Daily Bharat News

NEW DELHI: The anticipation built up after PM Narendra Modi met service chiefs to review the India-Pakistan security situation and news filtered out that he would address the nation. But it was a surgical strike of a different kind, with Modi delivering a stunning surprise by scrapping Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes and calling for a "decisive war" against corruption, black money and terrorism.

"There is a need for a decisive war against the menace of corruption, black money and terrorism...festering wounds which make the country and society hollow from within," the PM said in a televised address, his first, to the nation. The decision comes in the backdrop of a fierce political fight over black money with opposition parties claiming Modi has failed to deliver on his pledge to combat black money.

"From the midnight of November 8, Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 will not be legal tender... these will be just worthless pieces of paper," Modi said in his 40-minute speech. He said this was being done to combat graft and terror funding. The two high-value notes account for nearly one-fourth of all the notes in circulation. In value terms, however, their share was over 86% as of the end of March.

The PM also said new notes of Rs 2,000 and Rs 500 will be introduced but those being currently held will have to be exchanged at banks. But this is subject to limits and rules out the possibility of large exchanges of illegal stash as these will need to be explained and accounted for.

Pitching the decision as a much needed antidote to stamp out the menace of corruption and terror funding, the PM said "Black money and corruption are the biggest obstacles in eradicating poverty...Have you ever thought how these terrorists get their money? Enemies from across the border have run their operations using fake currency notes."

Describing illegal financial activities as the "biggest blot", Modi said that despite several steps taken by his government over the last two-and-a-half years, India's global ranking on corruption had moved only to 76th position from 100th earlier. According to the finance ministry, the total number of bank notes in circulation rose by 40% between 2011 and 2016, while the increase in number of notes of Rs 500 denomination was 76% and for Rs 1,000 denomination was 109%.

The World Bank in July, 2010 estimated the size of the shadow economy for India at 20.7% of the GDP in 1999 and rising to 23.2% in 2007.

"A parallel shadow economy corrodes and eats into the vitals of the country's economy. It generates inflation which adversely affects the poor and the middle classes more than others. It deprives government of its legitimate revenues which could have been otherwise used for welfare and development activities," a finance ministry statement said.

The move could have political ramifications in the forthcoming state elections as it impacts the capacity of parties to spend unaccounted cash for campaigning and various political payments.

A senior officer at the office of Chief Electoral Officer, Punjab, said details have also been sought regarding deployment of officers during previous elections.

The Election Commission (EC) has begun the procedure to gather the data required from the Punjab Police regarding the profile of the Station House Officers (SHOs) posted across the length and breadth of the state. The state police has been given proformas which are to be filled with details of each SHO giving out his duration of stay at the police station along with his or her track record. A senior officer of the office of Chief Electoral Officer Punjab informed that details have also been sought regarding the deployment of the officers during previous elections in order to ascertain whether there is a trend of officers being posted at particular police stations during the electoral process. This data provided by the Police HQs will be sent to the Election Commission of India and will also be analysed at the local level to weed out suspect officials, said a senior CEO official.

“If any inconsistency is found in the records of if there is a history of complaints against the officer he or she will be immediately changed. In any case those police officers who have completed more than three years in their place of posting have to be moved out,” said an official.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that the commission is in possession of information regarding a senior police official currently posted in Ludhiana against whom several verbal complaints have been received. Against the requirement of the commission, this official, during a recent re-shuffle, is learnt to have been transferred to the jails department in the same city. Further action is likely to be taken by the commission once the officer joins in his new place of posting.

During the recent visit of the full EC team, special focus had been placed on the functioning of police officers at the police station level. The issue had also been raised in the meeting that the CEC and other members of the EC had with the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police. Later, the CEC, Dr Naseem Zaidi had also announced in a press conference that since police stations were the places from where most malpractices in electoral process could take place, hence a sharp eye would be kept on them.

Meanwhile, the CEO, VK Singh, Tuesday held a meeting with the Chief Secretary, Punjab, Sarvesh Kaushal where the issue of several polling booths which were relatively inaccessible due to their remote location came up. It is learnt that there are around 155 polling stations out of the total 22600 that will be set up in the state that are not easily accessible. These include villages which are across the rivers at some places and which are also not well connected by mobile telephony.

The various stakeholders were also called in the meeting to chalk out a way in which the EC headquarters and the state level election officials could remain in touch with their staff at such polling stations. “Internet connectivity is also a major issue at such places because if our field staff or flying squad were to move to these places the GPS devices fitted in their vehicles will not be functional,” an official informed. Internet connectivity is a major requirement during the forthcoming assembly polls as around 4000 polling booths will have webcasting facility.

Meanwhile, the commission is yet to respond to the demand raised by various political parties for advancing the date of imposing the electoral code of conduct in the state. The decision will be taken by the ECI and it depends upon a variety of factors, including date of polls in other states, an official said. “Most opposition parties have demanded that the code of conduct be imposed as soon as possible while the ruling combine of SAD-BJP favours as less a time as required so that the government is able to function to its satisfaction till the longest possible time,” the official added.

PUNE: As many as 76 tiger deaths have been reported in the country from January to October this year, with Madhya Pradesh at the top of the list, accounting for nearly a third of all mortalities. Karnataka, which boasts the highest tiger population among states, was in second spot with 13 deaths.

The national mortality figure is the highest since 2010; 69 tiger deaths were reported in the whole of 2015. Conservationists have raised the alarm on poaching , given the rise in cases of seizure of tiger body parts across the country this year.

Twenty seizures were registered in the country till November, also the highest since 2010. One such seizure was made last month in Gondia district in Maharashtra.

The data has been released by 'tigernet', a collaborative effort of the National Tiger Conservation Authority and TRAFFIC-India. While 41 of the 76 deaths are still being investigated, the remaining have been attributed to direct or indirect human intervention — including poaching, poisoning, electrocution, road accidents and elimination by authorities — besides tigers attacking each other and natural causes.

'Tiger deaths in isolated pockets, not everywhere'

Shekhar Kumar Niraj, head of TRAFFIC India, a wildlife trade monitoring networ, said, "We usually witness a high incidence of poaching from August to November every year, though the reasons for this trend are unknown."

"The situation this year seems far more grim as there has been an almost 10% increase in tiger mortalities and an over 150% increase in seizures since last year."

"The Tadoba and Melghat regions of Maharashtra have always been more prone to tiger poaching. Maharashtra shares its border with Madhya Pradesh, where tiger mortalities and cases of poaching are the highest. The Nagpur region is known for cases of illegal trade of wildlife body parts," he said.

Experts say the growing number of seizures could also mean that the government's intelligence gathering is becoming more sophisticated, which has helped trap more poachers. Debi Goenka, founder of NGO Conservation Action Trust, said tiger habitats in the country were under tremendous pressure. "There have been some success stories where tigers are breeding well which has helped increase their count , but this has happened in isolated pockets and not in all sanctuaries. In the case of saturated reserves, cubs move out to look for their own territory and become vulnerable to poaching and road accidents," he said.

Goenka said the forest department's practice of upgrading posts has led to a decline in the number of forest guards manning reserves for tiger protection. "Upgrading certain posts means that the job once handled by somebody much younger now has to be done by an older official of a higher rank. Such officials cannot really exert much energy.

According to the evidences, the cops chose to kill the eight members of the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) instead of arresting them.

After damning videos and photos, more skeletons tumble out of the controversy over the killing of eight undertrials in Bhopal earlier this week with new audio tapes of conversation between cops hinting at the encounter being a pre-planned murder.

The audio clips accessed from the Madhya Pradesh police by Aaj Tak show that the cops chose to kill the eight members of the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) instead of arresting them.

In the audio tapes, a police officer can be heard instructing the cops engaged in the operation. "Sabko nipta do... Sahab aanewale hain (Finish everyone... Sahab is about to reach)," he says.

Another order says: "Bilkul peechhe nahi hatna hai. Gher ke pura kar do kaam tamaam (Don't hesitate at all. Surround them and finish them off)."

Police had claimed that the fugitives, who had allegedly escaped from the high-security Bhopal Central Jail that morning and killed a prison guard, had firearms.

But the audio tapes do not suggest any exchange of fire, and instead hint at an operation completed in a few minutes.

"Sigma Seven One: chaar-paanch mar gaye hain. Unko goli lag gayi hai (Sigma Seven One, four-five are dead. They have been shot)", the tapes say.

To which a senior officer replies: "Chalo, shaabash. Koi dikkat nahi hai. Hum log pahunch rahe hain (Well done, no problem at all. We are reaching the spot)."

WERE THE MEN ARMED?

Madhya Pradesh's anti-terror squad chief Sanjeev Shami had also claimed the eight SIMI activists shot dead in Bhopal were unarmed.

Around the ninth minute into the clip, the cops can be heard announcing: "Aathon maare gaye. Khel Khatam. (All eight are dead. Game over)."

The announcement of their death is followed by loud claps from the cops engaged in the Monday killing.

Most opposition parties have demanded a high-level, independent probe into the killing of the eight men.