Did Manmohan Singh get the idea of 90s' reforms from a Pakistani economist?

India borrowed Pakistan's economic and reforms plans and implemented them successfully while "we squandered the opportunity largely because of political instability", Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal has said.

"During the 90s the then Indian Finance Minister Manmohan Singh borrowed economic reforms strategies from his Pakistani counterpart Sartaj Aziz and successfully implemented them in India," said Iqbal, who also holds the portfolio of Interior Minister.

He was speaking at the inauguration of Pakistan National Centre for Cyber Security in Islamabad, the Express Tribune reported on Tuesday.

Iqbal claimed that Bangladesh also successfully used the same strategies but Pakistan could not put its own plans to use as the decade was lost to political instability, the report said.

This is the one big problem in Congress' plan to topple Modi in 2019

India’s main opposition Congress party is facing a financial crisis that could undermine its ability to wrest power from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s wealthy Bharatiya Janata Party in 2019.

For the past five months, Congress leadership has stopped sending the funds required to run its offices in various states, party officials with knowledge of the matter said, asking not to be identified as they were not authorized to speak to the media. To overcome the crisis, Congress has urged members to step up contributions and asked officials to cut expenses, they said.

Led by Rahul Gandhi, the party’s steady flow of money from industrialists has all but dried up, leaving a cash crunch so serious that it’s been forced to crowd-fund for a candidate.

“We don’t have money," said Divya Spandana, who leads the Congress Party’s social media department. Compared with the BJP, she said her party is not getting much funding via electoral bonds -- a new method for cash donation to political parties -- which may force Congress to opt for more online crowd sourcing to raise money.

IMFA founder & industrialist Bansidhar Panda passes away at the age of 87

Dr Bansidhar Panda, the doyen of Odisha industries and father of MP Baijayant Panda, passed away at his residence in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday. He was 87.

Panda, Founder & Chairman Emeritus of IMFA Group, was left his lucrative career in metallurgical research abroad in the 1960s to be an entrepreneur, responding to the call of the then chief minister Biju Patnaik.

Panda had founded IMFA (Indian Metals and Ferro Alloys) in 1961 and set up his first plant at Therubali, a backward region in undivided Koraput district. IMFA since has grown to be a leading forro alloys manufacturer in the country with multi-location facilities.

After passing out from Benaras Hindu University, Panda had left for the US in the fifties for higher studies at Michigan Technological University and Harvard University. Imbibed with the idea of transforming the lives of people and nation through application of science and technology during his stint in the US, he had set out on a mission to replicate the same in Odisha on his return.

Pak alleges India violating Indus Waters Treaty; protests to World Bank

A Pakistani delegation raised the issue of India's alleged violation of the Indus Waters Treaty with the World Bank which discussed opportunities within the treaty to seek an amicable resolution, officials said on Tuesday.

Yesterday's meeting took place days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 330 MW Kishanganga hydroelectric project in Jammu and Kashmir, amid protests from Pakistan which claims that the project on a river flowing into Pakistan will disrupt water supplies.

Pakistan's Foreign Office had, on Friday, voiced concern over the inauguration of the hydroelectric project, saying inauguration without resolution of dispute between the two countries will tantamount to violation of the Indus Waters 1960 that regulates the use of waters in the shared rivers.

Rajnath Singh wants 'martyrs' biographies in syllabus to inspire patriotism

Home Minister Rajnath Singh has said biographies of martyrs should be included in the syllabus so that the upcoming generation can draw inspiration from the stories of patriotism and sacrifice.

The Home Minister said this while unveiling the statue of freedom fighter Thakur Ranmat Singh, in Kothi in Satna district in Madhya Pradesh.

Paying tributes to the late freedom fighter, Rajnath Singh said: "He was brave and heroic. I feel proud and thankful for getting the opportunity to unveil his statue."

The Home Minister also said schools and health care centres in villages, to which the martyrs belong, should be named after them.

Swachh Bharat: 8,000 toilets built in Kathua this year versus 15,000 target

In compliance with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Swachh Bharat Mission, 8000 toilets have been constructed in the Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district out of 15,000 toilets target for the year 2018.

The main motive behind the mission is to make the district Open Defecation Free (ODF). Besides the target, community toilets are also being constructed.

The Swachh Bharat Mission is going on war footing in 19 blocks of Kathua district and the construction of individual toilets is speeding up to achieve the target before October 2.

As per survey of 2012, there were 92884 households without toilets. The target of construction of 41602 toilets is so far completed till 2017.

Block Development Officer, Naresh Kumar Chandan, said that out of 17 Panchayat of Kerrian Gandyal Block, four Panchayat are so far declared as ODF.

Tejashwi Yadav calls for united opposition against BJP's 'dictatorship'

"All the opposition parties need to come together and raise voice against what is being done by BJP across India. We need to oppose their dictatorship. If something is not done now, then soon there will be no Constitution. The Britishers came to India and treated us like slaves. Now BJP is doing the same," Tejashwi Yadav said at the 'Samvidhan Bachao Andolan' rally in Patna on Friday.

He added, "The BJP leaders will not follow any of the Consitution rules as they feel Prime Minister Narendra Modi is bigger than Constitution.

"If the Consitution is same for all, then why Karnataka is different from what happened in Bihar?" he asked.

Earlier on Friday, Tejashwi along with other alliance leaders handed over letters to the Governor, stating that they were the single largest party elected in 2015 Bihar Legislative Assembly election and hence should be invited to form a government in the state.

No train ticket bookings for 2.5 hrs in Delhi tomorrow; what you must know

Rail services on Delhi passenger reservation system (PRS), including enquiry on 139 and ticket bookings, will remain unavailable for a period of two and a half hours tomorrow and the day after, the Northern Railway said today.

The services will remain shut from 11.45 pm on May 18 to 2.15 am on May 19 due to upgradation work on Delhi's computerised PRS, it said in a statement.

"All the services of Delhi PRS, that is reservation activities, enquiry on 139 and internet booking will not be available during the period," the statement said.

This is the second time this month when the PRS services will be suspended temporarily.

The PRS of the Northern Railway, the North Central Railway, the North Western Railway and the North Eastern Railway was shut for around three hours from 10.30 pm on May 5 to 12.15 am on May 6 and again from 05.15 am to 06.25 am the same day.

A routine electrical maintenance activity was the reason behind the May 5-May 6 suspensio

Retired judge slams Centre, moves SC for Justice KM Joseph's elevation

A retired district Judge from Solapur, Maharashtra, G D Inamdar has filed a PIL in the Supreme Court seeking Uttarakhand Chief Justice K M Joseph's immediate elevation to the apex court.

The PIL filed by the retired district judge has also sought a direction to the Centre to issue warrants of appointment for Justice Joseph with consequential seniority.

He approached the Supreme Court seeking urgent action on the quashing of the "illegal and unconstitutional" move of the Central government by segregating Justice Joseph's name whose name for elevation had been recommended by the apex court collegium.

"The petitioner is aggrieved by the shocking manner in which the Central Government has unilaterally and capriciously segregated and rejected the name of Hon'ble Justice K M Joseph - recommended by the Collegium for appointment as a Judge of this Hon'ble Court, while at the same time accepting the recommendation for elevation of Ms Indu Malhotra, Senior Advocate, as a Judge of this Hon'ble Court," the petition said.

IDBI Bank fraud case: CBI probes documents on loans to Aircel ex-promoter

IDBI Bank today said the CBI has examined documents related to its loan exposure to the companies of former Aircel promoter C Sivasankaran.

The state-owned bank had given a loan to Axcel Sunshine Ltd in February 2014, which had turned into a non-performing asset (NPA) or bad loan in December 2015, IDBI Bank said in a regulatory filing.

It was responding to exchanges with regard to a news article that the CBI has booked ex-Aircel (telecom firm) promoter Sivasankaran's firms in Rs 600 crore loan fraud case.

"CBI in this context has been examining certain documents relating to the loan given by IDBI Bank and have spoken to the senior officers of the bank, who had handled the case," IDBI Bank said.

"The officers are providing the requisite information and clarification to the investigating authorities," it added.

'Modi Scam Alert!' says Rahul Gandhi on Rafale deal: Top 10 developments

Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Saturday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over an alleged scam in the Rafale fighter aircraft deal with France. Issuing a "Modi Scam Alert!" Gandhi tweeted: "$15 billion fighter jet deal re-tendered. Prime Minister's friend's race to tie up strategic partners. "RAFALE, (Rs) 40,000 crore loss to the exchequer was "Sayonara" (bye bye in Japenese) money to French, so Prime Minister could re-tender contract and favour friends." Gandhi's comment came in the wake of a news report which stated that India was looking to buy more than 100 new fighter jets which were eventually expected to cost upwards of Rs 100,000 crore or about $15 billion.

1.Govt begins the process to procure 110 fighter jets for IAF for $9-13 bn: The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Friday initiated the procurement of 110 fighter aircraft for its depleted combat force — now languishing at 31 fighter squadrons against the desired strength of 42. When in service, these fighters will fill six squadrons. The order would be worth between $9-13 billion (Rs 584-844 billion) making it the world’s biggest international fighter buy. Single engine fighters would cost about $80-85 million each, while twin-engine fighters would cost closer to $120 million apiece.

CBSE paper leak: 'It happened either in board's custody or at the banks'

The probe into the leak of CBSE class 10 maths and class 12 economics question papers has led the police to believe that the leak happened between the time the papers were in custody of board officials and when those were kept in banks, a senior official said.

With the arrest of three men, including two teachers of a private school in Bawana, police claimed to have busted a module in which the teachers had shared WhatsApp images of the economics paper one-and-a-half hours prior to the exam.

However, when it comes to the trail of handwritten papers that were circulated a day or two before the exam, police are sure that the leak happened either at the board level or the time when they are kept in the banks, the police officer privy to the probe said.

Since it is suspected that the leak might have happened from outer Delhi or Haryana, police have started scanning CCTV footages from the banks in certain areas to see whether there was some suspicious activity around the time the papers were kept there.

The police are also probing the roles of CBSE officials. So far, no CBSE official has been questioned so far, the police officer said.

SC/ST Act dilution: Over a decade, crime rate against Dalits rose by 746%

Over the decade to 2016, the rate of crime against dalits rose more than eight times (746%); there were 2.4 crimes per 100,000 dalits in 2006, rising to 20.3 in 2016, according to an IndiaSpend analysis of 2016 National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, the latest available.

The rate of crime against adivasis or scheduled tribes grew by over 12 times (1,160%)–from 0.5 in 2006 to 6.3 in 2016.

However, cases pending police investigation for both marginalised groups has risen by 99% and 55% respectively, while the pendency in courts has risen by 50% and 28%, respectively. The conviction rates for crime against SCs and STs have fallen by 2 percentage points and 7 percentage points, respectively, to 26% and 21%, from 2006 to 2016.

On March 20, 2018, the Supreme Court expressing concern over the misuse of the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, ruled there shall be no immediate arrest of a citizen or public servant without prior permissions for crimes registered under the Act. It also introduced the provision of anticipatory bail if the complaint was found to be malafide.

INX Media case: Supreme Court to hear ED's plea against Karti Chidambaram

The Supreme Court will on Monday hear the plea filed by Enforcement Directorate (ED) against Karti Chidambaram, in the INX media money laundering case.

In a March 26 hearing, the apex court extended the interim protection of Karti from March 26 to April 2.

Earlier, the apex court granted interim protection to Karti from arrest by the ED in connection with the case.

On February 28, Karti was arrested at the Chennai airport on his return from the UK for his alleged role in facilitating Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance for INX Media Ltd and its directors, Peter and Indrani Mukerjea.

Karti allegedly took service charges for getting the clearance to INX Media for receiving funds from abroad worth Rs 3.05 billion in 2007 when his father P Chidambaram was the Union finance minister in the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.

'Above normal' temperatures seen in most of India between April-June: IMD

The India Meteorological Department today warned that the average temperatures in most parts of India is expected to be "above normal" between April and June, the period it considers the actual summer season.

The IMD, however, said the temperatures in east, east-central and southern India, which include Odisha, coastal Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, are likely to be lower than the usual, indicating that the onset of monsoon will be on time.

The "above normal" average temperatures prediction suggests that the warming of the summer season in northern and central India would be a continuation of the pattern seen over the past few years.

Last year was recorded as the hottest year so far by the IMD and other meteorological institutes across the country.

News digest: RBI policy review, e-way bill, ball tampering row, and more

Number of delisted companies on the rise; bourses may see more exits

Despite a record line-up of debuts on the bourses this year, India’s listed universe is shrinking, and shrinking fast.

Around 1,000 companies were compulsorily delisted in the past two years on the BSE and the National Stock Exchange (NSE). And, by some estimates, another 1,000-2,000 may be shown the door, effectively contracting the universe of listed shares by 30-50 per cent. Read more here

RBI may keep repo rate unchanged at 6% in April policy review: BS Poll

There is a clear consensus that the six-member monetary policy committee of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) would keep the repo rate unchanged at 6 per cent next week.
But surprisingly, there is a narrow chance that the central bank may cut rates in the future, according to a Business Standard poll of 15 economists and treasurers. Read more here 

Saudi to give bar codes to Air India, Jet crew, not retain their passports

The Saudi Arabian government has decided not to retain the passport of the Indian airline crew members on arrival in the country and issue a bar code instead, an Air India spokesperson confirmed.

The move comes as a big relief to the crew of Air India and Jet Airways, the two Indian airlines who fly to that country. Indian authorities had taken up the issue with the Saudi authorities and the decision not to retain the passport of the crews of Indian airlines came into effect from mid-February this year, the Air Indian spokesperson said.

The bar code given to the crew members will have a limited validity.

The development also comes against the backdrop of Saudi Arabia allowing a newly introduced Air India flight from New Delhi to Tel Aviv fly over its airspace, seen as a major diplomatic development in West Asia.

Guess who quit Facebook now? Playboy deactivates after data breach scandal

Playboy announced on Wednesday it was suspending its activities on Facebook to avoid being "complicit" in a wide-ranging scandal over misuse of private data.

The adult entertainment group said it had long faced difficulties in dealing with Facebook due to "strict content and policy guidelines" and that the revelations over hijacking of personal data by a political consulting firm was the final straw.

Playboy said it was deactivating all the Facebook accounts managed by the company.

"The recent news about Facebook's alleged mismanagement of users' data has solidified our decision to suspend our activity on the platform at this time," said a statement from Playboy.

"There are more than 25 million fans who engage with Playboy via our various Facebook pages, and we do not want to be complicit in exposing them to the reported practices."

The statement added: "Playboy has always stood for personal freedom and the celebration of sex. Today we take another step in that ongoing fight."

Congress targets Modi govt, says cost plus 50% as MSP to farmers a 'jumla'

The Congress on Monday termed the Narendra Modi government's claim of ensuring MSP at "50 per cent more than the actual cost of production" to farmers another "jumla" and accused Finance Minister Arun Jaitley "blatantly" lying in his budget speech.

"In the run-up to 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP had made a promise to India's farmers of giving 'Cost + 50 per cent' as MSP.

"Shockingly, it filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court stating that farmers can never be given the same for it will lead to market distortion," said Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi.

He said Jaitley "blatantly lied" in his budget speech 2018-19, claiming the government has already given 'Cost+50 per cent' as MSP to farmers and will continue to do so, saying the the report of 'Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices' 2018-19 (Rabi Marketing Season), which forms the basis for determination of MSP of wheat, gram etc makes it clear that the government has not given 'Cost + 50 per cent' as MSP in any crop.

Delhi sealing drive: State BJP leaders to attend all-party meet tomorrow

Delhi BJP leaders will attend an all-party meeting convened by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal with the members of the Supreme Court-appointed Monitoring Committee over the sealing issue at the Secretariat on Wednesday.

Party MLA and Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta today confirmed his participation.

"I will go to the meeting. The Delhi unit of our party will also send its representatives," he said.

Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari said he was ready to go to the meeting, even though he had not received a formal invitation.

"I am preparing to go (to the meeting), though there is no formal invite," he said.