Budget 2018-19

  Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday attacked the government for the three agriculture laws that have triggered protests by farmers at Delhi’s borders Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday attacked the government for the three agriculture laws that have triggered protests by farmers at Delhi’s borders, saying these legislations will allow industrialists to buy unlimited quantity of foodgrains and hoard them. Lending his support to the ongoing farmers protests, he said in Lok Sabha that it was not an agitation of the farmers only but a movement of the country and the government will have to repeal the laws. Gandhi also dramatically led his party members and those from the TMC and the DMK to observe a two-minute silence by standing to mourn the death of “200 farmers” during the ongoing agitation and said he was doing this as the government has not paid tributes to those who died during the protests. “The intent of the three laws are to allow industrialists to buy unlimited q...

  Rahul Gandhi says new acts will destroy country’s agriculture; V-P Naidu calls for keeping farmers’ welfare in mind while framing farm policies The members of a panel set up by the Supreme Court to resolve the crisis of farmer protests said on Tuesday they would keep aside their ideology and views while consulting stakeholders, even as they indicated a complete repeal won’t augur well for much-needed agriculture reforms. The panel met for the first time on Tuesday. The biggest challenge, the members said, is to convince the agitating farmers to come and speak with them. “We will try our best. We also want to request those farmers who don’t want to come before us that we are neither from any party nor from the government’s side. We are from the Supreme Court’s side,” said Anil Ghanwat, a member of the panel. Agriculture economist Ashok Gulati and former director of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Pramod Kumar Joshi, are the remaining members of the panel....

  Adar Poonawalla and Krishna Ella issue joint statement saying they would work together to roll out Covid-19 vaccine After engaging in a war of words, the chiefs of two of India’s leading vaccine makers — Bharat Biotech and Serum Institute of India (SII) — called a truce on Tuesday and pledged to work together for a “smooth roll-out” of Covid-19 vaccines. In a joint statement,  Bharat Biotech  Chairman and Managing Director Krishna Ella and SII Chief Executive Officer Adar Poonawalla said the more important task in front of them was to save the lives and livelihoods of populations in India and the world. “Vaccines are a global public health good and they have the power to save lives and accelerate the return to economic normalcy at the earliest,” the statement read. “Now that two Covid-19 vaccines have been issued EUA (emergency use authorisation) in India, the focus is on manufacturing, supply, and distribution…Both companies are fully engaged in this activity and consi...

  Health personnel succh as doctors and nurses and frontline workers such as police personnel, home guards won’t have to register themselves online to get the vaccine The health ministry is prepared to roll out the Covid vaccine within 10 days of the emergency use authorisation, which was granted to two companies on January 3. While giving this information on Tuesday, Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan told reporters that the final date would be decided by the government. The roll-out is being planned, including the logistics and technology network, based on the feedback from the recent dry run of the vaccination process, according to Bhushan. Aadhar verification too will be a part of the online vaccine delivery platform Co-Win. Addressing the weekly briefing on Covid, Bhushan said health workers including doctors and nurses as well as frontline workers such as police personnel and home guards would not have to register on the online platform to get vaccinated. Their data has already ...

Officials said while the central government wanted farmers to discuss the three Acts clause by clause, the farmers wanted nothing less than an assurance of total repeal The seventh round of talks between agitating farmers and the central government to resolve the impasse over the three farm laws and a legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP) yet again failed to make headway. Both sides dug in their heels before deciding to reconvene on January 8. Officials said while the central government wanted farmers to discuss the three Acts clause by clause, the farmers wanted nothing less than an assurance of total repeal. The central government in its submission to farmers said the government was willing to discuss the Acts threadbare with farmers from the rest of the country before moving ahead. “The Centre wants the unions to raise specific issues in the three farm laws they have problems with. Both sides need to find a solution. We are hopeful of a solution on January 8. Monday’s talk...

  While the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine made by Serum Institute here has 70.42% efficacy, Bharat Biotech’s still does not have efficacy data as trials are underway in India India’s drug regulator on Sunday gave its final approval to the Oxford-AstraZeneca and Bharat Biotech coronavirus vaccines for restricted use in an emergency situation, giving the country its first two shots for immunising its vast population in the coming weeks. While the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, manufactured by Serum Institute of India (SII), has 70.42 per cent efficacy, the indigenous vaccine from Bharat Biotech does not have efficacy details because the trials are underway. It is doing a study of 25,800 volunteers and around 22,500 participants have been given at least one jab. Both vaccines can be stored at 2-8 degrees Celsius and the companies have been stockpiling them for dispatch once the approvals come. SII has a stockpile of over 50 million doses at the moment and can make 100 million doses per mont...

  A breakthrough in the farmer unions’ key demand for an assurance on continuation of the Minimum Support Price (MSP) procurement system is also said to be in the works The fourth round of talks between protesting farmers and the Centre on the three agriculture Acts seemed to make some headway, with the government willing to consider some of their objections to the legislation. Their demands include a having level playing field in taxes between proposed private mandis under the new Acts and the existing agriculture produce marketing committees (APMCs), and traders’ mandatory registration even if they trade outside those. Sources said a breakthrough in the key demand of the  farmers union  for an assurance on continuing minimum support prices (MSPs) in procurement was also in the works. In their present form, the agriculture trade Act says that no state or Centre can levy any sort of tax or levy on any trade done outside APMCs (an area which has been designated as trade ar...

Govt has urged farmer groups to share their specific complaints with regard to the three central Acts by December 2 so that they could be taken up for discussions the next day Talks on Tuesday between farmers’ groups and the Centre to break the deadlock over the agricultural Acts remained inconclusive, with both sides deciding to meet again on December 3. Sources said during the more than two-hour-long meeting, farmers remained firm on their stand that nothing short of repealing the three Acts would be acceptable to them while the Central government offered to set up a committee to look at the issues raised by them. The Central government, according to an official statement, has urged the groups to share their complaints on the three Central Acts by December 2. Then the matter will be taken up for discussion the next day. The farmers have, meanwhile, decided to continue their sit-in at two Delhi borders for the time being and could move to more areas and rope in other groups of agricul...

  A total of 45,855 declarations have been filed under Form 1 as on November 17 and declarations amount to Rs 31,734 crore The government has collected Rs 72,480 crore so far under its flagship, Vivad se Vishwas direct tax resolution scheme, with over a month to go for the deadline. A total of 45,855 declarations have been filed under Form 1 as on November 17 and declarations amount to Rs 31,734 crore. In case of CPSUs, the total amount being settled under the scheme is Rs 1,00,195 crore. “So far, tax of Rs 72,480 Crore has been paid by the CPSUs and taxpayers against the disputed demand under the scheme till date,” said a government official. The government amended the Finance Act in September to extend the payment date under the Direct Tax  Vivad se Vishwas Act , 2020 without additional amount to December 31, 2020. ALSO READ:  US regulator rescinds ban, clears runway for Boeing Max 737’s return Vivad se Vishwas Scheme was announced in the Budget presented on February 1 ...