Vol. 66 No. 80 | TUESDAY | AUGUST 2, 2022 | 17 Pages | BETWEEN THE LINES ITR VERIFICATION LIMIT IS 30 DAYS I n a notification effective from August 1, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) said the time limit for verification of the income tax returns (ITRs) has been reduced from 120 to 30 days of transmission of the ITR data electronically. Meanwhile, over 72.42 lakh income tax returns were filed till midnight on Sunday. –SEE MONEY SMRITI, DAUGHTER NEVER APPLIED FOR LICENCE: HC T he Delhi High Court has said that Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh, Pawan Khera, Netta D’Souza along with others conspired to “launch a tirade of false scathing and belligerent personal attacks” on BJP leader Smriti Irani and her daughter, who are neither owners of the restaurant in Goa nor have they ever applied for the licence for food and beverages at the eatery, as alleged. –SEE NATION RECORD BIDS FOR 5G GST COLLECTION RISES 28% TO RS 1.49L CR; 2ND HIGHEST EVER FPJ BUREAU NEW DELHI F ifteen suspected monkeypox cases from Maharashtra have tested negative as per the state health department. The samples were sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune. Health officials said they have increased surveillance and are monitoring international travellers and their close contacts for symptoms. Citizens have been advised to selfreport suspected symptoms to the health authorities. –SEE CITY CID NOD TO SHIFT PANSARE CASE TO ATS T he Maharashtra Crime Investigation Department (CID), which has been probing the killing of activist Govind Pansare since seven years, told the Bombay High Court on Monday that it has “no objection” if the investigation is transferred to the AntiTerrorism Squad (ATS). In 2015, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the CID was formed following the order of the HC while hearing a plea by Pansare’s family seeking probe –SEE CITY by a special team. FIREFIGHTING GEAR FACES GST HURDLE T he Mumbai Fire Brigade’s (MFB) ambitious plan to procure new technology to strengthen its fleet of firefighting vehicles has hit a steep customs and GST hurdle. The MFB has urged the Department of Telecommunications to give concession on spectrum charges and the Union Finance Ministry for customs duty waiver on imported firefighting trucks and equipment as it has to pay 30 per cent more with spectrum charges of Rs 50 lakh per annum for wireless –SEE CITY communication. 100 AC E-BUSES ON MUMBAI-PUNE MSRTC ROUTE T he Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) has decided to introduce 100 new airconditioned electric buses on the Mumbai-Pune route by the end of this year. The MSRTC has around 16,000 buses in its fleet and has placed an order for 700 non-AC buses and 150 AC ebuses, out of which 100 will be on the aforementioned key –SEE CITY route. JHARKHAND’S TRYST WITH CORRUPTION India’s first fifth-generation (5G) spectrum auction concluded on Monday with airwaves worth a record Rs 1.5 trillion sold through a sevenday bidding process. Union Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that he sees industry investing Rs 2-3 lakh crore in two years as reforms by the government have removed uncertainty and risks, and provided a stable investment regime. Buoyed by the results, Vaishnaw said he expects in- RELIANCE JIO INFOCOMM LIMITED INFOCOMM LIMITED KHATRON KE KHILADI 12 WAS MY LIFE’S FIRST TRIP ABROAD: PRATIK SEHAJPAL HARTI AIRTEL BHARTI AIRTEL Bids worth Rs 88,078 crore ds worth s Rs 43,084 crore 58.65% of the total value Jio has made bids to acquire 24,740 MHz 0 MH spectrum in 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 1800 MHz, 3300 MHz and 26 GHz o acquire 19867.8 Hz spectrum in 00 MHz, 1800 MHz, 00MHz, 3300 MHz d 26 GHz frequency ands T ADANI DATA NETWORKS LTD ADANI DATA NETWORKS LTD Bids worth To acquire 400 MHz spectrum pect Rs 212 crore in 26 GHz frequency band and vestments to be infused into both fourth and fifth generation technologies, for providing better voice quality and high-speed data. Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd has cornered Weightlifter Achinta Sheuli (73kg) lived up to his top billing as he clinched India’s third gold in the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. –SEE GAMES nearly half of all the airwaves sold with Rs 88,078 crore bids. Gautam Adani’s group, whose entry in the auction was billed by some as another flash point in the competition with Jio In- focomm, paid Rs 212 crore for 400 MHz quantum or less than 1 per cent of all spectrum, in a band that is not used for offering public telephony services. CONTD. ON NATION PAGE SANJAY JOG MUMBAI THREE CHEERS FOR 3RD GOLD D ALL 15 SUSPECTED MONKEYPOX CASES NEGATIVE EDIT Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd corners nearly half of all airwaves sold with `88,078 cr bids Bharti Airtel is second biggest; Gautam Adani’s group bids for less than 1 per cent of all spectrum sold Allocation of spectrum by Aug 10; services by October WHO RETRACTS ‘GAY’ LINK TO MONKEYPOX ays after issuing a statement that monkeypox cases are being reported in health clinics located in the LGBTQ-centric communities, the World Health Organization issued an advisory that the zoonotic infection is not limited to the gay population. As per the new statement, “It is important to note that the risk of monkeypox is not limited to men who have sex with men. Anyone who has close contact with someone who is infectious is at risk.” EDITIONS: MUMBAI*, Pune, Nashik, Konkan, Indore, Bhopal, E-paper Tops with collection of `22,129 cr in July, though less than June even as other states exhibit a rise GST collection: Maha lords over all states Even as Maharashtra continues to lead among all states with a GST collection of Rs 22,219 crore in July it collected , Rs 212 crore less than the June GST of Rs 22,341 crore. The state finance department sources have downplayed this marginal fall, claiming it will pick up in the months to come. Meanwhile, other competitive states – Karnataka and Tamil Nadu – have reported a rise in comparison to June. Karnataka’s GST collection rose to Rs 9,795 crore in July against Rs 8,845 crore in June, an increase of 10.74 per cent. Tamil Nadu’s GST collection rose to Rs 8,449 crore in July against Rs 8,027 crore in June, a rise of 5.25 per cent. A senior state finance department officer told the Free Press Journal, “In 2022-23, state GST (SGST) is estimated to be the largest source of its own tax revenue (47 per cent). CONTD. ON NATION PAGE SUSPENSION OF 4 LS CONG MPS REVOKED FPJ BUREAU NEW DELHI The suspension of four Congress MPs from Lok Sabha was revoked on Monday following a motion that was passed in the Lower House of Parliament. Manickam Tagore, Ramya Haridas, TN Prathapan and S Jothi Mani were suspended for the rest of the Monsoon Session after Speaker Om Birla took a stern view of continuous disruptions since the beginning of the session. While announcing the cancellation of suspension, Birla said the members were being given a last chance. He also said that no placards would be brought inside the House or else, “I will listen neither to the government nor the Opposition and will surely take action”. On July 26, he suspended the MPs for unruly behaviour and disrupting the proceedings of the House by protesting with placards and shouting slogans against price rise, ignoring repeated warnings. CONTD. ON NATION PAGE SORRY KOSHYARI SAYS 310c. 250c. Sunrise: 06:16 am Sunset : 07:14 pm 8 killed in hospital fire in Jabalpur FPJ BUREAU / JABALPUR Eight people, including four patients, were charred to death and five others were injured in a major fire that broke out at a private hospital here on Monday afternoon. Jabalpur Collector Dr Ilayaraja T said four patients, a caregiver and three staffers of the facility housed in a ground, plus-three-storey building, died in the fire. The fire was doused by late evening. Of the five injured, two are in critical condition in the ICU of the Government Medical College in Jabalpur. Dr Ilayaraja said evacuation of patients and others from the 30-bed New Life Multi-speciality Hospital near Damoh Naka under Gohalpur police station had been completed and no one is trapped in the building. There were at least 20 people in the hospital when the blaze started at 2.30 pm. Superintendent of Police Siddharth Bahuguna said an electrical short circuit appears to have caused the blaze. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan expressed grief at the tragedy and announced Rs5 lakh as compensation for the family of each of those killed and Rs50,000 to each injured person. SANJAY JOG MUMBAI Days after drawing fire for remarks seen as insulting to Maharashtrians in Mumbai, Governor BS Koshyari on Monday issued a detailed statement and hoped the people of the state will “forgive this humble servant and reaffirm their big hearts following the teachings of the great sages”. The apology came at a public function in Andheri where the governor said he may have made a mistake while appreciating the role of some communities in the city’s development. “Not only in Maharashtra, but in the development of the entire country all of them have made such re, markable contribution,” he said. –SEE CITY 10 YEAR JULY HIGH FOR Kejriwal hits where it hurts the most CITY’S PROPERTY SALES SANJAY JOG MUMBAI The registration of properties in Mumbai witnessed a rise of 15 per cent to 11,339 units last month, the best in July for over a decade, contributing over Rs 829 crore to the state revenues, according to the Knight Frank India report released on Monday. On a month-on-month basis, registrations rose 14 per cent from June (9,919 units). Out of the total registrations in Mumbai, 86 per cent were contributed by the residential segment and 10 per cent by the commercial segment. Moreover, 78 per cent of the total registrations were transacted in the same month. Details also reveal 15% rise to 11,339 units last month as per Knight Frank India report; state govt revenue collection rises by 46% YoY and 13% MoM that as much as 15 per cent of properties registered in July were filed in March and around seven per cent of these deals were filed in June. The realty sector players hope that with a strong consumer sentiment towards home ownership, sales momentum will continue for the coming quarters and re- puted developers with a good track record will continue to dominate the market. Residential properties between Rs 1 crore and Rs 2.5 crore saw a rise in share from 37 per cent in June to 42 per cent in July. Focus continues on properties costing up to Rs 1 crore, with a share of 43 per cent in last month. CONTD. ON NATION PAGE court on Monday . The Rauts received the money from businessman Pravin Raut. The latter allegedly paid them from the amount of Rs112 crore he gained from the deal. Pravin Raut was arrested in February The central agency . has called him a “frontman” of the Sena MP . Giving a break-up of the amount received by Sanjay Raut, the ED said that in 200910 Varsha Raut received Rs55 lakh, which was used to purchase a flat. The couple received another Rs37 lakh from one Prathamesh Developer, a business entity of Pravin Raut, against an investment of Rs29 CONTD. ON NATION PAGE lakh. DARSHAN DESAI AHMEDABAD Exhorting a large gathering in Saurashtra to vote for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), party convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday hit out at the ruling BJP and said those who want employment and education for their kids should vote for AAP while those who want spurious liquor should vote for the BJP . Referring to last week’s hooch tragedy in the state that claimed 42 lives while at least 100 others were hospitalised, he took potshots at Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and state BJP president CR Paatil “for not even bothering to visit the victims’ families”. “I asked a BJP leader… it should have been the duty of the Gujarat CM to immediately reach there. He told me it won’t affect our votes,” Kejriwal said. “They calculate only the votes. Everything can’t be measured in votes, there is something like human compassion to reach out to those in distress. Especially when you are in the government.” Kejriwal said, “I was shocked to learn that illicit AAP chief tells Gujaratis to vote for his party for jobs, BJP for spurious liquor liquor worth thousands of crores is sold in Gujarat day in and day out for many years. I asked the families of the SMOOTH TRANSIT ACROSS ANDHERI STATION Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut and his wife Varsha received Rs1.06 crore in their bank accounts from proceeds of crime in the money-laundering case related to Goregaon’s Patra Chawl, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) told a special Raut’s detention and arrest by the ED was a tightly executed operation; even the Mumbai Police were not brought into the picture till the last minute. –SEE CITY AIR INDIA PILOTS CAN FLY TILL 65 A ED: Raut received Rs 1.06 cr BHAVNA UCHIL MUMBAI hooch tragedy victims and they told me liquor is available openly and they all drink every day .” “Not only in villages, it is the same story in the cities. In fact, it is shocking that people can get home delivery of illicit liquor,” he added. “Who runs this huge racket?” The AAP chief said, “I appeal to the people and exhort them to pick the Aam Aadmi Party if you want quality education free and employment for your youth. You may vote for the BJP if you wish to feed them spurious liquor.” CONTD. ON NATION PAGE The new Andheri skywalk connecting the new south-end foot overbridge of the station to the old south-end foot overbridge was thrown open on Sunday. ir India has decided to allow its pilots to fly till they are 65 years old, reveal internal documents of the Tata Group-owned airline, which is working on its fleet expansion plans. The airline’s document said that considering the future expansion plans for its fleet, it is imperative to meet the workforce requirement. “…it is proposed to retain our current trained pilots at Air India post-retirement on a contractual basis for five years extendable to 65 years,” it mentions. Teesta moves HC for Fear of Chinese cyberattack behind Battleground ban bail after 1st rejection –SEE NATION LAST WORD GAUTAM S MENGLE MUMBAI While the recent ban on popular mobile game, Battleground Mobile India (BGIM), was received with much outrage and disappointment by gaming enthusiasts in India, the reason behind the ban might give them some food for thought. Senior cyber law enforcement officers have confirmed to the Free Press Journal that there were allegedly repeated inputs about the BGIM collecting user data and sending it to servers based in China. Such data could become a potent weapon for cyberattacks against Indian citizens, they claimed. BGIM is an Indian version of its predecessor, Player Unknown’s Battle Ground (PUBG), a mobile game that took the gaming community by storm and quickly became one of the most played games across the world. PUBG was one of the over 250 China-linked apps banned in India in September 2020. The official order banning BGIM was issued on July 29, and the game was subsequently taken off Google Playstore by Krafton, its developers. According to sources, several reports were received from various agencies by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY), which stated that the gaming app was connected to servers that were directly or indirectly based in China. Subsequent investigations into this aspect revealed some more information that formed the basis of the ban. A source told the Free Press Journal, “It was found that the app, when installed in a user’s device, asks for several permissions. As a rule, passionate gamers don’t mind granting these permissions and we are talking about lakhs of people here.” He said that as a result, the app was collecting information like user location, as well as user’s microphone and camera; effectively , this enabled complete surveillance of the user. “This, coupled with the fact that the data was being transmitted to China-linked servers, sparked off a lot of concerns,” the source said. There have been repeated studies and research reports which have shown that various malware, once inside a user’s device, can operate its microphone and camera without the user’s knowledge. CONTD. ON NATION PAGE FPJ BUREAU AHMEDABAD Anti-communalism activist Teesta Setalvad moved the Gujarat high court for bail on Monday after an earlier application was rejected by a sessions court in Ahmedabad on Saturday. Setalvad is facing a police investigation into charges of conspiracy and fabrication of evidence in connection with the probe into the Gulberg Society massacre during the Gujarat riots of 2002. The investigation was opened by the Detection of Crime branch of the Gujarat police with a first information report (FIR) on July 25, a day after the Supreme Court dismissed a petition filed by Zakia Jafri, wife of slain former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri, and passed some strong remarks against Setalvad and others. While upholding the clean chit given to then chief minister Narendra Modi by a special investigation team appointed by it to probe his role in the riots, the court observed that “all those involved in such abuse of process need to be in the dock and proceeded with in accordance with law”.