New Delhi, Apr 10: The Union Government is in the process of working out a scheme for implementation of the Cauvery Waters Dispute Tribunal award on sharing of river waters between Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Kerala, Minister of State for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Arjun Ram Meghwal said here on Tuesday.
The lack of a mechanism for implementation of the Cauvery award was one of the issues on which Parliament was stalled during the second part of the Budget session. MPs from Tamil Nadu were in the Well of both the Houses demanding a Cauvery Management Board as per the directions of the apex court.
“I want to tell the people of Tamil Nadu that the Modi government is a responsive government. This matter is being politicised and it must not be. We want a permanent solution to this decades-old problem,’’ he told UNI.
Earlier Water Resources Secretary U P Singh said the Ministry will work out a scheme as per the orders of the Supreme Court before May 3.
“The scheme will be placed before the Union cabinet before it is filed in the Supreme Court, where the matter is being heard,’’ he said.
Mr Meghwal said the Centre is abiding by what the Supreme Court said about forming a Cauvery River Management Board and a scheme under Section 6A of the Inter-State Water Disputes Act.
Beijing [China], Apr. 09 : Singapore and China signed a fresh Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Sunday, in a bid to intensify co-operation between the two countries in foreign markets along the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
According to The Strait Times, markets and sectors of mutual benefits will be outlined by the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) of Singapore, Enterprise Singapore and China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), who will also organize business activities to promote co-operation between companies from both the nations.
The National Development Minister of Singapore, Lawrence Wong, and NDRC vice-chairman Zhang Yong signed the MoU in the presence of Prime Minister of SingaporeLee Hsien Loong, who is on a five-day visit to China, and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in the Chinese capital.
The MoU includes agreements for a joint training of officials from the BRI countries, along with provisions to improve infrastructural and financial connectivity and third-party collaborations.
“We hope to make further efforts towards deepening and enhancing our cooperation bilaterally as well as with the region,” said PM Lee.
Premier Li said the deepening of China-Singapore ties was “beneficial to both sides, and also the development of China-ASEAN relations”.
“Singapore’s strength as a key infrastructure, financial and legal hub in the region will add value to Chinese companies expanding along the Belt and Road,” said in a separate statement the Minister for Trade and Industry of Singapore, Lim Hng Kiang.
The BRI mega-project is a plan to connect around 68 countries across Europe, Asia and Africa through a network of infrastructures such as roads, railways, ports and industrial hubs to recreate the ancient Silk Road network of trade routes connecting the East and the West, with China at the centre of trade and economic affairs.
Thiruvananthapuram, Apr 9: The Kerala government has issued protocols to be followed to confirm brain death cases with an aim to make organ transplantation more transparent in the state.
“It is for the first time that a state in the country is putting in place the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to confirm brain death cases,” Health Minister K K Shylaja has said.
The guidelines, issued yesterday, were drawn up based on the directive of the Kerala High Court to put an end to the concerns and doubts of the public related to the procedures of deceased donor organ donations and transplantation.
“The objective of the guideline is to ensure that a patient is declared brain-dead only after scientifically confirming that there is no chance for him/ her to come back to life,” she said, adding that the norms had been drawn up adhering to all international guidelines in this regard.
As per the new guidelines, three stages of procedures have to be followed– precautions to be taken before tests to determine brain death, analysis of reflective actions of brain and Apnea Test (an important component of brain death assessment).
The norms are applicable to both government and private run hospitals in the state.
One of the four doctors of the medical panel, authorised to declare a patient brain-dead, should be from the government service, the guidelines added.
Mumbai, Apr 7: Advertising sector watchdog ASCI upheld complaints against 171 misleading advertisements in January this year, including those of Livon, Dove shampoo, Byju’s, Lotus Herbals, among others.
The Customer Complaints Council (CCC) of Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) received 247 complaints in the month.
Among the 171 advertisements which it held misleading, 118 belonged to the healthcare category, 16 to the education category, 10 to the food and beverages category, five to personal care and 22 were from other categories, it said in a statement.
From the total of 148 advertisements picked by ASCI’s suo moto surveillance, complaints against 130 advertisements were upheld. Of the 99 advertisements complained against by the general public or by industry members, 41 advertisements were upheld by the CCC.
Out of 148 advertisements, total of 130 advertisements were considered to be misleading. Of the total 130 advertisements, 101 advertisements belonged to healthcare, 15 to the education category, one to food and beverage category, two to personal care category and 11 to the others category.
It upheld the complaint against Marico’s Livon hair serum as it was not substantiated with verifiable comparative product test data of the advertiser’s product and other competitor products and found it misleading by exaggeration and implication.
“The claim, ‘three times smoother, 50 per cent glossier’, was based on test result compared with untreated hair. When viewed together with the claim of ‘Best Hair Serum’, these numerical claims were considered to be misleading by implication that the claim holds against other competitor products and by omission of mention of the basis of comparison,” it said.
It also pulled up Hindustan Unilever’s Dove environmental defence shampoo advertisement claim was inadequately substantiated and is misleading by implication and exaggeration.
Learning app Byju’s advertisement was also upheld as the claims were not substantiated with supporting data and were misleading by exaggeration.
“The advertisement’s claims, ‘One crore students are learning from Byju’s- the learning app, 600 member strong R&D team is involved in creating the best learning programme for students, 93 per cent parents reported an overall increase in their children’s grades after using Byju’s, 90 per cent students renew their Byju’s course year on year and 51 minutes spent on the app on an average by a student everyday were not substantiated with supporting data and are misleading by exaggeration,” it said.
It pulled up Lotus Herbals Youth Rx advertisement claim of reverse ageing, 10 times more geneplex youth compound, and stop ageing, were not substantiated with evidence of product efficacy and are misleading by gross exaggeration.
“Additionally, the TVC shows endorsement of the claims by a celebrity Shilpa Shetty which, when seen in conjunction with the unsubstantiated claims, is likely to mislead consumers regarding the product efficacy,” it said.
ASCI also found Ruchi Soya’s Sunrich Sunflower Oil advertisement claims to be misleading by exaggeration.
“The advertisement’s claims ‘absorbs 15 per cent less oil, and ‘helps in reducing family intake of nine litres oil’ were inadequately substantiated. It was concluded that these claims are misleading by exaggeration,” it said.
Brussels, Apr 7: China today called on the European Union to take a joint stand against US protectionism as the tit-for-tat trade rift between Washington and Beijing threatened to entangle Europe.
The call to Brussels came as US President Donald Trump warned that he could slap another USD 100 billion (86 billion euros) of extra tariffs on Chinas imports, fanning fresh fears of a global trade war.
“China and the EU … should take a clear stance against protectionism, jointly preserve the rules-based multilateral trade order, and keep the global economy on a sound and sustainable track,” Zhang Ming, the head of the Chinese mission to the EU, said in a statement sent to AFP.
“This is a joint responsibility of China and the EU. We must act together to make that happen,” Zhang said.
In his statement, Zhang firmly defended multilateralism and said “the United States turns its back on these globally recognised rules and its own commitment.”
These “protectionist moves under the pretext of national security will undermine the credibility of the WTO-centred multilateral trade system, and the rules-based global trade order,” he added.
The Chinese commerce ministry said today it is ready to pay “any cost” in the trade spat with Washington after already announcing plans to meet earlier US threats with levies on USD 50 billion worth of major US exports such as soybeans, cars and small aircraft.
The EU is caught in its own trade drama with the US, under a threat of crippling steel and aluminium tariffs by Washington.
Trump last month authorised the suspension of those fresh tariffs, but only gave the EU until May 1 to come up with a solution to unfair trade practices alleged by the US leader.
The EU has so far reacted cautiously to the US measures against China despite sharing many of the same grievances against Beijing as Washington.
“What is important to stress is that the European Union believes that measures should always be taken within the World Trade Organisation framework, which provides numerous tools to effectively deal with trade differences,” European Commission spokesman Daniel Rosario said this week.
Beijing [China], April 6 : Commenting on the rising trade conflicts between the United States and China, a US economic expert said that trade barriers are ‘detrimental’ to both consumers and workers.
“Economists generally believe that tariffs or other trade barriers are detrimental to consumers, as they increase the prices of goods consumed domestically,” said Nitya Pandalai Nayar, an assistant professor in the department of economics at the University of Texas in Austin, as reported by China’s Xinhua News Agency on Thursday.
“Recent research has highlighted that policy uncertainty can also have negative welfare effects for consumers,” she added.
She further claimed that the new trade tariffs would result in ‘trade shocks’ for the workers across the world.
“There is a broad consensus among economists that there are aggregate gains from trade, and in that sense, trade barriers are detrimental to consumers and the aggregate economy,” Nayar said.
She further noted that the US has a bilateral trade deficit with China only in goods and not in services.
Earlier on Wednesday, China threatened tariffs of its own on 106 US products, including on soybeans, cars and some airplanes in retaliation to US trade tariffs, imposed upon 50 billion dollars of the Chinese imports.
Dhaka, Apr 6: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said although Bangladesh and Myanmar have been making various efforts, including the signing of a deal, to repatriate over a million Rohingyas from Bangladesh, there has been no visible progress in this regard so far.
“We have been making various efforts, we have signed a deal, their [Myanmar’s] ministers visited Bangladesh and saw the sufferings of displaced Rohingyas, but there has been no visible progress,” she said.
The prime minister made the statement while Secretary General of Amnesty International Salil Shetty met her at her official residence Ganobahaban on Thursday.
Prime minister’s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed reporters after the meeting.
To identify them quickly and effectively, she mentioned that Bangladesh has done the biometric registration of over one million Rohingyas who entered the country amid persecution by Myanmar military.
Shimla, Apr 6: The CAG of India has expressed concerns over the grim financial situation and mounting debt liability of Himachal, pointing out that per capita debt liability of the state has jumped from Rs 43,726 in 2012-13 to over Rs 65,444 in 2016-17, an increase of about 50 per cent.
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India in its report, tabled by Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur in the state Assembly, said the fiscal liability of the state increased by 15 per cent during 2016-17 to Rs 47,244 crore.
The report said the state was required pay nine per cent of the loans (Rs 3,096 crore) during the current year, 31 per cent (Rs 10,008 crore) during the next one-five years and the remaining 60 per cent (19,466 crore) after five years, implying that the state would be required to pay 55 per cent of its debt during the next seven years, which would put heavy strain on its financial situation.
Referring to uncontrolled expenditure, the CAG pointed out that financial liability on account of salaries and wages had increased by Rs 1,508 crore to Rs 9,356 crore (18 per cent) while the liability on the pensions also increased from Rs 2,747 crore in 2012-13 to Rs 4,114 crore in 2016-17.
While salaries and pensions constituted 53 per cent of the spending, interest repayments amounted to Rs 3,359 crore (an increase of 42 per cent), but the government, instead of mobilising its resources, was banking on borrowings.
On the performance level, the CAG detected huge shortfalls in revenue collection, including VAT, state excise, passenger and goods taxes, and questioned the non-levying of the royalty, causing a shortfall of several crores, with revenue implications of Rs 269.46 crore.
Mumbai, Apr 6: The Reserve Bank today kept the key interest rate unchanged but cut its inflation forecast on lower food prices, sparking a rally in the stocks and bond markets.
While keeping the benchmark repurchase or repo rate unchanged at 6 per cent and reverse repo at 5.75 per cent for the fourth time straight, the six member Monetary Policy Committee headed by RBI Governor Urjit Patel retained the ‘neutral’ stance.
The MPC trimmed its April-September inflation projection to 4.7-5.1 per cent, from its February forecast of 5.1-5.6 per cent. It raised economic growth target to 7.4 per cent for 2018-19 fiscal from 6.6 per cent of last fiscal “with risks evenly balanced”.
Five of the six members of MPC voted for the decision, while one sought a hike.
“Overall food inflation should remain under check on the assumption of a normal monsoon and effective supply management by the government,” Reserve Bank of India said in a statement.
Cutting inflation forecast for second-half was cut to 4.4 per cent from 4.5-4.6 per cent, RBI reiterated commitment to keep inflation at 4 per cent in medium-term. It however warned that rising trade protectionism and financial market volatility could derail global recovery.
Bonds yields fell after the policy statement, while the rupee gained 18 paise to 64.97 against the US dollar and the benchmark Sensex shot up 577 points.
The status quo policy, the fourth in a row since August last year, will be neutral to the EMIs for housing and vehicle loan borrowers, but banks are free to tinker with both deposit and lending rate depending on their asset liability position.
This was the first bi-monthly monetary policy review of the 2018-19 fiscal which commenced on April 1. The next review will be announced on June 6.
The decision of MPC comes against the backdrop of government’s assertion that both the fiscal deficit as well as the revenue shortfall in 2017-18 will be lower than the upwardly revised estimates given in the Union Budget.
The government has also announced that its market borrowing would be only Rs 2.88 lakh crore in the April-September period of 2018-19 as against Rs 3.72 lakh crore it had borrowed in the corresponding period of the last fiscal, 2017-18, ended on March 31.
Patel noted that inflation print for February was lower than the expected but the is MPC always looks ahead.
“MPC believes there are several uncertainties surrounding the baseline inflation path. First, the revised formula for MSP (minimum support price) as announced in the Union Budget 2018-19 for kharif crops may have an impact on inflation, although the exact magnitude will be known only in the coming months,” he said.
Second, the staggered impact of house rent allowance revisions by various state governments may push headline inflation up, he said.
Thirdly, he added, in case there is any further fiscal slippage from the Union Budget estimates for 2018-19 or the medium-term path, it could adversely impact the outlook on inflation.
There are also risks to inflation from fiscal slippages at the level of states on account of higher committed revenue expenditure, he said.
Besides, recent volatility in crude prices has imparted considerable uncertainty to the near-term outlook on inflation.
Crude oil prices are hovering around USD 70 per barrel putting pressure on the government to cut duty on this.
Chennai, Apr 5 : The DMK-led opposition parties’ bandh, demanding an early establishment of Cauvery Management Board to ensure water for farmers as per the Supreme Court orders, began in Tamil Nadu today.
With a key traders body of Tamil Nadu too is backing the shutdown, retail outlets, grocery shops and establishments were closed in most of the places across the state, including Chennai and the Cauvery delta districts of Tiruchirappalli and Thanjavur.
The banks, pharmacies, hospitals and schools, however, remained open.
Due to the backing of key opposition-affiliated trade unions, including DMK’s LPF and CPI’s CITU, the operation of state-run buses, too was affected.
The shutdown for Cauvery Board was marked by protest demonstrations and impromptu rallies.
The shut down was marked by DMK working president M K Stalin holding a black flag and leading a rally of opposition parties with thousands of various parties’ cadres participating in it.
Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president Su Thirunavukkarasar and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi chief Thol Thirumavalavan too were accompanying Stalin.
In Tiruchirappalli, former minister and DMK strongman KN Nehru was leading a rally.
The DMK and other opposition parties have been staging protests across the state for the past four days over the issue.