Headlines from today’s papers.
FIMI welcomes Supreme Court decision to lift mining ban in Goa
The Supreme Court on Monday lifted a 19-month-old ban placed on mining in Goa, which had been imposed after a petition was filed in 2012 against illegal mining in the state. The apex court said that the government of Goa should be able to make decisions about mining in the state but recommended capping production at 20 million tonnes to prevent illegal activity. The Federation of Indian Mineral Industries welcomed the judgement, saying that it will help revive economic activity in Goa. India was once the third-largest exporter of iron ore, but has now slipped to No. 10, according to Reuters.
FIR registered against VHP’s Pravin Togadia for ‘hate speech’
The Election Commission on Monday ordered an FIR to be registered against Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Pravin Togadia for his alleged hate speech on Saturday. The EC also asked for the recording of the speech made in Bhavnagar, Gujarat, in which Togadia reportedly said that Muslims should not be allowed to buy properties in Hindu-dominated areas. Meanwhile, Togadia sent legal notices to media organisations after the news was widely reported, saying that the comments were fabricated and “a planned conspiracy to defame” the Rashtriya Svayamsevak Sangh, the VHP and himself.
Narendra Modi calls Rahul Gandhi out for ‘poverty tourism’
Addressing the Mahayuti rally in Mumbai on Monday, Bharatiya Janata Party prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi criticised the Congress for not following up on their promises in previous elections. Modi said that the Congress has changed the standards of measuring poverty, merely creating an illusion of having reduced it. Modi also criticised Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi for indulging in "poverty tourism", referring to the latter’s much publicised visits to poverty-stricken homes and photographs with the poor. Modi added that Gandhi did not understand poverty, which was why he needed to indulge in such activities.
Conflict of interest question arises on BCCI-suggested committee
A day after the Board of Control for Cricket in India proposed three names to the Supreme Court as possible members to staff a committee to investigate corruption in the Indian Premier League, questions about conflicts of interest have emerged about all three. Former India player Ravi Shastri is a BCCI-contracted commentator, former CBI director RK Raghavan is secretary of a club in the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association, of which N Srinivasan is president, while former chief justice of Calcutta High Court Jai Narayan Patel is reportedly a close relative of BCCI interim president Shivlal Yadav.
TCS joins top 10 global IT services companies
Tata Consultancy Services, the country's largest IT services provider, has broken into an elite bracket of the top 10 global IT services companies ranked on revenue, according to a report in the Times of India. TCS moved from the 13th position in 2012 to 10th in 2013. Out of its total revenue of about $12.5 billion, TCS is estimated to have an IT services revenue of $10.1 billion. IBM ($54.4 billion), Fujitsu ($32.1 billion), Hewlett-Packard ($29.2 billion) and Accenture ($25.4 billion) lead the list. The second highest-placed Indian company in the list is Cognizant, which is ranked 15th. Infosys, Wipro and HCL also feature in the top 25.
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FIMI welcomes Supreme Court decision to lift mining ban in Goa
The Supreme Court on Monday lifted a 19-month-old ban placed on mining in Goa, which had been imposed after a petition was filed in 2012 against illegal mining in the state. The apex court said that the government of Goa should be able to make decisions about mining in the state but recommended capping production at 20 million tonnes to prevent illegal activity. The Federation of Indian Mineral Industries welcomed the judgement, saying that it will help revive economic activity in Goa. India was once the third-largest exporter of iron ore, but has now slipped to No. 10, according to Reuters.
FIR registered against VHP’s Pravin Togadia for ‘hate speech’
The Election Commission on Monday ordered an FIR to be registered against Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Pravin Togadia for his alleged hate speech on Saturday. The EC also asked for the recording of the speech made in Bhavnagar, Gujarat, in which Togadia reportedly said that Muslims should not be allowed to buy properties in Hindu-dominated areas. Meanwhile, Togadia sent legal notices to media organisations after the news was widely reported, saying that the comments were fabricated and “a planned conspiracy to defame” the Rashtriya Svayamsevak Sangh, the VHP and himself.
Narendra Modi calls Rahul Gandhi out for ‘poverty tourism’
Addressing the Mahayuti rally in Mumbai on Monday, Bharatiya Janata Party prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi criticised the Congress for not following up on their promises in previous elections. Modi said that the Congress has changed the standards of measuring poverty, merely creating an illusion of having reduced it. Modi also criticised Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi for indulging in "poverty tourism", referring to the latter’s much publicised visits to poverty-stricken homes and photographs with the poor. Modi added that Gandhi did not understand poverty, which was why he needed to indulge in such activities.
Conflict of interest question arises on BCCI-suggested committee
A day after the Board of Control for Cricket in India proposed three names to the Supreme Court as possible members to staff a committee to investigate corruption in the Indian Premier League, questions about conflicts of interest have emerged about all three. Former India player Ravi Shastri is a BCCI-contracted commentator, former CBI director RK Raghavan is secretary of a club in the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association, of which N Srinivasan is president, while former chief justice of Calcutta High Court Jai Narayan Patel is reportedly a close relative of BCCI interim president Shivlal Yadav.
TCS joins top 10 global IT services companies
Tata Consultancy Services, the country's largest IT services provider, has broken into an elite bracket of the top 10 global IT services companies ranked on revenue, according to a report in the Times of India. TCS moved from the 13th position in 2012 to 10th in 2013. Out of its total revenue of about $12.5 billion, TCS is estimated to have an IT services revenue of $10.1 billion. IBM ($54.4 billion), Fujitsu ($32.1 billion), Hewlett-Packard ($29.2 billion) and Accenture ($25.4 billion) lead the list. The second highest-placed Indian company in the list is Cognizant, which is ranked 15th. Infosys, Wipro and HCL also feature in the top 25.