HC grants bail to activist Rahul Easwar

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December 21, 2018

The Kerala High Court on Friday granted bail to Ayyappa Dharma Sena leader Rahul Easwar, who was re-arrested earlier this week for defying the bail conditions imposed in a case related to violent protests at Sabarimala in October.

He was arrested on Monday after a local court revoked his bail.

Granting the fresh conditional bail, Justice Sunil Thomas directed the activist not to enter Pamba, an important pilgrim spot enroute to the hill shrine of Lord Ayyappa at Sabarimala.

The judge also directed him to sign at Pathanamthitta police station once every month.

Easwar was arrested from a rest house in Palakkad on Monday, two days after the court at Ranni in Pathanamthitta district ordered his arrest for failure to appear before the local police as stipulated in the bail condition.

The Ayyappa Dharma Sena leader spearheaded protests against the implementation of the Supreme Court verdict permitting women of all age groups into the Lord Ayyappa temple.

He was earlier arrested in the case relating to violence at the Lord Ayyappa shrine when it was opened for the monthly prayers on October 17, for the first time after the apex court lifted the ban on menstrual age women visiting the shrine.

The local court, while granting bail, had stipulated several conditions, including that he has to appear in the Pathanamthitta police station on every Saturday.

However, on December 8, he failed to appear, police had said, following which the court cancelled Easwar’s bail.

LS member flags concerns over MHA order giving snooping powers

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December 21, 2018

A Lok Sabha member on Friday raised concerns about the Home Ministry’s decision to authorise ten central agencies to intercept any information on computers, saying the move is a violation of fundamental rights.

Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) leader N K Premachandran raised the issue during the Zero Hour.

The order authorises 10 central agencies, including the Intelligence Bureau, Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate to intercept, monitor, and decrypt “any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer”.

Various Opposition parties have also opposed the government’s move and described it as unconstitutional, undemocratic and an assault on fundamental rights.

UP govt has failed to control crime: Mayawati

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December 21, 2018

Citing the Agra case in which a girl was burnt alive, BSP leader Mayawati on Friday lashed out at the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh for its failure to fight crime, particularly that against women.

“It is a matter of grave concern that one girl is set on fire in Agra while another is subjected to gang rape, she said referring to two recent cases in the same district.

These incidents prove that hardened criminals are moving about freely in Uttar Pradesh,” the Bahujan Samaj Party leader said in a statement.

The 15-year-old Dalit girl died on Thursday at a Delhi hospital after being set on fire by two youths, who are yet to be traced.

Mayawati charged that the recent incidents and the state government’s statements in the assembly showed that checking crime was not a priority for it.

“What to say about the honour of women, even their security is not being taken seriously,” she alleged.

She said that these incidents of crime against women soon after the Bulandshahr violence, in which a police inspector and a youth were killed by a mob protesting over alleged cow slaughter, had forced people to think there is no police or government worth its name in UP.

“The failure to nab the killers of the police officer in Bulandshahr even three weeks after the incident goes to prove the failure of the BJP government on the law and order front,” she added.

Self-discipline expected from people’s representatives: Lok Sabha Speaker on disruptions

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December 21, 2018

Amid continuous disruption of proceedings in the Lok Sabha, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said on Friday that self-discipline is expected from representatives of people and asserted it is the responsibility of all to ensure that the House functions.

Mahajan chaired the Lok Sabha’s Rules Committee on Friday which deliberated upon smooth functioning of the house.

The Rules Committee acts as an advisory body to her for framing and amending rules for regulating and conducting the business in the Lok Sabha.

Talking to reporters after the meeting, Mahajan said that she is trying to make sure that the House functions smoothly with cooperation of all parties.

“All Parliamentarians have come here after getting the mandate from the people. They are representatives of the people. It’s everybody’s responsibility to ensure that the House functions,” she said.

Asked if there is any need to initiate disciplinary action against the members who disrupt the House, Mahajan said that it was not required in these times.

“There is a need for self- discipline,” she said.

Referring to Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge’s remarks that his party is ready to discuss the Triple Talaq Bill on December 27, the Lok Sabha Speaker said,”I believe that on 27th, the House will function smoothly.”

The Lok Sabha proceedings were disrupted for the seventh consecutive working day on Thursday amid sparring between members of various parties and a ruckus being created by various leaders.

On Friday too, the Lok Sabha proceedings were disrupted as AIADMK, TDP and Congress members protested over various issues, with the Speaker adjourning the House for the day.

Lok Sabha sources said that Mahajan told the leaders in Thursday’s meeting that the image of the House is taking a hit and it is being seen as a place where only ruckus happens, where nothing can be asked or listened.

Calcutta HC quashes single bench order that allowed BJP’s ‘Rath Yatra’ in West Bengal

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December 21, 2018

The Calcutta High Court on Friday quashed the single bench order that allowed BJP’s ‘Rath Yatra’ in West Bengal.

The Division bench comprising Chief Justice Debasish Kargupta and Justice Shampa Sarkar send the case back to the single bench to consider intelligence inputs by state agencies.

The two judges’ bench order came after hearing an appeal moved by the state government, challenging the Thursday order of the single bench.

Two lakh anganwadi posts lie vacant in the country: WCD

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December 21, 2018

There are over 24 lakh anganwadi staffers working across various centres in the country, and two lakh posts for anganwadi workers and helpers are lying vacant, the Lok Sabha was told on Friday.

Minister of State for Women and Child Development Ministry Virendra Kumar said that a package of six essential services comprising supplementary nutrition (SNP), immunisation, health check-up, referral services, pre-school non-formal education, nutrition, and health education are provided to the targeted beneficiaries.

About 1.09 lakh anganwadi worker positions are vacant, while 1.18 lakh positions for anganwadi helpers are unoccupied, he said in a written reply.

He also said that a total of 12.8 lakh anganwadi workers and 11.6 lakh anganwadi helpers are working across the country.

Bihar has the highest number of vacant anganwadi posts, with 53,000 unoccupied positions, he said.

Out of the total number of anganwadi centres, 86.15 per cent of them, which is about 12.83 lakh, are running from concrete buildings, the remaining 13.85 per cent are operating from make-shift buildings, he said, adding there are 13.63 lakh operational anganwadi kendras in the country.

“The government has made provision of funds for providing medicine kit of Rs 1,500 per annum for anganwadi centres and Rs 750 per annum for mini-aganwadi centres and other administrative expenses under anganwadi services are Rs 2,000 per annum for anganwadi centres and Rs 1,000 per annum for mini-anganwadi centres,” he said.

Government empowers security, intelligence agencies for Mass Surveillance

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December 21, 2018

The Centre on Friday authorised select security and intelligence agencies for purposes of interception, monitoring and decryption of any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer resource.

The agencies empowered by the government in accordance with the Information Technology Act, 2000, include the Intelligence Bureau (IB), Narcotics Control Bureau, Enforcement Directorate (ED), Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). National Investigation Agency (NIA), Cabinet Secretariat (RAW) and the Commissioner of Police, Delhi.

“In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1) of section 69 of the Information Technology Act, 2000 (21 of 2000) read with rule 4 of the Information Technology ( Procedure and Safeguards for Interception, Monitoring and Decryption of Information) Rules, 2009, the Competent Authority hereby authorises Security and Intelligence Agencies for the purposes of interception, monitoring and decryption of any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer resource under the said Act,” read the notice issued by Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba.

Furthermore, the Directorate of Signal Intelligence has been given authority for service areas of Jammu and Kashmir, North-East and Assam.

The direction from the Ministry of Home Affairs comes as a follow up to a 2009 notification, wherein the then UPA government had stated that no person shall carry out the interception, monitoring, or decryption of any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer resource under sub-section (2) of section 69 of the Information Technology Act, 2000, except by an order issued by the competent authority.

“Such order may be issued by an officer, not below the rank of the Joint Secretary to the Government of India, who has been duly authorised by the competent authority,” the 2009 notice read.

As per this earlier notification, in case of remote areas where obtaining prior directions for interception is not feasible, the guidelines provided for monitoring of information generated, transmitted or received in any computer resource to be done with prior approval of the head or second senior-most officer of the security and law enforcement agency at the central level and the officer authorised on this behalf, not below the rank of the Inspector General of Police or an officer of equivalent rank at the state or union territory level.

However, the authority supervising surveillance in such cases was required to inform in writing to the competent authority about the emergency deception of data within three working days and obtain approval within seven working days. “If the approval of the competent authority is not obtained within the said period of seven working days, such interception or monitoring shall cease and information shall not be intercepted thereafter without prior approval,” the document had stated.

India’s government likely to renew demand for extra dividend from RBI

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December 21, 2018

India’s government will likely renew its demand for 131.40 billion Indian rupees ($1.9 billion) in additional dividend from the central bank helmed by newly-appointed governor Shaktikanta Das, two sources in the government told Reuters.

The government believes the amount has been pending since 2016-17, when the used an internal formula called staggered surplus dividend distribution method without consulting the government to transfer the dividend for that year, said one of the sources, who did not want to be named as they are not authorised to speak to the media.

“Even though RBI in 2016-17 used their own formula it had still transferred 131.40 billion rupees less to the government in our view,” the official said. “We have been asking that amount to be given to us,” the official added.

The central bank announced the transfer of 500 billion rupees in dividend to the federal government for this fiscal year in August. The government submitted a note to the RBI later that month pointing to the shortfall, said one of the sources who had seen it.

Both sources said that the Finance Ministry was likely to combine the amount sought for this year and the pending sum from 2016-17 when it makes a formal request next month.

The Finance Ministry and the RBI did not respond to requests for comment. RBI officials have in the past said that reserves are an important measure of the central bank’s ability to withstand any major market volatility and, therefore, should not be reduced.

Heated discussions over the revamping of the economic capital framework was one of the reasons behind the sudden resignation of RBI Governor Urijit Patel earlier this month.

The government has been sparring with the RBI on deciding a fixed formula for transferring dividend to the government as it believes the central bank currently uses an “arbitrary” method.

The government wants to set a clear formula for transfer of the funds as the calculation of fiscal deficit and expenditures can be upset if the amount of transfer is lower-than-expected.

New Delhi not only wants to have a clear dividend-sharing policy with the central bank but is also looking to revamp the entire economic capital framework as it believes the current framework is “extremely conservative.”

If the government is successful in convincing the RBI of a less conservative framework, then trillions of rupees could be freed up for government use, according to the second source, who also did not want to be named.

Such funds will be crucial to the Narendra Modi-led government, who will look to lure voters by giving tax rebates, increasing allocation towards rural schemes and spending on subsidies ahead of a general election that must be held by May.

‘BHEL in talks to form JV with US-firm for manufacturing lithium-ion batteries in India’

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December 21, 2018

The government is making efforts to manufacture lithium-ion batteries in India in the next one year, and talks are on between state-run BHEL and a US firm to form a joint venture in this regard, Union Minister Anant Geete said on Friday.

“Right now we are importing 100 per cent lithium-ion batteries, but efforts are on towards manufacturing them in India within the next one year,” Geete said, adding that talks are on between BHEL and an American firm to form a joint venture for domestic manufacturing of lithium-ion batteries.

BHEL comes under the administrative control of ministries of heavy industries.

The minister also unveiled electric auto, ‘KYTO’, manufactured by ETO Motors in joint venture with Hong Kong-based Kyto Green Technologies.

Grayson Richards, managing director of Kyto Green Technologies, said the company plans to invest $10 million in India over the next two years and will make the country a hub for exporting to other nations.

Lithium-ion batteries, a key component used in electric vehicles, are mostly imported from China at present.

Airtel, Ericsson claim 500 Mbps download speed on smartphones under new tech

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December 21, 2018

Telecom operator Bharti Airtel and Swedish telecom gear maker Ericsson on Friday claimed to have achieved broadband download speed of 500 Megabits per second (Mbps) on smartphones during live trial of a new technology.

“During the trial, data download speeds of over 500 Mbps were recorded on smartphones in an indoor environment. In outdoor environment, peak download speed of more than 400 Mbps was achieved with coverage of about 180 meters from the base station. The trial was conducted in Delhi-NCR,” Airtel and Ericsson said in a joint statement.

Both companies jointly conducted India’s first trial of Licensed Assisted Access (LAA) technology over a live 4G network.

LAA is a key technology wherein operators evolve their networks to achieve gigabit LTE (4G) by opening up previously untapped resources of unlicensed spectrum delivering speeds once thought only possible over fiber.

LAA enables the use of unlicensed spectrum in the 5 GHz band in combination with the licensed spectrum.

“Airtel used one LTE 5 MHz carrier aggregated with three 20 MHz carriers of unlicensed spectrum. Together with 4CC carrier aggregation, 4×4 MIMO and 256 QAM technologies, the trial was conducted using Ericsson Radio System,” the statement said.

Theoretically, a full high definition two-hour long video can be downloaded in about a minute and standard definition video in few seconds.

Recently, the government freed around 550 Mhz of spectrum for public wifi and 5G services.