NEW DELHI, July 22: An ‘incipient recovery’ is round the corner for the Indian economy and it is expected to clock a GDP growth rate of 5.5 per cent in the first quarter of the current fiscal amid signs of improved sentiment on consumer spending and the monsoon, says a report.

As various macro-economic indicators ranging from inflation to external sector are showing positive signs, “an incipient recovery is round the corner”, said the SBI research report.

On inflation, it said the expected trajectory for the Consumer Price Index would be “benign” and the average CPI for FY15 would be no more than 7.5 per cent.

“CPI is likely to breach 7 per cent in August, 6.5 per cent in September and 6 per cent in October. Moreover, even though the retail CPI numbers will accelerate after November the average CPI for FY15 will be no more than 7.5 per cent,” the report said.

The Index of Industrial Production is also showing an upward trend and may cross 5 per cent, with visible recovery in passenger car sales and strong growth in exports, the report said, adding that there is also an improved sentiment on the consumer spending.

The monsoon rains are also recovering fast and their revival in the grain bowl of Northwest and Central regions of India will help speed up sowing of main summer crops such as rice, corn, soybean and cotton.

“With monsoon rains fast recovering, our first quarter GDP growth estimates is now trending at close to the median estimate for FY15 at 5.5 per cent” the report said.

The new government’s focus on infrastructure, will possibly led to a faster growth in productivity rather than consumption. This will help in a lower and stable inflation regime and better GDP numbers, it added.

On the external side, the report said that after hovering in the negative territory for the last 12 consecutive months, the country’s import figures recorded a positive growth in June 2014 and is likely to be in the positive territory in coming months also.

India’s exports are expected to rise 12-13 per cent in the second quarter of the current financial year, 2014-15, it added. (PTI)

NEW DELHI, July 22: There are intelligence inputs which suggest threat of terrorist attacks on Amarnath pilgrims, Lok Sabha was informed today.

Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju said there are intelligence inputs about the plan of terrorists to target Amarnath yatra and the same has been shared with security agencies at the Centre and state levels.

Rijiju said since the beginning of the yatra this year, the reports of some incidents of stone pelting on yatra vehicles from Jammu and Kashmir’s Ganderbal district have been received.

In these incidents, injury to one pilgrim and damage to the windowpanes of three vehicles have been reported, he said adding the state government has been taking adequate measures to provide security to the Amarnath pilgrims. (AGENCIES)

NEW DELHI, July 22: The new National Policy for Senior Citizens is under finalisation, the Lok Sabha was informed today.

Replying to a question, Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Sudarshan Bhagat said, in order to improve the living standard of senior citizens, different ministries and departments of the Government of India, along with the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment are implementing various welfare schemes.

“Keeping in view the changing demographic pattern, socio-economic needs of the senior citizens, social value system and advancement in the field of science and technology over the last decade, the National Policy on Older Persons, 1999 has been reviewed and the new National Policy for Senior Citizens in under finalisation,” he added.

As per 2011 census, the population of senior citizen in the country is 10.38 crore, which is about 8.6 per cent of the total population in the country, the Minister stated.

To another query, Bhagat said, a Non-Governmental Organisation, on the basis of a sample survey in 24 cities with 6,748 older persons, has reported that 23 per cent of the respondents experienced abuse. (agencies)

NEW DELHI, July 22: The government today said it is effectively using the information received from various countries to combat the menace of tax evasion and avoidance.

“Effectively utilising the information received from treaty partners to combat tax evasion and avoidance,” Minister of State for Finance Nirmala Sitharaman said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.

Drive against tax evasion is an ongoing process, she said, adding that whenever tax evasion is detected either through domestic or cross border transactions, appropriate action under direct tax laws including investigation of tax evasion, assessment of income, raising tax demand and launching prosecution in appropriate cases is taken.

Various steps have been taken to further strengthen and streamline the processes and systems including capacity building of the workforce through training and sensitisation on issues relating to unaccounted money kept abroad, she said.

In another reply, Sitharaman said, there is no specific information to suggest that global Participatory Notes (PNs) are one of the main causes of the generation of black money.

There is no proposal is under consideration at present for abolition of global PNs, he added.

In a separate reply, she said that at present there is no provision which “recognises the lawful claims of the victims of Ponzi schemes on funds confiscated under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA)”.

There is no proposal to make changes in the PMLA in this regard, she added.

Replying to a question Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said Global Financial Integrity report estimated that between 1948 and 2008, a total amount of USD 213.2 billion had been shifted out of India through illicit outflows.

The government of India has signed a number of Double Taxation Avoidance Agreements (DTAAs) and Tax Information Exchange Agreements (TIEAs) with various countries, he said.

“Under these agreements, information as is foreseeably relevant for administration or enforcement of the domestic laws concerning taxes in specific cases can be received from our treaty partners,” he added. (PTI)

NEW DELHI, July 22: Pakistan violated ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir 19 times since the new government took over and the Indian side retaliated appropriately in each case, the Rajya Sabha was informed today.

“Our head has not bowed… This government will not let our heads bow,” Defence Minister Arun Jaitley said replying to questions in Rajya Sabha.

Jaitley’s response came when Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said Narendra Modi, before becoming the Prime Minister, used to accuse the then UPA dispensation of being “weak”.

Then why the government has “bowed” to the recurring ceasefire violations by Pakistan, Azad asked.

The minister said during the current year till July 16, there have been 54 ceasefire violations along the Line of Control (LoC) and International Border in Jammu and Kashmir.

Between May 26 and July 17, 19 ceasefire violations took place along the LoC and International Border and in all such cases, there was retaliation by the Indian side, he said.

“All CFVs are taken up with the concerned authorities of Pakistan at the appropriate level through the established mechanism of hotlines, flag meetings etc,” he said.

Jaitley recalled that during the first meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi had with his Pakistan counterpart Nawaz Sharif here on May 27, he had underlined the importance of border ceasefire.

“Our Prime Minister further emphasised the importance of maintaining peace and tranquility at the borders and upholding the sanctitiy of the LoC,” he said about the meeting that took place a day after the new government took over.

The two leaders also agreed that Foreign Secretaries of the two countries would get in touch to explore how to move bilateral relations forward.

Sharif had come to India at Modi’s invitation to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the new government.

Last year, there were a total of 347 ceasefire violations in Jammu and Kashmir including 199 along the LoC.

In reply to another question, Jaitley said along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir, the army has adopted a robust counter- infiltration strategy which has an appropriate mix of technology and human resources to check infiltration effectively.

“Innovative troops deployment, efficient use of surveillance and monitoring devices and fencing along the LoC have enhanced the ability to detect and intercept infiltration,” he said. (AGENCIES)

NEW DELHI, July 22: Government has proposed to allocate Rs 600 crore for development of tourism circuits and pilgrimage centres, the Lok Sabha was told today.

Tourism Ministry is formulating schemes for improvement of existing tourist products and to develop new tourist circuits to international standards, Tourism Minister Shripad Naik said in a written answer.

He said it has been proposed to allocate Rs 600 crore for two new schemes for development of tourism circuits and a national mission for infrastructure improvement of pilgrimage centres in the budget 2014-15 of the ministry.

As per the budget proposal, Rs 500 crore has been proposed for development of five tourism circuits and Rs 100 crore for a scheme called the National Mission on Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive. (PTI)

NEW DELHI, July 22: The issue of shortage of blank passport booklets leading to inordinate delay in issuance of passports today figured in Rajya Sabha with members demanding immediate intervention of the government.

Raising the issue during Zero Hour, P Rajeev (CPI-M) said “Thousands of Indian citizens are waiting for their passports… The passport offices are not ready to accept applications even under Tatkal schme where it is mandatory to issue passport in three days as blank passport booklets are not available.”

Rajeev said people are forced to apply through normal route where they are kept waiting for months due to shortage of booklets.

He said according to reports the India Security Press in Nashik, which prints currency notes and blank passport booklets, is running on half of its capacity leading to non-avaialability of booklets.

“This has led to severe hardships to thousands of people who have put on hold their plans to travel aborad beside creating problems for job aspirants abroad,” Rajeev said.

He said the government should immediately intervene and ensure timely delivery of passports to people.

A large number of members associated themselves with the demand. (PTI)

NEW DELHI, July 22: Indian parents’ fear of their inability to find a suitable groom for their daughters along with the societal pressure to pay huge sum of dowry adds to the feeling of the girl child being a ‘burden’, says a UN report released today.

“The unintended consequences of contemporary social processes, when combined with parental fears of the unattached sexuality of adult daughters in a context of a highly competitive and differentiated marriage market, are compounding the sense of burden represented by the birth of a daughter.

“She now requires many more years at home with higher investments in nutrition, health and education… Sons, on the other hand, embody a range of ritual and economic roles. If the current climate of economic volatility and masculine anomie makes them often fall short of expectations, nonetheless at least one is essential for the future of the family. It is this conjuncture that is producing the falling Child Sex Ratio (CSR),” according to the report ‘Sex Ratios and Gender Biased Sex Selection: History, Debates and Future Directions’.

The report explores the various aspects which compounds the problem of declining child sex ratio that India is grappling with despite being one of the fastest growing economies in the world.

“The CSRs have fallen most precipitously during a period of unprecedented economic growth. It has emanated from northern and northwestern India, regions which may be characterized as being in the wake of the Green Revolution and whose levels of prosperity therefore require more careful calibration,” says the report.

The report also highlights the analysis of sex selection in urban locations in Delhi and Punjab by Tulsi Patel, a professor of Sociology who elaborated on the ‘mindset’ of ‘young parents in modernizing India’.

“According to Patel such parents are not simply opposed to daughters as such. Rather, they wish to have two children of which at least one should be a son”, the report said.

She goes on to discuss the particular case of a woman who already had two daughters and who used the help of a friend, and money supplied by the husband to get the sex determination test done, which was then followed by an abortion when the test revealed a female foetus.

“Patel uses such individual cases to emphasize the burden on women after they have given birth to a daughter, leading to their own vested interest to go in for sex selective abortions repeatedly until a son is announced,” cites the report.

The sharply declining child sex ratio in India has reached emergency proportions and urgent action must be taken to alleviate this crisis, the report said.

“The deteriorating ratio from 976 girls to 1000 boys in 1961, to 927 girls in 2001, and to 918 girls in 2011, demonstrates that the economic and social progress in the country has had minimum bearing on the status of women and daughters in our society,” said Lakshmi Puri, Deputy Executive Director of UN Women, Assistant Secretary General of the UN.

The report highlights how the deteriorating status of women in recent decades, spurred by modes of economic development and parallel transformations have also been responsible to the declining CSR and emphasises upon creating a women friendly climate, through better policies, programmes, laws and spaces. (PTI)

NEW DELHI, July 22: There are around 120 regional war memorials built by various formations of the Army across the country and Government was considering a proposal to construct a national war memorial in the country’s capital.

“Approximately, 120 regional war memorial including individual memorials exist under various regional commands,” Minister of State for Defence Rao Inderjit Singh said in reply to a written query in Rajya Sabha.

He said Amar Jawan Jyoti was built under the arch of India Gate in Delhi on January 26, 1972 as a tribute to those soldiers who laid down their lives in the 1971 war.

The 120 war memorials include the memorial for martyrs of Independence struggle like Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru at Hussainiwala in Punjab and 1857 war of independence hero Mangal Pandey’s memorial in Lucknow.

Meanwhile, answering another query, Defence Minister Arun Jaitley said the Department of Finance has issued instructions “which envisage implementation of end-to-end procurement in respect of all procurements with estimated value of Rs 10 lakh or more by Ministries and departments of all central government along with their attached and subordinate offices.” (PTI)

NEW DELHI, July 22: A special court today reserved for August 6 its order on the bail applications of former Telecom Minister A Raja, DMK MP Kanimozhi and other accused who were chargesheeted by Enforcement Directorate in a 2G scam-related money laundering case.

Special CBI Judge O P Saini reserved the order on the bail pleas after hearing the arguments of Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the counsel appearing for the accused persons.

ED had chargesheeted 19 accused — 10 individuals and nine firms — in the case saying that the transaction of Rs 200 crore, which was allegedly paid to DMK-run Kalaignar TV, was “not genuine” and it was a “bribe for grant of telecom licences to DB Group companies”.

The agency had also claimed that its probe into the case emanates from 2G spectrum allocation scam and the accused had allegedly conspired and committed offences under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

Besides Raja and Kanimzohi, ED had also named Swan Telecom promoters Shahid Usman Balwa and Vinod Goenka, Directors of Kusegaon Fruits and Vegetables Pvt Ltd Asif Balwa and Rajiv Aggarwal, Kalaignar TV MD Sharad Kumar, Bollywood producer Karim Morani, DMK supremo M Karunanidhi’s wife Dayalu Ammal and P Amirtham as accused in the case.

ED has also named Swan Telecom Pvt Ltd, Kusegaon Realty Pvt Ltd (formerly known as Kusegaon Fruits and Vegetables Pvt Ltd), Cineyug Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd (formerly known as Cineyug Films Pvt Ltd), Kalaignar TV Pvt Ltd, Dynamix Realty, Eversmile Construction Company Pvt Ltd, Conwood Constructions and Developers (P) Ltd, DB Realty Ltd and Nihar Constructions Pvt Ltd as accused in the case.

During the arguments on the bail pleas, ED had argued that the accused had committed the offence of money laundering punishable under provisions of PMLA.

The defence counsel, however, had opposed ED’s claims contending that charge sheet filed by the probe agency was “contradictory” and the transfer of Rs 200 crore to Kalaignar TV was a “prudent business transaction”.

Raja had argued in the court that he was not involved in

Rs 200 crore transaction and there was no evidence in the case and it was a “mere coincidence” that he was a member of the DMK party which had planned to start Kalaignar TV.

Similarly, other accused, including Shahid Usman Balwa, had argued that ED has made the case on the basis of “hearsay evidence” and its complaint was nothing but a “bundle or compilation of statements and documents.”

On ED’s allegation that reverse trail of Rs 200 crore from Kalaignar TV to the DB group company commenced after Raja was summoned by CBI in December 2010 for interrogation in 2G scam case, the defence counsel had argued that most of the money given to the TV channel was refunded before it.

In its charge sheet, ED had claimed to have found evidence with regard to the channelling of Rs 200 crore to Kalaignar TV through a circuitous route.

Dayalu Ammal was holding 60 per cent stake in Kalaignar TV while Kanimozhi and Sharad Kumar were holding 20 per cent stake each, the agency had said.

Raja, Kanimozhi, Shahid Balwa, Vinod Goenka, Asif Balwa, Rajiv Aggarwal, Karim Morani and Sharad Kumar are also facing trial in the 2G spectrum allocation case in which CBI had earlier filed charge sheets. (PTI)