Indian Express news — صفحه 3 از 14 — ✅ خرید وی پی ان ❇ ip ثایت vPn آی پی اختصاصی ◐

جولای 18, 2022

Action taken against 19 passengers for not wearing masks inside flights, Delhi HC told

The passengers refused to wear the facemasks despite repeated reminders from the crew.

According to the Delhi Police, 16 challans were issued in respect of Covid-19 violations at the IGI Airport in June (Express photo by Nirmal Harindran)Following the Delhi High Court’s order to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for strict action against passengers found not wearing masks inside the flights, a total of 15 passengers travelling from Srinagar to Delhi on June 29 were taken to the police station on their arrival in the national capital for refusing to wear masks despite repeated announcements by the crew.

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The submission was made by the DGCA in a reply before the division bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad. Besides the 15 travellers, similar action was also taken against a passenger travelling from Muscat International Airport to Mumbai on June 16. In two other cases related to violation of guidelines, FIRs were also filed. A passenger travelling from Mumbai to Ranchi was offloaded on June 7.
The passengers refused to wear the facemasks despite repeated reminders from the crew. “Airline crew followed all the protocols in this respect and when all other means of getting the passengers to comply were exhausted, they were handed over to the security staff on arrival, with requisite documentation,” said the DGCA.
According to the Delhi Police, 16 challans were issued in respect of Covid-19 violations at the IGI Airport in June and a total of Rs 8,000 was imposed as penalty.

DGCA on June 8 had asked the airlines and airports to ensure strict compliance of Covid-19 protocols, following an order from the court.
A division bench of the court on June 3 had said that, “we are of the view that the DGCA should issue separate binding directions to all staff persons deployed at the airports and in the aircrafts, including flight attendants, air hostesses, captains/pilots and others, to take strict action against passengers and others who violate the masking and hygiene norms. All such persons who are found to violate the said norms should be appropriately fined and persistent defaulters should be placed on the no- fly list.”
The court on Monday heard an application seeking easing of restrictions at the airports and inside flights on account of the change in Covid-19 situation. Observing that there are very few coronavirus cases now, the division bench headed by Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma said that the DGCA shall carry out periodical review of the guidelines and also adhere to instructions issued by the Centre from time to time.
The High Court last year had initiated a suo motu case regarding non-compliance of guidelines by passengers during domestic travel. One of the High Court judges had taken note of the fact that many passengers in an Air India flight from Kolkata to New Delhi on March 5 wore masks below their chin and showed a “stubborn reluctance” to wear them properly.

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ژوئن 26, 2022

RBI eyes BNPL norms, to rope in fintechs amid concerns over cards by non-bank PPI issuers to extend short-term loans

After slapping curbs on non-bank buy now pay later (BNPL) companies, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is likely to come out with guidelines for the BNPL segment which was using pre-paid instruments (PPIs) to extend short-term, interest-free loans to customers for online purchases.
“This novel method shall be examined, and issuance of appropriate guidelines on payments involving BNPL shall be explored,” the central bank said in its Payments Vision 2025 document. The RBI had last week communicated to non-bank PPI issuers — or BNPL companies — to stop issuing cards where the funds are loaded through a credit line from NBFCs, sending jitters in the segment.
According to banking observers, the Reserve Bank is not happy with fintech companies using PPIs as a credit instrument, circumventing the regulatory oversight. The banking regulator is in discussion with fintech players to find a way out and bring the segment under a regulatory framework so that PPIs are used as a payment instrument and not as a credit avenue.

While BNPL services have developed into a new payment mode alongside the existing payment modes like cards, UPI and net banking, it has remained outside the direct RBI regulation. This channel, facilitated by a few payment aggregators, leverages the existing nodal account (escrow account after authorisation) to route payments between a BNPL customer and a merchant. “We welcome RBI’s move on barring wallet and PPIs top up from the credit lines. This will bring more transparency in the fintech lending space. We believe the main purpose of a PPI licence is to act as a payment instrument and not as a credit instrument,” said Nipun Jain, CEO, RapiPay Fintech Ltd.
The latest regulation is probably coming from recent developments wherein newer business models of credit-based payment products were built by companies using PPI as a vehicle, analysts said. The RBI has raised concerns on funding of these PPI instruments through a credit line from an NBFC, Kotak Securities said in a report.

ExplainedHow does a BNPL company operate?A customer who holds a BNPL card or account can make a purchase at a participating retailer and opt for the ‘Buy now, pay later’ option. After the purchase, the customer can repay the BNPL firm in a series of interest-free EMIs – unlike credit cards which carry a high interest rate of 42 per cent — spread over 3 months or as a lumpsum amount. If it remains unpaid, interest will be charged. The BNPL company will pay the merchant immediately. However, for a purchase of Rs 500, instead of settling the full Rs 500, they would pay something like Rs 470 or Rs 450 and pocket the difference. The merchant agrees to give a discount to the BNPL firm.

The RBI’s working group on digital lending had recently proposed restricting balance sheet lending by digital lending apps (DLAs) only to regulated entities of the central bank or entities registered under any other law for specifically undertaking lending business, enacting a separate legislation to prevent illegal digital lending activities and treating BNPL as part of balance sheet lending, and prohibition on unregulated entities from offering first loss default guarantee (FLDG).
Another major factor that worries the RBI could be the high delinquency levels in the BNPL segment. In the case of 60 days past due (DPD) credit, delinquencies in the BNPL segment are 18.9 per cent whereas non-BNPL show 10.1 per cent delinquencies, according to TransUnion Cibil data.
BNPL is India’s fastest-growing online payment method with a significant impact on banks, large merchants and card schemes. Due to its hassle-free on-boarding experience, extension of credit facility, low-cost structure for the customer and facilitating easy repayments, BNPL is growing popular among young income earners.
Some of the popular BNPL companies are LazyPay, Simpl, ZestMoney, Amazon Pay Later, Ola Money Postpaid, Paytm Postpaid, Flexmoney, Slice, UNI and EPayLater.
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“Regulatory clarity for big tech and fintechs as well as BNPL will really help entities plan long term and invest even more in fintech in India,” said Avinash Godkhindi, MD and CEO, Zaggle.
The RBI ban on credit lines from NBFCs is likely to hit fintech companies in the BNPL segment. BNPL companies are active on Zomato, Swiggy and other e-commerce sites.
For customers around the globe, e-commerce payment preferences continue to shift away from cash and credit cards towards digital wallets and BNPL. In its report ‘Digital Payments in India: A US$10 Trillion Opportunity’, BCG said the digital payment market In India will be $10 trillion in the next five years (by 2026), with non-cash contributions comprising 65 per cent of all payments and two out of three transactions will be digital in the next five years.

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ژوئن 25, 2022

Citing fiscal strains, Expenditure Department advises against PMGKAY extension

It is not advisable to continue the Pradhan Mantri Garia Kalyan Anna Yoajana (PMGKAY) beyond its present extension (till September) both on “grounds of food security and on fiscal grounds” given that it is as it is “far beyond the need of non-pandemic times”, the Department of Expenditure under the Ministry of Finance has stated. Huge increase in fertiliser subsidy burden (both urea & non-urea), re-introduction of subsidy on cooking gas, reduction of excise duty on petrol, diesel and customs duty on various products have created a serious fiscal situation, it said.
“The budgeted fiscal deficit at 6.40 % of GDP was itself extremely high by historical standards, and deterioration therein poses a risk of serious adverse consequences. It is vital that major subsidy increases/tax reductions are not done. In particular, it is not advisable to continue the PMGKAY beyond its present extension, both on grounds of food security and on fiscal grounds. As it is, each family is getting 50 kg of grains, 25 kg at a nominal price of Rs.2/Rs.3, and 25 kg free. This is far beyond the need at a non-pandemic time,” the Expenditure Department said.
In March, the government extended the PMGKAY scheme for another six months till September 2022. The government has spent approximately Rs 2.60 lakh crore till March and another Rs 80,000 crore will be spent till September 2022, taking the total expenditure for PM-GKAY to nearly Rs 3.40 lakh crore. The scheme covers nearly 80 crore beneficiaries providing 5kg of foodgrains per month for free under this scheme. The additional free grains are over and above the normal quota provided under the NFSA at a subsidised rate of Rs 2-3 per kg.
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The Budget had pegged the fiscal deficit at 6.4 per cent of the GDP or Rs 16.61 lakh crore. In April, the first month of the current fiscal, the deficit stood at Rs 74,846 crore – or 4.5 per cent of the full-year target. In 2021-22, the deficit was 6.71 per cent or Rs 15.86 lakh crore, lower than the revised estimates of 6.9 per cent on better tax revenue mop up.
Fertiliser subsidy is estimated to rise to Rs 2.15 lakh crore from the budgeted level of Rs 1.05 lakh crore for 2022-23, having already seen an outgo of Rs 60,939.23 crore for the first six months of this fiscal. The government’s finances are also strained after the recent excise duty cuts, which are estimated to cost Rs 1 lakh crore. The cooking gas subsidy to the poor is estimated to cost the government Rs 6,100 crore, while the revenue loss from the recalibration in customs duty on iron and steel and plastic is expected to be Rs 10,000-15,000 crore.

ژوئن 22, 2022

Ranji Trophy final: Disciplined MP keep Mumbai in check

From a position of 120 for 1, a four-man Madhya Pradesh attack reduced Mumbai to 228 for 5 on the first day of the Ranji Trophy final. Having lost the toss, MP would have probably taken a stumps score of 248 for 5 at the start of the day. Having played an extra batsman who can bowl some spin, and left out pacer Puneet Datey, the couple of frontline MP pacers and spinners persevered throughout a somewhat tricky day for batting, their discipline making it tougher to score for Mumbai.
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Well into the third session, the skies remained heavily overcast, the old ball moved around a bit even after 60 overs. The spinners also found some turn and bounce on what appears to be essentially a dry surface, with rough areas already starting to develop from the bowlers’ follow-throughs.
On a day on which there wasn’t a runaway standout performer on either side, Yashasvi Jaiswal scored a chunk of Mumbai’s runs, falling 22 short of what would have been a fourth successive first-class century. His captain Prithvi Shaw rode his luck at the other end in an opening stand of 87 that created a decent base for Mumbai, from which they had some cushion to reduce the impact of the setbacks that were to come later.
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MP tried to surprise Mumbai as they opened the bowling with left-arm spinner Kumar Kartikeya. He found a bit of extra bite from a slightly damp morning surface. Jaiswal went through a couple of nervy moments; he tried a slog-sweep and missed, tried to give Kartikeya the charge and was fortunate that his sliced mishit cleared deep mid-on and sailed just over the boundary.
While Jaiswal played a tight game overall, Shaw led an utterly charmed life. A sharp Kartikeya drifter burst in to take an inside edge that popped above forward short leg’s reach. The luckless seamer Gaurav Yadav, deceptively nippy off the surface, went past Shaw’s edge five times in an over without reward. He got a couple to cut back in alarmingly and a couple more to nibble away outside off. In between, Shaw also threw his bat after a wide one.

Shaw still managed to last 79 deliveries, and if he stays in the middle for that long, he does make a contribution. He was bowled for 47, missing a full, straight ball angled into him, his attempted straight drive finding thin air comfortably outside the line of the Anubhav Agarwal delivery.
After this breakthrough, whenever Mumbai began to build a partnership, MP would strike. The next four stands were 33, 27, 38 and 43, all promising more, and all cut short by a combination of MP’s persistence and soft dismissals.
Bowlers stick to their jobs
Armaan Jaffer does not have the consistently effortless finesse of his uncle, but does have a hint of that elegance when he whips through midwicket. But there was nothing elegant about how he pushed at Kartikeya with hard hands and the ball carried all the way to midwicket.
Suved Parkar came in and got another start but off-spinner Saransh Jain’s delivery stopped on him; he had already set himself up on the back foot to whip it hard and ended up lobbing it to midwicket.
Jain bowled beautifully through the day, tossing it up high, varying his pace, inviting the drive outside off with only mid-off and sweeper in, and extracting bounce. He could probably have been a little fuller, the length with which he dismissed Hardik Tamore.
It was a pitch where many edges did not carry to the cordon. Two fell short of the wicketkeeper and first slip off Tamore alone, the hesitant ’keeper-batsman enjoying several slices of fortune. When an edge did carry, Tamore was put down at second slip, a sharp, low chance albeit.

Jain kept trying to lure Tamore into the cover drive, but in trying to be extra watchful after the drop, Tamore pushed inside the line of a full ball that didn’t turn much and edged to slip.
All along, MP kept tweaking the field. There was an in-out one for Kartikeya to Jaiswal, with three deep leg-side men and three close-in catchers. Seeing the ball was not coming on, they employed a couple of short midwickets and short covers each at different times. To Sarfaraz Khan, they had Jain bowling straighter with a 6-3 onside field.
Sarfaraz had walked out to a raucous reception from the couple of hundred fans, with shouts of ‘Sarfaraz best hai’ and ‘vada pav’ ringing around an otherwise empty M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. But contrary to his free-hitting reputation, and as he often does in this format, he barely took risks. Boasting a strike rate in the early 70s in first-class cricket, he downed the shutter for the day, moving to 40 off 125 balls. He did try a couple of hard sweeps, which is a natural shot for him, but found the field.
There was at least one good leg-before shout against every Mumbai batsman, but none of them went in MP’s favour. And in the absence of the Decision Review System (DRS) for an occasion as important as the biggest match of the domestic calendar, they had no recourse.
Nevertheless, Agarwal and Yadav continued to run in with energy late into the day for a collective 36 overs. With the second new ball only two overs old, both will hope they get more of a go with it on the second morning than they did with the first cherry.
Brief scores: Mumbai 248/5 (Jaiswal 78, Shaw 47) vs Madhya Pradesh

ژوئن 21, 2022

Eknath Shinde ko gussa kyun aata hai: Sidelined by Thackerays in Sena, govt, No. 2 turns a rebel

At 11:17 pm on Monday, the Maharashtra urban development and public works minister and influential Shiv Sena leader, Eknath Shinde, put out a tweet expressing happiness over the election of two Sena nominees in the Legislative Council elections. A couple of hours later, Shinde along with around 20 Sena MLAs, went “incommunicado”, dealing a severe blow to the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance government as well as its lead player, the Sena, which might be heading for an imminent split now.
While Shinde has always sworn allegiance to the Sena and Thackerays, there have been murmurs in recent months that he was “unhappy” over the way the party was being run and the treatment being meted out to old Sainiks like him. Over the past two years, as the Sena underwent a generational change in its leadership which saw the sidelining of its many senior leaders and the emergence of a new guard led by Aditya Thackeray, the son of party president and Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

While Shinde has been in charge of two key portfolios and was the next most important Sena minister after the Thackerays, there had been a buzz that he was not getting a free run in running his departments as all their decisions were purportedly vetted by the Thackerays and their inner coterie.
A top state official said Shinde was “upset” as he was marginalised in the urban development department. As its minister, he is the chairperson of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA). However, the environment minister, Aaditya Thackeray, often attended the MMRDA meetings involving its commissioner, hence Shinde did not take much interest in its affairs.
The emergence of Aaditya, who is also the Yuva Sena president, and his bid to groom the party’s youth wing leaders like Varun Sardesai also upset Shinde. Once deemed to be the tallest leader in the party after the Thackerays, the rise of younger leaders in its ranks is said to have rankled Shinde.

Over the last two years, especially since the outbreak of the Covid pandemic, Shinde’s access to Matoshree, the residence of the Thackerays, was also restricted, with an impression gaining ground that the latter were not seeking his counsel like they used to earlier.
Shinde, who has been a proponent of the Sena-BJP alliance, was said to be especially upset with Uddav’s decision to join hands with the NCP and the Congress to form the MVA government. He also felt that over the last two years the party’s allies, especially the Sharad Pawar-led NCP, were hurting the Sena’s prospects.

Some MVA government officials say that there were instances in the last one year that pointed to things not being smooth between Uddhav and Shinde, who is now believed to be holed up at a hotel in Surat in the BJP-ruled Gujarat along with about 20 party MLAs.

Sources say that matters like the security cover enjoyed by Shinde and his say in police transfers were some of the factors that reflected his diminishing influence over the Uddhav-led government.
An official said Shinde enjoys “Z” category security on paper while he was keen to get “Z plus” security cover being given to the likes of Uddhav and Pawar. “However, the State Intelligence Department (SID) that takes orders from the CM provided him ‘Z’ security, a level below ‘Z plus’. It was a subtle way of pointing out the power hierarchy to him,” a source said. It was believed that Shinde was miffed over it.
Another reason for Shinde’s resentment was that he had to struggle to have a say in police postings in Thane, his home turf. Recently, the transfers of five IPS officers in and around Thane had to be stayed after the NCP minister-headed home department issued the transfer list. “While eventually Shinde’s demands were accommodated and the transfers were put on hold, the question was, why were his recommendations not taken into consideration in the first place given that he had a direct line to the CM,” the source said, adding that “While these are small issues, it did show that Shinde did not have an easy run and had to struggle within his own party.”
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Sources also said that over the last one year, Uddhav hardly met any party leaders, mainly due to his health condition. “Earlier when the CM visited Mantralaya, leaders would come to meet him as everyone is allowed inside. Now with him functioning mainly from Varsha, the CM bungalow, where access is limited, not many could meet him,” the source said. “Even during Covid, citing health reasons, some bureaucrats had ensured that the CM did not meet many other leaders from the party, thereby increasing his dependancy on these bureaucrats.”
Amid simmering discontent in a Sena section against the party’s functioning for some time, Shinde was said to be in waiting and gauging public sentiments, worried that a declaration of no-confidence in the Thackerays could lead to a backlash from their party loyalists in the state.
The back-to-back setbacks suffered by the MVA in the Rajya Sabha and the Legislative Council elections in the state in just ten days proved to be the final straw that led to Shinde mounting a bid for engineering a split in the party.
(With inputs from Yogesh Naik)