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Scroll.in, Feb 22, 2018 The Canadian PM faced criticism from the media, which has been questioning his soft stand on pro-Khalistan groups. A convicted Khalistani militant was invited to a dinner with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in New Delhi on Thursday. The invite has now been rescinded after the media questioned Trudeau over his soft stand on pro-Khalistan groups in Canada. Jaspal Atwal, a member of the banned International Sikh Youth Federation, was convicted for trying to kill Punjab Cabinet minister Malkiat Singh Sidhu in Vancouver Island in 1986. He was sent to 20 years in prison. He has also been convicted in an automobile fraud case. The dinner is supposed to be held on Thursday at the Canadian high commissioner’s house in New Delhi. “His Excellency Nadir Patel, High Commissioner for Canada to India, is pleased to invite Jaspal Atwal to a dinner reception celebrating Canada-India ties on the occasion of the visit of The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, Pr

Scroll.in, Feb 22, 2018 The Jammu and Kashmir Police have turned a Daily Diary Report into a First Information Report and charged unidentified people with sedition for criticising the Bharatiya Janata Party,  The Tribune  reported on Wednesday. “We have registered an FIR under Section 124/A of the RPC against unidentified persons for shouting objectionable slogans during the cremation of Suresh Kumar Choudhary,” Ramgarh Station House Officer Bansi Lal Sharma told the newspaper. Choudhary died after being injured in shelling on January 19. His cremation was held on February 5. Those who attended the cremation shouted slogans against the BJP, and accused the party of ignoring border residents. After this, the police were reportedly pressurised to book victims of border shelling for sedition, according to  The Tribune . Unidentified policemen told the daily that they were asked to specifically target former serviceman Choudhary’s family who accused the BJP of using border resi

The Telegraph, Devadeep Purohit, Feb 22, 2018 Dhaka:  Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is "hopeful" that Mamata Banerjee will give Bangladesh its due share from the Teesta, which originates from the Himalayas and flows through Sikkim and Bengal before crossing borders. "When I spoke to the chief minister, she never said 'no'. She has said, she would give.... We are hopeful," Hasina said during an informal interaction with Indian journalists at Gono Bhaban, the official residence of the Prime Minister. As the countdown to the general election later this year has begun in Bangladesh, the cost-benefit analysis of what the country has achieved from its close ties with India under the Hasina regime has also started. A deal on sharing the Teesta waters - pending since September 2011 because of Mamata's opposition - is the most important element in Dhaka's pay-off matrix. "  Ektu dukkho to achhe.... Didimoni pani dyan ni  (Still a little sad.

The Indian Express, Pranav Mukul, Feb 22, 2018 Expressing disappointment at India’s proposal to adopt a cost-based minimum support price (MSP) that would be 50 per cent higher than the cost of production, the US Under Secretary of Trade and Foreign Agriculture Affairs Ted McKinney said that tariffs were not the best way to uplift farmers and are not in the best interest of the consumers. “Tariffs, anywhere in the world, are understood at times but problematic most times. We had a very long sigh when we read that there was intent for more tariffs because it does not promote free trade … we just hope that the Indian government and its consumers and processors understand that they are paying a very high cost for food and it could be lowered. This comes with time, we learned those lessons as well and we changed our programs. We don’t do subsidies anymore despite what people think anymore,” McKinney told reporters on Wednesday. The government had declared minimum support price for

The Indian Express, Sushant singh, Feb 22, 2018 Pakistan got a temporary reprieve at the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) meeting in Paris after a US-led proposal to place it on the ‘grey list’ of countries that finance terrorism was not moved for voting on Wednesday. It was instead decided to ask the Asia Pacific Group (APG), which monitors Pakistan, to submit another report in 90 days about the action taken against terror financing in the country. As reported by The Indian Express on February 13, the proposal to ‘grey list’ Pakistan was co-sponsored by the US, UK, France and Germany in the 37-member body. Based on the past record at FATF meetings, China was believed to be opposed to the proposal which would have worsened Pakistan’s economic woes. But during the FATF meetings at Paris from Sunday to Tuesday, Russia and Turkey are also believed to have supported China in opposing the proposal. As votes of three members are needed to defeat FATF proposals which are approved

Radio Pakistan, Feb 21, 2018 President AJK Sardar Masood Khan has appealed UN Secretary General to put pressure on India to stop genocide of innocent Kashmiris at the hands of its troops in the Occupied Kashmir. He was addressing a declamation contest ceremony tilled “Human Rights violations in Occupied Kashmir and role of International Community” in Islamabad today. The inter-university speech contest was arranged by Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Cell. Sardar Masood said Modi government has pursued a policy of repression, state terrorism and expelling Muslims population in the occupied valley. He said it is the failure of UN mandate for not solving the 70 years old issue of Kashmir in accordance with its adopted resolutions. He said India is hiding its war crimes by adopting aggressive stand. AJK president said Indian troops and Para-military forces assisted by so-called government led by Mehboba Mufti has converted the entire valley into a torture cell. Sardar Masood dem

Business Line, Feb 20, 2018 After the CBI and the ED, the Income Tax Department has stepped up action against the Rotomac group and its promoters, attaching 11 bank accounts in connection with an alleged tax evasion probe against them, officials said today. The accounts in various bank branches in Uttar Pradesh were attached last night. The provisional attachment action has been carried out to “recover outstanding tax demands”, understood to be about Rs 85 crore, the officials said. Three bank accounts of the group were attached last month by the department, they said. The Kanpur-based group is being probed by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate in connection with an alleged bank loan fraud of Rs 3,695 crore, given by a consortium of seven banks. The CBI had registered a criminal case against Rotomac Global Pvt Limited, its Director Vikram Kothari, his wife Sadhana Kothari and son Rahul Kothari and unidentified bank officials on a complaint received from Bank of Baroda an

Hindustan Times, Yashwant Raj, Feb 21, 2018 The US said on Tuesday a global watchdog was expected to announce after two days its decision to put Pakistan on a terror watchlist, indicating a Pakistani minister might have prematurely set off celebrations that his country was off the hook. Pakistani foreign minister Khawaja M Asif said on Tuesday there was no consensus at the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) meeting to place Pakistan on the “grey list” for not complying with anti-money laundering and terrorism financing regulations. “The final decision on that was due later this week, so I don’t want to get ahead of what that final decision would be,” state department spokesperson Heather Nauert told reporters when asked about Asif’s announcement. Nauert said she didn’t have an independent confirmation that a decision was made early. “We’re anticipating that the final decision would be made on Thursday of this week,” she said. Asif had tweeted, “Our efforts paid, FATF Pari

Hindustan Times, Neelam Pandey, Feb 21, 2018 Each child will just have a unique number, with no biometric data capture involved (as it is in Aadhaar), and that issues related to privacy and security will, as a result, not arise, according to an official. The government plans to give children born in India unique numbers which will be used to track the holistic development of children in education, health and jobs, a senior official said, detailing a move that analysts see as both well-meaning and controversial, given the privacy and security concerns that have surfaced around Aadhaar, the unique biometric enabled ID. According to the official who asked not to be identified, the project will involve several ministries including human resources development (HRD), health, women and child development, minority affairs, tribal affairs, social justice and skill development. This person explained that each child will just have a unique number, with no biometric data capture involved

The Economic Times, Feb 20, 2018 As many as 37 companies, including South Korean conglomerate Hyosung Corporation and Micromax, have been allotted land to set up units under a node of the DMIC project, the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor Development Corporation LtdBSE -0.35 % today said.  In a statement, it said across DMIC projects where trunk infrastructure layout is progressing at a rapid pace, "37 companies have been allotted land, totalling about 130 acres, with the Shendra-Bidkin node, dubbed Aurangabad Industrial City (AURIC), in Maharashtra taking the lead".  It said the 100-acre land parcel for Hyosung Corporation to set up a Rs 3,000 crore manufacturing facility in Shendra marks the biggest land allocation in any DMIC project.  "Hyosung, the world's leading manufacturer of spandex, is expanding its production in India which the company sees as a key market. In the first phase, which Hyosung plans to initiate by April 2018 with productio

The Hindu, Business Line, Vishwnath Kulkarni, Feb 20, 2018 Strong demand from neighbours Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, and steady off-take from traditional buyers in Africa has led to a surge in the country’s non-basmati rice exports, which are likely to rise to new highs this financial year. Besides, the depleted stock levels in Thailand — a major exporter — has helped India gain and consolidate its share in the global market, trade sources said. Shipments soar 40% For the first nine months of the current fiscal, the non-basmati exports have registered a growth of 40 per cent in volumes at 63.38 lakh tonnes (lt) and 46 per cent increase in value terms at  ₹ 16,803 crore over corresponding period last year. Non-basmati rice shipments, after reaching a record 82.74 lt in 2014-15, had dropped in the subsequent year to around 64.64 lt. However, over the past couple of years, the Indian shipments have staged a rebound. Steady growth in domestic output of over 100 million tonnes

The Hindu, Business Line, Feb 20, 2018 The Union Cabinet on Tuesday approved setting up of a  ₹ 60,000-crore National Urban Housing Fund (NUHF) to facilitate the implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) Mission and to ensure that every poor living in the urban areas has a home by 2022. The NUHF will be set up in the Building Materials and Technology Promotion Council (BMTPC), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. To monitor the NUHF, a committee will be formed in the Ministry which will be chaired by the Joint Secretary/Mission Director PMAY(Urban). “The Cabinet having approved the NUHF provisioning for funds amounting to  ₹ 60,000 crore over a period of four years, there will be an added momentum to the pace of implementation,” Minister of State (Independent/Charge) for Housing and Urban Affairs, Hardeep Singh Puri said. By March, a total of 45 lakh houses are expected to be sanctioned under the mission. Under the programme,

The Hindu, Business Line, PTI, Feb 20, 2018 Germany’s biggest lender Deutsche Bank is letting hundreds of investment bankers go, Bloomberg News reported today, the latest round of deep cuts in a years-long battle for profitability. “At least 250” and perhaps as many as 500 “senior and mid-level” bankers in London and the US have been shown the door in the past two weeks, Bloomberg said citing people familiar with the decisions. Deutsche Bank declined to comment on the report when contacted by AFP. In early February, executives acknowledged that 2017 had been one of the investment bank’s worst years yet, with revenues sapped by low volatility on financial markets and limited client activity. Revenues at the division fell 16 per cent to 14.2 billion euros (USD 17.6 billion) last year, leaving Deutsche lagging behind competitors in the US and Europe like Santander or BNP Paribas. Under chief executive John Cryan, who took the helm in 2015, Deutsche has undergone a painful cour

The Hindu, Business Line, PTI, Feb 20, 2018 The Delhi High Court today directed the police to investigate cheating allegations levelled against Gitanjali Gems promoter Mehul Choksi in an FIR lodged in 2016 by the owner of one of its retail franchise. A bench of Justice Mukta Gupta asked the police to file a report on the matter while noting that the probe was on a standstill as the complainant and the accused were trying to negotiate a settlement. The bench, however, said that the interim protection from any coercive action granted to Choksi in April last year will continue. The diamond merchant had approached the high court for quashing of the FIR lodged against him for allegedly cheating an engineer’s firm in 2016. The FIR was lodged on the orders of a magisterial court here on a complaint by B.Tech graduate Vaibhav Khuraniya alleging that his company RM Green Solutions had purchased a retail franchise of Gitanjali Jewellers from Choksi on an assurance of high returns. Th

The Economic Times, Feb 20, 2018 Government's premium on insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh for every eligible household under the new National Health Protection Scheme (NHPS) would be around Rs 900-1000 per family annually, lower than the earlier estimate of Rs 1000-1,200, a senior NITI Aayog official said today.  The official further said that representatives of all states with the exception of Tripura, where the assembly elections are on, participated in a meeting on NHPS, organised by the government think tank and the ministry of health and family welfare.  "Premium for availing health insurance cover of up to Rs 5 lakh under NHPS is expected to be around Rs 900-1000 annually for every household, which will be borne by the Centre and states," the official told PTI.  On whether West Bengal participated in the deliberations, he said, "Officials from the state's health department attended NHPS workshop for states on February 15-16.  "They

Livemint, Feb 20, 2018 Islamabad: China has been quietly holding talks with Baloch militants in Pakistan’s restive Baluchistan province for over five years to protect its $60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) initiative, according to a media report. The 3,000-km-long CPEC is aimed at connecting China and Pakistan with rail, road, pipelines and optical cable fiber network. It connects China’s Xinjiang province with Pakistan’s Gwadar port, providing access to China to the Arabian Sea. The project, when completed, would enable China to pump its oil supplies from the Middle East through pipelines to Xinjiang cutting considerable distance for Chinese ships to travel to China. “China had been in direct contact with militants in the south-western province, where many of the scheme’s most important projects are located,” three officials were quoted as saying by the  Financial Times. For more than half a century, Beijing has maintained a policy of non-interference

The Economic Times, Debjoy Sengupta, Feb 20, 2018 Kolkata: Capacity utilisation of coal-fired power plants are expected to hover between 60 percent and 62 percent in 2018-19 because of large capacity additions in the past five years, feels India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra).  Capacity utilisation of coal-based thermal power plants are unlikely to fall below 60 percent in FY19, even under a blue-sky scenario where in solar addition increases to 18 gigawatts (GW) annually while a new coal-based capacity of 8 GW is added. However, coal-based thermal power plants operating below 60 percent PLFs would continue to face challenges in meeting their debt service obligations.  It however says, that central government-owned utilities are positioned more favourably than private developers, given their ability to better manage counterparty, fuel and off-take risks.  This prompted the analysis firm to keep its outlook for the sector at stable-to-negative for FY19, despite visib

The Economic Times, Rema Nagarajan, Feb 20, 2018 NEW DELHI: An analysis of bills from four reputed private hospitals in Delhi and NCR by the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has revealed that they are making profits of up to 1,737% on drugs, consumables and diagnostics and that these three accounts for about 46% of a patient’s bill. The analysis, released on Tuesday, noted that “the major beneficiaries of profits in all these cases because of inflated MRPs have been hospitals rather than drugs and devices’ manufacturers”.  The NPPA noted that most drugs, devices and disposables were used and sold by the hospitals from their own in-house pharmacies and patients didn’t have the choice of buying them from outside where prices could be lower. Institutional bulk purchase by private hospitals, in most cases by their own pharmacy, makes it easier for them to indulge in “profiteering on drugs and devices even without the need to violate the MRPs”, since these are a

The Economic Times, Gayatri Nayak, Feb 20, 2018 In the wake of the Rs 11,300 crore fraud at the Punjab National Bank, the Reserve Bank of India has constituted a five member panel under former board member Y H Malegam to look into the wide divergence by banks in asset classification and provisioning and reasons for frauds and measures to prevent it and also asked them to strengthen the SWIFTBSE -0.97 % operating environment.  “In view of large divergences observed in asset classification and provisioning in the credit portfolio of banks as well as the rising incidence of frauds in the Indian banking system, it has been decided to constitute an Expert Committee under the chairmanship of Shri Y H Malegam, a former member of the Central Board of Directors of RBI” the Reserve Bank said in a release posted on its web site. The panel will also look into the reasons for high divergence observed in asset classification and provisioning by banks vis-à-vis the RBI’s supervisory