New Delhi, January 8
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee today allayed the fears of Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) on the upcoming direct tax code saying the new taxation formula was “not being implemented any time soon”.

Addressing the 1,000-strong audience that had assembled from across the globe at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (a convention of NRIs) here, Mukherjee said nothing had been finalised regarding the new direct tax code so far.

Notably, the NRIs apparently are under the impression that the proposed tax code would be harsher on them and attract higher taxes, thus making them rethink about their investment plans and even shorten their visits.

Mukherjee announced that the existing provision of 182 days of tax-free stay per visit for the NRIs was intact. Once implemented, the new tax code would bring down the tax-free visit duration from 182 days to 60 days, a move that led to resentment among the NRIs.

An NRI today raised the issue with the Finance Minister during a question-and-answer session, the latter replying that “the Bill was currently being scrutinised by a standing committee of Parliament”.

The Finance Minister told the Minister for Overseas Affairs Vayalar Ravi that the NRIs should also file a representation before the standing committee to bolster their case. He said it was a wrong perception that an NRI becomes an Indian resident for the purpose of taxation if he stayed in the country for 60 days in a financial year. The Ministry of Overseas Affairs had approached the Finance Ministry over this clause, which the Finance Minister termed as “misconception”.

Mukherjee said an NRI will be treated as a resident only if he has stayed for 365 days or more in the preceding four financial years, together with 60 days in a financial year.

“Only when the two criteria are met, an individual will be considered a resident," Mukherjee said. Even if a person becomes a resident in any financial year, his global income does not immediately become taxable in India, he clarified.

Global income will only be taxable if he stayed in India for nine out of 10 precedent years or 730 days in the preceding seven years, he explained. 

New Delhi, January 8
Union Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal’s comments on CAG have put the Congress in a quandary with the party not certain how to react on the issue.

Normally, the Congress avoids commenting on constitutional bodies and has often criticised the BJP on that account. A day after Sibal’s media blitz, wherein he maintained that there was no loss at all on account of the controversial 2G Spectrum allocation after debunking CAG estimates of a Rs 1.76 lakh crore loss, party spokesman Shakeel Ahmad attempt to fend off most questions put to him on this aspect. He diplomatically avoided all attempts today to drag the party into the controversy. However, he also vehemently denied that the party was trying to distance itself from Sibal’s statement. “There is no question of distancing from what the minister has said,” he said.

He, however, refused to comment on the merits of the CAG report. “Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal has the relevant documents. PAC chairman Murli Manohar Joshi, too, has access to them. Therefore, only they are competent to comment on the merits of the report,” he said. The Congress spokesman attempted to underplay the charge that Sibal had slighted a constitutional body stating that the CAG report is anyway open to scrutiny and that is what is done by the PAC.

A senior party leader indicated that Sibal seemed to have the PM’s consent to have come out openly against the CAG and therefore the party has no option but to stand by him.

Meanwhile, the CPM termed Sibal’s comments on CAG as “bizarre” and called for a JPC probe into the matter. The CPM Central Committee, in a statement issued today, said the minister, by his unprecedented attack on the CAG, is trying to undermine the various inquiries that are presently on and influence official agencies. “This is unacceptable,” it said. 

New Delhi, January 8
Taking forward her resolve to take corruption head on, Congress President Sonia Gandhi has written letters to Union Ministers and state chief ministers asking them to give up their discretionary powers, especially in land allotment issues.

Gandhi today also held a meeting of party general secretaries and asked them to start preparations to hold block level campaigns against NDA on the issue of corruption.

Her letter to the Union Ministers and chief ministers is a follow up of her appeal made to them during the party's Plenary session on December 19.

Gandhi, who prescribed a four-point action plan to battle corruption in the Plenary had also asked party chief ministers and central ministers to relinquish discretionary powers in land allotment, declaring that "we must take corruption head-on".

She said there was "ample evidence" that all discretionary powers, particularly in land allocation, breed corruption. "I would like all Congress chief ministers and ministers both at the Centre and the states to set an example by reviewing and relinquishing powers."

Gandhi's observations on corruption had come in the wake of the party facing mounting attack from the Opposition on issues like Adarsh Housing Society Scam, Commonwealth Games mess and the 2G Spectrum issue.

Sources said that the letter, which was sent to the ministers and the Chief Ministers more than a week back, has also begun eliciting responses. A number of ministers have already replied to the letter.

In his reply, Minister of Minority Affairs Salman Khurshid is learnt to have said that no discretionary powers are being exercised by him or his ministry.

In the meeting of general secretaries that lasted for one hour, Gandhi asked them to ensure that simplicity and austerity are adhered to by Congressmen in states where they are in the government or in the opposition. Except Rahul Gandhi, all other general secretaries were present at the meeting.

Gandhi is learnt to have told them to ensure that there is no extravagance in party programmes in the states and that simplicity be reflected from the life of party leaders and those in government. — PTI

New Delhi, January 8
Punjabi parliamentarians from various countries, including India, Canada, the United Kingdom, Malaysia and Singapore, floated a new body at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas here yesterday to find solutions to issues concerning the community across the globe.

Christened as the World Punjabi Parliamentarians Forum, the event to form the body had Bollywood touch to it, with Dharmendra, who represented Rajasthan in the last Lok Sabha, being felicitated with Punjab Rattan Award in the presence of another actor-cum-MP, Raj Babbar.

Though Dharmendra’s actor-sons Sunny and Bobby Deol were also present, the cynosure of the event was Ruby Dhalla, young MP from Ontario, Canada. She was the only one of the 10 Indian-Canadians MPs in the House of Commons in Ottawa present on the occasion. Notably, the demand for the forum was mooted in the United Arab Emirates last year where a large number of Punjabi workers had been undergoing trial for offences “they never committed”.

Union Minister of Sports MS Gill, Rajya Sabha ex-member HS Hanspal and Raj Babbar represented the Congress while SS Dhindsa and Naresh Gujral were there from the Shiromani Akali Dal. SS Ahluwalia and Dharmendra represented the BJP. Former chairman of the Minorities Commission, Tarlochan Singh, and former Union Minister Balwant Singh Ramoowalia represented the Independents at the ceremony that was followed by a spectacle of colour, dance and folk music.

Former Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala also made a special appearance and called himself a “hardcore Punjabi”.

KS Bakshi and RS Dhaliwal, first Sikhs to be elected to Parliament in New Zealand and Malaysia, respectively, were also present, besides Lord Diljit Singh Rana and Baroness Sandip Verma, first Indian-origin woman to be a minister in the minority British Government.

Appreciating the role being played by Punjabi politicians across the globe, SS Ahluwalia said “it was a great honour for the Punjabis to have Inder Kumar Gujral as the first Sikh Prime Minister, followed by Manmohan Singh (from the community)”.

Ahluwalia also lauded efforts put in by Manmohan Singh towards persuading various countries to enact laws to safeguard Sikh symbols, including turban and kirpan.

Lalgarh, January 8
Police raids were on in Netai village near this Maoist hub in West Bengal today a day after seven persons were shot dead and 12 wounded allegedly by Marxist-backed assailants.

Groups of villagers were seen huddled together, mourning the deaths, while anxiety was writ large on the faces of those whose family members lay critically injured in hospitals. Around noon, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee went round the village. She is slated to hold a meeting later three km from the site of violence.

Nobody went to the fields to nurse the mustard, wheat and potato crops sown a month back. The wage labourers, for whom it is the peak season, remained in their houses.

However, in a departure from the usual trend of villagers leaving their houses and shifting elsewhere till the situation turned normal, Netai residents chose to stay put.

"Where will we go? What will happen will happen," said a villager, sitting under a tree in the West Midnapore district spot, about 200 km west of Kolkata.

Seven of the critically injured were rushed to the state’s premier hospital SSKM Friday night, while 10 others were being treated at the Midnapore Medical College and Hospital in district headquarters Midnapore town.

A large posse of policemen arrived in the village Saturday morning and were seen interrogating the villagers to ascertain details of the incident.

As heavy police patrolling continued, Trinamool Congress leader Mrigen Maity alleged several villagers were still missing after the incident that has sent shock waves across the state.

According to eyewitnesses, the incident took place when hundreds of villagers surrounded a camp of armed Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) cadres housed in local leader Ranjit Dandapadhay's house.

The CPM cadres then opened fire, the villagers alleged. "At least 20 persons were injured, of whom eight sustained critical injuries. Later, seven people, including a woman, succumbed to their injuries," a villager and Trinamool Congress supporter said on condition of anonymity.

He alleged that the CPI-M set up the camp to shelter armed cadres and ordered the villagers to provide food and send their children to the camp so that they could be trained to fight Maoists.

While the ruling CPM has denied its involvement in the shooting, union Home Minister P. Chidambaram has summoned Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee to New Delhi at the earliest. Chidambaram said eight people had died and 20 were injured, calling it a "grave incident". — Agencies

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has no immediate plan to visit Delhi following Union Home Minister P Chidambaram's letter to him after the violence in Lalgarh. Confirming receipt of Chidambaram's letter which urged Bhattacharjee to visit Delhi immediately rescheduling all programmes, the chief minister's office said "he has no immediate plan to go to Delhi at least in a day or two."