Govt. worried over Tax Terrorism now

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

Govt. worried over Tax Terrorism now

Amending act, to Check probe agencies 

Harish Gupta

New Delhi, Oct 28

Realizing that anti-corruption agencies are causing immense damage to the business climate in the country in their zeal, the government has finally woken up to check them.

If the Corporate Affairs Ministry is contemplating to amend certain key clauses governing companies Act itself, all large bank fraud cases above Rs 50 crores are being examined afresh by a reconstituted Board with more powers. The board will examine, before an FIR is filed with the police, CBI or any other agency by the concerned bank, whether the case is fit enough for criminal intent and investigation.

There is virtual climate of fear among the bank manager to managing directors onward not to sanction loans and play safe. The bureaucracy is also wanting clear cut orders either from the top or from the committee of secretaries before taking decisions. Invariably, the matters are delayed, dragged and buried as no one wants to invite the wrath of the probe agencies later.

Several international companies of repute including the manufacturers of Rafale have cautioned the Indian government about the large scale registration of criminal cases of every financial act by various agencies.

There are as many as dozen agencies which are going after financial frauds in one way or the other. Its not merely the CBI or Enforcement Directorate (ED), but the CBDT & CBEC have also acquired criminal powers to prosecute now and issue look out notice against businessmen for tax evasion. Then there is Fraudulent Bankruptcy under the Banking Regulation Act, Illegal Foreign Trade and Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Black Money Act, Company Frauds under the MRTPC Act, Information Technology Act for Online Frauds, and host of others.

Now the government want to ally the apprehensions of the Indian and foreign companies who want to set up shop in a big way particularly after tax concessions, that it wants to keep these agencies in check. This can't be done through oral orders. Therefore, systems are being put in place beginning with amending the corporate affairs act so that SFIO & other agencies do not run amok.

The advisory board will conduct the first level of examination in all major fraud cases before recommendations or references are made to investigative agencies such as the CBI, ED and others.

All cases involving officers of General Manager and above in respect of an allegation above ₹50 crore will have to now be referred to the board.

CVC Sharad Kumar told Lokmat that the advisory board will go a long way in achieving its objective to find a distinction between frauds and genuine business decisions.

Ends 

Is Javadekar Filling Jaitley Void ?

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

Is Javadekar Filling Jaitley Void ?

Harish Gupta

New Delhi, Sep 8

Information & Broadcasting and Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar seems to have emerged as the “point’s person” in the new Modi dispensation. Be it the briefing of the BJP or the Union Cabinet or the key announcement, its Prakash Javadekar all the way. Though Telecom & IT and Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, Railway & Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, Petroleum & Steel Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman have also been briefing the media from time to time for the past some time for party and the government.

But the way Prakash Javadekar was fielded to hold the press conference solo on the occasion of completion of successful 100 days of the Modi government left no one in doubt that he is the man to watch. Normally, press conferences on such occasions are held by senior ministers jointly. But Prakash Javadekar was given the sole responsibility to present the Modi 2.0's  100 days' report card creates an impression of his growing ratings in the Modi dispensation. Javadekar held the fort on a Sunday at a  mega press conference at the National Media Center and impressed by his handling of tricky questions with calm and finesse.

The party has been struggling to find a replacement of late Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley who was a catalyst, crisis manager and spokesman of the party & government par excellence. Ever since he fell sick in earlier this year and died last month, the void was being felt. Union Home Minister Amit Shah is now the crisis manager and catalyst. But the search was on for a spokesman of party & government. Nirmala Sitharaman impressed the leadership by her strident defence on the Rafale deal in Parliament and gained in stature. Ravi Shankar Prasad is a veteran party leader too and senior in order of Precedence. Both of them have been addressing crucial press briefings too. But the party leadership fielded Prakash Javadekar to address the press conference today indicates his rising clout as a spokesman as well.

Modi Govt. Clears Forest land for Anil Ambani

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

Modi Govt. Clears Forest land for Anil Ambani

1169 acres for Cement plant in Yawatmal

Harish Gupta

New Delhi, Feb 4

The Ministry of Environment and Forest has granted prior approval for diversion of 467.45 ha. of Forest Land for non-forestry purpose to M/s Reliance Cementation Private Limited, a company owned by Anil Ambani.

It is stated that the 1169 acres of land was given to Ambanis diverting Forest land in Pimaradwadi, Horapur and Govindpur villages of Yavatmal District of Maharashtra.

The Anil Ambani group is already in controversies due to Rafale deal and other issues. The company has also filed for insolvency recently. Now it emerges that the Maharashtra government and the Centre granted forest land to him for setting up a cement factory.

The Maharashtra government told the Centre that proposed area does not fall under any National Park, Wildlife Sanctuary, Biosphere Reserve, Tiger Reserve, Elephant Corridor etc. and no protected area was located within 10 kilometres distance from the forest land proposed for diversion in favour of M/s Reliance Cementation Private Limited, in Pimaradwadi, Horapur and Govindpur villages of Yavatmal District of Maharashtra.

The state government sent the proposal to the Centre for its prior approval which agreed and granted the same.

The Forest land is not acquired but the forest land is given to the User Agency by the State Government for non-forestry purpose and Compensatory Levis such as Compensatory Afforestation cost, Net Present Value and other charges are deposited by the User Agency in Compensatory Afforestation Fund.

In this case M/s Reliance Cementation Private Limited has deposited Rs. 52,06,22,016.63/- ( Fifty Two Crore Six Lakh Twenty Two Thousand Sixteen and sixty three paisa) amount as compensatory levies in Compensatory Afforestation Fund of Maharashtra.

The Minister of state for Environment & Forest Mahesh Sharma confirmed the information in Rajya Sabha today.

Ends 

Long holiday for RS after 7 days ruckus

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

Long holiday for RS after 7 days ruckus

Rift continues between BJP & Opposition

Harish Gupta

New Delhi, Dec. 19

The Rajya Sabha will go for a long holiday beginning December 22 to December 26 and resume functioning from December 27. Initially, the Rajya Sabha was to close down on December 25 for the Christmas holiday. But the members wanted that December 24 and December 26 be also declared as holidays. It is unlikely that the Rajya Sabha will be able to function for the next two days either as ruckus is continuing in the Upper House between the Opposition and the ruling party.

The proceedings in the Rajya Sabha were washed out for the seventh day today after the opposition and treasury benches clashed over the Rafale deal and members from Tamil Nadu continued protesting over the Cauvery issue.

The Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day after Congress members holding placards seeking a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) into the Rafale deal trooped into the well of the House soon after official papers were laid on the table.

They joined members of the AIADMK and DMK who have been trooping to the well of the House over the Cauvery issue ever since the Winter Session of Parliament began on December 11.

Treasury benches countered the Congress by raising banners seeking an apology from Congress President Rahul Gandhi following the Supreme Court clean chit to the Rafale deal.

Amid the uproar, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Vijay Goel demanded that Congress deputy leader Anand Sharma withdraw the remarks made by him in the House on Tuesday.  Naidu also allowed Bhupendra Yadav (BJP) to make his submission on the statement made by the newly sworn-in Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath on migrant workers from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

As the slogan shouting from both sides continued, Naidu said, “It is very clear that none of you want the House to run... I don’t want this (ruckus) to be seen by the people,” he said, while adjourning the proceedings for the day.  The Chairman had categorically told the members that he would adjourn the House within minutes if they did not maintain discipline rather than summoning the house repeatedly and then adjourning several times.
Ends

BJP Moves privilege motion against Rahul on Rafale

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

BJP Moves privilege motion against Rahul on Rafale

Speaker to decide its fate tomorrow

BJP knocks at Ethics committee door too

Harish Gupta

New Delhi, Dec 17

The BJP on Monday launched a massive offensive against Congress president Rahul Gandhi by moving a privilege motion against him for misleading the Lok Sabha by “utterly false statement” on the Rafale deal.

The four ruling party MP s moved the 2-page privilege motion against Rahul gandhi for his statement made in the Lok Sabha on July 20, 2018 which was nothing but “figment of imagination, incorrect and utterly false”. The MP s charged Rahul Gandhi of misleading the House and held him guilty of Breach of Privilege of Parliament.

The MP s also filed a separate petition before the Ethics Committee of the Lok Sabha against Rahul Gandhi saying that his conduct was unbecoming of the MP as he is spreading falsehood in the country despite a clear verdict of the Supreme court on the Rafale deal.

The MP s quoted Rahul Gandhi of saying, “In the Rafale aircraft deal, the UPA government agreed to purchase the aircraft at Rs 520 crores. We do not know what happened and who was spoken to. The Prime Minister went to France but who went with him, the whole country knows. By a magic, the aircraft started costing Rs 1600 crores.”

The MP s said that the above statement is entirely untrue. For reasons of national security, the Government of India has not given out the exact details but has already indicated that the price of the basic aircraft is 9% cheaper and the price of the weaponised aircraft is 20% cheaper compared to the prices being negotiated by the UPA.

The MP s said that this falsehood has been knowingly uttered by him deliberately” and therefore, the motion has been moved.

However, sources say nothing much can be achieved by this motion as the previous privilege motion submitted in the same Rafale deal is still pending with the Speaker of the Lok Sabha.

The four BJP Mps are Nishikant Dubey, Anurag Thakur, Dr Sanjay Jaiswal and Prahlad Patel. If the motion is accepted by the Speaker, it will go to privileges committee of the Lo Sabha headed by first term BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi. But the fate of the motion is unlikely to be decided by the House as it will adjourn on January and will meet for the interim budget on January 30 and adjourn sine die on February 15.

Ends

Verma sacked on What's App,

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

Lokmat Exclusive

Verma sacked on What's App,

top IB officials searched his office,

Took away hard discs, files photo copies

Harish Gupta

New Delhi, Oct. 25

Murky details of midnight coup at the CBI headquarters revealed that its Director Alok Verma was sacked on What's App of his mobile as 1 am yesterday.

The sack order was sent through What's App as an officer of the Department of Personnel under the Prime Minister failed to deliver it physically at Verma's residence at 12.55 am. The security guards posted at Verma's Janpath residence refused to receive the letter saying that the “Saheb has gone to bed.”

Without delivering the sack order, everything would have come to a grinding halt. M Nageshwar Rao could not have taken over as acting chief of the CBI, there would have been no en-mass transfers and no search & seize operation of Verma and his officers premises.

Everybody in the government, right from the PM downwards to National Security Adviser Ajit Doval to deputy principal secretary P K Mishra to Lok Ranjan, additional secretary in the DoPT who signed the actual sack order were keeping their finger crossed in their offices.

Finally, Ajit Doval told Lok Ranjan in the DoPT to send the sack order on what's app. Lok Ranjan didn't have his mobile and that too was provided by the PMO. And fortunately for the government, Verma opened his mobile phone and saw the what's app message. The moment, Lok Ranjan saw the blue lines blinking, the sack order was considered as delivered.

The entire machinery swung into action and a team of eight officers of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) rushed to the CBI headquarters and took control of the two floors where top officers used to work. Even Nageshwar Rao who was made the acting Director was told politely to stay put in his room after a brief visit to Verma's chamber on 11^th floor. The importance of the raid could be gauged from the fact that an officer of the rank of the additional secretary was heading it. They took out hard disks of verma's computers, made photocopies of all the files in his room and sniffed every paper trail. Similarly, another group of officers scanned all the files and computers of A K Bassi, deputy SP who had raided and arrested his another DSP colleague Devender Kumar two days ago. The offices of A K Sharma, Joint Director (Policy) was also thoroughly searched. No one in the CBI was allowed to enter the two floors of the CBI building until the IB sleuths left the place.

It is still a mystery as to what the IB was searching for. Contrary to reports, the government was not unduly worried about the Rafale probe issue as Verma had sent the papers to A K Sharma. These papers were given to the CBI by Prashant Bhushan and routinely sent to Sharma.

But the fact that all hard disks of computers of all these transferred officers was taken away by the IB shows that it was sniffing at something else. It may also be mentioned that A K Sharma who is also a Gujrat cadre IPS officer and trusted lieutenant of PM Modi was only divested of the crucial policy division and not shunted out of Delhi. He has been retained in Delhi as head of the defunct MDMA which is probing Rajiv Gandhi assassination case for 27 years. Why he chose to side with Verma instead of Rakesh Asthana is still a mystery.

Ends 

RS Deputy Chairman poll

by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group

RS Deputy Chairman poll

BJP drags feet as Opposition turns strident,

BJD, AIADMK neutral

Harish Gupta

New Delhi, July 30

The prospects of holding elections for the post of Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha receded with the Opposition parties launching fresh attack on the ruling NDA today. Contrary to the friendly conduct of the Biju Janata Dal, AIADMK & other small parties in the Lok Sabha towards the government, these parties joined ranks with the Congress, TMC & others in opposing the government on various bill. The way the Motor Vehicles and other two bills failed to pass the Rajya Sabha muster has made the ruling BJP re-think on holding the Deputy Chairman's poll.

The government was inclined to evolve a consensus for the post which fell vacant on July 2 and informal talks were underway with leaders of all political parties in the Rajya Sabha. Since the government is short of majority in a house of 244, it sounded out TMC & BJD for the post. However, both the parties refused to bite the bait and said the government should find a person who is acceptable of the entire house. Several names cropped up and Naresh Gujral of the Akali Dal was emerging as the choice. But the BJP leadership is keen that one of its own leaders to inducted to the post considering the fact that the house is evenly divided. The BJP wanted its senior Bhupendra Yadav to be elected for the post but the numbers eluded the party. The leadership was, however, trying to garner numbers in its favour.

However, going by today's developments in the Rajya Sabha when the house was forced to adjourn over the National Register of Citizenship issue in Assam, it is clear that the Upper House may not have a smooth running. If sources are to be believed, the Congress will raise the Rafale deal issue once the NRC case subsides. The Opposition parties are determined to take the government head-on.

It is in this context that the ruling dispensation not desirous to hold the polls during the Monsoon session of Parliament. The government came out with the agenda during the coming week in Rajya Sabha where there was no mention of the Deputy Chairman's poll. There are exactly nine working days left and senior BJP leaders are saying that there are precedents of the election being delayed.

In April 2012 the post of Deputy Chairman fell vacant during the Budget session in the UPA era when A Rehman Khan retired. But the polls were held during the Monsoon session. Even during the UPA-I in 2006, the polls were also delayed by 40 days. During 2004 there was delay as post fell vacant on June 10 but polls were held on July 2.

The BJP sources say that the panel of presiding officers is already in place and the House can function without a deputy chairman.

Cong did out-of-the-box thinking to make money'

Exclusive Interview
with Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar 

By Harish Gupta (National Editor-Lokmat) Excerpts:

Q: You said the Defence was worst performing sector under UPA, from negative growth you brought it up to zero and now moving up?

A: What I said was that decisions were not being taken in time. I don't want to discuss the past. You only have to look into the reports what CAG has said. You will know everything. Country knows it.

Q: How many projects got delayed like the Nalanda Ordinance Factory?

A: You see when decisions are not taken, projects will be delayed. The CAG said how critically required arms and ammunitions were not made available.