Gas row: Reliance Industries slaps arbitration notice on government

May 11, 2014

Mumbai, May 11: Reliance Industries (RIL) and its partners BP and NIKO, the contractor group of the Krishna-Godavari basin (KG-D6) block, have slapped an arbitration notice on the government. They have sought the implementation of the domestic natural gas pricing guideline 2014 that was notified on January 10, 2014 – after the government approved the Rangarajan formula doubling gas prices to $8.4 per unit from April 1.

Despite RIL's insistence to put in place the gas price hike, the petroleum ministry indicated to the contractor that gas prices would only be announced for the second quarter. RIL said this has resulted in a loss to the contractor group and the government of Rs 300 crore a month.

While the ministry was to notify the new gas price for April-June quarter, the Election Commission on March 24 advised deferment of announcement till poll codes are lifted.

Reliance_IndustriesRIL's move may make things difficult for next government as they will be expected to soon tackle the issue of gas price hike. The matter may get more complex if the Lok Sabha elections throw up a fractured verdict.

The ministry's decision has forced RIL to keep selling gas at $4.2/mmbtu after April 1. RIL believes this is in contravention of the PSC and detrimental to the economic interests of the contractor group and the government.

Without any clarity, the companies said they are unable to sanction planned investments of close to $4 billion this year. In addition, this will also delay the ability of the companies to appraise and develop other significant discoveries made last year. Overall, they were planning to invest $8-10 billion in the next few years to significantly increase production from the KG-D6 block.

This domestic production is essential for not only meeting India's energy needs but also helping conserve foreign exchange which is required for imports of natural gas into India.

The RIL-led companies have also promised to work with the government to achieve a prompt and efficient resolution of the ongoing dispute.

Debashish Mishra of Deloitte told dna, "Any new gas production in the country is possible only at certain point price and $4.2 is not that price. Prices will have to be increased to promote exploration in country and price of $8.4 is certainly better than importing gas at $16-$18."

In a note to media, RIL has explained what forced RIL to file a notice of arbitration on the government. They believe that they were left with no other option.

"Having made a major discovery in 2013, we were getting ready to start investing in the development of discovered resources. We were upbeat over the opportunity to invest over $8-10 billion in development of discovered resources over the next 3-4 years. These investments could have significantly increased our production by 2019. This would also help the country avoid LNG imports of more than $75 billion," claimed RIL.

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News Network
March 6,2020

Mumbai, Mar 6: Harried Yes Bank depositors rushed to ATMs to withdraw cash but faced multitude of problems including closed down machines and long queues, after the RBI placed the bank under a moratorium, capping maximum withdrawals at Rs 50,000 per account for a month.

Aggravating the problems of depositors were difficulties accessing the internet banking channel, which ensured that they can't transfer the funds online as well. At an ATM in south Mumbai's Horniman Circle, with the RBI headquarters overlooking it, the shutters were pulled down.

The guard on duty said the machine was non-operational before he reported to work late in the evening and he was ordered to shut it after 2200 hrs. In the residential area of suburban Chembur, one ATM was dispensing cash but had a long queue of anxious depositors.

One man said it was still possible to withdraw up to Rs 50,000 in multiple transactions from the machine.

However, another machine nearby had run dry within minutes of the RBI announcement, a woman said.

The regulatory actions, undertaken by the RBI and the government, came hours after finance ministry sources confirmed that SBI was directed to bail out the troubled lender.

For the next month, Yes Bank will be led by the RBI-appointed administrator Prashant Kumar, an ex-chief financial officer of SBI.

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News Network
March 26,2020

New Delhi, Mar 26: The total number of people who have been confirmed positive for COVID-19 in India has risen to 649 in India, including 593 active cases and 42 people who have been cured or discharged from hospitals, according to the recent update by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) on Thursday morning.
The death toll due to the novel coronavirus in the country has reached 13, the official data reported. There have been 3 more deaths due to COVID-19 reported in the country since last evening.
An 85-year-old woman in Gujarat died yesterday while with the passing away of a 65-year-old woman, Madhya Pradesh reported its first COVID-19 death. Tamil Nadu also reported its first death in the state yesterday due to the deadly infection.
According to report from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) India had tested 24,254 people as of 8 p.m. on March 25.
The country is now in its second day of a 21-day lockdown that was announced by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday to deal with the spread of coronavirus, saying that "social distancing" is the only option to deal with the disease, which spreads rapidly.
The central government had on Wednesday announced that it will provide 7 kg ration to 80 crore people in India. The Centre also said that it has earmarked Rs 1.80 lakh crores for providing wheat at Rs 2 per kg and rice at Rs 3 per kg
"Union Cabinet has decided to provide wheat at Rs 2 per kg which is worth Rs 27 per kg and rice at Rs 3 per kg which is worth Rs 37 per kg. A total amount of Rs 1 lakh 80 thousand crores is being spent for the cause. The amount will be given in advance to the states for the coming 3 months," Union Minister Sadananda Gowda said yesterday.
Those shops which are catering to essential services will continue doing so during the 21-day nationwide lockdown.

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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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