Putin hosts Netanyahu for talks set to focus on Syria

Moscow, Mar 9 (AP) Russian President Vladimir Putin is hosting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for talks expected to focus on the situation in Syria.

Greeting Netanyahu at the start of their talks, Putin emphasized a high level of trust between them.

Netanyahu hailed Russia's role in fighting the Islamic State group and other radical militants in Syria. At the same time, he warned of the danger posed by radical Shiite groups, an apparent reference to the Hezbollah movement.

Russia has sided with Iran and Hezbollah in helping support Syrian President Bashar Assad, but at the same time it has maintained warm ties with Israel. The two nations have coordinated to prevent any possible incidents between their militaries in Syria.

Netanyahu's visit to Moscow follows his talks with US President Donald Trump last month.

Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill, 2016 passed in the Parliament

The Bill seeks to increase maternity leave available to working women from the current 12 weeks to 26 weeks for the first two children

The Lok Sabha has passed the Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill, 2016 today. The Bill had already been passed by the Rajya Sabha during the Winter Session. With this, the Bill stands passed in the Parliament.

The Bill seeks to amend the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 to provide for the following:-

(i) Maternity leave available to the working women to be increased from 12 weeks to 26 weeks for the first two children.

(ii) Maternity leave for children beyond the first two will continue to be 12 weeks.

(iii) Maternity leave of 12 weeks to be available to mothers adopting a child below the age of three months as well as to the “commissioning mothers”. The commissioning mother has been defined as biological mother who uses her egg to create an embryo planted in any other woman.

(iv) Every establishment with more than 50 employees to provide for crèche facilities for working mothers and such mothers will be permitted to make four visits during working hours to look after and feed the child in the crèche.

(v) The employer may permit a woman to work from home if it is possible to do so.

(vi) Every establishment will be required to make these benefits available to the women from the time of her appointment.

The Minister of Women and Child Development, Smt. Maneka Gandhi thanked the Minister for Labour and Employment, Shri Bandaru Dattatreya for taking up the demand of lakhs of women across the country and for having steered the Bill through Rajya Sabha as well as the Lok Sabha. In her message to the working women, Smt. Gandhi congratulated the women who are planning to have a child and has stated that the Ministry of Women and Child Development will continue to work for the empowerment of women.

The amendments in the Bill were taken up following the request by the WCD Minister to the Hon’ble Labour Minister to bring about these changes so that a working woman gets time to exclusively breast-feed her child for 6 months after the birth. This period also enables the working mother to recuperate herself before she goes to back to work. In her communication to the Labour Ministry, the WCD Minister had also highlighted the concerns of commissioning and adopting mothers who also require maternity leave. 

Speech by the President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee at the presentation of the Nari Shakti Puruskar on the occasion of International Women’s Da

The President, Shri Pranab Mukherjee addressing at the presentation of the Nari Shakti Puruskars for the year 2016, on the occasion of the International Women’s Day, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi on March 08, 2017.

1.                        I am indeed very happy to be amidst you on the occasion of International Women’s Day. We, in India acknowledge, remember and celebrate our women in many ways in our everyday life. Today, on International Women’s Day, we join the world in paying tribute to women - the world over - for their selfless gifts to society.

2.                        I congratulate the individual ladies and organizations of India who have received the national award, the Nari Shakti Puruskar today. They have distinguished themselves in taking up challenges and realizing high aspirations that they represent. Behind each success is a story of tremendous commitment and perseverance. Each accomplishment represents the sincere efforts of thousands of other women and these are to be equally respected.

3.                        The discourse in our country on women’s empowerment started even before India became a Republic. Our Constitution and the Directive Principles enshrined therein have given our Governments clear guidelines for policy and planning. Our successes have helped our society to evolve in its unique way. Women are no longer seen as mere recipients of welfare benefits but are recognized as holders of equal rights, equal partners and agents of change in the social, economic, cultural and political processes of the country.

4.                        In the political arena, women have made great strides, contributing effectively to lowering of social and economic inequities and selflessly working for the goals of development and nation building. In the realm of local self governance, more than a million women in rural India - far beyond the stipulated 33%, have efficiently taken up positions of authority and are discharging their responsibilities efficiently and with commendable outcomes.

5.                        In challenging domains like the defence services, police and security forces, in sports, academics, space research and innovation, in taking up the cause of the vulnerable and the exploited, in community outreach and mass healthcare initiatives, women are indispensable for good team work and success. It is often  not easy – we must admit that they are frequently subjected to unfounded biases and discrimination. Yet, the fact that they are able to overcome these and inspire esteem and respect is commendable indeed.

Ladies and gentlemen,

6.                        On International Women’s Day, it is important to reiterate that every girl child and woman in our country should be assured that Government of India is fully committed to providing her an enabling environment that affords equal opportunity. She should feel confident that she can achieve her highest aspirations in whichever field she chooses. Prime Minister’s Beti Bachao Beti Padhao campaign has been launched in response to the falling Child Sex Ratio in many parts of our country. It is designed to also motivate girl children in every part of our country to enroll in primary education. The programme entails selective intervention - 100 districts across India have been targeted in 2015 and expanded to 61 additional districts in 2016.

7.                        Government is equally concerned at the rising rate of violent crimes against women. It is inexcusable that women in India do not feel as secure and safe as they should. Gender biases have no place in modern India where inclusive development is a key objective. A greater emphasis on early sensitization of children and youth in schools and institutions of higher learning would help inculcate due respect for the female gender. This should be taken up through appropriate measures in our rural and urban populations and through well-conceived and coherent Government programmes.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

8.                        There is no doubt that women have a tremendous capacity for multi-tasking. From their families and homes to farms and fields and in their businesses and professions, women are second to none in applying themselves with a commitment that comes from the heart and soul. I recall reading a remark in the masterpiece, Ghare Baire, of Poet Laureate Rabindranath Tagore which I would like to share: “We women are not only the deities of the household fire, but the flame of the soul itself.” Let us keep these words in our minds and hearts as we accord women the respect and deference that is their due. It should not be too difficult - as these basic values are a part of our grand heritage and deeply ingrained in our consciousness. On International Women’s Day, let us rededicate ourselves to revive, uphold and propagate these basic values.

9.                        With these words, I once again congratulate the recipients of the Nari Shakti Puruskar and wish them the all success as they continue their efforts for the all round advancement of women in our society.

10.                    I sincerely thank the Ministry of Women and Child Development under the dynamic leadership of its Minister Smt. Maneka Sanjay Gandhi for instituting these awards. They will undoubtedly inspire more individuals, institutions and organizations to make a contribution - big or small, for the further empowerment of women and the progress of our nation.

Thank You.

Jai Hind.

Funds to be ready for govt schemes from Apr 1:FM to ministries

New Delhi, Mar 7 (PTI) Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today asked various central ministries to remain in a state of readiness for implementing schemes and projects as funds would be made available from April 1.

"This time the Finance Bill would be passed by Parliament before March 31, 2017, therefore, different ministries should be in a state of readiness as the funds for various schemes would be available with effect from April 1, 2017," Jaitley was quoted as saying in an official statement.

The Finance Minister was addressing the financial advisors of various central ministries/departments after releasing the Revised General Financial Rules (GFRs) 2017 at the 'Conference of the Financial Advisors (FAs)' here.

Appreciating the role of financial advisors in smooth implementation of budgeting and accounting reforms, Jaitley said the government as a whole has challenges lying ahead to ensure that expenditure on schemes and projects should start from the beginning of the financial year to leverage the early passing of the Budget.

The Finance Minister also applauded the efforts that went into bringing out the Revised GFRs within a very short span of time to meet the need of the changing environment.

On the occasion, Finance Secretary Ashok Lavasa said the Revised GFRs aim to provide a framework within which an organisation manages its business in a financially prudent manner without compromising its flexibility to deal with varied situations.

The new GFRs 2017 will enable an improved, efficient and effective framework of fiscal management while providing the necessary flexibility to facilitate timely delivery of services, Lavasa said.

The statement said the conference also deliberated upon the various challenges and opportunities before the financial advisors and their key role in the implementation of the government schemes, besides providing innovative solutions in the changed environment in public financial management.

The GFRs are rules and orders dealing with matters involving public finances.

General Financial Rules were issued for the first time in 1947 bringing together in one place all existing orders and instructions pertaining to financial matters.

These have subsequently been modified and issued as GFRs 1963 and GFRs 2005.

In the last few years, the statement said the government has made many innovative changes in the way it conducts its business. .

Note ban impact on GDP may be seen this quarter: RBI

New Delhi, Mar 6 (PTI) Demonetisation impact on GDP may be seen in the current quarter in some segments, while the remonetisation excersise should be completed in 2-3 months, RBI Deputy Governor Viral V Acharya said on Monday.

Asked if spillover of notes ban could extend to January-March quarter, Acharya said the impact could be felt in some segments.

"Ultimately, the cash shortage is like the liquidity shock and unless it had led to a substantial wealth destruction one would expect its effects to be quite temporary. I'm not saying that the temporary impact is not hard on some parts of the economy, you would expect the effect to be temporary," he said.

"There may be a couple of sectors, like 2-wheeler sales, where there is slightly slower rebound," he said.

When asked about the GDP estimate, he said, "you can see our MPC resolution which is that our estimate was actually reasonably close to that (of CSO estimate)."

"Of course, the drivers may have been slightly different, but I think there are a couple of things that people have raised which would be interesting and worth thinking about, which is how much of the informal sector gets fully captured other than through its links to the formal sector," he said.

He further said that the impact of the notes ban would only be temporary and would help in bringing informal sector into the mainstream economy.

"I think everyone should keep in mind that the remonetisation is taking place at a very fast pace. We have some way to go, but I think we expect that within two to three months we will reach full currency in circulation. It will be slightly lower, but it is in that ballpark (number)," he said.

The demonetisation of high value currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 announced on November 8 led to scrapping of Rs 15.4 lakh crore from the system.

The newly appointed Deputy Governor also said that asset quality review (AQR) is on the track.

The RBI had set a deadline of March 2017 for completion of AQR exercise for the public sector banks.

It had embarked on the AQR exercise from December 2015 and asked banks to recognise some top defaulting accounts as NPAs.

It has had a debilitating impact on banks' numbers and their stocks.

The move resulted in a spike in bad assets with lenders recognising over Rs 1 lakh crore of bad assets in the December quarter alone.

White House asks Congress to probe if Obama ordered wiretap

File photo: U.S. President Barack Obama (R) greets President-elect Donald Trump at inauguration ceremonies swearing in Trump as president on the West front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., January 20, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

By John Whitesides and James Oliphant | WASHINGTON

The White House asked the U.S. Congress on Sunday to examine whether the Obama administration abused its investigative authority during the 2016 campaign, as part of an ongoing congressional probe into Russia's influence on the election.

The request came a day after President Donald Trump alleged, without supporting evidence, that then-President Obama ordered a wiretap of the phones at Trump's campaign headquarters in Trump Tower in New York.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Trump and administration officials would have no further comment on the issue until Congress has completed its probe, potentially heading off attempts to get Trump to explain his accusations.

"Reports concerning potentially politically motivated investigations immediately ahead of the 2016 election are very troubling," Spicer said in a statement.

Trump made the wiretapping accusation in a series of early morning tweets on Saturday amid expanding scrutiny of his campaign's ties to Russia. An Obama spokesman denied the charge, saying it was "a cardinal rule" that no White House official interfered with independent Justice Department investigations.

Under U.S. law, a federal court would have to have found probable cause that the target of the surveillance is an "agent of a foreign power" in order to approve a warrant authorizing electronic surveillance of Trump Tower.

"There was no such wiretap activity mounted against the president-elect at the time as a candidate or against his campaign," former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, who left the office at the end of Obama's term, said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

The White House offered no evidence on Sunday to back up Trump's accusation and did not say it was true.

Spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders, appearing on ABC's "This Week," said Trump has "made very clear what he believes, and he's asking that we get down to the bottom of this. Let's get the truth here."

Democrats said Trump was trying to distract from the rising controversy about possible ties to Russia. His administration has come under pressure from Federal Bureau of Investigation and congressional investigations into contacts between some members of his campaign team and Russian officials during his campaign.

Trump, who is spending the weekend at his Florida resort, said in his tweets on Saturday that the alleged wiretapping took place in his Trump Tower office and apartment building in New York, but there was "nothing found."

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York said Trump had either made a false accusation, or a judge had found probable cause to authorize a wiretap.

"Either way, the president's in trouble," he said on NBC's "Meet the Press," adding that if Trump was spreading misinformation, "it shows this president doesn't know how to conduct himself."

Attorney General Jeff Sessions said last week he would stay out of any probe into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election after it emerged he met last year with Russia's ambassador, although he maintained he did nothing wrong by failing to disclose the meeting.

Trump's first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, resigned in February after revelations that he had discussed U.S. sanctions on Russia with the Russian ambassador before Trump took office.

Josh Earnest, the White House press secretary under President Obama, said the president did not have the authority to unilaterally order a wiretap of a U.S. citizen.

"The president was not giving marching orders to the FBI about how to conduct its investigation," he said on ABC.

PIL not a weapon to challenge financial decisions: RBI to HC

New Delhi, Mar 5 (PTI) Public interest litigation (PIL) cannot be used as a "weapon to challenge financial or economic decisions", the RBI has told the Delhi High Court opposing a plea against the surcharge on credit and debit card transactions.

The plea has alleged that the surcharge levied by the banks and the financial institutions on credit and debit card transactions was "illegal" and "discriminatory".

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has urged a bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal to dismiss the PIL.

"The decisions are taken by the RBI in exercise of its administrative/statutory powers and in public interest.

"The issues in the writ petition pertain purely to the economic policy of the state and the challenge to the same at the instance of a public-spirited person cannot fall within the parameters of PIL, as has been laid down by the Supreme Court from time to time," the RBI submitted.

The response of the federal bank came on the PIL filed by advocate Amit Sahni who alleged that though Prime Minister Narendra Modi's demonetisation move was beneficial, the decision to levy surcharge on credit and debit card transactions was "highly unfortunate".

"The issue raised in the present petition almost affects everyone operating a bank account," the plea said, adding that the "unlawful, unequal and arbitrary treatment is visible in the payment of petrol charges through credit and debit cards".

The lawyer said that levying surcharge is not only illegal and discriminatory but it also promotes circulation of black money.

The RBI, however, refuted the petitioner's contention and said that it has neither violated any fundamental right or any legal right of the petitioner or any citizen of India.

Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad Inaugurates ‘Training of Self-Organized Small & Medium Traders on Digital Payment Initiatives’

The Minister appeals to the business community to turn digital transaction into a national movement

The Union Minister of Electronics & Information Technology and law & Justice, Shri Ravi Shankar Prasadtoday called for a national movement to make digital transaction a way of life for all sections of the society. Speaking at the inauguration of On-boarding of self organized small and medium businesses / traders on digital payment initiatives – project entrusted to the National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT) by the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, he said, “The objective of ushering in transparency in the system along with reducing corruption wave can only be achieved with evolved participation of all sections of the society.”

The minister further added, “The Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has resolved to work towards making India a digitally advanced country which serves as a role model for the developing world and the objective of reaching this goal has been rested with the ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.”

The objective of these training programmes is to understand and adopt simplified digital payment mechanisms like UPI, USSD, BBPS, AEPS etc. in a convenient manner, which would contribute towards establishing digital economy and convey the benefits of digital payments to traders through capacity building programs. About 13500 small and medium unorganized / self organized businesses/ traders are targeted. The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) shall be mobilizing traders and trade union leaders for training on digital payment initiatives. Under this programme, NIELIT shall be organizing 5 Regional Workshops at Delhi, Jaipur, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai and 30 State Workshops and 100 DigiDhan Camps, all over India.

The nation-wide campaign to launch the training programs was inaugurated by Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, Hon’ble Union Minister of Electronics & Information Technology and Law & Justice in the presence of Shri Sanjiv Mittal, Joint Secretary, MeitY, Dr. Ashwini Kumar Sharma, Director General, NIELIT and Shri Praveen Khandelwal, Secretary General of the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT)at the Auditorium, SCOPE Convention Centre, SCOPE Complex, Lodhi Road, New Delhi.

In his address, Shri Sanjiv Mittal, Joint Secretary, MeitY said, “With the increase in mobile penetration, citizens and traders have started switching to digital mediums for financial transactions. Mobile as a Point of Sale (PoS), Point of Purchase (PoP) and Point of Acceptance (PoA) is also lessening the digital divide between urban and rural India, along with drawing the masses into the net of financial inclusion. Post demonetization, NIELIT through its PAN India centres, accredited training partners and facilitation centres has been making appreciable efforts in promotion of digital payment initiatives. Capacity building of SMEs and traders on digital payment by NIELIT trainers is another nugget to take forward Government’s untiring efforts for creation of a digitally vibrant society, which is also in line with the ‘Digital India’ mission.”

Dr. Ashwini Kumar Sharma, Director General, NIELIT outlined the details of the programme for training of traders on digital payment initiatives. He further said, “All NIELIT Centres have been geared up to ensure that the training targets are achieved within 2-3 months. At NIELIT, use of cash as a mode for making payment to vendors/suppliers has been discontinued since 2014.I express my gratitude to representatives from UIDAI and SLBs for organizing live demonstration including hands-on training to the traders. On successful completion of the one day training programme by the traders, a certificate of participation shall also be issued. It is worthwhile to mention that the bouquet of Digital Literacy courses offered by NIELIT has already been retrofitted with a module on financial inclusion developed by the Ministry of Finance.”

Shri Praveen Khandelwal, Secretary General of the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) said, “The DigiDhancamps shall be organized in the market itself to digitally educate the shopkeepers and merchants. CAIT has touch based with its member and market associations throughout India and the main purpose of the Regional and State Workshops would be to create momentum and vibrancy among the self-organized and informal trading community. These Regional Workshops would also serve as Master Training on Digital Payment Modes for traders, who would be involved with further proliferation and promotion of digital payment initiatives among their fellow traders.”

“Digital transaction will get a massive boast with the implementation of the GST. I appeal to the Government to provide required training on GST to the traders and merchants to make it a huge success,” added Mr. Khandelwal.

The event was attended by more than 200 traders, besides senior officials of the Government

84 pc voter turnout in first phase of Manipur polls

Imphal, Mar 4 (PTI) Manipur recorded a tentative 84 per cent voter turnout in the first phase of polling for the 60-seat state assembly today.

Polling was held in 1,643 polling stations in 38 constituencies across the twin districts of Imphal East and Imphal West, Bishnupur and the hill districts of Churachandpur and Kangpokpi.

The figure is tentative as reports from 28 polling stations are to yet be received due to lack of proper communication, Chief Electoral Officer V K Dewangan told reporters here.

He said 77.18 per cent polling was recorded in the same constituencies in the 2012 Assembly elections.

He said there was alleged threat to voters by unidentified troublemakers at Saikul constituency in Kangpokpi district and investigations would be made.

The second phase of election in the remaining 22 constituencies is scheduled to be held on March 8.

Rivals to get "electric shock" after UP poll results: Modi

Mirzapur (UP), Mar 3 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said BJP's rivals SP, BSP and Congress will get "electric shocks" when the results of UP assembly elections are announced.

Modi's sharp riposte came in response to a remark by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, who had asked him to touch an electric wire to see if current flows through it.

On the campaign trail, Modi has been attacking the Samajwadi Party government over "poor" power supply in the state and also controversially accused it of discrimination in its distribution along religious lines, a charge rubbished by the Chief Minister.

"On March 11, election results will give electric shock to SP, BSP and Congress," he said.

"Akhilesh has dared me to touch an electric wire to find out whether power is really there or not. His new friend Rahul Gandhi, during his 'khaat sabha' at Madihan in Mirzapur, however, had touched the wire and told his party leader Ghulam Nabi Azad that there was nothing to worry as there is no power in the line," Modi said.

"This is the acceptance of your new friend. Do I need touch the wires any more? Akhileshji, now people have spread such a current that will give shocks to SP, BSP and Congress on March 11," he said.

Rahul had launched a 'khat sabha' campaign, much before the SP and Congress got into an alliance for the state assembly election, where the Congress vice president would interact with the village folk seated on cots to understand their problems and find solutions. One 'khat sabha' saw villagers run away with the cots after the meeting had ended.

Modi said people had run away with the cots as those belonged to them and they would now ensure the defeat of Congress.

Referring to the alleged decline of the famous brassware industry in Mirzapur, Modi alleged it was "ruined" because of lack of electricity.

"Had there been adequate power supply and had the brassware industry been functional, the young would not have been forced to move out to Gujarat and Maharashtra for employment. Youths do not get jobs in UP also because of nepotism and casteism," he said.

The Prime Minister also accused the SP government of corruption, claiming bribe had to paid for getting a work done, from lodging a police complaint to securing jobs and pensions.

"If you want to lodge a police complaint or even if you don't want to get it lodged at a police station, it's fixed as to how much you have to pay. Similarly, for getting pensions, jobs and ration cards too, the rates are fixed," he alleged.

"If you want to get rid of this, you have to defeat the SP, BSP and the Congress," he said.

Attacking BSP supremo Mayawati, Modi said she had taken stones from Mirzapur for construction of her statues when she was in power. However, when an enquiry started, she claimed the stones were from Rajasthan.

"You tell me why she has so much hatred even for stones of Mirzapur. Why should you vote for such people at all?" he said.