Another severe cyclone looms over Andhra Pradesh, likely to hit coast by Nov 3

Gandhinagar, Feb 1 (IANS) The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Gujarat on Sunday said the Union Budget 2026 provides a strong and positive framework for accelerating economic growth, strengthening manufacturing competitiveness and improving ease of living.

Following a live budget viewing session held in Gandhinagar, CII Gujarat stated that the budget balances immediate economic stimulus with long-term capacity building, guided by the central theme of ‘Sankalp’ and the three stated priorities of economic growth, aspirations and equitable access.

Industry leaders participating in the session highlighted higher public investment, structural reforms and targeted sectoral initiatives as key enablers of sustainable growth.

Premraj Keshyep, Chairman of the CII Gujarat State Council for 2025–26 and Founder and Managing Director of Conmat Heavy Industries Pvt Ltd, said the sharp increase in public capital expenditure to Rs 12.2 lakh crore would have a multiplier effect across infrastructure and heavy industries.

“The focus on capital goods, the new scheme for construction and infrastructure equipment and the establishment of hi-tech tool rooms will significantly reduce import dependence,” he said, adding that the proposed development of seven high-speed rail corridors, including the Mumbai-Pune route, would enhance industrial connectivity.

Achal Bakeri, Vice Chairman of the CII Gujarat State Council and Chairman and Managing Director of Symphony Ltd, welcomed the budget’s urbanisation measures.

He said the City Economic Regions initiative, with an allocation of Rs 5,000 crore per region, recognises cities as engines of growth and would help unlock the economic potential of urban agglomerations.

He also noted that the reduction in tariff rates on goods imported for personal use and the rationalisation of customs duties would support ease of living and stimulate consumer demand.

Vinod Agrawal, Convenor of the CII Gujarat Panel for Policy Advocacy and CMD of Arunaya Organics Ltd, said Gujarat stands to benefit from the proposed support for states to establish three dedicated chemical parks.

He added that initiatives such as India Semiconductor Mission 2.0 and the Biopharma SHAKTI programme underline efforts to strengthen domestic manufacturing and global supply chain participation.

Tax and compliance reforms were also highlighted during the session. CA Karan Shah, Co-Convenor of the policy advocacy panel and Partner at Dhiren Shah & Co, said the proposed new Income Tax Act, 2025, effective from April 2026, signals a move towards a simplified tax framework.

He cited lower TCS rates, staggered timelines for filing returns, changes to baggage rules and a foreign asset disclosure window as measures aimed at easing compliance and encouraging voluntary disclosure.

Industry representatives further welcomed support for MSMEs, startups and manufacturing clusters, including the proposed Rs 10,000 crore SME Growth Fund, revival of legacy industrial clusters, investment in carbon capture technologies and measures to ease courier exports, saying the budget strengthens productivity and competitiveness across sectors.

–IANS

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Kolkata, Jan 11 (IANS) The four additional roll observers appointed by the Election Commission of India (ECI) to review the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in West Bengal have been tasked to focus on two specific assignments.

The first assignment is to conduct a check of the identity documents furnished by the “logical discrepancy” voters in the course of hearing sessions on the claims and objections on the draft voters’ list, and certify whether these documents are valid or not.

Sources in the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal, said that initially the Commission had directed two-stage checking of the identity documents in case of “logical discrepancy”, the first by the electoral registration officers (ERO) and subsequently by the District Magistrates, who are also the District Electoral Officers.

However, according to sources in the CEO’s office, there will be a three-stage checking of these documents now. The special roll observers will conduct final stage checking.

The second assignment for these four special roll observers will be to ensure that the micro-observers appointed by the ECI to ensure smooth functioning of the hearing session are following the poll panel’s guidelines.

“The Commission had received inputs that some of the micro-observers are not performing their duties during the hearing session as per the guidelines set for them by the ECI. Hence, the special observers have been asked to supervise the functioning of the micro-observers. The only aim is to ensure that the name of a single genuine voter remains included and the name of a single bogus voter is excluded,” sources in the CEO’s office said.

On Saturday, the ECI announced the appointment of four more special electoral roll observers for West Bengal.

The four additional special roll observers are all serving Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers, with three of them currently serving in the national capital, New Delhi, and the fourth serving in Tripura.

The four special roll observers for West Bengal, whose appointments were announced by the Commission on Saturday, are Ratan Biswas, Vikas Sinha, Sailesh, and Sandeep Rathore.

Incidentally, on Saturday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wrote to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alleging that the ongoing SIR of electoral rolls in the state is being carried out with the sole objective of deleting and excluding names of existing voters, rather than correcting errors or including new voters.

–IANS

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Patna, April 22 (IANS) Bihar State Women’s Commission Chairperson Apsara Mishra lashed out at Purnea and Independent Lok Sabha MP Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav for his alleged inappropriate remarks against women. Terming such remarks as “unacceptable”, Mishra said on Tuesday that Pappu Yadav won’t be forgiven.

Her reaction comes amid a controversy following a video that went viral on social media, purportedly showing the Purnea MP making derogatory remarks against women.​

The Bihar Women’s Commission has issued a notice to the Pappu Yadav in this regard.

Speaking to IANS, Apsara Mishra accused Pappu Yadav of using “highly inappropriate and disrespectful words” against women.

She said, “Today, women are actively participating in politics. In Bihar, there is women’s representation at the Panchayati Raj level, where they have received 50 per cent reservation, with possibilities of further increase.”

“Considering these opportunities, women will continue to progress. In such a situation, the indecent remarks made by Pappu Yadav are unacceptable and will not be forgiven,” she added.

Mishra emphasised that the Women’s Commission has given the Purnea MP three days to present his reply on the matter.

“If he is unable to do so, we will write to the Lok Sabha Speaker (Om Birla). We will also send a delegation to meet the Speaker which will appeal for his termination,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Purnea MP has issued a strong response to the notice served by the State Commission for Women, asserting that his statement had been misrepresented and taken out of context.​

Clarifying his position, Pappu Yadav said that his remarks were not directed against women but were intended to highlight the alleged exploitation faced by them in politics.​

He noted that he has consistently raised his voice against crimes targeting women and questioned the Commission’s role in addressing such issues.​

He said that he had raised the matter in the House as well, citing government data, media reports, and references to statements made by leaders such as Subramanian Swamy and Madhu Kishwar.​

According to him, the issue of the exploitation of women in politics has been discussed on several platforms, but his remarks were selectively presented to create controversy.​

–IANS

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