Making Indian Presence felt in the Pacific Islands Mr. Modi Announces $75 Million Credit Line to Fiji

Concluding his 10 day tour Indian Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi, addressed the special session of the Fiji Parliament and left for India. The tour is being looked at as an exercise to build stronger ties with nations which can be strategic partners in the Indian growth story.

Shri Narendra Modi arrived in Fiji, at the crack of dawn and was greeted by his Fijian counterpart Mr. Bainimarama, at the Nausori International Airport in Fiji. this is the third and final leg of Mr. Modi's 10 day long trip.

Mr. Modi, was accorded a ceremonial guard of honour at the airport before he went on to attend a traditional welcome ceremony at Albert's Park, near the Fijian Parliament. This is a first visit by any Indian Prime Minister to Fiji, in 33 years and it coincides with Mrs. Indira Gandhi's Birth Day, who visited Fiji in 1981.

Mr. Modi, expressed his intent to help Fiji, to make it "Digital Fiji", the Prime Minister announced, Visa on arrival for tourists from Fiji. This came along with announcements of a $75 Million, credit line to Fiji. Pacts were also signed to increase Security and Military co-operation between the two countries. Discussion regarding co-generation of power and up-gradation of Sugar industry in Fiji were also held, India has announced a fund of US$5 million, towards betterment of villages in the island nation.

Mr. Modi, went on to call Fiji as a strong voice in the region and also amongst the developing world. India has offered assistance to Fiji, in the field of defence training and other aspects, to better equip the island nation.

Mr. Bainimarama, also congratulated India on the Mars Mission, and went on to say that they are looking for to Indian support and co-operation for the development of Fiji in future. He also invited the Indian film industry to come forward and shoot Bollywood movies in the region. He also added that Fiji is looking forward to increasing co-operation in the field of renewable energy.

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Fiji Opposition Party Boycotts Modi Speech at Fiji Parliament....

In a shocking turn of events in Fiji, where Indian Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi addressed a special session at the Fiji Parliament, the main opposition party Social Democratic Liberal Party boycotted the event as they were upset since they came to know that there leader Ms. Ro Tiemumu Kepais, is not being mentioned in the thank you note at the end of the event.

Fiji Prime Minister Mr. Voreqe Bainimarama, apologised for the step taken by the opposition Party and called it "inexcusable behaviour"

The other opposition party National Federation Party, although is an ally to Ms. Tiemumu's party did not support the move to boycott the special parliamentary session being held on Wednesday at the Fiji Parliament.

The Fijian premier further went on to say that, "(boycott by opposition is an) insult to the people of Ba town and Fijians."

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Congress runs out of Tricks.... Decides to boycott the Prime Minister

Image Courtesy: Link

It seems business is not running as usual for the Congress party at least; after losing to BJP in the national elections; Congress seems to have run out of tricks in their bag of political wits. All along they have tried to mock the BJP led NDA's "acche din aane waale hai" "Good days are about to come" slogan, coined by Mr. Modi, who is now the Prime Minister. The tricks have led to further deterioration in Congress's position it seems, Congress tried to cement themselves, when finally Mr. Rahul Gandhi woke up in the parliament and created disruptions without any concrete reasons. They even tried playing the communal card against the BJP, but all in vain.

They finally understood that nothing much can be done, at least for now and they will have to bite the bullet and stay silent for a while. Mr. Modi's speech on 15th of August, came as a further blow and a few Congress veterans also praised the same, Mr. Jairam Ramesh, posted on his website that, "I have been saying that making India open defecation free should be a national junoon, a national obsession. When I was Minister of Drinking Water and Sanitation, we had launched the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyaan and now Mr. Modi is taking that forward with his Swachh Bharat Mission"

Finally it seems Congress has found a way to avoid the Prime Minister in public at large, after the incident in Haryana where Mr. Modi and Mr. Hooda (CM of Haryana) were sharing the dais, the public that was cheering for Mr. Modi wooed Mr. Hooda and the same was taken very well by the Congress Party, instead of doing an analysis of why such a thing took place they decided to boycott Mr. Modi during state functions, by asking Congress Chief Ministers not to share dais with Mr. Narendra Modi.


Congress seems to have forgotten that, Mr. Modi is not a mere Politician but the representative of 1/6th population of the world, that he has been elected  by a democratic process and not by force or anything. By boycotting the Prime Minister isn't the Congress sidelining the democratic process that was mainly constituted by the founders of the Congress itself. The congress party needs to understand that as a nation to grow all states need to work in unison and not in seclusion.

Here it seems like a repeat of the history at the end of Congress, when NDA came into power under Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, he started a program where all state CM's were to meet on a common forum and discuss the growth agenda for the nation. I remember reading about the same and a lot of Congress chief ministers also welcomed the idea, but after the first meeting Congress CM's were instructed not to attend any such forum held by the than Prime Minister Mr. A B Vajpayee. A Congress CM was quoted in the a prominent current affairs magazine on condition of anonymity that, "Madam Ji has instructed us not to attend the meetings any more"

It seems that the Congress party does not want India to come out of the loop of Political Agendas which only revolve around Roti, Kapda aur Makan (Food, Clothing and housing); as people of the nation we need to analyse what is happening and what is right or wrong, it is us the people of the nation who can bring about the change, a few steps in the right direction can result in tremendous growth. As people we need to ask our politicians to give up on party based differences and work towards a common goal of a developed India, a India which will shine bright, India whose future generations will be free from the tag of a developing nation and an India which will be united at every front when it comes to national integration....

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The Bihar Saga... The quest of power can brings together the all time rivals Lalu and Nitish in Bihar...

                                                                 Image Courtsey HTMedia

The story of Bihar began with Nitish Kumar's ambitions of being the Prime Minister wannabe, which he has laughed off more often than not. Nitish Kumar came out in the open when the voices to name Narendra Modi (Current PM) as the prime ministerial candidate started gaining momentum, what unfolded next was a slew of attacks on Mr. Modi and his brand of politics. Nitish Kumar always considered Bihar as his strong hold, just like Mayawati thought about Uttar Pradesh. But the story of what happened in the elections is out there for everyone to see and believe and the biggest beneficiary in the process came out to be Mr. Ram Vilas Paswan.

But this article is not about what happened and why it happened, but about what does Bihar have in store next, the political scenario of Bihar has undergone a tremendous change, once storng Janta Dal (United) headed by Mr. Nitish Kumar, was seen lost in the Modi wave that had engulfed the nation. Something changed all of a sudden and Mr. Kumar realised that he is at the verge of losing his strong hold if corrective measures are not taken. A lot of drama followed regarding him resigning etc.

But now it seems Mr. Kumar, seems to have found solace in the lap of his elder brother Shri Lalu Prasad Yadav, this is the same person against whom Mr. Kumar united with BJP (Bhartiya Janta Party) with the agenda of ending the Jungle Raj, that was prevalent under Shri Lalu Prasad Yadav's rule. But when hit hard by reality both of them have realised that if they want to survive the onslaught of BJP, they have to come upfront and stop cutting into each-others vote bank. The Congress has also decided to stick to both of them as they do not have a strong face in Bihar anyhow. The real strength of the alliance between JDU and RJD, is going to be put to test soon in the by-elections, to held for the 10 seats in the state on the 21st of August.

The shift from bitter rivalry to the sweet friendship, the overall theme of the alliance seems to be one dimensional, that of defending their ground against the BJP. Mr. Kumar and Mr. Yadav also have doled out the same advice to Ku. Mayawati and Shri Mulayam Singh, to unite against BJP in the state of Uttar Pradesh. The overall scenario seems to be one where the third front seems to be aligning with the Congress party in order to fight against the BJP bandwagon across the country, whereby all the non NDA parties seem to be clubbing together, in a hope to form a formidable face against the BJP led NDA.

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Sachin Tendulkar and Rekha not attending the Parliament regularly

On Thursday, NCP MP, D.P. Tripathi raised the issue of Sachin and Rekha not being regular in terms of attendance to the Rajya Sabha since they have been nominated to the house. He said that although   he admires both the personalities and appreciate their work in their respective fields but still, it does not give them a right to skip the proceeding of the house and in turn dishonour the same.

Speaking on the remarks made by Mr. Tripathi and issues raised by a few other members, deputy chairman of the house Mr. P.J. Kurien gave out the following statement, “As per Article 104 of the Constitution, if a member is absent from either House of Parliament for a period of 60 days then the seat is considered vacant. In case of Sachin Tendulkar, he has not attended the Parliament for 40 days whereas Rekha’s absence is less than this,” he observed.

Mr. Kurien also stated that Mr. Tendulkar was nominated to the upper house in April 2012 and has attended the session for three days. “Last time he had come to the House on December 13, 2013,”

About Ms. Rekha, he stated that she had joined in April 2012 and has attended the session for seven days. “Last time she attended the House on February 19, 2014.”

A few members had also stated that the cricketing legend should contribute more the proceeding to the house and should try to be more proactive in the house.

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Presidential nod for creation of National Judicial Commision

In a move to improve the selection process of judges, President Shri Arnab Mukherjee has approved the Constitutional Amendment Bill, to facilitate the formation of National Judicial Commission. The formation of the new commission will result in fast tracking of appointment of judges, replacing the current collegium system which has come under media scrutiny for a while.

As per reports all the parties are in favour of the formation of National Judicial Commission, the bill to bring about the change is expected to be put across the house by the government in the next lok sabha session.

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Is it Congress or Rahul Gandhi, who is feeling left out ??

The house proceedings are being disturbed on a regular basis by the Congress Party for the past few days, the overall scenario seems to be of attention grabbing tactics rather than fruitful debate. Finally in a bid to showcase his presence and authority Rahul Gandhi disrupted the working of the house by charging towards the speaker by assembling in the well of the house a few days back.



Later Rahul Gandhi told reports outside the parliament that, "We are not being allowed to speak in the parliament, we are asking for discussion. The mentality is that discussion is not acceptable; everybody feels it, their party feels it, we feel it everybody feels it"

In continuation to the above point Mr. Jaitley on wednesday said, "It is a time for the Congress party to introspect itself........  If you want to show yourself as doing something, it will be better if you lead your own party, rather than develop a contrived aggression against the functioning of the house itself, which otherwise has been functioning well" he went on to say that Congress seems to be facing a coup within their own party, as day after day established leaders of the party are speaking out.

Is Rahul Gandhi feeling left out in the dearth of genuine topics of discussion, or is it the mounting pressure of bringing Priyanka Gandhi to the forefront of congress starting to threaten him. Their seems to be an identity crisis within the party, every leader including Mr. Gandhi seems to be involved in the fight of grabbing attention and come the forefront, some are trying to be the face of the party themselves, while others seem to back behind the Gandhi Wagon by putting forward name of Mrs. Priyanka Gandhi Vadhera, as the future leader of the party.

As a part of the above agenda it seems Mr. Gandhi has realised that he needs to be more active in the house, and was observed to be more involved in the proceedings of the house just a day after creating a ruckus by storming the well of the house with a group of other members from congress. He was seen involved in discussion with Mr. Scindia during the proceedings of the house today. 

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Live Coverage of Arun Jaitley's Super Budget 2014

01:20 PM : Mr. Jaitley end his budget speech....

01:10 PM

"These are healthy measures" Jaitley
- Increase on excise on cigarettes, Panmasala and tobacco related products
- 5% additional duty on sugar containing aerated drinks (Read Pepsi and cocacola drinks) 

01:00 PM

Basic custom duty on LED panel below 19 inch made nil: Jaitley
Soaps and oils to become cheaper with decrease in duty on Palm oils

12:59 PM

Export duty on Bauxite increased from 10% to 20%
Food Processing excise duty reduced from 10% to 6% in order to facilitate a better environment for food processing 

12:50 PM

60 more 'Ayakar Sewa Kendras' to be set up.

12:49 PM

Housing loan rebate to raised from 1.5 lakh to 2 lakh: Jaitley

12:48 PM

Govt to provide investment allowance at 15% for 3 years to manufacturing company which invest more than Rs 25 crore in plant and machinery.

12:46 PM

Young Leaders Programme to be set up with Rs 100 crore.

12:46 pm: Propose to increase investment limit under Section 80C from Rs.1 lakh to Rs.1.5 lakh: FM.
12:46 pm: Tax exemption limit for senior citizens changed from Rs.2.5 lakh to Rs.3 lakh: FM.

12:45 pm: Tax exemption limit for small and marginal, and senior tax payers changed from Rs.2 to Rs.2.5 lakh: FM.

12:44 pm: Do not propose to make any changes in tax rate: FM.

12:43 pm: Impact of tax changes have been factored: Arun Jaitley.

12:42 pm: I propose to give some relief to taxpayers and some sectors of the economy: Arun Jaitley.

12:41 pm: Had to encounter challenge of extremely limited fiscal space in deciding tax policy: FM.

12:40 pm: I propose Rs.200 crore for power reforms, and Rs.500 crore for water reforms in Delhi: Arun Jaitley.

12:35 PM

Rs 100 crore for training of sportspersons for upcoming Asian Games.

12:34 PM

Sports university to be set up in Manipur, Rs 100 to be provided for this.

12:32 PM

Biotech clusters to be set up in Bangalore and Faridabad.

12:32 PM

Meanwhile, Sensex has declined over 300 points in late morning trade.

12:31 PM

An NRI fund for conservation of river Ganga to be set up.

12:31 PM

World class convention facilities to be developed through PPP mode.

12:31 PM

FM announces 'Namami Ganga', an integrated Ganga Development Project; Rs 2037 crore set aside for this.

12:30 PM

Annual PPF ceiling to be raised to Rs 1.5 lakh, from Rs 1 lakh.

12:30 PM

Hope to implement Goods and Service Tax this year: Jaitley

12:28 PM

Rs 2.29 lakh crore allocated for defence sector.

12:27 PM

Rs 1,000 crore for 'one rank, one pension' scheme.

12:27 PM

War memorial to be set up along with a war museum; Rs 100 crore set aside for this.

12:26 PM

A War Memorial to be constucted in Princess Park: FM

12:23 PM

RBI will create framework for licences of small banks: FM

12:22 PM

There should be at least 2 bank accounts in each household: FM

12:22 PM

Govt to provide all households with banking facilities to empower the weaker sections.

12:20 PM

Bank to be encouraged to give long term funds and loans to infrastructure sector.

12:19 PM

Uniform KYC across the finance sector.

12:18 PM

Rs 3600cr set aside for National Rural Drinking Water: FM

12:16 PM

Retrospective tax amendment to be undertaken with extreme caution, Jaitley says

12:16 PM

Financial sector is at the heart of the growth engine, Jaitley says.

12:15 PM

Revision of rate of royalty on minerals to be taken up on request from the states.

12:15 PM

Ultra modern solar power plants to be set up.

12:13 PM

In order to complete gas grid, 15000km of additional pipeline to be developed through PPP mode.

12:12 PM

New and renewable energy deserves high priority; ultra modern power projects to be taken up in Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Ladakh with Rs 500 crore.

12:12 PM

Impasse in coal sector will be resolved: FM

12:11 PM

'Jal Marg Vikas' project on river Ganga

Rs 4200 crore set aside for 'Jal Marg Vikas' project on river Ganga connecting Allahabad to Haldia, over a distance of 1620km.

12:09 PM

New airports to be developed through PPP mode in tier-II and tier-III cities.

12:09 PM

16 new ports to be set up. Rs 11,000 crore to be allocated for this.

12:08 PM

Rs 200 crore allocated for 6 more textile clusters in Rae Bareily, Lucknow, Surat and Bhagalpur.

12:07 PM

Slum development to be included in Corporate Social Responsibility activities.

12:06 PM

Trade facilitation centre to promote handloom work in Varanasi.

12:06 PM

India has emerged as the largest PPP market in the world.

12:05 PM

BJP MPs taunt to Cong MPs: Learn to listen now.

12:04 PM

6 more textile clusters to be set up: FM

12:03 PM

Govt to take effective steps to revive SEZs: FM

12:03 PM

Rs 100 crore set aside for Kisan Television to provide real time information on various farming and agriculture issues.

12:01 PM

Gvot to set up Industrial Smart Cities in 7 cities.

11:59 AM

Jaitley is reading his Budget speech sitting down.

11:59 AM

Jaitley asked to sit and speak by the Speaker, after he complains of shortness of breath.

11:56 AM

Govt will initiate scheme to provide a soil health card; Rs 100 cr set aside for this. Rs 56 crore for soil testing labs across the country.

11:54 AM

Govt to provide finance to 5 lakh landless farmers through NABARD: FM

11:46 AM

House adjourned for 5 minutes by the speaker. A first of a kind move as asked by Jaitley

11:44 AM

Rs 100 crore for modernisation of madrasas: FM

11:43 AM

Development of Metro rails in PPP mode; Rs 100 crore set aside for Metro scheme in Ahmedabad and Lucknow.

11:43 AM

FTII Pune, SRFTI Kolkata will be accorded the status of institute of national importance, says Jaitley.

11:42 AM

Lok Nayak National Centre for higher education.

Rs. 4000 cr. to be set aside for low cost housing projects

11:41 AM

Madam Mohan Malviya scheme for teacher training.

11:41 AM

Rs 500 crore for digital India programme to ensure broadband connectivity at village level, transparency in governance.

11:36 AM

5 more IITs to be established

5 new IIMs to be established

New AIIMS in Andhra, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Purvanchal: FM

11:35 AM

FM: Rs 3600 crore set aside for National Rural Drinking Water.

11:34 AM

Govt to set up 4 more AIIMS: Jaitley This will be followed by 12 new Govt. Medical colleges after discussion with states.

Going Forward further more AIIMS would be added to all the states

11:33 AM

Meanwhile, the Sensex is down more than 150 points. (Reuters)

11:32 AM

Crisis Management Centre for women at Delhi, money to be provided from Nirbhaya fund: FM

11:31 AM

Jaitley announces 'Beti padhao, beti badhao yojana', sets aside Rs 100 crore for this.

11:29 AM

Jaitley announces schemes for disabled persons in the country.

11:29 AM

EPFO will launch a unified account scheme for portability of Provident Fund accounts: FM

11:28 AM

A large number of money lying unused in postal schemes etc. Propose to set up a committee to examine how this can be utilised: Jaitley

11:28 AM

15 new Brail presses to be established and revival of 10 existing announced.

11:28 AM

The govt is notifying Rs 1000 pension per subscriber of EP scheme. Rs 50 crores being set aside for this: FM

11:28 AM

The govt is notifying Rs 1000 pension per subscriber of EP scheme. Rs 50 crores being set aside for this: FM

11:28 am: Rs.50,548 crore proposed for SC development: Jaitley.

11:27 am: Rs.200 crore set aside to support Gujarat govt in the Sardar Patel statue installtion: Jaitley.

11:26 am: Govt committed to providing 24/7 power supply to all homes: Jaitley.

11:25 am: Total sanitation goals to be achieved by 2019: Jaitley.

11:27 AM

Rs 200 crore set aside to support Gujarat govt in the Sardar Patel statue installtion: Jaitley

11:25 AM

Arun Jaitley: Rs 500 crore for Deen Dayal Upadhyay rural electrification programme

'Pradhanantri Krishi Sichayin Yojana' to be started for irrigation: Jaitley

A national multiscale programme called Skill India to be introduced to provide training and support for employment

Visa rationalisation : In order to give major boost to tourism, E-visas would be introduced at 9 airports. This will facilitate visas on arrival

11:25 AM

Government intends to cover every household in the country by 2019: Jaitley on sanitation

11:25 AM

Total sanitation goals to be achieved by 2019: FM

11:24 AM

Govt committed to providing 24/7 power supply to all homes: Jaitley

11:24 AM

Meanwhile, Nifty is unchanged, trading 0.2% higher. (Reuters)

11:23 AM

Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sichayin Yojana to be started for irrigation: FM

11:22 AM

We look forward to lower inflation, FM says

11:24 AM

Meanwhile, Nifty is unchanged, trading 0.2% higher. (Reuters)

As large number of people migrate to cities, unless new cities are developed the present would become unliveable: Jaitley.

We will examine proposal to give additional autonomy to banks and make them more responsible: Jaitley.

Financial stability is the foundation of our recovery: Jaitley.

FM proposes measures to encourage development of smart cities: Jaitley.

India is the largest buyer of defence equipment: Jaitley.

India needs boost in manufacturing sector: Jaitley.

FDI is several sectors provides additional resources: Jaitley.

Transfer pricing is major area for litigation; proposes changes in transfer pricing regulation.

11:23 AM

Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sichayin Yojana to be started for irrigation: FM

11:22 AM

We look forward to lower inflation, FM says

11:22 AM

Skill India programme to provide training and support for employment to be introduced: FM

Rs. 7060 Cr. allocated for City development of 100 cities

As large number of people migrate to cities, unless new cities are developed the present would become unliveable: Jaitley.

We will examine proposal to give additional autonomy to banks and make them more responsible: Jaitley.

Financial stability is the foundation of our recovery: Jaitley.

FM proposes measures to encourage development of smart cities: Jaitley.

India is the largest buyer of defence equipment: Jaitley.

India needs boost in manufacturing sector: Jaitley.

FDI is several sectors provides additional resources: Jaitley.
    
Transfer pricing is major area for litigation; proposes changes in transfer pricing regulation.

11:20 AM

I propose Rs 7060 crores for the development of 100 smart cities: Jaitley

11:19 AM

eE-Visas to be introduced at 9 airports: FM

11:19 AM

We will examine proposal to give additional autonomy to banks and make them more responsible: FM

11:18 AM

PSUs to play their role constructively: FM

11:17 AM

Jaitley proposes measures to encourage development of smart cities

I propose to strengthen authority for advance ruling in tax: Jaitley

11:16 AM

FM announces FDI in defence up from 26 to 49 % with Indian management and control

11:15 AM

This govt will not ordinarily change policies retrospectively which creates a fresh liability: Jaitley.

GST will streamline tax administration and result in higher tax collection for center and states: Jaitley.

A new urea policy would be formulated: Jaitley.

We have no option but to take some bold steps to spurt economy; these are only the first steps and are directional: Jaitley.

India is an extensive buyer of defence equipment: FM

11:15 AM

India needs a boost for job creation: FM

11:14 AM

I propose to strengthen authority for advance ruling in tax: FM

11:14 AM

Goods and Services tax wait should come to end: FM

11:13 AM

We wish to provide an investment friendly taxation system: Arun Jaitley

11:13 AM

Aim to achieve 7-8% economic growth rate in next 3-4 years: FM

11:12 AM

No changes in taxes retrospectively, Jaitley says

11:12 AM

Assures that Union govt will be fair in dealing with states: FM

11:11 AM

We have no option but to take some bold steps to spurt economy; these are only the first steps and are directional, FM says

11:10 AM

Govt to form an xpenditure management commission: FM

11:09 AM

Target of 4.1% fiscal burden is daunting: FM

11:07 AM

The task before me today is very challenging; need to revive growth in manufacturing sector: FM

11:06 AM

We need to introduce fiscal prudence: Arun Jaitley

11:06 AM

Should we be victims of populism? Arun Jaitley asks

11:05 AM

We have to ensure that anti-poverty measures are well-targeted: FM

11:05 AM

There are green shoots of recovery in the global economy: FM

11:04 AM

We look forward to lower inflation, FM says

11:03 AM

People have voted for a change. India desires to grow: FM

11:01 AM

Madam speaker, I rise to present the Union Budget for 2104-15: FM

11:01 AM

Finance minister Arun Jaitley begins Union Budget presentation.

10:56 AM

"I think the same approach will be taken in Union Budget as the Rail Budget"

-Jay Panda, BJD MP

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