Naukariadda

Polling began at 7 am on Thursday for the by-election to the Bhabanipur seat, where West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is contesting, and two other constituencies amid tight security and stringent COVID-19 measures, officials said. The by-polls are being held in south Kolkata's Bhabanipur, besides Jangipur and Samserganj seats in Murshidabad district. A total 6,97,164 voters are eligible to exercise their franchise in the three constituencies. Votes will be counted on October 3. Banerjee, who lost from the Nandigram constituency in the assembly elections earlier this year, has to win this by-poll to retain the chief minister's post. Polls had to be countermanded in Jangipur and Samserganj in April following the death of two candidates. As part of its elaborate security arrangements, the Election Commission has deployed 72 companies of central forces in the three constituencies, of which 35 are stationed in Bhabanipur alone, the officials said. Prohibitory orders under S...

The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has fully exempted imports of Covid 19 vaccines from basic customs duty, from October 1 till December 31."The Central Government, on being satisfied that it is necessary in the public interest so to do, hereby exempts the goods of the description specified when imported into India, from the whole of the duty of customs leviable," the Board said in a notification issued on September 29.The Board specified 'COVID-19 vaccine', indicating all vaccines imported into the country will be exempt. Vaccines arse presently charged customs duty of 10%. The government had in April exempted imports of Covid vaccines from customs duty for three months.The government had also decided to exempt the import of medical oxygen and connected equipment from import duty and health cess.While Covid vaccines continue to attract a 5% goods and services tax, the government had exempted some Covid treatment drugs from the tax and lowered the ...

Frequent incidents of security breach along the borders with China and Pakistan have prompted India to further enhance the Long Range Reconnaissance and Observation System (Lorros).A panel of experts recently cleared a revised technical requirement to be implemented by border guarding forces like the Border Security Force and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), ET has learnt.The sensor system that provides long-range surveillance both day and night should be able to recognise human targets more than 20 kilometres away, besides moving and stationary vehicles at a minimum distance of 40 km and 15 km, respectively, state the draft guidelines cleared by the panel. As per the existing specifications, the distance was 15 km for human targets and 24 km for vehicles.Procurement of the system with enhanced capabilities is part of an extensive revamp of the surveillance equipment and gadgets for the border security forces amid frequent transgression along the India-China border and heightened inf...

Former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh on Wednesday evening met Home Minister Amit Shah amid speculation he is exploring options with the BJP, but said they discussed the ongoing farm protests."Met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi. Discussed the prolonged farmers' agitation against farm laws and urged him to resolve the crisis urgently with repeal of the laws and guarantee MSP, besides supporting Punjab in crop diversification," said a tweet from his aide after the meeting ended.The tweet, with a picture of both of them together, came more than two hours after Singh drove up to the home minister's residence around 6 pm.The former CM is also believed to have raised with Shah the security concerns in the border state, and also about the "conduct" of PCC chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, people familiar with Singh's concerns said.Remember, immediately after his exit from the CM's chair, Singh had called Sidhu a national "security risk" bec...

August saw a steep rise in the cost of power, which in the exchange market was at an average of nearly ₹5 for the month and ₹16-17 a unit during peak hours, even touching ₹20 a unit in some blocks. As a result, distribution companies (discoms) had to cough up huge amounts towards procurement of power. This raises the question of power procurement under long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) vis-a-vis dependability on power from the market.Prior to the Electricity Act, 2003, generation and supply of power were controlled by the state and central authorities at rates determined by them. After the Act's enactment and the setting up of state regulators, not only has there been transparency, efficiency and accountability, but the foundation for growth and development of the sector was laid. With the delicensing of power generation, the private sector set up multi-crore generation projects across the country.GoI's enabling guidelines saw installed capacity going up from 104 GW ti...

An Indian organisation is among four activists and groups which are awarded this year's Right Livelihood Award, known as the 'Alternative Nobel', on Wednesday for empowering communities in areas ranging from child protection to environmental defence. The Swedish Right Livelihood Foundation, which awards the prize, said that "in the face of the worsening climate crisis, powerful governmental and corporate interests, and even a terrorist threat, the 2021 Laureates prove that solidarity is key to a better future for all." The 2021 Right Livelihood Laureates are leaders in advancing the rights of women and girls, environmental protection and reclaiming Indigenous rights through mobilising communities and empowering grassroots initiatives. "Hailing from Cameroon, Russia, Canada and India, this year's change-makers show that lasting change is built on communities banding together," it said. Legal Initiative for Forest and Environment (LIFE), an organisatio...

India offered a more conducive environment for tech and innovation-led firms now than China, said John Chambers, founder and CEO of JC2 Ventures and former executive chairman and CEO of Cisco Systems.While India has in recent years worked on giving a free hand to tech firms, China has just done the opposite, said the tech visionary at the India Internet Day organised by TiE, Delhi-NCR.“I have done business in China for almost 45 years … and for my first two-and-a-half decades in China, it was a win-win with tough negotiations. Never did a Chinese leader ever not deliver to me, either business or government-wise, on what they committed to doing. But in the last decade, it has become a win-lose. With a lot of stifling of the independence and the democratic trends, with the Chinese spin on it, now it is a tough place to do business that’s not predictable,” said Chambers.One country that he would bet on outside the US in the coming years would be India, he said.China has in recent months l...