Interim Budget falls short on a key promise made by Modi; creating jobs

Interim Budget 2019:

India’s budget provided plenty of giveaways to farmers and middle-class voters, but was short on detail on one of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s key promises: creating jobs.

The issue has become a politically sensitive one ahead of elections due by May, with the government accused of deliberately withholding the most recent labor report because of the possible bad news it presents. A local newspaper published leaked details of the report a day before the budget, showing the unemployment rate reached a four-decade high of 6.1 per cent in the year to June 2018.

Modi swept to power in May 2014 with the biggest electoral mandate in three decades after promising to create 10 million jobs each year. Finance Minister Piyush Goyal said in his budget speech last week that 20 million “employment opportunities” were added in two years. Yet no official labor survey has been published since 2016, when the unemployment rate was reported at 5 per cent.


 Much of the budget focused on consumer stimulus -- such as the $10.6 billion-plan to pay cash to farmers -- with few specific measures to help boost businesses to create opportunities for about 12 million young people who enter the job market each year...Read More

Fugitive tycoon Vijay Mallya's extradition to India approved by UK minister

Current Affairs:

UK Home Secretary Sajid Javid has ordered the extradition of Vijay Mallya on charges of conspiracy to defraud and money laundering offences, the Home Office said on Monday, in a major blow to the embattled liquor baron.

The 63-year-old businessman had been found to have a case to answer before the Indian courts by Westminster Magistrates' Court in London on December 10, 2018.
Javid had two months from that date to sign off on that order.

The UK Home Office confirmed on Monday that after considering all matters, the minister had signed Mallya's extradition order on Sunday.

ALSO READ: Mallya says value of assets attached crossed Rs 13,000 cr; demands justice

"On February 3, the Secretary of State, having carefully considered all relevant matters, signed the order for Vijay Mallya's extradition to India," a Home Office spokesperson said.


 "Vijay Mallya is accused in India of conspiracy to defraud, making false representations and money laundering offences," the spokesperson added...Read More

Isro set to launch communication satellite GSAT-31 on February 6

Current Affairs:

The Indian Space Research Organisation is all set to launch its 40th communication satellite GSAT-31 on Wednesday from the spaceport in French Guiana.

The satellite with a mission life of 15 years will provide continuity to operational services on some of the in-orbit satellites and augment the Ku-band transponder capacity in Geostationary Orbit, the space agency said.

In a statement, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said the satellite, weighing about 2,535 kg, is scheduled for launch onboard the Ariane-5 (VA247) from Kourou in French Guiana.
"The satellite GSAT-31 is configured on ISRO's enhanced I-2K Bus, utilising the maximum bus capabilities of this type. The satellite derives its heritage from ISROs earlier INSAT/GSAT satellite series. The satellite provides Indian mainland and island coverage," the agency said.


 ISRO also said the GSAT-31 will be used for supporting VSAT networks, television uplinks, digital satellite news gathering, DTH television services, cellular back haul connectivity and many such applications...Read More

Interim Budget 2019: Using technology to increase tax base and reduce rates

Economy & Policy:

In the Interim Budget 2019 speech, Finance Minister Piyush Goyal has reiterated the government's aim to continue technology-led tax reforms.

Technology to increase tax base and reduce rates

The use of technology is the only sustainable measure to increase tax compliance, tax base and eventually, tax collections. It is only when the government has reasonable surety of tax collections, can it take the steps to reduce tax rates and lower the burden on existing tax payer base.

According to government data sources, FY18 saw a 26 per cent rise in the number of income tax returns filed compared to last year, effectively adding 9.95 million new income tax payers. Estimates, according to statements of senior revenue officials, for new taxpayers to be added in 2019-20 is around 10 million. Consequently, there has also been a steady increase in tax collection year-on-year. This has allowed the government to reduce tax rates, for instance slashing the rates for companies having turnover below Rs 250 crore to 25 per cent and recent reductions in GST rates. Major contributors to these initiatives are technology-led reforms.

Digital tax administration and taxpayer experience


 It is not too far in history when individual taxpayers had to undergo several rounds of follow-up with the tax office to initiate refunds. With the set-up of Bangalore CPC, refunds for individual taxpayers are swift and relatively quite easy...Read More

Honor View 20 review: A trendsetter that is also an all-round performer

Technology News:

Honor View 20, from the stable of Chinese smartphone manufacturer Huawei, is the first smartphone in India to feature a punch-hole screen. It is also the first Honor-branded smartphone powered by Huawei’s flagship Kirin 980 system-on-chip (SoC) -- a mobile process that powers Huawei’s premium flagship, the Mate 20 Pro (review) -- and a 48-megapixel primary camera sensor. For a midrange flagship, the Honor View 20 seems to be a feature-rich proposition. But is it? Let’s find out:


Design

The Honor View 20 has a glossy glass body and a metallic frame. The glass body has a V-shaped gradient line design on the back. These lines reflect when looked at from different angles, making the phone stand out from its glass-bodied peers. Unfortunately, the gradient lines are prominent only in the sky blue colour, and not so much in other variants, such as the black unit that we reviewed.
Honor View 20 At a time when in-display fingerprint sensors are becoming mainstream in smartphones, the Honor View 20 has gone with a conventional fingerprint sensor at the back. It obstructs the phone’s unibody design, but its utility makes up for whatever little damage it does to the phone’s overall design language.


 The phone’s punch-hole display looks refreshing and is a step forward, compared to notch screens. However, like other notch screen-based smartphones, it also has a visible bezel at the bottom that obstructs its otherwise bezel-less profile...Read More

BJP trying to make West Bengal a laboratory for its experiments: Congress

Current Affairs:

The Congress Sunday said the BJP was "unsuccessfully" trying to build a laboratory in West Bengal for its experiments, on a day the Bengal government denied permission to UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to land his chopper in the eastern state.

"What would have happened had he (UP CM) gone? He had also gone to Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. What did he do? He revealed the caste of Hanuman and you know the results," Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said at a news conference here.

"People voted for the party it wanted. They (BJP) want to make West Bengal a laboratory for its experiments and they are not achieving any success in it," he said.

The tussle between the TMC and BJP got uglier Sunday, with the West Bengal government denying permission to Adityanath's chopper to land in the state and let him address two scheduled rallies.
Adityanath had to address the rallies via telephone. He later lashed out at the "anti-people" Trinamool Congress (TMC) government in the state, saying the days of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's rule were "numbered".


 Responding to a question on the Centre's decision to accord sanction to prosecute former Union home minister...Read More

Kolkata Police-CBI clash: Mamata sits on dharna, attacks PM Modi over raids

Current Affairs:

High drama unfolded in Kolkata on Sunday in a CBI vs city police face-off, prompting Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to stage a dharna at the Metro Channel.

Around 6pm, 40 CBI officers reached Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar’s residence over alleged involvement in chit fund scams linked to Saradha and Rose Valley.

The Kolkata Police is believed to have sought a search warrant. Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officers’ failure to produce one led the police to detain some officers, who were whisked away in jeeps. There are contradictory reports on whether they were arrested. In a retaliatory move, Kolkata Police also landed at the CGO Complex, the CBI headquarters in the state.

Banerjee rushed to Loudon Street, the Commissioner's residence, to take stock of the situation and threw her weight behind Kumar.

“This has happened a day after (PM) Modi was here,” she said, addressing the media. She also said Ajit Doval (National Security Advisor) was implementing Modi's agenda and he was giving instruction to the CBI.


 "Whenever an election comes, there is some issue around chit fund,” said Banerjee, challenging that Kumar's link with chit fund be proved. Kumar was leading the SIT probe in the Saradha scam...Read More