Chennai, Sep 26: Union Minister of State for I and B, Fisheries,
Animal Husbandry and dairying L Murugan on Sunday said India was the
fourth largest marine products exporting nation in the world, constituting
about 17-18 per cent from India.
Addressing the concluding ceremony of ‘VanijyaSaptah-Trade and Commerce
Week’ here, he said to boost the marine sector, the Union Government has
launched the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) at an estimated
investment of Rs 20,050 crores.
The scheme envisages enhancing fisheries exports to Rs one lakh crores by
2024-25 from Rs 46,662 crores, he said and urged the youth and the people
of Tamil Nadu to make good use of this scheme.
The Minister said recognizing the potential in seaweed farming in transforming
the lives of coastal communities, SHGs and women, the first Multipurpose
Seaweed Park in India was established in Tamil Nadu.
Asserting that Tamil Nadu has all the ingredients to be a top export hub,
Mr Murugan urged the industry to grab this opportunity, increase the range
of the products, diversify the export destination, step up the value ladder
and never compromise with the quality of the product.
”The product which is exported, not just carries the name of the brand, but
also carries with it the reputation of Tamil Nadu and India is also associated
with it”, he added.
The Minister said that Reform, Perform and Transform is the new mantra. The
Atmanirbhar Bharat is the vision and Vocal For Local is the action point under
the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He said following the footsteps of freedom fighter V.O.Chidambaram Pillai, whose
150th birth anniversary is being celebrated, Mr Modi announced Aatmanirbhar
Bharat and Vocal For Local during the 75th year of Indian Independence.
New sectors are being identified and promoted for their export potential. Local
region-specific products, textiles, toys having the flavour of the region, are promoted
to find a global market, he said.
Hyderabad, Sep 26: The landfall process of the Cyclonic Storm ‘Gulab’ (pronounced as ‘Gul-Aab’) has commenced on Sunday evening, Ministry of Earth Sciences, India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
In a bulletin, it said as per the latest Meteorological observations, the cloud bands have touched the coastal regions and thus the landfall process has commenced over North Coastal Andhra Pradesh and adjoining South Coastal Odisha.
The bulletin said the Cyclonic Storm, at 1730 hours lay centered over Northwest and Adjoining Westcentral Bay of Bengal near Latitude 18.4°North and Longitude 84.6°East , about 50 KM East-Northeast of Kalingapatnam in Andhra Pradesh and 105 km Southsouth east of Gopalapur in Odisha.
The system is lying close to the Coast and the Centre is about 30 KM to the east of the expected landfall point, the bulletin added.
New Delhi [India], September 23,2021: India has attracted a total Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflow of USD 27.37 billion during the first four months of the current financial year (FY) 2021-22 which is 62 per cent higher as compared to the corresponding period of FY 2020-21 (USD 16.92 billion), Ministry of Commerce and Industry said on Friday.
According to the ministry, FDI equity inflow grew by 112 per cent in the first four months of FY 2021-22 (USD 20.42 billion) compared to the year-ago period (USD 9.61 billion).
‘Automobile Industry’ has emerged as the top sector during the first four months of FY 2021-22 with a 23 per cent share of the total FDI Equity inflow followed by computer software and hardware (18 per cent) and services sector (10 per cent) respectively.
Under the sector ‘Automobile Industry’, the majority of FDI Equity inflow (87 per cent) was reported in the state of Karnataka during the first four months of the current FY 2021-22.
Karnataka is the top recipient state during the FY 2021-22 (up to July 2021) with a 45 per cent share of the total FDI equity inflows followed by Maharashtra (23 per cent) and Delhi (12 per cent).
The ministry said easures taken by the Central Government concerning FDI policy reforms, investment facilitation and ease of doing business have resulted in increased FDI inflows into the country.
New Delhi, Sep 22,2021: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) on Wednesday said that its board has given in-principle approval for the merger between Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) and ZEEL.
As per the deal, Sony Pictures Networks will hold a majority stake in the merged entity and infuse US$ 1.75 billion.
“The shareholders of SPNI, will hold a majority stake in the merged entity. The shareholders of SPNI will also infuse growth capital into SPNI as part of the merger such that SPNI has approximately USD1.575 billion at closing, for use in pursuing other growth opportunities,” Zee Entertainment said in BSE filing.
Post merger, Zee Entertainment stakeholders would hold 47.07 per cent equity stake in the merged entity while Sony Pictures Networks will hold the balance 52.93 per cent in the merged entity.
As per the term sheet of the merger, Punit Goenka will continue to be the Managing Director and CEO of the merged entity. Further, certain non-compete arrangements will be agreed upon between the promoters of ZEEL and the promoters of SPNI.
Set 20,2021: While the Registrar General of India has not yet issued a notification on Assam’s National Register of Citizens (NRC) to make it a legal document, a Foreigners’ Tribunal has gone ahead and recorded it as the “final NRC” while declaring a man to be Indian.
Hearing a case against one Bikram Singha of Jamirala village whose name figured in the NRC list, member of FT-II in Karimganj town Sishir Dey said, “…there is no doubt that this NRC Assam published in 2019 is nothing but Final NRC..”
The FT-II’s ‘order cum opinion’ comes just days after Assam’s Political (B) Department had on September 4 asked the FTs not to pass “consequential orders/directions” and stick to giving an “opinion” as mandated by the Foreigners (Tribunals) Order, 1964. The letter to the FTs followed an assessment by the State’s Judicial Department of the “opinions” given by the members in the case of people suspected to be foreigners or doubtful voters.
The Assam police’s Border wing had, in May 2008, filed a case against Mr. Singha, of Jamirala village under the Patherkandi Assembly constituency of southern Assam’s Karimganj district. The man, marked a D or ‘doubtful voter’, remained untraced until June 28 and appeared before the Foreigners’ Tribunal-II (FT-II) in Karimganj town two months later, seeking time to return from Bengaluru where he was working.
Mr. Singha produced before the FT-II several documents to prove his Indian citizenship.
New Delhi, Sep 15,2021: Delhi Police on Tuesday said it had arrested 6 terrorists, including two trained in Pakistan, and averted Pakistan-orchestrated terror attacks planned in various parts of the country, including Delhi, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, during the upcoming festival season.
Delhi Police’s Special Cell, which is the anti-terror unit of the force, said it busted the terror module in a multi-state operation over the last several days following inputs from the central intelligence agencies.
Special Commissioner of Police Neeraj Thakur told a press conference that it was a Pakistan-orchestrated terror module, which was a nexus between Pakistan’s ISI and the underworld. The accused were receiving instructions from across the border.
Thakur said the module was planning to target crowded areas in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra during Navratri, Ramleela and Diwali celebrations.
He added that it could not be ruled out that they had plans to carry out blasts during political rallies during the upcoming Uttar Pradesh elections.
The arrested persons have been identified as Jaan Mohammad Shaikh (47) alias Sameer Kaliya of Maharashtra, Osama (22) of Delhi’s Okhla, Moolchand (47) of UP’s Rae Bareilly, Zeeshan Qamar (28) of Allahabad in UP, Mohd Abu Bakar (23) of Bahraich in UP and Mohd Amir Javed (31) of Lucknow in UP.
Sheikh, an underworld operative, was apprehended near Kota in Rajasthan while he was on his way to Delhi. Osama was nabbed from Okhla and Bakar from Sarai Kale Khan in Delhi, Zeeshan from Allahabad, Javed from Lucknow, and Moolchand from Rae Bareilly.
Among those arrested, Osama and Zeeshan were trained in Pakistan, and were working under the instructions of spy agency ISI. They were tasked to conduct the reconnaissance of different suitable locations in Delhi and UP for placing the IEDs.
According to the police official, the accused had been assigned specific tasks to execute the plans.
An underworld operative – Shaikh, a close contact of Anees Ibrahim, brother of Dawood Ibrahim, was tasked by a Pakistan-based person connected with the underworld to ensure smooth delivery of IEDs, sophisticated weapons and grenades to different terror groups across India.
Police had received input from a central agency that a Pakistan-abetted and sponsored group of terrorists was planning to execute serial IED blasts in major cities in India. For this, the group had got multiple IEDs arranged from sources across the border. Inputs further indicated that an Okhla-based group was an important part of the module.
The police said Osama had associates based in various parts of the country, including Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.
New Delhi, Sep 11,2021: The government has notified transfer of sale-bound Air India’s capital assets to Air India Assets Holding Company Ltd (AIAHL), the special purpose vehicle (SPV) created for warehousing part of airline’s loans, four of its subsidiaries, non-core assets, paintings & artifacts and other non-operational assets.
The move is being seen as a prelude to the national carrier’s imminent privatisation.
A senior Air India official said that the government has now completely stripped the airline of its assets and in case disinvestment does not go through it will have no assets to fall back on.
In its notification effecting the transfer of assets, Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) in a notification said, “This notification shall come into force with effect from April 1, 2022 and shall, accordingly, apply in relation to the assessment year 2022-2023 and subsequent assessment years.”
The last date for the financial bid of Air India is September 15, 2021 and Tata group is being seen as the potential buyer.
Dispur (Assam) [India], September 8,2021: A committee comprising members of the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) and the state government will be formed to implement the clauses of the Assam Accord, said minister Atul Bora on Tuesday.
The decision was taken in a meeting held on Tuesday in the presence of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
“In the presence of CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, it was decided to form a committee comprising members of AASU and government to implement the clauses of Assam Accord,” Bora said.
AASU’s chief advisor Dr Samujjal Bhattacharya said that it has been decided to form a committee consisting of 3 state Cabinet ministers and 5 AASU members to find out the road map within 3 months.
“After 16 years, we had this meeting and it was decided to form a committee consisting of 3 Cabinet ministers of Assam and 5 members from AASU to find out road map within 3 months. We discussed the implementation of all clauses of the Assam Accord,” Bhattacharya said.
The Assam Accord, a memorandum of settlement (MoS) signed between representatives of the Central government led by then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and the leaders of the Assam Movement in New Delhi on August 15, 1985. The core point of the accord was the identification and deportation of illegal immigrants from Assam, for which the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) had been protesting since 1979.