Author: Nagpur Updates

On Monday the government invited preliminary bids to sell its entire interest in Air India, along with its joint venture Air India SATS Airport Services Private Limited, and the airline subsidiary Air India Express.

The last bid date is March 17, and eligible bidders will be informed March 31, according to the bid document released by the Investment and Public Asset Management Department. The government owns 100 percent stake in Air India and its subsidiary Air India Express. AISATS is a joint venture partnership between Air India and Singapore Airport Terminal Services Limited providing services in the handling of ground and freight.

The Government of India has given in principle approval for AI’s strategic disinvestment through the transfer of management control and selling of AI’s 100 percent share capital owned by GOI which will include AI’s 100 percent shareholding interest in AIXL and 50 percent shareholding interest in AISATS (Air India SATS Airport Services Private Limited),’ the document stated.

This is the second attempt by the Centers to divest their stake in the national carrier that bleed money. In 2018, the government led by Nareandra Modi had expressions of interest in divesting 76% of the airline’s share but found no takers. That time, the government and its profitable arm, Air India Express, had wanted to sell the loss-making company.

LPG used as fuel in vehicles or Auto LPG, which is one of the cleanest alternative fuels with a’ zero’ global warming potential is currently taxed at 18% GST. Leading industry body Indian Auto LPG Coalition sought GST reduction on Auto LPG as well as on conversion kits for gaseous fuels to encourage the adoption of clean automotive fuels.

LPG used in cars or Auto LPG, one of the cleanest alternative fuels with a’ zero’ global warming potential, is currently taxed at 18% GST. In addition, the GST rates on Auto LPG / CNG conversion kits are prohibitive at 2%, IAC said. High GST rates on renewable fuels and conversion kits are in complete variance with the reported green mobility drive by the government, it said in a statement.

“We are seeking the attention of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to the imminent need to formulate friendly policies to encourage rapid growth of environmentally friendly transport fuels such as Auto LPG. Auto LPG, which is actively promoted by governments around the world, is facing discriminatory policies in India. It is taxed at a high GST slab of 18%. IAC said LPG is the world’s most widely used alternative fuel with a proven track record of air quality improvement.

Over the past 10 years, Auto LPG’s global consumption has risen by more than 40%, driven by environmental concerns. South Korea, Turkey, Poland, Japan, Australia, Italy, Mexico, and Russia are among the main nations that have successfully embraced this green fuel for their transportation needs.

The association said that while India is planning a long-term transition to electric vehicles, the environmental benefits that can be achieved by adopting low-hanging fruits such as Auto LPG are lacking. Investing in a wider basket of clean alternative transport fuels that are more readily available will lead to an immediate improvement in air quality than EVs that are still a decade away from becoming a co-operator.

“Aside from the need to minimize GST, further important intervention is the reform of the Type Approval requirements regulating the conversion to gaseous fuels. Type Approval standards require companies to renew highly prohibitive Type Approvals for Auto LPG and CNG conversions every three years, which acts as a major obstacle to the industry and has resulted in a rapid decline in the number of players in the market.

Over 26 million vehicles worldwide run on Auto LPG, funded by nearly 71,000 LPG filling stations with over 26 million tons of global Auto LPG consumption. For Auto LPG, claimed IAC, emissions of harmful nitrogen oxides (NOx) and harmful particulate matter PM 2.5 are nearly negligible.

IAC is the nodal body in India which promotes Auto LPG. Gas PSUs, private car LPG distributors, kit suppliers, and equipment manufacturers are members of the Coalition. The coalition works closely with India’s World LPG Association, Indian Automobile Manufacturers Society, and Automotive Research Association

व्लादिमीर पुतिन रूस के राष्ट्रपति रूसी संसद को सम्बोधन में रूस के अल्पसंख्यक के साथ तनाव पर कहा:-

रूस में रूसियों की तरह रहें . कोई भी अल्पसंख्यक समुदाय जो कहीं से हो, यदि उसे रूस में रहना है , यहाँ काम करना है, आहार लेना है तो रूसी भाषा में बोलना होगा, रूस के कानूनों का सम्मान करना होगा .यदि वे शरीयत नियमों को वरीयता देना पसंद करते हैं एवं मुस्लिम जीवन शैली में जीना चाहते हैं तो उन्हें हमारा सुझाव है कि वे उन स्थानों पर जायें जहाँ यह राजकीय कानून है .

रूस को अल्पसंख्यक मुस्लिम समुदाय की आवश्यकता नहीं है . अल्पसंख्यकों को रूस की आवश्यकता है, हम किसी तरह के विशेषाधिकार उन्हें नहीं देते, और न ही हम अपने कानूनों में ऐसे बदलाव लायेंगें जो उनकी अपेक्षावों पर खरे हों , चाहे वो ऊंची से ऊंची आवाज में इसे ‘भेदभाव’ कहें . रूसी संस्कृति की अवमानना हमें किसी भी रूप में स्वीकार नही है . हमें यदि एक राष्ट्र के रूप में जीवित रहना है तो हमें अमेरिका, इंग्लैंड, होलैंड और फ्रांस में हुये आतंकी हमलों से सीख लेने की आवश्यकता है .मुसलमान उन देशों का अधिग्रहण कर रहे हैं लेकिन वे रूस के साथ ऐसा नहीं कर पायेंगे .

रूसी रिवाजें एवं परंपरायें का मुकाबला असंस्कारी और आदिम मुस्लिम शरीयत नियमों के साथ नहीं किया जा सकता.जब भी यह सम्माननीय वैधानिक निकाय नये नियमों के सृजन का विचार करे तो उसे रूस के राष्ट्रीय हितों को प्रथम वरीयता में रखना है, यह ध्यान में रखते हुए कि मुस्लिम अल्पसंख्यक रूसी नही हैं .रूसी संसद के राजनेताओं ने पुतिन का खड़े होकर 5 मिनटों तक अभिवादन किया .

A man allegedly for smuggling 1150 liters of country-made liquor under Nandanvan police jurisdiction was arrested by the sleuths of the State Excise Department on Saturday. In addition to liquor concealed in rubber tubes, the four-wheeler and other products collectively priced at Rs 4,49,650 crore have been confiscated by Excise officials.

Sources indicate that the Excise Department’s sleuths had received a hidden tip about a car (MH/31/CP/2314) carrying 1150 liters of illegal liquor via Nandanvan district. Inspector Sunil Sahastrabuddhe, assistant inspectors Mukund Chimatvar, Ravindra Sonone and Jawans Sanjay Rathod, Sameer Sayyad, Shirish Deshmukh, Ravindra Ingole and driver Devesh Kothe laid a trap near Seven-Star Hotel. After that the officers intercepted the suspect vehicle.

Excise officials then rounded up accused driver identified as Raja Ram Verma (46), a resident of Shivmandir Lodhipur Mandir. The drive was supervised by Divisional Joint Commissar Mohan Vard and Superintendent Pramod Sonone.

A case against an unidentified man has been reported for duping a woman of Rs 5.15 lakh from Ajni in Nagpur by posing as a German national, police said on Saturday.

In January 2019, the unidentified accused began communicating with the victim, a Kashi Nagar resident, via Facebook, and they soon began talking to each other over the phone, Ajni police station assistant police inspector Swati Deodhar said.

The survivor, who is an IT professional, also accepted the marriage proposal from the accused, after which he told her that a gift from Germany was being sent to her, she said.

The woman received a call from a man in March of last year, who introduced himself in Delhi as a customs officer and asked her to pay Rs 30,000 as a customs duty to get the package released, the official said.

The victim again received a call after paying the sum claiming that she will have to pay Rs 4.85 lakh more, the official said, adding that the woman managed to borrow the amount from two of her friends and move it to the bank account the man listed.

The victim discovered that after a few days she was conned when she got no intimation about the gift and her German boyfriend vanished as well, Deodhar said.

Although the victim initially did not approach the police, she filed a complaint last week when the friends she had borrowed from Rs 4.85 lakh started threatening her with paying them back, the officer said.

Ajni police have registered an offense under section 420 (cheating) and other relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), she said. Friends of the victim, who issued her threats to return the money, were also arrested, she added.