India’s retail inflation cooled to 5.72% in December 2022, staying below the central bank’s 6% tolerance threshold for the second month in a row after a ten-month streak above it. Rural inflation, however, remained higher, dipping marginally from 6.09% in November 2022 to 6.05% in December.
While inflation measured by the Consumer Food Price Index dipped from 4.67% in November to 4.19% in December, there was a wide disparity in the price rise for food items faced by rural and urban consumers. Urban food price inflation was just 2.8% in December compared to 5.05% in rural markets.
Vegetable price deflation continued, nearly doubling from 8.1% in November 2022 to 15.08% in December, but inflation in cereals continued to accelerate, rising to 13.8%. Price rise in milk and spices also gathered pace again to move up from 8.16% and 19.5%, respectively, in November, to 8.5% and 20.35%, respectively.
Over 18,000 toys seized pan-India from retail stores over BIS quality mark; notices to Amazon, Flipkart
The Centre on January 12 said 18,600 toys were seized pan-India from 25 retail stores, including Hamleys and Archies, for lack of Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) quality mark.
“Toys are under Mandatory Certification Scheme of BIS through Quality Control Order and cannot be manufactured, sold, imported or distributed without bearing the ISI Mark,” the Bureau of Indian Standards said in a tweet.
The consumer protection regulator also issued notices to Amazon, Flipkart and Snapdeal for the alleged sale of toys without BIS quality mark, Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) chief Nidhi Khare said.
The Toys (Quality Control) Order that made BIS certification mandatory for toys came into effect in January 2021 to prevent the sale of cheap, poor quality goods in the market. Officials of the BIS had said most toys, including electric and non-electric, such as dolls and slides, should carry ISI mark.
“We received complaints from domestic manufacturers of sale of toys that do not conform with the BIS standard. We conducted 44 raids in the last month and seized 18,600 toys from major retail stores,” BIS Director General Pramod Kumar Tiwari said in a press conference.
The raids were conducted at retail stores, including those of Hamleys, Archies, WH Smith, Kids Zone and Cococart located at major airports and malls across the country, he said.
A legal action will be taken against retailers as per the provisions under the BIS Act, Tiwari said.
There are different standards formulated, including safety aspects related to physical and mechanical properties of toys like sharp edges, flammability and transfer of toxic elements and test methods for finger paints. Besides domestic manufacturers, the order applied to imported toys and foreign manufacturers who too have to obtain BIS certification for their products.
Though it was initially introduced in 2020, it came into effect only in 2021 and sufficient time was given to manufacturers and traders to clear old stock and manufacture toy products with ISI-mark, officials had said earlier.
When will there be ‘China pe charcha’ in Parliament: Congress to PM Modi
The Congress Thursday sought to know from Prime Minister Narendra Modi when will there be a discussion in Parliament on the border conflict with China as it released a calendar of “catastrophic mistakes” by the BJP government in 2022 regarding Beijing.
Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera posed a set of questions to Modi while claiming that China continues to occupy Indian territory in Ladakh and that the status quo ante has not been restored even after three years. He claimed that PM Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping 18 times since 2014 while India has had 17 rounds of military-level talks and Chinese imports increased by 45% since 20 Indian soldiers were martyred in clashes with the PLA in Galwan.
Chinese companies have donated to PM Cares fund and 3,560 Indian companies currently have Chinese directors, the Congress spokesperson claimed. “In this context, as the new year begins, we ask important questions to PM Modi. Who called President Xi his ‘plus one’? Why does China continue to occupy Indian territory up to the Y-junction at Depsang Plains at patrolling points PP10, PP11, PP11A, PP12 and PP13? Why has the status quo ante not been restored after three years? Why does China continue to occupy PP-15 and PP-17A in Hot Springs and Gogra Post?” Khera posed.
“China’s build-up in Doklam up to the ‘Jampheri Ridge’ is threatening India’s strategic Siliguri Corridor -- the gateway to northeast India. Will we have a ‘China pe charcha’ in 2023?” he asked.
Khera alleged that PM Modi had in Shanghai in May 2015 described his relationship with China’s President Xi Jinping as that of ‘plus one’ since the two leaders were meeting with such affinity, closeness and companionship.
“But in 2022, fresh satellite images emerged showing the construction of a bridge by China on Pangong Tso, around 40 km from the LAC in eastern Ladakh.”
In Arunachal Pradesh, the PLA “abducted” a 17-year-old Indian — Miram Taron — from inside Indian territory in the Lungta Jor area on January 18, 2022. BJP MP Tapir Gao also tweeted that “China built three to four km road inside India in 2018”, the Congress leader said, adding the PLA handed over the boy to the Indian Army on January 26.
Khera alleged that China has made incursions into Indian territory and continues to occupy several kilometres of Indian land and cited several incidents to support his claim.
“A full year passes but the Modi government fails to make any progress towards restoring the status quo ante on our northern borders. In short, our national security and territorial integrity were challenged by China every month in 2022 under the Modi government,” he alleged.
The Congress leader also claimed that Indian patrols are also currently denied access to the Demchok Nalla. Media reports reveal that the PLA is very “much inside the Indian territory” at PP-15 and PP-17A in Hot Springs and Gogra Post. The area denied to Indian patrols is around 1,000 sq km, he alleged.
“In October, China shamelessly played a video of the Galwan clash in its Communist Party Congress’ Great Hall of the People in Beijing in the presence of President Xi. In November, Konchok Stanzin, an independent member of the then BJP-ruled Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council — the region’s highest elected body — says the creation of the buffer zones has blocked local people’s access to grazing land for their livestock,” Khera claimed.
In December, Chinese troops clashed with Indian soldiers in the Yangtse area of Tawang to illegally occupy a 17,000 feet peak, with over 300 Chinese troops making an unprovoked attack but were successfully repulsed, he said.
“Coming on the heels of China’s attempted intrusion in Tawang, the Chinese build-up in Doklam up to ‘Jampheri Ridge’ (Zompelri Ridge) that threatens the sensitive Siliguri Corridor — India’s gateway to the Northeast — is of utmost concern for our security.
“The Chinese build-up next to Pangong Tso, which included the building of a PLA divisional headquarters, an army garrison, shelters for artillery, anti-aircraft guns and armoured personnel carriers, the construction of a new radome and two high-frequency microwave towers also pose a direct threat to India,” Mr. Khera said.
He said Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Rahul Gandhi posed some simple questions to the Modi government about Chinese build-up, but the ruling party refused to hold any discussion in Parliament. “Despite the supreme sacrifice of 20 Indian soldiers in the Galwan Valley and India losing thousands of sq km of territory in eastern Ladakh, PM Modi gave a clean chit to China and maintained that ‘no one has entered our territory’,” the Congress spokesperson alleged. He claimed that India has failed to give a stern message to China.
Sri Lanka’s former President ordered to pay 100 million Sri Lankan rupee in compensation for failing to prevent 2019 Easter attacks
Sri Lanka’s former president Maithripala Sirisena was on Thursday ordered by the apex court to pay 100 million Sri Lankan rupee as compensation to victims of the 2019 Easter attack for his negligence in preventing the country’s one of the worst terror strikes despite having credible information of an imminent attack.
In its verdict, a seven-member Bench of the Supreme Court ruled that the respondents named in the petitions for failing to prevent the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks had violated the Fundamental Rights of the petitioners. The court said top officials failed to act on the detailed intelligence information shared by India to avert the deadly suicide bombings.
The court ordered Sirisena to pay a compensation of 100 million Sri Lankan rupee, former police chief Pujith Jayasundara and former state intelligence services chief Nilantha Jayawardene to pay a compensation of 75 million Sri Lankan rupee each, former defence secretary Hemasiri Fernando to pay a compensation of 50 million Sri Lankan rupee.
Former national intelligence service chief Sisira Mendis was ordered to pay a compensation of 10 million Sri Lankan rupee. They have been ordered to pay from their personal funds to the victim fund maintained by the office of reparations. The apex court must be reported within 6 months on the payment of compensation.
The Bench hearing the case said Easter Sunday was just a few weeks away when the intel about the imminent attack came from India. Still, the officials failed to show alertness or perceptiveness to carry out any measures to safeguard churches across the country.
The Bench also asked the state to take disciplinary action against Jayawardena. Nine suicide bombers belonging to local Islamist extremist group National Thawheed Jamaat (NTJ) linked to ISIS carried out a series of devastating blasts that tore through three Catholic churches and as many luxury hotels on April 21, 2019, killing nearly 270 people, including 11 Indians, and injuring over 500.
The attack stirred a political storm as the then President Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe were blamed for their inability to prevent the attacks despite prior intelligence being made available.
As many as 12 petitioners, including the kin of the victims, the Catholic clergy, and the lawyers’ body Bar Association of Sri Lanka, filed the fundamental rights petition against the then president for his negligence in preventing the attacks that proved fatal for the island nation’s economy primarily dependent on tourism.
A presidential panel of inquiry appointed by Sirisena after the attacks ironically found the then-President guilty of his failure to prevent the attacks. Sirisena, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge in the case filed after the panel’s findings. The head of the local Catholic Church, Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, continued to express his dissatisfaction over the probe in the matter, claiming that the investigation was a cover-up.
Actor Anushka Sharma moves Bombay HC against Sales Tax dept. orders seeking dues under Maharashtra VAT Act
Actor Anushka Sharma has moved the Bombay High Court challenging two orders passed by the deputy commissioner of Sales Tax raising dues for 2012-13 and 2013-14 assessment years under the Maharashtra Value Added Tax Act.
A division bench of Justices Nitin Jamdar and Abhay Ahuja on Thursday directed the sales tax department to respond to her pleas and posted the matter for further hearing on February 6. Sharma has sought that the court quash and set aside the orders passed by the Sales Tax department.
Sharma has filed four petitions for the assessment years 2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16. The actor filed the petitions last week after the HC in December 2022 refused to entertain a petition filed by Sharma’s taxation consultant Shrikant Velekar challenging the Sales Tax department orders.
The HC had then noted that there was no reason why the affected person (Anushka) could not file the petitions herself. According to Sharma’s petitions, she performed in films and at award ceremonies as a performer as part of a tri-party agreement with her agent, Yashraj Films Pvt Ltd and producers/event organisers.
The assessing officer levied sales tax not on film consideration but on product endorsements and anchoring at award functions holding that Sharma had transferred her performer’s rights, the pleas said.
For 2012-13, the sales tax demand inclusive of interest was ₹1.2 crore on ₹12.3 crore consideration and for the year 2013-14, it was ₹1.6 crore on nearly ₹17 crore consideration.
The sales tax department passed the orders between 2021 and 2022. The actor in her petitions said there was no provision to file an appeal before the appellate authority unless 10% of the disputed tax is paid.
The assessing officer had erroneously held that by endorsing products and remaining present at award functions, she had acquired copyrights and sold/transferred the same, the petitions said. The pleas contended that the copyrights of videos always remain with the producer who is the owner of the same.
“Unless it is established that there is sale of goods (tangible or intangible), sales tax cannot be levied,” the pleas said. Sharma said an actor who has performed a role in a movie cannot be called a creator or producer of the film and hence does not own copyrights of the film. “The petitioner submits that as an actor does not possess any copyright in the film, the question of transferring/selling the same to any other person or producer does not arise,” the petitions said.
If as per the Sales Tax department, Sharma has transferred her performer’s rights then it ought to mention to whom she has done so, the pleas said. “Performer’s rights are to protect the interests of the actor and are not for transfer or sale,” the actor said in her pleas. Sharma is known for her roles in films like ‘PK’, ‘Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi’, ‘Sultan’ and ‘Zero’, among others.
In Brief:
CBI searches residences of former Finance Secretary Arvind Mayaram
The CBI on Thursday registered a case against former Finance Secretary Arvind Mayaram and unknown officials of Finance Ministry, Reserve Bank of India, and the De La Rue International Limited-UK, for alleged irregularities in the supply of exclusive colour shift security thread for Indian currency, CBI officials said. Searches at the residences of the former Finance Secretary was also conducted in connection with the alleged corruption case, officials said. The searches took place in Delhi and Jaipur, they said.
Prophet row | Delhi Police grants gun license to former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma
The Delhi Police has granted a gun license to former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma, who was suspended last year from the party for her alleged derogatory remark against Prophet Mohammad, officials said on Thursday. Sharma had applied for the license which has been granted after assessing threats and following due procedure, they said. She has been allowed to carry a gun for her safety, police said. Sharma’s remark on the Prophet during a TV debate had triggered protests across the country and drew sharp reactions from various quarters. Several FIRs were lodged across the country against Sharma in connection with her remark.
Evening Wrap will return tomorrow.
