Political Archives - Page 259 of 300

SC Raises Issue Of Pendency Of 70 Collegium Recommendations With Centre

editor September 26, 2023

New Delhi, Sept 26: The Supreme Court on Tuesday voiced its disappointment at the "delay" in the appointment of judges and requested that the attorney general use his authority to find a solution while 70 collegium recommendations remained unacted upon by the government. Attorney General R Venkataramani requested a week to come back with directions on the pending proposals for judges' appointment to the high court after a bench of justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Sudhanshu Dhulia highlighted the issue. "I'm quiet today because the attorney general has asked for a very short time, but I won't be quiet the next time," he said. In the course of the hearing, Justice Kaul instructed Venkataramani to "use your good office to see that these issues are resolved." "There were 80 recommendations pending until 10 names were cleared last week," the bench declared. Currently, there are 70 suggestions, of which 26 are for judicial transfers, seven are for reiterations, nine are waiting without having been submitted to the collegium, and one is for the Chief Justice's nomination to a highly contentious high court. It noted that all of these recommendations had been waiting since November of last year. According to Justice Kaul, there has been a seven-month pause since the suggestions that are still waiting underwent basic processing. "We have made an effort to move things along and keep a careful eye. To ensure that a significant amount of work is completed before I leave office on December 25th, I have promised the attorney general that this topic will be discussed every 10 to 12 days. Justice Kaul is a member of the collegium of the apex court, which oversees the recruitment of judges to the top court and the high courts.In the past, the Supreme Court and the Centre have frequently clashed over the collegium system for appointing judges, which has drawn criticism from a variety of sources. The Union Ministry of Law and Justice was being held in contempt of court, according to a petition filed by the Advocates Association of Bengaluru, for allegedly failing to follow the deadline given by the court in a 2021 ruling.Prashant Bhushan, an attorney representing the non-profit organisation Common Cause, produced a chart outlining the government suggestions that were still pending throughout the hearing. What is more concerning, according to him, is that even after the collegium recommends a number of names all at once, the administration separates them and makes only a few appointments. According to my information, numerous lawyers have withdrawn their consents because this has a negative effect on their morale, he stated.The government has held nine such names waiting without returning them, according to Justice Kaul, who agreed with Bhushan's opinions. "I concur that it is really concerning how qualified applicants are withdrawing their consent to serve as judges. On October 9, Justice Kaul said that he had posted the case for further hearing. "We try to get the best talents, but due to pendency, lawyers whose names have been recommended for judgeship have withdrawn their names," he added. For the petitioners, "The Advocates Association of Bengaluru" and Bhushan, senior attorney Arvind Dattar stated that the deadline must be adhered to by the Centre with a "hard push."Due to the delay in appointments, which also affects their seniority, Justice Kaul claimed that some candidates have lost interest and withdrew their names. "Due to the role I currently hold, I am aware of one or two such excellent individuals. With AG's promise, I'll bring up this subject every ten days. I had several ideas for comments, but because the attorney general is only asking for seven days, I'm holding back," he remarked.Bhushan requested the bench to issue a directive to ensure adherence to its decision, which set a deadline for approving the collegium's recommendation. "I'm quiet today because the attorney general has asked for a very short time, but I won't be quiet the next time," he said. Use your influence to see that these problems are remedied, Justice Kaul advised. Justice Kaul stated earlier that he had requested the former Attorney General, KK Venugopal, to use his good offices to ensure that names were cleared, but he had only had partial success.On February 13, the Supreme Court issued a directive to the Centre directing it to ensure that "most of what is expected is done" in relation to recommendations made by the supreme court collegium regarding the appointment and transfer of judges. The highest court had already voiced its displeasure, describing it as a "very serious issue," over the delay in approving recommendations for the transfer of high court judges.The government had informed the supreme court during an earlier hearing in the case on January 6 that every effort was being made to "conform" to the deadlines established by the top court for processing the names suggested by the collegium for appointment of judges to constitutional courts. One of the arguments before the supreme court was "wilful disobedience" of the deadline set forth in its decision from April 20, 2021 to help with the prompt appointment of justices. In that decision, the Supreme Court stated that if the collegium unanimously reiterates its recommendations, the Centre must nominate justices within three to four weeks. [caption id="attachment_3227" align="alignnone" width="300"] SC Raises…

Business header Jammu and Kashmir National Political

Encourage Vaishno Devi pilgrims to visit Jammu zoo: CS to officials

editor September 26, 2023

JAMMU: A K Mehta, chief secretary of Jammu and Kashmir, has encouraged officials to encourage Vaishno Devi pilgrims to visit the zoo on their way to the cave shrine because a lion and a tiger will be introduced to Jambu Zoo here next month. Mehta paid a visit to the Jambu Zoo in Nagrota on Monday to assess the visitor services offered in addition to the general efficiency of the zoological park. In May, the public was allowed access to the Jambu Zoo. The 13 cages at Jambu Zoo, which is one of the biggest in north India, house species that were relocated from Manda Zoo in Jammu. Animals from other zoos in the nation, including a Royal Bengal Tiger and an Asiatic lion, will live in five additional cages. "Lakhs of pilgrims are visiting Shri Mata Vaishno Devi shrine atop Trikuta hills, and they need to be encouraged to stop here for refreshments as the zoo which falls on their route to the cave shrine," the chief secretary remarked. He demanded that large, permanent hoardings promoting the zoo be put up at the airport, the train station, and along the path to the shrine. He stated, "The tiger can be brought in easily by October 15 and the lion by October 25," and that they would draw tourists, particularly kids.Mehta encouraged decision-makers to consider adding a hippopotamus into the zoological park as an additional attraction. The chief secretary stated that the zoo's visitor volume needed to be increased. "Schoolchildren and other nature enthusiasts could also receive education about animals, their behaviour, and the key characteristics associated with them." Mehta demanded that the zoo's cafeteria and natural interpretive centre be made operational right away after noticing their closures. The chief secretary paid a visit to various animal enclosures and praised the employees for taking such wonderful care of all the animals. Mehta observed some of the "sinking" land areas and ordered that specialists be engaged for any quick, low-cost solutions to resolve this problem. [caption id="attachment_3218" align="alignnone" width="300"] Encourage Vaishno Devi pilgrims to visit Jammu zoo: CS to officials[/caption]

header National Political

Govt Policy Is To Open New Doors For Girls: PM

editor September 26, 2023

NEW DELHI, Sept 26:According to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it is the government's intention to create new avenues for girls. He claimed that the adoption of the women's reservation bill in the new Parliament building has hailed a new future for the nation. After distributing appointment letters virtually to nearly 51,000 new employees across various government ministries, Modi spoke at a Rozgar Mela and stressed the growing role that technology is playing in government.He informed the new staff that the use of technology in government initiatives had reduced corruption and complexity while increasing comfort and confidence. He urged them to put the needs of residents first while implementing technology to enhance government, pointing out its applications in areas like digital lockers, train ticketing, and direct benefit payments to recipients of various programmes.The prime minister claimed that his administration operates under a new philosophy that centres on ongoing oversight, mission-mode execution, and widespread engagement in government initiatives with the goal of completely saturating the target population. He emphasised that the recently passed women's reservation measure will significantly increase the country's 50% population and that this is a period of historic decisions and accomplishments for the nation.He noted that many of these new employees were not even born when the proposal was first proposed, but the matter, which had been pending for 30 years, was approved by unprecedented numbers in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. He noted that the presence of girls is growing in fields such as sports and space, saying that the dreams of the new India are tremendous. He stated that they are currently being commissioned into the military. (Agencies) [caption id="attachment_3212" align="alignnone" width="300"] Govt Policy Is To Open New Doors For Girls: PM[/caption]

Business header National Political

IT notifies ‘Angel Tax’ rules for valuation of investments in startups

editor September 26, 2023

NEW DELHI: Rules for valuing equities and compulsorily convertible preferred shares issued by startups to resident and non-resident investors have been made public by the income tax department. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) stipulates that the valuation of compulsorily convertible preference shares (CCPS) can also be based on the fair market value of unquoted equity shares in accordance with the amendments to Rule 11UA of I-T rules, which take effect on September 25. The five new valuation techniques—Comparable Company Multiple Method, Probability Weighted Expected Return Method, Option Pricing Method, Milestone Analysis Method, and Replacement Cost Method—that were included in the draught rules for non-residents' review are also retained in the amended rules.The amendments to Rule 11UA of the Indian Income Tax Act, according to Nangia & Co LLP Partner Amit Agarwal, result in positive changes by giving taxpayers flexibility through a variety of valuation methods, simplifying the valuation date consideration, encouraging venture capital investments, facilitating investments from notified entities, providing clarity on CCPS, and promoting foreign investments. "The inclusion of a tolerance threshold for minor valuation discrepancies further enhances the efficiency and fairness of tax assessments, ultimately benefiting both taxpayers and the government."These modifications give taxpayers access to a wider variety of valuation techniques, including those that are widely accepted, luring foreign investment and promoting clarity.Additionally, the notified final regulation adds a new sub-clause that specifically mentions CCPS, according to Agarwal. According to Amit Maheshwari, partner at AKM Global Tax, the new angel tax laws have very well addressed a crucial feature of the CCPS valuation mechanism, which was not the case in the past given that the majority of investments made in India by VC funds are made only through the CCPS method. Maheshwari continued, "The extending of 10% safe harbour to CCPS investments as it was previously intended for equity shares will give required margin of safety for handling foreign exchange volatility and is a positive measure.The CBDT released draught regulations on the valuation of funding in unlisted and unrecognised businesses for income tax purposes in May and solicited public feedback on them. These regulations are known as the "Angel Tax." The revised regulations are intended to close the discrepancy between the Income Tax and the FEMA regulations. Businesses paid taxes in addition to their fair market value. A tax known as an angel tax was used to describe this. According to the Finance Act of 2023, taxes will be applied to such investments above the FMV whether the investor is a resident or a non-resident. Concerns have been raised over the methods used to determine fair market value under two different regulations following changes to the Finance Act. [caption id="attachment_3206" align="alignnone" width="300"] IT notifies 'Angel Tax' rules for valuation of investments in startups[/caption]

Breaking News header Jammu and Kashmir National Political

NIA court rejects bail plea of 10 separatists

editor September 26, 2023

SRINAGAR: On Monday, a special court in this city denied the bail requests of ten second-rung separatist leaders who had been detained on suspicion of attempting to resurrect the outlawed Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF). Further Sessions Judge Srinagar Sandeep Gandotra, a special judge appointed under the NIA Act, rejected the separatists' arguments, stating that granting them bail at this point would jeopardise the interests of the general public and the state. The embargo outlined in section 43(D) proviso 5 is invoked in the current case, and the court noted that the accused parties/applicants do not merit the freedom of release at this time. "Furthermore, public interests/interests of the state/UT shall be at risk if the accused persons/applicants be expanded on bail at this point. Accordingly, the applications are denied, and they will be added to the records once the required procedures have been followed, the court stated. The bail application hearing had been grouped by the court. The judge further stated that the denial of the bail requests should not be interpreted as a judgement on the merits of the main case.Firdous Ahmad Shah, Jahangir Ahmad Bhat, Saheel @ Suhail Ahmad Mir, Khursheed Ahmad Bhat, Syed Rehman Shams, Sajad Hussain Gul, Mohammad Rafiq Phaloo, Gh. Hassan Parray @ Firdousi, Mohammed Yaseen Bhat, and Shabir Ahmad Dar were among the separatist leaders who had filed the bail applications. They were detained in July of this year on suspicion of attempting to resurrect the JKLF, which the Centre had banned in March of this year. [caption id="attachment_3184" align="alignnone" width="300"] NIA court rejects bail plea of 10 separatists[/caption]

header Jammu and Kashmir National Political

CS reviews the progress of IT initiatives

editor September 26, 2023

SRINAGAR: Chief Secretary, Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta presided over a thorough evaluation of the IT Department today with the goal of further easing the lives of regular citizens through the use of e-initiatives for more transparency and door-step delivery of various government services. Alongside the evaluation, he also unveiled a number of IT initiatives, including the Cyber Crisis Management Plan (CCMP), Open Government Data (OGD) platform, Digital Internship 2.0, and five (05) new online services dedicated to the public.Along with other senior officers from the IT Department, the CEO of JKeGA, the State Informatics Officer of NIC, and the Commissioner/Secretary of the IT Department all attended the review meeting and launch event. The Chief Secretary acknowledged Team J&K's efforts at the outset of the evaluation for reaching the milestone of earning the top rank among States and UTs in terms of the number of e-services made available to citizens. At the same time, he made it clear that the success should inspire everyone to find other areas and services that should be offered in an electronic format in order to further improve the ease of the general population. He emphasised that e-services have improved departmental efficiency and are a very effective tool for achieving the "BhrashtacharMukt J&K" administration goal.The general public is also appreciating e-initiatives for their transparent, hassle-free character. He asked the department to keep working to increase the number of e-services available, advocating the addition of new services and setting a goal of achieving 1500 e-services. Dr. Mehta oversaw the production of thorough reports highlighting the backlog of e-files inside various government departments for prompt file destruction during the evaluation of e-office. He emphasised the significance of pinpointing users that display subpar file disposal rates. He also emphasised the use of cutting-edge tools in e-office processes, like voice-to-text converters, and evaluated the advancement of the Digital DPR and Virtual Tour projects.He ordered the inclusion of the PSGA timeline in the SMS delivered to individuals upon submitting an e-service application before the end of this month in order to increase empowerment & transparency and to sensitise the general public about their right to timely public service delivery. Meanwhile, the Chief Secretary described the creation of new horizons in J&K as evidence of increased transparency while announcing the JK instances of the Open Government Data (OGD) Platform, the Cyber Crisis Management Plan (CCMP), and the Digital Internship Programme 2.0. Prerna Puri, the Commissioner Secretary for Information Technology, spoke at the event and told the audience that this year the Department is accepting a batch of 17 interns for training under the "Digital Internship Programme 2.0." She said that the program's goal is to increase participants' ability to comprehend how government services and procedures operate more clearly. [caption id="attachment_3181" align="alignnone" width="300"] CS reviews the progress of IT initiatives[/caption]

Business header Jammu and Kashmir National Political

CS For Comprehensive Measures To Improve Footfall To Jambu Zoo; Lion And Tiger Arriving In October

editor September 25, 2023

JAMMU, Sept 25: On his visit to the Jambu Zoo in Nagrota, Chief Secretary Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta evaluated the amenities offered to guests as well as the overall operation of the zoological park, which was opened to the public last year. The Chief Secretary noted during his inspections that, given the attractions present, the facility's foot traffic has to be increased. He noted that schoolchildren and other wildlife enthusiasts may also be taught about animals, their behaviour, and important aspects of them. Dr. Mehta further argued that educating tourists about the Zoo's amenities and location would boost the number of people visiting it.He saw that there is no signage directing people towards the Zoo. He persuaded the authorities that large, permanent hoardings at the airport, the railway station and along the road should be put up to draw attention from travellers and inform them about this attraction. Additionally, he said that since the Zoo is located on their path to the cave shrine, it would be wise to encourage the thousands of pilgrims who visit the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi shrine to stop by for refreshments here.Dr. Mehta also observed the campus's closed cafeteria and Nature Interpretation Centre. He demanded that both of these facilities be made operational right away so that visitors to the Zoo would find it to be inclusive and educational. Additionally, he instructed them to stock the cafeteria with Jammu's traditional dishes, especially those prepared with millets, because they are popular and healthful across the country.The Chief Secretary thanked the employees for taking such good care of the animals while touring various animal enclosures. He instructed them to provide for the health and well-being of all of these animals. Regarding additional interventions, he said that it would be simple to bring in the tiger by October 15 and the lion by October 25. He said that such creatures are popular with most people and would draw in most tourists, including kids. He advised them to consider adding hippopotamus to the Zoological Park as an additional attraction.The Chief Secretary added that the administration should think about keeping the Zoo open to the public in the morning and evening as well, given the scorching summer weather in Jammu. He urged them to consider keeping the Zoo open from 7:00 am to 10:00 am in the morning and from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm on days with high temperatures so that visitors would have a cool place to visit. [caption id="attachment_3174" align="alignnone" width="300"] CS For Comprehensive Measures To Improve Footfall To Jambu Zoo; Lion And Tiger Arriving In…

Breaking News header National Political

If voted to power, Congress will conduct caste census: Rahul

editor September 25, 2023

BILASPUR: Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the Congress, declared on Monday that if his party were to win the election, it would conduct a "caste census" in order to guarantee the "participation of OBCs, Dalits, tribals, and women." Additionally, he questioned whether the Prime Minister was afraid of such an effort and demanded to know why the Narendra Modi administration had withheld information about a "caste census" carried out by the Congress (when it was in office). Gandhi also waved a remote control at the audience while speaking at the state government's "Awas Nyay Sammelan" in the Parsada (Sakri) village of Bilaspur. He claimed that when the Congress pressed the remote, the poor and needy benefited, but that when the governing BJP did the same, "Adani gets ports, airports, and railway contracts.""The Congress carried out a caste census, which contains data on the population of each caste in the nation. This report is in the possession of the Union government, but Modiji refuses to make it public, he said. If we wish to allow participation for Other Backward Classes, Dalits, tribals, and women, a caste census must be undertaken. Gandhi stated that if Modi does not conduct a caste census, then when we get to power, our first action will be to organise a caste census to guarantee OBC representation. Gandhi noted that only three of the 90 secretaries in various Union government ministries are members of the OBC and that the government is managed by secretaries and cabinet secretaries rather than by MPs and MLAs.Gandhi stated that these three people only control 5% of the nation's budget and questioned whether there were only 5% OBC people in India. Gandhi asserted that the caste census is the solution to these issues and questioned Modi's fear of the census process. Gandhi waved a remote control to criticise the Modi administration at the occasion when he unveiled the Gramin Awas Nyay Yojna (GANY) of the Bhupesh Baghel government, which aims to give financial aid to families living in kutcha huts and homeless people in rural areas. Gandhi claimed that by pressing a remote button today, thousands of crores of rupees were deposited into the accounts of Chhattisgarh residents.The housing programme, which was announced during the day, will help those who were eligible for assistance under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana but were unable to receive it since the Centre refused to release funding despite repeated requests from the state government, according to Gandhi. In front of cameras, we (Congress) press a remote control. It is done covertly by the BJP. The railway and airport contracts for Mumbai are awarded to tycoon Gautam Adani when the BJP presses a remote control, he claimed. Two remote controls are available. When we push it, English-medium schools are opened in Chhattisgarh and farmers are given money through the Nyay Scheme into their accounts. However, when the BJP pulls a lever, the public sector is privatised and Adani receives the rights to water, forests, and land, according to Gandhi.Gandhi claimed that after raising concerns about PM Modi's ties to Adani, his membership in the Lok Sabha was terminated. Gandhi was stripped of his LS membership after being given a two-year prison sentence by a court in Surat, Gujarat, for remarks he made at a rally in Karnataka regarding why robbers acquired the surname Modi. He regained his membership in the Lower House after the Supreme Court eventually overturned his sentence.

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“Congress has been busy glorifying one family, nourishing corrupt system : PM Modi

editor September 25, 2023

BHOPAL: In poll-bound Madhya Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a stinging attack on Congress on Monday, claiming the group "has been busy glorifying only one family," fostering "corrupt system," and that if given the chance to win the election, it would be a terrible loss for the state. The Prime Minister attacked Congress in his speech to the Karyakarta Mahakumbh in Bhopal, claiming that the opposition party "neither has the ability to see nor understand the national interest" on a number of different fronts. He claimed that neither Congress nor the nation wanted to change. "Congress cannot comprehend the development work being done in India... They oppose the growth of the nation.They never take pride in the nation's accomplishments because neither they nor the nation desire to evolve or adapt. If Congress is given the chance (to take power here), it will establish a "Bimaru Rajya" in Madhya Pradesh. They opposed digital payments, yet UPI mode is admired around the world, he claimed. Congress has been active in elevating a single family. Congress has been actively supporting India's corrupt system. Congress is like rusty iron—if left out in the rain, it will corrode. The national interest is currently neither visible nor understood by Congress, he continued. The Prime Minister stated that Madhya Pradesh must succeed in the upcoming years."This will be a huge loss for the state if Congress, a dynasty party, a party full of corruption, gets a chance (to come into power)," he remarked. The youth in Madhya Pradesh are fortunate to have "not witnessed the bad governance of the Congress government," the Prime Minister remarked, noting that the BJP government there has been in power for almost 20 years. This implies that the young people, who will cast their first ballots in the upcoming elections, have only ever known the BJP government. The current generation of Madhya Pradesh's youth is fortunate not to have experienced the dysfunctional leadership of the Congress government. The state was transformed into "Bimaru Rajya" by the Congress, but the BJP has made an effort to revitalise the state. The BJP government's development efforts and effective leadership have been seen by the local youth, the prime minister stated. He asserted that the 'Karyakarta Mahakumbh' demonstrates the vigour of BJP members. The phrase "Karyakarta Mahakumbh" conveys a lot. This demonstrates what is on people's minds in this place. This demonstrates the enthusiasm of the BJP workers. Madhya Pradesh is the nation's centre. The state's residents have always backed the BJP, he claimed. 'Garibi Hatao' was a motto Congress proposed fifty years ago, according to PM Modi, but it was never implemented. "Their (Congress) leaders, born with silver spoons in their mouths, do not care about the lives of the poor... They view adventure tourism as the poor's way of life... Poor people's colonies are now a popular venue for video shoots for Congress leaders. They have previously done this as well. According to him, the BJP government is presenting the world with a developed and opulent image of the nation. He said that Droupadi Murmu's election to the presidency was thwarted by Congress and other opposition parties. "These (Congress) are the same individuals who did everything in their power to prevent the nation's first tribal woman president, Droupadi Murmu, from taking office.These are the same individuals that have continually attempted to make her feel ashamed. These are the same people who barred daughters from serving on the front lines of the nation's armed forces, he claimed. Madhya Pradesh is one of five states that will hold elections for their assemblies later this year. [caption id="attachment_3165" align="alignnone"…

Business header National Political

Rajnath Inaugurates Bharat Drone Shakti Show At Hindon Airbase

editor September 25, 2023

Uttar Pradesh, Sept 25: On Monday, Hindon Airbase in this city hosted a large-scale drone demonstration, which was officially opened by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. The Indian Air Force and Drone Federation of India (DFI) are organising the event, dubbed Bharat Drone Shakti 2023. Singh introduced the massive drone show and observed a few airborne drone experiments. Later, he also stopped by several of the stalls and the exhibition area. Approximately 75 drones are on static exhibit, and more than 50 will be displayed aerially throughout the expo, according to a representative of the Drone Federation of India. (Agencies) [caption id="attachment_3161" align="alignnone" width="300"] Rajnath Inaugurates Bharat Drone Shakti Show At Hindon Airbase[/caption]

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