indicated a pattern similar to the one during quarter-ended December 2016. Outlook for order books and production deteriorated. However, optimism was expressed in pending orders, exports and cost of finance. However, pressure from rise in cost of raw material is expected to result in deterioration of the profit margin.
Silicon Valley puts money and muscle into fighting Trump immigrant curbs
-
Silicon Valley took the lead over the weekend in corporate resistance to President Donald Trump's clampdown on immigration, financing legal opposition, criticizing the plan, as well as helping employees ensnared by his executive order.
In an industry that has long depended on immigrants and celebrated their contributions - as well as championing liberal causes such as gay rights - there was little initial consensus on exactly how to respond to Trump's move on Friday.
But, while most in the tech industry stopped short of directly criticizing the new Republican president, they went much further than their counterparts in other sectors, who were mostly silent over the weekend. Most of the major U.S. banks and auto companies, for example, declined to comment in response to Reuters inquiries.
Trump ordered a temporary ban on travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries and a 120-day halt to refugee resettlement. The action triggered a global backlash, and sowed confusion and anger after immigrants, refugees and visitors were kept off flights and left stranded in airports.
Bigger companies such as Apple Inc, Google and Microsoft Corp offered legal aid to employees affected by the order, according to letters sent to staff. Several Silicon Valley executives donated to legal efforts to support immigrants facing the ban.
And Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk and Uber head Travis Kalanick both said on Twitter that they would take industry concerns about immigration to Trump's business advisory council, where they serve.
Kalanick has faced opposition on social media for agreeing to be part of the advisory group. Kalanick in a Facebook post on Sunday called the immigration ban "wrong and unjust" and said that Uber would create a $3 million fund to help drivers with immigration issues.
Among those affected by the ban was Khash Sajadi, the British-Iranian chief executive of San Francisco-based tech company Cloud 66, who was stuck in London. Like many tech workers, he holds an H1B visa, which enables foreigners with special expertise to work for U.S. companies.
Sajadi said he hoped big tech companies such as Google and Facebook would take legal action to protect affected employees. That could help set a precedent for people in similar situations - but at smaller companies.
"Ultimately, I think them simply speaking up is not going to move the needle with people" who are not wealthy and do not live on the East or West Coasts, he said.
'TECH AGAINST TRUMP' PROTEST
The response from tech companies has been "as forceful as it possibly can be," said Eric Talley, a corporate law professor at Columbia Law School.
"One of the difficult aspects of reaction to the Trump administration in its first couple of weeks is trying to balance the interest of expressing legitimate concern ... against the potential cost of being out too far ahead of everyone else," he said.
The tech industry also has other issues where it may find itself opposed to Trump, including trade policy and cyber security.
The president of Mountain View, California-based startup incubator Y Combinator, Sam Altman, wrote a widely read blog post urging tech leaders to band together against the immigration order. He said he has spoken with a variety of people about organizing but remains unsure about the best course of action.
"The honest answer is we don't know yet," he said. "We are talking with legal groups and tech groups, but this is so unprecedented that I don't think anyone has a manual."
At Lyft, co-founders John Zimmer and Logan Green pledged on the company's blog to donate a million dollars over the next four years to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which won a temporary stay of part of Trump's executive order on Saturday night.
Slack collaboration service co-founder Stewart Butterfield and Union Square Ventures partners Albert Wenger and Fred Wilson promised to match contributions to the ACLU.
Michael Dearing, founder of venture capital firm Harrison Metal, started an effort called Project ELLIS, short for Entrepreneurs' Liberty Link in Silicon Valley, to help startups and smaller tech companies with immigration issues. "ELLIS" is a also a reference to New York Harbor's Ellis Island, where millions of immigrants arrived.
In less than a day, the group has handled two cases, he said.
Dearing said the idea was to "get people in touch quickly with the ... resources they would have access to if they were in a Google or an Apple or a Microsoft."
Dave McClure, the founding partner of 500 Startups and an outspoken critic of Trump, said his venture capital firm will soon open its first fund in the Middle East and will shift its attention to supporting entrepreneurs in their native countries, if bringing them to the United States proves impossible.
"Investing in entrepreneurs in other countries is probably one of the best things we can do to promote international awareness and understanding," he said.
Rank-and-file employees were already prodding executives to go further over the weekend.
Shortly after learning of Trump's order, Brad Taylor, a 37-year-old engineer for web analytics firm Optimizely, began organizing "Tech Against Trump," a protest scheduled to take place on March 14.
In addition to holding a rally in Palo Alto, California, organizers of the event were urging tech workers at companies that have remained silent on Trump to walk out of their offices.
Taylor said he was heartened by tech leaders' statements over the weekend but wants to see the industry go further.
"The purpose of this is not to be against tech, but to urge them to be on the right side of history," he said.
Silicon Valley took the lead over the weekend in corporate resistance to President Donald Trump's clampdown on immigration, financing legal opposition, criticizing the plan, as well as helping employees ensnared by his executive order.
In an industry that has long depended on immigrants and celebrated their contributions - as well as championing liberal causes such as gay rights - there was little initial consensus on exactly how to respond to Trump's move on Friday.
But, while most in the tech industry stopped short of directly criticizing the new Republican president, they went much further than their counterparts in other sectors, who were mostly silent over the weekend. Most of the major U.S. banks and auto companies, for example, declined to comment in response to Reuters inquiries.
Trump ordered a temporary ban on travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries and a 120-day halt to refugee resettlement. The action triggered a global backlash, and sowed confusion and anger after immigrants, refugees and visitors were kept off flights and left stranded in airports.
Bigger companies such as Apple Inc, Google and Microsoft Corp offered legal aid to employees affected by the order, according to letters sent to staff. Several Silicon Valley executives donated to legal efforts to support immigrants facing the ban.
And Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk and Uber head Travis Kalanick both said on Twitter that they would take industry concerns about immigration to Trump's business advisory council, where they serve.
Kalanick has faced opposition on social media for agreeing to be part of the advisory group. Kalanick in a Facebook post on Sunday called the immigration ban "wrong and unjust" and said that Uber would create a $3 million fund to help drivers with immigration issues.
Among those affected by the ban was Khash Sajadi, the British-Iranian chief executive of San Francisco-based tech company Cloud 66, who was stuck in London. Like many tech workers, he holds an H1B visa, which enables foreigners with special expertise to work for U.S. companies.
Sajadi said he hoped big tech companies such as Google and Facebook would take legal action to protect affected employees. That could help set a precedent for people in similar situations - but at smaller companies.
"Ultimately, I think them simply speaking up is not going to move the needle with people" who are not wealthy and do not live on the East or West Coasts, he said.
'TECH AGAINST TRUMP' PROTEST
The response from tech companies has been "as forceful as it possibly can be," said Eric Talley, a corporate law professor at Columbia Law School.
"One of the difficult aspects of reaction to the Trump administration in its first couple of weeks is trying to balance the interest of expressing legitimate concern ... against the potential cost of being out too far ahead of everyone else," he said.
The tech industry also has other issues where it may find itself opposed to Trump, including trade policy and cyber security.
The president of Mountain View, California-based startup incubator Y Combinator, Sam Altman, wrote a widely read blog post urging tech leaders to band together against the immigration order. He said he has spoken with a variety of people about organizing but remains unsure about the best course of action.
"The honest answer is we don't know yet," he said. "We are talking with legal groups and tech groups, but this is so unprecedented that I don't think anyone has a manual."
At Lyft, co-founders John Zimmer and Logan Green pledged on the company's blog to donate a million dollars over the next four years to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which won a temporary stay of part of Trump's executive order on Saturday night.
Slack collaboration service co-founder Stewart Butterfield and Union Square Ventures partners Albert Wenger and Fred Wilson promised to match contributions to the ACLU.
Michael Dearing, founder of venture capital firm Harrison Metal, started an effort called Project ELLIS, short for Entrepreneurs' Liberty Link in Silicon Valley, to help startups and smaller tech companies with immigration issues. "ELLIS" is a also a reference to New York Harbor's Ellis Island, where millions of immigrants arrived.
In less than a day, the group has handled two cases, he said.
Dearing said the idea was to "get people in touch quickly with the ... resources they would have access to if they were in a Google or an Apple or a Microsoft."
Dave McClure, the founding partner of 500 Startups and an outspoken critic of Trump, said his venture capital firm will soon open its first fund in the Middle East and will shift its attention to supporting entrepreneurs in their native countries, if bringing them to the United States proves impossible.
"Investing in entrepreneurs in other countries is probably one of the best things we can do to promote international awareness and understanding," he said.
Rank-and-file employees were already prodding executives to go further over the weekend.
Shortly after learning of Trump's order, Brad Taylor, a 37-year-old engineer for web analytics firm Optimizely, began organizing "Tech Against Trump," a protest scheduled to take place on March 14.
In addition to holding a rally in Palo Alto, California, organizers of the event were urging tech workers at companies that have remained silent on Trump to walk out of their offices.
Taylor said he was heartened by tech leaders' statements over the weekend but wants to see the industry go further.
"The purpose of this is not to be against tech, but to urge them to be on the right side of history," he said.
General Awareness
Padma Awards 2017
-
Padma Awards - one of the highest civilian Awards of the country, are conferred in three categories, namely, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. The Awards are given in various disciplines/ fields of activities, viz.- art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, civil service, etc. ‘Padma Vibhushan’ is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service; ‘Padma Bhushan’ for distinguished service of high order and ‘Padma Shri’ for distinguished service in any field. The awards are announced on the occasion of Republic Day every year.
These awards are conferred by the President of India at ceremonial functions which are held at Rashtrapati Bhawan usually around March/ April every year. This year the President of India has approved conferment of Padma Awards to 89 persons as per the list below. The list comprises of 7 Padma Vibhushan, 7 Padma Bhushan and 75 Padma Shri Awardees. 19 of the awardees are women and the list also includes 5 persons from the category of foreigners, NRIs, PIOs and 6 Posthumous awardees.
PADMA VIBHUSHAN
Sl. No
Name
Field
State
1.
Shri K J Yesudas
Art-Music
Kerala
2.
Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev
Others-Spiritualism
Tamil Nadu
3.
Shri Sharad Pawar
Public Affairs
Maharashtra
4.
Shri Murli Manohar Joshi
Public Affairs
Uttar Pradesh
5.
Prof. Udipi Ramachandra Rao
Science & Engineering
Karnataka
6.
Late Shri Sunder Lal Patwa (Posthumous)
Public Affairs
Madhya Pradesh
7.
Late Shri PA Sangma
(Posthumous)
Public Affairs
Meghalaya
Padma Bhushan
Sl. No.
Name
Field
State
8.
Shri Vishwa Mohan Bhatt
Art-Music
Rajasthan
9.
Prof. (Dr.) Devi Prasad Dwivedi
Literature & Education
Uttar Pradesh
10.
Shri Tehemton Udwadia
Medicine
Maharashtra
11.
Shri Ratna Sundar Maharaj
Others-Spiritualism
Gujarat
12.
Swami Niranjana Nanda Saraswati
Others-Yoga
Bihar
13.
H.R.H. Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn (Foreigner)
Literature & Education
Thailand
14.
Late Shri Cho Ramaswamy (Posthumous)
Literature & Education –Journalism
Tamil Nadu
Padma Shri
Sl. No
Name
Field
State
15.
Smt. Basanti Bisht
Art-Music
Uttarakhand
16.
Shri Chemanchery Kunhiraman Nair
Art-Dance
Kerala
17.
Smt. Aruna Mohanty
Art-Dance
Odisha
18.
Smt. Bharathi Vishnuvardhan
Art-Cinema
Karnataka
19.
Shri Sadhu Meher
Art-Cinema
Odisha
20.
Shri T K Murthy
Art-Music
Tamil Nadu
21.
Shri Laishram Birendrakumar Singh
Art-Music
Manipur
22.
Shri Krishna Ram Chaudhary
Art-Music
Uttar Pradesh
23.
Smt. Baoa Devi
Art-Painting
Bihar
24.
Shri Tilak Gitai
Art-Painting
Rajasthan
25.
Dr. Prof. Aekka Yadagiri Rao
Art-Sculpture
Telangana
26.
Shri Jitendra Haripal
Art-Music
Odisha
27.
Shri Kailash Kher
Art-Music
Maharashtra
28.
Smt. Parassala B Ponnammal
Art-Music
Kerala
29.
Smt. Sukri Bommagowda
Art-Music
Karnataka
30.
Shri Mukund Nayak
Art-Music
Jharkhand
31.
Shri Purushottam Upadhyay
Art-Music
Gujarat
32.
Smt. Anuradha Paudwal
Art-Music
Maharashtra
33.
Shri Wareppa Naba Nil
Art-Theatre
Manipur
34.
Shri Tripuraneni Hanuman Chowdary
Civil Service
Telangana
35.
Shri T.K. Viswanathan
Civil Service
Haryana
36.
Shri Kanwal Sibal
Civil Service
Delhi
37.
Shri Birkha Bahadur Limboo Muringla
Literature & Education
Sikkim
38.
Smt. Eli Ahmed
Literature & Education
Assam
39.
Dr. Narendra Kohli
Literature & Education
Delhi
40.
Prof. G. Venkatasubbiah
Literature & Education
Karnataka
41.
Shri Akkitham Achyuthan Namboothiri
Literature & Education
Kerala
42.
Shri Kashi Nath Pandita
Literature & Education
Jammu & Kashmir
43.
Shri Chamu Krishna Shastry
Literature & Education
Delhi
44.
Shri Harihar Kripalu Tripathi
Literature & Education
Uttar Pradesh
45.
Shri Michel Danino
Literature & Education
Tamil Nadu
46.
Shri Punam Suri
Literature & Education
Delhi
47.
Shri VG Patel
Literature & Education
Gujarat
48.
Smt. V Koteswaramma
Literature & Education
Andhra Pradesh
49.
Shri Balbir Dutt
Literature & Education-Journalism
Jharkhand
50.
Smt. Bhawana Somaaya
Literature & Education-Journalism
Maharashtra
51.
Shri Vishnu Pandya
Literature & Education-Journalism
Gujarat
52.
Dr. Subroto Das
Medicine
Gujarat
53.
Dr. (Smt.) Bhakti Yadav
Medicine
Madhya Pradesh
54.
Dr. Mohammed Abdul Waheed
Medicine
Telangana
55.
Dr. Madan Madhav Godbole
Medicine
Uttar Pradesh
56.
Dr. Devendra Dayabhai Patel
Medicine
Gujarat
57.
Prof. Harkishan Singh
Medicine
Chandigarh
58.
Dr. Mukut Minz
Medicine
Chandigarh
59.
Shri Arun Kumar Sharma
Others-Archaeology
Chhattisgarh
60.
Shri Sanjeev Kapoor
Others-Culinary
Maharashtra
61.
Smt. Meenakshi Amma
Others-Martial Art
Kerala
62.
Shri Genabhai Dargabhai Patel
Others-Agriculture
Gujarat
63.
Shri Chandrakant Pithawa
Science & Engineering
Telangana
64.
Prof. Ajoy Kumar Ray
Science & Engineering
West Bengal
65.
Shri Chintakindi Mallesham
Science & Engineering
Andhra Pradesh
66.
Shri Jitendra Nath Goswami
Science & Engineering
Assam
67.
Shri Daripalli Ramaiah
Social Work
Telangana
68.
Shri Girish Bhardwaj
Social Work
Karnataka
69.
Shri Karimul Hak
Social Work
West Bengal
70.
Shri Bipin Ganatra
Social Work
West Bengal
71.
Smt. Nivedita Raghunath Bhide
Social work
Tamil Nadu
72.
Shri Appasaheb Dharmadhikari
Social Work
Maharashtra
73.
Baba Balbir Singh Seechewal
Social Work
Punjab
74.
Shri Virat Kohli
Sports-Cricket
Delhi
75.
Shri Shekar Naik
Sports-Cricket
Karnataka
76.
Shri Vikasa Gowda
Sports-Discus Throw
Karnataka
77.
Smt. Deepa Malik
Sports-Athletics
Haryana
78.
Shri Mariyappan Thangavelu
Sports-Athletics
Tamil Nadu
79.
Smt. Dipa Karmakar
Sports-Gymnastics
Tripura
80.
Shri P R Shreejesh
Sports-Hockey
Kerala
81.
Smt. Sakshi Malik
Sports-Wrestling
Haryana
82.
Shri Mohan Reddy Venkatrama Bodanapu
Trade & Industry
Telangana
83.
Shri Imrat Khan
(NRI/PIO)
Art-Music
USA
84.
Shri Anant Agarwal
(NRI/PIO)
Literature & Education
USA
85.
Shri H.R. Shah
(NRI/PIO)
Literature & Education-Journalism
USA
86.
Late (Smt.) Suniti Solomon
(Posthumous)
Medicine
Tamil Nadu
87.
Shri Asoke Kumar Bhattacharyya
(Posthumous)
Others-Archaeology
West Bengal
88.
Dr. Mapuskar
(Posthumous)
Social Work
Maharashtra
89.
Smt. Anuradha Koirala (Foreigner)
Social Work
Nepal
Padma Awards - one of the highest civilian Awards of the country, are conferred in three categories, namely, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. The Awards are given in various disciplines/ fields of activities, viz.- art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, civil service, etc. ‘Padma Vibhushan’ is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service; ‘Padma Bhushan’ for distinguished service of high order and ‘Padma Shri’ for distinguished service in any field. The awards are announced on the occasion of Republic Day every year.
These awards are conferred by the President of India at ceremonial functions which are held at Rashtrapati Bhawan usually around March/ April every year. This year the President of India has approved conferment of Padma Awards to 89 persons as per the list below. The list comprises of 7 Padma Vibhushan, 7 Padma Bhushan and 75 Padma Shri Awardees. 19 of the awardees are women and the list also includes 5 persons from the category of foreigners, NRIs, PIOs and 6 Posthumous awardees.
PADMA VIBHUSHAN
Sl. No
|
Name
|
Field
|
State
|
1.
|
Shri K J Yesudas
|
Art-Music
|
Kerala
|
2.
|
Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev
|
Others-Spiritualism
|
Tamil Nadu
|
3.
|
Shri Sharad Pawar
|
Public Affairs
|
Maharashtra
|
4.
|
Shri Murli Manohar Joshi
|
Public Affairs
|
Uttar Pradesh
|
5.
|
Prof. Udipi Ramachandra Rao
|
Science & Engineering
|
Karnataka
|
6.
|
Late Shri Sunder Lal Patwa (Posthumous)
|
Public Affairs
|
Madhya Pradesh
|
7.
|
Late Shri PA Sangma
(Posthumous)
|
Public Affairs
|
Meghalaya
|
Padma Bhushan
Sl. No.
|
Name
|
Field
|
State
|
8.
|
Shri Vishwa Mohan Bhatt
|
Art-Music
|
Rajasthan
|
9.
|
Prof. (Dr.) Devi Prasad Dwivedi
|
Literature & Education
|
Uttar Pradesh
|
10.
|
Shri Tehemton Udwadia
|
Medicine
|
Maharashtra
|
11.
|
Shri Ratna Sundar Maharaj
|
Others-Spiritualism
|
Gujarat
|
12.
|
Swami Niranjana Nanda Saraswati
|
Others-Yoga
|
Bihar
|
13.
|
H.R.H. Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn (Foreigner)
|
Literature & Education
|
Thailand
|
14.
|
Late Shri Cho Ramaswamy (Posthumous)
|
Literature & Education –Journalism
|
Tamil Nadu
|
Padma Shri
Sl. No
|
Name
|
Field
|
State
|
15.
|
Smt. Basanti Bisht
|
Art-Music
|
Uttarakhand
|
16.
|
Shri Chemanchery Kunhiraman Nair
|
Art-Dance
|
Kerala
|
17.
|
Smt. Aruna Mohanty
|
Art-Dance
|
Odisha
|
18.
|
Smt. Bharathi Vishnuvardhan
|
Art-Cinema
|
Karnataka
|
19.
|
Shri Sadhu Meher
|
Art-Cinema
|
Odisha
|
20.
|
Shri T K Murthy
|
Art-Music
|
Tamil Nadu
|
21.
|
Shri Laishram Birendrakumar Singh
|
Art-Music
|
Manipur
|
22.
|
Shri Krishna Ram Chaudhary
|
Art-Music
|
Uttar Pradesh
|
23.
|
Smt. Baoa Devi
|
Art-Painting
|
Bihar
|
24.
|
Shri Tilak Gitai
|
Art-Painting
|
Rajasthan
|
25.
|
Dr. Prof. Aekka Yadagiri Rao
|
Art-Sculpture
|
Telangana
|
26.
|
Shri Jitendra Haripal
|
Art-Music
|
Odisha
|
27.
|
Shri Kailash Kher
|
Art-Music
|
Maharashtra
|
28.
|
Smt. Parassala B Ponnammal
|
Art-Music
|
Kerala
|
29.
|
Smt. Sukri Bommagowda
|
Art-Music
|
Karnataka
|
30.
|
Shri Mukund Nayak
|
Art-Music
|
Jharkhand
|
31.
|
Shri Purushottam Upadhyay
|
Art-Music
|
Gujarat
|
32.
|
Smt. Anuradha Paudwal
|
Art-Music
|
Maharashtra
|
33.
|
Shri Wareppa Naba Nil
|
Art-Theatre
|
Manipur
|
34.
|
Shri Tripuraneni Hanuman Chowdary
|
Civil Service
|
Telangana
|
35.
|
Shri T.K. Viswanathan
|
Civil Service
|
Haryana
|
36.
|
Shri Kanwal Sibal
|
Civil Service
|
Delhi
|
37.
|
Shri Birkha Bahadur Limboo Muringla
|
Literature & Education
|
Sikkim
|
38.
|
Smt. Eli Ahmed
|
Literature & Education
|
Assam
|
39.
|
Dr. Narendra Kohli
|
Literature & Education
|
Delhi
|
40.
|
Prof. G. Venkatasubbiah
|
Literature & Education
|
Karnataka
|
41.
|
Shri Akkitham Achyuthan Namboothiri
|
Literature & Education
|
Kerala
|
42.
|
Shri Kashi Nath Pandita
|
Literature & Education
|
Jammu & Kashmir
|
43.
|
Shri Chamu Krishna Shastry
|
Literature & Education
|
Delhi
|
44.
|
Shri Harihar Kripalu Tripathi
|
Literature & Education
|
Uttar Pradesh
|
45.
|
Shri Michel Danino
|
Literature & Education
|
Tamil Nadu
|
46.
|
Shri Punam Suri
|
Literature & Education
|
Delhi
|
47.
|
Shri VG Patel
|
Literature & Education
|
Gujarat
|
48.
|
Smt. V Koteswaramma
|
Literature & Education
|
Andhra Pradesh
|
49.
|
Shri Balbir Dutt
|
Literature & Education-Journalism
|
Jharkhand
|
50.
|
Smt. Bhawana Somaaya
|
Literature & Education-Journalism
|
Maharashtra
|
51.
|
Shri Vishnu Pandya
|
Literature & Education-Journalism
|
Gujarat
|
52.
|
Dr. Subroto Das
|
Medicine
|
Gujarat
|
53.
|
Dr. (Smt.) Bhakti Yadav
|
Medicine
|
Madhya Pradesh
|
54.
|
Dr. Mohammed Abdul Waheed
|
Medicine
|
Telangana
|
55.
|
Dr. Madan Madhav Godbole
|
Medicine
|
Uttar Pradesh
|
56.
|
Dr. Devendra Dayabhai Patel
|
Medicine
|
Gujarat
|
57.
|
Prof. Harkishan Singh
|
Medicine
|
Chandigarh
|
58.
|
Dr. Mukut Minz
|
Medicine
|
Chandigarh
|
59.
|
Shri Arun Kumar Sharma
|
Others-Archaeology
|
Chhattisgarh
|
60.
|
Shri Sanjeev Kapoor
|
Others-Culinary
|
Maharashtra
|
61.
|
Smt. Meenakshi Amma
|
Others-Martial Art
|
Kerala
|
62.
|
Shri Genabhai Dargabhai Patel
|
Others-Agriculture
|
Gujarat
|
63.
|
Shri Chandrakant Pithawa
|
Science & Engineering
|
Telangana
|
64.
|
Prof. Ajoy Kumar Ray
|
Science & Engineering
|
West Bengal
|
65.
|
Shri Chintakindi Mallesham
|
Science & Engineering
|
Andhra Pradesh
|
66.
|
Shri Jitendra Nath Goswami
|
Science & Engineering
|
Assam
|
67.
|
Shri Daripalli Ramaiah
|
Social Work
|
Telangana
|
68.
|
Shri Girish Bhardwaj
|
Social Work
|
Karnataka
|
69.
|
Shri Karimul Hak
|
Social Work
|
West Bengal
|
70.
|
Shri Bipin Ganatra
|
Social Work
|
West Bengal
|
71.
|
Smt. Nivedita Raghunath Bhide
|
Social work
|
Tamil Nadu
|
72.
|
Shri Appasaheb Dharmadhikari
|
Social Work
|
Maharashtra
|
73.
|
Baba Balbir Singh Seechewal
|
Social Work
|
Punjab
|
74.
|
Shri Virat Kohli
|
Sports-Cricket
|
Delhi
|
75.
|
Shri Shekar Naik
|
Sports-Cricket
|
Karnataka
|
76.
|
Shri Vikasa Gowda
|
Sports-Discus Throw
|
Karnataka
|
77.
|
Smt. Deepa Malik
|
Sports-Athletics
|
Haryana
|
78.
|
Shri Mariyappan Thangavelu
|
Sports-Athletics
|
Tamil Nadu
|
79.
|
Smt. Dipa Karmakar
|
Sports-Gymnastics
|
Tripura
|
80.
|
Shri P R Shreejesh
|
Sports-Hockey
|
Kerala
|
81.
|
Smt. Sakshi Malik
|
Sports-Wrestling
|
Haryana
|
82.
|
Shri Mohan Reddy Venkatrama Bodanapu
|
Trade & Industry
|
Telangana
|
83.
|
Shri Imrat Khan
(NRI/PIO)
|
Art-Music
|
USA
|
84.
|
Shri Anant Agarwal
(NRI/PIO)
|
Literature & Education
|
USA
|
85.
|
Shri H.R. Shah
(NRI/PIO)
|
Literature & Education-Journalism
|
USA
|
86.
|
Late (Smt.) Suniti Solomon
(Posthumous)
|
Medicine
|
Tamil Nadu
|
87.
|
Shri Asoke Kumar Bhattacharyya
(Posthumous)
|
Others-Archaeology
|
West Bengal
|
88.
|
Dr. Mapuskar
(Posthumous)
|
Social Work
|
Maharashtra
|
89.
|
Smt. Anuradha Koirala (Foreigner)
|
Social Work
|
Nepal
|
No comments:
Post a Comment