Cabinet approves liberalization, simplification and rationalization of Visa regime in India

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval for liberalization, simplification and rationalization of the existing visa regime in India, and incremental changes in the visa policy decided by the Ministry of Home Affairs in consultation with various stakeholders and with approval of the Home Minister.

The approval will facilitate entry of foreigners for tourism, business and medical purposes. This is expected to stimulate economic growth, increase earnings from export of services like tourism, medical value travel and travel on account of business and to make ‘Skill India’, ‘Digital India’, ‘Make in India’ and other such flagship initiatives of the Government successful.

This will also considerably ease the travel of foreigners to India for the above-mentioned legitimate purposes. 

Modern RFID Access Control System Introduced at Paradip Port

Paradip Port has taken a step forward with introduction of the modern RFID Access Control System (RFID) for controlling and tracking the entry and exit of vehicular as well as human traffic into and out of its prohibited area. The implementation of the system was done as per the directives of the Ministry of Shipping. With introduction of the RFID System w.e.f. 26th September, 2016, the earlier. Paper Pass system for vehicles and the port users has been scrapped.

The implementation of the RFID system has contributed to improvement in productivity of Paradip Port due to smooth movement of traffic across the gates. Paradip Port is the first among all Major Ports to have successfully implemented the RFID Access Control System adding yet another distinction to its string of achievements.

The new RFID system is inherently accompanied with enhanced Maritime Security features. Faster and efficient movement of traffic across the gates leading to reduction in congestion, simplified online payment procedure, availability of real-time information on number of different types of vehicles, equipment, port user personnel inside the prohibited area, availability of entry and exit details of a particular person, vehicle inclusive of the gate no. instantly through which the traffic moved, are some of the added advantages of the new system. Retrieval of data pertaining to the entire period of time is also another advantage of the system.

The new RFID system is beneficial to the port users in that they can avail data related to their cargo inflow and outflow over any desired period of time. Besides, the system also keeps a record of the details of the vehicles along with the credentials of drivers & helpers which can be retrieved from the system at a later date for verification, reconciliation or investigation if required. Port users are facilitated with additional convenience of one more HEP (Harbour Entry Permit) Issue Section and more counters compared to the earlier system of two HEP Issue Sections. 

Cabinet approves introduction of the revamped Merchant Shipping Bill 2016 in the Parliament and simultaneous repealing of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958 and the Coasting Vessels Act, 1838

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the Merchant Shipping Bill, 2016 for introducing it in the Parliament.
The Merchant Shipping Bill, 2016 is a revamped version of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958. The Bill provides for repealing of Merchant Shipping Act, 1958 as well as for the repealing of the Coasting Vessels Act, 1838.
The Merchant Shipping Act, 1958 had become a bulky piece of legislation over the years as a result of various amendments carried out in the Act from time to time. It was amended 17 times between 1966 and 2014 resulting in an increase in the number of sections to more than 560 sections. These provisions have been meticulously shortened to 280 sections in the Bill.
The provisions of the Bill will simplify the law governing the merchant shipping in India. Further, certain redundant provisions will be dispensed with and remaining provisions will stand consolidated and simplified so as to promote case of doing business, transparency and effective delivery of services.
The significant reforms that will usher in, upon enactment of the Bill, are:
A. Augmentation of Indian tonnage promotion/development of coastal shipping in India by:-
a) allowing substantially-owned vessels and vessels on Bare Boat-cum-Demise (BBCD); charter by Indians to be registered as Indian flag vessels;
b) recognising Indian controlled tonnage as a separate category;
c) dispensing with the requirement for issuing of licences to Indian flag vessels for coastal operation and for port clearance by the Customs authorities; and
d) making separate rules for coastal vessels to develop & promote coastal shipping.
B. Introduction of welfare measures for seafarers, such as:-
a) seafarers held in hostage captivity of pirates will receive wages till they are released and reach home back safely;
b) owners of vessels to compulsorily take insurance of crew engaged on vessels including fishing, sailing without mechanical means of propulsion and whose net tonnage is less than 15; and
c) the requirement of signing of articles of agreement by the crew before the Shipping Master will no longer be necessary.
C. Registration of certain residuary category of vessels not covered under any statute and lo make provisions for security-related aspects.
D. Incorporation of all International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Conventions/Protocols in the Indian laws up-to-date (an essential pre-requisite for compliance with the IMO Member-State Audit Scheme that is mandatory since 1/1/2016) by inserting provisions relating to seven different conventions, namely,
a) the Intervention Convention 1969,
b) the Search and Rescue Convention 1979
c) the Protocol for Prevention of Pollution from Ships Annex VI to Marine Pollution Convention,
d) the Convention for Control and Management of Ships Ballast Water and Sediments, 2004,
e) the Nairobi Wreck Removal Convention, 2007,
f) the Salvage Convention 1989 and
g) the International Convention for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage, 2001.
Besides, the provisions for survey, inspection and certification of vessels which were scattered in various Parts of the existing Act are placed together to provide for a simplified regime for convenience of Indian shipping industry. The Coasting Vessels Act, 1838, which is an archaic legislation of the British era providing for registration of non-mechanically propelled vessels to a limited jurisdiction of Saurashtra and Kutch, is proposed to be repealed since in the Merchant Shipping Bill 2016 provisions have been introduced for registration of all vessels for the whole of India.
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Cabinet approves the third Protocol to the Convention between India and New Zealand for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the ratification and entry into force of the third Protocol to the Convention between India and New Zealand for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income (Convention). The Protocol was signed on 26th October, 2016.
The Protocol will stimulate the flow of exchange of information between India and New Zealand for tax purposes which will help curb tax evasion and tax avoidance. It will also enable assistance in collection of tax revenue claims between both countries.
Article 26 on 'Exchange of Information' of the existing Convention has been replaced with a new Article in the Protocol which is in line with the international standard for exchange of information.
A new Article on ‘Assistance on Collection of Taxes' has been added in the Protocol.
The Protocol shall enter into force on the date of notification of completion of the procedures required by the respective laws of the two countries for entry into force of the Protocol.
Background:
The Central Government is authorized under section 90 of the Income Tax Act, 1961 to enter into an Agreement with a foreign country or specified territory for exchange of information and recovery of income tax for the prevention of evasion or avoidance of income-tax chargeable under the Income-tax Act, 1961. The Convention came into force on 3rd December, 1986. The Convention was amended in 1997 through a First Protocol and in 2000 through a Second Protocol. Subsequently, India proposed to further amend the Convention through a Third Protocol to update the Exchange of Information Article as per the international standard and to insert an Article on Assistance in the Collection of taxes. Accordingly, negotiations were entered into with New Zealand and agreement was reached on both the Articles of the Third Protocol.

PM invites views from the people, on decision taken regarding currency notes of Rs. 500 and Rs. 1000

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, has invited views from the people, on the recent decision taken by the Union Government regarding currency notes of Rs. 500 and Rs. 1000.

People can submit their views through a survey consisting of 10 questions, which is available through the Narendra Modi App. Sharing the link to this survey, the Prime Minister tweeted today that he wants a first-hand view from the people, regarding this decision.

The ten questions in the Survey are as follows:

1. Do you think that black money exists in India? a. Yes b. No

2. Do you think the evil of corruption and black money needs to be fought and eliminated? a. Yes b. No

3. Overall, what do you think about the Government's moves to tackle black money?

4. What do you think of the Modi Government's efforts against corruption so far? Scale of 1 to 5 - outstanding, very good, good, ok, useless

5. What do you think of the Modi Government's move of banning old Rs 500 & Rs 1000 notes? a. Great move in the right direction b. Good move c. Will make no difference

6. Do you think demonetisation will help in curbing black money, corruption & terrorism? a. It will have an immediate impact b. There will be impact in medium to long term c. Minimal impact d. Don't know

7. Demonetisation will bring real estate, higher education, healthcare in the common man's reach a. Completely Agree b. Partially Agree c. Can’t say

8. Did you mind the inconvenience faced in our fight to curb corruption, black money, terrorism and counterfeiting of currency? a. Not at all b. Somewhat, but it was worth it c. Yes

9. Do you believe some anti-corruption activists are now actually fighting in support of black money, corruption & terrorism? a. Yes b. No

10. Do you have any suggestions, ideas or insights you would like to share with PM Narendra Modi?

This survey is in sync with the Prime Minister's vision of participative governance and directly seeking the views of the people of India on key policy and execution matters.

The Prime Minister has sought answers on very pointed and direct aspects of the decision of 500 and 1000 rupee notes ceasing to be legal tender. He has also sought feedback from the people on how to make the implementation stronger.

The Prime Minister's core beliefs of direct engagement with people are yet again on full display in the survey.

PM Launches “Housing for All” in Rural Areas

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi today formally launched “Housing for All” in rural areas under which the Government proposes to provide an environmentally safe and secure pucca house to every rural household by 2022. Named the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana (Gramin), in its first phase the target is to complete one crore houses by March 2019. The unit cost for these houses has been significantly increased and now through convergence a minimum support of nearly Rs. 1.5 lakh to Rs. 1.6 lakh to a household is available. There is also a provision of Bank loan upto Rs. 70,000/-, if the beneficiary so desires. The selection of beneficiaries has been through a completely transparent process using the Socio Economic Census 2011 data and validating it through the Gram Sabha.
PMAY-G is a major step forward in bringing together Skill India, Digital India, Make In India, IT/DBT Aadhaar platform and Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY). The programme provides for skilling 5 lakh Rural Masons by 2019 and allows over 200 different housing designs across the country based on a detailed study of housing typologies, environmental hazards and the households’ requirements. A large scale use of local materials is envisaged along with a complete home with cooking space, electricity provision, LPG, toilet and bathing area, drinking water etc through convergence. The programme targets the poor households and uses ICT and space technology to further confirm correct selection of beneficiaries and progress of work. The entire payments are through IT/DBT mode with Aadhaar linked Bank accounts with consent, to ensure complete transparency and accountability. There is a provision for orientation of beneficiaries. A 45 days on site hands-on skill training of Rural Masons helps poor households to move up the skilling ladder.
The PM saw over 40 of the over 200 building designs and interacted with newly trained Rural Masons and beneficiaries which were showcased near dais. He also distributed Sanction Certificates to a few beneficiaries from Agra District.

Expensive Medical Facilities to BPL Families

As per the recent 71st round of National Sample Survey in 2014, the average expenditure per hospitalized treatment is Rs.7193 in public health facility as against Rs. 23992 in a private facility in rural areas. In urban areas, the average expenditure per hospitalized treatment is Rs.9043 in public health facility and Rs.34662 in private facility. The average medical expenditure per Child birth is Rs 749 in a public facility as against Rs 6974 in private facility in rural areas. The average medical expenditure per Child birth is Rs 948 in a public facility as against Rs 9106 in private facility in urban areas The report also indicates that 3% of households seeking outpatient care (reference period of 15 days) reported borrowings as the major source of finance for meeting the medical expenditure. For hospitalization, 25 % in rural and 18% urban areas depended on borrowing for meeting their hospital expenses for treating illness.
Public health is State subject and hence the primary responsibility to provide medical facilities to poor people at affordable rates lie with the State /UT Governments. Under the National Health Mission, support is provided to States/UTs for strengthening their healthcare system for provision of accessible, affordable and quality healthcare to all the citizens. The Central Government has already taken steps towards provision of free services for maternal health, child health, adolescent health, family planning, universal immunization programme, and for major diseases such as TB, vector borne diseases such as Malaria, dengue and Kala Azar,HIV/AIDS, leprosy etc. Other major initiatives for which states are being supported include Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK), Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK), Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK), implementation of National Health Mission Free Drugs Service Initiative, National Health Mission Free Diagnostics Service Initiative and the Pradhan Mantri National Dialysis Programme.
In addition, under the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY), cashless benefit upto Rs. 30,000 per annum per family for specified hospitalisation procedures is available to all BPL population and eleven other categories of vulnerable population groups.

Seat increase in Medical Colleges

Permission to new Medical Colleges/ increase of seats in existing medical colleges is governed under Section 10 A of Indian Medical Council Act, 1956. The minimum requirements in terms of infrastructure, faculty and clinical material for 50/ 100/ 150/ 200/ 250 students admission is prescribed separately under the Minimum Standard Requirement Regulations, 1999 of MCI. The permission is granted by Central Government on the recommendation of Medical Council of India which causes an assessment of facilities as prescribed under the regulations.
To facilitate the setting up of new medical colleges, the minimum standard requirements for 50/100/150 intake capacity were rationalized and notified by MCI in July, 2015. The Central Government is also implementing a Centrally sponsored scheme for establishment of new medical colleges attached with district/ referral Hospitals in underserved areas of the country.
The Central Government received 85 applications for establishment and 27 applications for increase of seats in existing medical colleges for the academic session 2017-18. State/ UT wise list is at Annexure B. The applications received have been forwarded to MCI for evaluation and recommendation
In case of private medical colleges, the fee structure is decided by a Committee set up by the respective State Governments under the chairmanship of a retired High Court Judge in pursuance of the directions of Hon’ble Supreme Court of India. It is for the Committee to decide whether the fee proposed by an institute is justified and the fee fixed by the Committee is binding on the institute.
The Central Government has introduced the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test [NEET] for admission to all medical courses including in private medical colleges.

Merger of Rail Budget With Union Budget

The Government has decided to merge Rail Budget with the Union Budget from budget year 2017-18. The merger of Railway Budget with General Budget is based on the recommendations of the Committee headed by Shri Bibek Debroy, Member, NITI Aayog and a separate paper on ‘Dispensing with the Railway Budget’ by Shri Bibek Debroy along with Shri Kishore Desai. A Committee with representatives from Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Railways examined the issues involved and worked out the procedural details.

The salient features of merger and the benefits likely to accrue therefrom are broadly given below:

i.      Ministry of Railways will continue to function as a departmentally run commercial undertaking;

ii.      A separate Statement of Budget Estimates and Demand for Grant will be created for Railways;

iii.     A single Appropriation Bill, including the estimates of Railways, will be prepared and presented by Ministry of Finance to Parliament and all legislative work connected therewith will be handled by Ministry of Finance;

iv.     Railways will get exemption from payment of dividend to General Revenues and its Capital-at-charge would stand wiped off;

v.      Ministry of Finance will provide Gross Budgetary Support to Ministry of Railways towards meeting part of its capital expenditure;

vi.     Railways may continue to raise resources from market through Extra-Budgetary Resources as at present to finance its capital expenditure;

vii.     The presentation of a unified budget will help present a holistic picture of the financial position of the Government;

viii.     Merger of Rail Budget with Union Budget would facilitate multimodal transport planning between highways, railways and inland waterways; and

ix.     It will allow Ministry of Finance greater elbow-room at the time of mid-year review for better allocation of resources, etc.

The budgetary support allocated to Railways by the General Exchequer and dividend paid by the Railways to the Government is given below:

Year	Budgetary Support	(` in crore) Dividend and interest paid
2011-12	20013.44	5784.28
2012-13	24131.90	5466.50
2013-14	27072.40	8008.67
2014-15	30121.16	9173.55
2015-16 (Prov.)	35007.87	8722.51

The Capital at charge of the Railways on which annual dividend is paid by the Railways will be wiped off. Consequently, there will be no dividend liability for Railways from 2017-18 while Ministry of Railways continue to get Gross Budgetary support for capital expenditure. This will save Railways from the liability of payment of approximately _{`</sub> 10,000 crore as annual dividend to the Government of India which after adjusting the subsidy in payment of dividend would give a net benefit of about <sub>`} 5000 crore to the Railways.

Insurance Cover For Railway Passengers

An Optional Travel Insurance Scheme on a pilot basis for one year has been launched w.e.f 01/09/2016 for the railway passengers who book e-ticket through official website of Indian Railway Catering & Tourism Corporation (IRCTC). Under the scheme reserved passengers who expire or are disabled permanently or partially due to train accident and untoward incidents during train journey will be entitled to sum assured as per the details given below. The objective behind the scheme is to maximize compensation to the passengers for the loss caused to them by train accident and untoward incidents.

IRCTC which is a wholly owned undertaking of Ministry of Railways has entered into an agreement with three Insurance Companies through Limited Tender, namely

(i) Shriram General Insurance Company Ltd.,

(ii) ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Ltd., &

(iii) Royal Sundaram General Insurance Co. Ltd.

The amount of compensation to be given to passengers are as follows

(i) In case of Death- ₹ 10 lakh

(ii) Permanent Total Disability – ₹ 10 Lakh

(iii) Permanent Partial Disability – ₹ 7.5 Lakh

(iv) Hospitalization Expenses for Injury – ₹ 2 Lakh &

(v) Transportation of mortal remains – ₹ 10 Thousand.

The insurance cover will cover all reserved classes (SL, 1AC, 2AC, 3AC) and trains except passenger trains & Sub-Urban trains for tickets booked online on the IRCTC website. Personal belongings are not covered under the said scheme.

This Press Release is based on the information given by the Minister of State for Railways Shri Rajen Gohain in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha on 16 November 2016, Wednesday. 

Cabinet approves Status-cum-Progress Report and constitution of “Special Committee for Inter-Linking of Rivers” in compliance of judgment of Supreme Court

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval to the Status-cum-Progress Report and constitution of “Special Committee for Inter-Linking of Rivers” in compliance of Supreme Court judgment dated 27.2.2012 in the matter of Writ Petition (Civil) 512 of 2002: Networking of Rivers along with Writ Petition No. 668 of 2002.

Approval of the Union Cabinet will help in monitoring of the precious Inter-linking of River Projects to be carried out under National Perspective Plan 1980 of Government of India. The Status-cum-Progress Report of Special Committee for Inter-linking of Rivers will be submitted bi-annually for information of Cabinet, which will facilitate faster and appropriate decisions in the interest of the country as expeditiously as possible

I&B Ministry simplifies Annual Renewal process for existing TV channels as part of “Ease of Doing Business”

28th SIMCON to be held on Dec 9th and 10th - M Venkaiah Naidu

I&B Minister addresses Economic Editors Conference

Shri M Venkaiah Naidu, Minister for Information & Broadcasting has said that as part of the Government’s initiative of “Ease of Doing Business”, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has completely done away with the process of obtaining an “Annual Renewal” for TV channels in the current form. He said this at the Economic Editors Conference here today. Sh Arvind Panagriya, Vice Chairman NITI Aayog and other senior officials were also present during the occasion.Elaborating further, Shri Naidu said that Broadcasters who have been given the permission for Uplinking or Downlinking can continue their operations by simply paying the annual permission fee upto 60 days before the due date, which by itself will be treated as permission for continuation of the channel for a further period of one year. Adding further, Shri Naidu said that this initiative by the Ministry is expected to provide a major relief for ease of doing business for the permission holding companies of the TV channels and teleports.  He said a total of 963 Channels and Teleports shall benefit from this decision. The Ministry was fully committed to the vision of the present Government and the Hon’ble Prime Minister to promote the Ease of Doing Business and would continue to take more steps in consultation with stakeholders.

Shri Naidu also announced that the 28^th SIMCON (State Information Minister’s Conference) would take place in New Delhi on Dec 9^th and 10^th, during which Information Ministers from States and Principal Secretaries, Information would participate. Critical issues pertaining to Films Sector, Community Radio & Social Media would be on the agenda

Elaborating further, the Minister mentioned that macro-economic indicators were looking better than three years back. The International Monetary Fund forecast was positive for the Indian economy with a predicted growth rate of 7.5 per cent during fiscal year 2016-17. The FDI inflows had also increased by 29 per cent during April 2015-March 2016 to reach US $ 40 billion, as compared to the same period last year. The other indicators had also infused a positive outlook with the foreign exchange reserves standing at US $ 367.14 billion in the week up to October 2016. The retail inflation stood at 4.31% in September, the lowest in 13 months. Another critical sector for the economy that is agriculture sector was expected to grow at four per cent this fiscal.On the issue of Black Money, the Minister mentioned that Demonetization would provide a fillip to formal economy, improve tax collection, open up opportunities for poor and middle classes, badly hit funding for arms smuggling, espionage and terrorism and put an end to large circulation of counterfeit currency.

Chopper rides- Temple Tourism

In order to boost Toursim in the state of Andhra Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh government plan to introduce helicopter services to important temple towns from Vijayawada. Summit Aviation, a private operator, will operate the helicopter tours, while the state government will provide necessary logistical support, including ‘darshan’ for pilgrims in important temples like Tirumala.

According to Principal Secretary (Revenue-Endowments) J.S.V Prasad, Summit Aviation will initially operate heli-tourism services from Vijayawada to Tirupati and Srisailam. The state government directed collectors of Krishna and Chittoor districts to build helipads in Vijayawada and Tirupati on a war footing so as to launch the copter services soon. The existing helipad at Sunnipenta near Kurnool will also be utilised for Srisailam trip.

NDTV India Channel Blockage for one day

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting  pass an  order to block  NDTV India TV channel  for one day.It is done in confidence with channel  violation of programme code under the Cable Television Networks(Regulation) Act 1995 (16)(1).During pathankhot incident reporting, the channel telecast sensitive information about army moment.