No Modi-Xi meeting at G-20 as ‘atmosphere is not right’
With India and China asserting
on Thursday that no bilateral
meeting between
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi and President Xi Jinping
had been scheduled on
the sidelines of the G-20
meeting in Germany, there
was no immediate prospect
of an end to the boundary
standoff
Also China stepped
up its verbal assault on India,
warning it of ‘serious
consequences’ if it did not
withdraw its troops
“The Prime Minister is visiting
Hamburg from July 6-8
for the G-20 summit
His
pre-planned bilateral meetings
on the sidelines of the
summit are with Argentina,
Canada, Italy, Japan, Mexico,
Republic of Korea, the U.K.
and Vietnam,”
Mr.
Modi would participate in
the BRICS leaders’ meeting
which will be held a day before
the main summit.
Why not use VVPAT units for Gujarat polls, EC asked
- The Supreme Court questioned the Election Commission on its reluctance to use voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) units with electronic voting machines for the Gujarat Assembly polls in 2017, warning the poll panel against making excuses and compelling the court to force its hand.
- "You have about 87,000 machines. Why cannot you use them," a Bench of Chief Justice of India J.S. Khehar and D.Y. Chandrachud asked the commission.
- When counsel of the panel replied that not all the 87,000 are functional and some have "glitches", Justice Khehar said the argument sounded like an excuse.
- "Don't force us ... we can enforce our orders," the Chief Justice warned, asking the commission to give a reply in four weeks.
- The hearing was based on a petition filed by Mohit Singh, represented by counsel Kapil Sibal, appealing against a Gujarat High Court order dismissing his plea to direct the commission to implement the VVPAT voting mechanism in the Gujarat polls or otherwise use ballot papers to ensure a transparent, free and fair election.
- "The Centre has given the Election Commission Rs. 3,000 crore to buy 1,50,000 machines ... but now they are saying it will take time to train people. Such excuses cannot be made in a democracy. In Gujarat polls, 71,000 machines are required for the election," Mr. Sibal said.
- He referred to the Supreme Court's 2013 judgment inSubramanian Swamy vs Election Commission of India, in which the court held that the "paper trail is an indispensable requirement of free and fair elections. The confidence of the voters in the EVMs can be achieved only with the introduction of the "paper trail". EVMs with VVPAT system ensure the accuracy of the voting system."
Constitutional status for backward classes panel?
The politically-volatile issue
of reservation for Gujjars in
Rajasthan in the Special
Backward Class (SBC) category
has become complicated
with the Centre likely to
give constitutional status to
the National Commission for
Backward Classes (NCBC).
The Bill on the subject
may be passed in the monsoon
session of Parliament.
Constitutional status to
the NCBC will take away
powers from States to add or
remove communities to the
backward class category for
the purpose of reservation
The State governments
will then only be left with
the power to make a recommendation
in this regard.
National Commission for Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (NSEBC)
- It will replace National Commission for Backward Class.
- In this regard, constitutional amendment bill for amending Constitution mainly by insertion of Article 338B will be soon introduced in the Parliament.
What has been approved?
- Creation of a National Commission for Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (NSEBC) under new Article 338 B.
- Composition of the new NSEBC will include Chairperson, Vice Chairperson and three other Members.
- Insertion of provision after Article 341 and 342 by inserting Article 342 A to provide for Parliament’s approval for every inclusion into and exclusion from the Central List of Other Backward Class (OBCs).
- Insertion of a new Clause (26C) under Article 366 of the Constitution to define Socially and Educationally Backward Classes;
- Repealing of National Commission for Backward Classes Act, 1993 and Rules framed under it.
- Dissolution of the Commission constituted under the Act of 1993
Tax forces Indian families to exit Saudi( Nitaqat programme )
- An astronomical hike in the ‘expatriate dependent fee,’ or family tax, in Saudi Arabia is forcing thousands of Indians working in the kingdom to send their families back home
- Effective from July 1, the Saudi government, which is on an aggressive drive to localise its labour force and shed the weight of expatriate workers, imposed a new fee on all members of the expatriate families
- Accordingly, for each member of the family, an expatriate worker has to pay 1,200 Saudi riyals (roughly ₹21,000) a year. The tax was just 100 riyals a year for a family
- The tax will hit a sizeable section of Indians, who make up the largest expatriate community in the kingdom.
- An estimated 30 lakh Indians live in Saudi Arabia, which employs the largest number of Indians anywhere in the world (the UAE is a close second). Keralites are the largest segment of the Indian community in the kingdom
Centre doing ‘all it can’ to help farmers
Government submitted that 5.34 crore
farmers, or 40%, had
already been covered by the
welfare schemes and work
was on to enhance the figure
to 50% by 2018-19. Thirty per
cent of the crops too were
secured.
Government said crop
insurance schemes such as
the Pradhan Mantri Fasal
Bhima Yojan had been instituted
from the Kharif season
of 2016, and was a “huge improvement
over the previous
schemes [National Agriculture
Insurance scheme]”
All farmers who avail
themselves of crop loans
were automatically covered
under this scheme and the
premium amount was deducted
from their loan
amounts.
Insurance cover was
provided for all stages of the
crop cycle.
The Attorney General detailed
other programmes like
National Food Security Mission,
National Mission for
Oilseed and Oil Palm, Mission
of Integrated Development
for Horticulture, National
Mission on
Agricultural Extension and
Technology
Steps taken by the Government to improve farmer's plight :
[i] efforts
were on to bring more farmers
into the institutional fold
by ensuring availability of
crop loans through commercial,
cooperative and regional
rural banks.
[ii]“The target for agricultural
credit is ₹10 lakh crore
in 2017-18. The government
plans to double farmers’ income
by 2022
[iii]ATM-enabled Kisan Credit
cards had been introduced
to enable farmers to purchase
raw materials and
draw cash.
[iv]RBI had allowed banks to
take a lenient view on rescheduling
of loans if the crop
loss was more than 33%.
[v]The government ultimately
intended to “create a
single unified market for the
country"[e- NAM Markets].
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi wrapped up a threeday
visit to Israel
- CEOs of various companies who reportedly signed agreements worth about $4.3 billion
- A document of “joint intentions” issued by the forum, organised by FICCI, said that it hoped to take current bilateral trade of about $4-5 billion to $20 billion in five years “if untapped potential is fully harnessed.”
- The document listed the biggest problems as restrictive “laws for investors” in India, and Indian business visas, which are only granted for one year presently.
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