Rs 2,000 notes to be phased out within 5 years: RSS ideologue

December 13, 2016

New Delhi, Dec 13: RSS ideologue S Gurumurthy, who is among those who are regularly consulted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi since demonetisation, has said the new Rs 2,000 notes will be phased out within the next five years.

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Gurumurthy, who is addressing meetings in the city in support of the note ban, said in a TV interview that the government is “committed” to moving towards smaller-denomination notes, and high-denomination notes would be done away over a period of time.

Gurumurthy’s observation has come in the wake of reports of seizure of more than Rs 70 crore of new Rs 2,000 notes in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Delhi since November 10 when they were released.

Since then, Modi has been under attack from the Opposition leaders for introducing
the Rs 2,000 notes.

Gurumurthy, who is a chartered accountant, is said to have been asked by the prime minister to help BJP ministers and others to counter the Congress leaders.

This was after former prime minister Manmohan Singh spoke on the adverse impact of demonetisation in the Rajya Sabha. Singh described demonetisation, which is being hailed as a “masterstroke” by Modi , as an “organised loot and legalised plunder” and “monumental mismanagement”. Gurumurthy said the Rs 2,000 notes were “only a bridge” as the government had to bring it in place of the old
Rs 1,000 notes.

I-T dept recovers Rs 1.56 cr from bank

In one of the biggest seizures in Rajasthan so far, the Income Tax department has seized cash and jewellery worth Rs 2.02 crore from a cooperative bank, DHNS reports from Jaipur.

Of the seized amount of Rs 1.56 crore, Rs 1.38 crore was in new Rs 2,000 notes. On Sunday, I-T officials had raided the offices of St Wilfred College and the residence of Keshav Badaya, secretary of St Wilfred Education Society and chairman of the Integral Urban Co-operative Bank. Later, on Monday, it seized unaccounted-for gold jewellery worth Rs 45 lakh from two lockers of the Sodala branch of the bank, which it raided the day before.

“After recovering the unaccounted-for Rs 1.56 crore notes, we found that Rs 1.38 crore was in new currency. The notes were numbered in a serialised manner, which indicates that they were obtained from another bank,” an I-T official said.

Discounts on digital purchase

Customers buying petrol and diesel from PSU outlets using credit and debit cards will get a rebate of 0.75% from the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday, DHNS reports from New Delhi.

This is part of several incentives announced by the government last week to encourage the use of digital payments.

“As a part of these initiatives, to promote cashless transactions, the Government of India has announced to incentivise petrol/diesel customers transacting at PSU petrol pumps by way of 0.75% discount when a customer uses debit/credit cards, mobile wallets and prepaid loyalty cards,” India’s largest oil retailer IOC said in a statement.

‘Continue stir against note ban’

Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati asked her party leaders to build up agitation against the note ban issue, and be in the forefront in opposing the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, DHNS reports from Lucknow.

In a meeting of BSP office bearers in Delhi last week, Mayawati, however, told her leaders that they should not be seen siding with the Samajwadi Party (SP) over demonetisation. She also asked her partymen to make every effort to isolate the SP.

Since Uttar Pradesh is going to polls early next year, Mayawati does not want to let go of the currency crisis to corner the BJP.

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News Network
March 27,2024

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New Delhi, Mar 27: The government has objected strongly to remarks by a US State Department spokesperson on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's arrest last week in connection with the alleged liquor policy scam.

The External Affairs Ministry summoned Gloria Berbena, the US' Acting Deputy Chief of Mission, to a 40-minute meet at its office in Delhi on Wednesday afternoon. In a brief statement released shortly afterwards, the MEA warned of "unhealthy precedents and against "unwarranted aspersions".

"States are expected to be respectful of the sovereignty and internal affairs of others, and this responsibility is even more so in case of fellow democracies. It could otherwise end up setting unhealthy precedents," the External Affairs Ministry said.

"India's legal processes are based on an independent judiciary which is committed to objective and timely outcomes. Casting aspersions on that is unwarranted," the statement stressed.

On Tuesday the US State Department said it is monitoring reports of Mr Kejriwal's arrest, and called on New Delhi to ensure "a fair and timely legal process" for the jailed Aam Aadmi Party leader.

The US State Department's comments came, in turn, days after Germany's Foreign Office stressed that Mr Kejriwal, like any other Indian citizen facing charges, is entitled to a fair and impartial trial.

The Indian government reacted strongly to the comment, summoning the German envoy and labelling the Foreign Office spokesperson's remark "blatant interference in internal matters".

"We see such remarks as interfering in our judicial process and undermining the independence of our judiciary," the External Affairs Ministry said, "Biased assumptions are most unwarranted."

Asked about India's protest to Germany, the State Department spokesperson told Reuters, "We refer you to the German Foreign Ministry for comment on their discussions with the Indian government."

Earlier this month the Modi government also took exception to comments by its counterpart on the changes to the citizenship law, calling them out as "misplaced, misinformed, and unwarranted".

Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate last week in connection with the alleged liquor policy scam that has roiled his AAP and provoked furious protests from the opposition ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha election. Mr Kejriwal was this week sent to jail till March 28.

The Enforcement Directorate believes the now-scrapped liquor policy provided an impossibly high profit margin of 185 per cent for retailers and 12 per cent for wholesalers. Of the latter, six per cent - over ₹ 600 crore - were bribes and the money was allegedly used to fund the AAP's poll campaigns.

The ED has labelled the Chief Minister as a key conspirator in this case, but Mr Kejriwal and party colleagues arrested in this matter - ex-Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, and former Health Minister Satyendar Jain - have all denied the charges.

The AAP and the opposition have hit out at the BJP-led central government for using central agencies, like the ED, to target rivals and critics before the general election. The AAP has criticised Mr Kejriwal's arrest on grounds it was timed to interfere with his plans to campaign for the party.

The BJP has dismissed claims it uses central agencies as described by the opposition.

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March 19,2024

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New Delhi, Mar 19: The Supreme Court today came down heavily on Patanjali Ayurved for failing to respond to a contempt notice for issuing misleading advertisements and ordered yoga guru Ramdev to appear before it.

A bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Ahsanuddin Amanullah also summoned Patanjali managing director Acharya Balkrishna.

The Supreme Court last month pulled up Patanjali for prima facie violation of its assurances about its products and statements claiming their medicinal efficacy. The court had issued a notice to Patanjali and Balkrishna, asking why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against them.

It noted today that Patanjali did not file a response even though it had held a press conference after its previous order. "Why haven't you filed your response yet? We will ask the managing director to appear in the court during the next hearing," the court said.

The order states both Ramdev and Balakrishna were prima facie in violation of Sections 3 and 4 of the Drugs and Remedies Act, which deal with misleading ads of medicines.

The court also issued a contempt notice to Ramdev, co-founder of Patanjali, and asked him to explain why he should not face action for contempt of court.

Senior lawyer Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Patanjali Ayurved, opposed the move and sought to know, "How Ramdev comes into the picture?"

"You are appearing. We will see on the next date. Enough," the court replied.

"We had our hands tied earlier but not now. As an officer of the court, you (Mr Rohatgi) should know your position," said Justice Amanullah.

The court was hearing a petition by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) alleging a smear campaign by Ramdev against the vaccination drive and modern medicines.

On February 27, it had issued a contempt notice to Patanjali and cautioned them against from making any statements against any system of medicine in the media. It had also pulled up the centre for not taking action and said they were sitting with their eyes closed.

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News Network
March 16,2024

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New Delhi: The 2024 general election for 543 Lok Sabha seats will be held in seven phases from April 19, Chief Election Commissioner Rajeev Kumar said today, announcing the largest democratic exercise in the world. Results will be announced on June 4.

The seven phases: 
April 19
April 26
May 7
May 13
May 20
May 25
June 1

Simultaneous election for Lok Sabha and assembly will be held in four states -- Sikkim, Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh and Andhra.  

By-elections will also be held for 26 assembly seats across multiple states, including Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu.

Mr Kumar, announcing the dates, sent out a strong message on fake news on social media, saying political parties should ensure responsible social media behaviour -- "verify before you amplify".

"Fake news will be dealt with severely as per existent laws.. Section 79 (3)(B) of the IT Act empowers nodal officers in each state to remove unlawful content," he said.

The other strong message was on violation of model code in terms of hate speeches. "There should be issue-based campaign, no hate speeches, no speeches along caste or religious lines, no criticism of anyone's personal lives," he said.

The media must clarify when they carry political adverts, those cannot masquerade as news, he said. Individual messages regarding this would be sent to the candidates, he added.

The commission has employed 2,100 advisors to keep an eye on these issues and strong action will be taken regarding this, he said.

Voters above the age of 85 years and persons with disabilities, with 40 per cent disability can vote from home, Mr Kumar said. Around 82 lakh voter are above the age of 85, he said.

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