Panel on RBI’s capital framework likely to be formed this week

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November 25, 2018

The government and the Reserve Bank will likely by this week appoint members of an expert committee which will look into the economic capital framework (ECF) of the central bank, a source said.

In its nine-hour meeting held last week, the RBI’s board had decided to constitute a committee of experts to examine the ECF, the membership and terms of reference of which will be jointly determined by the government and the RBI. It will determine the appropriate levels of reserves the central bank ought to hold.

“The names will be decided by the RBI governor and the Finance Ministry together in next 5 to 6 days,” the source said.

The committee will have minimum of three people, which will include present and past central bankers, and officials from the Finance Ministry, the person said.

“Within two-three months, the committee will submit its recommendations. The idea is to submit the report before the closing of the financial year,” the source added.

As of June 30, 2018, RBI’s reserves stood at Rs 9.43 lakh crore, with a major portion of the reserves coming from contingency fund (Rs 2.32 lakh crore) and currency and gold revaluation account (CGRA) (Rs 6.91 lakh crore).

While the contingency fund stood at 6.41 per cent of the total assets of the RBI, the CGRA was 19.10 per cent in the year ended June 30, 2018.

In the past, the issue of the ideal size of RBI’s reserves was examined by three committees – V Subrahmanyam (1997), Usha Thorat (2004) and Y H Malegam (2013).

While the Subrahmanyam committee recommended that contingency reserve should be built up to 12 per cent, the Thorat committee had said the reserve adequacy should be maintained at 18 per cent of the total assets.

The RBI board did not accept the recommendation of the Thorat committee and decided to continue with the recommendation of the Subrahmanyam panel.

The Malegam committee recommended that adequate amount of profits should continue to be transferred each year to contingency reserves.

The issue of transfer of RBI’s reserves to the government has been a contentious issue between the two sides for a long time.

Recently, RBI Independent Director and Swadeshi ideologue S Gurumurthy had made a case for calibration of RBI’s massive reserves and said no central bank in the world maintains such high levels of surplus.

In the November 19 meeting, the RBI board also decided on a slew of measures, including a restructuring scheme for MSME borrowers with credit facilities of up to Rs 25 crore and giving banks some concession on capital adequacy norms.

It also decided to refer the issue of relaxing prompt corrective action (PCA) framework for weak banks to the Board of Financial Supervision (BFS) of the RBI.

Uddhav offers prayers to Ram Lalla, says emotions of Hindus shouldn’t be taken for granted

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Afternoon Voice

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November 25, 2018

Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday said that the BJP government at the Centre “may not last” if the Ram Temple is not constructed at Ayodhya and demanded that an ordinance be brought in to pave for its way, warning that emotions of Hindus should not be taken for granted.

The Shiv Sena chief, who offered prayers at the Ram Lalla temple, said “days, years and generations are passing by but the temple has not being constructed”.

Noting that Lok Sabha elections are around the corner and only one session of Parliament remains, he asked the government to bring an ordinance.

“Shiv Sena has been supporting (them) on the issue of Hindutva and will continue to do so. Bring ordinance or a law but construct temple …the emotions of Hindus should not be taken for granted,” he told reporters here.

Thackeray said Hindus are today asking when will the temple be made while maintaining that his visit to Ayodhya is neither for political purposes nor is there any hidden agenda.

“I am only asking (BJP) that when you were campaigning for elections you said all possibilities will be explored under the Constitution …what has been done in four years. When will you explore possibilities,” he asked.

The Sena chief said that if the temple is not made perhaps this government will also not last but the temple will definitely be made.

Mounting an attack on Yogi Adityanath, he said the chief minister said there was a Ram temple in Ayodhya and will remain “but when will it be visible… it should be constructed as the earliest.”

Thackeray also said that the Ram Temple issue should not be politicised.

“Chunav prachar ke dauran is mudde ka istemal na karein..hinduo ki bhavna se khilwad na karein (This issue (Ram Temple) should not be used in election campaigning. Don’t take the emotions of Hindus for granted)”, he said.

The town has turned into a virtual fortress with multiple layers of security and deployment of drones as people began arriving here for Sunday’s ‘Dharam Sabha’, being organised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad to push for the construction of the Ram temple.

The VHP has claimed three lakh people, including seers, will attend its public meeting.

Water conflicts on the rise in Maharashtra, say experts

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Afternoon Voice

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November 23, 2018

Issues of unequal distribution, lack of planning, political interference and growing demand for water were giving rise to disputes among the different regions of Maharashtra, according to experts on the subject.

Maharashtra received inadequate rainfall this monsoon and the government recently declared drought in 151 out of the 353 talukas in the state.

Citing lack of a state-level policy for water distribution and storage, Sanjay Lakhe Patil, president of the Marathwada Backlog Removal and Development Forum, blamed politicians.

“They have always invested heavily in their own areas. Maximum dams have been constructed per hectare area, resulting in water imbalance and conflictsbetween different regions, talukas and districts,” he said.

“Our water policy has always remained flawed. Needs of the region were never considered while sanctioningirrigation projects. Political leaders only thought about regions of their influence,” Lakhe Patil claimed.

Giving an example, Lakhe Patil said the huge expenditure on Krishna Valley irrigation projects resulted in water disparity in western Maharashtra.

While Baramati, Kolhapur, parts of Satara, Sangli and Pune benefited, other areas like Sangola, Maan, parts of Satara, Sangli, Pune, Solapur and Atpadi remained without water, he said.

Lakhe Patil said the Tembhu-Takari irrigation project in Sangole in western Maharashtra, a perennially drought-prone area, is incomplete due to lack of funds.

Similarly, additional water storage capacity dams were built in the upper catchment areas of Jayakwadi Dam which, he said, went against irrigation rules.

“Additional storage capacity breaks the catchment water which is meant for Jayakwadi in Marathwada. The conflict started because Jayakwadi does not get enough water,” he claimed.

In 2016, the Bombay High Court passed a historical judgement regarding equitable distribution of water and held that water is owned by the state and not any particular district, region, person or personality, he said.

The Mendhegiri Committee set up by the state government laid down a formula on distribution of water from the upper catchment area dams in Ahmednagar and Nashik districts as and when Jayakwadi Dam faced scarcity, he added.

The Vithalrao Vikhe Patil Sugar Factory and Mula Sugar Factory moved the Supreme Court against the release of water from these dams to Jayakwadi Dam but their plea was rejected by the apex court, said Lakhe Patil.

Following the SC order, Nashik authorities released water earlier this month into Jayakwadi Dam.

Lakhe Patil added that 90 thousand million cubic feet of water from west-flowing rivers like Damanganga, Aurangiya, Ambika, Nar, Par goes into the Arabian Sea and no efforts had been made to store this water.

He added that Mahrashtra Water Resources Regulatory Authority, with its chairperson being a retired Indian Administrative Officer with rank equivalent to the state Chief Secretary or a high court justice, had enough powers to tackle water conflicts.

Ratnakar Mahajan, former vice chairman of the Mahrashtra Planning Commission said the previous Congress-NCP government formulated a uniform water policy for the state through which it set up the Maharashtra Water Resources Regulatory Authority.

But, he said, the authority could not function independently while taking decisions on water distribution for drinking and agricultural purposes due to political interference.

Apart from the water conflict related to Jayakwadi Dam, there are other ones too that are coming to the fore in the state.

Farmers in Sangola, a perennially drought-prone taluka inSolapur district, are demanding that water be released from the Tembhu lift irrigation project on the Krishna river.

They have alleged that water is not being released to them from upstream regions of Sangli and Satara due to political pressure.

In Nashik district’s Dindori taluka, farmers claim the quantity of their produce has declined as water from the east-flowing rivers in the district’s western talukas is getting over before the crops gained strength.

Farmers from Kalwan taluka in Nashik don’t want water from the Chankapur dam, across the Girna river, to be released to Malegaon and Chandwad, the eastern talukas of Nashik and, further, to Marathwada.

Officials said despite the general belief that there was plenty of water in the upper parts of the Godavari Basin, drinking water needs had grown tremendously due to rapid urbanisation among other aspects.

There are 23 dams in the Godavari and Tapi basins, but put together, their capacity is less than 50 per cent of that of Jayakwadi, these officials noted.

Economist H M Desarda attributed the present situation to what he claimed was a plunder of groundwater levels.

“The groundwater bank is in negative balance and depleted due to excessive pumping. There is a needfor holistic programme for rainwater harvesting. Rainwater needs to be conserved and impounded immediately, and replenished in the soil and vegetation,” he said.

Desarda also called for water literacy among policy makers and society.

Why do we swathe Child Exploitation in silence? – Part I

By

Vaidehi Taman

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November 23, 2018

There is no day that has gone without the news about child molestation; every day one child hits the headline but no one knows what happened thereafter! The reported cases make noise but there are many cases that go silent. The children have to go through hell and they become adult at a very tender age. Their teachers, drivers, helpers, and uncles or sometimes even fathers mar them. Perversion and lust know no boundaries or human values; they just need someone to satisfy their urges and that can be their small daughter/student/or any child. Every second child is being exposed to one or the other form of sexual abuse and every fifth child faces critical forms of it. They all are in a need of protection.

In India, one in every two children is a victim of child sexual abuse. India shelters 430 million children, approximately one in five children in the world and the government assesses that 40 per cent of India’s children are susceptible to coercions such as trafficking, homelessness, forced labour, drug abuse, and crime. The National Study reported that 53.18 per cent of children in the family environment not going to school reported facing sexual abuse. 49.92 per cent children in the schools reported facing sexual abuse. 61.61 per cent children at work (shop, factory, or other places) reported facing sexual abuse. 54.51 per cent children on the streets reported facing sexual abuse. 47.08 per cent of children in the institutional care reported facing sexual abuse. 20.90 per cent of all children were subjected to severe forms of sexual abuse that included sexual assault, making the child fondle private parts, making the child exhibit private body parts and being photographed in the nude. 50 per cent of the abusers are persons known to the child or in a position of trust and responsibility. The survey conducted by World Vision India, a humanitarian aid organisation, with a sample of 45,844 respondents also revealed that one in every five does not feel safe because of the fear of being sexually abused. It also said that one in four families does not come forward to report child abuse.

I can share hundred such incidences happened this year, sadly no follow-up or justice to these cases. We, the people read them as news, see it as an incidence, and forget the old happening because there is new such brutality every day. A 6-year-old girl was molested by a sanitation worker in the toilet of a school in Kalyan town of Mumbai and the accused was arrested and now he is on bail. The girl went to wash her hands after lunch and by mistake, she entered the boys’ toilet, where the 43-year-old accused was doing cleaning work; on seeing the girl in the toilet alone, he grabbed and molested her and also made obscene gestures at her.

In Bareilly, a school bus conductor tried to molest a 9-year-old girl, while some school staff beat up and held captive the student’s father when he went to speak to them about the incident. In the same month, a 45-year-old principal of a government school in Sehore, Madhya Pradesh, was arrested for outraging the modesty of a Class 8 girl on its campus. He molested many students, but they just kept silent. This follows a series of unfortunate events involving children in schools, highlighting the seriousness of school safety in the country.

A 12-year-old girl was kidnapped and raped in Chandigarh. Crimes against children have gone up in Chandigarh in recent years. This girl, on her way to school to celebrate Independence Day, was kidnapped and raped. The Class 8 student had taken a shortcut to school through the park in Chandigarh’s Sector 23 when a man stopped her, pulled her aside, raped her twice, and left her wounded. The rapist is still not traceable, the CCTV footage could not capture the tragedy; no one knows who that man was. As usual, the police is still doing routine investigations but the rapist is roaming free. You never know if he is doing the same with other small girls too. Meanwhile, Raipur Police arrested a CRPF constable in connection with the molestation of girl students of a state-run residential school during a cultural programme in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district. The constable was not alone, he took his friend along to do the same, and these two men raped that student taking turns. The incident took place on July 31, when a ‘Raksha Bandhan’ programme was organised by the CRPF troopers ahead of the festival at the state-run residential school in Dantewada’s Palnar village under Kuakonda police station.

There is another incidence, where a 7-year-old girl was sedated and molested by two senior girl students, repeatedly over the last few months, at her school in west Delhi’s Moti Nagar. A 14-year-old girl was abducted and molested by two men in a car when she was returning home after school on foot in Hyderabad’s Hayathnagar area. A 35-year-old man from Bhiwandi in Thane, who used his four-wheeler to ferry school children, was arrested for raping two minor girls for the six months. These are just 1 per cent of the examples. The child exploitation and sexual abuse are on the rise. Violence takes place in homes, schools, orphanages, residential care facilities, on the streets, in the workplace, in prisons, and in places of detention.

The murder of a Class 2 student in Ryan International School in Gurugram, who was found with his throat slit in the bathroom shortly after he reached school, has raised troubling questions about how safe children are in school premises.

In 2017, four such cases, including the recent murder at Ryan International took place in Delhi. Sexual assault cases have become too common in schools. In Delhi alone, crimes against children in schools, both public and private, are disturbingly common; eight out of 10 incidents were reported in Delhi alone.

There was appalling disclosure by the government commissioned survey which says more than 53 per cent of children in India are subjected to sexual abuse, but most don’t report the assaults to anyone. The survey covered different forms of child abuse — physical, sexual, and emotional — as well as female child neglect; found that two out of every three children have been physically abused. Child abuse is swathed in silence and there is a conspiracy of calm around the entire subject. The Ministry is working on a new law for the protection of children’s rights by clearly specifying offences against children and stiffening punishments.

(This is the first part of the Editorial and the latter part will continue on Sunday.)

(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@www.afternoonvoice.com)

WHERE’S THE END! – Govt dawdles uprooting child exploiters disguised in social work?

By

Twinkle Mehta

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November 23, 2018

It has no more remained under the wraps that children are being ill-treated and hard-pressed for flesh trading, child labour, or they become a subject to other mental harassments. The ugly face of children being harassed and sexually exploited in the name of social work at various NGOs, child care homes, and orphanages across the state and Mumbai has come to the fore yet again as the Women and Child Development Ministry has shut down a large number of childcare homes in Maharashtra due to several reasons. However, such incidents of killing innocence of many kids have gazed many eyeballs as to why the government has not been able to put a persistent end to the ones who are a threat to the children in our country?

Moreover, this issue came into the light after the cases of abuse in a home in Bihar’s Muzzafarpur took place rampantly a few months ago. In retaliation to it, the WCD Ministry stepped up an action to crack down on non-compliant unregistered homes under the Juvenile Justice Act 2015, for violating the norms and irregularities. Later, in a detailed report ahead, it was disclosed that out of the 539 homes, 377 are in Maharashtra, followed by 78 in Andhra Pradesh and 32 in Telangana and 20 in Uttar Pradesh, which came as a shock, have been shuttered.

Criminal Advocate Abbas Kazmi commented, “The government is the licensing authority. If information about the abusive Child Care Homes has been brought to the notice of the government, then they have to take appropriate steps. The appropriate step could be revoking the license of the concerned organisation and such irregularities should be addressed properly.”

It seems that the WCD Ministry woke up almost a year late as per the Supreme Court’s deadline of December 31, 2017, for all unregistered childcare institutes to register. As per the media reports revealed in September this year, it has been unveiled that in Mumbai, a social audit has not been conducted for at least last three years.

“They are taking some temporary measures at this moment and perhaps, they will review it, a committee would be formed and the matter would be looked into seriously and some permanent solution would be formed,” Kazmi further added.

The reports further unfolded that the distribution of MDC homes in Maharashtra also remained unequal with 20 of 36 districts not having a single shelter home for mentally challenged children. It took six years for the Maharashtra government to increase the grant per child that TISS recommended in its 2011 report but yet the performance remains low and poor. In 2017-18, Maharashtra WCD increased grants for children in shelter homes from Rs 900 to Rs 2,000 per child, and from Rs 1,100 to Rs 2,500 for a child in MDC homes.

Social activist Abhijeet Rane shared his view stating that the entire community cannot be blacklisted as there are few organisations which are working for a good cause.

He further continued, “One cannot term all NGOs to be the same. I believe that there are some NGOs which are into wrong activities. I can suggest that there should be some committee or some government authority to monitor or have supervision on these activities and that there should be proper guidelines.”

Expressing concern over torture of children at shelter homes that has been revealed in the horrific cases especially, the Mumbai shelter homes that not only witnessed threats of sexual abuse to both boys and girls, they were also reeling under the burden of huge staff crunch, lack of trained employees, poor education support and physical abuse of children.

The city is the financial hub and a shelter to many homeless; the government, NGOs and several non-profit organisations are somehow being unable to resolve the exploitation and the rapid increase in mushrooming of children exploitation homes in the name of social work. They should help and find steps to keep the innocent ones out of the traps and not take away the joy of childhood which is not going to be experienced by them again!

Social activist Kumar Saptarshi said, “Long-term solution to this child abuse in NGOs should involve making a law and enforcing it. It’s the government’s fault. It can be stopped if the government vows to take care of the child. The capitalists won’t look beyond his/her profits. They will always choose the cheapest available labour. We are living in a Capitalist world and child labour has always been a part of it.”

#MeToo case: IFTDA to deliver its findings of Sajid Khan, Alok Nath in a week

By

Afternoon Voice

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November 23, 2018

Indian Film & Television Directors’ Association (IFTDA), along with its mother body, Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) said they will take a decision regarding the sexual harassment charges made against Sajid Khan and Alok Nath within a week.

“We cannot handle the case as both Tanushree Dutta and Nana Patekar are a member of CINTAA. One of the parties should be our member. We have cases of Sajid Khan and Vinta Nanda and we have taken their cases.

“As far as Sajid’s case is concerned we have heard both the parties, Sajid and the girls. ICC will sit in a week’s time and take a call on the judgment and the federation will be there, along with the lawyers,” Ashoke Pandit, President of IFTDA, told agencies.

He further said, the decision in case of Nath too would happen within a week’s time.

“We heard Vinta day before yesterday, ICC heard her. Alok Nath has not come, we have informed him thrice. His lawyer has sent a letter saying, he will not attend. If he wants to, he will attend the office bearer meeting of IFTDA, which is not possible. ICC will take a call, both the decisions will be made within a week,” Pandit said.

Pandit said both FWICE and IFTDA are aggressively working towards in building an atmosphere in the industry which is clean and workable.

“We are creating awareness and that arrogance of power will not be allowed. We have women in a lot of departments, not just acting. We are entering into mass media and educational institutions that are related to our industry. We want to make next-generation aware about these things.

The workplace has to be safe, formal, and dignified. We know the mission will take time,” he added.

Cab driver, his 2 children held for manhandling policeman

By

Afternoon Voice

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November 23, 2018

A cab driver and his two children, including his daughter, were arrested here for allegedly manhandling a police inspector, an official said on Friday.

The accused were identified as Bahadur Dwarka Prasad (50), his son Arun (22) and daughter Shweta (23), police said.

Bahadur Prasad, an Ola cab driver, had picked up a passenger from Mumbai and dropped him in Thane on the night of November 21, the official said.

“But when he asked the passenger to pay the fare, the latter accused him of overcharging and allegedly started abusing and beating up him,” he said.

After a heated exchange, the driver took the passenger to Naupada police station and lodged a complaint against him. The police asked both of them to return in the morning, the official added.

“As instructed by the police, both the parties went to the police station on Wednesday morning. Shortly before noon, when police inspector (crime) Sanjay Dhumal was discussing the case with the driver, his son, and daughter, who were also present there, started interrupting him and talking loudly,” police said.

“The officer asked them to remain calm and sit by the side and allow him to complete his work. However, this annoyed them and they started abusing Dhumal,” police said adding that Shweta even pulled him by his uniform.

Sub-inspector Mohini Kapile lodged a complaint against the trio and they were booked under IPC sections 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) and others.

They were arrested on Wednesday and later produced in a local court, which remanded them in judicial custody, police said.

Jaitapur nuclear project: Land acquisition process completed

By

Afternoon Voice

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November 23, 2018

The land acquisition process for the 9900 MW nuclear power plant in Jaitapur, about 600 kilometres from Mumbai, has been completed, Maharashtra Energy Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule said.

In a written reply to a question by Congress MLC Anant Gadgil in the Maharashtra Legislative Council Thursday, Bawankule added the state government was assisting the Centre to acquire land for the project.

“The land acquisition process is complete,” Bawankule stated in his written reply.

Responding to the Congress MLC’s query on whether the project faced opposition from local residents, Bawankule answered in the affirmative.

Local residents, as well as parties like the Shiv Sena, have been opposing the project citing safety concerns.

The project is being undertaken by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) and the Electricite de France (EDF), a French power utility firm.

The Jaitapur nuclear power plant comprises six reactors with a combined capacity of 9900 MW.

An Industrial Way Forward Agreement for the implementation of the project was signed on March 10 this year between NPCIL and Electricite de France.

State plans to complete 30K km rural roads by June 2019: CM Fadnavis

By

Afternoon Voice

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November 23, 2018

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said that his government plans to complete the construction of 30,000 kilometres of rural roads by June next year.

He was speaking at the inaugural function of the Indian Road Congress being held here.

He said that these roads were being built under the aegis of the Mukhyamantri Gram Sadak Yojana and 10,000 kilometres had already been completed out of the 30,000 km planned.

“The Asian Development Bank (ADB), which was assessing the quality of roads, gave 95.5 percentage grading to these (rural) roads, indicating best quality,” Fadnavis told the gathering.

Speaking on the Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi Corridor, Fadnavis claimed it would be the smartest expressway in the world and among the longest in the country.

The Rs 49,250-crore Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi Mahamarg, alternatively referred to as a Super Communication Expressway, will be 700 kilometres long and will pass through 392 villages, spread over 11 districts.

“We are trying to make 22 smart cities along this expressway which will provide a huge boost to economic growth. Moreover, this expressway will connect 24 districts to the Jawaharlal Nehru Port near Mumbai,” Fadnavis said.

He said work on the 22-kilometre long Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) between the metropolis and neighbouring Navi Mumbai had begun and it would be the longest sea bridge in the country.

“We expect to finish the project in four years,” he added.

He said the state government is also working on building a coastal road from Nariman Point to Worli and a sea link from Versova in Mumbai to Virar in the neighbouring Palghar district.

Fadnavis cited a Deutsche Bank report which said that 51 per cent of all big infrastructure projects currently being executed in the country are located in Maharashtra.

Man who fled with truck transporting eggs arrested in Thane

By

Afternoon Voice

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November 23, 2018

A man has been arrested for allegedly fleeing with a truck transporting over a lakh eggs from Hyderabad in Telangana to Ambernath in Maharashtra’s Thane district, police said on Friday.

The incident happened on November 18 and the accused, identified as Sadat, and three others fled with the truck after abducting its driver and his son, Deputy Commissioner of Police Deepak Deoraj said.

The two were later dropped off at an isolated place, he said.

Sadat was arrested from Mahapoli in Bhinwadi township while efforts were on to nab the other accused, he said.

The eggs, valued at Rs 4.12 lakh, the truck and the car used in the crime have been recovered, he added.