General Affairs
'Indians Have Reason To Be Proud': Chinese Media On 104-Satellite Record
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India's space programme offers "food for thought" for other countries on how to achieve space success with small budgets, Chinese official media said today, acknowledging ISRO's world record feat of successfully launching 104 satellites on a single rocket.
"This is perhaps the first widely followed world record India has made in the field of space technology. The Indians have reason to be proud," state-run Global Times said in its editorial.
However the tabloid daily said the significance of the ISRO's new feat is "limited". "However, the space technology race is not mainly about the number of satellites at one go. It's fair to say the significance of this achievement is limited," it said.
The editorial also acknowledged that the new record is a "hard-won achievement for India to reach current space technology level with a relatively small investment". "India launched a lunar probe in 2008 and ranked first among Asian countries by having an unmanned rocket orbit Mars in 2013," it said.
The daily said that India's feat in space technology also offers "many lessons" to other countries. "As a rising power, it has done a good job. It is ambitious but pragmatic, preferring to compare with others as an incentive to progress. India's political and social philosophy is worth pondering," it said.
"Nonetheless, the development of a country's space technology is determined by the size of its input. According to data released by the World Economic Forum in 2016, the US' space budget in 2013 was USD 39.3 billion, China USD 6.1 billion, Russia USD 5.3 billion, Japan USD 3.6 billion and India USD 1.2 billion," it said.
"As India's GDP is about one-fifth to one-fourth that of China's, the share of investment in space technology in India's GDP is similar to that of China's," it argued.
The daily has been carrying critical articles against India. In 2013, it criticised India for sending Mangalyaan to Mars overtaking China despite "millions of poor and illiterate people".
The article also sought to make out a case that India is spending more on defence than China in terms of GDP ratio. China's last year's budget amounted to USD 146 billion against India's USD 46 billion. "India's defence budget is about one-third of China's, a higher percentage of GDP than that of China," it said.
On Wednesday, India launched 104 satellites on a single rocket from the Sriharikota spaceport, about 125 km from Chennai, in Andhra Pradesh.
India has become the first country to script history by succeeding in launching the 104 satellites in a single rocket.
"This is perhaps the first widely followed world record India has made in the field of space technology. The Indians have reason to be proud," state-run Global Times said in its editorial.
However the tabloid daily said the significance of the ISRO's new feat is "limited". "However, the space technology race is not mainly about the number of satellites at one go. It's fair to say the significance of this achievement is limited," it said.
The editorial also acknowledged that the new record is a "hard-won achievement for India to reach current space technology level with a relatively small investment". "India launched a lunar probe in 2008 and ranked first among Asian countries by having an unmanned rocket orbit Mars in 2013," it said.
"Nonetheless, the development of a country's space technology is determined by the size of its input. According to data released by the World Economic Forum in 2016, the US' space budget in 2013 was USD 39.3 billion, China USD 6.1 billion, Russia USD 5.3 billion, Japan USD 3.6 billion and India USD 1.2 billion," it said.
The daily has been carrying critical articles against India. In 2013, it criticised India for sending Mangalyaan to Mars overtaking China despite "millions of poor and illiterate people".
The article also sought to make out a case that India is spending more on defence than China in terms of GDP ratio. China's last year's budget amounted to USD 146 billion against India's USD 46 billion. "India's defence budget is about one-third of China's, a higher percentage of GDP than that of China," it said.
On Wednesday, India launched 104 satellites on a single rocket from the Sriharikota spaceport, about 125 km from Chennai, in Andhra Pradesh.
India has become the first country to script history by succeeding in launching the 104 satellites in a single rocket.
2005 Delhi Serial Blasts: Setback For Cops As Court Acquits 2 Accused, Convicts 1
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In what is being seen as a setback for the Delhi Police, only one of the three men accused in the 2005 serial blasts case in Delhi -- in which more than 60 people died - has been convicted. But Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist Tariq Ahmed Dar, accused of being the mastermind of the blasts, has been convicted only for belonging to the banned terror organisation. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 10-year jail term. He has already served 12 years in jail. The other two men have been acquitted outright.
The Delhi court, which has been hearing the case for the last 8 years, said the prosecution has not been able to establish any link between Tariq Ahmed Dar, Mohd Rafiq Shah and Mohammad Fazli.
Hence, it can't be said that Tariq Dar had hatched a conspiracy and none of the charges of plotting a terror attack can be made out.
The police's main evidence against Tariq Dar -- an intercepted phone conversation between him and an alleged Lashqar handler -- also failed to convince the court.
The court said Dar was referring to a "Diwali tohfa (gift)", which the police said was a reference to the blasts. But it was allegedly recorded after the blast. In which case, the court questioned, "Why was he asking his handler whether he knew about it, because by then it was widely publicized in media?"
The court said there were allegations that Tariq Dar had received Rs. 14 lakh through the hawala route, but there was no evidence what it was meant for.
There was also no witness that Dar had come to Delhi.
The serial blasts of October 29, 2005 at in Sarojini Nagar, Kalkaji, and Paharganj had claimed the lives of 67 people. More than 200 people were injured.
Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists Tariq Ahmed Dar, Mohammed Rafiq Shah and Mohammed Hussain Fazili were arrested. In 2008, the court framed charges against Dar, the alleged mastermind, and the other two. They were accused of waging war against the state, conspiring, collecting arms, murder and attempt to murder.
The Delhi court, which has been hearing the case for the last 8 years, said the prosecution has not been able to establish any link between Tariq Ahmed Dar, Mohd Rafiq Shah and Mohammad Fazli.
The police's main evidence against Tariq Dar -- an intercepted phone conversation between him and an alleged Lashqar handler -- also failed to convince the court.
The court said Dar was referring to a "Diwali tohfa (gift)", which the police said was a reference to the blasts. But it was allegedly recorded after the blast. In which case, the court questioned, "Why was he asking his handler whether he knew about it, because by then it was widely publicized in media?"
The court said there were allegations that Tariq Dar had received Rs. 14 lakh through the hawala route, but there was no evidence what it was meant for.
There was also no witness that Dar had come to Delhi.
The serial blasts of October 29, 2005 at in Sarojini Nagar, Kalkaji, and Paharganj had claimed the lives of 67 people. More than 200 people were injured.
Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists Tariq Ahmed Dar, Mohammed Rafiq Shah and Mohammed Hussain Fazili were arrested. In 2008, the court framed charges against Dar, the alleged mastermind, and the other two. They were accused of waging war against the state, conspiring, collecting arms, murder and attempt to murder.
With This Missile Sale, India Is Likely To Provoke Strong Reaction From China
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India is in talks to sell short range surface-to-air missiles to Vietnam, the head of the defence research agency said on Wednesday, in what would be its first transfer of such weapons to the Southeast Asian country.
India has been helping the Vietnamese military with training and patrol vessels, but a further deepening of ties with missile sales could draw criticism from China that has been locked in a territorial dispute with Hanoi in the South China Sea.
New Delhi is currently talking to a number of countries for sales of its surface-to-air Akash missiles, said S. Christopher, chairman of state-run Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
The move is in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's push to establish India as an arms exporter.
"We are talking to countries, one of them is none other than Vietnam," he told a news conference on the sidelines of an air show where the DRDO is showcasing its missile programmes and other key projects, including a home-grown light combat fighter.
Mr Christopher did not provide any details of how many Akash missile batteries the government planned to supply Vietnam.
Vietnam is in the midst of a quiet military buildup that analysts say is designed as a deterrent, to secure its 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone as China grows more assertive in staking its claims in the South China Sea.
Experts say Vietnam is in the market for fighter jets and more advanced missile systems, in addition to the kilo-class submarines it has bought from Russia.
India, whose long-running border dispute with China remains unresolved, has in the past considered the sale of its Brahmos supersonic missile with a range of 290 kms to Vietnam and has been steadily helping Hanoi beef up its defences.
Last year, PM Modi announced a $500 million credit line to Vietnam to buy defence equipment, on top of a $100 million given previously to help it buy patrol boats. The two sides have also agreed for training of Vietnamese air force pilots to operate Su-30 Russian fighter planes.
India has been helping the Vietnamese military with training and patrol vessels, but a further deepening of ties with missile sales could draw criticism from China that has been locked in a territorial dispute with Hanoi in the South China Sea.
New Delhi is currently talking to a number of countries for sales of its surface-to-air Akash missiles, said S. Christopher, chairman of state-run Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
"We are talking to countries, one of them is none other than Vietnam," he told a news conference on the sidelines of an air show where the DRDO is showcasing its missile programmes and other key projects, including a home-grown light combat fighter.
Mr Christopher did not provide any details of how many Akash missile batteries the government planned to supply Vietnam.
Vietnam is in the midst of a quiet military buildup that analysts say is designed as a deterrent, to secure its 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone as China grows more assertive in staking its claims in the South China Sea.
Experts say Vietnam is in the market for fighter jets and more advanced missile systems, in addition to the kilo-class submarines it has bought from Russia.
India, whose long-running border dispute with China remains unresolved, has in the past considered the sale of its Brahmos supersonic missile with a range of 290 kms to Vietnam and has been steadily helping Hanoi beef up its defences.
Last year, PM Modi announced a $500 million credit line to Vietnam to buy defence equipment, on top of a $100 million given previously to help it buy patrol boats. The two sides have also agreed for training of Vietnamese air force pilots to operate Su-30 Russian fighter planes.
What Supreme Court told Google, Microsoft, Yahoo On Sex Determination Ads
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Internet search engines - Google, Yahoo and Microsoft's Bing - were ordered by the Supreme Court on Thursday to appoint internal expert body to remove advertisements linked to sex-determination tests barred by law.
"You can't violate the laws of the country. You must become responsive to Indian law," the top court told the three companies on a public interest petition that had drawn the court's attention to the declining sex ratio.
It blamed search engines for not doing enough to stop advertisements or leading net surfers to online material propagating sex determination.
The court also told the Centre to advertise about the nodal agency so that people know about it and can approach the body.
The search engines - who told court they respect Indian laws and don't violate them - had opposed the order on setting up internal expert committees to track violations, saying it would create a huge problem for them.
The top court, however, explained that its only objective was to help check the decline in sex ratio, which was "quite low", and was "likely to affect the prospects of human race".
India's child sex ratio - the number of girls for 1,000 boys in the 0-6 age group - dropped from 964 in 1971 to a low of 918 in 2011.
Between 2001 and 2011, the decline was seen in more than two-thirds of the districts in the nation.
The problem is worse in urban areas, numbers show. In 2011, the national capital, Delhi, had one of the lowest child sex ratios of any state, with only 871 girls born for every 1,000 boys.
Parliament outlawed prenatal sex determination way back in 1994 to prevent sex-selective abortions but by most accounts, implementation of the law has been patchy. In 2015, the top court had also expressed its dissatisfaction with the number of people booked for violating this law in certain states.
"You can't violate the laws of the country. You must become responsive to Indian law," the top court told the three companies on a public interest petition that had drawn the court's attention to the declining sex ratio.
The court also told the Centre to advertise about the nodal agency so that people know about it and can approach the body.
The search engines - who told court they respect Indian laws and don't violate them - had opposed the order on setting up internal expert committees to track violations, saying it would create a huge problem for them.
India's child sex ratio - the number of girls for 1,000 boys in the 0-6 age group - dropped from 964 in 1971 to a low of 918 in 2011.
Between 2001 and 2011, the decline was seen in more than two-thirds of the districts in the nation.
The problem is worse in urban areas, numbers show. In 2011, the national capital, Delhi, had one of the lowest child sex ratios of any state, with only 871 girls born for every 1,000 boys.
Parliament outlawed prenatal sex determination way back in 1994 to prevent sex-selective abortions but by most accounts, implementation of the law has been patchy. In 2015, the top court had also expressed its dissatisfaction with the number of people booked for violating this law in certain states.
MEA Spokesperson Vikas Swarup Appointed India's High Commissioner To Canada
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External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup, credited with expanding MEA's social media outreach and handling sensitive issues deftly, was today appointed India's High Commissioner to Canada.
A 1986-batch IFS officer, Mr Swarup, whose debut novel Q & A was made into the Oscar-winning movie "Slumdog Millionaire", had helmed the high-profile office since April 2015 when India's external engagement witnessed a major traction.
Mr Swarup is at present an Additional Secretary and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said he is expected to take up his new assignment shortly. Gopal Baglay, who is Joint Secretary in the Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan division in MEA, will succeed Mr Swarup.
In his diplomatic career, Mr Swarup has been posted in various countries including Turkey, the United States, Ethiopia, Britain, South Africa and Japan.
He had penned his first novel, Q & A when he was posted in London between 2000 and 2003.
The novel has been published in 43 languages including Arabic, French, German, Chinese, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil, Malayalam, Czech, Slovak, Slovenian, Bulgarian, Romanian, Polish, Russian, Japanese, Korean, Turkish, Taiwanese, Thai and Hebrew.
He has also written for TIME, Newsweek, The Guardian, The Telegraph (UK), The Financial Times (UK) and Liberation (France), among others.
Mr Swarup had taken over charge as the MEA Spokesperson from Syed Akbaruddin, who is now India's Permanent Representative at the United Nations.
The post of the Indian High Commissioner in Canada had been lying vacant after retirement of Vishnu Prakash. India has close ties with Canada in a range of key sectors and the country has sizeable number of Indians.
Born in Allahabad in a family of lawyers, he had studied history, psychology and philosophy at Allahabad University.
The MEA's social media outreach had witnessed major expansion during Swarup's tenure.
In December, the ministry had launched a 'Twitter Seva' service with an aim to centralising its grievance redressal mechanism by bringing over 200 social media handles under one platform.
In August, the MEA had launched an app, bringing websites and various social media handles of over 170 Indian missions on a common platform to further its public outreach.
A 1986-batch IFS officer, Mr Swarup, whose debut novel Q & A was made into the Oscar-winning movie "Slumdog Millionaire", had helmed the high-profile office since April 2015 when India's external engagement witnessed a major traction.
Mr Swarup is at present an Additional Secretary and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said he is expected to take up his new assignment shortly. Gopal Baglay, who is Joint Secretary in the Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan division in MEA, will succeed Mr Swarup.
He had penned his first novel, Q & A when he was posted in London between 2000 and 2003.
The novel has been published in 43 languages including Arabic, French, German, Chinese, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil, Malayalam, Czech, Slovak, Slovenian, Bulgarian, Romanian, Polish, Russian, Japanese, Korean, Turkish, Taiwanese, Thai and Hebrew.
He has also written for TIME, Newsweek, The Guardian, The Telegraph (UK), The Financial Times (UK) and Liberation (France), among others.
Mr Swarup had taken over charge as the MEA Spokesperson from Syed Akbaruddin, who is now India's Permanent Representative at the United Nations.
The post of the Indian High Commissioner in Canada had been lying vacant after retirement of Vishnu Prakash. India has close ties with Canada in a range of key sectors and the country has sizeable number of Indians.
Born in Allahabad in a family of lawyers, he had studied history, psychology and philosophy at Allahabad University.
The MEA's social media outreach had witnessed major expansion during Swarup's tenure.
In December, the ministry had launched a 'Twitter Seva' service with an aim to centralising its grievance redressal mechanism by bringing over 200 social media handles under one platform.
In August, the MEA had launched an app, bringing websites and various social media handles of over 170 Indian missions on a common platform to further its public outreach.
Business Affairs
SBI merger: Test case for public sector bank consolidation
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After the board approval, the government has now also put its stamp on the merger of five associate banks with the State Bank of India (SBI). The SBI - associates merger would be a test case for bigger consolidation to follow in the public sector bank space, which the government is planning. In fact, there are challenges, too. SBI's merger with five associate banks is coming at a time when the banks are facing challenges from digital players like peer to peer (P2P) lenders, digital wallet companies, payments bank and small finance banks. There is also a fear that the management bandwidth would go on resolving the merger pangs. Here are the key challenges.
i) Branches overlap
SBI today runs the largest bank in the country in terms of assets as well as branch network. They have branches in every nook and corner of the country. The associate banks are regional with good branch network in the place they are headquartered. There is going to be a huge overlap of branches in the five states of Rajasthan, Bengaluru, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab and Kerala.
ii) Too big to handle
The merger is the biggest in the Indian banking industry. We haven't seen a merger of this size. The bank is merging five associate banks with combined assets of over Rs 6.0 lakh crore , which is almost equal to the size of the two largest private banks HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank Ltd. The merged SBI entity would have 24,000 plus branche , 58,000 ATMs and 2.7 lakh employees. ICICI Bank has 4,450 branches , 14,295 and 97,132 employees. In a digital era, many banks are not even talking of setting up branches. The digital wallets, too, will make ATMs irrelevant in the future.
iii) Associates are mirror image of parent
SBI associate banks are a mirror image of the parent. SBI chairman also sits on their board and MD & CEOs came from other associate banks. The product basket has many similarities with focus on infrastructure , agri , home and auto loans.
iv) Too big to fail
In the post 2008 scenario, the world saw the government bailing out large banks from tax payers money. SBI though is identified by the RBI as a systemically important bank, requiring additional capital in its book for absorbing any future shock. But SBI's size is not comparable with other banks. SBI, with close to Rs 30 lakh crore assets, is way ahead of the two largest private banks - HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank, which are in the region of Rs 7-8 lakh crore. Managing a bank of SBI's size will require more oversight by the regulator.
v) A bad bank within a bank
This huge portfolio of bad loan makes it a bad bank within a bank. The five associate banks for instance have stressed loans (gross NPAs and restructured loans) at a staggering Rs 35,396 crore level. This amount is almost half of SBI's Rs 66,117 crore stressed loans in 2015-16. It would be a huge task to resolve the bad loans given the challenging operating environment.
After the board approval, the government has now also put its stamp on the merger of five associate banks with the State Bank of India (SBI). The SBI - associates merger would be a test case for bigger consolidation to follow in the public sector bank space, which the government is planning. In fact, there are challenges, too. SBI's merger with five associate banks is coming at a time when the banks are facing challenges from digital players like peer to peer (P2P) lenders, digital wallet companies, payments bank and small finance banks. There is also a fear that the management bandwidth would go on resolving the merger pangs. Here are the key challenges.
i) Branches overlap
SBI today runs the largest bank in the country in terms of assets as well as branch network. They have branches in every nook and corner of the country. The associate banks are regional with good branch network in the place they are headquartered. There is going to be a huge overlap of branches in the five states of Rajasthan, Bengaluru, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab and Kerala.
ii) Too big to handle
The merger is the biggest in the Indian banking industry. We haven't seen a merger of this size. The bank is merging five associate banks with combined assets of over Rs 6.0 lakh crore , which is almost equal to the size of the two largest private banks HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank Ltd. The merged SBI entity would have 24,000 plus branche , 58,000 ATMs and 2.7 lakh employees. ICICI Bank has 4,450 branches , 14,295 and 97,132 employees. In a digital era, many banks are not even talking of setting up branches. The digital wallets, too, will make ATMs irrelevant in the future.
iii) Associates are mirror image of parent
SBI associate banks are a mirror image of the parent. SBI chairman also sits on their board and MD & CEOs came from other associate banks. The product basket has many similarities with focus on infrastructure , agri , home and auto loans.
iv) Too big to fail
In the post 2008 scenario, the world saw the government bailing out large banks from tax payers money. SBI though is identified by the RBI as a systemically important bank, requiring additional capital in its book for absorbing any future shock. But SBI's size is not comparable with other banks. SBI, with close to Rs 30 lakh crore assets, is way ahead of the two largest private banks - HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank, which are in the region of Rs 7-8 lakh crore. Managing a bank of SBI's size will require more oversight by the regulator.
v) A bad bank within a bank
This huge portfolio of bad loan makes it a bad bank within a bank. The five associate banks for instance have stressed loans (gross NPAs and restructured loans) at a staggering Rs 35,396 crore level. This amount is almost half of SBI's Rs 66,117 crore stressed loans in 2015-16. It would be a huge task to resolve the bad loans given the challenging operating environment.
Nine lakh accounts under Operation Clean Money 'doubtful'
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Nearly half of the 18 lakh people under the I-T scanner for suspicious bank deposits post cash ban have been put in the 'doubtful' category, but action against them will follow only after the new tax amnesty scheme ends on March 31.
Under 'Operation Clean Money', the I-T department had sent SMS and e-mails to 18 lakh people, who according to its data analysis had made suspicious deposits of over Rs 5 lakh during the 50-day window provided to get rid of old 500 and 1,000 rupee notes following the demonetisation decision announced on November 8. They were asked to clarify on the deposits and their source by February 15.
Sources in the government said those who did not reply must have "good legal explanation" for their cash deposits and may have chosen to show them in tax returns.
But a mere showing the same in income tax returns is not sufficient as any abnormal rise in income for 2016-17 over previous years will be considered as unaccounted wealth or blackmoney and treated as per law.
"However, since the SMS and e-mail correspondence do not have any legal backing, the department will have to send formal notices and then wait till March 31 for the end of (tax amnesty scheme) PMGKY and then take action against doubtful cases," a source told PTI.
Since Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY) runs till March 31, action against any depositor can be taken only after the scheme closes as the depositor may choose to disclose the wealth and pay taxes.
Under PMGKY, those with unaccounted cash have been offered a chance to come clean by paying 50 per cent of it as tax, penalty and surcharge while parking an additional 25 per cent in a non-interest bearing deposit for four years.
Sources said as many as 9 lakh accounts of the 18 lakh people who have got SMS are considered "doubtful".
As many as 5.27 lakh assessees, out of 18 lakh who were sent SMS and e-mails, had submitted their response till February 12.
As many as 99.5 per cent of the 5.27 lakh assessees have confirmed the amount which they have deposited as cash during the 50-day demonetisation ended December 30. These deposits were made in 7.41 lakh bank accounts.
The source further said strict enforcement action can only be taken if an assessee does not reply to notices or deliberately try to concoct disclosures in ITR.
The tax department has also identified around 4.84 lakh taxpayers not yet registered with the e-filing portal and has sent SMS to them to register.
Nearly half of the 18 lakh people under the I-T scanner for suspicious bank deposits post cash ban have been put in the 'doubtful' category, but action against them will follow only after the new tax amnesty scheme ends on March 31.
Under 'Operation Clean Money', the I-T department had sent SMS and e-mails to 18 lakh people, who according to its data analysis had made suspicious deposits of over Rs 5 lakh during the 50-day window provided to get rid of old 500 and 1,000 rupee notes following the demonetisation decision announced on November 8. They were asked to clarify on the deposits and their source by February 15.
Sources in the government said those who did not reply must have "good legal explanation" for their cash deposits and may have chosen to show them in tax returns.
But a mere showing the same in income tax returns is not sufficient as any abnormal rise in income for 2016-17 over previous years will be considered as unaccounted wealth or blackmoney and treated as per law.
"However, since the SMS and e-mail correspondence do not have any legal backing, the department will have to send formal notices and then wait till March 31 for the end of (tax amnesty scheme) PMGKY and then take action against doubtful cases," a source told PTI.
Since Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY) runs till March 31, action against any depositor can be taken only after the scheme closes as the depositor may choose to disclose the wealth and pay taxes.
Under PMGKY, those with unaccounted cash have been offered a chance to come clean by paying 50 per cent of it as tax, penalty and surcharge while parking an additional 25 per cent in a non-interest bearing deposit for four years.
Sources said as many as 9 lakh accounts of the 18 lakh people who have got SMS are considered "doubtful".
As many as 5.27 lakh assessees, out of 18 lakh who were sent SMS and e-mails, had submitted their response till February 12.
As many as 99.5 per cent of the 5.27 lakh assessees have confirmed the amount which they have deposited as cash during the 50-day demonetisation ended December 30. These deposits were made in 7.41 lakh bank accounts.
The source further said strict enforcement action can only be taken if an assessee does not reply to notices or deliberately try to concoct disclosures in ITR.
The tax department has also identified around 4.84 lakh taxpayers not yet registered with the e-filing portal and has sent SMS to them to register.
Govt revives three-decade-old plan to build India's first passenger jet
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In an attempt to boost air links in remote areas of the country, the government is reviving a three-decade-old plan to build its first passenger aircraft. A 14-seat aircraft, called Saras, is undergoing preliminary tests, Bloomberg reported.
According to the report, Saras program was conceived about 29 years ago.
The report quoted the director of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research at state-controlled National Aerospace Laboratories Jitendra Jadhav who said that India's air force needs to test the aircraft before certifications and sale to commercial airlines.
Air Force has committed to purchase 15 of the Saras planes. The process of getting full certification could take as long as three years, Jadhav said.
The development of Saras plane suffered a setback in 2009 when a test flight ended in a fiery crash, killing all three crew on board.
"India may need a few hundred small planes that can carry less than 30 people over the next five to seven years for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to succeed in his plan to boost air links in remote areas of the country," Bloomberg quoted Sydney-based CAPA Centre for Aviation as saying.
In last couple of years, India has revived many defense deals with its aggressive negotiations with manufacturing countries. Not only Saras, India is also reviving a plan to make light helicopters in India. The plan was announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2015.
Last year, the Modi government announced its most ambitious regional connectivity scheme UDAN (Udey Desh Ka Aam Nagrik). Under this scheme, the aam aadmi can look forward to fly at fares as low as Rs 2,500.
Besides capping ticket prices, the scheme also seeks to provide air services between unserved and under-served areas and is part of larger plans to boost the domestic aviation sector.
In an attempt to boost air links in remote areas of the country, the government is reviving a three-decade-old plan to build its first passenger aircraft. A 14-seat aircraft, called Saras, is undergoing preliminary tests, Bloomberg reported.
According to the report, Saras program was conceived about 29 years ago.
The report quoted the director of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research at state-controlled National Aerospace Laboratories Jitendra Jadhav who said that India's air force needs to test the aircraft before certifications and sale to commercial airlines.
Air Force has committed to purchase 15 of the Saras planes. The process of getting full certification could take as long as three years, Jadhav said.
The development of Saras plane suffered a setback in 2009 when a test flight ended in a fiery crash, killing all three crew on board.
"India may need a few hundred small planes that can carry less than 30 people over the next five to seven years for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to succeed in his plan to boost air links in remote areas of the country," Bloomberg quoted Sydney-based CAPA Centre for Aviation as saying.
In last couple of years, India has revived many defense deals with its aggressive negotiations with manufacturing countries. Not only Saras, India is also reviving a plan to make light helicopters in India. The plan was announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2015.
Last year, the Modi government announced its most ambitious regional connectivity scheme UDAN (Udey Desh Ka Aam Nagrik). Under this scheme, the aam aadmi can look forward to fly at fares as low as Rs 2,500.
Besides capping ticket prices, the scheme also seeks to provide air services between unserved and under-served areas and is part of larger plans to boost the domestic aviation sector.
Sensex bounces 146 pts; IT, pharma lead rally
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Market benchmark Sensex surged by 146 points today to close at 28,301, snapping a two-session losing run as IT stocks led the recovery after TCS said its board will consider share buyback next week.
The 30-share Sensex, after opening on a strong note at 28,223.85, succumbed to profit-booking and slipped into the negative terrain to hit the day's low of 28,146.19 before bouncing back to close higher by 145.71 points, or 0.52 per cent at 28,301.27. It touched an intra-day high of 28,327.84.
The gauge had lost 196.06 points in the last two days.
The 50-share NSE Nifty gained 53.30 points or 0.61 per cent to 8,778. Intra-day, it shuttled between 8,783.95 and 8,719.60.
Market benchmark Sensex surged by 146 points today to close at 28,301, snapping a two-session losing run as IT stocks led the recovery after TCS said its board will consider share buyback next week.
The 30-share Sensex, after opening on a strong note at 28,223.85, succumbed to profit-booking and slipped into the negative terrain to hit the day's low of 28,146.19 before bouncing back to close higher by 145.71 points, or 0.52 per cent at 28,301.27. It touched an intra-day high of 28,327.84.
The gauge had lost 196.06 points in the last two days.
The 50-share NSE Nifty gained 53.30 points or 0.61 per cent to 8,778. Intra-day, it shuttled between 8,783.95 and 8,719.60.
India biz grew strongly in 2016 despite demonetisation: Nestle
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Swiss FMCG major Nestle on Thursday said its Indian business reported a strong growth in 2016 despite some disruptive impact of demonetisation with Maggi continuing to regain market share.
The company, which had suffered a setback in 2015 after its popular product Maggi noodles was banned, said it has regained the market share in the segment following a re-launch after five months.
"Our business in India grew strongly despite some disruptive impact from demonetisation at the end of the year," Nestle said in a statement.
Maggi noodles continued to regain market share, the company said, adding that confectionery also did well with KitKat.
During 2016, Nestle's global sales increased by 0.8 per cent to CHF 89.5 billion ($89.42).
"Our 2016 organic growth was at the high end of the industry but at the lower end of our expectations. We saw a solid trading operating profit margin improvement and our cash flow grew significantly," said Nestle CEO Mark Schneider.
In Asia, Oceania and sub-Saharan Africa (AOA) Zone, which includes China, India and Indonesia, among others, had a sales figure of USD 14.49 billion, up 3.2 per cent from 2015.
"The zone saw real internal growth and organic growth gain increasing momentum throughout the year, with market shares recovering and almost all markets contributing," Nestle said.
However, it also added: "The effect of an increase in restructuring spend was more than offset by lower one-off costs related to Maggi in India."
In the AOA zone, Maggi also registered a double digit growth in Central and West Africa markets.
"There was double-digit growth in Central and West Africa (including Ghana, C te d Ivoire and Nigeria) and in Equatorial Africa (including Angola), with Maggi and Nido doing well," it said.
However, in China, Nestle witnessed a double-digit decline as Yinlu affected overall growth.
"Several initiatives to turn around the business are in place and stabilisation is expected in 2017. Dairy (excluding Yinlu) and confectionery grew positively and Nescafe performed well," the FMCG heavyweight said.
South East Asia was strong with double-digit growth in Vietnam and Indonesia. Philippines also performed well with high single-digit growth.
"There was also strong growth in Pakistan from dairy, ready-to-drink and other categories," it added.
Nestle India had on Wednesday reported a decline of 8.66 per cent in net profit to Rs 167.31 crore for the fourth quarter ended December 2016. However, net sales of the company was up 16.17 per cent to Rs 2,261.28 crore.
Swiss FMCG major Nestle on Thursday said its Indian business reported a strong growth in 2016 despite some disruptive impact of demonetisation with Maggi continuing to regain market share.
The company, which had suffered a setback in 2015 after its popular product Maggi noodles was banned, said it has regained the market share in the segment following a re-launch after five months.
"Our business in India grew strongly despite some disruptive impact from demonetisation at the end of the year," Nestle said in a statement.
Maggi noodles continued to regain market share, the company said, adding that confectionery also did well with KitKat.
During 2016, Nestle's global sales increased by 0.8 per cent to CHF 89.5 billion ($89.42).
"Our 2016 organic growth was at the high end of the industry but at the lower end of our expectations. We saw a solid trading operating profit margin improvement and our cash flow grew significantly," said Nestle CEO Mark Schneider.
In Asia, Oceania and sub-Saharan Africa (AOA) Zone, which includes China, India and Indonesia, among others, had a sales figure of USD 14.49 billion, up 3.2 per cent from 2015.
"The zone saw real internal growth and organic growth gain increasing momentum throughout the year, with market shares recovering and almost all markets contributing," Nestle said.
However, it also added: "The effect of an increase in restructuring spend was more than offset by lower one-off costs related to Maggi in India."
In the AOA zone, Maggi also registered a double digit growth in Central and West Africa markets.
"There was double-digit growth in Central and West Africa (including Ghana, C te d Ivoire and Nigeria) and in Equatorial Africa (including Angola), with Maggi and Nido doing well," it said.
However, in China, Nestle witnessed a double-digit decline as Yinlu affected overall growth.
"Several initiatives to turn around the business are in place and stabilisation is expected in 2017. Dairy (excluding Yinlu) and confectionery grew positively and Nescafe performed well," the FMCG heavyweight said.
South East Asia was strong with double-digit growth in Vietnam and Indonesia. Philippines also performed well with high single-digit growth.
"There was also strong growth in Pakistan from dairy, ready-to-drink and other categories," it added.
Nestle India had on Wednesday reported a decline of 8.66 per cent in net profit to Rs 167.31 crore for the fourth quarter ended December 2016. However, net sales of the company was up 16.17 per cent to Rs 2,261.28 crore.
General Awareness
ISRO Successfully Launches Record 104 Satellites in One Go from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota
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Setting a new record in the space mission, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) successfully launched 104 satellites in one go from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, on February 15, 2017.
- The satellites were launched on Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV-C37 which marked its 39th flight.
- The mission was ISRO’s first space mission for the year 2017 apart from being the most complicated mission ever carried out.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Pranab Mukherjee congratulated the space agency for the historic event that significantly boosts India’s space programme.
About the Mission
The 104 satellite included a 714 kg Cartosat-2 Series satellite for earth observation, two Indian nano satellites INS-1A and INS-1B and 101 international nano satellites. Of the 101 satellites, 96 of these belong to USA and one each belongs to Israel, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Switzerland and United Arab Emirates.
- Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV-C37 took off firstly to launch the 714 kg Cartosat-2 series satellite for earth observation, followed by two of India’s nano satellites, INS-1A and INS-1B, weighing 30 kg and finally the 101 co-passenger satellites together weighing about 664 kg.
- In total, the entire launch carried a satellite mass of about 1,378 kg.The satellites were placed in the 520 km distant polar Sun Synchronous Orbit (SSO) in a gap of about 30 minutes after separations.
- So far, ISRO has launched 226 satellites, including 179 belonging to foreign countries.
Cartosat-2 Satellite
The primary payload Cartosat-2 Series satellite carried by PSLV-C37 is similar to the earlier four satellites in Cartosat-2 Series.
- The Cartosat-2 satellite, an earth observation satellite was launched to provide remote sensing services. It has a mission life of five years.
- Images sent by it will be useful for coastal land use and regulation, road network monitoring, distribution of water and creation of land use maps, among others.
INS1-A and INS 1-B
The two Indian nano satellites INS-1A and INS-1B were developed as co-passenger satellites to accompany bigger satellites on PSLV.
- The primary objective of INS (ISRO Nano Satellite) is to provide an opportunity for ISRO technology demonstration payloads, provide a standard bus for launch on demand services.
- INS-1A and INS-1B carries total of four different payloads from Space Applications Centre (SAC) and Laboratory for Electro Optics Systems (LEOS) of ISRO for conducting various experiments.
- INS-1A carries Surface Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function Radiometer and INS-1B caries Earth Exosphere Lyman Alpha Analyser as payloads.
101 International Satellites
The 101 international customer nano-satellites are being launched as part of the commercial arrangements between Antrix Corporation Limited (Antrix), the commercial arm of ISRO and the international customers.
- A majority of the satellites of US have earth-imaging capability and belong to a US company named Planet.
About the Launch Vehicle PSLV
Scientists have used the XL variant of PSLV which is the most powerful rocket of ISRO.
- It made its debut in 2008 to send India’s first lunar probe the Chandrayaan-1 and during the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM).
- In terms of overall mission success rate of the ISRO, they haven’t failed since 2010.
Earlier Record
The successful launch set a new record for ISRO for launching the most number of satellites (104) in one go.
- Earlier, the record was held with the Russian Space Agency that launched 37 satellites in 2014.
- Besides, the US space agency NASA launched 29 while ISRO successfully launched 20 satellites in one go in June 2015.
About Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)
ISRO is the space agency of the Government of Republic of India headquartered in the city of Bengaluru. It is managed by the Department of Space
- The prime objective of ISRO is to develop space technology and its application to various national tasks.
- ISRO the fourth space agency in the world as well as the first space agency in Asia to successfully reach Mars orbit
- Headquarter: Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
- Founded: 15 August 1969
- Chairman: A. S. Kiran Kumar
Setting a new record in the space mission, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) successfully launched 104 satellites in one go from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, on February 15, 2017.
- The satellites were launched on Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV-C37 which marked its 39th flight.
- The mission was ISRO’s first space mission for the year 2017 apart from being the most complicated mission ever carried out.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Pranab Mukherjee congratulated the space agency for the historic event that significantly boosts India’s space programme.
About the Mission
The 104 satellite included a 714 kg Cartosat-2 Series satellite for earth observation, two Indian nano satellites INS-1A and INS-1B and 101 international nano satellites. Of the 101 satellites, 96 of these belong to USA and one each belongs to Israel, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Switzerland and United Arab Emirates.
- Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV-C37 took off firstly to launch the 714 kg Cartosat-2 series satellite for earth observation, followed by two of India’s nano satellites, INS-1A and INS-1B, weighing 30 kg and finally the 101 co-passenger satellites together weighing about 664 kg.
- In total, the entire launch carried a satellite mass of about 1,378 kg.The satellites were placed in the 520 km distant polar Sun Synchronous Orbit (SSO) in a gap of about 30 minutes after separations.
- So far, ISRO has launched 226 satellites, including 179 belonging to foreign countries.
Cartosat-2 Satellite
The primary payload Cartosat-2 Series satellite carried by PSLV-C37 is similar to the earlier four satellites in Cartosat-2 Series.
- The Cartosat-2 satellite, an earth observation satellite was launched to provide remote sensing services. It has a mission life of five years.
- Images sent by it will be useful for coastal land use and regulation, road network monitoring, distribution of water and creation of land use maps, among others.
INS1-A and INS 1-B
The two Indian nano satellites INS-1A and INS-1B were developed as co-passenger satellites to accompany bigger satellites on PSLV.
- The primary objective of INS (ISRO Nano Satellite) is to provide an opportunity for ISRO technology demonstration payloads, provide a standard bus for launch on demand services.
- INS-1A and INS-1B carries total of four different payloads from Space Applications Centre (SAC) and Laboratory for Electro Optics Systems (LEOS) of ISRO for conducting various experiments.
- INS-1A carries Surface Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function Radiometer and INS-1B caries Earth Exosphere Lyman Alpha Analyser as payloads.
101 International Satellites
The 101 international customer nano-satellites are being launched as part of the commercial arrangements between Antrix Corporation Limited (Antrix), the commercial arm of ISRO and the international customers.
- A majority of the satellites of US have earth-imaging capability and belong to a US company named Planet.
About the Launch Vehicle PSLV
Scientists have used the XL variant of PSLV which is the most powerful rocket of ISRO.
- It made its debut in 2008 to send India’s first lunar probe the Chandrayaan-1 and during the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM).
- In terms of overall mission success rate of the ISRO, they haven’t failed since 2010.
Earlier Record
The successful launch set a new record for ISRO for launching the most number of satellites (104) in one go.
- Earlier, the record was held with the Russian Space Agency that launched 37 satellites in 2014.
- Besides, the US space agency NASA launched 29 while ISRO successfully launched 20 satellites in one go in June 2015.
About Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)
ISRO is the space agency of the Government of Republic of India headquartered in the city of Bengaluru. It is managed by the Department of Space
- The prime objective of ISRO is to develop space technology and its application to various national tasks.
- ISRO the fourth space agency in the world as well as the first space agency in Asia to successfully reach Mars orbit
- Headquarter: Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
- Founded: 15 August 1969
- Chairman: A. S. Kiran Kumar
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