General Affairs
Government To Help Judiciary To Reduce Pendency Of Cases: PM Modi
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi today assured Chief Justice JS Khehar that his government will make all efforts to back his resolve to reduce burden on the judiciary and pendency of cases.
"I assure the chief justice that government will back his 'sankalp' (resolve) to bring down the burden on the judiciary and reduce pendency of cases," he said in his address at the sesquicentennial celebrations marking 150 years of the Allahabad High Court.
Noting that he felt that there was an element of "pain" in the speech of Justice Khehar, PM Modi said the government had done away with 1200 old laws to find a way out of the maze of the statues and also help the judiciary in modernising the system.
He asked the people working on startups to bring about innovations to strengthen the judicial system.
The Prime Minister lauded the steps being taken by the Chief Justice to make use of technology in simplifying the working in the courts and bring about qualitative change.
PM Modi also said video conferencing should be used for deposition made in courts by those facing trial, the witnesses and officials to prevent wastage of time and money.
He appealed to the judiciary, the government and the people to make 2022, the 75th year of Independence, a target year to take the country to greater heights.
Earlier addressing the gathering, Justice Khehar raise the issue of pendency of cases in courts including the Supreme Court and said he was taking steps to reduce the burden on the judiciary.
He asked the judges to consider sitting in courts for five days during vacation to clear at least 10 cases each day and bring down the pendency.
"This way thousands of small matters like matrimonial disputes and mediation cases can be settled and arrears of cases brought down" he said and referred to a system of court management under which pendency of cases in Malaysia had been brought down to one-fifth.
He said he proposes to have three constitution benches during this summer vacation to help reduce the arrears in the top court.
On the issue of simplification of procedure, Justice Khehar said he is making efforts to make the system paperless in the Supreme Court in a month or so.
The gathering was attended by UP and West Bengal governors Ram Naik and KN Tripathi, Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adtiyanath, Allahabad High Court CJI Dilip B Bhosale and members from the legal fraternity.
"I assure the chief justice that government will back his 'sankalp' (resolve) to bring down the burden on the judiciary and reduce pendency of cases," he said in his address at the sesquicentennial celebrations marking 150 years of the Allahabad High Court.
Noting that he felt that there was an element of "pain" in the speech of Justice Khehar, PM Modi said the government had done away with 1200 old laws to find a way out of the maze of the statues and also help the judiciary in modernising the system.
The Prime Minister lauded the steps being taken by the Chief Justice to make use of technology in simplifying the working in the courts and bring about qualitative change.
PM Modi also said video conferencing should be used for deposition made in courts by those facing trial, the witnesses and officials to prevent wastage of time and money.
He appealed to the judiciary, the government and the people to make 2022, the 75th year of Independence, a target year to take the country to greater heights.
Earlier addressing the gathering, Justice Khehar raise the issue of pendency of cases in courts including the Supreme Court and said he was taking steps to reduce the burden on the judiciary.
He asked the judges to consider sitting in courts for five days during vacation to clear at least 10 cases each day and bring down the pendency.
"This way thousands of small matters like matrimonial disputes and mediation cases can be settled and arrears of cases brought down" he said and referred to a system of court management under which pendency of cases in Malaysia had been brought down to one-fifth.
He said he proposes to have three constitution benches during this summer vacation to help reduce the arrears in the top court.
On the issue of simplification of procedure, Justice Khehar said he is making efforts to make the system paperless in the Supreme Court in a month or so.
The gathering was attended by UP and West Bengal governors Ram Naik and KN Tripathi, Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adtiyanath, Allahabad High Court CJI Dilip B Bhosale and members from the legal fraternity.
Chinese Train Manufacturer To Supply Coaches For Nagpur Metro: Report
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China's largest high speed train maker CRRC Corporation has acquired an order to supply coaches to Nagpur Metro, the company said today.
A total of 69 train coaches will be produced by state-run CRRC Dalian for subway operations in Nagpur, according to an agreement signed by the company and a local subway company.
The trains are for two urban rails in the city with a total length of 38 km.
The agreement, signed on March 27, also includes a 10-year train maintenance project, state-run Xinhua news agency said quoting the company's statement.
CRRC Dalian received its first train order in May 2015, providing 112 train coaches for Kolkata metro.
With more cities planning to build urban rail systems, India has become an important potential market for Chinese train makers, the Xinhua report said.
The order is expected to be completed this year, the statement said.
China has been getting orders for metro rail rakes from India but it is not successful in its campaign to market its high-speed train technology.
Japan has bagged the first bullet train project to build a high speed rail line between Ahmedabad and Mumbai.
China is conducting a feasibility study to build a high speed railway line between Chennai and New Delhi.
India and China have worked out a number of cooperative agreements for the development of railways under which Indian Railway engineers are getting trained in China in heavy hauling.
China is also cooperating with India to set up a railway university similar to the one it developed.
A total of 69 train coaches will be produced by state-run CRRC Dalian for subway operations in Nagpur, according to an agreement signed by the company and a local subway company.
The trains are for two urban rails in the city with a total length of 38 km.
CRRC Dalian received its first train order in May 2015, providing 112 train coaches for Kolkata metro.
With more cities planning to build urban rail systems, India has become an important potential market for Chinese train makers, the Xinhua report said.
The order is expected to be completed this year, the statement said.
China has been getting orders for metro rail rakes from India but it is not successful in its campaign to market its high-speed train technology.
Japan has bagged the first bullet train project to build a high speed rail line between Ahmedabad and Mumbai.
China is conducting a feasibility study to build a high speed railway line between Chennai and New Delhi.
India and China have worked out a number of cooperative agreements for the development of railways under which Indian Railway engineers are getting trained in China in heavy hauling.
China is also cooperating with India to set up a railway university similar to the one it developed.
40 Years Of Bloodshed Hasn't Helped Anyone In Kashmir, Says PM Modi
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said Kashmir has to decide between tourism and terrorism - presenting the Chenani-Nashri tunnel he opened today in the state today as a key to prosperity. The longest tunnel of the country, he said, will not only bring in tourists by cutting down the travel time, but help Kashmir's farmers to sell their produce elsewhere. The separatists of the state had called for a strike in the state today in protest against the Prime Minister's visit, claiming the problem the state faces is political and development is not the solution.
"I want to ask the people of Kashmir... on the one side there is tourism, on the other, terrorism," PM Modi said. Pointing that many innocents have lost their lives, but "no one has gained anything", he added, "If tourism had been promoted in these 40 years, the world would have been at Kashmir's feet".
Last year, Kashmir has witnessed five months of protest following the death of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani. Hundreds of young men had hit the streets and clashed with security forces, many had been injured. Education had been severely hampered, with schools and colleges shutting down due to the violence and strike call by separatists. Today, addressing the young men of the Valley who have been behind the stone throwing protests, the Prime Minister underscored, "While some are busy throwing rocks, others are busy in cutting them and making way for Kashmir's progress".
PM Modi also invoked his predecessor Atal Bihari Vajpayee's famous call for "Kashmiriyat, Insaniyat, Jamooriyat" - a policy that had evoked a heartfelt response from Kashmir.
He also attacked Pakistan for exploiting the people of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. He said he wanted to show the people of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir how Jammu and Kashmir can develop. "Let the people of PoK see what development is, so they know the exploitation they have suffered from those controlling them," he added.
"I want to ask the people of Kashmir... on the one side there is tourism, on the other, terrorism," PM Modi said. Pointing that many innocents have lost their lives, but "no one has gained anything", he added, "If tourism had been promoted in these 40 years, the world would have been at Kashmir's feet".
PM Modi also invoked his predecessor Atal Bihari Vajpayee's famous call for "Kashmiriyat, Insaniyat, Jamooriyat" - a policy that had evoked a heartfelt response from Kashmir.
He also attacked Pakistan for exploiting the people of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. He said he wanted to show the people of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir how Jammu and Kashmir can develop. "Let the people of PoK see what development is, so they know the exploitation they have suffered from those controlling them," he added.
Policeman Killed, 10 Injured In Grenade Attack In Kashmir's Nowhatta
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A policeman was killed and 10 others including an officer were injured in a grenade attack at Jammu and Kashmir's Nowhatta this evening. A police party was attacked near a police station in Nowhatta in downtown Srinagar when cops were returning from duty today around 7 pm.
"There was stone pelting in the area and a police party came under grenade attack. One policeman was killed," said Imtiyaz Ismael Parray, a senior police officer in Srinagar.
Among the injured is deputy superintendent police of Nowhatta area. The inured have been shifted to a hospital where the condition of some is said to be serious.
This is the second major attack in Srinagar in last two days. Yesterday, an Army convoy was attacked on the Bemina bypass road. Three Army soldiers were injured in the attack.
The spurt in attacks comes ahead of by-elections for Srinagar parliamentary constituency that will be held next Sunday. So far, it has been campaigning has been low key because of an election boycott call by separatist groups.
Today, separatists had called for a strike against the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi who inaugurated the country's longest road tunnel along the Srinagar-Jammu National highway.
In his address after the inauguration, PM Modi urged the youth of Kashmir to choose tourism and development over terrorism. "While on the one hand youth in Kashmir were busy pelting stones, on the other some youth were breaking stones to carve out this tunnel," he said, referring to unrest in the state that followed the killing of terrorist Burhan Wani last July.
"There was stone pelting in the area and a police party came under grenade attack. One policeman was killed," said Imtiyaz Ismael Parray, a senior police officer in Srinagar.
This is the second major attack in Srinagar in last two days. Yesterday, an Army convoy was attacked on the Bemina bypass road. Three Army soldiers were injured in the attack.
The spurt in attacks comes ahead of by-elections for Srinagar parliamentary constituency that will be held next Sunday. So far, it has been campaigning has been low key because of an election boycott call by separatist groups.
Today, separatists had called for a strike against the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi who inaugurated the country's longest road tunnel along the Srinagar-Jammu National highway.
In his address after the inauguration, PM Modi urged the youth of Kashmir to choose tourism and development over terrorism. "While on the one hand youth in Kashmir were busy pelting stones, on the other some youth were breaking stones to carve out this tunnel," he said, referring to unrest in the state that followed the killing of terrorist Burhan Wani last July.
ISRO Embraces Private Sector, Outsources Satellite Manufacture
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In a highly secure, clean room of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) here, a new jugalbandi is unfolding - teams from the private sector are working shoulder-to-shoulder with government engineers to create a new bird that will soar in the sky very soon.
The Indian space establishment has crossed a new threshold, engaging for the first time a private sector industry to make a full multi-crore, heavy duty satellite.
Having been unable to keep pace with satellite fabrication, the ISRO has now roped in the private industry to bridge the gap.
A consortium led by Alpha Design Technologies, Bengaluru is tasked to make two full satellites for India's navigation system.
After almost 150 missions and three decades of space faring, the ISRO is on a mission like never before, handholding the private industry to make a full navigation satellite.
Towards that, a high-tech defence equipment supplier from Bengaluru, Alpha Design Technologies has been chosen as the first private industry tasked with making not one but two full satellites for the ISRO.
A team of 70 engineers is working hard to make a flight ready satellite in the next six months.
Colonel H S Shankar, the man who helped India get its first bulk supply of electronic voting machines (EVMs), is leading the consortium and he is keeping a hawk's eye on the fabrication process.
Mr Shankar, Chairman-cum-Managing Director of Alpha Design Technologies, says, "It is a challenging task for any Indian company to undertake assembly, integration and testing of a satellite and that too for the first time in India."
With seven satellites already in orbit, the NAVIC or the Swadeshi GPS system is today fully functional but to be on the safe side the ISRO needed two spare satellites on the ground for a quick launch in case something went wrong.
It signed up with the Rs. 400 crore company to give India its first large private satellite.
The ISRO also wants to seed an ecosystem where the private sector takes a lead in the future.
M Annadurai, Director of ISRO Satellite Centre in Bengaluru, says, "Basically there is a gap between what we are capable of doing now versus what we are supposed to make. There is a gap between the requirement and our capability. That gap we want to fill up with support from the industry."
"...16 to 17 satellites we have to make every year. So it is a really-really quantum jump and to fill that gap..., we thought the industry could come in," he added.
Satellite fabrication requires high precision as these birds cost hundreds of crores of rupees and after the launch they remain functional for up to 10 years with no scope for repair.
The space environment is very punishing and the untested fail miserably and space faring remains a high risk activity.
Mr Annadurai thinks the ISRO is not taking any risk by relying on the private sector, adding, "I do not think it is a risk. It is basically an incremental improvement over what we have already done. When you look at NAVIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation) satellite system, except for the first satellite, on all the other remaining satellites more than 95 per cent of the systems that were flown basically came from industry."
"Similar thing is being done for this mission. For the first standby Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) satellite, we will be handholding the private team.
Some 70 young engineers are there and they will be watching what we are doing and then at the end of the first satellite fabrication, the private team will come out with a document of what they have understood and how will they make the second satellite, this document will be audited by the ISRO's quality assurance team," he said.
And once the ISRO teams clears it and are convinced that the private team is really trained and they are equipped with the necessary skill sets, only then the second satellite fabrication they will do on their own.
"Hopefully, together we will be able to succeed because anyhow they are learning under our watch. So once they start to do one or two satellites like that, they will be able to take on making subsequent satellites totally on their own," he said.
India recently launched 104 satellites on a single mission, creating such a global sensation that an intelligence officer from the US expressed his "shock" at India's singular achievement and this paved the way for India's foray into the multi-billion dollar launch industry.
By supporting the private industry to learn the processes of making satellites, India hopes to create a robust space industry in the private sector. In the past the ISRO has designed and made a satellite for the Europeans and this new and bold move could in times pave the way for India being a global hub for the space sector.
Towards that a high-tech space park is almost ready at one of ISRO's newer satellite facilities in Bengaluru, and here the private sector could make the best of the best satellites.
Annadurai says once ready this space park will be unique since from the smallest components to the flight ready birds-- all will be made under one roof.
No other facility like this exists anywhere in the world, he insists.
India is regarded as a low cost and reliable space power.
Today for the first time a satellite is being fabricated in the private industry-- a giant leap for the ISRO and a giant leap for the Indian space industry.
So in the corner of an airtight room of India's satellite fabrication unit where even the smallest speck of dust is not allowed to enter, a giant breathe of 'private' fresh air has been ushered in.
The Indian space establishment has crossed a new threshold, engaging for the first time a private sector industry to make a full multi-crore, heavy duty satellite.
Having been unable to keep pace with satellite fabrication, the ISRO has now roped in the private industry to bridge the gap.
After almost 150 missions and three decades of space faring, the ISRO is on a mission like never before, handholding the private industry to make a full navigation satellite.
Towards that, a high-tech defence equipment supplier from Bengaluru, Alpha Design Technologies has been chosen as the first private industry tasked with making not one but two full satellites for the ISRO.
A team of 70 engineers is working hard to make a flight ready satellite in the next six months.
Colonel H S Shankar, the man who helped India get its first bulk supply of electronic voting machines (EVMs), is leading the consortium and he is keeping a hawk's eye on the fabrication process.
Mr Shankar, Chairman-cum-Managing Director of Alpha Design Technologies, says, "It is a challenging task for any Indian company to undertake assembly, integration and testing of a satellite and that too for the first time in India."
With seven satellites already in orbit, the NAVIC or the Swadeshi GPS system is today fully functional but to be on the safe side the ISRO needed two spare satellites on the ground for a quick launch in case something went wrong.
It signed up with the Rs. 400 crore company to give India its first large private satellite.
The ISRO also wants to seed an ecosystem where the private sector takes a lead in the future.
M Annadurai, Director of ISRO Satellite Centre in Bengaluru, says, "Basically there is a gap between what we are capable of doing now versus what we are supposed to make. There is a gap between the requirement and our capability. That gap we want to fill up with support from the industry."
"...16 to 17 satellites we have to make every year. So it is a really-really quantum jump and to fill that gap..., we thought the industry could come in," he added.
Satellite fabrication requires high precision as these birds cost hundreds of crores of rupees and after the launch they remain functional for up to 10 years with no scope for repair.
The space environment is very punishing and the untested fail miserably and space faring remains a high risk activity.
Mr Annadurai thinks the ISRO is not taking any risk by relying on the private sector, adding, "I do not think it is a risk. It is basically an incremental improvement over what we have already done. When you look at NAVIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation) satellite system, except for the first satellite, on all the other remaining satellites more than 95 per cent of the systems that were flown basically came from industry."
"Similar thing is being done for this mission. For the first standby Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) satellite, we will be handholding the private team.
Some 70 young engineers are there and they will be watching what we are doing and then at the end of the first satellite fabrication, the private team will come out with a document of what they have understood and how will they make the second satellite, this document will be audited by the ISRO's quality assurance team," he said.
And once the ISRO teams clears it and are convinced that the private team is really trained and they are equipped with the necessary skill sets, only then the second satellite fabrication they will do on their own.
"Hopefully, together we will be able to succeed because anyhow they are learning under our watch. So once they start to do one or two satellites like that, they will be able to take on making subsequent satellites totally on their own," he said.
India recently launched 104 satellites on a single mission, creating such a global sensation that an intelligence officer from the US expressed his "shock" at India's singular achievement and this paved the way for India's foray into the multi-billion dollar launch industry.
By supporting the private industry to learn the processes of making satellites, India hopes to create a robust space industry in the private sector. In the past the ISRO has designed and made a satellite for the Europeans and this new and bold move could in times pave the way for India being a global hub for the space sector.
Towards that a high-tech space park is almost ready at one of ISRO's newer satellite facilities in Bengaluru, and here the private sector could make the best of the best satellites.
Annadurai says once ready this space park will be unique since from the smallest components to the flight ready birds-- all will be made under one roof.
No other facility like this exists anywhere in the world, he insists.
India is regarded as a low cost and reliable space power.
Today for the first time a satellite is being fabricated in the private industry-- a giant leap for the ISRO and a giant leap for the Indian space industry.
So in the corner of an airtight room of India's satellite fabrication unit where even the smallest speck of dust is not allowed to enter, a giant breathe of 'private' fresh air has been ushered in.
Business Affairs
India steps up black money hunt; seeks Swiss details of over 10 persons and entities
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Stepping up its hunt for black money stashed abroad, India has approached Switzerland for banking details of at least ten persons and entities suspected to have kept untaxed money in Swiss banks.
These include two listed textile companies, while others are associated with an art curator and his carpet export business. Switzerland's tax department issued notices to them last week to reply within 30 days to appeal the decision about providing 'administrative assistance' in information requests from India.
Under its local rules, Switzerland provides a final chance to the concerned persons and entities before sharing the information about suspected cases of tax crimes with any foreign jurisdiction. These notices are made public through gazette notifications if they are not reachable directly by the concerned banks or the tax department. At least ten such notices concerning individuals and companies with Indian links were issued last week -- which could be the highest for a country within a week.
The notices name two listed textile firms -- Neo Corporation International and SEL Manufacturing Company Ltd. There are also some companies incorporated in tax havens like Panama and British Virgin Islands. Most of the companies and individuals are associated with a carpet export business and an art curator with operations across several countries. These are Abdul Rashid Mir, Amir Mir, Sabeha Mir, Mujeeb Mir and Tabassum Mir.
The companies named in these notices include Cottage Industries Exposition, Modale SA and Progress Ventures Group. Some of these names had figured in the leaked Panama Papers too, but several of them including the two listed firms have denied any wrongdoing.
Earlier, the notices were issued by Switzerland's Federal Tax Administration (FTA) asking some of them to designate a representative to exercise their right to be heard before the assistance is extended to India. India has been seeking administrative assistance, including access to bank account details of the persons and the companies suspected to have stashed undisclosed funds in banks in Switzerland, after furnishing some evidence to justify the suspicion.
As per the local law, Switzerland gives an opportunity to the entity concerned to challenge the sharing of information, before providing the assistance to the requesting nation.
The Swiss notices mention the names of individuals, their nationality and dates of birth. In case of companies, their names and the countries of incorporation are mentioned. India has shot off 'administrative assistance' requests to Switzerland in several cases in recent months seeking details of Indians suspected to have misused Swiss banks' famed high-secrecy walls to evade taxes.
The individuals and companies about whom India has earlier sought information include some listed companies, former CEO of a real estate major, wife of a Delhi-based former bureaucrat, a Dubai-based Indian origin investment banker, a high-profile fugitive along with his wife and an UAE-based holding company, as also some Gujarati businessmen settled abroad and presumably in trading business.
Many of these are suspected to have maintained accounts in Swiss banks through offshore entities, including in Panama and British Virgin Islands. These requests for 'administrative assistance', which typically involves exchange of information on submission of proof by the requesting country about the account holder's wrongdoing, have been documented by Swiss authorities in their Federal Gazette as per local laws to give the concerned person or entity a last chance to appeal against sharing of data.
While India and Switzerland last year signed a new pact for automatic exchange of information about account details from next year, so far the requests have been made under their existing bilateral tax treaty. In the past also, names of some Indian nationals figured in Switzerland's Federal Gazette notifications after the Swiss authorities were approached by India for information about those people with regard to the pending tax-related probes against them.
After following the due process prescribed under Swiss law, the information has been shared by Switzerland with India in some cases, pursuant to which the Indian authorities -- including the tax department and Enforcement Directorate -- have proceeded with their prosecution and other actions.
However, the pace of seeking such details seems to have quickened, going by the sudden spurt in the number of Indian names figuring in such notifications. For long, Switzerland has been known for strict secrecy clauses about details of foreigners having accounts in Swiss banks. However, under growing global pressure, Switzerland has begun sharing information in cases where other countries have been able to present some evidence of suspected illegalities.
Stepping up its hunt for black money stashed abroad, India has approached Switzerland for banking details of at least ten persons and entities suspected to have kept untaxed money in Swiss banks.
These include two listed textile companies, while others are associated with an art curator and his carpet export business. Switzerland's tax department issued notices to them last week to reply within 30 days to appeal the decision about providing 'administrative assistance' in information requests from India.
Under its local rules, Switzerland provides a final chance to the concerned persons and entities before sharing the information about suspected cases of tax crimes with any foreign jurisdiction. These notices are made public through gazette notifications if they are not reachable directly by the concerned banks or the tax department. At least ten such notices concerning individuals and companies with Indian links were issued last week -- which could be the highest for a country within a week.
The notices name two listed textile firms -- Neo Corporation International and SEL Manufacturing Company Ltd. There are also some companies incorporated in tax havens like Panama and British Virgin Islands. Most of the companies and individuals are associated with a carpet export business and an art curator with operations across several countries. These are Abdul Rashid Mir, Amir Mir, Sabeha Mir, Mujeeb Mir and Tabassum Mir.
The companies named in these notices include Cottage Industries Exposition, Modale SA and Progress Ventures Group. Some of these names had figured in the leaked Panama Papers too, but several of them including the two listed firms have denied any wrongdoing.
Earlier, the notices were issued by Switzerland's Federal Tax Administration (FTA) asking some of them to designate a representative to exercise their right to be heard before the assistance is extended to India. India has been seeking administrative assistance, including access to bank account details of the persons and the companies suspected to have stashed undisclosed funds in banks in Switzerland, after furnishing some evidence to justify the suspicion.
As per the local law, Switzerland gives an opportunity to the entity concerned to challenge the sharing of information, before providing the assistance to the requesting nation.
The Swiss notices mention the names of individuals, their nationality and dates of birth. In case of companies, their names and the countries of incorporation are mentioned. India has shot off 'administrative assistance' requests to Switzerland in several cases in recent months seeking details of Indians suspected to have misused Swiss banks' famed high-secrecy walls to evade taxes.
The individuals and companies about whom India has earlier sought information include some listed companies, former CEO of a real estate major, wife of a Delhi-based former bureaucrat, a Dubai-based Indian origin investment banker, a high-profile fugitive along with his wife and an UAE-based holding company, as also some Gujarati businessmen settled abroad and presumably in trading business.
Many of these are suspected to have maintained accounts in Swiss banks through offshore entities, including in Panama and British Virgin Islands. These requests for 'administrative assistance', which typically involves exchange of information on submission of proof by the requesting country about the account holder's wrongdoing, have been documented by Swiss authorities in their Federal Gazette as per local laws to give the concerned person or entity a last chance to appeal against sharing of data.
While India and Switzerland last year signed a new pact for automatic exchange of information about account details from next year, so far the requests have been made under their existing bilateral tax treaty. In the past also, names of some Indian nationals figured in Switzerland's Federal Gazette notifications after the Swiss authorities were approached by India for information about those people with regard to the pending tax-related probes against them.
After following the due process prescribed under Swiss law, the information has been shared by Switzerland with India in some cases, pursuant to which the Indian authorities -- including the tax department and Enforcement Directorate -- have proceeded with their prosecution and other actions.
However, the pace of seeking such details seems to have quickened, going by the sudden spurt in the number of Indian names figuring in such notifications. For long, Switzerland has been known for strict secrecy clauses about details of foreigners having accounts in Swiss banks. However, under growing global pressure, Switzerland has begun sharing information in cases where other countries have been able to present some evidence of suspected illegalities.
No GST for Education, healthcare and pilgrimages, to avoid shock in first year
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Education, healthcare and pilgrimages will continue to be out of service tax net even under the GST regime as the Centre is against giving any shock in the first year of the rollout by bringing in new services.
Besides making a strong case to the GST Council for not touching services that are out of tax net currently, the Centre will also pitch for keeping concessional rate for services like transport at the current level, Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia told PTI in an interview.
The GST Council, headed by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and comprising representatives of all states, is scheduled to meet in Srinagar on May 18-19 to decide on rates various good and services will be charged in the new indirect tax regime that is being targeted for rollout from July 1.
Adhia said the endeavour would be to maintain the current tax incidence on a commodity or service at the same level in the new Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime.
GST will subsume central levies like excise duty on manufactured products and service tax on rendering of services as well as state VAT on sale, to make for a national sales tax that will be levied at the time of consumption of a product or service.
Adhia said the approach for the GST rollout would be to avoid any shock in the first year and any review for inclusion of a service or change in rate could be done in the second or third year of the implementation based on revenue realisation.
"Our entire purpose will be that we don't upset anything that is there now. We will try to do some smooth landing. So we will recommend to GST Council that whatever is the existing exemption list for service tax they should continue because we cannot do too many things at the same time," he said.
Currently, there are 17 items in negative list of services on which service tax is not levied.
On top of that there are over 60 services, like religious pilgrimage, healthcare, education, skill development, journalistic activities which are exempt from service tax.
Rajat Mohan, Director at tax consultant Nangia & Co, said: "GST is the biggest change that our country would see in last 50 years. I see that it was imperative that the government should continue exemptions on the current list of services which are tax neutral under the service tax regime."
"I am ecstatic that there would be no levy of GST on services rendered by Government, Reserve Bank of India, public conveniences, educational institution, services relating to agriculture, transmission or distribution of electricity, renting of residential dwelling for use as a residence, burial, healthcare, specified schemes of general insurance etc," Mohan said.
Mohan, however, felt that this might lead to cascading effect of taxes, but by maintaining the status quo government has ensured that neither the consumer nor the small and medium-sized companies are not in a state of shock.
Asked if these services would be kept exempt from GST, Adhia said: "We presume so... We will recommend to the GST Council that whatever is in the exemption list they should continue in the first year."
He said the main service tax rate will be standard rate of 18 per cent.
"But there may be items of services where abatement (concessional rate) is given for valid reasons. So those items, because there will be no provision for abatements (in GST), we will have to fit them in the rates closed to the present incidence," he said.
The GST Council has approved a four-rate tax structure of 5, 12, 18 and 28 per cent.
Adhia said transport sector, for example, currently gets abatement of 60 per cent and only 40 per cent of the present service tax rate of 15 per cent is being collected.
And so, the tax in the GST will be fixed in the closes bracket of 5 per cent, he said.
Asked if rates for certain services will go up because current tax rate is 15 per cent and the nearest bracket that would not upset the revenue collections is 18 per cent, he said, "some services may become a little more expensive."
The exact ones that become expensive or cheaper will be decided by the GST Council, he said.
On the issue of crude oil, petrol, diesel, aviation turbine fuel (ATF) and natural gas being kept out of GST net for the time being by continuing with existing taxes of excise and VAT, Adhia said the GST Council decided that to give states comfort of revenue collections.
"For them it is some kind of a risk insurer. That 30 per cent income is already assured. Now 70 per cent (of products and services) they are putting it into the common kitty," he said.
States, he said, want to wait and see how much revenue is generated in the GST regime.
"So, after a year or two if they find that the buoyancy (in tax revenues) is good, they could very well like to bring it (petroleum products) in GST," Adhia added.
Education, healthcare and pilgrimages will continue to be out of service tax net even under the GST regime as the Centre is against giving any shock in the first year of the rollout by bringing in new services.
Besides making a strong case to the GST Council for not touching services that are out of tax net currently, the Centre will also pitch for keeping concessional rate for services like transport at the current level, Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia told PTI in an interview.
The GST Council, headed by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and comprising representatives of all states, is scheduled to meet in Srinagar on May 18-19 to decide on rates various good and services will be charged in the new indirect tax regime that is being targeted for rollout from July 1.
Adhia said the endeavour would be to maintain the current tax incidence on a commodity or service at the same level in the new Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime.
GST will subsume central levies like excise duty on manufactured products and service tax on rendering of services as well as state VAT on sale, to make for a national sales tax that will be levied at the time of consumption of a product or service.
Adhia said the approach for the GST rollout would be to avoid any shock in the first year and any review for inclusion of a service or change in rate could be done in the second or third year of the implementation based on revenue realisation.
"Our entire purpose will be that we don't upset anything that is there now. We will try to do some smooth landing. So we will recommend to GST Council that whatever is the existing exemption list for service tax they should continue because we cannot do too many things at the same time," he said.
Currently, there are 17 items in negative list of services on which service tax is not levied.
On top of that there are over 60 services, like religious pilgrimage, healthcare, education, skill development, journalistic activities which are exempt from service tax.
Rajat Mohan, Director at tax consultant Nangia & Co, said: "GST is the biggest change that our country would see in last 50 years. I see that it was imperative that the government should continue exemptions on the current list of services which are tax neutral under the service tax regime."
"I am ecstatic that there would be no levy of GST on services rendered by Government, Reserve Bank of India, public conveniences, educational institution, services relating to agriculture, transmission or distribution of electricity, renting of residential dwelling for use as a residence, burial, healthcare, specified schemes of general insurance etc," Mohan said.
Mohan, however, felt that this might lead to cascading effect of taxes, but by maintaining the status quo government has ensured that neither the consumer nor the small and medium-sized companies are not in a state of shock.
Asked if these services would be kept exempt from GST, Adhia said: "We presume so... We will recommend to the GST Council that whatever is in the exemption list they should continue in the first year."
He said the main service tax rate will be standard rate of 18 per cent.
"But there may be items of services where abatement (concessional rate) is given for valid reasons. So those items, because there will be no provision for abatements (in GST), we will have to fit them in the rates closed to the present incidence," he said.
The GST Council has approved a four-rate tax structure of 5, 12, 18 and 28 per cent.
Adhia said transport sector, for example, currently gets abatement of 60 per cent and only 40 per cent of the present service tax rate of 15 per cent is being collected.
And so, the tax in the GST will be fixed in the closes bracket of 5 per cent, he said.
Asked if rates for certain services will go up because current tax rate is 15 per cent and the nearest bracket that would not upset the revenue collections is 18 per cent, he said, "some services may become a little more expensive."
The exact ones that become expensive or cheaper will be decided by the GST Council, he said.
On the issue of crude oil, petrol, diesel, aviation turbine fuel (ATF) and natural gas being kept out of GST net for the time being by continuing with existing taxes of excise and VAT, Adhia said the GST Council decided that to give states comfort of revenue collections.
"For them it is some kind of a risk insurer. That 30 per cent income is already assured. Now 70 per cent (of products and services) they are putting it into the common kitty," he said.
States, he said, want to wait and see how much revenue is generated in the GST regime.
"So, after a year or two if they find that the buoyancy (in tax revenues) is good, they could very well like to bring it (petroleum products) in GST," Adhia added.
Govt plans to change security marks of banknotes every 3-4 yrs
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To check counterfeiting, the government plans to change security features of higher denomination banknotes of Rs 2,000 and Rs 500 every 3-4 years in accordance with global standards.
The move comes in the wake of recovery of a large amount of fake Indian currency notes in last four months after demonetisation.
The issue was discussed threadbare at a high-level meeting on Thursday attended by senior officials of the ministries of Finance and Home, including Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi.
Advocating the move, Home Ministry officials said most of the developed countries change security features of their currency notes every 3-4 years and therefore, it is absolutely necessary for India to follow this policy.
The change in design of Indian currency notes of higher denominations was long due. Till its demonetisation, there had been no major change in the Rs 1,000 note since its introduction in 2000. Changes in the old Rs 500 note, which was launched in 1987, were carried out more than a decade ago.
The newly introduced notes had no additional security features and were similar to those in the old Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes, officials said.
A close look by the investigators on some of the recently seized fake notes found that at least 11 of the 17 security features in the new Rs 2,000 notes had been replicated.
These included the transparent area, watermark, Ashoka Pillar emblem, the letters Rs 2000 on the left, the guarantee clause with the Reserve Bank of India Governors signature and the denomination number in Devanagari on the front, officials said.
Besides, the motif of Chandrayaan, the Swachh Bharat logo and the year of printing had been copied on the reverse side. Although the print and paper quality of the seized counterfeits was poor, they resembled genuine notes.
The officials said the change of security features of currency notes in every 3-4 years will lead to curbing of counterfeiting to a great extent.
Those who were arrested recently along with fake notes with face value of Rs 2,000 have told investigators that the notes were printed in Pakistan with the help of the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) and had been smuggled into the country through Bangladesh, the officials claimed.
A study conducted by the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata, in 2016 pegged the value of fake Indian currency notes in circulation at Rs 400 crore.
To check counterfeiting, the government plans to change security features of higher denomination banknotes of Rs 2,000 and Rs 500 every 3-4 years in accordance with global standards.
The move comes in the wake of recovery of a large amount of fake Indian currency notes in last four months after demonetisation.
The issue was discussed threadbare at a high-level meeting on Thursday attended by senior officials of the ministries of Finance and Home, including Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi.
Advocating the move, Home Ministry officials said most of the developed countries change security features of their currency notes every 3-4 years and therefore, it is absolutely necessary for India to follow this policy.
The change in design of Indian currency notes of higher denominations was long due. Till its demonetisation, there had been no major change in the Rs 1,000 note since its introduction in 2000. Changes in the old Rs 500 note, which was launched in 1987, were carried out more than a decade ago.
The newly introduced notes had no additional security features and were similar to those in the old Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes, officials said.
A close look by the investigators on some of the recently seized fake notes found that at least 11 of the 17 security features in the new Rs 2,000 notes had been replicated.
These included the transparent area, watermark, Ashoka Pillar emblem, the letters Rs 2000 on the left, the guarantee clause with the Reserve Bank of India Governors signature and the denomination number in Devanagari on the front, officials said.
Besides, the motif of Chandrayaan, the Swachh Bharat logo and the year of printing had been copied on the reverse side. Although the print and paper quality of the seized counterfeits was poor, they resembled genuine notes.
The officials said the change of security features of currency notes in every 3-4 years will lead to curbing of counterfeiting to a great extent.
Those who were arrested recently along with fake notes with face value of Rs 2,000 have told investigators that the notes were printed in Pakistan with the help of the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) and had been smuggled into the country through Bangladesh, the officials claimed.
A study conducted by the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata, in 2016 pegged the value of fake Indian currency notes in circulation at Rs 400 crore.
Students to rescue realty sector from slump: JLL India
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The demand for student housing is expected to see a rapid growth in India and real estate firms should tap opportunity in this segment to beat current slowdown in the residential market, according to JLL India.
The consultant advised builders to convert their under- construction housing projects into student housing, which has immense scope to be developed as an asset class for real estate companies.
Real estate sector, especially the housing segment, is facing a multi-year slowdown due to low demand because of high prices and significant delays in project completion. Housing sales have been further impacted by the demonetisation move.
"The demand for student housing in India will continue unabated and in fact grow rapidly, so this is an alternative real estate segment that has all the hallmarks of becoming a revolutionary new product in Indian realty," said Subhankar Mitra, Local Director?Strategic Consulting, JLL India.
He said the education sector in India is growing rapidly and number of students enrolling for higher education each year is also increasing. "...student housing is obviously a complimentary product to this growth".
Interestingly, Mitra said the opportunity has come at a time when residential real estate is currently slow. He said "certain developers could bank on this opportunity to transform specific under-construction residential projects into student housing, bringing it under the more lucrative rental-yielding commercial project stream."
The emerging concepts like student housing could help developers and investors diversify into an income-yielding asset class that can potentially offer higher yields than the commercial office and retail assets, the report said.
JLL said that globally student housing is acknowledged as an important and lucrative real estate segment, generally included under alternative real estate asset classes.
In the US and the UK markets, student housing is already an established and investor-friendly asset class because of its size and attractive market yield.
Globally, the student housing segment, which has already attracted 200 billion dollars of investment, is essentially operated on a lease rental basis, the report said.
At present, student housing in India essentially comprises of buildings that primarily offer residential accommodation for large numbers of students in boarding schools, colleges or universities.
However, the residential facilities in such institutions are lower than the demand. Also, the services and amenities they often fall far short of the international standards seen in established student housing markets such as the US or UK.
"The potential for success of in the student housing real estate market in India could be similar or even more to that in the UK. Some of our cities, such as Pune, Bengaluru and Chennai, see very high annual student enrollments," he said.
The demand for student housing is expected to see a rapid growth in India and real estate firms should tap opportunity in this segment to beat current slowdown in the residential market, according to JLL India.
The consultant advised builders to convert their under- construction housing projects into student housing, which has immense scope to be developed as an asset class for real estate companies.
Real estate sector, especially the housing segment, is facing a multi-year slowdown due to low demand because of high prices and significant delays in project completion. Housing sales have been further impacted by the demonetisation move.
"The demand for student housing in India will continue unabated and in fact grow rapidly, so this is an alternative real estate segment that has all the hallmarks of becoming a revolutionary new product in Indian realty," said Subhankar Mitra, Local Director?Strategic Consulting, JLL India.
He said the education sector in India is growing rapidly and number of students enrolling for higher education each year is also increasing. "...student housing is obviously a complimentary product to this growth".
Interestingly, Mitra said the opportunity has come at a time when residential real estate is currently slow. He said "certain developers could bank on this opportunity to transform specific under-construction residential projects into student housing, bringing it under the more lucrative rental-yielding commercial project stream."
The emerging concepts like student housing could help developers and investors diversify into an income-yielding asset class that can potentially offer higher yields than the commercial office and retail assets, the report said.
JLL said that globally student housing is acknowledged as an important and lucrative real estate segment, generally included under alternative real estate asset classes.
In the US and the UK markets, student housing is already an established and investor-friendly asset class because of its size and attractive market yield.
Globally, the student housing segment, which has already attracted 200 billion dollars of investment, is essentially operated on a lease rental basis, the report said.
At present, student housing in India essentially comprises of buildings that primarily offer residential accommodation for large numbers of students in boarding schools, colleges or universities.
However, the residential facilities in such institutions are lower than the demand. Also, the services and amenities they often fall far short of the international standards seen in established student housing markets such as the US or UK.
"The potential for success of in the student housing real estate market in India could be similar or even more to that in the UK. Some of our cities, such as Pune, Bengaluru and Chennai, see very high annual student enrollments," he said.
RBI Governor gets pay hike; monthly basic jumps to Rs 2.5 lakh
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RBI Governor Urjit Patel and his deputies have got a big pay hike with the government more than doubling their basic salary to Rs 2.5 lakh and Rs 2.25 lakh per month, respectively.
The "basic pay of the Governor and Deputy Governors" have been revised retrospectively with effect from January 1, 2016 and marks a huge jump from Rs 90,000 basic pay so far drawn by the Governor and Rs 80,000 for his deputies.
Still, their salaries are much lower than the top executives of various banks regulated by the RBI.
The monthly emoluments of these top RBI officials include basic pay, dearness allowance and other payments, which totalled Rs 2,09,500 in case of Patel as on November 30, 2016, as per the latest information disclosed on the RBI website.
In response to a query under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, the central bank disclosed that as per a Finance Ministry communication, dated February 21, the basic pay of the Governor and Deputy Governors have been revised.
Following the revision, the basic pay of the Governor stands increased to Rs 2,50,000 per month while the same for a Deputy Governor would be Rs 2,25,000, RBI said. The pay hike is "with effect from January 1, 2016".
Dearness Allowance would be notified by the central government from time to time while "all other allowances (are) to be paid at existing rates as if the pay has not been received with effect from January 1, 2016," the RTI reply said.
The RBI, however, did not disclose the new gross pay for Patel and his deputies following the revision in basic pay.
With the earlier basic pay of Rs 90,000, Patel got a DA of Rs 1,12,500 and other payments of Rs 7,000 -- totalling to a gross pay of Rs 2,09,500. The increase in the basic itself would take his gross pay to nearly Rs 3.70 lakh.
Patel, who took over the reins of the central bank in September 2016, had received a salary of Rs 2.09 lakh in October -- the first full month in office. This amount was same as drawn by his predecessor Raghuram Rajan in August that year.
Rajan assumed RBI governorship from September 5, 2013 at a monthly salary of Rs 1.69 lakh. His salary was revised to Rs 1.78 lakh and Rs 1.87 lakh respectively during 2014 and March 2015. His salary was raised to Rs 2.09 lakh from Rs 2.04 lakh in January 2016.
It was not clear whether Rajan, who left RBI on September 4, 2016, would be eligible for arrears as the basic pay for Governor has been revised retrospectively while covering little more than nine months of his tenure.
Currently, RBI has four deputy governors -- R Gandhi, S S Mundra, N S Vishwanathan and Viral V Acharya.
At the end of November last year, Gandhi, Mundra and Vishwanathan were taking home a basic pay of Rs 80,000 per month. Acharya took charge in January this year.
RBI Governor Urjit Patel and his deputies have got a big pay hike with the government more than doubling their basic salary to Rs 2.5 lakh and Rs 2.25 lakh per month, respectively.
The "basic pay of the Governor and Deputy Governors" have been revised retrospectively with effect from January 1, 2016 and marks a huge jump from Rs 90,000 basic pay so far drawn by the Governor and Rs 80,000 for his deputies.
Still, their salaries are much lower than the top executives of various banks regulated by the RBI.
Still, their salaries are much lower than the top executives of various banks regulated by the RBI.
The monthly emoluments of these top RBI officials include basic pay, dearness allowance and other payments, which totalled Rs 2,09,500 in case of Patel as on November 30, 2016, as per the latest information disclosed on the RBI website.
In response to a query under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, the central bank disclosed that as per a Finance Ministry communication, dated February 21, the basic pay of the Governor and Deputy Governors have been revised.
In response to a query under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, the central bank disclosed that as per a Finance Ministry communication, dated February 21, the basic pay of the Governor and Deputy Governors have been revised.
Following the revision, the basic pay of the Governor stands increased to Rs 2,50,000 per month while the same for a Deputy Governor would be Rs 2,25,000, RBI said. The pay hike is "with effect from January 1, 2016".
Dearness Allowance would be notified by the central government from time to time while "all other allowances (are) to be paid at existing rates as if the pay has not been received with effect from January 1, 2016," the RTI reply said.
The RBI, however, did not disclose the new gross pay for Patel and his deputies following the revision in basic pay.
With the earlier basic pay of Rs 90,000, Patel got a DA of Rs 1,12,500 and other payments of Rs 7,000 -- totalling to a gross pay of Rs 2,09,500. The increase in the basic itself would take his gross pay to nearly Rs 3.70 lakh.
With the earlier basic pay of Rs 90,000, Patel got a DA of Rs 1,12,500 and other payments of Rs 7,000 -- totalling to a gross pay of Rs 2,09,500. The increase in the basic itself would take his gross pay to nearly Rs 3.70 lakh.
Patel, who took over the reins of the central bank in September 2016, had received a salary of Rs 2.09 lakh in October -- the first full month in office. This amount was same as drawn by his predecessor Raghuram Rajan in August that year.
Rajan assumed RBI governorship from September 5, 2013 at a monthly salary of Rs 1.69 lakh. His salary was revised to Rs 1.78 lakh and Rs 1.87 lakh respectively during 2014 and March 2015. His salary was raised to Rs 2.09 lakh from Rs 2.04 lakh in January 2016.
It was not clear whether Rajan, who left RBI on September 4, 2016, would be eligible for arrears as the basic pay for Governor has been revised retrospectively while covering little more than nine months of his tenure.
Currently, RBI has four deputy governors -- R Gandhi, S S Mundra, N S Vishwanathan and Viral V Acharya.
At the end of November last year, Gandhi, Mundra and Vishwanathan were taking home a basic pay of Rs 80,000 per month. Acharya took charge in January this year.
At the end of November last year, Gandhi, Mundra and Vishwanathan were taking home a basic pay of Rs 80,000 per month. Acharya took charge in January this year.
General Awareness
India 170th Country for Anemia among Women, Says Global Report
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Recently Union Health Minister Mr. J P Nadda, informed Lok Sabha about India’s standing on various parameters in Global Nutrition Report 2016 which is as follows:
Parameter India’s Rank in the World Anemia among Women 170th out of 185 countries Under-five stunting prevalence 114th out of 132 countries Under-five wasting prevalence 120th out of 132 countries
What is Anemia?
Anemia (also spelled anaemia) is a medical condition indicated by low levels of haemoglobin/Red Blood Cells (RBCs) in blood.
- Due to this, the ability of blood to carry oxygen is reduced. Exhaustion, overall weakness in the body, short breath and depleting functional strength are common symptoms of Anemia. Patients affected with severe form of anemia may even lose consciousness.
Stunting Prevalence:
- Percentage of children in the age group of 0-5 years whose height is less in proportion to their age as per the Child Growth Standards set by World Health Organisation (WHO).
- Frequent infection and insufficient nutrient intake are believed to be the causes of stunting. Children with stunting often face delayed physical development and problems related to mental functioning
Wasting Prevalence:
Percentage of children in the age group of 0-5 years whose weight is less in proportion to their height as per the Child Growth Standards set by World Health Organisation (WHO). It is caused either by a particular disease or due to shortage of food.
- Mr. Nadda also highlighted Global Nutrition Targets to be achieved by year 2025, set by 65th World Health Assembly held in 2012 in Geneva.
Parameter Target for 2025 Anemia among women in productive age Achieving 50% reduction Childhood Stunting Achieving 40% reduction Childhood Wasting To reduce and then maintain below 5%
- Anemia among women in reproductive age has serious consequences as they may giv birth to children with physical or mental complications. Stunting prevalence and wasting prevalence among children too has negative implications as children are the future of the country.
- These problems cause low productivity and hurt country’s performance on economic front.
About Global Nutrition Report:
It is a report card which tracks progress of countries and regions in achieving the Nutrition targets set by World Health Assembly. It is prepared by a group of independent subject experts. Global Nutrition Report is partnered by World Health Organisation (WHO)
Recently Union Health Minister Mr. J P Nadda, informed Lok Sabha about India’s standing on various parameters in Global Nutrition Report 2016 which is as follows:
| Parameter | India’s Rank in the World |
| Anemia among Women | 170th out of 185 countries |
| Under-five stunting prevalence | 114th out of 132 countries |
| Under-five wasting prevalence | 120th out of 132 countries |
What is Anemia?
Anemia (also spelled anaemia) is a medical condition indicated by low levels of haemoglobin/Red Blood Cells (RBCs) in blood.
- Due to this, the ability of blood to carry oxygen is reduced. Exhaustion, overall weakness in the body, short breath and depleting functional strength are common symptoms of Anemia. Patients affected with severe form of anemia may even lose consciousness.
Stunting Prevalence:
- Percentage of children in the age group of 0-5 years whose height is less in proportion to their age as per the Child Growth Standards set by World Health Organisation (WHO).
- Frequent infection and insufficient nutrient intake are believed to be the causes of stunting. Children with stunting often face delayed physical development and problems related to mental functioning
Wasting Prevalence:
Percentage of children in the age group of 0-5 years whose weight is less in proportion to their height as per the Child Growth Standards set by World Health Organisation (WHO). It is caused either by a particular disease or due to shortage of food.
- Mr. Nadda also highlighted Global Nutrition Targets to be achieved by year 2025, set by 65th World Health Assembly held in 2012 in Geneva.
| Parameter | Target for 2025 |
| Anemia among women in productive age | Achieving 50% reduction |
| Childhood Stunting | Achieving 40% reduction |
| Childhood Wasting | To reduce and then maintain below 5% |
- Anemia among women in reproductive age has serious consequences as they may giv birth to children with physical or mental complications. Stunting prevalence and wasting prevalence among children too has negative implications as children are the future of the country.
- These problems cause low productivity and hurt country’s performance on economic front.
About Global Nutrition Report:
It is a report card which tracks progress of countries and regions in achieving the Nutrition targets set by World Health Assembly. It is prepared by a group of independent subject experts. Global Nutrition Report is partnered by World Health Organisation (WHO)
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