Economy not out of wood despite Moody's rating, says Manmohan Singh

Agencies
November 18, 2017

Kochi, Nov 18: The NDA government should not be "lured into false belief" that the economy is out of the wood, former prime minister Manmohan Singh said on Saturday, reacting to the Moody's upgradation of India's sovereign credit rating.

The US-based agency upped India's rating to Baa2 from Baa3 and changed its rating outlook to "stable" from "positive", saying the reforms will help stabilise rising levels of debt.

"I am glad that Moody's has done what they have done but we must not be, I think, lured into false belief that we are out of the wood," he said, reacting to a query on Moody's rating, here.

The economy needed strong purposeful guidance to move forward at the rate which the government itself says they want the country to move eight to 10%, Singh said on the sidelines of a national seminar on 'Macro Economic Developments in India: Policy Perspectives' organised by the Economics Department of St Teresa's College, Ernakulam.

His comments came in the wake of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley terming the Moody's upgrading India's sovereign rating after 13 years as "belated recognition" of reforms undertaken.

Singh also cautioned that the soaring prices of the crude oil could "hurt the fiscal system" of the country.

"Now the crude oil prices are $62-64 whereas few months ago, they were about 40-45. So it can hurt balance of payment. It can also hurt the fiscal system as well," Singh said.

Asked how different he would have implemented the GST, Singh said there was "undue haste" in implementing the new taxation system and blamed the bureaucracy for its lack of preparedness.

"Both in administration and implementation, I think there is much to be desired and the very fact that the council has met so many times, they have now reduced rates of 211 items."

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News Network
February 18,2020

New Delhi, Feb 18: Election strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor on Tuesday questioned the Nitish Kumar government's development model, even as he sneered at the chief minister for making ideological compromises to stay in an alliance with the BJP.

Kishor, who has been vocal about his opposition to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), said Kumar needs to spell out whether he is with the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi or those who support Nathu Ram Godse.

"Nitish ji has always said that he cannot leave the ideals of Gandhi, JP and Lohiya... At the same time, how can he be with the people who support the ideology of Godse? Both cannot go together. If you want to stay with the BJP, I don't have any problem with it but you cannot be on both sides," he said.

"There has been a lot of discussion between me and Nitish-ji on this. He has his thought process and I have mine. There have been differences between him and me that the ideologies of Godse and Gandhi cannot stand together. As the leader of the party you have to say which side you are on," he added.

In a direct assault on Kumar's model of governance, Kishor said Bihar was the poorest state in 2005 and continues to be so.

"There has been development in Bihar during the last 15 years, but the pace has not been as it should have," he added.

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News Network
March 25,2020

Kolkata, Mar 25: Amid the countrywide lockdown in the wake of coronavirus outbreak, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said that all police stations will take responsibility to deliver food at doorsteps under the supervision of District Magistrates and Police Superintendents.
"As we have to ensure that there is no scarcity of food, all Police stations will take responsibility to deliver food at doorsteps and it will be monitored by District Magistrates and Police Superintendents," said Banerjee at a press conference here.
She also said that under the social pension schemes, the pension holders will get their pension of March and April together.
Speaking on local police blocking people involved in essential services, she said, "The Officer-in-charge will have to ensure that the local police know about the rules and exemptions during the lockdown."
"If any police official or an administrative official is found flouting the lockdown norms, then strict action will be taken against them," she added.
The Chief Minister also said, "If somebody needs to help us by giving materials then they need to contact health department official Sanjay Bansal, whose contact number is - 9051022000."
"The government has also launched a State emergency relief fund wherein people can donate. For donation, the account number is 628005501339, IFSC: ICIC0006280 and website: wb.gov.in," she said.
She also said that on March 31 the government will review the situation.
According to a recent update by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, a total of 562 positive cases for coronavirus have been confirmed in the country.

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News Network
June 13,2020

New Delhi, Jun 13: India's COVID-19 tally on Saturday witnessed its highest-ever spike of 11,458 cases, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).

A total of 386 deaths have been reported due to the infection during the last 24 hours.

The total number of coronavirus cases in the country now stands at 3,08,993 including 1,45,779 active cases 1,54,330 cured/discharged/migrated and 8,884 deaths.

COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra continue to soar with the number reaching 101141. Tamil Nadu's coronavirus count stands at 40,698 while cases in Delhi reached 36,824.

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