Aadhaar rebels find ways to give PAN linkage a miss

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Quietly showcasing disagreement to link PAN and Aadhaar or even get an Aadhaar card registered in their name, numerous taxpayers across the country have opted to file their tax returns either manually or via snailmails, rather than getting an Aadhaar registration done. Many had filed their returns even before June 30 when this rule of linking PAN with Aadhaar was not compulsory.

The current scenario is such that the e-filing portal of the I-T department does not accept returns without an Aadhaar number. I-T officials state that the reason for the rejection of applications might be due to errors made by the filer or some temporary technical glitch.

Filmmaker Rakesh Sharma feels Aadhaar requirement is a potential violation of privacy and considers it a tool for surveillance and data mining. He said that technically any taxpayer should be able to file returns online even if he/she does not have an Aadhaar.

Not having an Aadhaar or its application number is giving a hard time to taxpayers with income more than Rs 5 lakh as they have to file the I-T returns mandatorily online.

PAN-Aadhaar linkage - 75% cardholders still left

A majority of the people are yet to link their PAN cards with Aadhaar cards. Ministry of Finance tabled the data on July 17 that clarified that only 25 percent of PAN card holders had linked it with Aadhaar.

According to July 17 data, there were 32.41 crore PAN cards in the country. Of this, only 8.19 crore have linked with Aadhaar.

The I-T department has been informing the citizens via SMS that they should link PAN and Aadhaar to file their tax returns online.

Why the reluctance to get one?

A Bangalore-based consultant and his wife had filed the tax returns early in June and refused to apply for an Aadhaar card. She said that Aadhaar was earlier optional and they were worried about their personal data getting into wrong hands. Scared of identity theft, they were reluctant to share their biometric data.

A Chennai-based environmentalist, Nityanand Jayaraman, told Times of India that he has a problem with Aadhaar as he 'does not trust the government'.

A Mumbai-based media professional was also reported saying that he was debating whether to snailmail returns to Bangalore Central Processing Centre or wait till the Supreme Court passes the order on this issue.

Get your hands on the Redmi 4 at Re. 1!

On the occasion of its third anniversary in India, Xiaomi is offering a limited number of Redmi phones at just Re. 1 in a flash sale.

There is also a separate bidding option: the lowest unique bid can win merchandise like the Mi PowerBank 2, Mi Headphones Comfort, VR Play and more.

Find out all you need to know about the exciting offer here.

DetailsThese other products will also be available at Re. 1

On its second and final day of sale, the Redmi 4 will sell for Re. 1, 10 units each at two different time slots (11am and 1pm), on www.mi.com.

Only the 2GB/16GB version will be offered at this price. However, other accessories including the 10,000 mAh PowerBank 2, Wi-Fi Repeater 2, VR Play, Selfie Sticks will also go on sale at Re. 1.

RulesHow can you get the exciting deal?

Only those registered on the website are eligible for the sale. Visit the website, click on "Grab coupons" and then "Share to register".

After successfully adding the product to the cart, one has to complete the purchase within two hours.

Names of winners will be declared under the "Rs.1 Flash Sale" section.

Before entering, check out all terms and conditions on the site.

BiddingThese products will be offered to the lowest bidder!

You can also bid for select products: the lowest unique bid will win.

There are four time slots for this: 2pm, 4pm, 6pm and 8pm.

Products on offer include limited number of Redmi 4 2GB/16GB, VR Play, Selfie Stick, Redmi 4A 2GB/16GB, 20,000 mAh PowerBank 2, Wi-Fi Repeater 2, Redmi Note 4 2GB/32GB, Air Purifier, Router 3C and Headphones Comfort.

AuctionHere are the rules for bidding

Users can bid on all products on offer at every time slot. Negative values and zero won't be considered.

The one with the lowest unique bid will have to pay their bid amount plus applicable delivery charges. Mi will add a coupon for the rest of the amount.

Winners will be notified within 30 minutes. The purchase has to be completed within 48 hours.

OthersMore discounts on offer during the two-day sale

Customers who buy Xiaomi products on the website on July 20-21 will also get Rs. 2,000 Goibibo vouchers, which can be used on hotel bookings made on the website subject to terms and conditions.

These days, the Redmi 4, 4A and Note 4 will also be selling at their normal prices at 12pm. The Mi Max 2 is selling without discount at Rs. 16,999.

UN warns North Korea facing worst drought since 2001

A UN report says that North Korea is facing severe food shortages after suffering its worst drought since 2001.

The country needs urgent food imports to fill its needs.

The latest drought is particularly serious because food aid to North Korea has fallen dramatically in recent years, due to international sanctions over its ongoing nuclear weapons and missile programs.

What happened?Food production down 30% since last year

The production of staple crops such as rice, maize, potatoes and soybean has been decimated by the continued lack of rainfall in North Korea.

The harvesting of crops such as wheat, barley and potatoes too has been affected.

The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that production of early season crops has declined 30% from last year to 310,000 tonnes in 2017.

ExplainedChildren expected to be worst hit by drought/famine

Large parts of North Korea's population face malnutrition or death due to insufficient food production.

The most vulnerable sections of society, including children and the elderly, will be worst hit.

The combined effects of flooding in some areas and overall inefficient food production have hampered the country's ability to counter food shortages.

The FAO says North Korea needs to upgrade irrigation facilities urgently.

DetailsFamine killed hundreds of thousands in North Korea in 1990s

In the 1990s, North Korea suffered a serious famine which required the World Food Programme (WFP) to mount its biggest ever emergency operation.

The situation was so bad that some families were reduced to surviving by eating leaves and twigs.

The WFP delivered food to eight million North Koreans from 1996 to 2001.

The famine killed hundreds of thousands of people.

Credits: 

Reliance AGM 2017: 'Free' 4G VoLTE feature phone launched

 

The 40th annual general meeting of Reliance Industries started at 11am today. The main attraction is the launch of a new 4G VoLTE feature phone, which will be offered free of cost to customers.

There will be a security deposit of Rs. 1,500, refundable for 36 months. An exclusive Rs. 153 data plan will be offered.

MD Mukesh Ambani also detailed Jio's stupendous growth.

FeaturesWhat is the under the hood?

The phone, with a 2.4-inch QVGA screen, is one of the few feature phones available that facilitates secure mobile payments through NFC, like Apple Pay or Samsung Pay.

It has an SD card slot and supports 22 Indian languages.

Long-pressing 5 will send a distress message to chosen contacts.

Exclusive Rs. 153 monthly data plans will offer unlimited voice calls and data.

Growth numbersHow was this financial year for Reliance?

In 30 years, Reliance Industries' market share increased a whopping 50,000 times, from Rs. 10cr in 1987 to Rs. 5L crore today, Ambani said.

Revenue has grown 4700 times from Rs. 70cr in 1977 to Rs. 3,30,000cr today. Net profit has also jumped 10,000 times in 40 years, from Rs. 3cr to Rs. 30,000cr.

Ambani said the shareholders' money is doubled every 2.5 years.

Jio SpecificAnd, what was Jio's contribution?

Jio has attracted 100mn paying customers within 170 days, adding seven customers/second/day on an average.

Every day, Jio customers make 250 crore minutes of video and voice calls.

Speed test portals have ranked Jio at the top. Ambani claimed, because of Jio, 4G coverage in India will soon be more than 2G.

In 12 months, it is expected to cover 99% of India's population.

India's growthIndian market is ready to get disrupted!

India's overall data consumption is also rising. It has already surpassed US and China in mobile data usage.

Ambani said Jio, which registered faster growth than WhatsApp, Skype and even Facebook, has helped in the digital revolution.

Presently, 50cr out of 78cr mobile phone users in India are feature phone holders.

India is expected to soon become a leader in broadband consumption as well.

Free shares for all shareholders announced

At the event, Reliance also announced a 1:1 bonus share offer: shareholders will get an additional share for each one they hold. Post the announcement, RIL stocks rallied 3.9% to Rs. 1,588.

Presidential Election 2017: Cross-Voting In Presidential Poll Flashes Warning Signs For Opposition

HIGHLIGHTS

1. Ram Nath Kovind wins President poll against Opposition's Meira Kumar
2. Many in Opposition voted for Mr Kovind than Ms Kumar in number of states
3. These include Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Bengal, Punjab, Assam, Tripura

Ramnath Kovind's election as the next president of India was never in doubt but the large scale cross-voting in seven states throws up a big worry for the opposition, especially ahead of polls in Gujarat later this year.

In Gujarat, at least 11 Congress MLAs are believed to have voted for Mr Kovind rather than the opposition-backed Meira Kumar, in a jolt to the party ahead of voting on August 8 for three Rajya Sabha seats, one held by senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel.

The neon sign of the Congress hemorrhaging in Gujarat months before an election comes at a time its top leader, Shankarsinh Vaghela, seems to be in exit mode. On Friday, for Mr Vaghela's birthday, his supporters have organised what they say will be a show of strength. Mr Vaghela, who quit the BJP in 1995, has hinted at a big reveal.

State Congress chief Bharatsinh Solanki admitted that the party is concerned but claimed it would have no impact on the Rajya Sabha election: "The party will analyse and take action so that such a thing not repeated," he said.

In West Bengal, Mr Kovind won 11 votes though the BJP and its allies have only six votes. It is not clear yet how many of the five extra votes are from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress and how many from the Left.

In Maharashtra, Meira Kumar won 77 votes but was expecting at least 10 more. Some members of the Congress, NCP or Left appear to have voted with the BJP.

The Congress is stunned by the cross-voting in Goa, where its leaders have been talking of throwing out the BJP government.

At least eight opposition lawmakers in Uttar Pradesh are said to have cross-voted. These could include Samajwadi Party legislators who are with Mulayam Singh Yadav in his bitter feud with son Akhilesh Yadav.

Two of the four MPs of Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab are believed to have voted for Mr Kovind.

In Tripura, where the BJP has zero lawmakers, Mr Kovind won seven votes.

The Congress claimed a reverse trend in Rajasthan.

Cong has 24MLAs in Rajasthan&Meira Kumarji polled 34votes.Clearly,even some BJP MLAs have an"inner voice"

But if Ms Kumar won 10 extra votes, Mr Kovind won five more than expected too. The cross-voting could be by other parties.

President Election Result 2017 LIVE: Ram Nath Kovind Set To Be Next President, Leads Meira Kumar By 2.75 Lakh Votes

President Election Result 2017 LIVE: Ram Nath Kovind likely to win contest against Meira Kumar

NEW DELHI:  The counting of votes for the presidential election began at 11 am today, at the end of which India will know who its next President will be. The contest, between the ruling NDA's Ram Nath Kovind and the Opposition's Meira Kumar, both Dalits, saw nearly 99 per cent lawmakers and legislators cast their vote - the highest ever. Voting had taken place on July 17. NDA candidate Ram Nath Kovind, the former governor of Bihar, is the clear favourite to win the contest against Meira Kumar, former Lok Sabha Speaker fielded by the opposition. Mr Kovind, 71, is backed not just by the ruling BJP-led National Democratic Alliance but also several regional parties like Tamil Nadu's AIADMK, likely to get nearly 70 per cent of the total votes. The counting of votes will be held under the supervision of the Lok Sabha secretary general Anoop Mishra, who is also the Returning Officer.

Here are the live updates from the Presidential election counting day:

Tipraland Movement 18/7/2017

Presidential poll 2017: Here is how votes are counted

HIGHLIGHTS

NEW DELHI: Counting began at 11 am on Thursday for the Presidential election that was held on July 17. The results are expected to be announced at 5 pm. Here are 10 points on how the votes will be counted:

1. The first ballot box to be opened for counting will be the one in Parliament House.

2. After that, ballot boxes received from States will be counted in alphabetical order.

3. The votes will be counted+ on four separate tables.

4. There will be eight rounds of counting.

5. Voter turnout was high on July 17, with close to 99 per cent polling recorded.

6. The electoral college which votes in the President had a total of 4,896 voters - 4,120 state legislators (MLAs) and 776 elected members of Parliament (MP) - who were eligible to cast their ballot. Members of legislative councils though were not part of the electoral college.

7. The value of MLAs' votes are set based on the population of the state they belongs to, while the value of an MP's vote is a standard 708 across the board.

8. As many as 32 polling stations, including the one in Parliament house, were set up in various states.

Ram Nath Kovind to file nomination on June 23; PM Modi, Amit Shah, all NDA CMs to be present

NDA presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind will file the nomination papers for the July 17 presidential election in presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP chief Amit Shah and all top leaders of the alliance on June 23.

New Delhi: National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind will file the nomination papers for the July 17 presidential election in presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP chief Amit Shah and all top leaders of the alliance on June 23.

According to reports, all the Chief Ministers of BJP and its allies will also grace the occasion when NDA candidate Ram Nath Kovind files his nomination on Friday.

In the process of nominations, the secretary general returning officer of Lok Sabha will be present.

The BJP has prepared four sets for Kovind's nomination.

In the first set, proposer Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be present alomg with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.

In the second set, proposer BJP chief Amit Shah and Union Finance and Defence Minister Arun Jaitley will be there.

In the third set, proposer Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Parkash Singh Badal and Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu will be present.

In the fourth set, proposer Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will be present.

Meanwhile, Ramnath Kovind along with his wife met with former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and his family at his residence.

Earlier, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) had announced Kovind as its candidate for the upcoming Presidential polls.The announcement was made in a press briefing by Amit Shah recently.

The election for the next President of India is scheduled to be held on July 17 as President Pranab Mukherjee will demit the office on July 25.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) issued the notification in this regard and the process of the nomination has started that will continue till June 28. 

With ANI inputs

Presidential election: BJP picks Dalit leader Ram Nath Kovind as nominee; Congress rules out consensus

Known as the staunch supporter of Dalit rights, 71-year-old Ram Nath Kovind would become the country's second Dalit president, after KR Narayanan, if he gets elected.

In a move that is widely considered as a political masterstroke, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday chose Bihar Governor Ram Nath Kovind, a Dalit leader, as the NDA nominee for the forthcoming presidential election. Known as the staunch supporter of Dalit rights, 71-year-old Kovind would become the country’s second Dalit president, after KR Narayanan, if he gets elected. His election is almost a certainty as the ruling bloc with the support of some regional parties enjoys a majority in the electoral college. Moreover, many parties would be reluctant in opposing a Dalit candidate being elected to the country’s highest office.

Reflecting on NDA’s choice for the coveted post, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Kovind will make an exceptional president and continue to be a strong voice for the poor, downtrodden and marginalised. “I am sure Shri Ram Nath Kovind will make an exceptional President & continue to be a strong voice for the poor, downtrodden & marginalised,” PM Modi had tweeted. Heaping more praise on Kovind, the prime minister said his knowledge and understanding of the Constitution will greatly benefit the nation.

Kovind’s selection was announced by BJP President Amit Shah following the party’s parliamentary board, which was attended by Modi and senior party leaders. Shah also sought support from opposition parties and said that the prime minister had spoken to Congress President Sonia Gandhi and former PM Manmohan Singh.

The Presidential election will be held on July 17 and the counting of votes will begin on July 20. The tenure of incumbent President Pranab Mukherjee’s term will come to an end on July 24.

The Congress, however, refrained from commenting on the issue immediately and said the opposition would take a call on contesting the election after a meeting on June 22. “Congress does not want to comment on this issue as we want to take a unanimous decision with all other opposition parties on the presidential elections. The final call will be taken in a meeting of all opposition parties on June 22,” senior party leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said. Describing the BJP’s attempt to reach out to the opposition as a “formality and a PR exercise”, Azad said the BJP should have built a consensus before announcing the candidate. “But they informed us after announcing this decision so there is no scope for consensus now… we were not expecting this from the ruling party. But it is their will, they are free to take a one-sided unilateral decision,” Azad added.

The ruling TRS in Telangana and the Telugu Desam Party were among the first parties to have welcomed the decision and said they would support NDA’s presidential candidate Kovind. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath urged opposition parties to rise above party politics and back the NDA nominee for the post of President. On the other hand, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar expressed his happiness over Kovind’s candidature but stopped short of committing support to the NDA nominee.

BSP leader Mayawati stated that her party would be positive provided the Opposition does not field any Dalit for the top post, while Trinamool Congress leader and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee said Kovind was chosen for the post just because he was the leader of Dalit Morcha of BJP.

Meanwhile, the CPI called upon the Opposition parties to put up their candidate against Kovind as the NDA’s candidate for the post of president is from the ranks of RSS.

Kovind, a lawyer-turned-politician, has been a champion of the scheduled caste, scheduled tribe, OBC, minority and women’s rights from his student days. He served as the former president of the BJP Dalit Morcha from 1998 to 2002, besides being the party’s national spokesperson. He was also the chief of the All-India Koli Samaj.

Kovind was elected to the Rajya Sabha in April 1994 from Uttar Pradesh and served two successive terms till March 2006. He also played a significant role during the stir by SC/ST employees in 1997 when certain orders issued by the Centre had an adverse impact on them. Subsequently, under the rule of the first NDA government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, these orders were declared null and void following amendments in the Constitution.

As an advocate, Kovind was a pioneer in providing free legal aid to weaker sections, especially the SC/ST women, and poor and needy girls under the aegis of the Free Legal Aid Society in Delhi. He has also represented India in the United Nations and addressed the UN General Assembly in October, 2002.

With inputs from PTI