Indian Holocaust My Father`s Life and Time - SIX HUNDRED SIXTY FIVE
Palash Biswas
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Three people, including a child, were killed and about 50 injured on Wednesday as police fired at and teargassed a mob opposing an eviction drive in Assam's main city Guwahati.
Mamata Banerjee Promises once again to make LONDON of KOLKATA and Switzerland of Darjiling while the Planning Commission has approved Rs 22,214 crore annual plan allocation for West Bengal, which is 24% more than last's year's allocation of Rs 17,985 crore.No wonder, despite the Singur Puzzle, LPG Mafia Brahaminical Hegemony as well as Global Zionsit Corporate Imperilaism stnad Rock Solid behind the KILLER of Marxist Government in Bengal which ultimately clears the decks for Second Phase of Economic Reforms! The Human Face is projected nonetheless to justify Ethnic Cleanisng and EXCLUSION as Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council (NAC) today approved the draft National Food Security Bill , 2011 which aims to make provision of food support to people facing hunger a duty of the state. Meanwhile,Questions continued to be raised today over the alleged bugging attempts in the offices of Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and his aides in the North Block with Opposition parties rejecting the "chewing gum" theory and demanding a thorough probe. They sought to suggest that the episode could also be reflective of the "trust deficit" within the government.
Assam protest turns violent, 2 killed
Guwahati: Two people, including a 9-year-old boy, have been killed and at least 20 people injured and more than a dozen vehicles set ablaze after police fired shots in the air and teargassed those opposing a government eviction drive in Assam's main city of Guwahati on Wednesday.
Shoot-at-sight orders were issued after the mob attacked pedestrians and vehicles, a police officer said.
At least five government-run city buses and many cars were set on fire as protestors resorted to pelting stones at security forces, he said.
"Rioters indulging in torching of vehicles and destroying public property would be dealt with severely with shoot-on-sight orders issued," Assam IGP Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta said.
More than 5,000 people led by the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samity (KMSS), a peasants' group, staged a protest in Guwahati demanding that the authorities put a stop to an eviction drive in the city's hill areas.
"The mob started pelting stones and attacking vehicles that prompted police to act," a police official said.
Police burst teargas canisters and resorted to baton charge, besides firing in the air, to disperse the unruly mobs.
Source: IANS
Pranab security breach: BJP rubbishes 'chewing gum theory'
New Delhi: The explanation given by the Intelligence Bureau (IB) that the adhesives found in Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's office were chewing gums, is a "joke", the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said Wednesday.
"IB's chewing gum theory is a joke. A childish argument like this...if they want the country to believe that it was a chewing gum, people will laugh," BJP leader Sushma Swaraj told reporters Wednesday.
"From where such intelligent chewing gum came, which goes to the finance minister's room, his OSD's room, advisor's room, to the conference hall, and sticks? Before giving such argument, the IB must think," she said.
According a newspaper report, Pranab Mukherjee wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in September last year, asking him to order a "secret inquiry" after some adhesives were found planted in his office and in some other areas in the finance ministry's North Block office.
"There are two questions in this incident - whether the spying was being done by the government itself or some corporate house was getting it done," Swaraj said.
"In both situations, the matter is serious. If the government was doing this, it is an example of the growing mistrust between the ministers in the government. And if it was being done by a corporate house, it is a big lapse in security cordon," she said.
The leader of opposition also compared the incident to the Watergate scandal in the US.
"Both ways, the probe is very important, that is why I called it Watergate yesterday, because in similar incident, the American president had to resign even though it was against the opposition. Here, the spying is against its own finance minister," she said.
She also said that the finance minister must know the difference between a chewing gum and an adhesive.
"The chewing gum theory being presented to the nation is not right. I request the government the letter he had written should be taken seriously, and to do a through investigation," she said.
Pranab Mukherjee Tuesday said that the IB probed a possible security breach in his office but found nothing.
According to the report, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), which has also its office in the premises, engaged a private detective team, which found adhesive at three locations along the edge of Mukherjee's table. Grooves were found on the surface which could have been the imprint of a possible device, the report said.
However, the IB downplayed the incident and said the adhesive was a "sort of chewing gum", the report added.
Source: IANS
PC goes under cover in J & K, Omar spreads news on Twitter
Srinagar: Union home minister P Chidambaram drove through the streets of Srinagar city unnoticed with bare minimum security to get a feel of the ground situation.
Chidambaram on Monday visited the separatist stronghold of Zaina Kadal, Eidgah, Gow Kadal and Karan Nagar without being detected by the crowd on the streets, which are now buzzing unlike last year when the city wore the look of a war-torn city.
The story of the home minister's whirlwind tour was broken by none other than chief ministerOmar Abdullah
on Twitter. "Well actually he (Chidambaram) spent more than an hour driving around down town Srinagar and I don't think anyone even knew he was there," Omar tweeted.Omar was responding to the tweets of Sheikh Irfan of Dubai: "So he was just a foreign tourist in Kashmir who had come here to get some relief from Delhi heat that's it".
The chief minister reacted to the prickly tweet swiftly, saying, "Chidambaram was in Zaina Kadal, Gowkadal, Karan Nagar, Eidgah and those areas. Did you hear anything about that in Dubai? Doubt it". "Because he didn't inconvenience people you can't stomach that and he becomes a tourist. Very rich I must say."
This is the second time since last October that Chidambaram has driven through the sensitive areas of Kashmir. On October 31, 2010, he drove through the streets of Baramulla in north Kashmir unnoticed to get a feel of the round situation in the sensitive township.
Meanwhile, Chidambaram and Omar on Tuesday reviewed the law and order and security situation in the state at a high-level meeting in Srinagar. Matters relating to the arrangements for Amarnath yatra were also discussed.
Chidambaram congratulated the CM and his government for the smooth, peaceful, free and fair panchayats elections in the state.
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FM for fool-proof govt accounting system
New Delhi: Amid increasing demand for transparency in governance, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee called for a government accounting system that enables anyone to assess the performance of public service delivery.
"In this age of awareness and information revolution, an average citizen and a social activist want information to assess the financial health and performance of governments in delivering public services and development schemes," he said at a Comptroller and Auditor General event, here.
Mukherjee, who is the chairman of the joint committee of government and civil society on drafting the contentious LokPal Bill, said there was scope for improving the content and quality of the existing accounting system.
"We have to keep it in mind that today it is not only Parliament and the government that require accounting information but there are other important stakeholders, including citizens, analysts, national and international institutions."
After conducting a few pilot studies, the government is in the process of introducing a new accounting system in a phased manner that would provide an effective way to track and assess assets created out of public money.
The Finance Minister said he had asked for a strong IT-based system for recording assets to strengthen existing disclosures under the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act. "We should focus on areas, which foster transparency, Parliamentary accountability and are of use to decision makers in the government."
The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) Vinod Rai proposed the formation of an apex body at the Finance Ministry to oversee the three-phase transition of the official accounting system from the traditional cash-based method to the accrual model that gives a more realistic picture of India's financial health.
Source: Business Standard
Bank unions call for strike on July 7
Mumbai: Bank employees across the country will strike work on July 7 to protest against the government decision to dilute its equity in the banks and giving foreign investors additional voting rights.
"We are against any such activities being carried out under the garb of banking reforms. Over 10 lakh employees across the banking system will be going on a single-day strike," All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) secretary Vishwas Utagi said today.
The association is a part of the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), an umbrella body of unions of all hues, which has given the strike call.
Utagi claimed that employees from foreign and private banks had also agreed to participate in the strike. The strike notice has already been to served to the Indian Banks Association as well as the Labour Commissioner.
The government intends to increase the voting rights for foreign entities beyond the present 10% through an amendment to the Banking Regulation Act.
"This is not acceptable to the federations," Utagi said, adding the strike is also to oppose the government decision to limit its stake in public sector banks at 51%, which Utagi termed is tantamount to privatisation.
The UFBU, which is against consolidation of the SBI Group by merging the five associate banks with SBI, will also resist any effort of consolidation among the state-run banks, Utagi said.
Source: PTI
Over 31,000 employees left TCS in FY11
New Delhi: Confirming the high attrition in the IT industry, country's largest software exporter Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has said 31,500 employees left the organisation in 2010-11 while the company hired 69,685 new employees in India and overseas.
The net additions during the year stood to 38,185 people, TCS said in its Annual Report 2010-11.
TCS's headcount stood at 1,60,429 as on April 1, 2010, which increased to 1,98,614 as on March 31 this year.
In terms of gross additions, 62,092 people were added in India, while 7,593 were added overseas, it said.
During the year, 26,899 people hired from India quit, taking the net addition to 35,193 in India.
With the return in demand for IT services, attrition has become the major concern for IT firms. The industry is now on a hiring spree to counter the trend.
For the overseas operations, the attrition was high with 4,601 people leaving the firm in FY11. The net addition stood at 2,992 people for the overseas operations.
"The company continues to invest in talent development through a well-established Academic Interface Programme, providing internships, conducting faculty development programmes, conducting student workshops to orient students to the IT industry and sponsoring technical and research programmes in various institutes," it said.
Source: PTI
Lokpal Bill
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West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today said her government wants to make Kolkata another London and turn Darjeeling into another Switzerland, besides giving visitors an experience of African safari in the Sundarbans.
"We also want to develop Kolkata. Why can't Kolkata be another London? We want to undertake tourism based industries in the Sundarbans area. Like in African safari, we can also build up our area in Sundarbans. Darjeeling can be our Switzerland," she said in New delhi.
Banerjee was speaking after a meeting with Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia to finalise the state's annual plan.
The Planning Commission today approved West Bengal's annual Plan of Rs 22,214 crore for 2011-12, up from Rs 17,985 crore in the previous fiscal.
Banerjee said that infrastructure and tourism development among others, would be the priority areas for her Trinamool Congress-led government, which took charge last month ending 34-years of uninterrupted rule by the Left Front.
The Chief Minister said Kolkata's infrastructure, including the metro network, would be developed as per the Kolkata Development Project.
Besides, she said, the recent agreement with the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha had brought stability to the Darjeeling hills. Her government will give special attention to other regions of the state, including North Bengal, Jangalmahal and the Sundarbans, she said.
Banerjee said this would create a conducive environment for both setting up of industries and increasing tourism.
During the today's meeting, Banerjee asked the Planning Commission for help in facilitating better connectivity in her state. She also asked for air connectivity to six places including Malda, Santiniketan, Haldia and the Sundarbans.
The state government plans to set up 17 industrial clusters in West Bengal to boost growth of small and medium scale industries.
Yesterday, West Bengal Industry Minister Partha Chatterjee had said that steps were being taken to assess the present status of land of the closed industrial units and how they could be utilised.
According to informed sources, at least 5,000 industrial units are to be set up in the clusters and six of the clusters are to come up in minority-dominated areas.
"We have already decided that within two years we will create at least more than 10 lakh jobs for the unemployed youths," Banerjee said, adding that the jobs would be created in the planned industrial clusters.
With the draft bill prepared by the Working Group on Food Security being legally vetted by a government law officer, the Council will now be sending it to the government.
The decision approving the draft bill was taken at the meeting of the NAC today.
The bill guarantees subsidised foodgrains to at least 90 per cent of rural households, and 50 percent of urban households.
According to the bill, 46 per cent of the rural and 28 per cent of urban households categorised as 'priority group' are entitled to receive foodgrains at 7 kg per head at Rs three, two and one for wheat or rice or millets respectively.
49 per cent of the rural and 22 per cent of urban households categorised as 'general group' are entitled to receive foodgrains at 4 kg per head at not more than 50 per cent of the MSP of the respective foodgrain.
The draft bill follows a life cycle approach and introduces a number of other universal guarantees, including nutrition support and maternity entitlements for pregnant women, nutrition support to children both in pre-school centres and in school, but also to all out of school children; destitute feeding and affordable meals for homeless and other needy urban populations; and special guarantees for starvation and emergencies.
It creates also a strong accountability framework for protection of these entitlements and allows imposition of fines on defaulters and compensation to the victim.
It also envisages a strong grievance redress and monitoring system, from the centre to the block level.
But the Congress hit back saying the BJP always indulged in levelling "baseless allegations" to divert attention from its internal rebellion. It said it was not aware of any problems within the government on the issue.
The man at the centre of all this, Mukherjee himself, however, has sought to downplay calling the episode "bogus" but did not elaborate.
Officially, the government continued to main silence on the issue.
A day after a row broke out after a national newspaper reported on the alleged bugging, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj termed as a "big joke" the Intelligence Bureau's "chewing gum theory" and demanded a probe into it.
"The allegation of spying at Pranab Mukherjee's office is a serious matter. The Finance Minister himself may try to dismiss it...he may be under some compulsions. But the country wants to know," she said.
22 JUN, 2011, 08.25PM IST, ATMADIP RAY,ET BUREAU
Planning Commission approves Rs 22,214 crore for WB
KOLKATA: The Planning Commission on Wednesday approved a Rs 22,214 crore annual plan allocation for West Bengal, which is a good 24% more than last's year's allocation of Rs 17,985 crore.
An elated Mamata Banerjee announced this after her meeting with the Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia . The allocation witnessed a surge of around Rs 4,000 crore, which she demanded for the cash-starved state.
.She said that the state will build 17 industrial clusters in the next two years with the funding support. In her first Delhi visit after becoming the first chief minister of the state, she was accompanied by state finance minister Amit Mitra and planning & development minister Manish Gupta.
This hefty rise allocation is in step with New Delhi's promise to assist the new government in West Bengal and offer a bail-out package to the cash-starved state, which is saddled with an outstanding debt of Rs 1.96 lakh crore.
Besides the rise in annual allocation, Mamata Banerjee has sought an additional Rs 47,000 crore package from the central government to meet the state's long term funding needs for trouble-torn Maoist areas and north Bengal districts, and to carry on pro-poor development programmes.
The state is in a virtual debt trap with Rs 1.96 lakh crore of outstanding dues and acute revenue deficit. Out of the state's earning of Re 1, it spends 93 paise on salaries, pensions and interest payment, leaving virtually nothing for capital formation and development.
22 JUN, 2011, 03.30PM IST,ET BUREAU
Planning commission official Arun Maira defends West Bengal's land acquisition policy
NEW DELHI: As the Tatas moved the High Court today against Bengal's Singur land repossession Act, a planning commission official supported the land acquisition policy proposed by the West Bengal government .
"Jindals have put up factories in WB and they did not have any problem. If Jindals have found enough land in WB why could not Tatas," planning commission member Arun Maira said at an event on National Manufacturing Policy by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci).
The statement coincides with the visit of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the planning commission in Delhi to discuss the annual state plan allocation.
"It is a question of what sort of land is being acquired and by what process. Industry does not need very large tracts of land...just few kilo meters away from Singur there was land that was not crop land," added Maira.
In 2007 the Left Front government under previous chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya had allotted 997 acres of land for Tata Motor's proposed Nano plant on a 99- year lease. However due to protests by local farmers and Mamata Banerjee led Trinamool Congress the Tata's had to shelve the plan and shift it to Gujarat.
As the first move as the Chief minister of Bengal , Banerjee scrapped the allocation of 400 acres of land to Tatas and the land is set to be returned back to the farmers.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/policy/planning-commission-official-arun-maira-defends-west-bengals-land-acquisition-policy/articleshow/8950534.cms
22 JUN, 2011, 10.19PM IST, NAGESHWAR PATNAIK,ET BUREAU
Orissa to renew MoU with Posco by June end
BHUBANESWAR: Orissa is all set to renew its memorandum of understanding (MoU) with steel major Posco with a one-year retrospective effect by June 30th. The MoU for the proposed 12 million ton steel plant had expired on June 22, 2010 after a period of five years.
State steel and mines minister Raghunath Mohanty said all formalities required for renewal of the MoU will be over shortly and the government would revalidate the document by June 30. "The state government, as announced earlier, is committed to the project and the MoU renewal process would be over by June 30. At present, we are trying complete all the formalities," the minister said.
Mr Mohanty also claimed that the initial work for the Rs 52,000-crore project had got underway since Tuesday notwithstanding the resistance in some parts of the project area. The state government would continue the construction work in the lands under the possession of the state-owned Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO), he asserted.
Earlier this month, the state government announced to consult South Korean steel major before recommending the revised MoU to the chief minister, Naveen Patnaik for his approval. Meanwhile, all the concerned departments have put forth their views on the MoU and have suggested certain amendments to the previous MoU. One of the key points in the expired MoU was the swapping of iron ore which is likely to be excluded.
In the first MoU signed between Posco and Orissa government on June 22, 2005, there was a provision which said "The Company may swap certain quantities (not exceeding 30% of the total requirement for the Paradeep Plant annually) of such iron ore which have high alumina content with equal quantity of low alumina content iron ore of equivalent or better Fe content imported for blending, in order to produce better quality steel in the Paradip Project and conserve energy".
No export of iron ore by Posco will be allowed from the captive mine except by way of full replacement through import of equal quantity of high grade ore and within the limits mentioned above, the MoU said.
In the changed situation Posoc has not shown interest in swapping of iron ore as it would make use of Finex technology for steel making by using the low grade iron ore, sources in Posco said here. The steel major has sought 600 million tonnes of iron ore of an average Fe content of 62%, to meet the requirements of the proposed Steel Project of 12 million tons per annum.
The revised Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Posco India will incorporate the revised project plan proposed by the South Korean steel major and also the mandatory employment clause of the Orissa government. The employment clause of the state government to which Posco India has given its consent stipulates that industries setting up their projects in the state have to reserve 90% jobs for locals in the unskilled and semi-skilled category, up to 60% in skilled category and 30% for the supervisory and managerial cadre, while giving them the option to fill up the post of senior executives from the open market.
The South Korean company has proposed to set up their 12 million ton per annum (mtpa) steel plant in three phases of four mtpa each instead of four phases (three mtpa in each phase) as provided in the previous MoU.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/indl-goods-/-svs/steel/orissa-to-renew-mou-with-posco-by-june-end/articleshow/8954577.cms
India food subsidy law to cost $22 billion: Official
A proposed new food security law in India guaranteeing subsidised grains for the poor would cost the country an estimated 1.1 trillion rupees ($22.3 billion), an official said Wednesday.
The senior food ministry official, speaking to Dow Jones Newswires on condition of anonymity, said the government planned to introduce a bill in the monsoon session of parliament, which begins on August 1.
"It will be politically prudent for the government to get it (the bill) passed before Christmas," he said, adding that it would help bolster support for the government among the poor at a time of surging food prices.
The cost of food is up nearly 10 percent over the year, according to the latest inflation figures, and some months have seen a spike of nearly 20 percent compared to a year ago.
Last December, there were demonstrations about the price of onions, which are a staple in Indian cooking.
Under the current draft of the law, anyone living under the official poverty line would be guaranteed 7.0 kilograms (15.4 pounds) of subsidised grain.
The official said that the government was working at determining where the poverty line should be drawn.
Some economists have warned about the cost of the proposed law, which would add to India's already wide budget gap unless the government finds other sources of income.
Indian Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has forecast a budget deficit of 4.6 percent of gross domestic product for the fiscal year to March 2012, but this is based on what many analysts view as optimistic growth forecasts.
The food security law is a key part of the ruling Congress party's program as it looks to cater to the rural poor that helped return it to power in 2009 elections.
Food prices have jumped globally because of bad weather conditions affecting harvests, rising demand and a boom in trading in commodities futures.
On Friday, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation warned that food inflation would continue, with the projected price for cereals expected to rise by 20 percent and meat by 30 percent over the coming decade.
22 JUN, 2011, 04.05AM IST,ET BUREAU
GST regime unlikely from April 2012; states oppose draft bill
New Delhi . Introduction of indirect tax reforms through the common goods and services tax, or GST, from the next fiscal appears uncertain with fresh opposition pouring in from BJP-ruled states who claim that it would reduce their status to that of municipalities and corporations. "The kind of draft that they (Central government) have presented... I do not think it could be passed. Which state will agree to become a municipality or corporation? To hand over all the powers to the Centre and then beg before it for money is against the spirit of the Sarkaria Commission report," Madhya Pradesh Finance Minister Raghavji told reporters in New Delhi.
He said states are not inclined to accept the draft Bill, which has been circulated by the Centre, for the introduction of the GST. The Bill needs approval of two-thirds of Parliament and half of India's 28 states to become the law. Hence, BJP support is crucial at the states as well as the central level.
The Constitution Amendment Bill introduced by the Centre is reactionary, said Raghavji. "It is absolutely useless and against the interest of the states. It has provisions which will curtail the autonomy of states. The Centre is interfering in the rights of the states," he added.
The Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha in the last Budget session. It was the fourth draft prepared by the Centre after the first three were rejected by the states, citing autonomy issues. Raghavji said there have been no changes in the latest draft as against the previous one. "In fact, the previous draft was in some aspects much better. This one is even worse," he added. Among the objections raised by the BJP-ruled states is the proposal to bring the sales tax in ambit of the GST. "Sales tax is an exclusive state subject. Now the Centre wants to interfere with that. This is unacceptable to us," Raghavji said, adding that one of the solutions could be having separate GST regimes for the states and the Centre.
The GST would subsume most of the indirect taxes like excise duty and service tax at the central level and VAT on the state front, besides local levies. The implementation of GST, considered to be a major tax reform,has been stuck for years due to differences between the Centre and some states over the new structure. The draft is also against the spirit of federalism enshrined in the constitution, he said, adding, "This disturbs the basic structure of the Constitution."
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/policy/gst-regime-unlikely-from-april-2012-states-oppose-draft-bill/articleshow/8945299.cms
Government mulls transferring subsidy in cash to retailers
In pursuit of its objective to provide a direct cash subsidy to farmers for fertilisers, the government is mulling the feasibility of transferring the subsidy in cash to about 2.3 lakh retailers, instead of the fertiliser makers, as a preliminary step.
A task force headed by Nandan Nilekani is working on a model for the proposed direct cash subsidy system for fertilisers, food and fuel, which the government wants to implement from March, 2012.
To transfer the fertiliser subsidy in cash, the task force has proposed in the first stage to set up a software to track the sale of fertiliser till the retail level. The second stage would involve payment of a subsidy to retailers and the third stage would cover farmers with Unique Identification ( UID )) cards.
"There are still doubts on whether it is feasible to pay cash subsidy to retailers, as some of the members feel that it is difficult to verify how much fertiliser each retailer has sold in the country," a senior Fertiliser Ministry official told PTI.
As of now, there is clarity on implementing the first stage and a pilot project, which will start from September this year, the official said.
Given that the ultimate objective of the government is to transfer the cash subsidy directly to farmers, "it is better to skip the second stage and directly work on the third stage," the official noted and added that this way, the government will save time and money.
A member of the Task Force said, "To learn whether it makes sense to work on the second stage, consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers has been asked to study the feasibility of implementing the second stage".
In his 2011-12 Budget Speech, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee had said the government will provide a direct cash subsidy for fertilisers, kerosene and LPG from March, 2012.
He had said the Task Force will work out the modalities of the scheme and submit an interim report by June this year.
21 JUN, 2011, 01.29AM IST,ET BUREAU
India asks Mauritius to re-work tax treaty
NEW DELHI: India has made a fresh request to Mauritius to re-work an over three-decade-old tax treaty that spares FIIs routing their investments through the island nation from paying capital gains tax on the sale of Indian shares. "Mauritius has agreed to participate in the joint working group (JWG) which lends hope that the island nation would agree to rework the tax treaty.
We have sent our agenda for discussion and suggested a few dates in July and August. We want to re-work the treaty on the same lines as the other double taxation avoidance agreements (DTAA) that we are entering into now or are under renegotiation," said Sunil Mitra, Finance Secretary . This means that India will push for imposing capital gains tax on Mauritius residents on the sale of Indian shares.
This would bring them at par with domestic investors who pay a 10% capital gains tax on shares sold within a year of purchase. "We are insisting on source-based taxation of capital gains in our new DTAAs and the older ones that are being re-negotiated to ensure that India gets a due share of tax revenues," said a senior government official. India also wants to have safeguards to curb treaty shopping, a practice where the resident of a third country enjoys the beneficial tax treatment of the Indo Mauritius treaty.
There is also a widespread perception that some Indian investors indulge in round-tripping - the practice of taking money out of India and bringing it back through the Mauritius route. "Tax authorities here will seek a limitation of benefit clause to restrict the treaty benefits to genuine investors of Mauritius," the official said. MNCs that have subsidiaries in Mauritius, but without an effective management there, will be impacted.
India will also nudge Mauritius to re-work the exchange of information agreement to end banking secrecy and also provide information on Indian tax evaders even if the information is of no domestic interest to Mauritius. This would be in sync with rules of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), a club of rich countries. The agenda also includes assistance in collection of taxes.
This means India will seek help from Mauritius to freeze and attach properties of tax evaders who fail to pay up their dues. The Indian government has come under attack from the Supreme Court and civil society which claim that there is little seriousness in tackling the issue of black money and the spate of corruption scandals have dented investor confidence.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/policy/india-asks-mauritius-to-re-work-tax-treaty/articleshow/8931184.cms
Aadhaar can be given as proof of identity for LPG connections
CHENNAI: People seeking new LPG connections from Indian Oil Corporation , Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation can now submit their Letter of allotment of Aadhaar - unique identification authority number -- as a proof of identity.
These oil marketing companies had advised their distributors to accept Aadhaar issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) as proof of identity and address, a statement from IOC said here.
The Aadhaar (Letter issued by UIDAI) would be included in the list of documents sufficient for issue of new domestic LPG connections, it said.
According to UIDAI, so far 94,78,591 Aadhaars had been issued in the country.
22 JUN, 2011, 10.17PM IST,REUTERS
Asia surpasses Europe in millionaires and wealth
NEW YORK: The ranks of mnaires in Asia for the first time surpassed Europe and in a few years are expected to overtake the United States, according to the latest annual Merrill Lynch-Capgemini World Wealth Report .
Powered by fast-growing China and India, the Asia-Pacific region's mnaire ranks rose 10 percent to 3.3 mn, second only to the 3.4 mn residing in North America and inching ahead of Europe, which had 3.1 mn.
Asia's combined wealth, up 12 percent to $10.8 trillion last year, surpassed Europe and threatens to overtake the United States and Canada , where wealth rose 9 percent to $11.6 trillion.
"Their capital markets may be emerging, but their economies have clearly arrived," John Thiel, head of Merrill's private banking group and its "Thundering Herd" of 15,700 U.S. brokers, told Reuters. "They're not 'emerging' anymore."
More than half of the world's mnaires are still found in the United States, Japan and Germany, but that the wealthy are spread among more countries, according to Merrill and global consulting firm Capgemini.
Assets held by mnaires worldwide rose by 9.7 percent to a record $42.7 trillion -- surpassing the previous high-water mark set in 2007 -- while the ranks of people with at least $1 mn of investable assets, excluding their primary residence, rose 8.3 percent to 10.9 mn, the report found.
Some of that growth came as manufacturing, exports and domestic growth helped places like Hong Kong, Singapore and India create legions of members for the mnaires' club.
The findings echo a PricewaterhouseCoopers report published Monday, which found that Singapore and Hong Kong could surpass London and Switzerland as the world's top wealth management hub by 2013.
Investable assets held by the very rich grew as stocks and other financial markets continued to climb from the depths of the 2008 financial crisis. Asia-Pacific mnaires, the survey found, were more heavily invested in local real estate.
Faith in equity markets is slowly returning, thanks to two strong years of gains since the panic of March 2009. Global equity holdings rose 4 percentage points last year to 33 percent of financial assets, back to the pre-crisis levels.
That said, the world's rich still placed a premium on liquidity, or how easily investments can be sold.
21 JUN, 2011, 08.55PM IST, JOE A SCARIA,ET BUREAU
Surveillance business turns multi-billion domain
LE BOURGET, PARIS: Snooping has ever been part of human nature, and is now a multi-billion dollar business domain, too. The general assumption is that major snoopers earn their bread by prying on other nations, but the domestic business could be more exciting for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) players.
"There are an increasing number of permanent assets in the skies, and this has become an almost permanent fixture in places in Iraq and Afghanistan, doing intelligence gathering, surveillance and reconnaissance", says an ISR expert taking part at the Paris Air Show here.
He says there is an ever-increasing role for unarmed aerial vehicles as surveillance requirements are growing in different parts of the globe, as against the past when disturbances were limited to a few hotspots.
Experts say one reason for the sharp growth in ISR demand is because of a growth in civilian demand, as against the traditional use of ISR that was limited to the government sector. They say an increasing number of "non-state actors and narco-terrorists are threatening nation states, some with the aid of advanced technology, forcing governments and major businesses to invest in surveillance."
"The ISR market for 2012-2016 is projected to be worth $118.5 billion for the US market, and $51.5 billion for the rest of the world", says Tim Carey , vice president, space and airborne systems of radar and missiles major Raytheon. He said the successes of ISR infrastructure in Iraq and Afghanistan had enhanced its perceived importance.
The US joint forces command had recently sponsored use of a Raytheon cross-domain, multi-national data sharing capability. The cross-domain enterprise all-source user repository (Centaur) features machine-to-machine, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance information sharing between US security domains and multi-national partners' security domains.
22 JUN, 2011, 06.07PM IST, PRAMUGDHA MAMGAIN,ET BUREAU
Indian overseas investment doubles in 2010-11: RBI
MUMBAI: Overseas investments by Indian companies have more than doubled in the previous fiscal year as they expanded their foreign businesses, according to data released for the first time by the central bank.
Foreign direct investment (FDI) by Indian corporates was $5.1 bn in the first two months of the current fiscal year that started in April. It jumped more than two folds in fiscal year 2010/11 to $43.9 bn from about $18 bn in the previous year, the data showed.
Indian overseas investment policies have been liberalized over the past few years to promote exports and strengthen economic linkages with other countries.
"In the post 2003 period, the policy has enabled corporate entities and registered partnerships to invest in bonafide businesses abroad, currently to the extent of 400 percent of their net worth, under the automatic route," the Reserve Bank of India said in a release on its website.
India has been facing a fall in foreign institutional investment on global risk aversion, with foreign funds selling nearly $213 million of local shares so far in June, after offloading $1.16 bn in May.
However, FDI flows into India bounced back in April on an investment surge in services, construction and auto sectors, reversing a steep drop recorded in the previous fiscal year.
Outward FDI from India for the period April, 2007, to May 31, 2011.
UID programme progressing well, says Nilekani
BANGALORE: The Unique Identification Number (UID) programme was progressing well and the speed of enrollment was expected to go higher with the software and hardware upgrades, UID Chairman Nandan Nilekani said here today.
"I am happy with the progress of the programme," he said on the sidelines of a function here today.
Nearly one crore people have been enrolled under the programme, he said.
The programme has adopted standard hardware, open source and standard APIs as a result of which it was not dependant on any single vendor or firms, a team member said.
22 JUN, 2011, 09.54PM IST, TAMAL SENGUPTA,ET BUREAU
Singur villagers launch agitation for Tata land
KOLKATA: Vandalism reigned supreme right under the nose of the district administration at Singur with villagers freely entering the jinxed Singur factory site all of Tuesday night and Wednesday morning to take away whatever they could lay their hands on. Nearly a thousand of them launched an impromptu agitation in front of the factory gates, screaming: " Tata you quit Singur and let us get back our land". Social activist Medha Patkar was at the right place at the right time, rooting for the villagers.
The superintendent of police, Hooghly district Tanmoy Roychowdhury said that some villagers were trying to remove construction materials from inside the factory premises on Wednesday. "But their mission remained unsuccessful as the police intervened and prevented them from carrying out such acts" he said. In stark contrast to the official line, vernacular television channels beamed all day live images of men, women and children taking away all kinds of material from inside the factory.
However, Roychowdhury maintained : "Some women were seen trying to remove materials, but they fled after seeing the police. However, the Tatas have not filed any FIR against any villager for their move to take out construction materials".
Industry minister Partha Chatterjee told reporters at Writers' Buildings that about 500 policemen have been posted at Singur and the police was asked to keep a close vigil on the factory site. Chatterjee, however, refused to make any comment on the Tatas' act of moving the Calcutta High Court against the state government.
A senior Hooghly district police official said on Wednesday that the police have set up camps inside the factory premises and the force will stay there to avoid any untoward incident at the abandoned Nano site. "We will not allow any vandalism inside the factory premises," the official pointed out.
Trinamool Congress and opposition CPIM remained tight-lipped over the Tata decision. When contacted, the opposition leader in the state assembly, Surjya Kanta Mishra said : "I cannot comment on an issue like this, because this is under the consideration of Hhigh court." But both the camps were keeping a close watch on the development.
Anna Hazare may get 'Ramdev treatment' if he fasts: Digvijay Singh
JABALPUR (MP): In a veiled warning to Anna Hazare for his proposed fast, Congress leader Digvijay Singh today indicated that the Gandhian might be meted out the same treatment, depending upon the prevailing situation at that time, as yoga guru Ramdev was given at Ramlila ground.
"If Anna goes on a fast in New Delhi , he will also be meted out the treatment depending upon the prevailing situation at that time," Singh said without mentioning the crackdown on Ramdev's protest at Ramlila grounds recently.
According to Singh, the younger supporters of the anti-corruption crusader "flatter" him to fast without considering his old age.
"His (Hazare's) supporters flatter him and make him sit on a fast. Instead of Anna, his young supporters should go on the fast," Singh told reporters in an informal chat here after returning from Jabera of Damoh district.
Asserting that the parliamentary form of system was always supreme, Singh said that the government was accountable to people rather than to Anna and his team.
"Though Anna was a Gandhian, his supporters weren't the same," he said.
Taking a jibe at the RSS , he said that he was a better Hindu and follows the tenets of Hinduism much more religiously than the so-called Hindu organisations.
Progressive steps needed to de-legitimise N-weapons: PM
Pitching for "progressive steps" to de-legitimise nuclear weapons, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said a meaningful dialogue was needed among countries having atomic weapons to build trust and reduce the dangers of their accidental or unauthorised use.
In his message to the 'Global Zero Summit' in London being held from today, he said the goal of nuclear disarmament can be achieved by a step-by-step process underwritten by a universal commitment and an agreed multilateral framework that is global and non-discriminatory.
"Progressive steps are needed for the de-legitimization of nuclear weapons. Measures to reduce nuclear dangers arising from accidental or unauthorized use of nuclear weapons, increasing restraints on the use of nuclear weapons and de-alerting of nuclear weapons are essential steps," he said.
"There is need for a meaningful dialogue among all states possessing nuclear weapons to build trust and confidence and for reducing the salience of nuclear weapons in international affairs and security doctrines," Singh said.
Extending his best wishes for the success of the conference, he said "this campaign can be taken forward by forging a renewed consensus on non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament."
He said public awareness and support was vital to generate and sustain "an irreversible momentum until we reach our cherished goal of a world without nuclear weapons. Transforming this vision into reality is a task worthy" of the participants of the Global Zero Campaign.
RIL strikes natural gas in KG D9 block
: Reliance Industries has made a natural gas discovery in the very first well drilled on its D9 block in the Krishna Godavari basin off the east coast of India, its junior partner Hardy Oil and Gas Plc said today.
London-listed Hardy through a press statement announced "first gas discovery in the exploration well KG-D9-A2 within the D9 licence."
Reliance hold 90 per cent interest and is the operator of the deep-sea block KG-DWN-2001/1 (D9). Reliance-Hardy combine had won the 11,605 square kilometer (equivalent to 48 North Sea blocks) in the third round of bidding under New Exploration Licensing Policy (NELP) in 2003.
Hardy hold 10 per cent interest in the block. "The well KGD9-A2 was drilled to a total depth of 4,881 meters with the objective of exploring the play fairway in the Early and Late Miocene Channel Levee Complex in a water depth of approximately 2,700 meters," it said.
"Three sand reservoirs with a gross thickness of approximately 22 meters were encountered and evaluated by wireline MDT. This discovery, named 'Dhirubhai - 54' has been notified to the Government of India and DGH," it added.
Hardy did not give reserves the discovery may hold saying the potential commerciality of this discovery is being ascertained through more data gathering and analysis.
The D9 exploration licence is located in the Krishna Godavari Basin on the east coast of India and presently covers an area of approximately 8,695 square kilometers. The licence's minimum work programme provides for the drilling of four exploration wells.
Commenting on the well results, Yogeshwar Sharma, Chief Executive Officer of Hardy said: "We are encouraged by this discovery which extends the proven Miocene play fairway into the frontier D9 block.
"The D9 joint venture expects to drill the fourth exploration well prior to the end of 2011."
ONGC overstated reserves in KG basin block: Cairn India
State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) may have overstated the natural gas reserves in its much-talked about KG basin KG-DWN-98/2 block, which sits next to Reliance Industries' prolific KG-D6 fields.
Cairn India, which had made four discoveries in the KG-DWN-98/2 block before selling 90 per cent out of its 100 per cent stake in the block to ONGC in 2005, has written to the oil regulator DGH saying the state-owned firm is grossly overstating the reserves in block, sources said.
It believes that "the hither-to discovered oil and gas resources in the block are only marginal to non-commercial, because of their small size and the potential high development costs due to water depth versus the prevailing gas prices."
ONGC estimates that the blocks holds an in-place volume of 25.61 million tonnes of oil and 197 billion cubic metres of natural gas. It is proposing an investment of over USD 7.3 billion to produce up to 30 million standard cubic metres per day of gas.
The warning by Cairn, which holds a 10 per cent interest in the acreage and is credited with finding oil in an area in Rajasthan where global giant Royal Dutch/Shell exited saying there was no hydrocarbons, is significant in view of the fall in gas output from Reliance's neighbouring KG-D6 block.
Reliance had in 2007 estimated that the Dhirubhai-1 and 3 fields in the KG-D6 block would hit 69 mmscmd of output, but production has fallen to 40 mmscmd due to what the Mukesh Ambani-led firm says are reservoir complexities.
All-party meeting on women's quota Bill ends in stalemate
Yet another effort to reach a consensus on the Women's Reservation Bill failed to make any progress as two major political parties stayed away from an all-party meeting held on Wednesday while others opposed to the measure sticking to their guns.
The meeting convened by Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar saw the Shiv Sena demanding that parties should have a quota for women in ticket distribution, while RJD insisted that there should be a 'quota within quota' for OBC women.
The SP and BSP stayed away from the meeting which was attended by BJP, Left parties, AIADMK, DMK, SAD and TMC. SP and BSP are opposed to the Women's Reservation Bill in its present form.
"I will call SP and BSP separately to discuss the issue... Efforts will continue till consensus is achieved," Kumar said after the meeting, adding that another meeting would be convened before the monsoon session.
Those present in the meeting opined that the Bill should be brought in the Lok Sabha in the Monsoon session of Parliament which begins on August 1. The Bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha in March 2010.
Shiv Sena MP Ananth Geete said in the meeting that instead of a 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies, political parties should be asked to have a similar quantum of reservation for women while distributing tickets to their candidates.
RJD leader Raghuvansh Prasad demanded that there should be a 'quota within quota' for OBC women in the 33 per cent reservation.
Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj asked the Speaker to evolve a consensus before the Bill is brought in the House to prevent acrimonious scenes that were witnessed in the Rajya Sabha when the Bill was passed in March 2010.
"Members who disagree should be given a chance to put across their views and be allowed to press for amendments and even walkout. In the Rajya Sabha marshals had to be used. But no similar scenes should be repeated in the Lok Sabha," Swaraj said.
She maintained that the BJP had supported the Bill in the Rajya Sabha and would take the same stand in the Lower House.
The bill granting 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies was passed by the Rajya Sabha after two days of high drama in March 2010.
The Constitution (108th Amendment) Bill has been hanging fire for close to 14 years due to lack of political consensus on the issue. It was first drafted by the H D Deve Gowda-led United Front government and introduced in Parliament in September 1996.
Kumar said the meeting was called after several members expressed the desire on International Women's Day that a meeting of political leaders from all parties should be held to discuss the Bill.
Source: PTI
Two more rapes, an attempted rape in Uttar Pradesh
Lucknow: Even as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati discussed tougher laws to deal with rapists, two more rapes and a sexual assault bid were reported in the state, an official said Wednesday.
With the fresh cases, 11 rapes have been reported in the state over the past 72 hours.
According to an official spokesman, the first rape was reported from Naubatpur village in Unnao district, 50 km from here.
"A 16-year-old girl was raped by a neighbour's relative Mukesh when she was alone at home Wednesday morning," Unnao Superintendent of Police R.K. Shukla told reporters.
He said: "We have arrested Mukesh."
The other rape took place in Kanch village in Bulandshahr district, about 400 km from here. A 20-year-old woman was raped and murdered Tuesday night by three men.
Bulandshahr Senior Superintendent of Police R.K.S. Rathore told IANS over telephone "the woman had gone to answer the nature's call when she was dragged to nearby fields, gang-raped and strangulated to death".
"Her body was recovered after her father went searching for her when she did not return home," he said.
Of the three people named by her father in the first information report (FIR), Sunil and Narendra were arrested. A manhunt was launched for third accused Bhola.
A teenaged girl managed to resist a rape bid Wednesday in Lagucha village in Lakhimpur-Kheri district, about 170 km from here, the official said.
"Fifteen-year-old Anita resisted neighbour Akru Yadav's attempt to overpower her and rape her in the fields Wednesday morning. Yadav tore her clothes, but the girl fought bravely till villagers saved her," Lakhimpur-Kheri Superintendent of Police Amit Chandra said.
"The culprit managed to escape. But we have registered a case of attempted rape against him," he added.
Source: IANS
Government calls all party meet as Anna vows to fast
New Delhi: The government will convene an all-party meet July 3 to discuss the two versions of the Lokpal bill, even as Gandhian Anna Hazare Wednesday slammed the UPA government for not being serious about tackling corruption and reiterated he would go on another hunger strike Aug 16 over the issue.
Undeterred by Hazare's call, the Congress warned him not to fast again else he may get the "same treatment" as yoga guru Baba Ramdev, who along with his supporters had to face a police crackdown in New Delhi.
But Hazare hit back, saying that he was "ready" for "everything" - even batons.
The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government had on Tuesday decided to hold discussions with all political parties on the draft of the bill - a move taken after civil society members, headed by Hazare, and government met for the last time.
The two sides submitted their versions of the draft, which are to be given to the cabinet which will approve a final version. The two sides failed to arrive at a consensus over the draft bill provisions.
Dates for the all-party political meet was disclosed Wednesday, government sources said. In this meeting, sources told IANS, the draft bill and notes on the disagreements expressed by the joint drafting committee - the government and civil society representatives - will be circulated.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who is chairman of the committee, is likely to preside over the meeting.
Slamming the claim that the civil society's proposed ombudsman will be a virtual parallel government, veteran Gandhian Anna Hazare accused the government of trying to mislead the people.
"We have an Election Commission and the government can't interfere in its function. We have the Supreme Court and the Right to Information (RTI) Act which they cannot interfere in," Hazare said here.
"Just like them, the Lokpal should also be beyond government's interference," he said, adding the government's claims were an attempt to "mislead the people".
After Tuesday's last meeting between them, Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal had said that while the government wanted a strong Lokpal, "we cannot have a parallel government".
"The government is trying to create misunderstanding in the minds of the people before our fast", Hazare said, and likened it to a "second struggle for freedom".
Hazare said it was also important to bring the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) under the Lokpal to uproot corruption in the country.
"The CBI has investigated so many corruption cases but how many ministers have gone to jail since independence? This is because the government has full control over the CBI. That is why despite corruption ministers don't go to jail," Hazare said.
Hazare has vowed to launch a hunger strike from Aug 16 at Jantar Mantar in the heart of the capital.
It was after his first fast, which lasted five days and triggered widespread support in the country, that the government set up a 10-member panel to frame an effective Lokpal bill.
However, Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh warned Hazare not to fast again else he may get the "same treatment" as yoga guru Baba Ramdev got recently.
"Anna saheb says he will again sit on fast. If he does so, he may get the same treatment as the other (Baba Ramdev) got recently."
The police had cracked down on Ramdev and his supporters in New Delhi's Ramlila Ground June 4, causing injury to several people. Ramdev was forced to continue his fast against corruption in Haridwar.
Singh also questioned the Bharatiya Janata Party's supporting the corruption issue raised by civil society members.
"I want to ask BJP, they remained in power for six years. Did they make a single law against corruption?"
Source: IANS
Not leaving BJP, says Munde
New Delhi: Ending speculation about his political moves, BJP leader Gopinath Munde Wednesday said he was not leaving the party.
Munde's statement came after he met Sushma Swaraj, leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, here.
"I am in the BJP and will be in the BJP in future," Munde, flanked by Swaraj, told reporters.
Political circles had been agog with speculation that Munde, a former deputy chief minister of Maharashtra, may join the Congress. He had apparently been upset over being sidelined by party's national president Nitin Gadkari, who also hails from the state.
The flashpoint came when Munde's candidate for the party's Pune city presidentship was rejected by Gadkari.
Munde said he had been "conveying his and followers's pain" to the leadership. "I am in talks with the leadership over my pain," he added.
Swaraj said the "pain" of Munde cannot be publicised and added that party leaders are in talks with him.
Source: IANS
32,000-year-old human fossils unearthed in Ukraine
Kiev, (Ukraine): A team of archaeologists has uncovered 32,000-year-old human remains in Ukraine.
Experts claimed that ancient remains represent some of the oldest evidence of modern people in Europe. Archaeologists found human bones and teeth, tools, ivory ornaments and animal remains at the Buran-Kaya cave site, the BBC reports.
The ancient fossils bear cut marks suggesting they were de-fleshed as part of a post-mortem ritual. Artefacts made by humans at the site allowed archaeologists to tie the ancient people to a cultural tradition known as the Gravettian.
Archaeologist Dr Alexander Yanevich from the National Ukrainian Academy of Science in Kiev discovered the four Buran-Kaya caves in the Crimean mountains in 1991. Since then, roughly two hundred human bone fragments have been unearthed at the site.
Researchers were able to directly date the human fossils using radiocarbon techniques. The shape and form of the remains told the scientists they were dealing with modern humans.
One thing that intrigued researchers was the scarcity of human long bones (bones from the limbs) in the caves. The site yielded countless limb bones from antelope, foxes and hares. But the human remains consisted of vertebrae, teeth and skull bones no larger than 12cm.
Also, the positions of cut marks found on the human fragments were distinct from those found on the animal bones.
Co-author Sandrine Prat from the French National Centre for Scientific Research explained that the bone marrow had been removed from butchered animals, it had been left alone in the case of the human remains at the site.
The finds offer anthropologists a glimpse into a very early and important human culture, said Professor Clive Finlayson, an evolutionary ecologist.
Source: ANI
Indo-Pak talks: All issues that bug ties on table
On the eve of the Indo-Pak Foreign Secretary-level talks, India today said it is making a "determined bid" to work out a cordial relationship with Pakistan and that all issues that "bug" the ties, including terrorism, will be discussed.
At the two-day meeting beginning tomorrow in Islamabad, India is also expected to raise the issue of the slow pace of ongoing Mumbai terror case trial in Pakistan as well as the larger conspiracy behind the 26/11 attacks.
"All issues that bug our relationship are going to be discussed when the Foreign Secretary visits Islamabad," External Affairs Minister S M Krishna told reporters accompanying him on his way back home after a three-day visit to Myanmar.
He, however, asked everyone to refrain from speculating about the talks, saying "let not expectations be pitched too high because this is one of the relationships we are trying to cultivate in the last few months".
After the setback in the relations between India and Pakistan after the Mumbai terror attacks, Krishna said he thinks "we are making a determined bid to work out a cordial relationship".
Asked whether India would raise the issue of terrorism during the meeting, he said: "Terrorism is going to be one of the issues that is going to be naturally discussed with Pakistan.
"The whole region is terror-infested. I would only say all issues concerning terrorism and various other issues between our countries will be discussed."
Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said the issue of "terrorism that inflicts our region is of utmost concern to everyone in the region."
Rao said: "What Pakistan has been telling us in recent months is that Pakistan is seriously affected by this problem and that many Pakistanis have also fallen victim to terrorism."
Asked about her recent statement that India seeks "satisfactory closure" from Pakistan with regard to the Mumbai attacks, she said, "There is an ongoing trial in Pakistan and it has moved rather slowly."
"When we talk of closure, what we are implying is that justice should be done in this matter and those responsible for triggering this terror attacks and also conspired to attack our people should be brought to justice. This is what closure means."
Talking about her upcoming talks, Rao said the idea was to reduce trust deficit and build more confidence in the Indo-Pak relations and to strengthen exchanges between the two countries to have a "meaningful dialogue on all outstanding issue that have complicated our relationship in the past".
She said the talks were not an "event" but a process and that both sides will exchange ideas that she hopes will lead to more understanding and more confidence.
Asked about the confidence building measures on the nuclear front, Rao said: "Confidence building has to include a number of areas and if we do more to reduce tensions between the two countries and reduce the trust deficit, it will greatly promote relationships. So, it makes sense to discuss confidence building measures in all these areas."
Source: PTI
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