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The Indian economy is on the right track and heading towards an optimistic imminent

By
Vaidehi Taman
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indian economy, union budget 2023, union budget, budget, nirmala sitharaman, sitharaman
Image: Pixabay

Today the budget is presented by the finance minister Nirmala Sitaraman, there are many pluses and minuses in the budget but overall, the Indian economy is on track and heading towards a better future. Agriculture and allied sectors are the backbone of the majority of the Indian population. With increasing incomes, greater levels of suburbanization and changing consumption outlines there is a shift in demand towards more processed food. Agriculture is moving away from conservative farm produce to greater production of green needs such as fruits, and vegetables as well as dairy, poultry, meat, and fisheries.

As per approximations, by 2030 Agri and related sectors have the potential to contribute over USD 800 billion in revenue with an investment of USD 272 billion. To promote investment, the government has already announced several policies and schemes such as a Krishi UDAN 2.0 scheme, Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, a single digital platform etc. The government will have to support further augmentation of the agriculture supply chain through development, the introduction of technological solutions as well as improved ease of doing business. Government can simplify the promotion of agri-produce to create demand to increase farmer incomes. Policies thrust along with investment promotion are critical for transforming agriculture ecology.

This is the first budget in ‘Amritkal’ This Budget hopes to build on the foundations laid in the previous Budget and the blueprint drawn for India@100. During the COVID pandemic, we ensured that nobody goes to bed hungry with a scheme to supply free food grains to over 80 crore persons for 28 months. Entire expenditure of about Rs 2 lakh crores under PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana is being borne by the central government. We are implementing a scheme to supply foodgrains from Jan 1, 2023, to all Antaodaya and priority households for the next 1 year. The current year’s economic growth is projected to be at 7% despite the pandemic. The government’s efforts since 2014 have ensured for all citizens a better quality of life. The per capita income has more than doubled to Rs 1.97 lakh.

In the last 9 years, the Indian economy has increased in size from being 10th to 5th largest in the world. The world has also recognized India as a bright star, our growth for the current year is estimated at 7.0%, which is the highest among all major economies, in spite of the massive global slowdown caused by the pandemic and the war.

The Budget hopes to build on the foundation laid in the previous Budget. In these times of global challenges, including the war in Ukraine, India’s G20 presidency gives us a unique opportunity to strengthen India’s role in the world economic order. For centuries traditional artisans have brought renown to India. PM Vishwakarma Kaushal Samman — a package of assistance for traditional artisans and craftspeople — has been conceptualized that will enable them to improve the quality, scale and reach of their products, integrating with the MSME value chain. The scheme includes financial support, upskilling, digital payments and social security.

Inclusive development; reaching the last mile; infrastructure and investment; unleashing potential; green growth; youth power; financial sector. The promotion of tourism will be taken up in mission mode, with the active participation of states and PPPs. The agricultural credit target will be increased to Rs 20 lakh crore with a focus on animal husbandry, dairy and fisheries. The government will launch a sub-scheme under PM Matsya Sampada Yojana with an outlay of Rs 6,000 crore to further enable those involved in fisheries. India is the largest producer and second largest exporter of Shree Anna, to make India a global hub for Shree Anna, the Indian Institute of Millet Research in Hyderabad will be supported as the Centre of Excellence for sharing best practices at the international level.

157 new nursing colleges to be established in co-location with existing 157 med colleges established since 2015; Mission to eliminate sickle cell anaemia by 2047; Facilities in select ICMR labs will be made available for research by public and private medical facilities; A new programme to promote research and innovation in pharmaceuticals will be taken up by Centres of Excellence. Capital outlay 2.4 lakh crore. This is nine times the outlay in 2013-2014. 50 additional airports, heliports, watersports and advanced landing grounds will be revived for regional connectivity.

Three centres of excellence in Artificial Intelligence will be set up in top educational institutions. Leading industry players will partner in conducting interdisciplinary research, and develop cutting-edge applications and salable problem solutions in the areas of health, agriculture and sustainable cities. As part of its second priority — ‘reaching the last mile’ — the Centre will provide Rs 5,300 crore assistance to drought-prone central regions of Karnataka.

The National Digital Library for children and adolescents will be set up for facilitating the availability of quality books across geographies, languages and genres and levels and device-agnostic accessibility. States will be encouraged to set up physical libraries for them. Additionally, to build a culture of reading and to make up for the pandemic-time learning loss, the National Book Trust and the Children’s Book Trust and other sources will be encouraged to provide non-curricular titles in regional languages and in English to these physical libraries. Collaboration with NGOs will also be part of this initiative. At Rs 10 lakh crore, the Centre’s capex target for 2023-24 is 33 per cent higher than the budget estimate of Rs 7.5 lakh crore for 2022-23. In the next 3 years, the Centre will recruit 38,800 teachers and support staff for 740 Eklavaya Model Residential Schools serving 3.5 lakh tribal students.

Urban Infrastructure Development Fund to be established through priority sector lending shortfall, to be managed by National Housing bank, to be used by public agencies to create urban infra in tier-2 and tier-3 cities. All cities and towns will be enabled for 100% mechanical desludging of septic tanks and sewers to transition from manhole to machine whole mode.

The KYC process will be simplified and PAN will be used as the common identifier for all digital systems of specified government agencies. The government will launch Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana 4.0. In order to skill the youth for international opportunities, 30 Skill India International Centres will be set up across different States. Overall, the budget got mixed reactions from the people.

Budget 2023 has considered farmers, tribals, and women: Devendra Fadnavis

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PTI
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devendra fadnavis, union budget, nirmala sitharaman, fadnavis, deputy chief minister, maharashtra
Budget 2023 has considered farmers, tribals, and women: Devendra Fadnavis 3

Maharashtra Deputy Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said the Union Budget has taken the interests of all sections of society, including farmers, tribals, women, youth and the middle class into consideration.

Fadnavis, also the state Finance Minister, termed the budget presented by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman as ‘Sarva Jan Hitai’ (benefitting everyone), adding it caters to all segments and sectors. “The income tax exemptions up to Rs 7 lakh will help the lower middle class. At the same time income tax limit of Rs 1.5 lakh for income up to Rs 15 lakh will provide a huge relief to the middle class,” Fadnavis said.

The Centre has allocated Rs 946 crore to the Central Bureau of Investigation in the Union Budget 2023-24 announced on Wednesday, a slight increase of over 4.4 per cent from FY 2023. The country’s premier probe agency is over-stretched in terms of human resources to tackle emerging crime scenes, dominated by artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency, darknet, and conventional crimes like bank fraud cases and ongoing high-profile extradition cases in courts abroad, in addition to criminal cases handed over by various states, High Courts and the Supreme Court.

The agency received Rs 841.96 crore to manage its affairs in the Budget Estimates for 2022-23, which was later increased to Rs 906.59 crore in the Revised Estimates. The Government has allocated Rs 946.51 crore to the agency for 2023-24, the Budget document presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday. Budget 2023 – ‘Amrit Kaal’ for PM Modi, not for common people: AAP hits out at Budget.

The Aam Aadmi Party on Wednesday questioned Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s claim about doubling of per capita income since 2014, saying it is ‘Amrit Kaal’ for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, not for the common people of the country.

Highlighting the achievements of the PM Modi dispensation so far, the finance minister in her budget speech said the government’s efforts since 2014 have ensured all citizens a better quality of living and a life of dignity. The per capita income has more than doubled to Rs 1.97 lakh, she added.

“Neither did the MSP of crops increase nor did the youth get employment. But this is Amrit Kaal for Modi ji. Nirmala ji is saying per capita income has doubled,” AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, who is also the party’s national spokesperson, said in a series of tweets in Hindi, wondering “whose income” doubled.

The Union Budget is not people-friendly as it has been prepared to keep in mind the interests of a few businessmen, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti alleged on Wednesday.

Talking to reporters here, the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said the budget presented by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is the same as the ones presented by the BJP-led government over the last eight-nine years.

“Taxes have increased and money is not being spent on welfare schemes or subsidies. Taxes are being amassed for their crony capitalists. The taxes imposed should have benefitted the people, but they have broken their backs.

“Unprecedented investment of Rs 10 lakh crore in infrastructure will give speed and new energy to development,” said PM Modi in Union Budget.

Union Budget 2023 was presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on 1st February 2023 which unveiled one of its biggest jumps in capital spending in the past decade and said the fiscal deficit would fall next year.

The Budget adopted “seven priorities” – inclusive development, reaching the last mile, infrastructure and investment, unleashing the potential, green growth, youth power and financial sector – to guide India through the “Amrit Kaal”.

“Those toiling traditionally through their hands for the country, ‘Vishvakarma’ are the creators of this country. For the first time, a scheme related to training and support for ‘Vishvakarma’ has been brought into the budget,” said PM Narendra Modi.

“In comparison with 2014, 400 per cent increase in infra investment, Rs 10 lakh crore on infra investment. This will get jobs for youth and earn livelihood for a big population,” said PM Modi.

Nirmala Sitharaman completed her fifth consecutive budget speech in under 90 minutes – her shortest so far. She took 87 minutes. Last year, she clocked 92 minutes, which held the record for being the shortest. In 2021, she spoke for an hour and 50 minutes. 

In 2020, she broke all records for making the longest budget speech in India’s history at 2 hours and 40 minutes. She was forced to cut it short and take a breather as she felt unwell. Ms Sitharaman was seen sipping on what appeared to be electrolytes during the 2020 speech.

Former PM Manmohan Singh conferred Lifetime Achievement Honour in the UK

By
PTI
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manmohan singh, singh, former prime minister, pm, former pm, uk, india-uk
Manmohan Singh, Former Prime Minister of India | Image: Agency

Former prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh was recently conferred a Lifetime Achievement Honour by the India-UK Achievers Honours in London for his contribution to economic and political life.

The Honour, announced at an awards ceremony last week, will be handed over to Dr Singh in New Delhi by the National Indian Students and Alumni Union (NISAU) UK at a later date.

The India-UK Achievers Honours by NISAU UK, in partnership with the British Council in India and the UK’s Department for International Trade (DIT), celebrate the achievements of Indian students who studied at British universities and the Lifetime Achievement Honour is a nod to Dr Singh’s academic achievements at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge.

“I am very touched by this gesture, which is especially meaningful coming from young people who are the future of our country and of the ties between our two countries,” Dr Singh said in a written message.

“The India-UK relationship is indeed especially defined by our educational partnership. The founding fathers of our nation, Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Dr B.R. Ambedkar, Sardar Patel and many others studied in the UK and went on to become great leaders, leaving a legacy which continues to inspire India and the world. Over the years countless Indian students have had the opportunity to study in the UK,” said the 90-year-old economist, who served as prime minister from 2004-2014.

To mark 75 years of India’s independence, the first-ever India-UK Achievers Honours covered 75 high achievers and some key Outstanding Achievers who bolster the India-UK diaspora living bridge.

British Indian peer Lord Karan Bilimoria received the Living Legend Honour at the awards ceremony on January 25.

“All who have won awards are the living bridge that is spoken about by both countries. Their achievements create inspiration here in the UK and in India,” said Bilimoria, a patron of NISAU UK.

Opposition Labour Party MP Virendra Sharma, another patron of NISAU UK, was also conferred the Living Legend Honour.

“India and the UK are natural collaborators, allies and friends. Where once was a relationship based on exploitation, now rests a partnership of equals, representing democracy, industry and technology,” said Sharma.

According to NISAU UK, a plethora of nominations went through a rigorous selection process by an eminent jury, shortlisting India’s 75 top achievers and eight outstanding achievers.

“Working on the Honours has been an unforgettable experience for the NISAU UK team. We have always known that the work of Indian graduates of British universities was extraordinary, but I don’t think even we realised just how profoundly world-changing it is,” said Sanam Arora, NISAU UK Chair.

GST led to high tax buoyancy, augurs well for resource mobilisation: Survey

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PTI
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GST, CGST, SGST, Goods and Services Tax
Image: Representative image

Goods and Services Tax collection is showing a higher buoyancy than the pre-GST system, auguring well for future resource mobilisation in the economy, the Economic Survey 2022-23 presented in Parliament said on Tuesday.

Giving a 5-year analysis of tax collection pre- and post-GST, the survey said the taxes which were subsumed in the Goods and Services Tax had a buoyancy of one.

However, the buoyancy improved to 1.1 after the GST implementation on July 1, 2017.

“Improved tax collection efficiency was one of the main arguments in favour of GST. The evidence so far suggests that GST is indeed showing a higher buoyancy than the pre-GST system. This augurs well for future resource mobilisation in the economy,” said the Economic Survey.

Tax buoyancy refers to an increase in tax collections in proportion to a rise in national income. A higher buoyancy reflects the increased efficiency of the tax system.

Probe into killing of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar completed: CBI tells Bombay HC

By
Afternoon Voice
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narendra dabholkar, dabholkar murder case, sanatan sanstha, sanatan, narendra, kalburgi, activist murder, bombay high court, cbi, bombay hc, sanatan
Probe into killing of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar completed: CBI tells Bombay HC 7

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) told the Bombay high court on Monday that it had completed its probe into the killing of rationalist Narendra Dabholkar in 2013 and the investigating officer had submitted a closure report to the competent authority.

However, a lawyer representing Dabholkar’s daughter claimed before the court that the CBI had not investigated the case properly and there are many loopholes that are yet to be probed.

The cowards killed many liberals keeping a disturbing trend on, which can turn the country into a cesspool of hatred and intolerance. MM Kalburgi, Govind Pansare and Narendra Dabholkar all were brutally murdered but no investigation proved who the culprit is.

Also read: Narendra Dabholkar murder an unsolved puzzle

RTI activist Nitin Kubal said, “The government should be unbiased towards all sects of people. This case got delayed for a long time, which failed to give justice to a liberal person. Dabholkar was killed by a particular group of people having their ideological difference, though that does not mean justice cannot be given.”

Shailesh Gandhi, an RTI activist said, “A timely investigation will help deliver justice. Delayed judgements are also a cause of a problem in our country. Even if the case is open for investigation, the authorities should be willing to give justice to the victim.”

RTI activist Gaurav Gorang said, “Dabholkar’s death was a brutal murder. Due to ideological differences, many times justice is either denied or delayed. Which was also seen in this case.”

Almost a decade Dr Narendra Dabholkar, a well-respected rationalist and campaigner against superstition from Maharashtra, was murdered while he was out on a morning walk in Pune.

Since then, three more anti-fascist activists who were effective campaigners against right-wing ideas and politics―Govind Pansare, MM Kalburgi and Gauri Lankesh—have been murdered and investigating agencies believe the murders may be linked. Members of the Sanatan Sanstha were accused of executing the murders but no one has been convicted so far.

 The Maharashtra police have questioned nearly 1,000 people in the past two years, including ‘tantriks’, godmen and black magicians against whom Dabholkar campaigned vigorously, but without much success.

Centre moves SC, seeks open court hearing on plea for review of verdict on Benami law

By
PTI
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Supreme Court
Image: Agencies

The Centre on Tuesday sought from the Supreme Court an open court hearing on its plea seeking review of the judgement by which several provisions of the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Amendment Act, 2016 were struck down.

A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice P S Narasimha was urged by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, that the review plea be heard in open court keeping in mind the importance of the issue.

“This is an unusual request. We seek an open court hearing of the review. Due to this judgement, a lot of orders are being passed even though some of the provisions of the Benami Act was not even under challenge. Like the retrospectivity could not have been looked into (by the SC bench),” the top law officer said.

“We will consider it,” the CJI said.

The top court, on August 23 last year, had struck down some provisions of the Benami law.

One of the struck down provisions provided for the punishment of a maximum jail term of three years or a fine or both for those indulging in ‘benami’ transactions.

The apex court had termed the provision as “unconstitutional” on the ground of being “manifestly arbitrary”.

It had also held that the amended Benami law of 2016 did not not have retrospective application and the authorities cannot initiate or continue criminal prosecution or confiscation proceedings for transactions entered into prior to the coming into force of the legislation.

The apex court had also said that section 3(2) and section 5 of the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Act, 1988 were vague and arbitrary.

Narendra Dabholkar murder an unsolved puzzle

By
Vaidehi Taman
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narendra dabholkar, dabholkar murder case, sanatan sanstha, sanatan, narendra, kalburgi, activist murder, bombay high court
Narendra Dabholkar murder an unsolved puzzle 10

When investigations failed in the Narendra Dabholkar murder case, then the Maharashtra government announced a Rs 10 lakh reward for any information leading to the arrest of two missing gunmen Vinay Pawar and Sarang Dilip Akolkar wanted for the killing of veteran Communist leader and social activist Govind Pansare. Earlier to that, CBI announces a Rs 5 lakh reward for leads on Narendra Dabholkar’s killers too. Sameer Vishnu Gaikwad and Virendrasingh Tawade were arrested in connection with these cases. Akolkar, Pawar and Rudra Patil were the wanted accused in this case.

Dabholkar had faced several threats and assaults since 1983 but had rejected police protection. Murdered on 20 August 2013, while out on a morning walk, Dabholkar was shot down by two gunmen near Omkareshwar temple, Pune at 7:20 am. The assailants fired four rounds at him from a point-blank range and fled on a motorcycle parked nearby. Two bullets hit Dabholkar in his head and chest and he died on the spot.

Dabholkar had originally donated his body to a medical college. But the autopsy made necessary by his murder left the slain leader’s body unfit for academic purposes. He was cremated in Satara without any religious rites. His pyre was lit by his daughter, Mukta, in contradiction to the tradition where the son lights the pyre. His ashes were collected without any religious ceremony and scattered over his organic farm.

Dabholkar’s assassination was condemned by many political leaders and social activists. The Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan announced a reward of Rs 1 crore to any person with information about the assailants.

Also read: How journalist Paranjoy Guha Thakurta gave Adani a tough time

Furthermore, political parties called for a bandh (strike) in Pune on 21 August, and various institutions across Pune remained closed to protest Dabholkar’s assassination. As time flew the investigation and outrage both reached cold storage.

A 14-year-old eyewitness saw the assailants; the police have also recorded the statement of many Sanatan Sanstha members under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). These members have given details of the conspiracy and the involvement of the arrested and wanted accused. One of the key witnesses who were a sadhak with the outfit has identified the shooters and has stated in his statement that Pawar and Tawde visited his Kolhapur home in December 2014 just two months before Pansare’s murder. The said sadhak always provided shelter to the wanted accused when they visited Kolhapur.

The state police have revealed ‘ideological difference’ and the “hatred’ that Tawde had toward Pansare as the motive behind the murder. Pansare was very vocal in his criticism of the right-wing outfit. He also wrote and spoke against Sanatan Sanstha at various meetings and gatherings that did go down well with Tawde. On many occasions, they even had face-offs with each other. Police are yet to establish a common link in the murders of Kalburgi and Govind Pansare in Kolhapur and Narendra Dabholkar in Pune in 2013, investigators have found evidence that the same weapon was used in all three crimes. The shooters and suspects are also the same.

All three cases were earlier linked based on the profile of the victims, probable motives, and modus operandi. Now, the investigation says a 7.65-mm country-made weapon was used for the killings with the cartridges providing the first physical evidence linking the murders. Forensic analysis of bullet cartridges recovered at the scene of all three crimes has revealed the same 7.65-mm country-made pistol was used. This revelation, which is made in a CID confidential report to the State government, comes close on the heels of the Centre denying any link between the three killings.

Also read: Deven Bharti the Mumbai Special Commissioner to get President’s Police medal for extraordinary services

In the aftermath of the assassination the Anti-Superstition and Black Magic Ordinance, which Dabholkar helped draft, was enacted by the government of Maharashtra in 2013. Since its passage, the law has been used to indict the perpetrators of a series of egregious lurid frauds, often combined with sexual assault. Unfortunately, the perpetrators have often eluded their victims and the police and escaped to other provinces in which no similar protection against charlatans yet exists.

The Anti-Superstition and Black Magic Ordinance apply only in the comparatively well-off and well-educated province of Maharashtra. In the rest of India, the people lack comparable protection from fraudulently pretend healers and other miracle fakers. Dalbholkar’s daughter, Mukta, and other activists have picked up and carried forward his campaign for a national-wide anti-superstition law. The All-India Peoples Science Network (AIPSN) observes August 20 as National Scientific Temper Day to commemorate Dr Narendra Dabholkar.

Sena says alliance with VBA for betterment of the state; Cong and NCP uncertain of this coalition

By
Brena Soni
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Sena says alliance with VBA for betterment of the state; Cong and NCP uncertain of this coalition 12

In recent days, Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray – Shiv Sena (UBT) has formed an alliance with Prakash Ambedkar’s Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA). However, other parties with Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), namely the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), are uncertain whether they will be a part of this coalition.

The Shiv Sena leaders believe that this alliance has been done for the betterment of society and giving opportunities to the VBA might also help us for the elections.

Speaking on this newly formed alliance, Shiv Sena deputy leader Dr Neelam Gorhe told us, “These two ideological parties are coming together only for the betterment of Maharashtra. The Shiv Shakti and Bhim Shakti alliance is focusing on 80% of social development and only 20% politics. But not sure if Congress and NCP will be a part of this alliance or not.”

The Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi was formed by Prakash Ambedkar the grandson of Dr BR Ambedkar. Ambedkar’s VBA and Asaduddin Owaisi’s All-India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) had come together to contest the 2019 Lok Sabha election in Maharashtra, as per a report the alliance came to an end due to seat distribution.

Also read: Anil Antony quits Congress citing threats after opposing BBC documentary; oppn calls it “correct decision”

On his part, Ambedkar while speaking to a leading daily had said that he was keen on joining hands with either the Thackeray-led Shiv Sena or the Congress, but not the MVA, for the local body polls expected to take place later this year.

When we asked about the alliance of Shiv Shakti and Bhim Shakti’s future “Anything can happen in politics but we will try to keep this alliance intact” Dr Gorhe further added.

According to experts, this alliance has come in place only for the upcoming elections and to gain maximum number of votes, but looking at the approach of Ambedkar not too keen of joining the MVA, it is difficult to say if this alliance has any future.

“This alliance is proof that it is working for the larger cause of the people rather than selecting few and this is not some short-term alliance for the upcoming elections,” said Thackeray-led Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi.

While Sena MLC Sachin Ahir said, “This combination can give a tough fight to the opposition in the upcoming election.” Whether VBA will be part of the MVA alliance he said, “that discussion is still pending and when it comes to seat sharing that discussion will be the party’s internal matter.”

Also read: BBC Documentary: Just one documentary can give sleepless nights to the government?

While speculations are this alliance is only done for the upcoming Municipal elections of Mumbai, Sena MP Vinayak Raut cleared the air and said, “This alliance is done for all the elections and whatever number of seats is required will be given to that party.”

We asked the Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant on his party’s stand on this alliance he said, “Doing alliance with VBA was Sena’s independent decision, though we are waiting for talks with Sena and VBA over their thought of joining the MVA alliance, as the entire idea should only be for the betterment of MVA.”

While NCP has got a different perspective on this alliance when asked if they are ready to accept VBA as part of MVA alliance.

NCP spokesperson Fauzia Khan said, “Every party is free to have their own alliances and as per NCP chief Pawar’s statement that ‘we will be going together with good understanding’.”

How journalist Paranjoy Guha Thakurta gave Adani a tough time

By
Vaidehi Taman
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paranjoy guha thakurta, the wire, adani group, adani, gautam adani, hidenburg, adani scam, newsclick, thakurta, paranjoy, expose, hindenburg
Gautam Adani (left) and Paranjoy Guha Thakurta (right)

Long before Hindenburg, journalist- Paranjoy Guha Thakurta exposed Adani in 2017, Paranjoy was the first to tell the story of how the government gave 500 crores to Adani. But so many cases were put on Paranjoy. Finally, he was silenced by the court, his job was taken away, and Paranjoy was the editor of EPW Magazine. Adani sent a notice to EPW magazine threatening to file a defamation case. Out of fear, EPW Magazine deleted its news.

The magazine might have got compromised but Paranjoy did not bow down to the pressure, and in a result Pranjoy lost his job. Pranjoy had done another news story a few months ago about how Adani saved 1000 crores of tax and how DRI exposed it and sent notices to Adani. And how Adani’s fate changed soon after the Modi government came to power, all those charges against Adani were withdrawn. Meanwhile, a court in Gujarat’s Kutch district issued an arrest warrant against journalist Paranjoy Guha Thakurta in a defamation suit filed by the Adani Group.

The case pertains primarily to two articles about the business that were published first in the Economic and Political Weekly and then in The Wire.

Also read: BBC Documentary: Just one documentary can give sleepless nights to the government?

The first article headlined “Did the Adani Group Evade Rs 1,000 Crore in Taxes?” was published in January 2017, while the second “Modi Government’s Rs 500-Crore Bonanza to the Adani Group” followed six months later in June. Guha, then the editor of EPW, had co-written the articles with other journalists.

After The Wire refused to comply with the notice, the Adani Group went to court applying for an injunction. It also filed two cases against the authors and the editors of The Wire in two different courts in Gujarat: a civil defamation suit in Bhuj and a criminal defamation case in Mundra.

In 2018, the Principal Senior Civil Judge of Bhuj turned down the injunction request in the civil defamation suit. The article could stay on The Wire’s website, the court ruled, subject to some minor tweaking: the removal of a sentence and an adverb. In 2019, shortly after the general elections, the Adani Group withdrew all civil and criminal proceedings in the matter against all parties – except Thakurta.

Thakurta is also at the centre of another litigation initiated by the company. Last year, a group company, Adani Power Rajasthan Limited, approached an Ahmedabad court, seeking a gag order on the news website Newsclick from reporting on the company, among other things. The revelation of the gag order follows coverage of an arrest warrant against a veteran Indian journalist and other moves by Adani against critics.

Bob Brown slammed billionaire Gautam Adani for his attack on freedom of speech in India and Australia. The criticism followed the revelation today that veteran Indian journalist, Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, has been the subject of an Adani gag order for four months. Paranjoy also has been subjected to a gag order arising from yet another case initiated by Adani. A court in Ahmedabad, the capital of Adani’s home state of Gujarat, agreed in September 2020 to an interim injunction sought by an Adani company preventing Paranjoy from reporting on the Adani Group.

Also read: Fragile-Five: Penny wise, Rupee foolish

Adani has piled one case after another on Paranjoy in an attempt to silence him. The courts in Adani’s home state of Gujarat have complied, issuing a gag order and an arrest warrant. This behaviour is more that of a police state than what you would expect in a proud democracy like India.

The injunction also applied to Paranjoy’s colleague, Abir Dasgupta, a frequent contributor to AdaniWatch, and to NewsClick, the outlet in which the pertinent stories were published. Adani Watch investigator, Geoff Law, warned of the dangers to the public’s right to know about the activities of such a massive corporation. The stories described Supreme Court decisions favourable to the Adani Group made by India’s Supreme Court. Adani claimed that the reports were libellous and mounted a case of criminal defamation. Proceedings have yet to commence in the case, but in the meantime, Paranjoy, NewsClick and Abir Dasgupta are restricted from reporting on the Adani Group.

The latest Adani Files reveal that Adani has already brought their shonky business practices and environmental destruction to Australia. It proves beyond a doubt that Adani can’t be trusted to build the world’s biggest new coal mine. And they definitely can’t be trusted with a billion taxpayer dollars to do it.

BBC Documentary: Just one documentary can give sleepless nights to the government?

By
Vaidehi Taman
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modi bbc documentary
Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi

The BBC documentary aired on January 17 and charts Modi’s political rise through the ranks of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and becoming chief minister of the western state of Gujarat. It focuses on the 2002 Gujarat riots—one of the worst plagues of religious violence in India’s recent history—that took place while he was Chief Minister of Gujarat. After a train carrying Hindu pilgrims was set on fire and 59 people were killed, grieving citizens blamed Muslims. Revenge attacks led to over 1,000 deaths. Several Hindi movies are made on this subject. Thousands of articles were published and many books were written on the same saga. Till now there was no outrage but one documentary after the image makeover of Modi has hassled the entire government and his supporters.

The documentary highlighted an unpublished report from the U.K. Foreign Office that claims Modi was “primarily responsible” for the riots in Gujarat that permitted the violence. Modi denies accusations of personal responsibility for the riots, and his supporters cite a 2013 Supreme Court ruling of there being insufficient evidence to prosecute him. Modi’s blind supporters and his set of lap media channels are hell bent on condemning the BBC.

The ban on documentaries has attracted far more attention to the documentary than would have been otherwise possible. Many social media users have shared clips on WhatsApp, Telegram, and Twitter, with students screening the documentary on campus. While the screening at JNU was interrupted by a power cut, students reportedly handed out QR codes for people to scan so they could stream the film on their mobile phones or laptops.

The BJP-led Central government had recently censored the politically touchy news production in purported “national interest”. The second (and final) episode of the BBC documentary series India: The Modi Question was aired in the UK on BBC Two last night. It says that it inspects “the troubled relationship” between India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and India’s Muslim minority, after Modi was re-elected in 2019 with an increased majority over his government’s mandate in 2014. Last week, India’s federal government described the two-part documentary India: The Modi Question as “propaganda” and invoked an emergency law to block it on YouTube and Twitter.

Thursday’s screening comes a day after New Delhi police, clad in riot gear and equipped with tear gas, arrested nearly a dozen students at Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) University ahead of a planned screening. Police have not confirmed the number of detainees and they are being prevented from meeting lawyers, an activist wrote on Twitter.Authorities at the University of Hyderabad are also investigating a screening of the documentary on Saturday. On Tuesday evening, students at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in Delhi said that power and internet had been cut at the campus in a bid to prevent them from screening the documentary. According to the BBC, there was a heavy police presence at the JNU campus and a group of 20-30 people threw stones at students.

The contentious screenings drew strident condemnation from BJP leadership. In an open letter to Vijayan, BJP State president K. Surendran said the documentary merely regurgitated baseless allegations dismissed as false by the Supreme Court. Nevertheless, the BJP found a lone voice of support in Anil K. Antony, KPCC digital media chief and son of veteran Congress leader A.K. Antony. He tweeted that the BBC’s views undermined India’s sovereignty.

Congress and CPI(M) aspire to use the documentary to spotlight BJP’s attempts to shut out dissenters from public discourse by stifling free speech. CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury and the party’s State secretary M. V. Govindan has lent support to the public viewings of the BBC documentary. The Congress and CPI(M) also hope to galvanise public opinion against the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in 2024 by using the BBC documentary as an agitprop to push damning questions about the Gujarat riots again into the forefront of Kerala’s political discourse. The CPI(M) and the Congress have seized on the BBC documentary to propagandise the BJP’s alleged attempts at “social silencing and systematic depluralising of India’s secular polity.

The government had denounced and banned the first part of the documentary, which aired last week in the U.K. and described a British government report that held Prime Minister Modi , then Chief Minister of Gujarat, responsible for the 2002 Gujarat riots. The government criticised the program, saying it lacked objectivity, reflected a “continuing colonial mindset” and was “propaganda”. The second part, which aired on BBC Two at 9 P.M. local time, starts with a repeat of introductory scenes shown in the first part. The series then moves to August 5, 2019, and the changes to the legal status of Jammu and Kashmir (i.e., the abrogation of Article 370). It shows scenes of what are described as protests in Jammu and Kashmir, followed by a discussion on the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests, and the riots in Delhi in 2020. The episode includes footage of security forces beating bleeding semi-conscious protestors who are being forced to sing the national anthem, even as they plead that they are “Bharatvasis” (Indians).  The second part also includes interviews with protestors, families that have been detained under the NRC and the kin of those who died allegedly at the hands of the police during the Delhi violence of 2020. There are also scenes from Modi’s rally in Ahmedabad with then U.S. President Donald Trump in February 2020.

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