The govt of India today announced that Rs 3100 crore has been allocated to the fight against Coronavirus from the money collected by the PM CARES fund by the trust managing the fund. Out of Rs 3100 crore, a sum of approximately Rs.2000 crore will be earmarked for the purchase of ventilators, Rs. 1000 crores will be used for care of migrant labourers and Rs.100 crores will be given to support vaccine development.
A statement issued by the central govt said that 50000 ‘Made-in-India’ ventilators will be purchased from using the money collected at PM CARES Fund at a cost of approximately Rs. 2,000 Crores. These ventilators will be provided to government run COVID hospitals in all States/UTs, for better treatment of the critical COVID-19 cases. This will help in augmenting the infrastructure to tackle the Coronavirus cases across the country.
In addition to that, the states and Union Territory govts will be given a lumpsum assistance of totalRs. 1000 Crore from PM CARES Fund. This amount would be provided to the State Governments/UTs to place it at the disposal of the District Collectors/Municipal Commissioners for strengthening their efforts in providing accommodation facilities, making food arrangements, providing medical treatment and making transportation arrangements of the migrants returning to their home states. The state/UT wise funds will be released on the weightage of population of the State/UT as per 2011 Census (50% weightage), number of positive COVID-19 cases as on date (40% weightage) and Equal share (10% weightage) for all states/UTs to ensure basic minimum sum for all states. The fund will be released to the District Collector/District Magistrate/Municipal Commissioner through the State Disaster Relief Commissioner of the States/UTs concerned.
Rs 100 crore from the PM CARES will be used to support the efforts to develop vaccines against Novel Coronavirus. The fund will be provided to Indian academia, start-ups and industry who have come together in the effort of cutting-edge vaccine design and development. It will given as a helping hand to catalyse vaccine development, which will be utilized under the supervision of Principal Scientific Advisor.
PM CARES Fund Trust was formed on 27th March this year to receive public donations to fight emergencies or distresses like the current Covid-19 pandemic. Prime Minister is the Chairman of this trust, and its members include Defence Minister, Home Minister and Finance Minister.
After the PM CARES fund was set up by the government, opposition parties and a section of left liberal intellectuals had launched a campaign against it, alleging that the fund will be misused as it will not be audited by the CAG. Congress president Sonia Gandhi had demanded that the entire money collected in the fund should be transferred to the PM National Relief fund, where the Congress president a trust member as per resolution of formation of the fund. The PMNRF is also not audited by the CAG, as both the fund do not receive any taxpayers’ money, but accepts only voluntary donations.
The radical Islamist preacher Zakir Naik has released a video in which he can be heard asking Islamic countries across the globe to collect data of non-Muslims in India who criticise Islam and arrest them when they land up in their countries and try them under the blasphemy law.
In a video going viral on social media, the Islamist preacher says that he would request all the Kuwait lawyers to collect a database of all non-Muslims in India who have ever passed any negative remarks or abused or ‘attacked’ Muslims or Islam, and keep it stored in their computer. Next time when these non-Muslim Indians visit any gulf country, be it Indonesia, Dubai, Kuwait or Saudi Arabia, they should be identified, booked and tried under the laws.
Fugitive Jehadi Zakir Naik says non-Muslim Indians who criticize Islam should be noted in a data bank & whenever they visit an Islamic country, should be arrested & tried under blasphemy laws pic.twitter.com/t1V7hhKo3q
“The rich non-Muslims travel to Gulf and different Muslim countries. If these Muslim countries have data of these people attacking or spreading venom against Muslims, they should arrest them under their (own) law once they enter their territory,” said Naik. The video was first posted on Pakistani-American preacher Yasir Qadhi’s YouTube channel on 23rd April, 2020.
The radical Islamist preacher Zakir Naik is currently living in Malaysia after fleeing India. He is facing charges in India of provoking communal disharmony and indulging in unlawful activities that incited terror in the country.
He is also under investigation in India and Bangladesh for the terror attack at the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka in July 2016.
Radical Islamist Zakir Naik
Radical Islamist Zakir Naik, a Mumbai-born 53-year-old who is the founder of the controversial ‘Peace TV’ has been living in Malaysia since 2017 after fleeing from India and the previous government there had granted permanent residency to him.
Although the current Mahathir administration has barred the controversial Islamic preacher from delivering public speeches, it is yet to take any decision on sending him back to India.
This is not the first time the radical Islamist was heard spewing venom. Speaking on BJP’s decision to repeal Article 370, he had said that Kashmir is being ‘singled out’ because it is a Muslim majority state. Naik had called the situation in Kashmir as an ‘act of war by the BJP government against the biggest Muslim community in the country.’ Adding to his hate speech against the Indian government, Naik ‘warned’ against a Palestine-like situation building up in the state. He even furthered the lie that Kashmiri youth are being arrested and ‘sent to undisclosed jails in and outside Kashmir’.
The controversial Islamic preacher, who reportedly inspired the mastermind of Sri Lanka Easter blasts last year that killed 290 people, had said he doesn’t intend to come back to India as long as the BJP is in power. Naik fled the country in 2016 after Dhaka terror attack.
A labourer attempted to commit suicide by hanging from the railing of a three-story building in Gorakhpur after his wife advised him to not return home due to Coronavirus pandemic. Fortunately, this was spotted by locals and police reached the spot on time to save his life. A video of the incident has also surfaced. In the video, the police can be seen pulling a young man hanging from the railing.
The youth was going from Pune to Bihar
Deepak Patel alias Dipu who is a resident of Chainpur Chitouni, Siwan, Bihar works as a construction worker in Pune. But due to the lockdown imposed due to the coronavirus crisis, he couldn’t get any work in Pune, so he decided to leave for his home 1,794 km away. He undertook the journey sometimes on foot and sometimes taking lifts from trucks. By Tuesday night, Deepak had travelled 1,655 km and reached Naushad in Gorakhpur. He was accompanied by some other people in the journey.
During the night, everyone decided to take shelter at the bus station in the locality. From there, Deepak talked to his wife at night. But to his shock, his wife told him not to come home after he had almost completed such a difficult journey over several days. His wife thought that there will be the threat of bringing the Coronavirus infection if Deepak comes home. This led to an argument between the two. Then, he ran out of balance on his mobile phone, so the verbal spat ended abruptly. Tensed due to the situation, at around five and a half in the morning, Deepak climbed to the third floor of Ram Chandra Gupta’s house located in front of the bus stand and tried to hang from the railing using a towel.
Police reached the spot to rescue the man
His co-travellers and others in the locality spotted this started raising a hue and cry. Alerted by the noise, policemen from the nearby police reached the spot immediately to rescue the man. The police tried to convince the man to come down, but he did not agree and kept asking for a mobile phone. When he did not listen, Constable Virendra Kumar and Constable Ramjit Chaudhary headed by the outpost in-charge Bhupendra Tiwari undertook a daring mission to save the man. They climbed up to the next building and from there, they jumped on to the second floor of the building from where Deepak was trying to hang. Once on the spot, they pulled him up had prevented him from committing suicide.
Talking to media after being rescued, Deepak Patel said that he had got tensed and emotional when his wife asked him not to come home last night on phone.
Policemen who saved his life will be rewarded
SP North Arvind Kumar Pandey said that the outpost Incharge and the two policemen showed urgency and saved the life of the young man. Constables Virendra Kumar and Ramjit Chaudhary will be awarded. After talking to SDM, the youth will be sent to the shelter home or quarantine. Arrangements will be made to send home after a checkup.
While addressing the nation on May 12, 2020, PM Narendra Modi announced an “Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan” worth Rs 20 lakh crores($265 billion) to tide over the economic downturn induced by the coronavirus crisis and emphasised on the need for India to become “self-reliant” as the pandemic sweeps across the world, paralysing economies in its wake.
In his clarion call to build a self-reliant India, PM Modi impressed upon the need to support and promote local products and brands so that the nation builds a robust supply chain that can ride out global storms like coronavirus relatively unscathed. PM Modi’s apparent reference was to the limitations of the globalisation amidst a rampaging pandemic that had forced the countries to shut down their economic engines and thereby adversely affecting the global supply chain. PM Modi promptly highlighted how India’s ingenuity and self-reliance in quickly churning out the PPE kits and N95 masks in the midst of an epidemic helped her in escaping the fate suffered by other coronavirus-ravaged countries dependent on global supplies for procuring the necessary protective gears.
With India staggering under the economic shadow of coronavirus, the message quickly resonated with its 1.3 billion population who were forced to shut their economic activities(except for essential items) and compelled to remain confined to their houses as the pandemic continued its ominous march. As PM Modi yesterday hinted that there might finally be light at the end of the tunnel as the country girds to tread the treacherous and uncharted path of reviving its economy, the gravity of PM Modi’s message was not lost on the citizens and the virtuous ideals of “Atmanirbhar” or “self-reliance” soon became the catchphrase for Indians determined to awaken the economy from its torpor and catapult it on the path to autarky.
While Indians pledge to liberate the country from the crutches of dependency, it is pertinent to note that there have been some instances in the nation’s recent history that have served to severely dampen its aspiration of becoming a self-reliant country. Most notably, the debacle of Sterlite Copper has hustled the country from once being an exporter of copper to a net importer, only within a matter of a few months.
Sterlite Copper closure: India suffering from “self-inflicted” harm by shunning “self-reliance”
The Vedanta owned Sterlite Copper plant in Thoothukudi was shut down by the Tamil Nadu in May 2018 following the violent protests staged by the residents, who alleged that the plant posed serious health hazards. The closure of the Sterlite Copper plant had such widespread ramifications on the country’s copper trade that from being one of the top five exporters of the copper cathodes in 2017-2018, India became a net importer beginning 2018-2019.
Sterlite Copper accounted for roughly 38 per cent of the country’s copper needs as the smelter produced nearly 4 lakh tonnes every year. However, after the Tamil Nadu government’s diktat of shutting down of the plant, not only did the diminished copper production dramatically reduced the country’s export but it also forced the country to import the metal from overseas.
As per the 2017-2018 figures, India exported approximately 378 kilotonnes of copper cathodes— obtained after the copper ore is smelted and refined. However, after the Sterlite Copper plant in Thoothukudi was shuttered, India’s exports nosedived to 48 kilotonnes in 2018-19, a precipitous fall of almost 87 per cent.
In addition, India’s copper imports also rose by a strikingly large amount. In 2017-2018, India had imported a paltry 36 tonnes of copper cathodes. But in a span of just a few months, India’s imports zoomed to 84 kilotonnes in 2018-2019, a stunning rise of 233 per cent.
Perhaps, the most consequential statistics related to the plummeting exports of copper from India came from its north-east neighbour- China. From exporting copper cathodes worth $1.5 billion in 2017-2018, India managed to export only $226 million worth of copper cathodes to China in 2018-2019, a massive drop of 85 per cent.
India’s exports of copper cathodes in FY 2019-2020 have been predictably abysmal. Now, a report published by China Economic Net claims that the financial year 2019-2020 saw a 400 per cent increase in Pakistan’s copper exports to China compared to what they were 3 years back. Pakistan’s export of copper to China stands at $550 million against the $106 million export three years ago. Effectively, losses borne by India from the shutting down of the Sterlite Copper plant have now transformed into gains earned by its nemesis-Pakistan.
According to the Pakistani daily-The International News, China is eyeing to take the exports to $10 billion-mark once the dispute surrounding the “Reko Diq project”, one of the largest copper reserves of Pakistan, settles down in the International Court of Justice.
The export of copper and the prospect of large reserves of copper waiting to be tapped could revitalise China’s interest in the China-Pakistan-Economic-Corridor(CPEC), a project touted as “harbinger of economic progress and regional peace” but in reality is a nasty scheme to strip Pakistan of its natural resources while simultaneously holding India’s feet to the fire to accept China’s regional hegemony.
By shutting down the Sterlite Copper plant, India had effectively empowered two of her arch-enemies whose ill-disposition towards India is evident and unmistakable. In the matter regarding the closure of Sterlite Copper plant in Thoothukudi, India unapologetically shunned its self-reliance and inadvertently caused self-inflicted injuries to its national security and its economic interests.
“Atmanirbhar” is the need of the hour
The post-coronavirus world order may present us with its own set of problems, ranging from national security which still exists today to the novel issues such as fragile global supply chain. Countries will continue to have friendly relations with other countries bounded by shared interests and mutual goals. But it also remains a fact that enmities between certain nations will continue to sustain, if not aggravate, as the nations come to terms with the post-coronavirus world order.
With no prospect of vaccine for coronavirus in the foreseeable future, nations who risk relaxing the lockdown restrictions to shake up their economies from their slumber may stand the risk of being afflicted with a possible second wave of coronavirus infection. This could force them to reinstate the lockdown restrictions which could disrupt the global supply chain, leaving countries dependent on exports in a deeply vulnerable condition.
In such a scenario, for India to realise its goal of autarky while ensuring its national security interests are not jeopardised and it does not remain inordinately dependent on the capricious global supply chain, it becomes all the more important that PM Modi’s exhortation to build an “atmanirbhar” India or a ‘self-reliant” country is followed in letter and spirit. Perhaps, we can start it by restarting the now-defunct Sterlite Copper plant and reconquer our position of being one of the top exporters of copper cathodes.
Day after Zee News editor-in-chief Sudhir Chaudhary was in headlines after receiving threats from Pakistani terrorists for reporting on various kinds of ‘Jihad’ which exposed its modus-operandi, the senior journalist is again in headlines after getting chilled threats from Khalistan backed terrorist and then a Kashmiri terrorist.
The Zee News reported that the Editor-in-Chief received a threat call from a Khalistan backed terrorist from UAE. The Khalistani stressed on Sikh referendum 2020 saying that it will happen and they will establish Khalistan. The Zee News played the recording in which the Khalistani says, “Punjab does not belong to someone’s father. And the Referendum will anyway happen. No one can stop Khalistan to establish.”
In an another recording, a Kashmiri terrorist is threatening that Zee news will pay for targetting Pakistan in its jihad based reporting. A video has been released in which a Kashmir based Mujahideen is threatening to leave Kashmir otherwise they will do Jihad to remove Indian possessions from Kashmir.
FIR against Sudhir Chaudhary
On May 7, an FIR was filed in Kerala against Sudhir Chaudhary after he had reported on various kinds of ‘Jihad’ and exposed its modus-operandi on a TV show.
Sudhir Chaudhary had shared the copy of an FIR filed against him in Kerala over his March 11 report, in which he had exposed the idea behind ‘Jihad’ with a flowchart. The show had triggered the ‘secular-liberal’ media, who had attacked the Zee News editor for his reportage.
Sudhir Chaudhary had highlighted the ‘Land Jihad’ using the Roshni Act
In the show, the Zee News’ Editor-in-chief had explained stating that there are two types of Jihad – Hard Jihad and Soft Jihad. “Hard Jihad includes Population Jihad, Love Jihad, Land Jihad, Education Jihad, Victim Jihad, and Direct Jihad, while Soft Jihad includes Economic Jihad, History Jihad, Media Jihad, Movies, and Songs Jihad and Secular Jihad,” Sudhir Chaudhary had explained in his hour-long show.
Sudhir Chaudhary’s episode exposing the real purpose and ways of carrying out ‘Jihad’ was watched widely. The highlight of the show, broadcast on March 11, was the “Jihad chart”.
A Pashtun activist has accused Pakistan army of human rights violations under the garb of anti-terror activities in the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan. Arbab Sohrab Saadat Jabarkhail, who hails from Peshawar and is now living in London, lamented that their lives have been destroyed.
“Our houses are getting destroyed every day. Every day our women are getting raped and tortured, which is not acceptable to us. We are not going to stop anymore. We are going to raise our voices. We are going to try for help as much as we can”, Arbab Sohrab was quoted by ANI as saying.
Pashtun oppressed in Pakistan for decades
The Pashtuns in Pakistan have been oppressed and have faced discrimination in the hands of the Pakistani army and the government since decades. They have been regularly targeted by the Pakistan army in the name of counter-terrorism operations against the Taliban and have, without any fault of theirs, sustained irreparable damages in the hands of the Pakistani army and authorities.
Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), a social movement for Pashtun human-rights based in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan had been initiated against the Pakistani authorities for the rights and justice for Pashtuns.
According to the PTM leaders and other Pashtun leaders residing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 362 Kashmiri civilians may have been killed at the hands of forces in Kashmir in comparison to the demolition of 120,000 houses of Pashtuns during the past two decades, leading to deaths of many Pashtuns in the past 15 years.
Facing decades of repression, the minorities in Pakistan are now taking up the fight against the state of Pakistan for inflicting human rights abuses on them. Recently, one of the prominent leaders of the minority Mohajir community, Nadeem Nusrat had slammed Pakistan government stating that Pakistan had “no moral right to speak on behalf of Kashmiris.”
Nadeem Nusrat had also warned Pakistan that it could face a “potentially existential threat” and advised Islamabad to restructure Pakistan into multiple autonomous states suggesting that it is the only viable solution to save the country.
Startling images of ruined expensive leather products have started to appear from Malaysian shopping centre as businesses in Malaysia reopens after over 50 days of lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Branded leather merchandise have been ruined by moulds after being left untouched in a Malaysian store as Malaysia prepares to enter its third month of coronavirus lockdown.
In the images, which have now gone viral on social media, leather products on display including shoes, bags and belts can be seen covered in mould.
Image courtesy Mothership
At a shopping mall in Penang’s Pulau Tikus, a travel and cold-wear store owner, Chong said it could have happened due to humidity. “As the mall temperature depends on the air conditioning, sometimes it may be humid when the cool temperature suddenly rises. This causes a sudden increase in water vapour in the surrounding air, making it more likely for mould to grow”, said the shop owner.
Malaysia’s movement control order (MCO) started on March 18 and has been extended until June 9.
Earlier in the day it was also reported that a Malaysian cinema has been covered in mould after two months of coronavirus lockdown.
Image credit Mail Online
The cinema’s purple and red seats and its carpets had been covered by a thick layer of mould and dust, according to a photographer in the city of Ipoh in western Perak state.
With 6,742 cases and 109 deaths, Malaysia eased movement earlier this month but has kept tight restrictions on several areas where there have been new outbreaks of the coronavirus disease.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday unveiled the details of the Rs 20 lakh crore economic package under ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’ announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his address to the nation on Tuesday night.
Beginning her speech with a beautiful set of translations in Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada for ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman addressed the press conference to divulged details of the economic stimulus.
Finance Minister Sitharaman said the mission of Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan is not to look inwards but to build a confident India which can rest on its strength and also contribute to global growth. The Finance Minister added that the mission is essentially to spurt growth and to build a very self-reliant India. This is why this whole initiative is called Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, added Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the Rs 20 lakh crore economic package will focus on land, labour, capital and enterprise. Five pillars of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ are – economy, infrastructure, system, demography and demand” reiterated Sitharaman.
The Finance Minister also said that the mission is to get local brands to a global level. She added, “The Direct Benefit Transfer, Microinsurance schemes, PM Awas Yojana, PM Ujjwala Yojana, Swachh Bharat and Ayushman Bharat were all transformative reforms which have benefited the poor in a big way”.
Modi government is responsive, sensitive: Finance Minister
The Finance Minister said the Modi government has responded countless times to calls. “You are speaking to a responsive, sensitive government. Within hours of the lockdown announced by the PM, the Garib Kalyan Yojana was announced,” she added.
The government has also ensured that Rs 18,000 crore of refunds was given through a special drive to all taxpayers says Finance Minister.
Beginning today, over the next few days we will come before you (media) with team to put forth PM’s vision, said Finance Minister.
Relief to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs)
In a major initiative, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced Rs 3 lakh crores Collateral-free Automatic Loans for Businesses, including Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). FM Sitharaman announced that collateral-free automatic loan to MSMEs will be given for a four-year tenure with 100% credit guarantee. The collateral-free loan is available till 31st October, said Finance Minister. The scheme will benefit 45 lakh units, allowing them to resume activity and safeguarding jobs, said Sitharaman.
“To provide stressed MSMEs with equity support, Modi government will facilitate the provision of Rs 20,000 crore as subordinate debt. Two lakh MSMEs are likely to benefit,” said Finance Minister.
She added, “All NPAs or stressed MSMEs are eligible for the scheme. The government will provide Rs 4,000 crore to CGTMSE who will provide a partial guarantee to banks who will then give benefit to stressed MSMEs”.
The Finance Minister also said that an additional Rs 50,000 crore equity infusion will be done for MSMEs through Fund of Funds. It will be operated through a Mother Fund and few daughter funds, which will help to expand MSME size as well as capacity, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
FM Sitharaman also said that the definition of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises will be changed to benefit the sector so that they can grow in size and get benefits. The investment limit which defined MSMEs revised upwards and additional criteria being brought in are turnover size – earlier differentiation between manufacturing and service MSMEs will be categorised similarly, said Sitharaman.
Image Source: PIB
In a big boost to MSMes, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday announced that global tenders for government procurement tenders will be disallowed for tenders upto Rs 200 crore to enable self-reliant India.
“This will allow MSMEs a chance to supply for these big projects. Small units can be part of government purchases and now Self-reliant India can Make in India,” said Finance Minister Sitharaman.
Finance Minister said that government of Indian, including CPSEs to clear all dues to MSMEs within next 45 days. She also added that e-market linkage to be enabled for MSMEs due to absence of trade fairs and exhibition amidst coronavirus pandemic.
Measures on Employees Provident Fund
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also announced that Employees Provident Fund (EPF) relief measures for all establishments with Rs 2,500 crore liquidity support. She added that the Modi government will provide both employer and employee – 12% contributions.
She added that the relief will be extended for another three months from March-May 2020 to June-August 2020 as well which will benefit nearly 3.6 lakh establishments benefit and 72.22 lakh employees.
“In order to provide more take home salary for employees and to give relief to employers in payment of PF, EPF contribution is being reduced for Businesses and Workers for 3 months, amounting to a liquidity support of Rs 6750 crores,” the Finance Minister announced.
Image via PIB
Non-Banking Financial Companies, Housing Finance Companies and Micro Finance Institutions
The Modi government has also announced of launching Rs 30,000 crore special liquidity scheme to NBFCs, MFIs and HFCs, where government will buy investment grade debt papers.
Finance Ministry also said that investment under the scheme can be made by both primary and secondary market transactions in investment grade debt paper of NBFC/HFC/MFIs.
“For NBFCs, HFCs and MFIs – Rs 45,000 liquidity infusion through a partial guarantee scheme. Will cover commercial papers and borrowings. First 20 per cent loss will be borne by guarantor – GOI. Double AA-rated paper and unrated papers will all be eligible,” announced Finance Minister Sitharaman.
Image via PIB
Electric Distribution companies (Discoms)
Announcing relief measures to Electric Distribution companies (Discoms), Nirmala Sitharaman said that to help those discoms which are facing unprecedented cash flow problems, unable to pay to the generation companies, a one-time emergency liquidity infusion of Rs 90,000 crore Power Finance Corporation and Rural Electricity Corporation is provided.
This will be a state-issued guarantee and rebate will be provided to those discoms that pass the benefit to end-customer, said Sitharaman.
Relief to Contractors
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced relief measures for contractors. She said that all Union government agencies, such as Railways, highways or central public works, will give three to six months extension to all contractors without extra costs.
This will cover construction work and goods and services contracts, completion of works and intermediate milestones, and also the concessional period in PPP contracts, Finance Minister announced. The government added that to facilitate greater liquidity, government agencies will partially release bank guarantees to the extent of the completed contract so that cash flow improves.
Real estate sector
For the real estate sector, the government announced that the Urban Development Ministry shall issue advisories to states and UTs to treat the coronavirus period as an ‘Act of God’ and thus allow ‘force majeure. The government has also extended the registration and completion date suo-moto by 6 months for all registered projects expiring on or after 25th March 2020 without individual applications.
“These measures will de-stress real estate developers and ensure completion of projects so that homebuyers are able to get delivery of their booked houses with new timelines,” said Finance Minister.
Measures on TDS/TCS
The Modi government also decided to infuse Rs 50,000 crores liquidity by reducing rates of TDS, for non-salaried specified payments made to residents, and rates of Tax Collection at Source for specified receipts, by 25% of the existing rates.
This is applicable on all payments – interest, rent, brokerage, supply, etc, which will be enforced from tomorrow till March 31, 2021. The reduction will release Rs 50,000 crore in the hands of people, added Finance Minister.
Date of filing Income Tax returns for Fiscal Year 19-20 extended
The Modi government announced that all due date of all income-tax return for FY 2019-20 will be extended from 31st July 2020 & 31st October 2020 to 30th November 2020 and Tax audit from 30th September 2020 to 31st October 2020.
“All pending refunds to charitable trusts and noncorporate businesses & professions including proprietorship, partnership, LLP and Co-operatives shall be issued immediately,” she added.
Finance Minister added that the date of assessments getting barred on 30th September 2020 extended to 31st December 2020 and those getting barred on 31st March 2021 will be extended to 30th September 2021. The period of “Vivad se Vishwas Scheme” for making payment without additional amount will be extended to 31st December, Finance Minister added.
‘Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’ – A mission for self-reliance
In his fifth address to the nation over the Coronavirus pandemic, on Tuesday Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an economic package under ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’ amounting Rs 20 lakh crore to revamp the economy which is facing a serious crisis due to the Chinese epidemic. The economic package includes the recent announcements made by the government and the Reserve Bank of India on supporting key sectors of the country.
In his speech, PM Modi said the economic package would be around the 10 per cent of the GDP.
“I announce a special economic package today. This will play an important role in the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’. The announcements made by the government on coronavirus, decisions of RBI and today’s package totals to Rs 20 lakh crore. This is 10 per cent of India’s GDP,” PM Narendra Modi said.
The Prime Minister also said the package would help every section of society, including workers, farmers, the middle class, industrial units and the MSME sector.
The stimulus will play an important role in the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’ (Self-reliant India Campaign), PM Modi said.
“India’s self-reliance will be based on five pillars — economy, infrastructure, technology-driven system, vibrant demography and demand. When India speaks of self-reliance, it does not advocate for a self-centred system. In India’s self-reliance there is a concern for the whole world’s happiness, cooperation and peace,” PM Modi said in his address.
A local man resident of Telinipara of Hooghly district in West Bengal has alleged that Hindus has been tortured and attacked with sharp weapons and their houses were set on fire. The Telinipara area comes in Chander Nagar of Hoogly district. The area is recently in news due to communal violence.
Many BJP leaders made the same allegations. Kailash Vijayvargiya, who is in charge of BJP in West Bengal criticized Mamata Banerjee by sharing one video after another.
On condition of anonymity, a Telinipara resident said that a coronavirus positive case was found in Urdi market where people of both Hindu and Muslim community live. The husband and wife are currently undergoing treatment in Kolkata. The area is located near Victoria Jute mill. Some cases of coronavirus emerged in the Urdi market, which included husband and wife. They are undergoing treatment in Kolkata.
After the detection of these cases, 20 people associated with them were sent to be quarantined. The number of testing increased in the area from the 3-4 kilometers from the area influenced by Muslims.
The local person said that the sweet shopkeeper was also found corona positive following that he was also sent for treatment. The area was declared a containment zone. Then the police barricaded and appealed to other people to follow safety norms. But a local youth informed that the Muslims keep flouting the lockdown continuously during the month of Ramzan.
The area has also been in headlines earlier due to Hindu-Muslim tensions. A factory of illegal arms was also sealed in the area earlier. It is known that Muslims have their influence there and anti-social activities are happening continuously.
Reportedly, the Muslims were enraged when the local Hindus started putting up barricades to stop the movement of the people. Quoting Ramadan, they said that those people will come and go from ‘here’ only. The local man further said this: “Recently, the Muslims were first to protest against barricading police. After this, when Hindus started barricading, taking care of their safety, they were infuriated. It was raining heavily in the area 3 days ago. Amidst the rain, many Muslims came out on the road carrying swords and other weapons. During the rains, the Hindus were chased away, their houses were attacked and vandalized. Commissioner Humayun Kabir refused to listen to the suffering Hindus. Hindu shops were looted. Suraj Sau’s utensil shop was looted.”
In fact, after Suraj Sau’s shop was looted, he asked for permission to vacate his shop as he had no means of earning left and if something happens then how will they compensate for the loss. The police did not allow him to vacate his shop that was later set on fire.
When Opindia contacted him, he confirmed this news. Soon we will be bringing separate detailed report in this regard and will explain what happened to him.
There was also a jewelry shop near the Suraj Sau’s shop that was also burnt down. Seeing this unilateral attack on Hindus, Local BJP MP Loket Chatterjee swung into action and left Kolkata to reach the violence-affected area but police barred her to enter the area.
Locket Chatterjee also put this matter on social media. The local person said that the councilor in Telinipara is a Muslim and is also influential, hence this collusion with the police. It has also been alleged that Hindus get every punishment for the actions of Muslims there.
Suddenly, the police came back in the night, took some Hindus, and took them to jail. The locals said that a friend of him was taken away by police in the same manner. Even Hindus are targeted instead of Muslims who drive out the Muslims. He said that there’s an atmosphere of fear in the environment.
Although this is not a new thing for Bengal that is happening now. Locket Chatterjee kept calling the police but the commissioner did not pick up the call. She said that those who are sitting silently for a long time, the community which is doing nothing wrong- they are under attack. She alleged that these attacks are taking place from one side only. The MP said that due to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s policy of Muslim appeasement incidents like Malda are repeated again and again.
Kailash Vijayvargiya also shared a video claiming that Hindus are being targeted by the people of the same community. Smoke and smoke can be seen all around in the video. People have seen this incident even from far away on the roof.
The local police administration has blocked the internet in the area till 17 May. Opindia has also found that many such videos are being shared on social media, in which it has been said there is atrocity by Muslims there. The same trend was seen in Delhi. The atrocities were committed on Hindus while all the media networks were engaged in proving Muslims innocent. Similarly from youtube to twitter, you’ll find many such videos regarding Bengal in which the local Muslims are playing the victim. This has been done to gain attention from a particular section of media.
The locals also claimed that the local temple in the area named Sheetla Mata temple was also vandalized. Temple was also set on fire whose picture has been taken by Opindia. However, no video related to this incident has been surfacing till now. A Hindu club was also burnt and Hindus buildings were demolished.
Police told local MP Locket Chatterjee that she will not be allowed to meet victims because she will go there to do politics. They told her that the atmosphere there will be deteriorating with her departure. The people there have accused the mainstream media of bias and said that media is not showing any interest in this whole matter.
It is being said that the Muslims there do not believe in social distancing that is why there is a fear of corona within the Hindus. Whenever they take preventive measures, the Muslims oppose it.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also said that people should stay in their homes and do not gather in hospitals, which shows that the health system has also collapsed. In this situation, it is obvious to fear the spread of the epidemic. On one hand, it is fear of pandemic while on other it is of spreaders of a pandemic.
Many people recorded the video when the atrocities were going on. One person recorded the video and pleaded for help and told that Muslims were hurling brick, stones, and bombs at him.
One person made a video of arson saying that Hindus there have been absolutely forced and nothing is being done to stop the atrocities by Muslims, Hindus are not even being listened to. Other people also made a video showing that the police are standing and supporting the mob as well. There are also some rumors about the firing.
The helpless people shot the video and informed the public about the situation there and said that if the Hindus will still not leave the place they will be either killed by them or they’ll have to commit suicide. People criticized the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and said, “Mamata Banerjee is supporting us a lot! Wow, the government of Bengal.” People clearly said that the police are wearing Bengals and Muslims are firing.
In another video, people are taking an injured Hindu who has been shot. the police are alleged of shooting him. His treatment was also not arranged and he was left on his own, after which the locals are taking care of him. In the videos, people are also seen talking about meeting of police and Muslims.
The hand of a Hindu was cut off, who was suffering from unbearable pain. The Administration did not make any arrangements for his treatment. 3 days after the incident, the eyes of Mamata Banerjee opened and she has spoken of strict action against the culprits.
Till now 56 people have been arrested in the Telinipara violence case and section-144 has been imposed in the area after which the additional soldiers were camping there. At the same time, the Trinamool Supremo did not desist from playing politics and claimed that the Union ministers are causing the problem here and they have conveyed this to the Prime Minister.
Giving details about PM Modi’s announced “Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan” package worth Rs 20 lakh crores to restart the economy following the coronavirus induced lockdown, the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has announced a slew of measures to be taken by the government to alleviate the financial concerns faced by the MSME sector.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that MSMEs will get collateral-free loans for MSME up to Rs 3 lakh crores with 4 years tenor. 100 per cent of the credit guarantee will be provided by the government to the banks and NBFCs on principal and interest. The scheme can be availed by the MSMEs till October 31, 2020. She said that this will enable 45 lakh MSME units to resume business and safeguard jobs.
— PIB India #StayHome #StaySafe (@PIB_India) May 13, 2020
Sitharaman further added that for the stressed MSMEs, Rs 20,000 crore liquidity will be earmarked by the government to benefit around 2 lakh MSMEs. Stressed and NPA MSMEs will be eligible for this facility. The government will provide a cover of Rs 4000 crore to CGTMSE which in turn will extend partial credit guarantee support to the banks.
— PIB India #StayHome #StaySafe (@PIB_India) May 13, 2020
Furthermore, the finance minister also declared that the capital of Rs 50,000 crores will be infused in MSMEs for their expansion through Fund of Funds and will be operated through a mother fund and few daughter funds. She added that this move will bolster MSMEs and help them in their size and capacity expansion. This measure will help MSMEs to get listed on the main board of Stock Exchanges, Ms Sitharaman asserted.
— PIB India #StayHome #StaySafe (@PIB_India) May 13, 2020
Besides, MSME gets a revision and the investment limit has been revised upwards and additional criteria of turnover is also being introduced. Manufacturing and Services sectors which were hitherto differentiated have been clubbed as per the revised definition.
— PIB India #StayHome #StaySafe (@PIB_India) May 13, 2020
As per the new definition, MSMEs with the investment and turnover less than Rs 1 crore and Rs 5 crores respectively will be categorised under Micro MSMEs. Small MSMEs will have the investment and turnover threshold of Rs 10 crores and Rs 50 crores respectively and the Medium MSMEs will have investment and turnover limit of Rs 20 crores and Rs 100 crores respectively.
