Govt to auction over 41 new coal blocks 'very shortly', says Prahlad Joshi

International News

The government plans to auction more than 41 new coal blocks "very shortly", Union minister Prahlad Joshi said on Wednesday.
He told the Lok Sabha that a number of important steps have been taken to augment and monitor coal dispatches to power plants.
In 2018-19, all commodities loading by the Indian Railways was 1,223.29 million tonnes, out of which coal loading was 605.82 MT, which is almost 50 per cent, the Coal and Mines minister said.
A committee, comprising coal and power secretaries, and Member (Traffic) of Railway Board reviews coal transportation and supply on a regular basis.
Responding to supplementary queries during the Question Hour, Joshi said, "we are going to auction more than 41 new coal blocks very shortly".

 He also said that coal production as well as demands are increasing in the country...Read More

SC verdict Wednesday on Centre's objection in Rafale review pleas

Current Affairs

The Supreme Court will pronounce the verdict on the preliminary objections raised by the Centre that the documents on which it was claiming "privilege" cannot be relied upon to re-examine the verdict in the Rafale fighter jet deal with France.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi will pronounce the verdict.

On March 14, the apex court had reserved verdict on the preliminary objections raised by the Centre on admissibility of privileged documents annexed by former Union ministers Yashwant Sinha and Arun Shourie as also activist lawyer Prashant Bhushan in their review petition against the top court's December 14 judgement that dismissed all petitions against the Rafale jet deal.

"Only after we decide the preliminary objection raised by the Centre, we will go into other aspect of the review petitions," the bench said, adding that "only if we overrule the preliminary objection, we will go into other details".

The Centre had claimed privilege over documents pertaining to the Rafale fighter jet deal with France and said those documents cannot be considered in evidence as per Section 123 of the Indian Evidence Act.

Attorney General K K Venugopal, appearing for the Centre had contended that no one can produce them in the court without the permission of the department concerned as those documents are also protected under the Official Secrets Act and their disclosure is exempted under the Right to Information Act as per Section 8(1)(a).


 Bhushan had contended that the Centre's objections were "mala fide and totally untenable arguments".The top court had further noted that according to the AG's submissions "there are three Rafale documents whose publication comes under Official Secrets Act, 1923...Read More

Congress has shown its true colours: BJP hits back over Pulwama allegations

Politics News:

Slamming the Congress for targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Pulwama attack, the BJP dubbed its allegations "shameful" and said they have exposed its "true colours" after it kept a "facade" of standing with security forces and the government following the terror strike.

At a party event in Andhra Pradesh, BJP president Amit Shah said it was condemnable that the Congress has "politicised" the Pulwama attack, in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed on February 14, and asserted that people have full trust in Modi's commitment of ending terrorism.

Citing media reports, the Congress claimed that Modi continued shooting for a film in the Corbett National Park for his "propaganda and publicity" and stayed put in the area till the February 14 evening despite the Pulwama attack taking place in the afternoon that day.

Congress' chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala also claimed that the prime minister continued to "have tea, samosas, at seven o'clock in a PWD guest house" that evening.

Union minister and BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad rejected the Congress' charge as "shameful" and said Modi was there as part of an official programme related to tiger conservation.

"Was the Congress aware of the Pulwama attack? We were not aware," the BJP leader said in a jibe at the opposition party.


 The Congress attack on the Modi government would have pleased Pakistan, he said, adding that styles of what Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan and the opposition party have said may be different but their contents bore striking resemblance...Read More

Rahul insulted hardwork of railway engineers: Goyal on Train 18's breakdown

Current Affairs:

Hitting back at Rahul Gandhi over his dig at the Make in India programme after Vande Bharat train experienced trouble during its initial run, Union Minister Piyush Goyal said the Congress president has insulted India's intelligence and hardwork by mocking the initiative.

After the semi-high speed train ran into trouble early Saturday, Gandhi tweeted, "Modi ji, I think Make in India needs a serious rethink. Most people feel it has failed. I assure you we in the Congress are thinking very deeply about how it will be done."

In a quick response, Goyal tweeted, "Such a shame that you choose to attack the hard work and ingenuity of Indian engineers, technicians and labourers. It is this mindset which needs a reset. 'Make In India' is a success and a part of crores of Indian lives. Your family had 6 decades to think, wasn't that enough?"

In a Facebook post Sunday, Goyal further said Gandhi has "insulted" India's intelligence and the hardworking engineers of railways who have put in backbreaking effort to build the country's first indigenous semi-high speed train, the Vande Bharat Express.

"Somebody who was unable to explain why Engineers Day is celebrated, he insulted the hardworking engineers of railways who have put in backbreaking effort to build India's first indigenous semi-high speed train, the Vande Bharat Express. Rather than encouraging them, he has taunted them," he said.

 "Vande Bharat Express is developed and designed in India whereas earlier designs (ICF, LHB) were imported. It costs less than half of the cost to import a similar train. It has set the highest standards in Railways & is already fully booked for the next two weeks," he said.

Modi govt's Rafale fighter jet deal 2.86% cheaper than UPA's: CAG report

Economy & Policy:

The Narendra Modi government’s agreement with France to buy 36 Dassault Rafale combat aircraft was 2.86 per cent cheaper than the price negotiated by the previous United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in its aborted attempt to buy 126 of these planes, according to the Comptroller and Auditor General of India’s report tabled in Parliament .
Beyond that headline number, the report gave enough talking points to both the government and opposition parties to validate their respective positions.

While the report on capital acquisitions of the Indian Air Force came down heavily on the original 126 Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) deal, it also raised concern that Dassault or France did not offer any company or a sovereign guarantee for the latest government-to-government deal. And, that this will lead to savings for the French company and limit India’s legal remedies in a breach of contract.

The report drew sharp political responses. “It cannot be that the Supreme Court is wrong, the CAG is wrong and only the dynast is right... Satyameva Jayate – the truth shall prevail. The CAG report on Rafale reaffirms the dictum,” Union minister Arun Jaitley tweeted. “The lies of Mahajhootbandhan stand exposed by the CAG report. How does democracy punish those who consistently lied to the nation?”


Congress President Rahul Gandhi said the CAG report did not mention the dissent note by negotiators, and that the government's argument on price and faster delivery of the Rafale had been demolished. The report states the Rafale jets would be delivered only one month faster than they would have if the original deal went through. “You say there was no scam, then why are you afraid of ordering a JPC?” he said, reiterating his demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee to look into the deal.

Interim Budget 2019 to be dedicated to farmers: Agri Min Radha Mohan Singh

Interim Budget 2019:

Union Minister Radha Mohan Singh on Wednesday said the Budget will be dedicated to farmers in the country as part of the government efforts to double their income by 2022.

"It was a matter of pride that due to the implementation of various farm schemes, India has become among the leading economies in the agriculture sector," he said at a conference organised by the Crop Care Federation of India (CCFI) here on 'Government, Industry and Farmer can work together to make farming more profitable'.

He said the government's decision to boost investment in agriculture had brought transformation in the sector and the upcoming Budget will be dedicated to farmers.


 While the budgetary outlay of the Agriculture Ministry was Rs 1.21 lakh crore during 2009-2014 of the previous government, the Modi government had increased it to Rs 2.11 crore during 2014-19, he said.