India may have to revise downwards what is considered its “potential” rate of growth from 7-8% to bring expectations more in line with reality, former Chief Economic Adviser (CEA) Arvind Subramanian has argued in a paper. This paper comes as a follow-up to the one Mr. Subramanian published last month, …
Read More »Daily Archives: July 19, 2019
Impeachment bid defeated in House
The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday rejected a Congressman’s bid to launch impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump, tamping down a groundswell of anger after the President made xenophobic comments about Democrats.The chamber voted 332 to 95 to table, or effectively kill, a resolution brought by Democrat Al Green that …
Read More »U.S. bars Turkey from F-35 programme over S-400 deal
Ankara says one-sided step against spirit of alliance The White House confirmed on Wednesday that Turkey would be excluded from the F-35 stealth fighter jet programme after it purchased a Russian missile defense system in defiance of warnings from Western allies. “Unfortunately, Turkey’s decision to purchase Russian S-400 air defense …
Read More »China-U.S. feud rises over Taiwan
Beijing has threatened to sanction U.S. companies over arms sales to Taipei Amid growing trade tensions with the U.S., China is going ahead with its decision to sanction American companies selling weapons to Taiwan. The State-run tabloid, Global Times , earlier this week nailed specific steps that China can take …
Read More »‘LS productivity highest in the past 20 years’
Lok Sabha members discussed the General Budget for 17 hours, while the Lower House also discussed demands for grants for various Ministries, including Railways for 13 hours, Road and Transport for over 7 hours and Rural Development and Agriculture for 10 hours 36 minutes, Speaker Om Birla said on Thursday. …
Read More »SC declines urgent hearing on plea against states for failing to curb lynching
SC declines urgent hearing on lynching plea The Supreme Court declined urgent hearing on a plea seeking initiation of contempt proceedings against some states for their alleged failure in curbing lynching incidents. It did not allow the submission of a lawyer that the judgements, laying down guidelines to deal with …
Read More »Army monitoring Chinese activities on Doklam: Defence Ministry report
‘Army tracking Chinese activity at Doklam’ India and China have reduced their presence on the Doklam plateau after the disengagement in 2017, but the Army is monitoring Chinese activities in the area and is prepared to respond to any contingency, the Defence Ministry said in a report. Noting fewer Chinese …
Read More »SC declines urgent hearing on lynching plea
The Supreme Court declined urgent hearing on a plea seeking initiation of contempt proceedings against some states for their alleged failure in curbing lynching incidents. It did not allow the submission of a lawyer that the judgements, laying down guidelines to deal with lynching and cow vigilantism incidents in the …
Read More »ICJ verdict has exposed Pak.: Jaitley
‘World court has given it an opportunity to comply with the rule of law and reform its processes’ Former Finance Minister Arun Jaitley dubbed the International Court of Justice judgment in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case a “comprehensive victory for India.”“Pakistan lost conclusively before the ICJ. Its farcical processes through which …
Read More »Amit Shah to head panel on Air India sale
Home Minister Amit Shah will head a reconstituted group of ministers (GoM) on Air India disinvestment and Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari has been dropped from the panel, sources said. The panel, which is to work out modalities for the sale of Air India, will now have four Ministers — …
Read More »Arbitration Bills passed amid uproar
The Rajya Sabha on Thursday passed the New Delhi International Arbitration Centre Bill and the Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill. Trinamool MPs walked out, with Sukhendu Sekhar Ray of the party terming the Bills “draconian”. He said the Bills were passed in haste on World Bank diktats. Union Law Minister …
Read More »Governor sets Friday deadline for floor test
The Governor said he had not intervened in the matter earlier “having regard to the fact that the House was called and trust vote was moved.” He pointed out that “proceedings of the House on July 18 were stalled and consequently adjourned without reaching any finality” and this “cannot go …
Read More »Naval training ships to have facilities for women
Changes to be part of all future ships In a step forward towards deploying women officers on board naval ships, the recently issued tender for cadet training ships has facilities catered for women aboard, a Navy source said on Thursday. “This is the first tender to be issued with design …
Read More »Give access to Jadhav, India tells Pak.
Multiple requests from India submitted earlier are pending, a source said Pakistan can immediately grant consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav acting upon the multiple pending requests on the matter from India, says a diplomatic source. The comment came a day after the International Court of Justice at The Hague pointed …
Read More »Animals seek refuge on highlands
Floods drive rhinos out of Kaziranga park Kaziranga National Park (KNP)’s man-made highlands have turned into islands of relative safety for the park’s animals as large parts of Assam remain inundated by flood waters. Among the handful of species that have taken refuge in these patches of higher ground are …
Read More »India must back Taliban talks, says German envoy
He is here to discuss outcome of intra-Afghan dialogue Urging the government to publicly express support for the ongoing peace process with the Taliban, the German special envoy on Afghanistan has said that the international community would like to see a larger regional role for India in the ongoing conflict …
Read More »SC to reconstitute bench probing Manipur killings
Case pertains to the alleged 1,528 extra-judicial killings The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to reconstitute a Bench to continue monitoring a CBI probe into alleged extra-judicial killings by the Army, the Assam Rifles and the police in Manipur when insurgency was at its peak. The case has been on …
Read More »Finance Bill clauses irk Cong.
‘Government introducing amendments to laws unrelated to finance in Bill’ Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Thursday claimed that the ‘sanctity of Budget numbers have been called into question’ and strongly objected to the manner in which Finance 2019 Bill was introduced by Finance Minister Nirmala …
Read More »Pak. espoused Khalistani agenda: India
In a dossier, India mentioned 30 instances of Sikh pilgrims being subjected to anti-India propaganda In a dossier to Pakistan, India has mentioned nearly 30 instances in the past four years when Sikh pilgrims visiting the neighbouring country were subjected to “anti-India propaganda” such as espousing the Khalistani cause. The …
Read More »FinMin expects no flight of FPIs on higher tax
Companies won’t be hit, she says The increase in tax on high net worth individuals, announced in the Union Budget, will not result in an outflow of Foreign Portfolio Investments (FPIs), Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman informed the Lok Sabha on Thursday. The higher tax will only apply to individuals and …
Read More »