Follow palashbiswaskl on Twitter

ArundhatiRay speaks

PalahBiswas On Unique Identity No1.mpg

Unique Identity No2

Please send the LINK to your Addresslist and send me every update, event, development,documents and FEEDBACK . just mail to palashbiswaskl@gmail.com

Website templates

Jyoti basu is dead

Dr.B.R.Ambedkar

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Focused on ethnic cleansing! काले धन का राज़ खोलेंगे स्विस बैंक India's economy will pick up by year-end thanks to the start-up of billions of dollars worth of stalled resource projects. Aadhaar example of using technology to leapfrog: Nandan Nilekani কয়লা কেলেঙ্কারিতে কুমার মঙ্গলম বিড়লা जिस दुनिया में 80 करोड से अधिक लोग भुखमरी झेलने को अभिशप्त हों, अनगिनत भूख से जन्मी बीमारियों से मर रहे हों, वहां अगर अरबों टन भोजन बर्बाद होता है तो सोचना होगा कि हम कैसी सभ्यता का सृजन कर रहे हैं.. PM faces coalgate heat, Parakh says Manmohan Singh should be named in CBI chargesheet Coal Scam: India Inc and ministers express shock and disbelief at CBI filing a FIR against Kumar Mangalam Birla From Ratan Tata, Anil Ambani to Sunil Mittal: A look at business leaders probed by CBI প্রধানমন্ত্রীই মূল অভিযুক্ত, বিস্ফোরক পারেখ Vedanta hopeful of govt taking Rs 21,600 cr divestment bait Vedanta Group currently holds 64.9 percent stake in HZL and 51 percent in Balco. It proposed the government on January

Focused on ethnic cleansing!

काले धन का राज़ खोलेंगे स्विस बैंक


India's economy will pick up by year-end thanks to the start-up of billions of dollars worth of stalled resource projects.

Aadhaar example of using technology to leapfrog: Nandan Nilekani

কয়লা কেলেঙ্কারিতে কুমার মঙ্গলম বিড়লা


जिस दुनिया में 80 करोड से अधिक लोग भुखमरी झेलने को अभिशप्त हों, अनगिनत भूख से जन्मी बीमारियों से मर रहे हों, वहां अगर अरबों टन भोजन बर्बाद होता है तो सोचना होगा कि हम कैसी सभ्यता का सृजन कर रहे हैं..

PM faces coalgate heat, Parakh says Manmohan Singh should be named in CBI chargesheet

Coal Scam: India Inc and ministers express shock and disbelief at CBI filing a FIR against Kumar Mangalam Birla

From Ratan Tata, Anil Ambani to Sunil Mittal: A look at business leaders probed by CBI

প্রধানমন্ত্রীই মূল অভিযুক্ত, বিস্ফোরক পারেখ

Vedanta hopeful of govt taking Rs 21,600 cr divestment bait Vedanta Group currently holds 64.9 percent stake in HZL and 51 percent in Balco. It proposed the government on January 2012 to acquire the entire residual stake for Rs 17,200 crores valuing the combined stake at USD 3.2 billion at the then currency rate.



पलाश विश्वास

Palash Biswas

পলাশ বিশ্বাস

PM faces coalgate heat, Parakh says Manmohan Singh should be named in CBI chargesheet


The monopolistic racist zionist corporate hegemony is focused on ethnic cleansing.The agenda of mass destruction all on name of development and growth,reforms is being accomplished with surgical precision.Ninety nine percent caught unaware.

Latest media news break:The naming of business doyen Kumar Mangalam Birla in a first information report (FIR) relating to the coal blocks allocation scam confirms the suspicion that the Congress is working towards a clean scuttling of the Central Bureau of Investigation's probe.


पूर्व कोयला सचिव प्रकाश चंद्र पारेख ने कहा है कि अगर सीबीआई को कोयला ब्लॉक के आंवटन में साजिश की बू आ रही है तो उसे इस मामले में अंतिम फैसला लेने वाले व्यक्ति यानी प्रधानमंत्री मनमोहन सिंह का नाम साजिशकर्ता के रूप में होना चाहिए।


पारेख ने मंगलवार को कहा कि इस वक्त वह सिर्फ इतना कहना चाहते हैं कि इस मामले में सीबीआई जनहित में लिए गए सही फैसलों और गलत फैसलों में अंतर नहीं कर पा रही है। उन्होंने कहा, 'अगर सीबीआई इस नतीजे पर पहुंची है कि हिंडाल्को को (तलाबीरा) कोयला ब्लॉक आवंटित करना एक साजिश थी तो उन्हें पीएम का नाम साजिशकर्ता के रूप में लेना चाहिए, क्योंकि इस आवंटन को उन्होंने ही मंजूर किया था।'


इस मामले में उनके द्वारा लिए गए फैसलों पर उठ रहे सवालों पर आश्चर्य जताते हुए पारेख ने कहा, 'यह अजीब है कि सीबीआई मेरे उन फैसलों पर सवाल उठा रही है, जो कोयला सेक्टर में पारदर्शिता लाने के उद्देश्य से लिए गए थे।'


सीबीआई के कुमार मंगलम बिड़ला और उनकी कंपनी हिंडाल्को का नाम एफआईआर में लेने से इंडिया इंक स्तब्ध है। 46 साल के बिड़ला को कंजर्वेटिव बिजनेसमैन माना जाता है। वह कानून के मुताबिक काम करते हैं। मिसाल के लिए 2जी मामले में आइडिया सेलुलर इकलौती टेलीकॉम कंपनी थी, जिस पर कोई आंच नहीं आई थी। यह कुमार मंगलम बिड़ला ग्रुप की कंपनी है। एचडीएफसी के चेयरमैन दीपक पारेख ने इस बारे में कहा, 'कुमार मंगलम के खिलाफ एफआईआर दर्ज करना हास्यास्पद है। वह सच्चे इंसान हैं। हमारा सिस्टम इस तरह का है कि सबसे बड़े फ्रॉड बचकर निकल जाते हैं।


सितंबर में इनफ्लेशन रेट के बढ़कर 6.46 पर्सेंट होने और करेंसी मार्केट में स्टेबिलिटी को देखते हुए ऐनालिस्ट्स का कहना है कि इस बार पॉलिसी रेट में बढ़ोतरी तय है। ऐनालिस्ट्स ने मंगलवार को कहा कि 30 अक्टूबर को पॉलिसी रिव्यू में आरबीआई गवर्नर रघुराम राजन रीपो रेट में 0.25 पर्सेंट की बढ़ोतरी और एमएसएफ रेट में इतनी ही कटौती कर सकते हैं। रेटिंग एजेंसी क्रिसिल ने एक नोट में लिखा है,' अपने पहले पॉलिसी रिव्यू में रघुराम राजन का फोकस महंगाई को कंट्रोल करने पर था। पिछले चार महीनों से इनफ्लेशन आरबीआई के कम्फर्ट जोन से बाहर है।

काले धन का राज़ खोलेंगे स्विस बैंक

खुलेगा स्विस बैंकों का राज!


जिनीवा।। टैक्स चोरों पर लगाम कसने और काले धन के खिलाफ लड़ाई में भारत समेत कई देशों को बड़ी कामयाबी मिली है। स्विट्जरलैंड ने अपनी बैंकिंग के रहस्यों पर पड़ा ताला तोड़ दिया है और वह टैक्स से जुड़े मामलों की जानकारी देने व इन मामलों में प्रशासकीय सहयोग के लिए राजी हो गया है।


टैक्स चोरों के खिलाफ चल रही अंतरराष्ट्रीय मुहिम के तहत हुए समझौते पर साइन होने के साथ ही टैक्स चोरों को स्विस बैंकों की गोपनीयता का फायदा नहीं मिल सकेगा। गौरतलब है कि भारत समेत कई देशों की सरकारें लंबे समय से स्विस बैंकों में जमा काले धन की जानकारी हासिल करने के प्रयास कर रही थीं।


बढ़ते अंतरराष्ट्रीय दबाव के कारण स्विटजरलैंड ने ऑर्गनाइजेशन फॉर इकनॉमिक कॉपरेशन ऐंड डिवेलपमेंट (ओईसीडी) की पहल पर 58 देशों के साथ समझौता कर लिया है।


इस समझौते के तहत स्विटजरलैंड इन देशों द्वारा मांगे जाने पर फौरन सूचनाएं उपलब्ध कराएगा। ओईसीडी ने कई विकसित देशों के निर्देश पर टैक्स चोरी और काले धन के खिलाफ मुहिम शुरू की थी।


माना जाता है कि दुनिया भर के टैक्स चोर स्विस बैंकों में ही अपना काला धन रखते हैं। भारत समेत दुनिया के तमाम देश भ्रष्टाचारियों के खिलाफ कार्रवाई में स्विस बैंकों की गोपनीयता की वजह से परेशान थे।


Cyclone Phailin: Caught in flood fury, lakhs marooned in Odisha

NDTV

- ‎2 hours ago‎







Bhubaneswar: Timely Met warnings and an effective administrative response minimised loss of life as the giant cyclone Phailin struck Odisha five days ago, but the state is faced with some daunting figures as it grapples with the massive task of relief and ...



Aadhaar project is an example of using modern technology to leapfrog for future development and transformation of a country, UIDAI chairmanNandan Nilekani has said.


"Aadhaar project is one such example of using modern technology to leapfrog," Nilekani told a packed audience while giving an oration titled 'India's transformation: The role of Information Technology' here last night.


"Aadhaar project is to solve the problem of people who do not have an acknowledgement of their existence by people and the state or lack of acknowledgement of their identity," he said.


Nilekani, an IIT-ian who left Infosys to join the government as the head of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), stressed that by giving every Indian person a unique 12-digit number under the Aadhaar project could change their lives, and the nation.


Nelikani said that in India which has the total population of over one billion, only 50 million people had passports which was mere five per cent of total population, around 30 million people paid taxes and over 150 million people had driver licence.


"All these traditional IDs are only available to a very narrow segment of India's population," he said, adding that the need to create an ID system which can then provide an access to other host of public services and utilities was imperative in modern times.


"Not having an identity today can be a huge impediment." "Government has set up this Aadhaar programme principally for two main reasons. One is to give everybody an ID so that they can participate in so called modern economy and second, is to see that its numerous welfare schemes which goes to individuals are being passed to the genuine beneficiaries."


The project can be used to demonstrate that modern technology can be used for future development and transformation of a country


With Aadhaar in place, the government could deliver entitlement and subsidies in much more efficient and equitable way, he said.


"Aadhaar", or identification number, is merely a platform that can be utilised for other applications that many people are unable to access without formal identification, he said.


Since the commencement of the project 30 million bank accounts have been opened as a direct benefit of the Aadhaar card, and 10 million transactions have been made using the unique ID number.

এই সময় ডিজিটাল ডেস্ক: কোলগেট মামলায় প্রধানমন্ত্রীকেই মুখ্য অভিযুক্ত করা উচিত। গ্রেফতারির পর এমনই মন্তব্য করলেন প্রাক্তন কয়লা সচিব প্রকাশ চন্দ্র পারেখ। তিনি বলেন, সিবিআই যদি কয়লা ব্লক বণ্টন মামলায় ষড়যন্ত্রের গন্ধ পেয়ে থাকে, তা হলে প্রধানমন্ত্রীকে এই মামলার মুখ্য অভিযুক্ত করা উচিত। কারণ তিনিই বণ্টনের সিদ্ধান্তে স্বাক্ষর করেছিলেন।


মঙ্গলবার পারেখ বলেন, জনস্বার্থে নেওয়া সঠিক সিদ্ধান্ত এবং ভুল সিদ্ধান্তের মধ্যে এখন সিবিআই তফাত করতে পারছে না। তিনি বলেন, 'যদি সিবিআই সিদ্ধান্তে পৌঁছেছে যে, হিন্ডালকো (তালাবীরা)-কে কয়লা ব্লক বণ্টনে কোনও ষড়যন্ত্র আছে, তা হলে প্রধানমন্ত্রীকেই প্রথম অভিযুক্ত করা উচিত। কারণ তিনিই এই বণ্টনে মঞ্জুরি দিয়েছিলেন।' তিনি আরও বলেন, 'আমি আশ্চর্য। আমার সেই সমস্ত সিদ্ধান্তে আঙুল তোলা হচ্ছে, যা আমি কয়লা সেক্টরে দক্ষতা আনার উদ্দেশে নিয়েছিলাম।'


উল্লেখ্য, ২০০৪ সালে কয়লা সচিব নিযুক্ত হয়েছিলেন প্রকাশ চন্দ্র পারেখ। তার পর থেকে ইউপিএ-র একাধিক মন্ত্রী তাঁকে পদ থেকে সরাতে চাইতেন বলে অভিযোগ ওঠে। তা সত্ত্বেও তিনি অবসরগ্রহণ পর্যন্ত নিজের পদে বহাল ছিলেন। ২০০৫ সালে তিনি অবসর গ্রহণ করেন।

নয়াদিল্লি: কয়লার ব্লক বণ্টন কেলেঙ্কারিতে যুক্ত থাকার অভিযোগে মঙ্গলবার শিল্পপতি কুমার মঙ্গলম বিড়লা ও প্রাক্তন কয়লা সচিব পি সি পারেখের বিরুদ্ধে মামলা দায়ের করেছে সেন্ট্রাল ব্যুরো অফ ইনভেস্টিগেশন (সিবিআই)৷ বিড়লার বিরুদ্ধে প্রতারণা ও জালিয়াতির অভিযোগ এনেছে কেন্দ্রীয় তদন্তকারী সংস্থাটি৷ পারেখের বিরুদ্ধে দুর্নীতি (প্রতিরোধ) আইনে অভিযোগ দায়ের করা হয়েছে৷


২০০৫ সালের কয়লা ব্লক বণ্টন কেলেঙ্কারিতে এই নিয়ে চোদ্দটি অভিযোগ দায়ের করল সিবিআই৷ বিড়লা ও পারেখের বিরুদ্ধে অভিযোগ দায়ের করার পরে তদন্তকারী সংস্থাটি সম্মিলিতভাবে মুম্বই, দিল্লি, হায়দরাবাদ ও ভুবনেশ্বরের প্রায় ছ'টি জায়গায় বিড়লার অফিসে অনুসন্ধান চালিয়েছে৷ সিবিআই-এর মুখপাত্র কাঞ্চন প্রসাদ বলেন, 'কয়লা কেলেঙ্কারিতে বেনিয়মের অভিযোগে তদানীন্তন কয়লা সচিব, হিন্দালকো, আদিত্য বিড়লা গোষ্ঠীর প্রতিনিধি ও আধিকারিকদের বিরুদ্ধে সিবিআই নতুন করে অভিযোগ দায়ের করেছে৷' সিবিআই-এর অভিযোগ অনুযায়ী ২০০৫ সালের ১০ নভেম্বর ওড়িশার তালাবিড়া ২ ব্লকটি আদিত্য বিড়লা গোষ্ঠীর সংস্থা হিন্দালকোর নামে বেআইনিভাবে বণ্টন করা হয়৷ আর সেই অভিযোগের ভিত্তিতেই সংস্থার প্রতিনিধি হিসাবে কুমার মঙ্গলম বিড়লার বিরুদ্ধে অভিযোগ দায়ের করেছে তদন্তকারী সংস্থাটি৷ কয়লা মন্ত্রকের স্ক্রিনিং কমিটি তাদের ২৫ তম বৈঠকে ব্লকটি বণ্টনের সিদ্ধান্ত নিয়েছিল বলে জানিয়েছে সিবিআই৷




আদিত্য বিড়লা গোষ্ঠীর তরফ থেকে যাবতীয় অভিযোগ অস্বীকার করা হয়েছে৷ প্রাক্তন কয়লা প্রতিমন্ত্রী দশারি নারায়ন রাওকে টাকা দিয়ে অবৈধভাবে কয়লার ব্লক আদায়ের অভিযোগ গত বছর আরেক শিল্পপতি ও কংগ্রেস সাংসদ নবীন জিন্দলের বিরুদ্ধেও অভিযোগ দায়ের করেছে সিবিআই৷ তার পরে একই অবস্থা দাঁড়িয়েছিল জিন্দলের সংস্থা জিন্দল স্টিল অ্যান্ড পাওয়ারের শেয়ার দরে৷ জিন্দল এবং রাও ছাড়া জিন্দল স্টিল অ্যান্ড পাওয়ার লিমিটেড এবং গগন স্পঞ্জের বিরুদ্ধেও অভিযোগ দায়ের করেছে সিবিআই৷ দিল্লির সংস্থা রাঠি স্টিল অ্যান্ড পাওয়ার এবং তার সিইও উদিত রাঠির বিরুদ্ধে কয়লার ব্লক পেতে ভুল তথ্য সরবরাহের অভিযোগ দায়ের করা হয়েছে৷




কয়লা কেলেঙ্কারি নিয়ে সুপ্রিম কোর্টের নির্দেশের উপর ভিত্তি করেই ১৯৯৩ সাল থেকে ২০১০ সাল পর্যন্ত বণ্টন করা কয়লার ব্লকগুলির অবস্থান খতিয়ে দেখছে সিবিআই৷ হিন্দালকো ও আদিত্য বিড়লা গোষ্ঠীর বিরুদ্ধে করা অভিযোগের কোনও কপি তাদের হাতে পৌঁছোয়নি বলে সংস্থার এক মুখপাত্র জানিয়েছেন৷ বিড়লা ও হিন্দালকোর বিরুদ্ধে অভিযোগ দায়ের হওয়ার ফলে মহান ও তালিবাড়া ২ ব্লক হাতে পেতে আরও দেরি হতে পারে বলেই মনে করছেন সংশ্লিষ্ট বিনিয়োগকারীরা৷ এর প্রভাব সামগ্রিকভাবে আদিত্য বিড়লা গোষ্ঠীর উপর পড়তে পারে বলেও বিশেষজ্ঞরা মনে করছেন৷ রিজার্ভ ব্যাঙ্কের কাছে নতুন ব্যাঙ্কের লাইসেন্স পাওয়ার জন্য আবেদন করেছে আদিত্য বিড়লা গোষ্ঠী৷ কিন্ত্ত, সিবিআইয়ের অভিযোগের পরে তাদের ব্যাঙ্ক লাইসেন্সের আবেদনও গুরুত্ব হারাতে পারে৷ সংস্থাটির মহান অ্যালুমিনিয়াম প্রকল্পের কাজও এর ফলে ব্যাহত হতে পারে বলে বিশেষজ্ঞদের ধারনা৷ এই প্রকল্পটির জন্য তালাবিড়া ২ ও মহান কয়লা খনির উপর অনেকটাই নির্ভর করে রয়েছে হিন্দালকো৷ কিন্ত্ত, কয়লা কেলেঙ্কারিতে সংস্থার নাম জড়ানোর ফলে এই দুই ব্লক হাতে পাওয়া সংস্থাটির পক্ষে কঠিন হয়ে দাঁড়াতে পারে৷ ফলে থমকে যেতে পারে প্রকল্প রূপায়ণের কাজ৷ ২০০৫ সালে মহানদী কোলফিল্ডস লিমিটেড এবং নর্দান কোলফিল্ডস লিমিটেড-এর সঙ্গে যৌথভাবে ওড়িশার তালাবিড়া ২ কয়লাখনিটি হিন্দালকোকে বণ্টন করে কেন্দ্রীয় কয়লা মন্ত্রক৷ তালাবিড়া ২ কয়লা খনিটির সঙ্গে হিন্দালকোর আদিত্য অ্যালুমিনা ও অ্যালুমিনিয়াম প্রকল্প দু'টিও জড়িত৷ কাজেই এর ফলে এই প্রকল্পের কাজও বাধা পাবে৷




নিলাম না করেই অবৈধভাবে কয়লার ব্লক বণ্টন করার ফলে কেন্দ্রীয় সরকারের প্রায় ১.৮৬ লক্ষ কোটি টাকার বেশি ক্ষতি হয়েছে বলে ২০১২ সালে তাদের রিপোর্টে জানায় কম্পট্রোলার অ্যান্ড অডিটর জেনারেল অফ ইন্ডিয়া (সিএজি)৷ তার পরেই সুপ্রিম কোর্টের নির্দেশে কয়লার ব্লক বণ্টন নিয়ে তদন্তের ভার বর্তায় কেন্দ্রীয় অনুসন্ধানকারী সংস্থা সিবিআইয়ের উপর৷ কয়লা কেলেঙ্কারি নিয়ে সিবিআই তদন্ত চলাকালীন বেশ কিছু গুরুত্বপূর্ণ ফাইল হারিয়ে যাওয়ায় এবং তদন্তকারী সংস্থাটিকে সহায়তা না করায় সুপ্রিম কোর্টের ক্ষোভের মুখে পড়তে হয় কেন্দ্রীয় কয়লা মন্ত্রককে৷


CAMBRIDGE, Mass: India's economy will pick up by year-end thanks to the start-up of billions of dollars worth of stalled resource projects and a good monsoon season that will bolster agricultural production, the head of reserve Bank of India ( RBI) said on Tuesday.

India's economy will pick up by year-end thanks to the start-up of billions of dollars worth of stalled resource projects.


The Reserve Bank of India is due to review monetary policy on Oct 29, with a rising pace of inflation bolstering odds for another central bank interest rate hike even as the economy stumbles through its worst crisis since 1991.


"The correct question is: are you going to raise rates or not? The answer is: I'm not going to tell you," Raghuram Rajan told an academic audience at Harvard Business School in Cambridge, Massachusetts.


He later said that he believed India's economic growth would start to pick up in the fourth quarter after a commission gave the green light to scores of resource projects that had been put on hold during a sweeping government review of transparency and environmental policy.


He said about half of the $115 billion worth of stalled projects had been cleared.


"The effects of that clearance will show up toward the end of the year. So growth will start picking up because these large projects will start coming back onstream," he said.


He did not give a forecast for fourth-quarter growth.


"The second piece of good news is the monsoon has been very good ... with a bountiful harvest, and with the associated activities like animal husbandry, poultry, also picking up, you can see a lot more value in the rural areas, which will help sentiment and growth," he said.


India's economic growth has slowed sharply in recent years from around 8 per cent per year between 2002 and 2012 to about 5 percent in 2012-13, while its current account deficit has ballooned and inflation has risen.


Worries over the rising pace of inflation had already led Rajan to surprise markets last month with an interest rate hike of 25 basis points.


Rajan said that investors were quick to blame structural dysfunction for India's economic troubles, but that the issues were more likely to do with the unwinding of stimulus in the wake of the global financial crisis, policy reviews stalling projects, and a spike-up in Indian demand for gold.


"There's a lot that is going on to fix these medium-term problems," he said.


"If you are an outsider looking at India, learn to filter out both the irrational exuberance and the excessive pessimism. We're subject to both. You will become manic-depressive if you follow our moods."


He added that the question of using interest rates to address inflation was more complicated in India than in the United States.


"In the US you know there is a large interest rate-sensitive sector that is going to be affected when you raise interest rates ... But what if you have a large part of the country that is not connected directly to the financial system?" he said, referring to India's massive rural population.


Calling allegations made against him in the coal scam, Former union coal secretary Prakash Chandra Parakh on Wednesday said that if the CBI thinks there is a conspiracy in the allocation of Talabira blocks, then along with KM Birla and him, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should also be named in the chargesheet.


"If there is a conspiracy, then there are different members to it. If CBI thinks there is a conspiracy, then there are three conspirators. KM Birla, me and PM, who was the final decision maker," Parakh said.


"This baseless allegation by the CBI does not deserve any consideration. CBI should answer questions about why my name has been included," Parakh hit out.


Industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla, Parakh and others have been booked by CBI in connection with alleged irregularities in the allocation of two coal blocks in Odisha eight years back.


Explaining his stance, Parakh said, "The allegation is that Talibara 2 block has been allotted to a private company, Hindalco and therefore there is an undue benefit to a private company. The case was for this block there were two applicants. One was Hindalco, which was the first applicant and the second was Neyveli Lignite Corporation. Both of them were equally competent and fulfilled all criteria which are required for allocation of the coal block."


"In the screening committee we took the decision that since Neyveli is a government company, is a Public Sector company, we should give preference to Neyveli Lignite Corporation. At that point of time Mr Birla made a representation to PM, saying that we made the first application for this block, we are equally eligible and competent for allocation of this block. He said that their request had been unfairly rejected and should be reconsidered. Mr Birla also met me and made a similar representation, I examined the issue and therefore made a proposal that along with Neyveli, Hindalco should also be included in this block. Both of them were advised to form a Joint Venture," he added.

Watch: PC Parakh points finger at PM

ET SPECIAL:

Save precious time tracking your investments



TOP STORIES

Mayur Shetty 16 Oct 2013, 10:27

FSDC meeting to draw up plans to tackle US Federal Reserve's QE3 cut

According to bankers, the measures are likely to build on the steps that RBI and the government have taken to increase the flow of foreign capital into India.


FinMin not in favour of tightening FDI norms in pharma

PTI 15 Oct 2013, 18:18

The Finance Ministry is not in favour of tightening of norms for foreign investors in already existing Indian pharmaceutical companies, a senior official said.

Steps to ensure SAFTA is not misused by third countries: KH Muniyappa

PTI 15 Oct 2013, 17:23

The Minister regretted that instead of the Ludhiana industry exporting to other countries as it had all the potential to, things were being imported.

India aims to launch CPI-linked securities in early November: Reports

Reuters 15 Oct 2013, 16:01

RBI is preparing to launch savings certificates tied to consumer price inflation by early next month in its continued bid to encourage households to diversify away from gold.

Develop an ecosystem that protects intellectual property: US industry to P Chidambaram

PTI 15 Oct 2013, 09:28

"Outstanding issues will be resolved through constructive dialogue, and USIBC looks forward to working with India to enable such dialogue," Somers said.

Rural Ministry makes a three-year road map for modernization of land records

Urmi A Goswami 15 Oct 2013, 04:07

Modernised land records will ensure availability of updated record of rights, sale deeds and registration process in electronic form.

Don't let inflation come in the way of rate cuts: India Inc

PTI 14 Oct 2013, 18:16

India Inc today asked the Reserve Bank to cut interest rates saying food prices will fall with the arrival of kharif crops in October.

Govt mulls supplying packed foodgrains via ration shops

PTI 14 Oct 2013, 17:45

In order to plug leakages in PDS and supply quality foodgrain under the new food law to 67% of the country's population, govt is looking at distributing cheaper foodgrain in packs of 5 kg.

India shoring forex reserves to deal with tapering: P Chidambaram

PTI 14 Oct 2013, 16:30

Finance Minister P Chidambaram has said that India is shoring up its forex kitty to deal with the impact of US tapering.


http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/pm-faces-coalgate-heat-parakh-says-manmohan-singh-should-be-named-in-cbi-chargesheet/articleshow/24238890.cms




"There is absolutely nothing wrong with the decision. It was a very fair and correct decision that we took. I don't know why CBI thought that there is a conspiracy," Parakh said.


"But, if there is a conspiracy, then there are different members in this conspiracy. There is K M Birla who made the representation, he is one conspirator. I, who examined the case and made a recommendation, I can be another conspirator and the Prime Minister, who as the Coal Minister, took the final decision, is the third conspirator.


Vedanta hopeful of govt taking Rs 21,600 cr divestment bait Vedanta Group currently holds 64.9 percent stake in HZL and 51 percent in Balco. It proposed the government on January 2012 to acquire the entire residual stake for Rs 17,200 crores valuing the combined stake at USD 3.2 billion at the then currency rate.


Read more at: http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/vedanta-hopefulgovt-taking-rs-21600-cr-divestment-bait_970444.html?utm_source=ref_article

Coal Scam: India Inc and ministers express shock and disbelief at CBI filing a FIR against Kumar Mangalam Birla

MUMBAI/NEW DELHI: The decision by Central Bureau of Investigation to formally name Kumar Mangalam Birla, the head of a storied business empire, along with his company HindalcoBSE 1.45 %, has caused consternation in India Inc.

Birla, 46, is widely considered a conservative businessman who plays by the rule book. In the 2G scam, for instance, Idea Cellular, an Aditya Birla Group firm, was the only telco not to come under the scanner. "It is ludicrous that an FIR has been filed against Kumar Mangalam. He is straight as an arrow. Our system is such that biggest fraudsters go scot-free. I can give a many examples to prove this point. The innocent people are the ones who are harassed," rued Deepak Parekh, chairman of HDFC. This view was echoed by other industrialists, who apprehend that CBI's actions may have far-reaching consequences marring India's image among investors abroad.

"Kumar Mangalam Birla is one of our most respected businessmen. I feel India's image as a good investment destination can take a severe beating if such incidents happen," warned Ajay Piramal, chairman, Piramal Enterprises, which owns a sizeable minority stake in the Indian unit of Vodafone Plc.

These views were endorsed by three ministers of the UPA government, who expressed shock at the development. They spoke on condition of anonymity. A Cabinet minister saidCBI was now acting without any "checks or balances". "CBI or such bureaucracy will pose problems for any government, whether this one or the next, as they are now operating without any checks or balances," the minister said.

Another minister said a witch-hunt was inevitable when profits become a bad word. "Every investigating or audit agency is out to make a demon of anyone who is creating wealth," this minister said. A senior Cabinet minister belonging to a UPA ally said naming an industrialist and not the company alone may create a problem globally as these entrepreneurs are now managing global assets. "People should take care before naming an individual, as it has to do with the reputation and personal integrity of the person even internationally," he said.

TV Mohandas Pai, the outspoken former InfosysBSE 0.75 % board member, said it was not right to "go after" everyone who has been allocated a coal block. "It is not right to go after everyone who has been allocated coal blocks unless CBI has strong direct evidence. In a system where justice takes a long time to come, their reputation is tainted till such time they can prove themselves innocent. There are serious players who need coal for captive consumption and then there are cronies where there are charges of nepotism and bribery," said Pai, who is an investor in a proxy advisory firm for institutions. "We should not second-guess CBI and justice must prevail, but targeting everyone without strong grounds will send out negative signals. Industry will hold back investments for fear of being accused wrongly through roving inquiries," Pai said, echoing Piramal's fears.

'Shock seemed to be the common sentiment on Tuesday. "As an investment banker, I have done many transactions for Kumar Mangalam. He has never suggested anything which is not in conformity with laws and regulations. I am deeply shocked. And this incident will shock investor confidence," said Hemendra Kothari, chairman, DSP Group.


"The Aditya Birla Group follows the highest corporate governance and ethical standards. In our experience, these standards are set by Chairman Kumar Mangalam himself. Hence, we are very shocked and surprised by the action taken by CBI," said Nimesh Kampani, chairman, JM Financial.


"I was shocked when I heard about it, and it is completely unexpected," said Rashesh Shah, chairman of Edelweiss Group.


The Hindalco share saw its biggest decline in three months to Rs 105.10. But later, it recouped losses and ended the day at Rs 112.20, a gain of 1.45% from Monday's close. "We wish to state unambiguously that we have followed every process required for allocation of coal completely, as stipulated by the government policy," the company said in a statement to bourses. "Apparently this seems to be part of a larger case entailing coal allocation to companies, and being one of the companies, we are being investigated too," Hindalco explained to its investors through a one-page statement to the Bombay Stock Exchange.


CBI is probing companies after Comptroller & Auditor General of India said in mid-2012 that the allocation of coal mines without an auction had cost the government Rs 1,86,000 crore. CAG said the award of mines gave undue benefit to companies, including Naveen Jindal's Jindal Steel & Power and Tata Steel.


Shailesh Haribhakti, a prominent chartered accountant, pointed out that Birla was on the board of regulators of institutions such as RBI and Sebi. "We need to operate under clear policy guidelines. It is indeed unfortunate that to begin investigation it becomes necessary to file an FIR against a person with a clean reputation. Until recently, Birla was on the board of RBI and he headed the committee which drafted Sebi's report on corporate governance," said Haribhakti, chairman of DH Consultants.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/coal-scam-india-inc-and-ministers-express-shock-and-disbelief-at-cbi-filing-a-fir-against-kumar-mangalam-birla/articleshow/24214127.cms?curpg=2


Just hours after former coal secretary PC Parakh brough Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the line of fire over the coal scam, the CBI said that it had sufficient evidence to prove Parakh overturned the screening committee's decision to favour Aditya Birla Group Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla. "We have evidence on record that it was Parakh who overturned Screening Committee's decision and coal block was allotted to Birlas. This is the initial stage of investigation and chance will be given to all accused to defend themselves at the time of their statement. This is an SC monitored investigation and we are going by rule book," said a CBI source. The source dismissed a CAG report absolving Parakh of the charge and said that Parakh's alleged favouratism has been established in the initial stage of the investigation itself. Parakh had hit out at the PM, saying if he is to be blamed for the scam, then the PM too is an accused. Parakh cited the Comptroller and Auditor General report of August 2012 that had lauded him for opposing the present system of allocating coal blocks and pointed out that he had differences on many of the policy matters with the PM and the Coal Minister but was overruled. On Tuesday, FIRs were filed against Aditya Birla Group Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla, NALCO , HINDALCO and former secretary coal PC Parakh. Cases of cheating, forgery and financial misrepresentation have been filed. Sources said that in the FIR against Birla, the name of the concerned coal block in question is Talabira II in the Jasakuda district of Odisha. This coal block was allocated in 2005. The Aditya Birla Group has issued a statement saying, "Did not receive any FIR copy and there is no reason for it." Sources said that in the FIR against Birla, the name of the concerned coal block in question is Talabira II in the Jasakuda district of Odisha. This coal block was allocated in 2005. The Aditya Birla Group has issued a statement saying, "Did not receive any FIR copy and there is no reason for it." The FIR says HINDALCO did not fulfill requirements of coal block but was unduly favoured by the government. Earlier Congress MP and industrialist Naveen Jindal was summoned by the CBI in September and was subjected to some intense scrutiny. Naveen has been named as an accused in the twelfth FIR of the CBI in coal scam. The CBI in its FIR has said that Naveen's company, Jindal Group, was not recommended by the Jharkhand government. The FIR also accused him of misrepresentation of facts. On October 15, 2013, National Aluminium Company closed at Rs 32.75, down Rs 0.1, or 0.3 percent. The 52-week high of the share was Rs 52.00 and the 52-week low was Rs 24.10. The company's trailing 12-month (TTM) EPS was at Rs 2.05 per share as per the quarter ended June 2013. The stock's price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio was 15.98. The latest book value of the company is Rs 46.30 per share. At current value, the price-to-book value of the company was 0.71.


Read more at: http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/have-proof-that-parakh-favoured-birlas-cbi-sources_970677.html?utm_source=ref_article

Captains, Netas Come Down on CBI Like a Tonne of Bricks

Say move may affect business confidence

SABARINATH M & SOMA BANERJEE MUMBAI|NEW DELHI


The decision by CBI to formally name Kumar Mangalam Birla, the head of a storied business empire, along with his company Hindalco, has caused consternation in India Inc.

Birla, 46, is widely considered a conservative businessman who plays by the rule book. In the 2G scam, for instance, Idea Cellular, a Aditya Birla Group affiliate, was the only company not to come under the scanner.

"It is ludicrous that an FIR has been filed against Kumar Mangalam. He is straight as an arrow. Our system is such that biggest fraudsters get scotfree. I can give a number of examples to prove this point. The innocent people are the ones who are harassed," rued Deepak Parekh, chairman of HDFC.

This view was echoed by other industrialists who apprehend that the CBI's actions may have far reaching consequences marring India's image among investors aboard.

"Kumar Mangalam Birla is one of our most respected businessmen. I feel India's image as a good investment destination can take a severe beating if such incidents happen," warned Ajay Piramal.



FOURTH FRONT

Polls Nearing, All Not Quiet on Eastern Front

Mamata Banerjee, Naveen Patnaik, Nitish Kumar, Babulal Marandi and Badruddin Ajmal said to be exploring a new front to act as an alternative to Congress and BJP

NISTULA HEBBAR NEW DELHI



   On October 2nd, when Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi and Telegu Desam Party (TDP) chief N Chandrababu Naidu were sharing a stage in New Delhi, a much publicised pairing, Trinamool Congress leader Mukul Roy made a quiet visit to Ranchi. He was visiting Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (JVM) leader Babulal Marandi, not for the first time, but to cement what five leaders of eastern India have been attempting to do in this season of political uncertainty—form an eastern block, equidistant from the Congress and the BJP. The leaders include Mamta Banerjee of the Trinamool Congress, Naveen Patnaik of the Biju Janata Dal, Nitish Kumar of the Janata Dal (U), Marandi and Badruddin Ajmal of the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) the Assam based party and between them hold sway in over 100 seats in eastern India.

Marandi who is being courted by the BJP and the Congress, has for now decided to play it safe along with the rest of these leaders. "We have been in touch with each other for sometime, but these are very early days, we are not a formal front or anything," he said. Roy has been playing emissary on behalf of Mamta Banerjee who had earlier tried to get some leaders together before the Presidential polls. "That effort didn't work, which is why this is being done very quietly, and among like minded parties," said a senior Trinamool leader. The Left, which was traditionally the fulcrum of a third front is debilitated, and unacceptable to Banerjee who feels that she will have an important role to play in 2014.

Naveen Patnaik who has already declared that he would be equidistant from the both the Congress and the BJP had earlier managed a front of sorts to protest against the National Counter Terrorism Centre proposed by the home ministry. "The Third Front is a good idea," he said when asked about efforts to forge one. Quite obviously, while these leaders have been earlier been in the UPA or NDA in the past, the uncertain political outcome of these elections has created unique problems. "Instead of committing to either of these national parties, this time we want to see how the numbers stack up. The entry of Narendra Modi and his high pitch campaign has made it difficult to size up allies," said a senior Trinamool leader. "We constitute just over a 100 seats in the Lok Sabha," he added.

Nitish Kumar, who exited the NDA a couple of months ago is also not averse keeping in touch with leaders. "We are facing elections on our own for the first time, none of these parties are rivals, what's the harm," said an office bearer of the party.

In fact, the block is trying to look to further its reach into the south. When YSR Congress chief Jagan Mohan Reddy made a laudatory reference to Modi, Mukul roy promptly called him up to enquire about it. "But you didn't hear the rest of my sentence," Reddy said to Roy, "I said that Modi must first assure us of his secular credentials," he added. The formation of such blocks and fronts senior leaders say will now be more common than not, as both the Congress and the BJP tread uncertain political ground.















Slums Contribute Over 7.5% to GDP

OUR BUREAU NEW DELHI


India has 240 million households living in informal urban settlements, including slums — 40% higher than 140 million slum households estimated by Census of India 2011 data, says an independent study by research firm Indicus Analytics and civil society organisation PRIA.

The study on the 'economic contribution of urban poor in India' has also found that people living as informal settlement dwellers contribute about more than 7.5% to the country's urban GDP.

According to the study, a large proportion of urban poor workforce, which comprises of domestic help, vendors and hawkers, construction workers, rag-pickers and rickshaw pullers dwell in informal settlements, slums and resettlement colonies.

"The estimate of slums takes into account certain criteria set by Census for settlement to be featured as slums. However, a large chunk of households are left out who are living in similar or poorer dwelling conditions compared to those of slums and therefore our baseline number is 40% higher than that estimated by Census," Laveesh Bhandari, director, Indicus Analytics said. The study further noted that at all India level, 36% of slum households do not have basic facilities of electricity, tap water and sanitation within the house premises. However, these basic amenities were better available in states Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh as comparison to Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar and Jharkhand.

The study was conducted on the basis of a primary survey of 50 top cities in India. The survey captured various socio-economic-demographic dimensions of urban informal settlements dwellers in these cities. More than 5000 households and 24,445 individuals were covered in the survey. The focus of the study was to get information about income-expenditure, employment, nature of job, education, living conditions and the similar ones to understand the economic component of their life along with standard of living.










From Ratan Tata, Anil Ambani to Sunil Mittal: A look at business leaders probed by CBI

W

While several industry leaders have been quizzed by the investigative agency, there are others who have been slapped with serious criminal charges.

ET SPECIAL:

Save precious time tracking your investments


In the last couple of years, a number of corporate houses have been probed by theCentral Bureau of Investigation in connection with allocation of natural resources. While several industry leaders have been quizzed by the investigative agency, there are others who have been slapped with serious criminal charges. ET takes a quick look...

Aug 2013: ANIL & TINA AMBANI


Anil and Tina Ambani summoned as witnesses in the 2G scam case. In Feb 2011,Anil Ambani was subjected to sustained interrogation by the agency.


July 2013: NAVEEN JINDAL


CBI had accused the industrialist MP of cheating and graft in one of its FIR in the coalgate scam. CBI has also booked companies Jindal Steel and Power Limited and Gagan Sponge, which were allotted Amarkonda Murgadangal coal block in Birbhum, Jharkhand in 2008.


April 2013: SUNIL MITTAL & RAVI RUIA


Bharti Airtel chairman Sunil Mittal and Essar Group promoter Ravi Ruia had to submit personal bonds in a CBI special court as guarantees for their appearance in a case related to alleged excess allocation of radio airwaves in 2002.




2012, May 16: MATRIX LAB FOUNDER


CBI has arrested Matrix Laboratories founder Nimmagadda Prasad in connection with a corruption investigation involving the son of Andhra Pradesh's late chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy. Prasad was the first industrialist to be arrested as part of the CBI's investigation of Jagan Mohan Reddy.


Dec 13, 2011: ESSAR AND LOOP PROMOTERS


CBI filed charges in a Delhi court against industrialists Ravi Ruia and Anshuman Ruia, the promoters of Essar Group, and Loop promoters IP Khaitan and Kiran Khaitan. Earlier in the year, the investigative agency had summoned Prashant Ruia for questioning.


June 2, 2011: RATAN TATA


Ratan Tata was given a clean chit by the CBI, which said it found no irregularities in the issance of 2G licence to the telecom company


Apr 2011: UNITECH'S SANJAY CHANDRA


Sanjay Chandra, managing director, Unitech Wireless, was arrested in the 2G case; released on bail eight months later. In July this year, the CBI moved the Supreme Court for cancelling his bail, alleging that he had attempted to "sabotage the trial".


Feb 9, 2011: SHAHID USMAN BALWA


CBI arrested Dynamix Balwas group managing director Shahid Usman Balwa in the 2G spectrum allocation scam.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/from-ratan-tata-anil-ambani-to-sunil-mittal-a-look-at-business-leaders-probed-by-cbi/articleshow/24219808.cms


Coal scam: CBI files FIR against Hindalco's Kumar Birla, ex coal-secy PC Parakh

CBI sources said the agency has booked Birla as a representative of Aditya Birla Group and his group company Hindalco

MUMBAI: The Central Bureau of Investigation on Tuesday named Kumar Mangalam Birla in a first information report (FIR) related to alleged irregularities in coal block allocations, sparking anger and disbelief across the business community over one of the country's top industrialists being dragged into the controversy.


It also named PC Parakh, coal secretary from 2004 to 2005, and Hindalco, a company belonging to the Aditya Birla Group, of which Birla is the chairman, in the FIR. CBI has previously named prominent businessmen such as Naveen Jindal, chairman of Jindal Steel & Power, politicians and bureaucrats in the 14 FIRs filed so far in various coal block cases. The agency said searches were being conducted in Mumbai, Delhi, Bhubaneswar and Secunderabad in connection with the allocation of Talabira 2 and Talabira 3 coal blocks in Odisha to Hindalco. Shares of HindalcoBSE 1.45 % fell briefly before recovering to end higher on the bourses.

Editor's Pick

Hindalco Industries Ltd.

BSE

112.20

1.60(1.45%)

Vol: 3515452 shares traded

NSE

112.10

1.50(1.36%)

Vol: 22947286 shares traded

Prices | Financials | Company Info | Reports

ET SPECIAL:

Save precious time tracking your investments



Speaking exclusively to ET, Birla denied the allegations. "We have followed all processes in the coal mine allocation. Indeed, because of the delays in receiving permission for mining, our project ( Aditya Aluminium) has also been delayed."


Parakh, the coal secretary between March 2004 and December 31, 2005, expressed astonishment at being named in the FIR. "I am amazed at the inability of CBI to make a distinction between a bona fide decision taken in public interest and a conspiracy," he said in a text message. "If allocation of Talabira to Hindalco was a conspiracy, then the prime minister, who approved the proposal, should have been named as accused No. 1 in the PE (preliminary enquiry)."


Business leaders across the country expressed shock at CBI's actions. "It is ludicrous that an FIR has been filed against Kumar Mangalam," said Deepak Parekh, chairman of HDFC, the country's biggest mortgage lender. "He is straight as an arrow," Parekh added.


Sources in the investigating agency alleged Parakh extended undue favour to Birla by overturning a decision of the screening committee that had not recommended allocation of the blocks to aluminum maker Hindalco. The FIR alleges criminal conspiracy by Birla and misuse of position by Parakh, a CBI official said. "The coal blocks were meant for allocation to public sector undertakings. However, the 25th screening committee in 2005 decided to allocate the blocks to Hindalco, after Birla met Parekh. Incriminating documents have been found in today's search," he said. "The agency is investigating the matter and more searches will be conducted. Birla could also be summoned for enquiry," the CBI official added.


Responding to the allegation, Birla questioned the premise of CBI's FIR. "How can I overturn the screening committee's recommendations? It's a ludicrous suggestion."

In a statement late on Tuesday evening,Hindalco Managing Director Debu Bhattacharya said the mines were allocated in 2005 after several years of delays. The first application was filed in 1996 by Indal, the Indian subsidiary of Canadian giant Alcan. Hindalco bought out Indal in 2000. "To imply that our chairman, Kumar Mangalam Birla, managed to overturn the decision of the screening committee, is preposterous," Bhattacharya said. He added that no mining has been done on the site as clearances have not been received though the project for which the mine was allocated will be commissioned later this month. "The mines in question — Talabira 2 and 3 — have been finally allotted jointly to Mahanadi Coalfields and Neyveli Lignite, both public sector undertakings. Hindalco only has a 15 per cent stake," Bhattacharya said. "This will mean delayed returns from Aditya Aluminium, which has been set up on a capex of over Rs 11,000 crore. We hope this puts in perspective the struggle Hindalco has had to undergo for securing the coal and the irrecoverable economic loss that Hindalco has had to suffer. In the light of these facts, the allegations made are paradoxical," Bhattacharya said.


CBI's investigations into coal block allocations began last year after the Comptroller & Auditor General (CAG) faulted the government for allocating coal blocks between 2004 and 2009 in an inefficient manner resulting in a loss of Rs 1.86 lakh crore to the exchequer. The government, it said, had the option of following a bidding system for coal blocks, but chose not to. It set up a screening committee that allocated blocks based on expert appraisal.



*



Birla is not the first prominent businessman to be named in the matter. In June this year, CBIregistered a case accusing Naveen Jindal, chairman of Jindal Steel & Power, and Dasari Narayan Rao, the minister of state for coal during 2004-08, of fraud and collusion in allocation of a coal block.


As coal secretary, Parakh was opposed to the screening committee approach and had recommended a shift to a bidding-based one. "It is travesty of facts that CBI should question my bona fides when I relentlessly worked for transparency in coal sector despite all odds," Parakh said in the text message on Tuesday.


"He is very honest," said EAS Sarma, former secretary, ministry of finance, about Parakh. "But if there were irregularities during his chairmanship of the screening committee, then he would be responsible even if he had a very corrupt MoS (minister of state) above him."

In 2012, Parakh told reporters that the allocation process was prone to corruption, that companies had lobbied hard to get allotments in their favour, and that parts of the government had blocked a shift to the bidding system. "(The system) had its flaws," he told ET in June 2012. "The committees usually accepted whatever the state governments recommended."


Back in June 28, 2004, after a meeting with various stakeholders, the coal ministry prepared a note which said that "...since there is a substantial difference between the price of coal supplied by CIL ( Coal India Limited) and coal produced through captive mining, there is a windfall gain to the person who is allotted a captive block". It added that the screening committee approach, even with modifications, "would not be able to achieve the objectives of transparency and objectivity in the allocation process".


Correspondence from that period shows that this proposal ran into opposition — initially from the PMO, and later from the then minister of state for coal Dasari Narayana Rao, who is now the subject of another CBIFIR investigating a share transaction that links him to Naveen Jindal, whose companies received coal blocks.


In February 2005, some of these objections had been upheld by Prime MinisterManmohan Singh, who was also the coal minister at the time. The PM said he was in "complete agreement with the views expressed by MoS (minister of state)". In July 2005, the PMO again reiterated that coal block allocations would be done only through the screening committee route till the new competitive bidding procedure became operational.


http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/Coal-scam-CBI-files-FIR-against-Hindalcos-Kumar-Birla-ex-coal-secy-PC-Parakh/articleshow/24182436.cms

Aditya Birla group stocks end mixed amid coal scam issue

MUMBAI: Shares of Aditya Birla-promoted firms such as Hindalco Industries and AB Nuvo today ended the day on a mixed note, after the CBI registered a case against industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla in connection with alleged irregularities in allocation of coal blocks in 2005.


Hindalco Industries' scrip that had tanked 4.97 per cent to Rs 105.10 in intra-day trade, recouped the losses and finally ended the day with a gain of 1.45 per cent at Rs 112.20 on the BSE.


Similarly, Aditya Birla Chemicals was up 1.93 per cent. Shares of Aditya Birla Nuvo ended 2.02 per cent lower, while Idea Cellular was down 0.08 per cent.


Among others, shares of Grasim fell by 0.33 per cent, and Aditya Birla Money shed 4.79 per cent.


After registering the fresh FIR, its 14th in the multi- crore scandal, coordinated searches were carried out by CBI teams at nearly six locations in Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad and Bhubaneshwar.


The agency has booked Birla as a representative of Aditya Birla Group and his group company, aluminium maker Hindalco, for alleged corruption in the allocation of Talabira two coal blocks in Odisha which was allotted to it on November 10, 2005, CBI sources said.


"CBI registers a fresh case in alleged irregularities in coal scam against the then Coal Secretary, M/s Hindalco, representative of Adita Birla Group, unknown persons and officials," agency spokesperson Kanchan Prasad said.


The $40 billion (about Rs. 2.45 lakh crore) conglomerate has denied receiving any FIR and refuted allegations of any wrongdoing.

RBI must keep its focus on growth, let government handle inflation

By ET Bureau | 16 Oct, 2013, 04.00AM IST

2 comments |Post a CommentThe government has to take credible, coherent action to bring down the fiscal deficit, a potent source of excess demand in the system that feeds inflation.

ET SPECIAL:

Save precious time tracking your investments


The central bank should stay focused on growth, and not be sidetracked by inflation, which remains stubbornly untamed. It is the government that has to act to contain inflation, and some of the requisite action involves greater, rather than curtailed,investment, calling for accommodativemonetary policy.


Inflation in September has turned out to be marginally higher than in the previous month. Most people conclude from this that the RBIhas now no room to lower its policy rates. The conclusion is gross, pun intended. A disaggregated view of prices would lead to a different conclusion.


Wholesale prices for manufactured goods went up by just 2 per cent in September. Fuel and power went up by 10 per cent. Primary articles went up by 13.6 per cent, with food articles seeing their prices rise by 18.4 per cent. The price of rice went up 18.8 per cent, prices of vegetables rose 89.4 per cent. This has been the pattern in the recent past as well.


Inflation in Superior Foods


Fuel prices went up because diesel prices are being weaned off subsidy, albeit in homoeopathic doses, and all fuels reflect the effect of rupee depreciation, some 15 per cent since September 2012. So, the price rise we see now is not really the tell-tale sign of an overheating economy that needs to be drenched in coolant.


Growth, in fact, has been slowing. The way out is to grow faster, particularly by investing in things that would boost the production of milk, meat, fish, eggs and poultry and build cold chains that would allow more fruit and vegetables to be transported from rural areas to distant consuming centres without turning into compost en route.


Consider the alternative of squeezing demand out of milk and eggs. Who precisely are creating this new demand for protein foods in excess of the pace at which supply is rising?


Don't Blame the Ambanis


Credit Suisse has an interesting report that its author has titled Animal Farm, which puts numbers to the gap between demand and supply of the superior protein foods. Listing the details could be tedious but not the picture they outline. Who would be eating all these fresh loads of eggs, meat, milk, fish, fruit and vegetables now in demand? Certainly not Mukesh Ambani.


Why is Ambani blameless in the country's new gargantuan appetite for meat, eggs and milk? Not because he is a vegetarian. Because he is well off enough already to eat anything he wants. People like him do not increase their demand for fresh fruit and cream when their profits go up by an incremental crore. Rather, it is the horde that has been newly liberated from the clutches of wrenching poverty who are gobbling up superior foods as never before.


As rural real wages go up for seven years in a row and the structure of employment shifts to bring down the share of the workforce still trapped in agriculture below 50 per cent — this landmark event happened in 2011 — and the overall productivity of labour goes up — that is the obverse of fewer people joining the workforce in a growing economy — it is inevitable that the demand for superior foods would go up, as more people make their diet more diverse.


We should be celebrating this ability of a rising proportion of the population to afford superior foods, not squeezing their demand out of the system with harsh monetary policy. The right response is to increase the supply of food ever more and invest in the logistical and marketing infrastructure, both to allow the incentive of better prices to filter through to the farmer and to transport perishable products to consuming centres fast.


This would call for amending the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee Act to exempt perishables from its ambit.

Govt Must Discipline the Fisc


What about the price of rice going up by nearly a fifth when the government has millions of tonnes of the grain in stock? Begin with X-rays. The minister and the secretary for food need to be examined to see if they have anything resembling a brain in their cranial cavity and anything stiff down their back.


For fear of being accused of causing loss to the exchequer, these worthies refuse to sell their excess stocks in the open market at a price that would clear stocks, increase supply in the market and bring prices down. The result: well-covered posteriors for the minister and his secretary and sky-high rice prices.


This anomaly is not hard to fix. Does this mean that inflation can be ignored? Not at all. The government has to take credible, coherent action to bring down the fiscal deficit, a potent source of excess demand in the system that feeds inflation.


There are two things the government can do to shrink the fiscal deficit. Double the rate of diesel subsidy removal, from 50 paise to Rs 1 a month. The second reform needed is to levy an import duty of 2.5 per cent on crude oil. This would reduce protection in the refining industry, not eliminate it. The industry can well absorb it.


Further, the go-ahead large projects, the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor and oilfield development in Barmer, have finally received must be followed through to produce new orders and activity to break ground and pour cement. Growth will induce fresh investmentand growth.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/opinion/t-k-arun/rbi-must-keep-its-focus-on-growth-let-government-handle-inflation/articleshow/24212395.cms?curpg=2


जनज्वार डॉटकॉम
जिस दुनिया में 80 करोड से अधिक लोग भुखमरी झेलने को अभिशप्त हों, अनगिनत भूख से जन्मी बीमारियों से मर रहे हों, वहां अगर अरबों टन भोजन बर्बाद होता है तो सोचना होगा कि हम कैसी सभ्यता का सृजन कर रहे हैं......http://www.janjwar.com/society/1-society/4419-arbo-kee-barbadi-karodon-sote-bhukhe-by-ajay-prakash-for-janjwar — with Dilip C Mandal and 49 others.


Like ·  · Share · 22 minutes ago ·

Xavier Dias shared Down to Earth's photo.

Down to Earth

Community · 49,917 likes

Food intake in rural India has declined but status of nutrition among children has improved: survey http://www.downtoearth.org.in/content/child-malnutrition-has-decreased-survey

Like ·  · Share · about an hour ago ·


Feroze Mithiborwala
Indias economic crisis will be solved within days. A sadhu in Unnao, Uttar Pradesh, has had a dream that there are 1000 tons of Gold below an archelogical site. Yes 1000 tons!! The Government has ordered a dig, the police has cordoned of the entire area. This even as family claimants have emerged, demanding 500 tons.the villagers have drwn up plans for hospital, railway station, airport, schools and colleges when the 1000 tons og gold aredug from beneath their land. The TVchannels are abuzz with excitement, with visuals of mounds of silver coins.

Like ·  · Share · 22 minutes ago via mobile ·


Vidya Bhushan Rawat via Roar Johnsen
Good that the UK government discussed it and may be will take some action. Freedom of thoughts have biggest challenge from religious rights who still harp on Godly words. We are human beings and hence talk about human and their freedom of expression and feel that human beings have right to challenge age old notions and reject them too.

UK government supports IHEU Freedom of Thought report | International Humanist and Ethical Union

iheu.org

A report by the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) has received welcoming support during parliamentary proceedings of the UK's House of Commons.

Like ·  · Share · 17 minutes ago ·


Xavier Dias via Mary Magnuson

New Study on Iraq Death Count 50 Times Higher Than Americans Think « Antiwar.com Blog

antiwar.com

A new study says the U.S. invasion and subsequent war in Iraq killed an estimated 460,800, higher than most of the estimates frequently cited in the mainstream media, but lower than the controversial 2006 Lancet study that estimated between 400,000 and 655,000 excess deaths.

Like ·  · Share · 23 minutes ago ·


Ak Pankaj shared Artist Against All Odd (AAAO)'s photo.
देश के बुद्धिजीवी तब
बता रहे होते हैं
सजन रे झूठ मत बोलो
आखिर उन सबको प्रिय क्यों है
कि राज कपूर और वहीदा रहमान की
कलाकारी कितनी मार्मिक है

डेमोक्रेसी में पुलिस लिखती है कविताएं न्यायाधीश उपन्यास की बनाते हैं योजनाएं सभापति महोदय सुनाते हैं संस्मरण ब्यूरोक्रेटों की नई कहानियां छपती हैं साहि...See More

Amalendu Upadhyaya
How Modi Sanitises Untouchability !

How Modi Sanitises Untouchability !

www.hastakshep.com

Subhash Gatade Not very many people would have read about a study by an American scholar Stephanie Tam of the Roberta Buffett Center for International and Comparative Studies, Northwestern University, about the status of sewerage system in Ahmedabad.…

Like ·  · Share · 58 minutes ago via WordPress.com ·

Apna Bihar
बाथे को लेकर राजनीति शुरू, 18 को दीपंकर करेंगे दौरा
पटना(अपना बिहार, 16 अक्टूबर 2013) – लक्ष्मणपुर-बाथे जनसंहार के सभी हत्यारों को बरी करने के पटना हाईकोर्ट के फैसले को लेकर राजनीति शुरू हो गयी है। इस कड़ी में आगामी 18 अक्टूबर को भाकपा माले के राष्ट्रीय महासचिव दीपंकर भट्टाचार्य लक्ष्मणपुर बाथे गांव का दौरा करेंगे। वे वहां जनसंहार के पीड़ितों के परिजनों से मुलाकार करेंगे। read more on www.apnabihar.org

Like ·  · Share · 41 minutes ago ·


Samit Carr shared Abdul Ibrahem's photo.

With Jane Jefferson and Hrh MaryJane Moore-Wright.

Like ·  · Share · 11 minutes ago ·

Arun Narayan shared Occupy Los Angeles's photo.
यह प्रतिमा उस कोलंबस की है जिसे दुनिया के इतिहास में साहसी खोजी अभियान का नायक बताया जाता है. यह वही कोलंबस है जो अपने आकाओं, साम्राज्यों, व्यापारियों, हत्यारों और लुटेरों के लिए नये-नये आखेट स्थल ढंूढता था. उसकी प्रतिमा को धनलोलुप सभ्यता द्वारा घोषित 'कोलंबस दिवस' के दिन वेनेजुएला के मूलनिवासियों ने 2004 में संघर्ष दिवस मनाते हुए उखाड़ डाला था.

भारत में भी धनलोलुप और रक्तपिपासु समाज के प्रतीकों को उखाड़ फेंकना होगा. सार्वजनिक जगहों से भी और अपने मूल दर्शन से भी.

A statue of Christopher Columbus was pulled down by protesters in Caracas, Venezuela, in 2004. The former "Columbus Day" is now marked as Indigenous Resistance Day. KLM <3

Vidya Bhushan Rawat likes a link.
Who will bring back Nand Kumar Patel and his son ? Will the CPI Maoist punish its cadre who make mistakes. It is good too if they take interest in the issues politically. We would only request both the government and CPI Maoist to come to a negotiating table and allow the aadivasis to flourish. Government of India is duty bound to honor the rights of the tribal over forest. It can not use a bogey of Maoist fear to displace tribal and hand over their land to the big corporate. It is time that government ponder over its forest and industrial policies. It must apologise the tribal for its failure to protect and fulfill its promises to them.

Killing Nand Kumar Patel and his son was a mistake: CPI-Maoist

www.thehindu.com


No comments: