No Limit on Gold Holdings From Explained Sources of Income: Govt
PM Narendra Modi’s presence in the Rajya Sabha may help overcoming the logjam in the parliamentary sessions.
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Seeking to quell apprehensions based on rumours, the government on Thursday said there is no limit on legitimate holding of gold and jewellery, including from inheritance, and there would be no seizure of bullion up to a certain limit even if that does not seem to match income.
"Jewellery and ornaments to the extent of 500 gm for married lady, 250 gm for unmarried lady and 100 gm for male member will not be seized, even if prima facie, it does not seem to be matching with the income record of the assessee," it said in the second statement.
Opposition Meets President About I-T Law Amendment
Eighteen Opposition lead by Rahul Gandhi met President Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday to talk about the I-T law amendment bill.
Rahul Gandhi said that the Bill was passed without any discussion.
NHAI Loses Rs 1,238 Crore by Forgoing Toll
The National Highway Authority of India would suffer an income loss of Rs 1,238 crore due to suspension of toll collection on highways till 2 December post demonetisation.
Taking into account exemption till 2December 2 (midnight), the income loss to NHAI due to suspension of toll collection on highways is be around Rs 1,238 crore.6 (17:30 hrs)," the Minister informed the House.
1.80 Lakh ATMs Re-Calibrated to Dispense Rs 500, 2,000 Notes
Nearly 90 percent of the 2 lakh ATMs deployed across the country have been re-calibrated to dispense the new Rs 500 and Rs 2,000 notes, said a key maker of the machines even as millions of people continue to face acute cash shortages in the aftermath of demonetisation last month.
As per the plan, all the ATMs should have been ready by yesterday.
The Quint’s Reports on Pay Day
Its the first of the month and people have started receiving money in their bank accounts. But with banks and ATMs running out of cash, what can people do with the money in their accounts?
The Quint went out to report on the problems faced by people on Pay Day.
Rs 4 Crore Seized by I-T Department in Bengaluru
The Income Tax Department on Thursday seized Rs 4 crore in new currency notes from two individuals, reported ANI.
The report also added that seven kg gold worth approximately Rs 2 crore was also recovered from the the flat.
Leaks Forced PM Modi’s Hand on Note Ban, Hints Arvind Panagariya
Prime Minister Narendra Modi may have had to announce the decision of demonetisation before he intended to, Niti Aayog Vice-Chairman Dr Arvind Panagariya told a TV channel on Thursday.
While talking to India Today’s Rahul Kanwal, Panagariya mentioned that there were reports of demonetisation before the actual announcement. This might have led to the announcement of demonetisation before proper planning had been done.
Read the full story here.
The Rajya Sabha resumed to the opposition making the same demands, asking PM Modi to apologise for his remarks.
MoS Parliamentary Affairs, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, asked the House:
Since the opposition refused to engage in a debate, the Rajya Sabha was adjourned till 11 am on Friday.
Outside the Parliament, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said that Congress intended to raise the issue of hacking in the parliament but Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi was of the opinion that such issues cannot be addressed in the parliament.
Senior Congress leader, Shashi Tharoor also spoke on the matter. He said:
Lok Sabha adjourned till tomorrow.
Despite Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari’s plea to continue the debate of demonetisation, opposition continued to demand an apology over Modi’s comments.
Rajya Sabha has been adjourned for 15 minutes.
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to the Rajya Sabha for the Question Hour, Leader of Opposition from Congress Ghulam Nabi Azad said that the opposition requests the PM to listen to what they have to say.
Supporting Ghulam Nabi Azad, TMC MP Derek O’Brien said that the united opposition wants a debate.
Lok Sabha was adjourned amidst slogans of “Modi teri tanashahi nahin chalegi” and “Sadan bandh karo”.
Regarding the event of fuel shortage on board Mamata Banerjee’s flight, Mos Civil Aviation Jayanta Sinha told the Rajya Sabha that every flight is supposed to have sufficient fuel to hover around the airport before landing for 30-40 minutes or to reroute to the nearest airport.
To the minister’s justification, Derek O’Brien shot back asking, “Why were there fire engines on ground upon the flight’s landing?”
“Those are safety procedures, they were activated to even be ready at the hint of the slightest accident,” Sinha explained.
Rajya Speaker, PJ Kurien asked Sinha to conduct an inquiry, to which the minister said that it was already initiated.
TMC Insinuates Govt Hand on Mamata’s Flight Scare
TMC parliamentarians told both Houses that the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s life was put at jeopardy along with other passengers when their IndiGo flight ran a shortage of fuel as it circled over Kolkata airport for nearly half an hour.
Upon landing, the flight was surrounded by fire engines, MPs informed the Houses.
Insinuating that it was a planned move, TMC leader, Derek O’Brien said:
Responding to TMC’s allegations, Civil Aviation Minister, Ashok Gajapathi said IndiGo should have carried extra fuel. Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi assured of an inquiry into the incident.
Lok Sabha Pays Homage to Martyred Soldiers
Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan commenced the Lok Sabha session with obituary references for the soldiers who were martyred in the Nagrota terrorist attack.
Day After Rahul’s Account, INC Twitter Account Hacked
A day after Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi’s official Twitter account was hacked, the Indian National Congress’ official account too was hacked, on Thursday morning.
Obscene and derogatory tweets were posted from INC’s account.
The Opposition has vowed to raise the issue of hacking of verified twitter accounts of Rahul Gandhi and Congress, in both the houses, on Thursday.
A meeting of the Opposition party leaders are currently underway in the Parliament before the 12th day of the Winter Session commences
Additionally, the Congress party will hold a strategy meeting at 10:30 am.
Make the Best of PM’s Presence in Rajya Sabha: Hamid Ansari
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to be present during the Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha, which may overcome the deadlock in the Parliament.
Despite the Prime Minister’s presence in the Lok Sabha for the Question Hour on Wednesday, the opposition staged a walk-out when the speakers of the respective Houses decided to wait for the combing operation in Nagrota to be over before paying homage to the martyred soldiers.
Since the onset of the Winter Session, the opposition has been demanding for Modi to address issue of demonetisation in the Parliament.
Quoting sources, The Indian Express said that in a dinner hosted for MPs, Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari urged the MPs to use the opportunity of the PM’s presence to resume parliamentary work.
MPs Rush to Collect Salaries
For 11 consecutive days, the opposition clashed with the BJP MPs over matters of demonetisation.
On Wednesday, many MPs made a beeline to the State Bank of India branch in the Parliament building right after the first adjournment.
After numerous adjournments, both in the Lower and Upper Houses – which halted the functioning of the Parliament's Winter session for 11 consecutive days of the Winter Session – around 300 MPs dutifully went to the SBI branch that exclusively serves only lawmakers.
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Published: 01 Dec 2016,10:34 AM IST