Obstructionism should not make headlines: Venkaiah Naidu

In an apparent reference to the Opposition stalling Parliament during the Winter Session, he said the media reports prominently that "so and so leader came to Parliament and did not allow Parliament to function, as if it is a great thing. It is like somebody came and then murdered somebody and then you try to give him a headline".   
"Media must play that role, that responsible role and a constructive role. What is happening unfortunately in this country is constructive thing or constructive debate is no news. Destructive approach or obstructive approach becomes a big news," he said addressing a gathering on the occasion of inauguration of the World Toilet Summit here.
  
Naidu's statement came a day after Information and Broadcasting Minister Arun Jaitley came out against media trials. He said courts come under tremendous pressure in high profile cases and media should introspect as parallel trials prejudice the environment.
  
Noting that those disrupting Parliament proceedings figure on the front page, Naidu, who holds Parliamentary Affairs and Urban Develoment portfolios, said that sensationalism and obstructionism are not going to help anybody.
  
"If you go to well of the house and do some nonsensical thing and throw some paper or raise the mike, then you are on the front page. This sensationalism, obstructionism is not going to help anybody. You must understand this," he added.

The Minister, however, appreciated the newspapers which are reporting on various social issues.
"Lot of newspapers have taken up this cause of Swachh Bharat. They are devoting some space, they are reporting about good practises," he noted.

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Arun Jaitley bets on IT industry for 'Digital India' success

"Our 'Digital India' initiative will rely on the IT/BPM (business process management) sector for design, deployment and its continued success," Jaitley said at a pre-budget consultative meeting with IT hardware and software groups.

Asserting that realisation of "Make in India" was inseparable from ICT (information and communication technologies), the finance minister told the industry's representatives that the government was keen to leverage their sector's strength, as manufacturing relied on IT for efficiencies and innovation leading to "know-why" of products and processes.

"We will certainly take further policy and regulatory initiatives, as large-scale production at competitive price for the global market will create employment and help us to reap demographic dividend, increase their purchasing power and generate a huge market within the country," Jaitley said.

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Social sector seeks higher budget allocation for education

In pre-Budget consultations with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, they demanded that the government address the gaps in the financial and planning process that has led to consistent under spending in the education sector.
     
"Enhance the allocation in education in line with the Kothari Commission and National Education Policy recommendations of 6 percent of GDP," said a representative of the Right to Education Forum after the meeting.

"Current allocations have hovered in the vicinity of 3.4 percent which falls far short of this national and international benchmark," he added.

"In accordance with the recommendation of CABE Committee, enhance the allocation of elementary education by 1 percent to accommodate the cumulative gap in education. The allocation to the elementary education should be Rs 73,807 crore," the representative said.

They also demanded that the government should eradicate discrimination in allocation made in education.      

Besides, they added that disparities exist between different states, rural and urban areas and different types of schools within the education department.

 

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Arun Jaitley asks WB MPs to support GST, Coal auction for benefits of state

'TMC supported Goods and Services Tax (GST) in its election manifesto and now is the time to fulfill the promise to let the state benefit from it,'' Jaitley, while speaking at the West Bengal Global Business Summit at Kolkata, said.

Earlier in the day Jailtley, in a strong message to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the Union Minister said she has a responsibility to deliver on promises and create an environment to attract investments. "Madam Chief Minister, you have a mandate to rule the state, and therefore, you have the responsibility to deliver what was promised," Jaitley said, while assuring the state of all possible help for developmental activities.     

India should be a strong federation of states, he said, adding, "in all areas where the states want to prosper, we are here to fully support you."

Stressing on the need to attract investment, Jaitley said, "we have to create an environment where we do not merely attract investment but also promise profitable return on that investment will lead to greater investment."

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427 foreign bank account holders identified, says Arun Jaitley

Replying to a debate on black money in the Rajya Sabha, he said the government will "pro-actively chase" those having black money and will not rest till the last account is identified.
   
Bringing back black money stashed abroad is a procedure which will take time, he said while responding to attack by Opposition which questioned non-fulfillment of the poll promise of BJP leaders of getting the illicit money back in 100 days.
   
He, however, did not respond to the Opposition attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for reportedly saying in the run up to elections that each person will get Rs 15-20 lakh if all the black money is brought back.
   
Members of Congress, Trinamool Congress, JD(U), Samajwadi Party and CPM, staged a walkout even before Jaitley could conclude his reply.
   
During the discussion in both Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha, Congress alleged that BJP had "sold lies" and misled the nation for which the government should apologise.
   
Spelling out the steps being taken by the government, Jaitley referred to the HSBC list of 627 account holders, received by the government and said identity of 427 of them has been established. 250 of them have admitted to having accounts, making the government's task easier, he added.
   
Replying to opposition criticism, he said, "We have done more in 100 days than what other governments had done."
   
The confidentiality clause prevents disclosure of names of foreign account holders unless prosecution is launched against them in a court of law, he noted.

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Patna blasts a conspiracy to kill Narendra Modi, says BJP

Patna/New Delhi: The main opposition party, BJP, on Monday attacked the Nitish Kumar government in Bihar over its failure to avert Sunday's blast in Patna and said that it was a conspiracy to kill its PM candidate Narendra Modi.

Addressing a press conference in Patna, state's former Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Sushil Modi said, "I feel Sunday's serial blasts in Patna were a conspiracy to eliminate Gujarat Chief Minister and our PM candidate Narendra Modi."

Sushil Modi even attacked the Nitish Kumar government for ignoring the threats to Modi's life and asked, "Why was an anti-sabotage check not conducted."

"One of the low intensity bombs exploded just 100 metres away from the stage where Modi ji and other senior leaders were present. Imagine what would have happened,"Sushil Modi asked.

Earlier, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Arun Jaitley blamed the Bihar government and the state police for completely ignoring the intelligence inputs about Modi's 'Hunkar' rally. 

Source: Zee News

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