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P. Chidambaram poses 20 tough questions on Rs 6 lakh Cr NMP

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P-Chidambaram

Senior Congress leader and former Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram on Friday posed 20 questions on the Centre’s proposed National Monetization Pipeline (NMP) intended to ‘monetise’ certain assets and earn Rs 6,00,000 crore revenue over the next four years.

Stating that the government should answer the questions, he demanded to know the NMP objectives and whether it was solely intended to raise the revenues over the next four years.

Referring to the criteria adopted upfront to identify the PSUs that would be disinvested or privatised during the previous UPA government, Chidambaram queried whether the same is the case with the current NDA regime.

Pointing out that for infra projects like roads/highways, a PPP policy already exists, he asked what is the difference, if any, between this (PPP) model and the one that would be adopted by the Centre under the NMP, while addressing the media in the country’s commercial capital.

Moreover, if an asset is ‘monetised’ for 30-50 years, what is the value of the piece of paper that declares the government to be the ‘owner’ of that asset, what kind of asset will be returned to the government at the end of the period or would it be a “fully depreciated asset” worth practically nothing.

“Since the NMP is silent on the subject, will the government stipulate in the contract that the amount of depreciation should be put in a Depreciation Reserve Account which was used only to maintain, upgrade or add to the asset so that at the end of the lease period a valuable asset is returned to the government,” Chidambaram asked.

He also sought answers on whether there will be provision in the contract to prevent asset-stripping by the lessee, the terms included in the Invitation to Bid (ITB) to ensure that the ‘monetisation’ process does not create monopolies or duopolies in that sector, especially to prevent such (monopolies/duopolies) emerging in the ports, airports, telecom and power sectors.

The finance expert queried whether the lessee will manage the current levels of employment and the policy of reservations, or other policies, subject to sectoral regulators, etc., in the ‘monetised’ asset.

Harking to the UPA which identified the Railways as a ‘strategic sector’, he asked what are the other sectors the Centre has identified as ‘core’ or ‘strategic’ that would be kept out of the NMP purview.

“Has the government examined the impact of implementation of the NMP on the prices of goods and services in the sector/industry concerned? What will the government or the regulator do in case prices are increased by the lessee of the ‘monetized’ asset,” Chidambaram demanded.

Referring to the government’s revelation of the expected revenue of Rs 6,00,000 crore in four years, he asked whether the government would shed light on the total capital investment in the identified assets that are expected to yield the aforesaid revenue.

“The identified assets must be currently yielding a certain revenue every year. Has the government calculated the difference between the current revenue (undisclosed) and the expected revenue (of Rs 6,00,000 crore) over a period of four years? If so, what is the difference between the two amounts each year during the four year period,” Chidambaram asked.

On the government’s announcement that the NMP would be co-terminus with the National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP) that is expected to require Rs 100 lakh crore, the ex-FM sought to know how the Rs 6,00,000 crore over a four year period be sufficient to finance a Rs 100 lakh crore NIP.

Furthermore, he sought an assurance from the Centre that the expected sum of Rs 6,00,000 crore “would not be merged with general revenues or used for general expenditure”.

Chidambaram further posed if the Rs 6,00,000 crore, when released, would not be diverted to partly-finance the fiscal deficit (Rs 5,50,000-crore in 2021-2022) or retiring old debts.

The Congress leader asked if the government floated a consultation paper on NMP, consulted various stakeholders including the workers or trade unions and demanded to know the outcome/minutes of these consultations.

He also asked whether the NMP was discussed in Parliament, and if not, whether the Centre plans to consult the Opposition Parties or debate in parliament.

Chidambaram said that the US is contemplating measures to contain monopolization and unfair trade practices of giants like Google, Amazon and Facebook, China has announced plans to rein in its giant tech firms and South Korea contained the influence of its huge family-controlled business conglomerates.

“Does the government intend to introduce similar measures while implementing the NMP,” Chidambaram asked, saying the Centre “is obliged to answer these questions”, and the media must demand replies from the government.

National News

Shivdeep Lande: Bihar’s Singham IPS Shivdeep Lande resigns from police service, because in bouquet, what to do next?

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Patna: Marathmole IPS officer Shivdeep Lande popularly known as Singham of Bihar has resigned from the police service. Shivdeep Lande gave information about this by sharing a post on social media. In this post, Shivdeep Lande said, “My dear Bihar, I am now resigning from my post after 18 years of service through government posts. Throughout my tenure, I have considered the state of Bihar above myself and above my family. I am sorry if I have missed anything during my service. I have resigned from Indian Police Service. However, I will stay in Bihar. Shivdeep Lande has mentioned in his Facebook post that Bihar will be my Karmabhoomi from now on.

Shivdeep Lande, a 2006 batch IPS officer, was currently a Superintendent in the Bihar Special Task Force. He is well known in Bihar for his fearless work style. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar also expressed regret when Shivdeep Lande was transferred to Maharashtra for some time. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar did not want to release Lande. However, Singham Shivdeep Lande was allowed to return to Swagrihi i.e. Maharashtra.

Who is Shivdeep Lande?
Shivdeep Lande, 40, is a 2006 batch IPS officer. Shivdeep has graduated in Electrical Engineering. Shivdeep was born on 29 August 1976 at Badsingi in Buldana district. The house situation is very bad. Shivdeep has an elder sister and a younger brother. Shivdeep’s primary education was done in Zilla Parishad School. He then graduated from Amravati University through government quota in Electronic Engineering. After this, Shivdeep directly reached Mumbai for his job. He worked as a lecturer in engineering college in many colleges in Mumbai. But the desire to do something for the society did not allow him to sit still. So he prepared for UPSC. Shivdeep Lande, who passed UPSC, wanted to become a collector. But due to not getting rank, he had to accept IPS.

First posting
Shivdeep Lande was posted as Superintendent of Police in Jamalpur near Munger, Bihar. This area was known as Naxal infested. This area was known as the area of ​​Naxalites who were firing on the police. It is here that Superintendent of Police Surendra Babu was killed by Naxalites in 2005. So the police were afraid to go to this place. But in the very first appointment, Shivdeep made an impression on his work and won the trust of the locals. Every week they visit the area and meet the locals. So he got the support of the locals. It resulted in a reduction in crime. Shivdeep ended crime in Bihar by carrying out many striking operations. Political pressure was put on them to stop the strike action. He was also transferred. However, Bihari people had come to the streets against Shivdeep’s transfer.

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Crime

Tripura: Police Seize 44 Kg Of Drugs Worth Rs 2.52 Lakh At Agartala Railway Station

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Agartala (Tripura): Agartala Government Railway (GRP) Police seized 44 kg of drugs worth Rs 2.52 lakhs at Agartala Railway Station, railway police said on Tuesday.

About The Seizure

Acting on a tip-off, police on Tuesday conducted a search near the 13th rail track on the Agartala to Jirania route, near Agartala Railway Station. During the operation, authorities recovered 44 kg of dried cannabis from bushes alongside the tracks. The narcotics were allegedly being smuggled out of the state via train.

According to the police, the seized cannabis has an estimated market value of approximately Rs 2.52 lakhs. The Agartala GRP (Government Railway Police) station has launched an investigation to identify the individuals responsible for this illegal consignment. Further action will be taken based on the findings of the investigation.

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National News

Atishi Likely To Address First House Session As Delhi Chief Minister On September 26 And 27

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Delhi: Aam Admi Party leader and the successor of Arvind Kejriwal as the Chief Minister of Delhi, Atishi Marlena Singh, will likely address her first session as the head of the Delhi assembly next Thursday, September 26. The Delhi government has announced a two-day special session on September 26 and 27, as reported by party officials.

Atishi Takes Over After Kejriwal As Delhi CM

The choice to convene a special session aligns with Arvind Kejriwal stepping down as the chief minister and CM-designate Atishi asserting her right to govern. A senior party member mentioned that the meeting’s agenda is still undecided.

When Will Atishi Take Oath As Delhi’s New CM?

Atishi Marlena, the newly appointed Chief Minister of Delhi, has not yet been sworn in. Although the dates haven’t officially been announced yet, as per a few reports, the oath-taking ceremony is scheduled to occur before the Delhi Assembly session. The Speaker’s Office has announced that the Delhi Assembly session is scheduled for September 26 and 27.

Atishi To Address House

Atishi is scheduled to address the house on the challenges confronting Delhi and to assure the path forward. The member stated that it is uncertain if the oath-taking ceremony will be finished by then, as it will rely on the dates given by LG VK Saxena after approval from the President.

SK Sharma, a constitutional expert and a former secretary to the Lok Sabha and the Delhi assembly, said, “The power to appoint minister and chief minister is with the President. The head of legislative group has laid stake to power. Since AAP has brute majority, there should be no hurdle.”

“A date for oath-taking ceremony needs to be fixed, which is at the discretion of the President and LG.” Sharma said.

“Atishi will be speaking at the house on issues being faced by Delhi and the way ahead. It is not yet clear whether the oath-taking ceremony would be complete by then, as it will depend on the dates provided by LG VK Saxena after concurrence from the President,”

Assembly Sessions

Throughout the course of a year, there are typically three significant assembly sessions conducted, namely the budget session, monsoon session, and winter session. However, there have been occasions where the legislative assembly has convened more than three sessions to address the urgent matters presented by the government. There must also not be a gap longer than six months between two sessions.

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