2021 Tata Safari Review

Tata Motors has revived the legendary nameplate that at one time was synonymous with its success. The Tata Safari returns as a modern SUV, but there is no petrol or 4X4 variant this time. It does...

from NDTV News - Special https://ift.tt/39Ay013
via IFTTT

It's A Baby Boy For Kapil Sharma And Ginni Chatrath

"Baby and mother both are fine, thank you so much for all the love," tweeted Kapil Sharma

from NDTV News - Special https://ift.tt/3pBNQy0
via IFTTT

5 expectations of individuals from Budget 2021

All eyes are on Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman as she will be presenting the Union Budget 2021 today, i.e., February 1. There is more interest and expectations this year from the budget due to the novel coronavirus pandemic and the impact it has had on various segments of the economy.For the salaried class, the year 2020 was marred with job loss, pay cuts, higher inflation and so on. That is why many are hoping for announcements that can at least help ease their tax burden. Here is a list of some of the expectations of the common man from the Union Budget 2021. Hike in tax exemption limitTop on the wish list of the salaried class is a hike in the basic exemption limit from the current level of Rs 2.5 lakh. The last time tax exemption limit was hiked was in Budget 2014-15. Though Sitharaman announced a new tax regime in last year's budget which offered lower tax rates, however, no changes were made in the tax exemption limit. By hiking the tax exemption limit, the government can incentivise people to spend more and boost consumption in the economy.Homi Mistry, Tax Partner, Deloitte India says, "The immediate expectation is to reduce the tax burden of taxpayers. The Covid-19 pandemic has affected everyone in some way or the other. Increasing the basic exemption limit will provide tax respite to individuals, increase liquidity, and give a boost to the economy."Hike in deduction allowed on health insurance premium paidThanks to the pandemic, many of us have become aware of the importance of health insurance and the role it can play in protecting our finances in case of a medical emergency. At present, income tax laws offer tax benefit on the health insurance premium paid.An individual can claim a deduction of Rs 25,000 for health insurance premium paid for self, spouse and dependant children. Additional deduction of Rs 50,000 is available for health insurance premium paid for parents. However, there is a need to hike the deduction amount available on the health insurance premium paid so that an individual can buy adequate medical coverage for their family.Surabhi Marwah, Partner-People Advisory Services, EY India says, "The limits currently prescribed (Rs 25,000 to Rs 100,000 which depend primarily on the age of the individual and the coverage of family members) under section 80D are not in-line with the likely expense that an individual may incur. It is an ask that the overall limit be increased to reflect the on-ground reality."Leave Travel Concession (LTC) Cash Voucher SchemeIn October of 2020, the government announced the LTC Cash Voucher Scheme to provide a tax benefit to individuals and also to boost consumption in the economy. The last date to avail the benefit under the scheme is March 31, 2021. As per tax experts, the government should extend the last date of the scheme as it is likely that many people would have postponed their travel plans to 2021 due to Covid-19 restrictions in 2020. Further, the government should lower the minimum spending amount to make the scheme more attractive. As per scheme guidelines, following conditions must be satisfied to be eligible under the scheme:a) Spend three times of the deemed LTC fare on the goods/services attracting GST of 12% or above;b) Expenditure must be made between October 12, 2020, and March 31, 2021;c) Payment must be made via digital mode;d) Invoices must be submitted to an employer containing GST number of the vendor along with the GST amount paid.Mistry says, "Spending three times the value of LTC fare seems high. Therefore, the government may consider reducing the spending required to twice the value of LTC fare. Also, an extension of the scheme for an additional nine months, i.e., up to December 31, 2021 (till the end of the block period of 2018-2021) may be considered."Relaxation in residency criteria for NRI for FY 2020-21Due to coronavirus-related travel restrictions, many non-resident Indians (NRI) have been stranded in India. As the stay of many NRIs would have exceeded the desired number of days to meet the residency conditions to remain NRI under the income tax laws, relaxation is needed. Further, rules for determining the residency conditions have been changed effective from FY 2020-21. Effective from April 1, 2020, if the total income accrued in India for an NRI exceeds Rs 15 lakh, then in such a case if he/she stays in India for up to 120 days to remain non-resident in India. On the other hand, if the total taxable income accrued in India does not exceed Rs 15 lakh, then he/she can remain non-resident for up to 182 days in India. If the stay in India exceeds the maximum limit mentioned above (depending on the income), then the individual will be classified either as a Resident and Ordinarily Resident (ROR) or Not Ordinarily Resident (NOR), as determined by additional residency conditions.The income tax department has provided similar relaxation for FY 2019-20 via a circular dated May 8, 2020. Mistry says, "Due to the pandemic, the government had notified exemption of certain days for determining residency for FY 2019-20 for individuals who were stranded in India on account of the lockdown and who could not travel outside India. For FY 2020-21 also, the government should issue the necessary clarification providing relief for stranded individuals on account of the pandemic."Deduction for work-from-home allowanceAs majority of employees are now working from home due to the coronavirus pandemic, they have to incur expenses such as buying table, chair etc. However, no tax benefits are available on such expenses made by an employee. There is a need to provide tax benefits to such employees for the expenses made for working from home.Mistry says, "Budget 2021 should introduce measures which would provide certain tax benefits for employees. For example, a standard deduction of Rs 50,000 from gross income could be provided (over and above the existing standard deduction from salary) to allow for expenditure by employees who are working from home on ergonomic chairs/furniture, computer equipment, data cards, etc."The above mentioned are few expectations that people want from finance minister in this budget, however, as per tax experts, there are certain announcements that can be seen in the Budget 2021 to raise additional revenue. Sonu Iyer, Tax Partner and National Leader - People Advisory Services, EY India says, "The government could look at introducing a coronavirus cess or surcharge on individual tax payers - possibly only on the higher income groups. The government may also look at increasing the tax on long term capital gains from equity and property, to push up revenue."

from Economic Times https://ift.tt/2MdPdVi
via IFTTT

TaMo Q3 gives clear signs of earnings recovery

ET Intelligence Group: Tata Motors’ operating performance in the December quarter may add more conviction to the likelihood of better earnings — and a leaner balance sheet. Earnings upgrade and superior valuation of the local business after the December quarter earnings may sustain the stock’s outperformance.Tough measures by India's largest vehicle maker to contain costs and improve efficiencies have boosted the financials of the local operations and of Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), which contributes more than three-fourths to Tata Motors’ revenues.So, operating profit margins of JLR improved 560 basis points to 15.8 per cent in the December quarter. There are some one-off events, such as reversal of emission fines and superior product mix (higher share of Land Rover), but the trajectory of base operating margins has been consistently improving.Variable marketing and warranty expenses, which dented JLR’s margins for quite a long time, are shrinking. The Street is still apprehensive about the sustainability of decline in the VWE and warranty expenses at the current level. But if JLR can sustain the decline, operating profit margins (Ebitda) might further climb.Moderation in capex intensity has been supporting JLR’s effort to improve its cash flow and liquidity. Cash on JLR’s books improved 25 per cent on a sequential basis to 4.5 billion (Rs 45,000 crore) and net debt slipped to 2.6 billion in December 2020 compared with 3.3 billion in the previous quarter.Volumes are expected to rise 20-22 per cent in the next fiscal year and are likely to close at FY20 level following encouraging response to Defender and a couple of refresh pipelines. The market currently ascribes EV/EBITDA multiple of 2-2.3 times to JLR and superior multiples will depend upon its share in the global premium market.Back home, the domestic business is showing strong recovery and operating profit margins rose by 570 basis points to 6.8 per cent, the highest in the last seven quarters. The commercial vehicle division with a volume decline of 8 per cent has revenue growth of 21 per cent on YoY basis and passenger vehicle volume rose 86 per cent. 80618375Ebitda margins of commercial vehicles rose 580 basis points to 8 per cent and the PV business margins improved by 780 basis points to 3.8 per cent. Absolute Ebitda of the passenger division is the highest in the last decade. Even on the debt side, the local operation automotive gross debt dropped to Rs 25,413 crore in December 2020 from Rs 31,099 crore in the previous quarter.Analysts have started ascribing a valuation of Rs 20-24 per share to the domestic PV business taking the tally of the domestic business to Rs 150-160 per share, which is nearly equivalent to the value ascribed to JLR.

from Economic Times https://ift.tt/3j4ZajC
via IFTTT

हेल्पलाइन पर फोन कर पीएम मोदी का नंबर पूछ रहे लोग, किसी को मिलना है तो किसी को देना सुझाव

कोविड टीकाकरण हेल्पलाइन पर फोन कर लोग पूछ रहे पीएम का नंबर, किसी को मिलना है तो किसी को देना है सुझाव

from Latest And Breaking Hindi News Headlines, News In Hindi | अमर उजाला हिंदी न्यूज़ | - Amar Ujala https://ift.tt/2MK3KaN

नीतीश के दांव से विपक्ष हैरान, अब उपेंद्र कुशवाहा बनेंगे भाजपा-जेडीयू सरकार में मंत्री!

बिहार में राष्ट्रीय लोक समता पार्टी के राष्ट्रीय अध्यक्ष उपेंद्र कुशवाहा मुख्यमंत्री नीतीश कुमार और जदयू के पूर्व अध्यक्ष वशिष्ठ नारायण सिंह से मिले। बता दें कि बिहार में सरकार बनने के बाद उपेंद्र कुशवाहा दो बार नीतीश कुमार से मुलाकात कर चुके हैं।

from Latest And Breaking Hindi News Headlines, News In Hindi | अमर उजाला हिंदी न्यूज़ | - Amar Ujala https://ift.tt/39wGBSh

भाजपा सांसद राकेश सिन्हा को जान से मारने की धमकी, आरोपी गिरफ्तार

भाजपा के राज्यसभा सांसद राकेश सिन्हा को फोन पर जान से मारने की धमकी देने वाले आरोपी को पुलिस ने मायापुरी से गिरफ्तर कर लिया है।

from Latest And Breaking Hindi News Headlines, News In Hindi | अमर उजाला हिंदी न्यूज़ | - Amar Ujala https://ift.tt/2NSRaqx

Myanmar Military Must Release Elected Leaders "Immediately": Australia

Australia on Monday demanded Myanmar's army immediately release de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other elected leaders, warning the military was "once again seeking to seize control" of the...

from NDTV News - Special https://ift.tt/3oABAfK
via IFTTT

US Warns Of Response After Myanmar's Military Detains Officials

The United States on Sunday urged Myanmar's military to release detained officials, including de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi, and warned of a response from Washington over the apparent coup.

from NDTV News - Special https://ift.tt/39BztUN
via IFTTT

Myanmar Military Declares 1-Year Emergency, Suu Kyi Detained: Reports

Myanmar's military declared a one-year state of emergency on Monday and appointed a general as acting president, after arresting civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other senior officials.

from NDTV News - Special https://ift.tt/3oHOOrm
via IFTTT

दस महीनों से बंद रहे हिमाचल, हरियाणा समेत 10 राज्यों में आज से खुलेंगे स्कूल

वैश्विक महामारी कोविड-19 के चलते दस महीनों से बंद स्कूलों को 10 राज्य एक फरवरी से चरणबद्ध तरीके से खोलने जा रहे हैं।

from Latest And Breaking Hindi News Headlines, News In Hindi | अमर उजाला हिंदी न्यूज़ | - Amar Ujala https://ift.tt/3th7jX8

म्यांमार: सत्ता पक्ष की नेता आंग सान सू की को सेना ने हिरासत में लिया, तख्तापलट की आशंका

नेशनल लीग फॉर डेमोक्रेसी के प्रवक्ता ने बताया कि म्यांमार की नेता आंग सान सू की और सत्तारूढ़ पार्टी के अन्य वरिष्ठ लोगों को सुबह की छापेमारी में हिरासत में लिया गया है। इन गिरफ्तरियों से म्यांमार में तख्तापलट की आशंकाओं से खलबली मच गई।

from Latest And Breaking Hindi News Headlines, News In Hindi | अमर उजाला हिंदी न्यूज़ | - Amar Ujala https://ift.tt/3oAqqI6

हक के लिए किसानों की दिल्ली दौड़, गाजीपुर और सिंघु सीमा पर उमड़ा हुजूम

दिल्ली की सीमाओं पर किसान आंदोलन फिर खड़ा हो गया है।

from Latest And Breaking Hindi News Headlines, News In Hindi | अमर उजाला हिंदी न्यूज़ | - Amar Ujala https://ift.tt/3cqi3Mz

Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi Detained, Sparks Fears Of Military Coup

Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other senior figures from the ruling party have been detained in an early morning raid, the spokesman for the governing National League for Democracy said on...

from NDTV News - Special https://ift.tt/2YyKwaQ
via IFTTT

Britain's Prince William Attacks "Despicable" Racist Abuse Of Footballers

Britain's Prince William has branded racist abuse directed at footballers "despicable" and said it "must stop now" after Manchester United's Marcus Rashford became the latest player to be targeted.

from NDTV News - Special https://ift.tt/3j4cGE2
via IFTTT

1 फरवरी: आज दिनभर इन खबरों पर बनी रहेगी नजर, जिनका होगा आप पर असर

हर रोज हम अलग-अलग खबरों से दो-चार होते हैं। हमारी आंखों के सामने से कई सारी खबरें गुजरती हैं। इनमें से कुछ ऐसी अहम खबरें होती हैं, जिनका हमारे जीवन पर असर पड़ता है...

from Latest And Breaking Hindi News Headlines, News In Hindi | अमर उजाला हिंदी न्यूज़ | - Amar Ujala https://ift.tt/3r6tYTY

Day Of Tough Choices For Budget Like "Never Before": 10 Points

Will it be a budget like "never before" or just another in a series of "mini budgets" presented over the last year to resuscitate a sputtering economy, that's the trillion-dollar question waiting to...

from NDTV News - Special https://ift.tt/2NTJ8h6
via IFTTT

"Waste Turned Into Wealth": PM's Praise For Hyderabad Vegetable Market

Addressing the 73rd episode of his monthly radio programme, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday appreciated a local vegetable market -- Bowenpally Sabzi Mandi -- of Hyderabad which is generating...

from NDTV News - Special https://ift.tt/2MJsKyU
via IFTTT

Five past vaccine drives & how they worked

Scientists developed vaccines less than a year after COVID-19 was identified, a reflection of remarkable progress in vaccine technology. But progress in vaccine distribution is another story.Questions that arose in vaccine rollouts decades ago are still debated today. How should local and federal authorities coordinate? Who should get vaccinated first? What should officials do about resistance in communities? Should the hardest-hit places be prioritized? Who should pay?Some answers can be found in the successes and failures of vaccine drives over the past two centuries.In 1796, once scientist Edward Jenner discovered that people infected with cowpox became immune to smallpox, doctors went from town to town in England, deliberately spreading cowpox by scratching infected material into people’s arms.The rollout worked on a local level, but how could it be distributed to people in faraway places, like in the Americas, where smallpox had devastated populations? In 1803, the Spanish government put 22 orphans on a ship to its territories in South America. The lead doctor, Francisco Xavier de Balmis, and his team injected cowpox into two of the boys, and then, once cowpox sores developed, took material from the sores and scratched it into the arms of two more boys.By the time the team arrived in the Americas, only one boy was still infected, but that was enough. Vaccine distribution in the Spanish territories was unsystematic, but eventually members of the Spanish expedition worked with local authorities to establish vaccination clinics. More than 100,000 people in Mexico received free vaccinations by 1805, according to a journal article, “The World’s First Immunization Campaign,” in the Bulletin of the History of Medicine.By the 20th century, when scientists had determined how to store and mass produce the smallpox vaccine, outbreaks had generally been contained.But an outbreak in 1947 in New York City, just before an Easter Sunday parade on a warm weekend, posed a major problem. The city’s health commissioner at the time, Israel Weinstein, called for everyone to get vaccinated, even if they had received the vaccination as children. Posters across the city warned: “Be Sure. Be Safe. Get Vaccinated!”The rollout was swift and well-orchestrated. Volunteers and professional health care providers went to schools, delivering vaccines to students. At the time, the public had strong faith in the medical community, and the modern anti-vaccination movement barely existed. In less than a month, more than 6 million New Yorkers were vaccinated, and the city ended up recording only 12 infections and two deaths.On April 12, 1955, the U.S. government licensed the first vaccine against polio, created by Dr. Jonas Salk, after scientists announced it was found to be 80% to 90% effective. The next day, The New York Times reported in a headline: “Supply to be low for time, but output will be rushed.”State and local health officials were in charge of the rollout to children, who were most at risk.Shortly after the rollout began, the program was suspended after reports that children had contracted polio in the arms where they received the vaccination, rather than the legs, which was more typical of the disease.More than 250 cases of polio were attributed to faulty vaccines, caused by a manufacturing error by one of the drugmakers involved in the effort, Cutter Laboratories, based in California, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.The so-called Cutter Incident led to stronger regulatory requirements, and the vaccine rollout continued in the fall of 1955. The vaccine prevented thousands of cases of crippling illness, saved lives and ultimately ended the yearly threat of epidemics in the United States.“The possibility was raised today that the virus that caused the greatest world epidemic of influenza in modern history - the pandemic of 1918-19 - may have returned,” The Times reported Feb. 20, 1976.An Army private in Fort Dix, New Jersey, had died from a type of swine flu that was genetically similar to the virus that caused the deadly influenza outbreak starting in 1918. President Gerald Ford acted quickly, and Congress purchased 200 million doses of vaccines to be distributed at no cost.But the campaign got off to a difficult start, after several people died soon after receiving shots at the same clinic in Pittsburgh. Two months later, reports emerged that some vaccine recipients developed Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare neurological condition in which the body’s immune system attacks the nerves. Vaccinations were halted.In the end, the virus was not detected outside Fort Dix, and the Army private turned out to be the only known death from the virus.The H1N1 influenza virus, which originated in Mexico, struck in spring 2009, not in typical flu season.By late summer it was clear that the virus caused fewer deaths than many seasonal flu strains and that some of the early reports from Mexico had been exaggerated. That was one of the big reasons that a lot of Americans avoided the flu vaccine when it was ready in the fall. It wasn’t just the anti-vaccination movement, though that was a factor.The H1N1 virus was tough on children and young adults and appeared to have a disproportionately high fatality rate among pregnant women. Because of these factors, the first groups to be vaccinated, after health care workers, were people with the highest risk of complications, pregnant women and children.The last group to be eligible for the vaccine were healthy people over 65, who were the least likely to contract it because they seemed to have had some resistance to it.

from Economic Times https://ift.tt/3pBAeTq
via IFTTT

जो सच से डरते हैं, सच्चे पत्रकारों को गिरफ्तार करते हैं: राहुल

सिंघु बॉर्डर से स्वतंत्र पत्रकार की गिरफ्तारी पर कांग्रेस ने भाजपा पर जोरदार हमला बोला है। पुलिस के साथ कथित तौर पर दुर्व्यवहार करने को लेकर सिंघु बॉर्डर से मनदीप पूनिया नामक पत्रकार की गिरफ्तारी हुई थी।

from Latest And Breaking Hindi News Headlines, News In Hindi | अमर उजाला हिंदी न्यूज़ | - Amar Ujala https://ift.tt/3cAl4Ke

Failed To Retain Glory Of Visva Bharati, Says Vice Chancellor

Visva-Bharati Vice Chancellor Bidyut Chakraborty, in the eye of the storm over a host of issues -- including his allegation that a section of teachers and non-teaching staff was responsible for the...

from NDTV News - Special https://ift.tt/36tNO3E
via IFTTT

Germany Threatens Legal Action Over Vaccine Delays

Germany's government on Sunday threatened legal action against laboratories failing to deliver coronavirus vaccines to the European Union on schedule, amid tension over delays to deliveries from...

from NDTV News - Special https://ift.tt/3tb2qyt
via IFTTT

Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi detained

Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other senior figures from the ruling party have been detained in an early morning raid, the spokesman for the governing National League for Democracy said on Monday.The move came after days of escalating tension between the civilian government and the powerful military that stirred fears of a coup in the aftermath of an election the army says was fraudulent.Spokesman Myo Nyunt told Reuters by phone that Suu Kyi, President Win Myint and other leaders had been "taken" in the early hours of the morning. "I want to tell our people not to respond rashly and I want them to act according to the law," he said, adding he also expected to be detained. Phone lines to Naypyitaw, the capital, were not reachable in the early hours of Monday.A military spokesman did not answer phone calls seeking comment. An NLD lawmaker, who asked not to be named for fear of retaliation, said another of those detained was Han Thar Myint, a member of the party's central executive committee.

from Economic Times https://ift.tt/36LiAFx
via IFTTT

2021 Indian FTR Range Gets Updated With New Features, Smaller Tyres

The 2021 Indian FTR Range now gets smaller 17-inch alloy wheels along with updated ergonomics.

from NDTV News - Special https://ift.tt/3j3uQ9h
via IFTTT

A case for better tax-policies for MSMEs

Economies across the world came to a standstill over the last one year as a result of the pandemic, and subsequent lockdowns. There is no denying that one of the worst hit businesses during these challenging times were the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), especially in India. The sector saw shuttered factories, kirana stores, retail shops, and experienced a strong decline in retail consumption. With negligible demand and scarcity of revenue, MSMEs were left with meagre prospects to sell goods and services physically. In the face of disrupted retail, e-commerce saw a splurge in online customer base and acted as a baton for the hard-hit MSMEs, aiding them to revive their sales and businesses. Many MSMEs took to digital platforms to re-establish themselves and sell their products; even gaining more traction and recognition beyond their local borders. Even with the digital surge experienced by MSMEs during the initial days of the pandemic, a number of these businesses hesitate transitioning to online marketplaces, owing to cumbersome taxation issues associated with the space. Selling products and services online is already very new to these businesses, and the added baggage of complex compliances under the GST Act have the potential to discourage them from exploring online marketplaces. There are certain regulations in the GST Act that are specifically levied on the sellers doing business on e-commerce platforms/online marketplaces. For example, the GST Act allows traders doing business for less than Rs 1.5 crore annual revenue to register for a Composition GST Scheme. The scheme significantly simplifies compliance for traders and allows them to pay tax at a fixed rate of 1%. However, when traders under the scheme move to sell on an online marketplace, they move to normal scheme and pay full rate on all transactions. This amounts to a disincentive for MSMEs to go online and reach customers at a time when many are unwilling to step out.Not only this, the introduction of a new tax scheme under the section 194-O of the income Tax Act 2020 in the Finance Act 2020 asks e-commerce operators to levy TDS at the rate of 0.75% while making payments to resident e-commerce participants. This percentage will be further increased to 1% from 1 April 2021. According to the Budget Memorandum, the scheme was introduced to widen the tax-net, however the revenue collected through the provision doesn’t have a direct impact on the treasury. The provision not only lags in serving its intended purpose, it often ends up providing lower working capital for small businesses. Indeed, if it is the intention of the government to counter tax-avoidance by recording online sales, this rate can be reduced to a minimal 0.25%. In an ideal world for MSME growth, this provision should be done away with altogether, it would not have any implication on government revenues.Tax reforms and schemes that ought to encourage trading and ease of business – including on e-commerce platforms – have seemingly complicated the processes, and can potentially discourage small and medium businesses to explore the online markets. A number of these provisions specifically targets business selling online – including mandatory GST Registration for online sellers – and creates a lack of parity in taxation for online and offline sellers. The tax policies not only make it a hard choice for MSMEs to switch to online marketplaces, but also deviates from India’s vision of having a digitally powered economy. Uneven requirements, burdensome and additional compliances, and stringent schemes that specifically demarcate different conditions for online and offline sellers discourage MSMEs to shift to online marketplace. The support provided by online marketplaces to MSMEs was significant during the pandemic. Furthermore, the duration and consequential events of the pandemic (i.e. lockdowns) have prompted a shift in consumer preference towards online marketplaces. This would underscore better opportunities for MSMEs on online-marketplaces. Thereby, within that context, the efforts of our policy-makers should look towards providing policies which encourage MSMEs to adopt online-marketplaces, if consumers now prefer it, rather than levying taxes that increase compliance burden.As part of the upcoming/on-going budget session, the Government may look towards making necessary changes to the GST Act, and allow Composite GST Traders to sell online, and rationalize the GST registration requirements for online-sellers, in-line with offline sellers. Furthermore, the TDS on e-commerce transactions, which is also failing in delivering the right-revenue impact, may also be rolled back, keeping in mind the financial constraints of MSMEs in the pandemic scenario. As the rhetoric has been, this budget holds significant importance for the COVID-struck India economy. By provision of correct policy measures, the Government can give a significant boost to the digitalization of MSME ecosystem, which can in-turn help get the Indian economy back on-track.(The author is the Former Chairman of the Competition Commission of India and Executive Director for India at the World Bank. He is founder Chairman of Competition Advisory Services, a strategic advisory firm.)

from Economic Times https://ift.tt/3rd6Xip
via IFTTT

Centre to appoint panel for farmers’ issues

NEW DELHI: Amid farmers’ resolve to continue their agitation, the Centre has decided to set up a high-powered committee to look into several farm issues, including minimum support price (MSP) based on comprehensive cost, flagged by social activist Anna Hazare.The decision to set up the committee, headed by Tomar, was hurriedly taken in order to prevent Hazare from going on his scheduled fast. Hazare had, in solidarity with the farmers agitating for the repeal of farm laws, announced his fast would begin from Saturday. He, however, late on Friday called it off after the Centre rushed minister of state for agriculture Kailash Choudhary and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis to his village Ralegan Siddhi and assured him of setting up a panel to look into his demands.Sources in the ministry said that the committee would comprise Niti Aayog member Ramesh Chand, MoS agriculture Parshottam Rupala, Agri-trade law and policy expert Vijay Sardana, a progressive farmer from Haryana and Padma Shri awardee Kanwal Singh Chauhan and farmer representatives. Hazare had, earlier, written to the ministry, listing pending demands including autonomy to the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) and MSP based on comprehensive cost (C2) as recommended by M S Swaminathan committee as reasons for his joining the farmers’ protests through the fast.The committee, headed by agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar, will finalise its recommendations in six months even as the PM Modi during the all-party meeting on Saturday referred to the agriculture ministry’s proposals of putting the implementation of farm laws on hold for 18 months and setting up a joint committee to make progress through discussion on all demands of farmers during the period.The unions, however, rejected the proposals, saying they would not end the protests till the farm laws are repealed. Choudhary said though the Centre had already implemented various suggestions of Hazare which the latter had written about earlier, the high-powered committee would look into the pending issues in consultations with farmer representatives.“Names of farmer representatives for the panel will be finalised in consultation with Hazare,” said an official, adding one joint secretary each from the agriculture, commerce and food & consumer affairs ministries would also be in the panel.He said this committee would work separately from the Supreme Court-appointed panel which is expected to submit its report to the apex court within two months after taking views of various stakeholders including individual farmers and state government.

from Economic Times https://ift.tt/3cq1Vux
via IFTTT

Mathura farm body to block Yamuna Expressway

AGRA: A day after the massive mahapanchayat in Muzaffarnagar, thousands of farmers from western Uttar Pradesh gathered in Mathura on Saturday to attend a similar event organised by the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) to express solidarity with their counterparts protesting against the new farm laws near the Delhi borders and announced plans to block the Yamuna Expressway.Final decision to block e-way next weekAt the Mathura event, called the ‘Mahapanchayat of Khaps’ held in the district’s Bajna town, farmer leaders said that 10,000 farmers will block the expressway in the coming days to put pressure on the government to withdraw the farm laws. However, the final decision will be taken in the next mahapanchayat, scheduled for next week.Confirming this, BKU district president Raj Kumar Tomar told TOI, “We have to put pressure on the government as it’s not listening to our grievances even after 66 days of the agitation.” He said the mahapanchayat also considered the proposal put forward by Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) leader Jayant Chaudhary that at least one member of every farmer’s family should join the ongoing protest at the Ghazipur border. However, a final decision on this, too, will be taken in the next mahapanchayat, Tomar said.The BKU leader added that all farmers were behind Rakesh Tikait.“The government should not make farmers responsible for violence in Delhi. They should punish the culprits and not target the entire farming community,” said a section of farm leaders during the mahapanchayat, adding that they have decided to “socially boycott” BJP leaders.The mahapanchayat condemned the lathicharge on the protesting farmers at the Delhi border and raised slogans in their support.In his address, Jayant Chaudhary said, “I will campaign in Mathura for a week and motivate farmers to join the ongoing protest at the Ghazipur border and Palwal.”Later, Chaudhary told TOI that a campaign to unite and further strengthen the farmers’ movement will be launched on his father Ajit Singh’s birthday on February 12 as “a tribute to his sacrifices for the farming community”.Samajwadi Party MLC Sanjay Lathar, too, attended the mahapanchayat.While the administration allowed the mahapanchayat, heavy police force was deployed in Bajna to avert any untoward incident. Additional police force was deployed on Yamuna Expressway in order to maintain smooth vehicular movement.

from Economic Times https://ift.tt/3teG8vI
via IFTTT

Face it, India's tackled virus better than most

On the day of writing this, India had reported 116 deaths from Covid. In contrast, the US, with around one-fourth the population of India, reported 1,897 deaths, or 16 times the daily deaths as India. The UK, which has one-twentieth the population of India, reported 592 deaths, or 5 times the daily deaths as India. On other metrics too — new cases, active cases — the Indian curve has flattened.If and when the UK and the US achieve what we have, there will be major celebrations. Such low death rates would be seen as a victory of the government, citizens and science over the dreaded coronavirus. However, because we are India, we don’t get as much credit. We are considered poor, third-world and untrustworthy, incapable of achieving something like this on our own. Instead of learning from India’s experience, the first instinct is to doubt Indian data. We aren’t counting the cases right, we aren’t doing enough tests, we don’t classify the deaths properly — the list of doubts goes on and on. This, even as the tests have only increased, positivity rate has dropped and almost all Indian hospitals are seeing a drop in Covid admissions and fatalities. To think that the Deep Indian State is capable of fudging data at the level of every district and every state, and sustaining this façade for months is giving it way too much credit. Conspiracies require enormous co-ordination and effort and it isn’t quite how things work in India. Given that you can check corona data at every ward level, it is also impossible to fudge data, not to mention create a downwards curve that is moving in the same direction in virtually every corner of India. In terms of testing, while a case might be made for a lot of Indians not getting tested, it is also true that random testing has increased in the last few months. Domestic flyers into Maharashtra from many states for instance, have to get a Covid test done irrespective of symptoms. If there was rampant corona, we would see a spike in cases from just these flyers. It may be hard for people to accept this reality but almost all evidence points to the fact India has flattened the corona curve, while the US, UK and most of Europe still haven’t. What is even more remarkable about India’s achievement is that it has managed to do this without draconian lockdowns (apart from the two months in April-May 2020). In fact, cases have dropped even as India opened up more. Bihar elections had massive rallies. Farmer protests have meant lakhs of people in close contact. A Tamil movie ‘Master’ broke opening day records with literally millions of people watching it in theatres last week. Domestic flight passenger numbers are getting close to pre-Covid levels. Yet, none of these caused ‘super-spreader’ events. India doesn’t get to say this at the world stage very often, but India’s recovery from the corona crisis has been truly amazing. All this has happened without vaccines, which will now make the situation even better.It would do the world some good if it gave India some credit on handling the virus, and learnt something from us as well. The only countries more successful than India are authoritarian, undemocratic regimes, where one cannot even criticise the government so it is also not possible to know the true impact of their coronavirus response policies.So how did we do so well? I am no expert, but here are some plausible reasons.1) Indians have developed herd immunity. For instance, a serological survey in Delhi showed over half of Delhi’s population has Covid antibodies and, hence, probably have already had the virus.2) This also suggests that Indians have better immunity than people in Western countries. Whether it is because our kids grow up playing in mud, or we eat some special herbs and spices, or we eat street food or we get more sun or we have lesser obesity rates is something the experts have to figure out.Other reasons might include3) A natural instinct amongst Indians to stay safe, knowing that they have nobody coming to their rescue if they do get the disease and4) The initial strict lockdown creating a huge awareness about the disease, making people take precautions seriously. Of course, some reasons may well remain unknown and it might just be a blessing from God that we didn’t see the kind of mayhem seen in the West.Covid is, of course, far from over. It is important we stay cautious until the vaccination drive is done. However, it is about time the world acknowledged what India has achieved, which is dramatically lowering the impact of Covid on 1.4 billion people, or one sixth of humanity. It is also time we pat ourselves on our back for being strong enough to fight the virus, and continue to keep wearing that face mask a little while longer. Well done, Indians!

from Economic Times https://ift.tt/3cqIlyv
via IFTTT

Live: गाजीपुर बॉर्डर पर पुलिस ने की बैरिकेडिंग, नुकीले तार भी लगाए, नेशनल हाईवे-24 बंद

कृषि कानूनों के खिलाफ दिल्ली की सीमाओं पर किसानों की धरना जारी है। 26 जनवरी के दिन हुए हिंसा के बाद एक बार फिर से किसान आंदोलन ने जोर पकड़ लिया है।

from Latest And Breaking Hindi News Headlines, News In Hindi | अमर उजाला हिंदी न्यूज़ | - Amar Ujala https://ift.tt/3iZs5pm

इस्राइली दूतावास के पास बम धमाके में नया खुलासा, विस्फोट के लिए एनर्जी ड्रिंक का हुआ इस्तेमाल!

इस्राइली दूतावास के पास बम धमाके में नया खुलासा, विस्फोट के लिए एनर्जी ड्रिंक का हुआ इस्तेमाल!

from Latest And Breaking Hindi News Headlines, News In Hindi | अमर उजाला हिंदी न्यूज़ | - Amar Ujala https://ift.tt/2La2JIY

अवैध निर्माण मामला: सोनू सूद ने दी हाई कोर्ट के फैसले को सुप्रीम कोर्ट में चुनौती

बॉलीवुड अभिनेता सोनू सूद ने हाई कोर्ट के फैसले के खिलाफ अब सुप्रीम कोर्ट का दरवाजा खटखटाया है।

from Latest And Breaking Hindi News Headlines, News In Hindi | अमर उजाला हिंदी न्यूज़ | - Amar Ujala https://ift.tt/3t6Ytet

लद्दाख में महिलाओं की टीम चलाती है ये एलपीजी प्लांट, भारतीय सेना भी है इसपर निर्भर

एंग्मों उस 12 सदस्यीय महिला टीम का हिस्सा हैं, जो यह सुनिश्चित करती है कि आर्कटिक के तापमान में चीन की पीपुल्स लिबरेशन आर्मी के सामने खड़े हमारे भारतीय सेना के 50 हजार जवानों को खाली पेट मार्च न करना पड़े।

from Latest And Breaking Hindi News Headlines, News In Hindi | अमर उजाला हिंदी न्यूज़ | - Amar Ujala https://ift.tt/36sqGT9

Opinion: Economic Survey Proves Farmers' Concerns Are Right

The Economic Survey, which reads like a political defence of the Modi Government, has little hope to offer the crores of workers and marginal farmers reeling under the impact of the pandemic....

from NDTV News - Special https://ift.tt/2YsY5bM
via IFTTT

Kremlin Critic's Allies Plan Fresh Protests Despite Crackdown

Allies of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny prepared for a fresh round of anti-government demonstrations on Sunday despite authorities ramping up pressure on the opposition with arrests and...

from NDTV News - Special https://ift.tt/3ozbD0a
via IFTTT

Germany Threatens Legal Action Over Vaccine Delays

Germany's government on Sunday threatened legal action against laboratories failing to deliver coronavirus vaccines to the European Union on schedule, amid tension over delays to deliveries from...

from NDTV News - Special https://ift.tt/3tb2qyt
via IFTTT

'मुस्लिमों में डर' वाले बयान पर नाराज हुए पूर्व उपराष्ट्रपति अंसारी, बीच में छोड़ा इंटरव्यू

एक चैनल पर शनिवार रात प्रसारित हुए इंटरव्यू में अंसारी ने अपनी किताब में लिखी बात को दोहराते हुए कहा कि आज सरकार के शब्दकोष में सेक्युलरिज्म शब्द है ही नहीं।

from Latest And Breaking Hindi News Headlines, News In Hindi | अमर उजाला हिंदी न्यूज़ | - Amar Ujala https://ift.tt/3raKG4r

बॉम्बे हाईकोर्ट ने कहा- पत्नी से पैसे मांगना उत्पीड़न नहीं, आत्महत्या के लिए उकसाने के मामले में आरोपी बरी

बॉम्बे हाईकोर्ट की नागपुर बेंच ने पत्नी को आत्महत्या के लिए उकसाने के मामले में आरोपी को यह कहते हुए बरी कर दिया कि पत्नी से पैसे मांगना उत्पीड़न नहीं है। इसे आईपीसी की धारा 498ए के अनुसार उत्पीड़न नहीं माना जा सकता है। 

from Latest And Breaking Hindi News Headlines, News In Hindi | अमर उजाला हिंदी न्यूज़ | - Amar Ujala https://ift.tt/2NMBZ1X

सरकार किसानों से कानून वापस न लेने की मजबूरी तो बताए, हम उसका सिर नहीं झुकने देंगे: टिकैत

भारतीय किसान यूनियन के राष्ट्रीय प्रवक्ता राकेश टिकैत ने शनिवार को केन्द्र सरकार से कहा कि वह खुद किसानों को बताए कि कृषि कानूनों को वापस क्यों नहीं लेना चाहती।

from Latest And Breaking Hindi News Headlines, News In Hindi | अमर उजाला हिंदी न्यूज़ | - Amar Ujala https://ift.tt/39AypRb

दिल्लीः दूतावास के बाहर धमाके में ईरानी कनेक्शन की जांच तेज, अल कायदा भी शक के घेरे में

इस्राइली दूतावास के बाहर हुए बम धमाके में ईरानी कनेक्शन की जांच दिल्ली पुलिस और एजेंसियां कर रही हैं।

from Latest And Breaking Hindi News Headlines, News In Hindi | अमर उजाला हिंदी न्यूज़ | - Amar Ujala https://ift.tt/3ptIMM1

31 जनवरी: आज दिनभर इन खबरों पर बनी रहेगी नजर, जिनका होगा आप पर असर

हर रोज हम अलग-अलग खबरों से दो-चार होते हैं। हमारी आंखों के सामने से कई सारी खबरें गुजरती हैं। इनमें से कुछ ऐसी अहम खबरें होती हैं, जिनका हमारे जीवन पर असर पड़ता है...

from Latest And Breaking Hindi News Headlines, News In Hindi | अमर उजाला हिंदी न्यूज़ | - Amar Ujala https://ift.tt/3cuK85t

Britain Opens Visa Scheme For Millions From Hong Kong

A new visa scheme offering millions of Hong Kongers a pathway to British citizenship will go live later on Sunday as the city's former colonial master opens its doors to those wanting to escape...

from NDTV News - Special https://ift.tt/2YxUxoE
via IFTTT

Hundreds Of Birds Culled In Kathmandu To Stop Spread Of Bird Flu

Hundreds of birds are culled in Nepali capital Kathmandu on Saturday as fresh cases of Bird-Flu (H5N8) were confirmed after several samples underwent tests in recent days.

from NDTV News - Special https://ift.tt/2YwafAY
via IFTTT

दिल्ली हिंसा के बाद 400 से अधिक किसान लापता, मुद्दा गरमाया

किसान परेड के दौरान 26 जनवरी को लाल किला और दिल्ली के विभिन्न इलाकों में हिंसा के दौरान किसानों के लापता होने का मामला पंजाब में सियासी तौर पर गरमाने लगा है।

from Latest And Breaking Hindi News Headlines, News In Hindi | अमर उजाला हिंदी न्यूज़ | - Amar Ujala https://ift.tt/3aoZFRU

Budget 2021: इस बार हाईब्रिड थीम पर हो सकता है शिक्षा बजट

प्रधानमंत्री नरेंद्र मोदी की दूरगामी सोच के कारण ही आज भारत वैश्विक महामारी कोविड-19 में वैक्सीन से लेकर ऑनलाइन शिक्षा में इतिहास रच रहा है।

from Latest And Breaking Hindi News Headlines, News In Hindi | अमर उजाला हिंदी न्यूज़ | - Amar Ujala https://ift.tt/39A1cp0

उत्तर प्रदेश में 'मिशन रोजगार’ जागरुकता महाअभियान आज से, 50 लाख लोगों को काम का लक्ष्य

‘अमर उजाला’ व उत्तर प्रदेश सरकार का ‘मिशन रोजगार’ जागरुकता महाअभियान रविवार से प्रारंभ हो रहा है।

from Latest And Breaking Hindi News Headlines, News In Hindi | अमर उजाला हिंदी न्यूज़ | - Amar Ujala https://ift.tt/3t8r0QG

गूगल-फेसबुक अनैतिक समझौतों से हड़प रहे आधी डिजिटल कमाई

अखबारों द्वारा दायर अपनी तरह के इस पहले मुकदमे में बताया गया कि गूगल ने ऑनलाइन विज्ञापन का क्षेत्र खुद पर केंद्रित कर रखा है।गूगल और फेसबुक ने आपसी समझौता भी किया। 2019 में डिजिटल विज्ञापनों की कुल कमाई 50 फीसदी इन्हीं दोनों ने हड़प लिया।

from Latest And Breaking Hindi News Headlines, News In Hindi | अमर उजाला हिंदी न्यूज़ | - Amar Ujala https://ift.tt/3co8FsP

किसान आंदोलन: पूछताछ में शामिल नहीं हुए किसान नेता, पुलिस ने नेताओं को व्हाट्सएप भी किया

दिल्ली पुलिस की अपराध शाखा ने किसान हिंसा मामले में जांच शुरू कर दी है। हालांकि एक भी किसान नेता शुक्रवार को अपराध शाखा की तफ्तीश शामिल नहीं हुआ।

from Latest And Breaking Hindi News Headlines, News In Hindi | अमर उजाला हिंदी न्यूज़ | - Amar Ujala https://ift.tt/2NOuyHH

अजमेर: पेट्रोल पंप पर धमाके के साथ लगी आग, एक की मौत, नौ लोग झुलसे

मिली जानकारी के अनुसार, यह घटना शुक्रवार शाम को तब घटित हुई जब पेट्रोल पंप परिसर में बने एलपीजी टैंक को सीएनजी में बदलने की प्रक्रिया चल रही थी।

from Latest And Breaking Hindi News Headlines, News In Hindi | अमर उजाला हिंदी न्यूज़ | - Amar Ujala https://ift.tt/39xnpns

बैकफुट पर प्रशासन: पुलिस-प्रशासन की रणनीति हो गई फेल, मुजफ्फरनगर महापंचायत ने फूंकी जान

उधर, किसान नेता राकेश टिकैत ने आंदोलन के खत्म नहीं होने और केवल भारत सरकार से बात करने की बात कहकर अपने इरादे जता दिए हैं।

from Latest And Breaking Hindi News Headlines, News In Hindi | अमर उजाला हिंदी न्यूज़ | - Amar Ujala https://ift.tt/3r5eBuZ

कन्नौज में बड़ा सड़क हादसा, ट्रक में पीछे से घुसी कार, हादसे में तीन लोगों की मौत

उत्तर प्रदेश के कन्नौज जिले में शनिवार को बड़ा सड़क हादसा हुआ है। हादसे में तीन लोगों की मौत हो गई है। जबकि एक शख्स की हालत गंभीर बनी हुई है। मौके पर पहुंची पुलिस ने जांच शुरू कर दी है। 

from Latest And Breaking Hindi News Headlines, News In Hindi | अमर उजाला हिंदी न्यूज़ | - Amar Ujala https://ift.tt/39vYnoL

Boris Johnson Tells EU Chief Of "Grave Concerns" Over Vaccine Move

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday told EU chief Ursula von der Leyen of his "grave concerns" after Brussels partially suspended terms of the Brexit deal as part of a vaccine export...

from NDTV News - Special https://ift.tt/3qY6bWa
via IFTTT

"We Will Bring AstraZeneca Vaccine From India," Says Mexico President

Mexico plans to import about 870,000 doses of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine from India in February, as well as producing it locally, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Friday.

from NDTV News - Special https://ift.tt/39u2AJu
via IFTTT

Astrazeneca Vaccine "Quasi-Ineffective" For Over-65s: Emmanuel Macron

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday that AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine appeared not to be effective for people over 65 years of age.

from NDTV News - Special https://ift.tt/2NNKHx4
via IFTTT

France To Close Borders To Non-EU Countries, Steps Back From Lockdown

French Prime Minister Jean Castex on Friday said the country would close its borders to non-European Union countries for all except essential travel, while stepping back from a widely anticipated...

from NDTV News - Special https://ift.tt/3osmtF3
via IFTTT

बापू की 73वीं पुण्यतिथि आज: राष्ट्रपति कोविंद ने किया नमन, राहुल गांधी ने कही यह बात

आज राष्ट्रपिता महात्मा गांधी यानी बापू की 73वीं पुण्यतिथि है। इस दौरान राष्ट्रपति रामनाथ कोविंद ने उन्हें नमन किया। वहीं, राहुल गांधी ने भी पुण्यतिथि पर महात्मा गांधी को याद किया।

from Latest And Breaking Hindi News Headlines, News In Hindi | अमर उजाला हिंदी न्यूज़ | - Amar Ujala https://ift.tt/39uuhBT

बॉम्बे हाईकोर्ट ने बरी किया दुष्कर्म का आरोपी, कहा- पीड़िता को पकड़ना और कपड़े उतारना, अकेले व्यक्ति के लिए संभव नहीं

ताजा मामले में न्यायमूर्ति गनेदीवाल की पीठ ने कहा, 'किसी एक व्यक्ति के लिए अभियोजन पक्ष (पीड़िता) का मुंह बंद करके, उसके और अपने कपड़े उतारना और बिना किसी हाथापाई के जबरन दुष्कर्म करना बेहद असंभव लगता है।

from Latest And Breaking Hindi News Headlines, News In Hindi | अमर उजाला हिंदी न्यूज़ | - Amar Ujala https://ift.tt/3pxRBVb

महेंद्र सिंह टिकैत: जिनके सामने सरकारों ने कई बार टेके घुटने, जानें कैसे बने थे किसानों के मसीहा?

गणतंत्र दिवस पर हुई हिंसा के बाद किसान आंदोलन मंद पड़ता देख किसान नेता राकेश टिकैत रो पड़े, जिसके बाद एक बार फिर किसानों की भारी भीड़ राजधानी में जुटने लगी है। ऐसे में एक बार फिर लोगों को बाबा टिकैत की याद आ गई।

from Latest And Breaking Hindi News Headlines, News In Hindi | अमर उजाला हिंदी न्यूज़ | - Amar Ujala https://ift.tt/3pwv8I9

ट्रैफिक नियम तोड़ने पर रोका तो तानाशाह गद्दाफी की बहू ने कार से पुलिस और लोगों को रौंदा

रिपोर्ट्स के मुताबिक, स्काफ की सुरक्षा में पीछे चल रहे एक वाहन में बैठे बॉडीगार्ड्स ने गोलियां भी चलाईं। स्काफ को अब सीरिया के सुरक्षा एजेंट ढूंढ रहे हैं।

from Latest And Breaking Hindi News Headlines, News In Hindi | अमर उजाला हिंदी न्यूज़ | - Amar Ujala https://ift.tt/3r80pRM

Covid-19 पर डब्ल्यूएचओ के विशेष दूत ने कहा- अभी वायरस में सामने आएंगे और म्यूटेशन

कोविड-19 पर डब्ल्यूएचओ (विश्व स्वास्थ्य संगठन) के विशेष दूत डेविड नबारो ने मंगलवार को कोरोना वायरस के और नए प्रकार सामने आने के प्रति आगाह किया।

from Latest And Breaking Hindi News Headlines, News In Hindi | अमर उजाला हिंदी न्यूज़ | - Amar Ujala https://ift.tt/36hn5XY

EXCLUSIVE: सात मिनट में पढ़िए सौरभ शुक्ला के अभिनय के सारे गुरुमंत्र, एक एक कर किए सारे खुलासे

सिनेमा में अभिनय के सिल्वर जुबली साल पार कर चुके सौरभ शुक्ल की पैदाइश भले गोरखपुर की हो, लेकिन सियासत उन्हें समझ नहीं आती।

from Latest And Breaking Hindi News Headlines, News In Hindi | अमर उजाला हिंदी न्यूज़ | - Amar Ujala https://ift.tt/3akstdU

कोरोना का कहर थामने में जुटा कनाडा, मैक्सिको और कैरिबियन देशों की अंतरराष्ट्रीय उड़ानों पर लगाई रोक

कनाडा के प्रधानमंत्री जस्टिन ट्रुडो ने कोरोना वायरस के संक्रमण को रोकने के लिए मेक्सिको और कैरिबियन से आने वाली उड़ानों पर फिलहाल रोक लगाने का एलान किया है। वहीं अंतरराष्ट्रीय यात्राओं को कम करने के लिए अतिरिक्त प्रवेश 'आवश्यकताओं को जोड़ा है।

from Latest And Breaking Hindi News Headlines, News In Hindi | अमर उजाला हिंदी न्यूज़ | - Amar Ujala https://ift.tt/39xeouF

US First Lady To Help Reunite Migrant Families Split By Trump Policies

US first lady Jill Biden will participate in efforts by her husband's administration to reunite families split apart by former president Donald Trump's hardline immigration policies, the White House...

from NDTV News - Special https://ift.tt/3ouyLgo
via IFTTT

Mahatma Gandhi Death Anniversary: गांधीजी की पुण्यतिथि पर पढ़िए उनके द्वारा कहे गए अनमोल वचन

गांधीजी ने अपने जीवनकाल में कई सारी बातें ऐसी कहीं हैं, जो कि जानने और अपने जीवन में उतारने योग्य है। अगली स्लाइड्स से जानिए गांधीजी के अनमोल वचन।

from Latest And Breaking Hindi News Headlines, News In Hindi | अमर उजाला हिंदी न्यूज़ | - Amar Ujala https://ift.tt/2MuFh9F

Quick Response Helped India Avoid 37 Lakh Covid Cases, Says K Subramanian

Chief Economic Advisor Dr K Subramanian on Friday said India's COVID-19 response strategy helped the country to prevent 37 lakh cases and 1 lakh deaths, PTI reported.

from NDTV News - Special https://ift.tt/2L2C1BZ
via IFTTT

दिल्ली में धमाकाः सुरक्षा एजेंसियों ने पहले ही जताई थी आशंका, किया गया था राजधानी में हाई अलर्ट

दिल्ली, बोधगया और अयोध्या में आतंकी हमले के इनपुट पहले से थे।

from Latest And Breaking Hindi News Headlines, News In Hindi | अमर उजाला हिंदी न्यूज़ | - Amar Ujala https://ift.tt/3oy8cXz

आर्थिक सर्वेक्षण: क्रिकेट टीम से मालगुडी डेज और थ्री इडियट्स का जिक्र

देश के मुख्य आर्थिक सलाहकार ( सीईए) केवी सुब्रमण्यन ने सर्वेक्षण के महत्वपूर्ण बिंदुओं को कुछ दिलचस्प बातों से जोड़ा। ये बातें भारतीय क्रिकेट टीम, महाभारत की एक कहावत मालगुडी डेज की कहानी और थ्री इडियट्स फिल्म के एक सीन से जुड़ी है।

from Latest And Breaking Hindi News Headlines, News In Hindi | अमर उजाला हिंदी न्यूज़ | - Amar Ujala https://ift.tt/39vngki

सॉवरेन गोल्ड बॉन्ड योजना में सोमवार से कर सकते हैं निवेश, यहां है पूरी जानकारी

आज के भाव को देखते हुए सॉवरेन गोल्ड बॉन्ड योजना में निवेश करना निवेशकों के लिए काफी अच्छा विकल्प हो सकता है। सॉवरेन गोल्ड बॉन्ड स्कीम 2020-21 की ग्यारहवीं किश्त 1 फरवरी 2021 से शुरू होने वाले पांच दिनों के लिए उपलब्ध होगी। 

from Latest And Breaking Hindi News Headlines, News In Hindi | अमर उजाला हिंदी न्यूज़ | - Amar Ujala https://ift.tt/3cnIse1

30 जनवरी: आज दिनभर इन खबरों पर बनी रहेगी नजर, जिनका होगा आप पर असर

हर रोज हम अलग-अलग खबरों से दो-चार होते हैं। हमारी आंखों के सामने से कई सारी खबरें गुजरती हैं। इनमें से कुछ ऐसी अहम खबरें होती हैं, जिनका हमारे जीवन पर असर पड़ता है...

from Latest And Breaking Hindi News Headlines, News In Hindi | अमर उजाला हिंदी न्यूज़ | - Amar Ujala https://ift.tt/2MezEfK

Bhim Army Chief Meets Farmer Leader Rakesh Tikait At Delhi-UP Border

Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad on Friday met farmer leader Rakesh Tikait at Ghazipur on the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border and said the Dalit group will provide all help to strengthen the agitation...

from NDTV News - Special https://ift.tt/36pg2wq
via IFTTT

Why Budget is biggest risk factor in equities now

Use the correction to jump into the market but wait till the Budget on Monday, says Dipan Mehta, Founder & Director, Elixir Equities. What explains this move in the market for the last four days -- 50,000 and retracting since then?On the lighter note you can say that this is a walk in the path of correction. One need not be too perturbed about this kind of action. This typically happens when there is too much froth and heightened speculative activity. A little bit of bad news coming in from global markets, negative FII numbers has unnerved the market and the result has been the selloff. It would have been exaggerated because of expiry and also a lot of traders and investors want to go light into the budget coming up on Monday. Keeping all of this in mind, we are seeing a natural correction after a very long and strong bull market. Investors waiting in the sidelines to invest should grab this opportunity with both hands. Just wait for the Budget on Monday and if that is all okay and there is nothing negative to impact corporate profits, you could look at incrementally moving money into equity.What could accelerate this selloff?Budget is a big risk factor. One of the greatest announcements of this government was the reduction in corporate tax to 25.17%. We recalibrated a lot of our corporate earnings based on that tax rate and if a Covid cess is going to come on corporate tax and it goes back to 28-29% or even beyond, then that is going to be negative for equities because one will have to rework the earnings pressure on the lower side and that will make stocks a little more expensive and necessarily the correction. I am entering the Budget with a great deal of caution. There could be further increase in personal tax rate and STT rates could go up. There could be an increase in taxation on long term capital gains tax. The government is going to look for ways and means to increase resources and they have limited options. So whenever the cess comes, it is going to be negatively taken by the market. The biggest risk factor in equities at this point is the Budget and hopefully if nothing negative comes out of it, then you could perhaps see the slide in stocks abating and then gradually perhaps recovering. Do you think that there is any sector that could reap strong benefits from the Budget announcements -- infrastructure, PSU banks, capital goods or tourism sector?Not really. We have seen a great deal of rally in infrastructure stocks and Larsen & Toubro and other cap goods manufacturers as well as engineering construction companies have done well right up to this date. They have all rallied by anywhere from 50% to 100% or so from the lows we had seen in March 2020 and that is going to be the sector which will get a lot of preference from the government in terms of government spending. But this is true for all Budgets in the past and really I think that particular pre-budget bet has never really played out. In my experience, it is best to not go in with any expectations, not go in with any specific trading position or investment position in the hope that something positive would come out for that particular sector in the Budget. At the end of the day, this Budget is all about where the government spending is going to take place and I do not even remember which area was given preference in the last Budget and how that impacted the stocks in that particular sector. So I would not pay too much attention to having a position on a specific sector or stocks prior to the Budget.

from Economic Times https://ift.tt/2Yobn9x
via IFTTT

Workers union file multiple cases against GM

MUMBAI: Unionized staff at General Motors India has lodged 11 different cases in Maharashtra industrial courts even as the US automaker awaits the closure of the sale of its plant in the state to Great Wall Motors.In one of these cases, the union has argued that a wage pact signed in 2017 required the service terms of workmen to be included in any future arrangement, including restructuring, of the plant at Talegaon near Pune. Hence, GM’s term sheet with Great Wall Motors should have included the transfer of workforce, the union claimed.GM spokesman George Svigos told ET that the staff union is arguing contradictory positions - both against the sale of the plant and for employment continuity with the buyer. The company does not propose to deal with union through the media and GM firmly believes it has remained in compliance with applicable laws and it is prepared to defend its position, he said.GM, the spokesman said, had clearly communicated to the union and all employees that there would be no transfer of workforce when the term sheet was signed in January 2020.“The fact that employees would not transfer to the new owner as part of the sale was communicated to all stakeholders including the union and employees on January 17, months before Covid affected India. The company gave almost 12 months’ notice of the end of GM production and communicated on numerous occasions that it is prepared to offer a separation package in excess of legal requirements,” Svigos said.To be sure, Maharashtra has rejected the closure application by the US carmaker. General Motors had expressed its surprise on the move and had said Mantralaya’s decision to 'prevent an orderly exit of a long-time investor' is surprising as it 'diverges sharply' from the state’s business-friendly reputation.The union has also reached out to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prakash Javdekar, Union Minister for Heavy Industries, seeking their support to protect about 1,550 plant jobs.There are two separate disputes being lodged against the company - one at the Industrial Court and the other at the Bombay High Court on the closure of the plant. A case in Bombay High Court pertains to the fact that GM entered into a sale agreement with Great Wall Motors without approval from Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC), which is owner of the land. MIDC had tendered the property to General Motors on a long- term lease. According to the Urban Land Ceiling Act, for the sale of the leased land, a buyer (GM) needs to take permission from MIDC before entering into an agreement.Against the statutory requirement of 15 days’ compensation for each year of service rendered by an employee, GM is offering 75 days compensation for every year of service rendered and this may be renegotiated on the higher side if the union formally negotiates, the company said earlier. Svigos reiterated that since 2017, the local leadership at the plant has communicated that it was exploring strategic options for the future. In 2019, it was confirmed there would be no new product program after the current program finished. Since January 2020, the company has communicated that employee transfer was not part of the sale.According to the union president, they have reached out to the management over a dozen times to get assurance on job security, but the management has been non-committal. The union claims it is ready to have a positive discussion with the management.Svigos says it is absurd for the union to claim that it is not aware the company wants to negotiate the separation package and wage agreement.“The company has already put forward a proposed significant wage increase backdated to the expiry of the last agreement, to the period when the plant was not operational due to Covid, as well as a separation package in excess of legal requirements. The company has also paid significant bonuses, despite the difficult economic situation,” added GM spokesperson.The union president said there was no production outage through the lockdown months.GM, on its part, said it paid full wages during the entire lockdown, without requiring negotiation with the union and the company invested significantly to implement a comprehensive Covid 19 protocol with no input from the union when production resumed.In a number of locations globally, company employees were required to defer or sacrifice salary, but local leadership did not apply this to the hourly workforce at the Talegaon site, GM said

from Economic Times https://ift.tt/39smVir
via IFTTT

Global Covid-19 cases top 101 million

WASHINGTON: The total number of global coronavirus cases has topped 101 million, while the deaths have surged to more than 2.18 million, according to the Johns Hopkins University.In its latest update on Friday morning, the University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed that the current global caseload and death toll stood at 101,381,964 and 2,188,566, respectively.The US is the worst-hit country with the world's highest number of cases and deaths at 25,739,405 and 432,864, respectively, according to the CSSE.India comes in second place in terms of cases at 10,701,193, while the country's death toll soared to 153,847.The other countries with more than a million confirmed cases are Brazil (9,058,687), the UK (3,754,448), Russia (3,752,548), France (3,166,145), Spain (2,705,001), Italy (2,515,507), Turkey (2,457,118), Germany (2,194,562), Colombia (2,067,575), Argentina (1,905,524), Mexico (1,806,849), Poland (1,496,665), South Africa (1,437,798), Iran (1,398,841), Ukraine (1,247,674), Peru (1,113,970) and Indonesia (1,113,970), the CSSE figures showed.Brazil currently accounts for the second highest number of fatalities at 221,547.The countries with a death toll above 20,000 are Mexico (153,639), the UK (103,324), Italy (87,381), France (74,601), Russia (70,533), Spain (57,806), Iran (57,736), Germany (55,450), Colombia (52,913), Argentina (47,601), South Africa (43,105), Peru (40,272), Poland (36,443), Indonesia (29,331), Turkey (25,605), Ukraine (23,469) and Belgium (20,933).

from Economic Times https://ift.tt/3rejhyX
via IFTTT

Should MF investors rebalance portfolios?

ETMutualFunds.com asks mutual fund advisors and financial planners every week for a list of frequently asked queries by their clients. This week the Sensex fell around 3000 points, after touching the historic high of 50,0000. We spoke to Raj Talati, Founder, ABM Investment, a financial advisory firm, based in Vadodara, to understand what retail mutual fund investors should do at this point.Questions asked by investors:1. Will the market crash from here?2. What should I do to my existing portfolio. I had booked profits in December. Should I put them back or hold on?3. How should I do my tax saving in such a market?4. Should we change anything in our equity portfolio?Read more: If Sensex crashes from 50k, here’s what equity mutual fund investors should doHis response to his clients:Frankly no one knows how the market will behave even by the end of the day, then crash is undoubtedly impossible to predict. But present economic data doesn't show any chance of a crash in near future. But there are certain risks which are always associated with markets e.g. geopolitical, high inflation, political instability or a sudden event like pandemic. Obviously that risk can't be predicted.Like I said it is impossible to predict the market and if you booked profit in December, you very well know the way the market runs up after that. Many times you might be able to time the market once at the time of buying or selling or if lucky may be both the times, but it is impossible to do it on a continuous basis.To judge the market what you need is a long term view and a little bit of common sense. Where do you see the economy in 3 years or 5 years from now? If the answer is better and growing then go and take the opportunity of correction and invest and if it looks gloomy take an exit.For tax savings now hardly two months are left, ELSS are equity linked schemes so I am assuming you are investing at least for more than 5 years. So, 5-6% correction will hardly make any difference on your final returns, but to safeguard from any short term volatility and to have a sense of satisfaction that you did not invest at a market peak, you break it in 8 instalments and invest it every week to take advantage of averaging.Rebalancing your portfolio depends on a lot of factors. If you don't have any short term need, comfortable with 10-15% volatility, have comfortable liquidity for short to medium term, portfolio is well diversified, reviewed regularly or invested through mf then I don't see any reason to play with it. The best way to decide on it is asset allocation. If as per your decided allocation it requires to change, go for it.If the economy starts recovering, as it is expected from various reports, Sensex will rise further as P/E will automatically become attractive.

from Economic Times https://ift.tt/3iYONOw
via IFTTT

गाजीपुर बॉर्डर पर किसानों के आने का सिलसिला देर रात से ही जारी, आज मुजफ्फरनगर में महापंचायत

दिल्ली की सीमाओं पर कृषि कानूनों के खिलाफ किसानों का धरना प्रदर्शन जारी है। किसान नेता राकेश टिकैत के आंसुओं के सैलाब के बाद किसान आंदोलन एक बार फिर से रफ्तार पकड़ रहा है।

from Latest And Breaking Hindi News Headlines, News In Hindi | अमर उजाला हिंदी न्यूज़ | - Amar Ujala https://ift.tt/3iWrkgy

किसान आंदोन: गाजीपुर बॉर्डर दोनों ओर से बंद, दिल्ली जाने के लिए इन रास्तों का करें प्रयोग, पढ़ें रूट डायवर्जन प्लान

वहीं गाजीपुर बॉर्डर को बंद कर दिया गया है। जिसके बाद ट्रैफिक को डायवर्जन किया गया है। दिल्ली ट्रैफिक पुलिस के अनुसार, नेशनल हाईवे-24 और गाज़ीपुर बॉर्डर आने और जाने वाले मार्ग को बंद कर दिया गया है।

from Latest And Breaking Hindi News Headlines, News In Hindi | अमर उजाला हिंदी न्यूज़ | - Amar Ujala https://ift.tt/2M4wYS5

Latest News Updates: Situation Tense At Delhi-UP Border, Farmers Swell

The coronavirus-induced suspension of international passenger flights has been extended till February 28, aviation regulator DGCA said on Thursday.

from NDTV News - Special https://ift.tt/3ossOR1
via IFTTT

"Give Them No Respect": Elon Musk As Reddit Users 'Punish' Wall Street

For some Reddit users, GameStop's dizzying rocket ride on Wall Street is a case of the masses rebelling against one-percenters hoarding the world's wealth.

from NDTV News - Special https://ift.tt/36lGJSM
via IFTTT

"Will Not Be Intimated" By Delhi Police Notices: Farmer Union

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha on Thursday said it will not be intimidated by the notices sent to its leaders by Delhi Police and alleged that the government is trying to put an end to the farmers'...

from NDTV News - Special https://ift.tt/3pFphAp
via IFTTT

Novavax Covid Jab Highly Effective, But Not Against South Africa Variant

US biotech firm Novavax said Thursday its two-shot Covid-19 vaccine showed an overall efficacy of 89.3 percent in a major Phase 3 clinical trial in Britain, and remained highly effective against a...

from NDTV News - Special https://ift.tt/36lyTbO
via IFTTT

FAU-G Becomes Top Free Game on Google Play With Over 5 Million Downloads

FAU-G has become the top free game on Google Play. nCore Games, the developer, has announced that the game garnered over five million downloads in 24 hours. The game released on January 26 and saw...

from NDTV News - Special https://ift.tt/2YsGdOd
via IFTTT

Defence Ministry acquires land in Arunachal village

New Delhi: Amidst continued border tension with China, the defence ministry has moved to acquire strategic land 30 kilometres from Line of Actual Control in Arunachal Pradesh to establish military garrisons. The defence ministry has moved to acquire 14.128 acres of land in a border village in Arunachal Pradesh, about 30 kilometres from LAC. The land is located in a small village of Yorni II in West Siang district. The rural development ministry has notified defence ministry as “appropriate authority” under Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act 2013 for acquisition of land at Yorni II village, which has a population of about 150 people. This means that defence ministry has now been given authority over the land. According to sources, the move came after a letter from home ministry to acquire this land for establishing “military garrison and locating various army detachments”. The move is significant as it indicates ramping up of army presence near Sino-Indian border. As per Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act 2013, any land can be acquired for defence purposes, railways and communication without the requirements of a gram sabha meeting.The defence ministry has been gradually acquiring strategic land along the Sino-Indian border over the last few months. This also signals a change in stance of the Centre towards developing border infrastructure. Earlier, it was felt that border infrastructure, especially roads, would be used by China for an invasion. However, there has been a change in this stance with big land acquisitions especially in villages along the border. The present acquisition of 14 acres of land follows a similar move in the northeastern border state in October.

from Economic Times https://ift.tt/3pxjJHV
via IFTTT

Axis Bank’s retail growth, excess provisions make analysts bullish

Mumbai: Brokerages have raised target prices on Axis Bank by as much as 28 per cent despite the bank reporting a decline in net profit for the December quarter.The bank’s cushion on identified stress assets, low restructuring and retail loan growth have prompted analysts to remain bullish. Shares of Axis Bank ended up 6.2 per cent at Rs 670.85 on Thursday.The lender reported a 36 per cent drop in net profit at Rs 1,117 crore for the quarter due to higher provisioning.Edelweiss, Kotak Institutional Equities, Jefferies, Bank of America Securities and HSBC have maintained their buy ratings while Macquarie and Credit Suisse have retained ‘outperform’.80518514CLSA raised its target price on the stock to Rs 1,000 — the highest among top brokerages — from Rs 850.“The bank has 75 per cent coverage of pro-forma NPAs and +60 per cent coverage of non-NPA stress making the bank the best provided against any potential stress and should lead to credit cost normalisation in FY22 itself,” said CLSA.Axis Bank’s gross NPA for the quarter stood at 3.44 per cent, lower than 4.18 per cent in the September quarter.Edelweiss, which raised target price by 28 per cent to Rs 770, said excess provisioning and capital raise will go a long way in increasing perceived equity sanctity.

from Economic Times https://ift.tt/3iXhOd5
via IFTTT

Amateurs beat Wall St pros at their own game

The GameStop incident has caught the attention of markets, regulators and governments worldwide. It has been a classic financial power tussle between a swarm of amateur traders and the influential hedge funds, in which the former emerged victorious. ET looks at what transpired:WHAT IS THE GAMESTOP EPISODE ALL ABOUT?It revolves around an NYSE listed video game retailer GameStop that has been in distress in the past few quarters. Several large hedge funds led by Melvin Capital have been mounting bearish bets or ‘shorts’ on the stock on expectations the stock will eventually tank. A short-seller benefits when the stock price falls. A bunch of amateur traders, who were part of an investors’ forum on online platform Reddit, decided to take exactly the opposite position compared to the hedge funds. They mopped up shares of GameStop, leading to a 500% surge in the stock since Monday from $70 to $300. The spurt caught shortsellers on the wrong foot. Many hedge funds incurred heavy losses as they looked to liquidate their positions.WHY WERE HEDGE FUNDS BEARISH ON GAMESTOP?In September 2020, activist investor and founder of online pet food portal Chewy, Ryan Cohen bought 13% in the company. Until then, GameStop was a gaming retailer with brickand-mortar stores. Cohen started lobbying to persuade GameStop to shift to an online model. This brought some euphoria amongst small-time investors who are looking to make a quick buck. Between September 2020 and January 13, the stock soared 500% to $30. However, the business of GameStop was still bleeding, which made the hedge funds think that the stock was bound to fall eventually. The stock attracted the attention of short-sellers like Citron Capital’s Andrew Left, one of Wall Street’s most outspoken in the business. GameStop was one of the most shorted among listed companiesWHAT DROVE THE GAMESTOP STOCK HIGHER?The driving force seems to be a Reddit-forum known as WallStreetBets or WSB with a large trader base—many of whom are amateurs. Many of the traders began aggressively purchasing the stock after billionaire investor Chamath Palihapitiya, chief executive of Social Capital, on Tuesday tweeted he had bought call options of GameStop. A one-word tweet Tesla’s CEO, Elon Musk on Wednesday fuelled the rally further. Musk tweeted “Gamestonk!!” and sent the link to WSB, triggering a buying frenzy in the stock. This resulted in the classic “short-squeeze”—a situation where short-sellers are forced to buy back the shares they shorted after the share prices rise. Covering of these short positions pushed the shares higher, bleeding hedge funds and making the retail traders richer.WHY IS THE EPISODE A HOT TOPIC OF DISCUSSION WORLDWIDE?It’s rare that a herd of retail traders push back the stronger hedge funds. It’s seen as a fight between Wall Street and Main Street. It is also the first time that an online trading community is calling the shots in the stock market

from Economic Times https://ift.tt/3cmCRVs
via IFTTT

Yogendra Yadav Among 20 Farmer Leaders To Get Notice From Delhi Police

The Delhi Police has issued notices to around 20 farmer leaders, including Yogendra Yadav and Balbir Singh Rajewal, over the violence during the farmers' tractor rally, asking why legal action should...

from NDTV News - Special https://ift.tt/2MdVXSL
via IFTTT

China For "Package Solution" For UNSC Permanent Membership Reforms

China, which has been blocking India's efforts to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council, has called for evolving a "package solution" acceptable to all UN members to reform the top...

from NDTV News - Special https://ift.tt/39qNULu
via IFTTT

बीटिंग रिट्रीट के कारण आज बंद रहेंगे कई मार्ग, रूट देखकर निकलें

सिंघु, टीकरी व गाजीपुर बॉर्डरों पर किसानों के आंदोलन के कारण बृहस्पतिवार को दिनभर यातायात प्रभावित रहा।

from Latest And Breaking Hindi News Headlines, News In Hindi | अमर उजाला हिंदी न्यूज़ | - Amar Ujala https://ift.tt/3t5hRbE

कोरोना की मार से बेहाल ऑटोमोबाइल सेक्टर, रफ्तार पकड़ने में लगेगा लंबा समय

आर्थिक और कारोबारी गतिविधियों में सुधार के बावजूद देश का वाहन उद्योग अब भी मंदी के दौर से गुजर रहा है। इस क्षेत्र को रफ्तार पकड़ने में लंबा समय लगेगा।

from Latest And Breaking Hindi News Headlines, News In Hindi | अमर उजाला हिंदी न्यूज़ | - Amar Ujala https://ift.tt/3orrvln

आंसुओं का असर: भाकियू का शक्ति प्रदर्शन आज, राकेश टिकैत के समर्थन में आधी रात गाजीपुर बाॅर्डर रवाना हुए किसान

राकेश टिकैत द्वारा भावुक होने वाले वीडियो के वायरल होने के बाद पश्चिमी यूपी में खलबली मच गई। भारतीय किसान यूनियन के अध्यक्ष नरेश टिकैत ने शुक्रवार को मुजपफरनगर में महापंचायत का ऐलान कर दिया

from Latest And Breaking Hindi News Headlines, News In Hindi | अमर उजाला हिंदी न्यूज़ | - Amar Ujala https://ift.tt/36ls4qI

अब आंदोलन को दबाने की तैयारी, किसान खेलेंगे अगली पारी

कृषि कानूनों के खिलाफ चल रहे किसानों का आंदोलन फिलहाल बिखरा हुआ है।

from Latest And Breaking Hindi News Headlines, News In Hindi | अमर उजाला हिंदी न्यूज़ | - Amar Ujala https://ift.tt/2NLV30o

India must spend, but cannot ignore taper tantrum

By Andy MukherjeeIndia’s federal budget Monday will be a much tougher balancing act than New Delhi’s regular annual fiscal trapeze. For one thing, the pandemic has upset business-as-usual calculations of how much to spend, on what, and how to finance it. For another, an impatience to make up for lost time has to be weighed against a shrinking of policy space in emerging markets: A reprise of the 2013 global taper tantrum could compound the country’s considerable domestic challenges.On the first question — how much to spend — Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman must simply do a lot more. Even with some loosening of the purse strings in the final months of the fiscal year that will end in March, Moody’s Investors Service affiliate ICRA Ltd. expects annual government expenditure to have been broadly unchanged from the 30 trillion rupees ($415 billion) estimated before the outbreak.The answer to what to spend on is being dictated by the fault lines that opened after India imposed one of the world’s harshest lockdowns. Without a safety net for workers badly affected by Covid-19, ongoing economic revival from the June quarter’s 24% loss in real output could peter out for lack of demand. A combination of stepped-up social spending — including on long-neglected healthcare — and a state-led infrastructure push will make the recovery both durable and inclusive. A fifth of the 70 million-plus Indians who lost their services, manufacturing and construction jobs are either still working as farmhands or are unemployed. Discouraged, many have exited the labor force. They need income support.But where’s the money? Taxes are due a rebound. Together with government asset sales — such as listing state-backed Life Insurance Corp. on the stock market — they can help narrow the combined federal and state deficit to 8.5% of gross domestic product next fiscal year, from around 12% now. It means that the bond market will still have to cough up more than households’ pre-Covid annual financial savings. (The post-lockdown surge in thrift was temporary, a result of people not being able to consume.) The central bank will be reluctant to buy government bonds by the truckload from banks and make a record glut of rupee liquidity worse. While inflation in India is expected to slip to 4.55%, from 6.3% estimated by economists for the current fiscal year, global inflation expectations are hardening.That’s why it’s important for Sitharaman to keep an eye on the Federal Reserve. As inoculation in the U.S. gathers speed, officials may turn more confident about the need to start trimming their asset purchases in early 2022, Bill Dudley, a former vice chairman of the Fed's rate-setting committee, wrote recently for Bloomberg Opinion. Given the positive correlation between U.S. inflation expectations and Indian bond yields, New Delhi may struggle to keep a lid on borrowing costs.Even a hint of a sooner-than-expected U.S. monetary tightening could prove to be expensive. Back in the summer of 2013, then-Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke triggered a flight of capital from emerging markets by suggesting a tapering of U.S. money-printing. India was running large current-account deficits, and the dollar financing needed to plug the gaps abruptly stopped. This time around, India’s balance of payment is in surplus. Domestic demand is yet to be fully repaired, while foreign capital is rushing in to participate in a liquidity-fueled stocks rally.That creates its own problems. The Reserve Bank of India has recently hinted at a preference for buying dollars, adding to its already formidable stash of nearly $600 billion in foreign-exchange reserves. But purchasing the U.S. currency will also add to rupee liquidity. If the RBI tries to mop up too much of it too quickly, short-term interest rates will rise. In a world still awash with cheap cash, that could invite an unwanted deluge of “carry trade” dollars to India looking to profit from extra yield, according to Ananth Narayan, a finance professor and analyst at Observatory Group. It’s a Catch-22. Leave the liquidity glut unattended, and foreigners may chase overpriced Indian equities. Withdraw it, and watch carry traders pile in. Both kinds of speculative bets will eventually unwind, setting the rupee up for a hard fall. It’s important, therefore, for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration to not overburden the central bank. Nor can the middle class, which is paying very high fuel taxes, be squeezed further. Protectionist import tariffs on intermediate goods will hurt exporters. New Delhi should instead pluck the low-hanging fruit. Despite surging equity markets, state asset sales have been a washout. Getting deals done and reinvesting the proceeds in new infrastructure would be crucial. The creaking financial system also needs capital. In the worst-case scenario in RBI’s stress tests, 14.8% of India’s bank loans might turn bad by September. A decisive cleanup of what’s not entirely a new problem might seem like a drag, given the many urgent demands on taxpayers, including for vaccination. But India needs both a healthy population — working, studying and consuming freely — and restored financiers who can support credit while cushioning any external shock. Like a 2022 taper tantrum. If the moneymen keel over, any delicate fiscal balance achieved this year won’t endure.

from Economic Times https://ift.tt/3ckX3XN
via IFTTT

प्रदर्शनकारियों ने लाल किले की प्राचीर से फेंका था तिरंगा, एक अफसर ने बचाई देश की शान

लाल किले की प्राचीर पर पहुंचकर उपद्रवियों ने न केवल धर्म विशेष का झंडा फहराया, बल्कि तिरंगे को वहां से हटाकर नीचे फेंक दिया, लेकिन वहां तैनात एक आईपीएस अफसर ने देश की आन-बान और शान को बचाया।

from Latest And Breaking Hindi News Headlines, News In Hindi | अमर उजाला हिंदी न्यूज़ | - Amar Ujala https://ift.tt/2Mtwzs5

बॉम्बे हाईकोर्ट के पॉक्सो एक्ट से जुड़े फैसलों से कानून विशेषज्ञ हैरान

बॉम्बे हाईकोर्ट की नागपुर पीठ की तरफ से एक सप्ताह के दौरान पॉक्सो एक्ट से जुड़े दो अलग-अलग मामलों में दिए गए फैसलों की कानून जगत में आलोचना शुरू हो गई है।

from Latest And Breaking Hindi News Headlines, News In Hindi | अमर उजाला हिंदी न्यूज़ | - Amar Ujala https://ift.tt/3iYlQlO

Share Market Today: फिर लाल निशान पर हुई शेयर बाजार की शुरुआत, सेंसेक्स में 377 अंकों की गिरावट

कमजोर वैश्विक संकेतों के चलते आज सप्ताह के तीसरे कारोबारी दिन यानी गुरुवार को भी घरेलू शेयर बाजार की शुरुआत लाल निशान पर हुई। बॉम्बे स्टॉक एक्सचेंज का प्रमुख इंडेक्स सेंसेक्स 377.99 अंक (0.80 फीसदी) की गिरावट के साथ 47,031.94 के स्तर पर खुला।

from Latest And Breaking Hindi News Headlines, News In Hindi | अमर उजाला हिंदी न्यूज़ | - Amar Ujala https://ift.tt/3abdGlR

China Begins Using Anal Swabs To Test Covid As Cases Surge

China has begun using anal swabs to test those it considers at high risk of contracting Covid-19, state TV reported, with social media users and travellers squirming over the invasive procedure which...

from NDTV News - Special https://ift.tt/3qZt0sr
via IFTTT

Indian startups may get pension, insurance funds

New Delhi: The government has started deliberations on easing regulations to allow pension and insurance funds to flow to startups, giving them access to stable, long-term domestic capital.Indian startups rely excessively on foreign risk capital in the absence of local funding. More than 85% of investment in Indian startups comes from overseas. Domestic pension and insurance funds have a cumulative corpus of over Rs 1.5 lakh crore.A top official told The Economic Times that the government is seized of the fact that startups need a vast amount of capital to grow. “The government is examining ways to allow pension and insurance funds to deposit a small proportion of their profits in these startups,” he said.The Centre also wants Indian business houses to invest a proportion of their wealth in startups. This could be incentivised under a comprehensive plan to unlock domestic savings for startups, the official said.Local OwnershipThe government feels this will lead to ownership of Indian startups staying local, promote economic growth and create domestic employment opportunities.Commerce and Industries Minister Piyush Goyal had at the ET Startup Awards earlier this month said that more domestic capital needs to flow into startups, pointing out that foreign investors were picking up stakes at low valuations. He has mooted an Indian industry-led fund to invest in local startups.“I suggested that they (industry) create a Rs 10,000 crore fund, a domestic fund, managed totally professionally, which can identify opportunities that come out of the startup system at an early stage,” Goyal had said.At the recent Startup India International Summit organised by the government in Delhi, stakeholders had sought access to local pension and retirement funds, pointing to regulations that had held up such investment. They suggested a relaxation in investment criteria in exchange-listed Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs) with a minimum corpus to help channel pension fund investments into startups.“It would considerably ease roadblocks for investment by NPS (National Pension System) in AIFs. Pension funds can start by allocating a small percentage of their corpus into AIFs currently and then gradually increase it as they gain more experience,” one of them said.

from Economic Times https://ift.tt/3oppG8C
via IFTTT

APSEZ bonds issue: DB backed out on green concerns

New Delhi: Deutsche Bank was denied internal clearance to act as an arranger for Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone’s $500 million bond issue that was launched on Tuesday due to environmental concerns flagged by the Frankfurt-headquartered lender’s sustainability committee, said people in the know.The Adani group company was in discussions with a group of international banks to act as arrangers for the issue, ET had reported on Monday. Deutsche was part of those discussions but pulled out later, these people said.“There are port-related environment concerns which are in conflict with sustainability goals of the bank”, a person directly briefed on the matter said.Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone has links to the controversial Carmichael coal mine in Australia’s Queensland province that the Adani group is developing. It is financing a rail link to the coal mine through one of its subsidiaries.Deutsche Bank declined to comment. Adani group had not responded to ET’s queries as of press time.This development did not come in the way of Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone’s bond issue, which launched successfully and oversubscribed 2-3 times by international investors on Tuesday. Citi and Bank of America Merrill Lynch were among the arrangers of the issue.“Such issues have cropped up in the past as well. This does not impact the company’s fund-raising plans,” an executive aware of Adani group’s thinking said. 80487294The Carmichael mine has become the subject of intense international scrutiny as environmental activists in Australia have raised concerns about the project. However, Adani has received government clearance in that country and has started construction of the mine.Deutsche Bank’s largest shareholder and the world’s largest asset manager, Blackrock, had made public its concerns about State Bank of India’s (SBI) financing of Adani’s Australian mining project in November. Blackrock is an investor in SBI’s bonds.Similar issues have also been raised by French asset management giant Amundi which recently warned SBI that it would evict its bonds from its portfolio if it were to finance the Adani mine. Amundi is also a shareholder of Deutsche Bank.The German lender set up a sustainability committee under the leadership of its chief executive officer Christian Sewing only last month. Its efforts to focus on sustainability practices has come in the midst of controversies and bribery allegations.The bank recently agreed to pay $125 million to US authorities to resolve allegations that it paid bribes to secure business in overseas jurisdictions such as China. The bank was booked for violations of the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.It also separately paid a $150 million fine in the US for being a banker to controversial businessman and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

from Economic Times https://ift.tt/3agD362
via IFTTT

दिल्लीः गाजीपुर बॉर्डर पर किसानों ने पहरा देकर गुजारी रात, बिजली काटे जाने के बाद रहा गिरफ्तारी का डर

26 जनवरी के दिन ट्रैक्टर रैली के दौरान दिल्ली में हुई हिंसा के बाद से पुलिस-प्रशासन किसान आंदोलनकारियों पर काफी सख्ती कर रहा है।

from Latest And Breaking Hindi News Headlines, News In Hindi | अमर उजाला हिंदी न्यूज़ | - Amar Ujala https://ift.tt/36iVLbE

यूपी : मेरठ में देर रात धरनास्थल से पुलिस ने किसानों को खदेड़ा, लाठीचार्ज में कई घायल

दिल्ली हिंसा के बाद बड़ौत में चल रहे किसानों के आंदोलन पर भी पुलिस प्रशासन ने सख्त रुख अपनाया और बुधवार रात करीब साढ़े 11 बजे पुलिस धरना स्थल पर पहुंचकर हल्का बल प्रयोग कर धरनास्थल खाली करा लिया।

from Latest And Breaking Hindi News Headlines, News In Hindi | अमर उजाला हिंदी न्यूज़ | - Amar Ujala https://ift.tt/3t3zUis

'जय श्री राम' के नारे से भड़कीं ममता विधानसभा में लाएंगी निंदा प्रस्ताव, कांग्रेस, सीपीएम नहीं करेंगे समर्थन

कांग्रेस और सीपीएम ने बुधवार को कहा कि वे ‘जय श्री राम’ का नारा लगाए जाने के खिलाफ टीएमसी की तरफ से विधानसभा में लाए जाने वाले निंदा प्रस्ताव का समर्थन नहीं करेंगे।

from Latest And Breaking Hindi News Headlines, News In Hindi | अमर उजाला हिंदी न्यूज़ | - Amar Ujala https://ift.tt/39oXWfV

Budget Session:आसान नहीं मोदी सरकार की राह, कृषि कानून समेत इन मुद्दों पर घेरने के लिए विपक्ष तैयार

देश की राजधानी में नए कृषि कानूनों को लेकर पिछले दो माह से किसान आंदोलन कर रहे हैं। कृषि कानूनों के पारित होने के बाद से विपक्ष सरकार पर हमलावर है। 29 जनवरी से शुरू हो रहे बजट सत्र में केंद्र सरकार को घेरने के लिए विपक्ष ने अपनी तैयारी कर ली है

from Latest And Breaking Hindi News Headlines, News In Hindi | अमर उजाला हिंदी न्यूज़ | - Amar Ujala https://ift.tt/39l8MUe

हिंसा में घायल पुलिसकर्मी बोले- कई बार लगा उपद्रवी मार ही डालेंगे, नहीं थे कड़ी कार्रवाई के आदेश

‘किसानों की हिंसा के दौरान कई बार लगा कि उपद्रवी पीट-पीट कर मार ही डालेंगे।

from Latest And Breaking Hindi News Headlines, News In Hindi | अमर उजाला हिंदी न्यूज़ | - Amar Ujala https://ift.tt/39qo8Xm

Biden envoy on India's permanent UNSC seat

US President Joe Biden's pick for the ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, on Wednesday did not explicitly commit the support of the new administration for India to be a permanent member of the Security Council. Three previous administrations, that of George W Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump, had publicly said that the United States supports India's bid to be a permanent member of the UN Security Council. However, Thomas-Greenfield, who has spent more than 35 years in foreign service before being nominated to the position, during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee told lawmakers that this is a matter of ongoing discussion. "Do you think India, Germany, Japan, should be (permanent) members (of the UN Security Council)," Senator Jeff Merkley from Oregon asked during her confirmation hearing for the position of the US Ambassador to the UN. Biden has named it as a Cabinet-ranking position. "I think there has been some discussions about them being members of the Security Council and there are some strong arguments for that," she said. "But I also know that there are others who disagree within their regions that they should be the representative of their region. That, too, is an ongoing discussion," she said in an apparent reference to the Coffee Club or United for Consensus. Comprising countries like Italy, Pakistan, Mexico and Egypt, the Coffee Club has opposed the permanent membership bid of India, Japan, Germany and Brazil. President Biden in his campaign policy document last year had reiterated its promise of supporting India as a permanent member of the UN Security Council. "Recognising India's growing role on the world stage, the Obama-Biden Administration formally declared US support for India's membership in a reformed and expanded United Nations Security Council," Biden Campaign's policy document on Indian-Americans had said last August. Thomas-Greenfield, in response to another question, favoured reforms in the UN Security Council. India is currently its non-permanent member for a two-year term that began in January this year. "I think there is general agreement across the board that reforms are needed in the Security Council. What those reforms will be and how they will be implemented, I think remains to be decided but you know changing the number of members that happened we move from 11 to 15 some years ago and there are efforts to push for more permanent members, and those discussions are ongoing," she said. She was responding to a question from Senator Merkley. "I wanted to start by asking about the Security Council itself. At the same time that China and Russian often stymie actions in the Security Council. The Security Council is decreasingly representative of the geopolitical landscape with key powers like India, Germany, Japan not included as permanent members," he said. "How do you approach the question of the Security Council? How do you consider that perhaps it needs to be reformed? How do you believe it can be made more effective and functional," Merkley asked.

from Economic Times https://ift.tt/3iXz4ir
via IFTTT

दिल्ली-एनसीआर में आज सुबह भी कोहरा, अभी सताएगी शीत लहर

जनवरी माह का अंत निकट आने के बाद भी दिल्ली-एनसीआर में ठंड बरकरार है।

from Latest And Breaking Hindi News Headlines, News In Hindi | अमर उजाला हिंदी न्यूज़ | - Amar Ujala https://ift.tt/39oP4qP

दिल्ली मेट्रोः लाल किला स्टेशन के प्रवेश और निकास द्वार बंद, जामा मस्जिद मेट्रो में प्रवेश पर रोक

दिल्ली मेट्रो के लाल किला स्टेशन पर प्रवेश और निकास द्वार बंद कर दिये गए हैं।

from Latest And Breaking Hindi News Headlines, News In Hindi | अमर उजाला हिंदी न्यूज़ | - Amar Ujala https://ift.tt/39opTVa

Sanitiser makers move court over typo in GST rules

MUMBAI: Companies that were importing a key raw material used in manufacturing sanitisers and disinfectants have dragged the government to court following inability to avail benefits over an apparent typing error in the Goods and Services Tax (GST) framework. Importers of ‘denatured ethyl alcohol’, a raw material used in hand sanitisers and disinfectants, have been paying a lower or concessional rate of customs duty, over the years as this was categorised as ‘excisable goods’. Under the new tax framework however this part—excisable goods—was injected in the new regulations and that is causing confusion, say tax experts.The customs department said that since excise is not part of GST, the importers must pay additional taxes as per the existing regulations.“There appears to be an unintended omission with respect to the usage of the words ‘excisable goods’ instead of ‘taxable goods subject to tax under GST laws’ and hence judicial review is important at this stage,” said Abhishek A Rastogi, partner at Khaitan & Co, who is arguing a writ petition before the Bombay High Court.The customs department in the last one month has been slapping notices and conducting raids claiming that since there is no “excise duty” under GST law, these companies should cough up additional taxes. The companies in their writ petition in the Bombay High Court argued that this is a typo and what the tax department actually meant while copy pasting was “taxable goods” and not “excisable goods”. Till recently these importers have been only paying 2.5% duty on all their imports. Now, they have been asked to cough up an additional 2.5% duty on these imports.Some of the companies have approached the courts and claimed that the original intention of the government was to apparently extend the benefit even in the new tax framework.The raw material importers have come under the scanner as their imports grew during the Covid pandemic. Initially some of the companies were merely asked to furnish provisional duty bonds—an instrument which promises to pay up a certain amount in future.Most importers paid 2.5% while the remaining duty was furnished through provisional duty bonds.This was mainly done to safeguard the government revenue and also avoid adverse impact on importers’ cash flows. However, in the last few weeks, several importers and companies were asked to cough up the additional amount.“The furnishing of provisional duty bonds at the time of effecting clearances of imported denatured ethyl alcohol is not clearly a solution and hence there is a request that courts must direct to cancel the previous bonds furnished,” said Rastogi.

from Economic Times https://ift.tt/3ab50Mj
via IFTTT

Injured police personnel recall Republic Day horror

NEW DELHI: Had he not jumped into that moat at Red Fort, he could well have had his neck slashed. At least that is what assistant sub-inspector Joginder Raj recalled a day after the rioting at Red Fort on Republic Day. “The attackers had all sorts of weapons,” Singh said. “They climbed to the ramparts and hoisted their flag. Someone gave them the national flag, but they threw it down. A senior police officer picked it up to prevent it being dishonoured.” Around 300 policemen like Raj were injured in the violence. 80490834Numerous police personnel were injured when escaping the wrath of the protesting farmers on Tuesday. On Wednesday evening, S N Shrivastava, police commissioner, visited the various hospitals where the injured policemen have been admitted and enquired about their well-being. While many of the injured cops were discharged after treatment, some are in critical condition, some in the ICU. Two police personnel and two protesters are in Lok Nayak Hospital, all four reported to be stable now. “One policeman has injuries in the head and the neck region. The other policeman suffered hand injuries. One protester had facial injury and the other head injury,” said a source.The maximum number of injured cops are from North district, most of them posted at Red Fort. Inspector PK Jha was trying to erect barricades under Tilak Bridge when a mob charged at him. While Jha was protected from the blows on his back by his riot gear, a stone landed on his face and knocked out two teeth. Jha was taken to AIIMS Trauma Centre in an auto.Constable Ritu was on duty at Red Fort when she sustained injuries. “A heavy iron grille fell on my leg and my colleague’s chest. We couldn’t move. It was a scary time, because the protesters had swords, lathis and spears,” she said. Inspector P C Yadav received injuries on his head, neck and arms in a sword attack, but he managed to save a colleague and escorted him to safety. “When we were trying to stop the agitators from climbing to the ramparts, I saw a colleague bleeding from his head and on the verge of collapsing,” Yadav told TOI. “I picked him up and carried to a safer area, but I was hit on the head with a sword. My helmet broke and I fell unconscious when I was hit on the head again.”Yadav underwent surgery on Wednesday. “We maintained restraint and requested the farmers to let me take my colleague to the hospital,” Yadav said on Wednesday. “We did not use force. If we had, there could have been many casualties.”Balwant Singh, SHO, Mohan Garden, sustained fractures on both his hands when posted near Uttam Nagar on Najafgarh Road. “Our duty was to ensure that the farmers on the tractor parade did not cross the road. Around 2.30pm, the tractors arrived as scheduled, but the farmers turned violent and damaged a bus that obstructed their progress,” said Singh. He particularly remembered one extremely violent man who was venting all his anger on the bus. When the SHO approached the man, he was attacked with a lathi.Singh’s arm was badly wounded and he had to be moved to the hospital. “We had placed a crane to stop them from crossing a certain point,” added Singh, “but they were violent and wielded weapons and sticks. Some of them were even drunk.” Additional DCP (East) Manjeet Singh Sheoran, who was on duty at the Ghazipur border, managed to save his life when a tractor tried to run over him. Another IPS probationary officer, Pukhraj Kamal, who was managing law and order at Akshardham, sustained a head injury after farmers pelted stones at the cops.

from Economic Times https://ift.tt/36mgaNk
via IFTTT

Retailers find some comfort in winter wear

NEW DELHI: In a year when fashion retailers saw their inventories pile up amid the pandemic, the colder and prolonged winter spell in the North has given them some comfort — at least on the winter-wear front.Fashion and lifestyle retailers including US Polo, Uniqlo and Levi’s are on track to sell almost all of their winter-wear stocks this season, and will be left with very little or no inventories to carry forward into the next fiscal year.“There has been a strong business momentum as we progressed month-on-month with the dip in temperature,” a Uniqlo spokesperson said in an emailed response. “December sales were 50% more than November and more than 300% of October sales.”Fashion retailers generally sell up to 60-70% of their winter items by late November or early December, and liquidate most of the remaining inventory in the end of the season sales in January. However, this year they had already sold up to 85% of winter clothes by November itself and are now left with limited winter products to sell through discounts in the ongoing sales season.“Winter wear did very well for us and we sold most of our winter wear in November itself,” said J Suresh, managing director of Arvind Fashions that sells brands including US Polo Assn, Flying Machine and Aeropostale.While sales of other clothing items are still hovering around 70-75% of last year’s levels, warm clothing have already clocked about 85% of last winter’s number, retailers said.As a consolation after the pandemic disrupted the business most of fiscal 2021, the winter started early and is still helping fashion retailers to generate business of big-ticket winter items.

from Economic Times https://ift.tt/3pCXkJv
via IFTTT

28 जनवरी: आज दिनभर इन खबरों पर बनी रहेगी नजर, जिनका होगा आप पर असर

हर रोज हम अलग-अलग खबरों से दो-चार होते हैं। हमारी आंखों के सामने से कई सारी खबरें गुजरती हैं। इनमें से कुछ ऐसी अहम खबरें होती हैं, जिनका हमारे जीवन पर असर पड़ता है...

from Latest And Breaking Hindi News Headlines, News In Hindi | अमर उजाला हिंदी न्यूज़ | - Amar Ujala https://ift.tt/2KTMsaO