Farmers’ agitation calls off but resentment brews; demand for loan waiver stands

Agencies
October 3, 2018

New Delhi, Oct 3: The Tikait-led Bhartiya Kisan Union agitation has been called off but resentment is simmering in the ranks as the government remained non-committal on the major demands for waiver of unpaid farm loans, implementation of Swaminathan Commission recommendations on minimum support price, rehabilitation of families of farmers who have committed suicide and review of the terms of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna. 

The huge arrears towards sugarcane growers is also a major issue, although the Centre and Uttar Pradesh government have taken steps to enhance the liquidity position of millers to pay off farmers.

BKU top leadership told the UNI here on Wednesday that 'we have been given assurances on our demands but on the major ones, the government is non-committal." Most importantly, during the meeting with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday, the Centre has assured the BKU that it will keep official procurement centres open for 90 days to enable farmers to sell their produce at mandis. They expect the minimum 'boli’ at the government-pronounced MSP, and not lower than that.

Among others who attended that meeting were BKU leaders Naresh and Rakesh Tikait, BKU Convenor Yudhvir Singh and farmer leaders from Punjab, Haryana, UP, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Karnatka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

Although the government assured farmers of higher MSP for next rabi marketing season, they are unhappy at the manner in which the MSP is being fixed which is not as per the recommendation of the Swaminathan Commission Report.

The demands on which BKU received assurances included lifting NGT ban on 10-year-old tractors, linking MGNREGA to farming, levying minimum GST of five per cent on farm equipment including tractor-tyres, equal pension for senior farmers and farm labours. 

Several farmers expressed their unhappiness at the manner in they were stopped at the Delhi-UP border at Ghazipur on Tuesday when they were marching peacefully to Rajghat and Kisan ghat even though the administration was aware of their rally.

The farmers' march had begun at Haridwar on September 23 and was to end on the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat.

“If we can’t tell our woes to the government, then to whom should we? Ours was a peaceful procession, then where was the provocation to use force, tear-gas and lathi-charge us? This shows that this government does not care for farmers,’’ was the common refrain of several farmers.

Use of force by police causing injury to several farmers at the border drew wide criticism following which the government allowed them to enter Delhi early Wednesday morning. That it happened on the birth anniversary of the Apostle of Peace made it look worse for the government.

After paying homage at Rajghat and Kisan ghat (Choudhary Charan Singh’s memorial), the agitating farmers headed back home.

Their hope now lies with the joint committee set up by the government to look at their major demands, they said.

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News Network
June 20,2020

Bhopal, Jun 20: A senior BJP MLA in Madhya Pradesh tested COVID-19 positive hours after he cast his vote for the Rajya Sabha polls in the state and attended party meetings, an official said on Saturday. The legislator's wife has also tested positive for the infection, he said.

Voting for three Rajya Sabha seats in the state took place on Friday.

The couple's test reports came on Friday night and the news of the MLA's infection triggered panic among other MLAs with some of them reaching hospitals to get themselves tested.

"The MLA and his wife were found infected with COVID- 19 in the tests conducted by a private laboratory. We are examining their condition and making a decision whether they need to be hospitalised or home quarantined," a health department official told.

He said that the MLA's contact tracing has been initiated.

"Further tests are also being conducted," he said.

He is the second legislator in Madhya Pradesh, who was tested coronavirus positive.

Earlier, a Congress MLA was found infected. He had voted for the Rajya Sabha polls on Friday after reaching the state assembly complex wearing a PPE suit.

Talking to , a member of the BJP MLA's family said that the medical team was called on Friday afternoon for the COVID-19 test after the legislator's wife complained of uneasiness.

"The MLA and his wife gave the samples to the medical team for the COVID-19 tests on Friday afternoon and they were told at night that both of them have tested positive for the infection," he said.

After the news of BJP MLA testing positive spread, a senior BJP MLA from Mandsaur, Yashpal Singh Sisodiya, reached government-run J P Hospital here along with two other party MLAs.

Talking to reporters, Sisodiya said, "I came here along with two other MLAs from our division- Dilip Makwana (Ratlam Rural) and Devilal Dhakad (Garoth)- after we came to know through media and social media that one of the MLAs from our division has tested positive for COVID-19."

"We don't have any symptoms, but came to test for COVID-19 as a precautionary measure," he said.

Dhakad said that he came for testing as he had dined with the MLA two days back.

Talking to , Madhya Pradesh State Assembly's Principal Secretary A P Singh said that all the precautionary measures were taken during the Rajya Sabha polling.

"All employees were in safety gears during the Rajya Sabha election process. The assembly campus was being sanitised every 15-20 minutes during the polling process...We are now going through the CCTV footage to trace those who had come in his contact," he said.

Congress MLA and former minister P C Sharma said that those who came in contact with the BJP legislator should be traced and quarantined.

"The employees and MLAs who came in contact with him during the voting process should be tested," Sharma said.

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Agencies
May 31,2020

New Delhi, May 31: The income tax department has notified forms for filing income tax returns for the financial year 2019-20.

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has notified Sahaj (ITR-1), Form ITR-2, Form ITR-3, Form Sugam (ITR-4), Form ITR-5, Form ITR-6, Form ITR-7 and Form ITR-V for the assessment year 2020-21.

The department has revised the I-T return forms for the financial year 2019-20 to allow assessees to avail benefits of various timeline extension granted by the government following the COVID-19 outbreak.

The government has extended various timelines under the Income Tax Act, 1961, through the Taxation and Other Laws (Relaxation of Certain Provisions) Ordinance, 2020.

Accordingly, the time for making investment or payments for claiming deduction under Chapter-VIA-B of IT Act that include Section 80C (LIC, PPF, NSC etc.), 80D (Mediclaim) and 80G (Donations) for the financial year 2019-20 had been extended to June 30, 2020.

ClearTax founder and CEO Archit Gupta said, "The new forms require a separate table to disclose tax saving investment made in the first quarter of 2020 for availing them in FY 2019-20. Taxpayers must assess their tax liability for FY 2019-20 and make sure they are maximising their Section 80C benefits if not already done so."

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News Network
January 18,2020

Kanpur, Jan 18: Kanpur has witnessed an Unnao-like incident as the out on bail accused in rape case attack the family members of the victim. The mother of the victim, who later died in the hospital, was brutally attacked by the accused. The accused reportedly attacked the victim's mother and her aunt on January 8.

The actual rape case goes back to 2018 when a group of men abducted a minor girl from her own society. The accused had reportedly raped her and also beaten up her mother.

A video of mother being beaten up reportedly went viral soon after.

The mother of the victim had reportedly filed a complaint against one of the accused for abducting and molesting her daughter two years ago at a tannery falling under jurisdiction of Chakeri police station. The main accused along with five others was booked under section 354 of the IPC (sexual assault of children) and sent to jail. Around two weeks ago, the accused got bail and on January 9 they attacked the deceased and her sister.

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