Bharuch (Gujarat) [India], October 10 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday laid the foundation stone and dedicated to the nation multiple projects worth over Rs 8000 crore at Amod, Bharuch in Gujarat.

New Delhi Mar 31 PTI The Union government is looking to raise Rs 845 lakh crore through borrowings in the first half of 2022-23 to fund the revenue gap for reviving the economy the finance ministry said on Thursday Out of the gross market borrowing of Rs 1431 lakh crore estimated for the next financial year Rs 845 lakh crore is planned to be borrowed in the first half or April-September period The government has front loaded its borrowing programme as the 60 per cent of the record borrowing planned for the financial year beginning April 1 would be complete in the first six months itself Front loading of borrowing will be done with the objective of pushing capital expenditure which will have a multiplier effect on the economy As per the Union Budget document the gross market borrowing through dated securities for 2022-23 will be Rs 1495000 crore Taking into account the switch operations conducted on January 28 2022 the gross market borrowing through dated securities for 2022-23 is expected at Rs 1431352 crore the ministry said in a statement The gross borrowing for 2021-22 was Rs 1205500 crore The borrowing is scheduled to be completed in 26 weekly tranches of Rs 32000-33000 crore the ministry said The borrowing will be spread under 2 5 7 10 14 30 and 40 year securities and Floating Rate Bonds FRBs of various tenors Long term securities including the 14 30 and 40 year ones will make up for a significant chunk of the borrowing FRBs of various tenors will be issued on a fortnightly basis The government will continue to carry out switching of securities to smoothen the redemptions the statement said adding that it may continue to exercise the greenshoe option to retain an additional subscription up to Rs 2000 crore against each of the securities indicated in the auction notification Weekly borrowing under treasury bills in the first quarter of 2022-23 is expected to be Rs 33000-34000 crore with net borrowing of Rs 240 lakh crore during the quarter There will also be an issuance of Rs 13000 crore under 91 DTBs Rs 12000-13000 crore under 182 DTBs and Rs 8000 crore under 364 DTBs in each auction to be held during the quarter To take care of the temporary mismatches in government account the statement said the Reserve Bank of India has fixed the Ways and Mean Advances WMA limit for H1 of FY23 at Rs 150000 crore The government and the RBI are working jointly to bring a framework for issuance of sovereign green bonds In her Union Budget speech Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced that the government proposes to issue sovereign green bonds to mobilise resources for green infrastructure The net borrowing during 2022-23 would be Rs 116 lakh crore which is nearly Rs 2 lakh crore higher than the current years budget estimate of Rs 97 lakh crore Gross borrowing includes repayment of past loans The government raises money from the market to fund its fiscal deficit through dated securities and treasury bills PTI DP RAM

Guwahati Dec 22 PTI The Assam Assembly on Wednesday passed The Assam Motor Vehicle Taxation Amendment Bill 2021 paving the way for levy of tax on air-conditioned sleeper coaches Transport Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary who moved the bill in the House accepted an amendment brought by the Opposition demanding a decrease in the rate of tax to be imposed under the legislation The amendment bill had proposed to levy Rs 9000 annual tax on fully built air-conditioned sleeper contract carriage buses with seats or berths up to 20 Conceding to the Opposition demand the rate was decreased to Rs 8000 per annum However the rate for similar buses with a seat or berth capacity of over 20 was kept at Rs 12000 per annum as proposed in the bill though the Opposition had asked for a reduction in it also The Assam government did not have any provision for the imposition of Motor Vehicle Tax on this category of bus before the passage of the amendment bill The state Assembly also passed The Assam Cooperative Societies Amendment Bill 2021 moved by Cooperation Minister Atul Bora The provision in the principal act that disallowed registration of any society in an area where another cooperative society already existed with similar objectives except with special permission has been removed in the amended bill PTI SSG MM MM

Mumbai Dec 17 PTI Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Friday called upon investors to take up road projects as they offer very high internal rate of return ensuring their economic viability Assuring investors that their investments are safe the road transport and highways minister said the possibility of any project getting stalled is nil now The internal rate of return in the road sector is very high and so there is no need to worry about their economic viability Gadkari said while addressing a national conference on investment opportunities in highways transport and logistics Recalling his stint as the Public Works Department PWD minister in the first Shiv Sena-BJP government in Maharashtra in the early 1990s he said even in those days money was never a problem to fund infrastructure as he could successfully raise funds and build the Mumbai-Pune Expressway with public money which then went on to become a model for infrastructure financing When Reliance submitted the tender for the expressway I rejected it upsetting Dhirubhai Ambani Even my ministerial colleagues and the chief minister Manohar Joshi were also angry with me Balasaheb Thackeray asked me why I rejected that bid I told them that I will raise money from the public and construct the expressway the Worli-Bandra Sealink and 52 other flyovers in the city and all of them laughed at me Gadkari said However chief minister Joshi gave him the go ahead leading to the creation of the Maharashtra State Roads Development Corporation MSRDC Gadkari said Reiterating that there is no dearth of money Gadkari recalled how he and the first MSRDC managing director R C Sinha used to go to every big and small investor fora seeking funds for various infrastructure projects Soon MSRDC went to capital markets to raise Rs 500 crore but garnered Rs 1160 crore The second time when it wanted to raise Rs 650 crore MSRDC ended up with Rs 1100 crore Even Ratan Tata told me that I am smarter than them as he never expected so much money could be raised from the market for infra projects Gadkari said But he rued that when it came to buying a colour TV for himself on installments there was nothing but disappointment as the shopkeeper never delivered on his promise When the shopkeeper came to know that I was a minister he told me that he will deliver me a new TV model But I didnt get the TV set as promised because he would have realised that being a minister I may not pay up Gadkari said jokingly He further said while Reliance quoted Rs 3600 crore for the expressway MSRDC completed the project in less than half the amount -- Rs 1600 crore Speaking about the high returns the expressway has given he said the first time Maharashtra monetised it for Rs 3000 crore and the second time after merging with the old Mumbai-Pune highway the state earned Rs 8000 crore more around one-and-a-half years back Explaining why road projects are viable now he said today the NHAI does not tender projects until 90 per cent of the land is acquired and with all clearances including from forest department and the Railways So there is minimal chance of infra projects getting stalled now he said PTI HV SHW ABM ABM

New Delhi Oct 25 PTI TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday met President Ram Nath Kovind and demanded that Presidents Rule be imposed in Andhra Pradesh as he said state-sponsored terror has reached unimaginable heights threatening democracy institutions and very fabric of the stateHe demanded CBI investigation into alleged criminal networks linked to the extensive drug-hub operating in the state as well as against the series of attacks on Telugu Desam Party TDP leaders and offices on October 19Naidu also sought recall of the Director General of Police DGP of Andhra Pradesh in view of alleged collusion with the ruling-YSR Congress Party YSRCP and eschewing his constitutional duties and responsibilitiesThe people of the state are facing daily threats to their constitutionally mandated rights state-sponsored terror has reached unimaginable level of heights threatening democracy institutions and the very fabric of the state he said in a representation made to the presidentIf the Centre remains silent towards the YSRCP-ruled state government which is continuously violating the constitution then there is every possibility of planting seeds for the disintegration of the nation he saidThe TDP president further alleged that the current situation makes for an apt case for the invocation of Article 356As you are well aware Article 356 is not something to be imposed in a cavalier fashion The TDP itself does not condone its imposition except in grave circumstances We strongly urge you to see the current situation in AP he addedSeeking the presidents intervention to curb the spread of drug use from Andhra Pradesh to the rest of India Naidu said ganja worth Rs 8000 crore is being cultivated in around 2500 acres in the stateNearly 3000 kg of heroin was seized at Mundra port on September 15 this year Recently on October 21 a cache of 3 kg of pseudoephedrine was seized by Bengalure police and the force traced the drugs origin to Narasapuram of West Godavari he said added that it is evident that AP has emerged as a drug-hub crossing state and national boundariesThe future of our youth both in the state and nation is at great risk if this spread is left unchecked This illicit trade serves as a significant revenue stream for anti-social elements he notedAsserting that there is mafiasiation of the state apparatus in Andhra Pradesh the TDP leader said in the meeting that the ruling-YSRCP thrives on money gained from illicit trade networks To protect and enforce these networks this party in turn corrupts every state organisation and section of society that opposes it he saidA prime example is the mob attack on TDP offices and leaders across the state on October 19 including on its national headquarters he saidThis attack was carried out despite the presence of DGP Naidu said adding that the police remained spectatorsThousands of false cases have been filed against dissenting individuals organisations and political parties especially TDP cadres Even the High Court of Andhra Pradesh and the Supreme Court have pointed out to lawlessness in the state he saidThe longer APs situation is neglected the worse it will turn into a hotbed of illicit trade conversion into a police state ultimately leading to a state of anarchy that hurts our democracy people economy and our constitutional and republican principles Naidu ruedThe TDP supremo is also planning to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday to seek his intervention in the matterPTI LUX SRY SRY

New Delhi Sep 23 PTI Hospitality firm OYO is planning to raise up to USD 12 billion around Rs 8000 crore through an initial public offering and is expected to file the draft red herring prospectus with Sebi next week sources told PTI on Thursday OYO has appointed investment banks like JPMorgan Citi and Kotak Mahindra Capital to manage its public issue they added Comments from OYO could not be obtained at the time of filing the story The proposed initial public offer IPO plan of the hospitality firm follows the spectacular success of Zomatos IPO that ended with a bumper oversubscription on July 16 and was biggest since March 2020 Last week shareholders of Oravel Stays the parent company of hospitality firm OYO had approved the conversion of the company from a private limited company to a public limited company according to a regulatory filing Earlier the board of Oravel Stays had approved an increase in the authorised share capital of the company from Rs 117 crore to Rs 901 crore OYO in August in a Registrar of Companies RoC filing had said that Microsoft Corporation has invested nearly USD 5 million about Rs 37 crore in OYO through the issuance of equity shares and compulsory convertible cumulative preference shares on a private placement basis Earlier in July the company had raised USD 660 million through term B loan route from global institutional investors including Fidelity Investments to refinance and simplify its existing borrowings In March this year OYO founder and Group CEO Ritesh Agarwal had said that OYO is on a steady path of resurgence in 2021 and is seeing signs of recovery across India Europe and Southeast Asia OYOs survival through the COVID crisis and our resurgence show that we are a company with strong fundamentals and high value potential PTI AKT ANZ ANS ANS

Jammu Sep 17 PTI A policeman was arrested by authorities of the Anti Corruption Bureau ACB on Friday while accepting bribe from a person in connection with a case registered against the members of his family in Jammu and Kashmirs Poonch district officials said The ACB received a written complaint alleging that Head Constable Bashir Ahmed who is posted in Surankote police station was demanding a bribe of Rs 10000 from the complainant they said The constable was the investigating officer in a case registered against the father brother and uncle of the complainant they said Ahmed was threatening to prepare a strong case against the father brother and uncle of the complainant if he did not pay the bribe they alleged On receipt of the complaint a case was registered by the ACB and investigation was taken up Ahmed was caught red-handed while demanding and accepting the bribe from the complainant as the ACB sleuths got hold of him they said The bribe worth Rs 8000 was also recovered on the spot He was arrested and taken into custody by the ACB team they said After the arrest searches were also conducted in the premises of the accused Further investigation is in progress the officials said PTI AB HDA

Thane Sep 17 PTI A district court has sentenced a 21-year-old man to seven years of rigorous imprisonment for raping a minor girl in Maharashtras Thane city Additional sessions judge and special judge POCSO V V Virkar on Thursday found the accused guilty of charges under sections 363 kidnapping 376 rape and other relevant provisions of the IPC and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences POCSO Act The court also imposed a fine of Rs 8000 on the accused According to the prosecution the 16-year-old victim lived in the same locality as the accused in Yashswi Nagar of Balkum On May 16 2018 she went out to answer natures call and never returned home The accused had taken her to Chinchani of Dahanu and kept her in a rented hut there When the victim resisted his advances and wanted him to marry her he refused and repeatedly raped her for over a month until the girl managed to escape and returned home it was stated A police complaint was subsequently lodged based on which the accused was arrested PTI COR ARU ARU

New Delhi Aug 25 PTI A day after accusing the government of selling and gifting Indias assets to its businessmen friends through the national monetisation plan Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday again took a swipe with a IndiaOnSale hashtag First sold out conscience and now he said in a tweet in Hindi using the hashtag The Congress also used the hashtag and accused the government of exploiting Indias assets for the benefit of its crony friends Any government must be focused on fostering and utilising the nations natural resources so as to benefit generations of citizens to come All Modi government is focused on is how to exploit our precious assets for the benefit of a few crony-capitalist friends the party said on Twitter It also said that airways waterways or roadways are national infrastructural assets that boost the entire economy How justified is it to sell these assets built with crores of rupees worth of tax-payers money to a few business persons the party asked The Congress further said that the Modi governments distract and deflect policy is falling apart as it can no longer throw large numbers and fancy slogans around and expect the Indian people to be enthralled The NSUI the Congress students wing also attacked the government saying Congress took 70 years to build BJP took 7 years to sell and used the hashtag IndiaOnSale Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on those criticising the Rs 6 lakh crore monetisation plan wondering if Gandhi even understands what such a move entails She alleged that it is Congress that received kickbacks by selling resources such as land and mines She reminded that the governments headed by the Congress raised Rs 8000 crore by monetising the Mumbai-Pune expressway and in 2008 it was the UPA government that floated the request for proposal to lease out New Delhi Railway Station Recalling an incident where Gandhi tore off an ordinance he didnt agree with Sitharaman questioned why he didnt tear off the RFP If he indeed is against monetisation why was the RFP on the monetisation of NDLS torn to pieces by Rahul Gandhi And if this is monetisation did they sell off the New Delhi railway station Is it owned by jijaji brother in law now Does he understand what is monetisation Gandhi had on Tuesday attacked the governments national monetisation plan and said the BJP has claimed that nothing happened in India for 70 years but now all assets created in all these years with public money were being sold out Gandhi alleged that the governments privatisation plan was aimed at creating monopolies in key sectors This will kill jobs eliminate the informal sector destroy small businesses and lead to enslaving of people he alleged PTI SKC ZMN ZMN

Mumbai Aug 25 PTI Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on those criticising the Rs 6 lakh crore monetisation plan wondering if Congress leader Rahul Gandhi even understands what such a move entails Speaking to reporters in the financial capital Sitharaman said it is Congress that received kickbacks by selling resources such as land and mines She reminded that the governments headed by the Congress raised Rs 8000 crore by monetising the Mumbai-Pune expressway and in 2008 it was the UPA government that floated the request for proposal to lease out New Delhi Railway Station Recalling an incident where Gandhi tore off an ordinance he didnt agree with Sitharaman questioned why he didnt tear off the RFP If he indeed is against monetisation why was the RFP on the monetisation of NDLS torn to pieces by Rahul Gandhi And if this is monetisation did they sell off the New Delhi railway station Is it owned by jijaji brother in law now Does he understand what is monetisation Seeking to address concerns on cronyism and sell-offs of assets created over 70 years Sitharaman reminded the Congress of the Commonwealth games what did happen during CWG Within one CWG they finished all that which can be creamed out into the accounts of their cronies she said Sitharaman reiterated that the asset monetisation plan does not involve selling off assets and the assets will be handed back to the government They are brownfield assets which are completed but under-utilised If the government has to utilise it better it has to be through monetisation process wherein it will be put to effective use with a bit more addition to spruce it up to bring it up to utilisation she said PTI AA BAL BAL