2100 HRS

03-03-2013

THE HEADLINES

• Finance Minister rules out amnesty for Income Tax defaulters on the lines of the offer to service tax defaulters.
• BJP says it has no objection to setting up of a National Counter Terrorism Centre if its powers and jurisdictions are within the constitutional framework.
• Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to face retrial on charges of ordering killing of protestors in February 2011.
• India tighten their grip on the second cricket test against Australia, taking a first inning lead of 74 runs at the draw of stumps today.

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Finance Minister P. Chidambaram has ruled out any amnesty for Income Tax defaulters,  on the lines of the amnesty given to Service Tax defaulters announced in the Budget. In an interview to PTI, he said  huge amount of data is being mined and notices have been issued to 35,000 people. Another 35,000 notices are being issued next week. He hoped that more and more people would declare their true income. Mr. Chidambaram said that the Central Processing Centre at Gazhiabad  will track every single TDS deduction to find out whether the money has been remitted to the government and TDS certificates issued to the deductee.Mr. Chidambaram said that the purpose of offering one time amnesty to Service Tax evaders is the huge gap of ten lakh registered assessees. But they will have to pay the  tax not only for the current year but for five years to avoid penalty.

He said the number of 42,800 people of relatively affluent  in the country was deliberately used to shock the nation about such a low number. He reiterated that the ten per cent surcharge levied on them would be only for one year. 

In his Budget speech, the Finance Minister had made it clear that while the government does not want to put an additional tax burden on the people, it is keen to ensure that everyone declares his true income and pays  due taxes.  That 35,000 people have not filed returns despite being served notices and another 35,000 people are being sent notices next week,  underlines that a large number of people are hesitating to pay taxes. The message that the Finance Minister has sent is that there is no place  now left where one can hide his income. Just admit the true income and be proud. Ashok Handoo, AIR News, Delhi

Mr. Chidambaram said he believes in a stable tax rate, non-adversarial tax administration and a fair and just dispute resolution mechanism. The Finance Minister said that if the RBI cuts rate it will help the economy to grow at a higher rate of  6.5 per cent in the next fiscal. 

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Finance Minister P Chidambaram will interact with citizens and answer their questions on the Union Budget 2013-14 through Google Plus Hangout tomorrow night. The video conference scheduled for 8 pm is the first time that any Union Cabinet minister is using this online platform to converse with the citizens.   Before the Hangout, the citizens can submit their questions to the Finance Minister either by uploading a video or commenting on the In Conversation YouTube channel.

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Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia has said, the 6.5 per cent economic growth projection for next fiscal is reasonable. In an interview to a News TV channel today, Ahluwalia said that the Government  has taken corrective steps needed to get rid of impediments to growth, so the 6.5 per cent economic growth, is not that unreasonable. 

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The BJP today said  there is a need for capacity building in the fight against terror and it is the combined responsibility of the Centre and the State to combat terrorism. In its political resolution adpoted at the concluding day of party's National council meeting in New Delhi, the BJP said it has no objection in principle to a National Counter Terrorism Centre, NCTC, but its powers and jurisdiction must be within the constitutional framework. It said the fight against terrorism must co-exist with federalism. In its four page political resolution, the BJP also accused the UPA government of being the most corrupt since independence. It alleged scams and corruption are taking place as a result of collusion at the higher level.  In his concluding remarks senior party leader L K Advani said BJP must work closely with all the like-minded parties to reassure  people that a strong, viable non-Congress alternative is available before them.Earlier, addressing the meeting, senior party leader and the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj  said that people are fed up with inflation and corruption.    Accusing Congress, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi said that the party has no intention to develop the country. He also attacked the Congress on the issue of corruption. 

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Reacting to the comments by Modi, Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari today said the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had reminded the Gujarat Chief Minister about Raj Dharma in the wake of the 2002 riots in the state.  Mr. Tewari tweeted on social networking site- Twitter that following the defeat of the NDA and the 2004 polls, Mr Vajpayee had blamed violence in Gujarat as one of the reasons that led to the electoral loss.

He said it was under the Prime Ministership of Indira Gandhi that the country had conducted its first peaceful nuclear explosion in 1974. He said the successive Congress governments nurtured strategic programme and Dr Manmohan Singh dismantled nuclear apartheid. 

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President Pranab Mukherjee has  conveyed to Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina the government of  India's commitment to the early ratification of the land boundary agreement signed between the two countries. During his interaction with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina who called on him in Dhaka today, he said that the government is in the process of introducing a constitutional amendment bill in the parliament for this purpose.  The President had a thirty minute restricted one to one discussion with the Bangladesh Prime Minister following the delegation level discussions.    Briefing the media about the discussions , Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai said that the two sides reviewed the progress made on the implementation of projects under the 800 million US dollar credit line provided  by India to Bangladesh. He added that 14 projects worth 736 million dollars have already been approved and are in the process of being implemented.

Rastripati Ji conveyed to the interlocutors the government of India's commitment to work towards early conclusion of an agreement on sharing of waters of the Teesta river, based on fair and equitable basis that protects the interests of all stake holders.  Ranjan Mathai, AIR News, Dhaka

Earlier President Pranab Mukherjee arrived in Dhaka today afternoon on a three day tour to Bangladesh.  During his stay in Dhaka, the President is also scheduled to meet members of the Indian community in Bangladesh at a special Reception programme. This is first visit by Indian President to Bangladesh in nearly four decades. 

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In Bangladesh , twenty two people are reported to have been killed in fresh incidents of violence on the first day of the two day strike called by the Jamaat-E-Islami. Most of the deaths have been reported from districts in the north western region which witnessed violent clashes between activists of the Jamaat-E-Islami, its student wing the Islamic Chaatra Shibir and the police. Bogra and Rajshahi were the worst hit with fourteen people reported to have been killed. Army had to be called out in Bogra to bring the situation under control. With today's violence the  death toll following the violent protests over the last three days by the Jamaat E-Islami  has exceeded 55.                              

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Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, his interior minister and aides will face retrial in the infamous Camel battle case on charges of ordering the killing of protesters. The state run MENA news agaency reported that Egypt's Appeals court has set April 13 as the date for the retrial. The deposed President is in a military hospital. A Cairo court had granted him the retrial in January after he was jailed for life over the killing of protesters by security forces trying to quell the uprising against him. During the violence in February 2011, referred to as the "Camel Battle," Mubarak’s loyalists organized a Tahrir Square attack, in which assailants on horses and camels charged into crowds of anti-regime protesters. 

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Thirty insurgents were killed and seven others arrested during joint security operations by Afghan and international forces in various parts of Afghanistan within the past 24 hours. A press release issued by the Afghan Interior Ministry in Kabul today said the operations were launched in Kunar, Nangarhar, Kunduz, Balkh, Kandhar, Zabul and Helmand provinces and six insurgents were also injured during the operations. Some amount of ammunition was confiscated from the insurgents during the operations. Afghan police defused some improvised explosive devices and land mines in Ghazni and Khost provinces. <><>

The News Services Division of All India Radio in its weekly “PUBLIC SPEAK” programme tomorrow will bring you a discussion on "General Budget  - 2013-14".

This can be heard on FM Gold Channel and additional frequencies at 9.30 p.m. Listeners can ask questions to the experts sitting in our studio on telephone number: 011-2331-4444.

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Cheteshwar Pujara and Murali Vijay scored unbeaten centuries as India tightened their grip on the second cricket test against Australia at Hyderabad today. India were 311 for 1 in their first innings at stumps on Day 2, hence taking a first innings lead of 74 runs.

It was a brilliant display of application and controlled aggression from two of India's young guns. After losing Sehwag early, Vijay and Pujara built the inning with concentration and grit. After the initial caution, they started attacking the Kangaroo bowlers. Pujara was specially aggressive after he completed his century, as he and Vijay added more than 150 runs after tea. 

The duo have already added 294 runs for the second wicket setting a new record for the highest second wicket partnership in an India-Australia test.   Australian suffered as they lacked quality in their spin department while their pacers struggled to get much out of the pitch. PAWAS KUMAR, AIR, Delhi.

The final  of the  Santosh Trophy between Kerala and Services now underway at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in Kochi has remained goal less during the full 90 minutes of play. Both sides failed to capitalise on several opportunities that came their way during regulation time. Extra time play is now on. <><>