BJP storms back to power in UP, U'khand; Cong takes Punjab

Lucknow/Chandigarh, Mar 11 (PTI) The BJP today stormed back to power in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand securing landslide wins while the Congress achieved a similar feat in Punjab and emerged as the single largest party in Goa and Manipur which threw up a hung Assembly.

Anchored by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah, the BJP juggernaut rolled on in UP and in the neighbouring state of Uttarakhand, bagging three-fourth majority. The popular Congress Chief Minister Harish Rawat lost both seats that he contested in the hill state.

The BJP is returning to power in the politically crucial state of UP after a gap of 15 years during which regional parties such as the SP and the BSP held sway.

As the Assembly elections in the five states turned into a virtual referendum on Modi's popularity and demonetisation, the BJP decimated the ruling SP, its alliance partner Congress and Mayawati's BSP in UP.

After a hiatus of 10 years, Congress led by former chief minister Capt. Amarinder Singh stormed to power in Punjab getting 77 seats, falling just one seat short of two-third majority.

It was a birthday present for Amarinder who turned 75 today as the Congress routed the SAD-BJP combine and dashed hopes of Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP, which was confident of sweeping the Assembly polls on its debut.

BJP leaders hailed the spectacular victories of BJP as a vindication of Modi's popularity and his pro-poor policies with some calling it a "tsunami".

Shah, who crafted and conducted the election strategy in UP, said the results have catapulted Modi to the stature of the "tallest leader" since independence.

"The only factor for the win is the performance of the Modi government," Shah told a press conference in Delhi. "The outcome has shown the faith the poor have reposed in Modi...

Even his political rivals will have to admit that he has emerged as the tallest leader in the country since independence," he said.

"This is the victory of the corruption-free rule and pro-poor policies under the leadership" of Modi, he tweeted earlier.

At the end of vote counting, the BJP bagged 312 seats on its own with a nearly 40 per cent vote share and with allies Apna Dal (Soneylal Patel) and Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) their strength goes up to 324 in a House of 403. The BJP had just 47 seats in the outgoing House.

The previous best showing by BJP in UP was in 1991, at the height of Ram Janam Bhoomi movement, when it got majority on its own winning 221 seats out of 425 in an undivided state.

The highest number of seats bagged by a single party in the UP assembly polls was in 1977 when Janata Party got 352 seats when Uttarakhand was part of the state.

BJP had not put forward any chief ministerial candidate in UP where it also did not put up any muslim candidate.

The UP chief minister will be selected tomorrow by the BJP parliamentary board and the legislature party in the state.

The ruling SP whose campaign was steered by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on development agenda received a severe drubbing getting only 47 seats as against its previous tally of 224 while alliance partner Congress was reduced to single digits(7), down by 21 seats.

SP received a major jolt in Lucknow Cantt seat where its patron Mulayam Singh Yadav's daughter-in-law Aparna Yadav lost to BJP's Rita Bahujuna Joshi, who left Congress ahead of the elections.

BSP could garner only 19 seats in a huge slump from the previous tally of 80. 

Dissemination of Trends and Results of General Elections of 5 Assemblies to start at 8 am tomorrow through ECI website

A Novel Initiative: ECI website to provide Comparative Analysis on Results of 5 Assembly Elections, 2017 with the 2012 polls

Election Commission has set up robust, fool proof and secured infrastructure facility for disseminating Trends and Results General Elections of 5 Assemblies in Feb - March 2017, through its popular website www.eciresults.nic.in which will start functioning from 8.00 AM  tomorrow and will show trends update continuously. The IT solution captures number of votes secured by the candidates contested in elections round wise and after compilation shows Assembly constituency wise, Political party wise and Candidate wise trends. It is worthwhile to mention that this website has a track record of very large number of hits ranging from 36 Million to 16 Billion in a day in past, when Trends were being disseminated. The website can also be accessed through www.eci.nic.in website which is main official website of the Election Commission of India.

For the First Time , ECI to provide analytics through interactive dashboard

            As a proof of Concept, ECI is presenting some interactive dashboards, for the first time, for public use which will comprise of both data and analysis in its official website (www.eci.nic.in) on 12.3.2017. The analysis will be presented in user friendly, clickable infographics which may be of immense interest to all stakeholders. The users can download data, crosstab, PDF and images for analysing the elections further at their end. It will include comparative analytics between 2012 and 2017. The users will get constituency analysis with respect to participation of electors (constituencies with more female electors, constituencies by slabs of voter turnout, turnout by poll days) and candidates (gender wise participants, winners and major competitors). To assess performance of political parties, analysis on seats won by them, the percentage vote-share in the State and the profile (Age and Social Category) of candidates fielded by them have been included. Candidates have been mapped to their constituencies and the votes polled in their favour.

BJP, Cong-SP alliance confident about UP victory

New Delhi, Mar 10 (PTI) Leaders of the BJP and the SP-Congress combine today exuded confidence about victory of their respective party in the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, a day after exit poll results suggested the saffron party will have an edge over rivals.

BJP leaders said they would get a "two-third majority" in the 403-member Uttar Pradesh assembly.

The SP sought to pick holes in the surveys, terming these as "nonsensical" and "influenced".

Dismissing the exit poll results, the Congress said that the poll outcome tomorrow will be in its favour.

The counting of votes for assembly polls held in five states including Uttar Pradesh will take place tomorrow.

"The surveys have shown BJP will win. We are going to get a two-third majority in Uttar Pradesh. Wait for tomorrow," senior BJP leader Om Mathur told reporters at Parliament House.

Asked to comment on Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav's remark hinting at a post-poll tie-up with the BSP, BJP MP from the state Yogi Adityanath said this showed that the SP-Congress combine has "already accepted its defeat".

Mathur, Adityanath and Union Minister Kalraj Mishra maintained that the BJP leadership will take a call on who will be the next chief minister of the state, if the party is voted to power there.

SP general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav, however, maintained that Akhilesh will get a second consecutive term as the state's chief minister.

"The exit polls were influenced. Money spoke on March 9 (when the exit poll results were put out by news channels).

People will speak on March 11," he said, reiterating that the SP-Congress combine will get around 240 seats.

Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee chief Raj Babbar also played down the exit poll results.

Babbar also defended Akhilesh for extending an olive branch to the BSP, saying it is a "vision and not desperation of a young leader".

"We are going to form the next government," he added.

Meanwhile, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury questioned that authenticity of the surveys.

Open to "all possibilities" to prevent BJP from coming to power: Akhilesh

Lucknow Mar 9 (PTI) With exit polls predicting a hung Assembly, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav today did not completely rule out a post-poll tie-up with the BSP to prevent BJP from coming to power in the state.

As exit polls indicated the BJP emerging as the largest single party in the key cow belt state but falling short of the magic figure of 202 in the 403-member House, Akhilesh told BBC he was open to "all possibilities" to prevent the saffron party from coming to power.

"No one will want President's rule imposed in the state and BJP run the government through the remote control.

"SP-Congress will get enough seats, will form government on its own. But if required let us see," he said.

Replying to a question about whether he was ready for a post-poll alliance with the BSP, Akhilesh said, "I will not yet speak about alliance. Samajwadi Party and Congress will get enough seats to form the government.

"However, as I have always referred to the BSP chief as a relative, it is natural for people to think we might take their help or might go with them.... but it is difficult to say this as of now". Akhilesh, also the Samajwadi Party president, has always referred to Mayawati as 'Buaji' (aunt).

With the counting of votes barely two days away, the SP president's remark is likely to trigger speculation about the possibility of a realignment of political parties.

Throughout the bitter, recrimination-filled campaign, Mayawati never attacked Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, who had a word of praise for the BSP chief when he said his respect for her was intact. He had said he considered BJP and not BSP dangerous for the country.

When reached for comments, senior Congress leader Sanjay Singh said it was better not to say anything about it "at this stage".

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.