Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah share smile during a function at Katra for inauguration of train on Friday. -Excelsior/Rakesh
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah share smile during a function at Katra for inauguration of train on Friday. -Excelsior/Rakesh
Prime Minister Narendra Modi flags off train from Katra railway station on Friday. . —Excelsior/Rakesh
Prime Minister Narendra Modi flags off train from Katra railway station on Friday. . —Excelsior/Rakesh
Prime Minister, Narendra Modi meeting the soldiers and officers, at Badami Bagh Cantonment in Srinagar on Friday.
Prime Minister, Narendra Modi meeting the soldiers and officers, at Badami Bagh Cantonment in Srinagar on Friday.
horoscope
Saturday July 05-2014
Aries : Ideas play havoc in your head today. The good thing is that you will execute them well. Here is a word of caution for you: avoid hasty decisions. Experienced people will help you find a firm footing. Ganesha advises you to pay heed to elders’ counselling.
Taurus : In all probability, you will discuss certain sacred issues with your beloved today, predicts Ganesha. In the evening, you will be possibly visiting holy places. You had better make up for the lost time to finish pending work in the afternoon. Think twice before you act, warns Ganesha.
Gemini : The idea of being with your family will keep you motivated throughout the day. In business, your inquisitive approach will do you a lot of good. In fact, you will have the proverbial Midas touch — whichever venture you put your hands on will turn into a glittering success.
Cancer : Today, it will be all about finding your comfort zone, and spending the day there. You are likely to spend most of the day with your close friends. Your smooth demeanour will help you breeze through all business deals. The opposite sex may find you irresistible.
Leo : You will need to work hard to achieve your goals today. Those who are serious about their work will be easily able to tide over the day. You need to be cautious today. Not only at work, but even in personal relationships, you need to be on guard. You need to maintain a balance between home and at work, says Ganesha.
Virgo : You will charm people with your flexibility of thought and willingness to adjust today. Those under the spell of love will see an unexpected turn of events; but don’t panic, as things will eventually work out in your favour. Some quality family time is also on the cards. Strengthen the family bond by adopting your responsibilities and paying respect to family tradition and conventions, advises Ganesha.
Libra : Ganesha says that for people you may appear to be a miser but when it comes to your closed ones you will never hold back or hesitate to spend. Today is a good day to take your loved ones shopping. You may overspend your budget but the spending will give you a feeling of happiness and contentment. Ganesha showers you with his blessings
Scorpio : If you have recently started a joint business venture, today you may take your first step towards sealing a profitable deal. However, you should buy some time before signing any contract today; also, be cautious that you do not get the short end of the stick. The best thing is to go through the finer prints of the deal in order to avoid any misgivings in the future, suggests Ganesha.
Sagittarius : You wake up with a smile today. According to Ganesha, you have a knack of solving problems, which you may use it to the optimum. Be cautious of people around you, as their envious nature may affect your work. Ignore them and keep the optimism alive.
Capricorn : Your power of reasoning will be strong today, says Ganesha. Those of you beginning your career will show a disposition to take up a job in television or print media. The spiritual side of you may also come to the fore and make you feel at peace, especially when visiting a holy place.
Aquarius : Today, you work hard and party harder! The morning sees you sweating it out at work, as you do your best to implement your plans. In the evening, you will don your best attire and get ready to have a gala time with your beloved. Ganesha says, you receive as much as you give.
Pisces : You set irreproachable standards for yourself, but what keeps your subordinates from grumbling about it is the efforts you make to help them achieve perfection in their endeavours, says Ganesha. You inspire, they aspire.
Hoarders disrupting supply; Govt to take action: Jaitely
NEW DELHI, July 4: Blaming hoarders for recent spurt in food prices, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today said there was no need for panic as country has enough food stocks and promised stern action against black marketeers.
Eager to control prices before they spiral out of hand, the Centre today called a meeting of State food ministers to discuss steps to crack down on hoarding and improving availability in the market.
The Centre, which has in past few days imposed minimum export price on staple kitchen items like onions and potatoes and put stock holding limits on these, today indicated it was willing to consider suggestions for making hoarding of essential commodities a non-bailable offence.
“One thing is clear that there is no panic situation. Whatever feedback we have got from state ministers is that there is no need for panic,” Jaitley said after the meeting.
Stating that prices of vegetables and pulses generally rise in July, he said this time there is an abnormal increase in prices of 2-3 commodities but “there is no panic situation.”
Allaying fears of the impact of a delayed monsoon on prices, he said “monsoon has just started, it is a late start and it is too early to create any panic”.
To deal with the price situation, Jaitley said some states have suggested strengthening of the Essential Commodities Act and making hoarding a non-bailable offence.
The Government and the Consumer Affairs Ministry will take a view on the suggestions of making hoarding a non-bailable offence, he added.
Food inflation rose to 9.5 per cent in May, while the WPI inflation was at a five-month high of 6.01 per cent.
Referring to onion and potato prices, Jaitley said “there has been a record output and there is no shortage of these items”
“Therefore it is not an issue of scarcity but it is an issue of supply side. These commodities are available in sufficient amount but the normal supply is disrupted by hoarders anticipating higher prices,” the Minister added.
However, he said: “We have sufficient food grains stock with the Government of India to face to any kind of situation. Depending on where the shortfall or deficient areas are….If such a situation arise, we are equipped to deal.”
In order to rein in prices, Jaitely said most of the state ministers suggested that the Centre should help them in augmenting storage facility.
“Some states suggested a price stabilisation fund. In case if prices in certain commodities go up, there could be market intervention,” he said.
The meeting was also attended by Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan and Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh.
Noting that the current price rise is a temporary phenomena created by hoarders, Paswan asked the state Governments to enforce the Essential Commodities Act effectively.
Earlier addressing the meeting, Jaitley said: “There are reports of below normal monsoon this year. Hoarders are taking advantage of the situation.”
“When production of food items is higher than last year and still prices rise, then it means that intermediaries are keeping the stock somewhere,” he added.
He said the test of good governance is how to de-hoard the stock kept by intermediaries into the market to rein in prices. “This is the biggest challenge.”
“Prices of some items had touched Rs 70-100 per kg last year. Prices are still lower this year. There is no panic situation,” he said.
The Finance Minister asked the state Governments to assess the problem as action taken after price rise creates panic in the market.
“There should be collaborative efforts from both Centre and states so that price situation does not go out of control,” Jaitley said, adding, “states are equally anxious and they do not want prices to rise.”
In order to check prices during the coming festival season, Jaitley urged the states to assess the supply-demand situation and take effective measures in advance to boost supply.
The Finance Minister highlighted measures taken by the Centre in the last few weeks including additional allocation of 5 million tonnes of rice for poor and imposition of minimum export price on onion and potato.
Noting that prices of crude oil have increased due to tension in Iraq, Jaitley said there are, however, indications of softening of prices. (PTI)
Rajnath wants early implementation of IVRFT project
NEW DELHI, July 4: Home Minister Rajnath Singh has asked authorities to ensure early implementation of the Immigration, Visa, Foreigners Registration and Tracking (IVRFT) Project.
Reviewing the working of the Foreigners Division in the Home Ministry here today, Mr Singh said the project should be implemented at the earliest.
He said that adequate security should be ensured to legitimate travellers.
The Home Minister said all non-government organisations (NGOs) receiving foreign funds should be sensitised about the compliance of the Foreigners’ Contribution and Registration Act (FCRA) and relevant rules, a ministry spokesperson said.
The authorities made a presentation to the Home Minister on Visa Policy Citizenship Act, FCR Act and related issues.
It was explained that the integrated online visa system presently covers 148 Indian Missions and the online foreigners’ registration system attained 80 per cent coverage.
The Minister stressed upon the need for more awareness about developmental aspects of the visa policy to promote tourism and other sectors.
(UNI)
Paswan asks states to rise above politics to control prices
NEW DELHI, July 4: Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan today termed hoarding as an anti-national activity and asked state governments to rise above politics to control prices by effectively enforcing the Essential Commodities Act.
The current price rise is a temporary phenomenon created by hoarders, he said.
“Controlling inflation is a national issue. In a federal set up, it is the responsibility of both the Centre and states to check prices. There should be no confrontation between the Centre and states. We should not score political point on this issue,” he said.
The Essential Commodities Act is in place. The issue is how effectively the law is being enforced, he added.
Paswan also asked state governments to enforce the Act effectively against hoarders and black marketers to boost supply and check prices.
“We should come up with a concrete plan against hoarders who are doing a anti-national activity against the interest of consumers,” he said at a conference of state food and consumer affairs ministers on food inflation.
The Centre has taken several steps like raising the minimum export price of onion and potato to check price rise, but the long-term solution lies in developing a nationalised market, the Food Minister said.
A nationalised market will allow farmers to sell their produces freely. At present, farmers have to pay different fees and taxes to sell their produces in the APMC mandis (Agricultural Produce Market Committee).
Paswan said there is a need to set up a storage facility for onion and potato during the lean season.
Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh asked state governments to focus on strengthening market integration, information and infrastructure. (PTI)
Indo-Pak buses diverted due to blockade at NH1
PHAGWARA, July 4: Two Indo-Pak ‘Sada-e-Sarhad’ buses, connecting Delhi with Lahore, had to be diverted today after a group of villagers blocked the national highway here to protest the death of an undertrial.
While one was Lahore-bound, the other was on its way to Delhi from Pakistan, police said.
The Lahore-Delhi international bus was diverted from village Mehtan to Phagwara bypass to NH-1 via Hargobind Nagar.
The Delhi-Lahore bus was also diverted from Hargobind Nagar to Phagwara bypass to NH-1 via Mehtan.
“Both buses kept their onward journey without any hindrance,” police said.
Family members and residents of Mahlan village had blocked traffic at the crossing near a local sugar mill on NH 1 for about two-and-a-half hours to protest the death of Gurpreet Singh, an undertrial, who died last night. (PTI)
No need to panic on price rise; states should take action: FM
NEW DELHI, July 4: Blaming hoarders for the rise in food inflation, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today said there is “no panic situation” and asked the states to take measures to crackdown on hoarding and black marketing to rein in prices.
“When production of food items is higher than last year and still prices rise, then it means that intermediaries are keeping the stock somewhere,” Jaitley said at a conference on food inflation.
He said the test of the good governance is how to de-hoard the stock kept by intermediaries into the market to rein in prices. “This is the biggest challenge.”
Stating that prices of some food items increase every year during the July-December period due to hoarding, Jaitley said: “There are reports of below normal monsoon this year. Hoarders are taking advantage of the situation.”
“Prices of some items had touched Rs 70-100 per kg last year. Prices are still lower this year. There is no panic situation,” he said.
The Minister asked the state governments to assess the problem as action taken after price rise creates panic in the market.
Noting that prices of crude oil have increased due to tension in Iraq, Jaitley said there are, however, indications of softening of prices.
He was addressing the conference of state food and consumer affairs ministers to discuss measures to check food inflation. The meeting was also attended by Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan and Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh.
Jaitley also mentioned that prices of onion, potato, rice, pulses and milk have increased because of different reasons.
Inflation rose to five-month high to 6.01 per cent in May due to rise in prices of essential items like vegetables, fruits and cereals.
In order to check prices during the coming festival season, Jaitley urged the states to assess the supply-demand situation and take effective measures in advance to boost supply.
He also asked the state governments to set an example of good governance as there is no reason for price rise when production is at a record level and supplies are adequate.
Emphasising on the need for coordinated efforts to control prices, Jaitley said both the Centre and states should prepare a joint-action plan in this regard.
The Finance Minister highlighted measures taken by the Centre in the last few weeks including additional allocation of 5 million tonnes of rice for poor and imposition of minimum export price on onion and potato. (PTI)