by admin | May 25, 2021 | Corporate, Corporate Governance, Economy, Finance, News, Politics
New Delhi : The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has found that the Rafale fighter jet deal signed by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government was 2.86 per cent lower than the price negotiated by the United Progressive Alliance government.
The much-awaited report on Capital Acquisition on Indian Air Force was tabled by the government in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.
The report does not disclose the actual price of the 36 Rafale fighter jets contracted by the NDA government. However, it includes examination of the pricing.
The prices have been redacted in the report based on the insistence of the Defence Ministry citing the Indo-French agreement of 2008 and the provisions of inter-government agreement.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Interviews, Politics
Prem Das Rai
By Brajendra Nath Singh,
New Delhi : The charisma of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has dimmed and it would be highly problematic for the BJP to return to power in 2019 if the grand alliance of the opposition parties takes shape, says Sikkim’s sole MP P.D. Rai, whose Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) is a constituent of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
“We, as a regional party, will surely win the next election. But on the national scene, I think the charisma of Modiji has come down. The divisiveness with which the BJP has acted is something whose backlash is already coming,” Rai told IANS in an interview in Parliament House.
Rai, a two-term MP seeking a third, also says that the non-functioning of Parliament was affecting smaller parties like his and their right to be heard was getting “trampled” by the larger parties.
Referring to Congress’ performance in the recent elections, Rai said that, except in Chhattisgarh, the Congress won in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan with a very small majority but the opposition party will be able to energise its own cadres in a much better way and it may translate into more seats.
“I think there would be a tough fight between the two sides and I think if the ‘mahagathbandhan’ (grand alliance of opposition parties) takes shape, it could be highly problematic for the BJP,” he said, claiming that “there is going to be a lot of churning within all the parties, including the BJP and the Congress, ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls”.
The SDF MP, who is an alumnus of IIT-Kharagpur and IIM-Ahmedabad, asserted that the public and the intelligentsia were not very happy with the way many of the institutions like the CBI, the RBI were allegedly being attacked by the Modi government.
“This perhaps may go against the BJP,” he said. He made it clear as a party with only one MP in the Lok Sabha, it would, however, always go with the ruling party to safeguard the border state’s interests.
Asked about Congress President Rahul Gandhi, Rai said after having taken over as the president of the party, he has in many ways had a tough time getting the younger people to have some space within the party.
“But he has managed to do that. He has also understood that he has not only to back young people but also to look at the senior people as they are very valuable within the party. This (appointment of Kamal Nath and Ashok Gehlot as chief ministers) has sent out a good message to the senior cadre of the Congress. This is something which, I believe, is a very positive development for the Congress,” he said.
Rai, a member of the Parliament Standing Committee on Finance, said that farmers’ plight in the country has emerged as a huge problem but asserted that waiving of loans was not an answer.
“If you waive farms loans there is a big problem on the fiscal side. It is populist to say that I would waive the loans. On the other hand, people say if the corporate loans can be waived, then why not the farmers’ loans. But looking at holistic and structured reforms in the agriculture sector is long overdue.
“This is something we will have to look at. There are many, many pillars around which the farmers’ eco-system thrives and we will have to look into the whole crisis holistically,” he added.
(Brajendra Nath Singh can be contacted at brajendra.n@ians.in)
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Opinions
By Himanshu,
The Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government is about to complete its term and has brought about several changes in the area of documentation. But there are still several loopholes which need to be worked upon. In 2014, the government repealed the requirement of providing attested documents for birth certificates, marksheets and other certificates.
Yet, in most government departments, affidavits are still required. For example, to obtain a marriage certificate or to get documerts from the a regional transport office, affidavits need to be submitted and attestation of documents by a notary is still mandatory. Again, for PAN card applications, if a person fails to provide any document for date-of-birth proof, submission of an affidavit is required.
For most of the illiterate or semi-literate people this is a problem. Also, rules are dissimilar across states. The central government needs to ensure that different departments and various states take steps to make uniform rules for document submission.
In the case of birth certificate, it has become a chicken-and-egg situation for the parents. Several municipalities, such as in Gurugram, have made the child’s Aadhaar number mandatory for issuing a birth certificate. But without a birth certificate an Aadhaar number is not issued. To simplify matters, linking of birth certificate with Aadhaar should be made voluntary or the municipalities should accept parent’s Aadhaar number as proof.
One of the most problematic area for millennials is the police verification process for issuing a passport. Migration to metros is not a new trend in India. Every year, millions of students and employees move to a new city in search of better education and employment opportunities.
Passport verification has become a hassle for this community as most of them do not have proper address proof for their new abode. In its absence, they rely on their home-town address. However, during verification, police insists on the candidate’s physical presence at the given address. In case of a no-show, the passport is rejected. Because of this, almost 30 per cent of passport applications get rejected every year.
This is an issue which can be easily resolved. Police verification serves no purpose, as all the applicants mandatorily visit the passport office, and subsequent verification could be done through the documents submitted.
Another area where government processes need to be simplified is the filing of an Income Tax return. Every government talks about simplifying the filing process, but it is still perceived as complicated by most tax payers. According to one survey, 90 per cent of people still rely on outer sources — chartered accountants or other professionals — for filing returns. Real simplification would come when even a semi-literate person can file a return without professional help.
The government needs to make the process more user-friendly and mobile responsive. At present, the assumption is that a tax payer is financially literate, which is not true in a majority of cases. Even answers to basic questions are not always available. Something as easy as a chatbot on the income tax website would be helpful.
Another area of frustration for citizens is in booking railway tickets — especially tatkal tickets. The real problem is in matching the demand and supply of train seats — the whole exercise is opaque. The Railways need to dynamically match the number of coaches and seats available in a transparent manner. Big Data analysis and Artifical Intelligence can be used to keep travellers fully informed about all aspects of rail reservation.
Most of the problems are easy to solve. Partnerships with private players would bring in the technology and solutions to allow government departments to work in an efficient, open and much less cumbersome manner. Every citizen deserves this.
(Himanshu is the founder of ItzEazy.in, that aims to make the government documentation process more efficient. The views expressed are personal. He can be contacted at himanshu@itzeazy.com)
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
New Delhi : Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday accused the BJP-led NDA government of “crushing” the Supreme Court and said that the Dalits may get killed and women may face rapes but Prime Minister Narendra Modi was only interested in himself and in becoming PM again.
Addressing a gathering here to mark the party’s “Save the Constitution” campaign, he accused Modi of destroying country’s reputation abroad and slammed his government’s record in protecting the weaker sections and minorities.
The campaign, launched against the backdrop of uproar in the country over the rape and murder of a minor girl in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua and incidents of rapes in other parts of the country including in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao where the accused is a BJP MLA, is also aimed at boosting Congress prospects for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
Citing Modi’s slogan of ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’, Gandhi said it had become “Beti Bachao from BJP.”
Claiming that institutions such as the Supreme Court, high courts, Parliament, assemblies and the Election Commission, IITs, IIMs have been built on the basis of the Constitution which has been given to the country by B.R. Ambedkar and the Congress, Gandhi alleged that people with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) background were being inducted in these institutions by the Modi government.
“It has happened for the first time that four judges of the Supreme Court went to the people to seek justice. The Supreme court is being crushed, it is being suppressed. Parliament was not allowed to run and the press is also being crushed,” he said on a day when the impeachment notice given against Chief Justice of India by members of Congress and six other opposition parties was rejected by Rajya Sabha Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu.
Referring to Modi’s radio programme “Mann ki baat”, Gandhi said people will tell him their “mann ki baat” in 2019.
“Dalits may get killed, minorities face atrocities, country may burn, women may face rapes, it is nothing. Narendra Modi only wants to understand one thing that how he can become Prime Minister (again). What all has to be done to be prime minister.. only this is his interest,” he said, alleging Modi was afraid to face Parliament on issues like the PNB fraud scam, deportation of Lalit Modi and Vijay Mallaya and the Rafale fighter deal.
“If I am allowed to speak for 15 minutes on Rafale issue in Parliament before Modi, he will not be able to withstand it,” he said.
Referring to the second half of the budget session of Parliament, Gandhi said it was for the first time that the treasury benches “disrupted” the Houses, instead of the opposition.
Noting IMF chief Christine Lagarde had told Modi recently that atrocities were being committed against women in India, he said that even despite this, the Prime Minister was quiet.
He also questioned Modi for associating spirituality with cleaning of toilets, saying for him, the only spirituality was in “becoming the Prime Minister”.
Gandhi, who faced a question during his address, asked media persons if they could pose a query to Modi when he was speaking.
“That’s the difference between us and them. You attack us and we protect you. That is what we are. We defend the press. That is the difference between us and them. We will continue to do so. And will support you because we know you are brave people. And we will support your fight,” he said.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
Bengaluru : Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday dubbed the NDA government a ’90 per cent commission sarkar’, retaliating to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s taunt that the ruling Congress government in the state was a ’10 per cent commission sarkar’.
“It’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi who runs a ’90 per cent commission sarkar’ in Delhi. He should prove the charge that our government takes 10 per cent commission,” Siddaramaiah said here.
Addressing BJP rallies in Mysuru on February 19 and in Bengaluru on February 4, Modi said Karnataka is ruled by a 10 per cent commission Sarkar.
Replying to a motion of thanks to the address Governor Vajubhai R. Vala delivered on February 5 to the joint session of the legislature, Sidddaramaiah told the legislators in the assembly that the previous Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state was the most corrupt one from 2008 to 2013, with three chief ministers in five years.
“PM Modi should give evidence on the charges he levelled against our government. Let him prove that we take commission. If he says we take 10 per cent cut, then his government takes 90 per cent commission,” asserted Siddaramaiah on the 6th day of the 10-day budget session in Vidhana Soudha.
Accusing the Prime Minister of indulging in shoot and scoot, the Chief Minister said it was Modi who revelled in ‘hit and run’ tactic during his visits to the state for addressing his party’s (BJP) rally’
“The BJP has failed to prove the charges Modi and its leaders made against our government and me. Otherwise, they should withdraw them and apologise to the people of the state for insulting them,” said Siddaramiah.
Locking horns with the Chief Minister, opposition BJP leader in the assembly Jagadish Shettar alleged the ruling Congress government was number one in corruption.
“The people know what happened during the BJP’s 5-year misrule, when the rich mining district Ballari was turned into a republic by its members,” recalled Siddaramaiah.
Protesting against the Chief Minister’s remarks, the BJP members staged a walkout amid noisy scenes.
—IANS
