Cabinet approves spectrum sale; govt eyes Rs 64,840 cr

January 6, 2015

New Delhi, Jan 6: The Union Cabinet on Monday approved the largest-ever telecom spectrum auction, which is likely to add at least Rs 64,840 crore to the government's kitty.

Cabinet spectrum

The Cabinet gave its approval to sell 380.75 megahertz (MHz) of second-generation (2G) spectrum in three bands—the premium 900 MHz, 1,800 MHz and 800 MHz. Spectrum in 2,100 MHz may also be put on auction simultaneously after the Defence Ministry vacates it.

The Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved a reserve price of Rs 3,646 crore pan-India per MHz in the 800-MHz band; Rs 3,980 crore for the 900-MHz band pan-India, excluding Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and J&K; and Rs 2,191 crore pan-India (excluding Maharashtra and West Bengal) in the 1,800-MHz band,” said an official statement here. The auction will start on February 23.

However, reserve price for the 2,100-MHz band was not announced. 2,100-MHz auction later

Telecom Minister Ravishankar Prasad said that the government intended to auction third-generation (3G) spectrum in the 2,100-MHz band simultaneously.

The reserve or auction-start price approved by the Cabinet is the same as the one recommended by the Telecom Commission, except in the case of 900 MHz.

The commission had proposed a reserve price of Rs 3,695 crore for each MHz in the 900-MHz band, but the Cabinet has approved a reserve price of Rs 3,980 crore.

“The estimated revenues from this auction are Rs 64,840 crore (excluding the 2,100-MHz spectrum), of which Rs 16,000 crore is expected to be realised in the current financial year,” said the statement.

The government hopes that proceeds from this year's auction will help it reach its fiscal deficit target of 4.1 per cent of the GDP.

The government had garnered about Rs 62,162 crore from the previous auction in February 2014.

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News Network
June 18,2020

New Delhi, Jun 18: India on Wednesday took strong exception to China claiming sovereignty over the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh, saying its "exaggerated and untenable claims" are contrary to the understanding reached on the issue between the two sides.

Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava's response came after China claimed that the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh is a part of its territory.

"As we have conveyed earlier today, External Affairs Minister and the State Councillor and Foreign Minister of China had a phone conversation on recent developments in Ladakh," Srivastava said late Wednesday night.

"Both sides have agreed that the overall situation should be handled in a responsible manner and that the understandings reached between Senior Commanders on 6th June should be implemented sincerely. Making exaggerated and untenable claims is contrary to this understanding," he said.

Earlier on Wednesday, India delivered a strong message to China that the "unprecedented" incident in the Galwan Valley will have a "serious impact" on the bilateral relationship and held the "pre-meditated" action by Chinese army directly responsible for the violence that left 20 Indian Army personnel dead.

In a telephonic conversation, External Affairs Minister Jaishankar conveyed to his Chinese counterpart Wang Wi India's protest in the "strongest terms" and said the Chinese side should reassess its actions and take corrective steps, the Ministry of External Affairs said.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry, in a statement, said the two sides agreed to "cool down the situation on the ground as soon as possible", and maintain peace and tranquillity in the border area in accordance with the agreement reached so far between the two countries.

The clash in Galwan Valley on Monday night is the biggest confrontation between the two militaries after their 1967 clashes in Nathu La in 1967 when India lost around 80 soldiers while over 300 Chinese army personnel were killed.

The India-China border dispute covers the 3,488-km-long LAC. China claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of southern Tibet, while India contests it.

Prior to the clashes, both sides have been asserting that pending the final resolution of the boundary issue, it is necessary to maintain peace and tranquillity in the border areas.

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News Network
July 12,2020

Hyderabad, Jul 12: Hyderabad MP and All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday condemned the demolition of a mosque and a temple inside the Secretariat building. He demanded the arrest of the contractor for demolition.
"During the process of demolition of the Secretariat building in Telangana, the mosque and temple were also demolished. The contractor must be booked and should be arrested. The public should know that we condemn this," he said while speaking to news agency.
Pointing out that his party MLAs Akbaruddin Owaisi and Moazam Khan have urged the state Assembly to look into the matter, he added, "We are not against the building of a new Secretariat, but what we asked for is not to destroy these structures during the process."
He welcomed the Chief Minister's announcement regarding the rebuilding of these structures.
"We expect the mosque to be built in the exact same place where it once stood. We expect the Chief Minister to speak to the representatives and meet our expectations and emotions about the mosque," he added.

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News Network
May 28,2020

New Delhi, May 28: With 6,566 more coronavirus cases and 194 deaths reported in the past 24 hours, India's COVID-19 tally reached 1,58,333 on Thursday, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Affairs.

The number of active coronavirus cases stands at 86,110, while 67,692 people have recovered and one patient has migrated, it said. The death toll due to the infection has reached 4,531 in the country.

Maharashtra is the worst affected state with 56,948 cases. Tamil Nadu has recorded as many as 18,545 cases while Gujarat and Delhi have recorded 15,195 and 15,257 coronavirus cases respectively.

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