New Delhi, July 29 (IANS) The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Monday accused the Central government of “failing to address tax terrorism” in the Budget, claiming that its policies during the Covid-19 pandemic favoured large businesses while undermining the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

According to Rahul Gandhi, this approach has prevented employment opportunities for India’s youth.

Meanwhile, an old video of Rahul Gandhi from the Covid pandemic period went viral on social media, where the Congress leader could be seen ‘advocating’ support for large businesses over MSMEs.

BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla shared the video on X, commenting, “If hypocrisy had a face, it would be his. Today, Rahul Gandhi bats for MSMEs, not large businesses, but during COVID, he advocated for helping large businesses, not MSMEs.”

Poonawalla’s video includes a segment from Rahul Gandhi’s recent Lok Sabha speech criticising the government for supporting large businesses during the pandemic at the expense of MSMEs. The latter part of the video shows Rahul Gandhi advocating for large businesses during the Covid-19 period.

BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya also shared the video on X, saying, “Here is a video of his, in conversation with Raghuram Rajan, from Covid times, in which he can be seen pleading for BIG BUSINESS, while Modi Govt was helping MSMEs with The Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS). Loans of more than Rs 3.6 lakh crore were issued.

“It is obvious Rahul Gandhi has no ideas of his own and reads out whatever his handlers hand out to him.”

–IANS

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New Delhi, July 29 (IANS) The Embassy of Italy in India inaugurated an exhibition dedicated to the site “Via Appia. Regina Viarum”, at the Italian Embassy Cultural Centre here on Monday.

Ambassador-designate, Antonio Enrico Bartoli, and the Italian UNESCO delegation, headed by the Italian Permanent Representative at UNESCO, Liborio Stellino, were also present on the occasion.

The World Heritage Committee, at its meeting in New Delhi, inscribed the ‘Via Appia. Regina Viarum’ on the World Heritage List on July 27, making it the 60th Italian site to be recognised by UNESCO.

This is the first candidacy sponsored directly by the Italian Ministry of Culture, which coordinated all the stages of the process and prepared all the necessary documentation for the application for inscription on the World Heritage List.

The result, said the Italian Embassy in New Delhi, is the fruit of teamwork that has seen the involvement of many institutions: four Italian regions (Lazio, Campania, Basilicata, and Apulia), 13 metropolitan cities and provinces, 74 municipalities, 14 parks, 25 universities, numerous representatives of local communities, as well as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Pontifical Commission for Sacred Archaeology of the Holy See.

The Appian Road was the first of Rome’s great roads built with innovative techniques, and true masterpieces of civil engineering that complemented the natural roads and constitute the most enduring monuments of Roman civilisation. The route, begun in 312 B.C. by Censor Appius Claudius the Blind to connect Rome to Capua, was later extended to Benevento, Venosa, Taranto, and Brindisi, a bridgehead towards Greece and the East, as the Roman conquest progressed, and along the Via Appia Traiana, the variant built by the Emperor Trajan in 109 A.D. to ease the route from Benevento to Brindisi.

“I would like to express my satisfaction and pride at the great result achieved. The ‘Via Appia. Regina Viarum’ is now a World Heritage Site. UNESCO has grasped the exceptional universal value of an extraordinary engineering work that over the centuries has been essential for trade, social and cultural exchanges with the Mediterranean and the East. Congratulations to all the institutions and communities that collaborated with the Ministry of Culture to reach this prestigious milestone. It is a recognition of the value of our history and identity, from which a new appreciation can arise that can bring economic benefits to the territories concerned,” Italian Minister of Culture, Gennaro Sangiuliano, said.

–IANS

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New Delhi, July 29 (IANS) Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Monday that India is the only country where petrol and diesel prices decreased between November 2021 and April 2024.

During Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha, Puri also highlighted that the government is facilitating discussions between the Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) and the dealers to address margin issues, pointing out that petrol and diesel were deregulated during the UPA administration.

Deregulation means the government does not set the prices of the commodity in the market, he said.

“Prices here being high and elsewhere being low. It’s exactly the opposite. In India, the prices today are the lowest, and it is the only country where prices have actually come down,” Puri said.

He credited this to the ‘bold, ambitious, and farsighted’ decisions made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“The prices across the world — I am giving you a reference period between November 2021 and April 2024. Why I’m doing this is because we have the prices available. In India, the price of petrol came down 13.65 per cent and of diesel 10.97 per cent,” Puri said.

However, he noted that in France, petrol prices have increased by 22.19 per cent, in Germany by 15.28 per cent, in Italy by 14.82 per cent, and in Spain by 16.58 per cent.

Puri also pointed out that while petrol prices in India have declined, they have risen in the neighboring countries.

He also slammed the UPA government for issuing oil bonds, stating, “Oil bonds were floated for Rs 1.41 lakh crore. Today, we are having to pay back Rs 3.5 lakh crore for that kind of a farsighted decision.”

Regarding the increase in dealers’ margins, Puri explained that it is a commercial matter between the Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) and their dealers.

As of July 1, there are 90,639 retail outlets in the country, with about 90 per cent operated by public sector companies and the remainder by private sector firms.

“We are monitoring the situation and facilitating discussions between the OMCs and the dealers. The last margin increase occurred in 2017. Dealers went to court over some stringent conditions in the guidelines,” he said.

“When dealer margins are raised, one condition is that they must comply with the Minimum Wages Act for their employees. The OMCs won the case in the high court, but dealers appealed to the Supreme Court in 2022. Although the matter is still sub judice, we are encouraging a dialogue between the OMCs and the dealers, and hoping for a resolution,” the Minister added.

–IANS

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Amaravati, July 29 (IANS) Congress’ Andhra Pradesh President Y. S. Sharmila on Monday launched a scathing attack on her brother and YSR Congress Party President Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, saying his arrogance brought his downfall.

Sharmila reacted strongly to the YSR Congress Party calling her TDP agent for asking Jagan Mohan Reddy to attend the Assembly and confront Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.

“You should be kept in a museum for your stupidity. That’s why I had told you to see yourself in the mirror. You are gripped by Chandrababu phobia. You always see Chandrababu in the mirror,” she said in a post on X.

The daughter of former (undivided) Chief Minister, late Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy (YSR), told her brother that he has the grudge to insult her on social media but said she has no such grudge.

“But I have the courage to call a spade a spade. Is there something that one opposition party should not question another opposition party? No matter which party, we have the right to question the wrong. It’s not important if it is the ruling party or the opposition,” she said.

The Congress leader said that since Jagan Mohan Reddy not attending the Assembly is wrong, she called it wrong.

“Since not respecting the legislature is wrong, I demanded resignation,” she said.

Sharmila also told Jagan Mohan Reddy that she warned ruling party leaders and workers that if YSR’s statues were demolished, she would visit those places and stage a dharna. She told her brother if he had not demolished NTR’s statues after coming to power, this situation would not have come.

“If you had not changed the name of NTR University, today YSR would not have been insulted like this,” she wrote. She alleged that those who insulted YSR and his wife Vijayamma were holding key positions in the YSRCP, naming its leaders Y. V. Subba Reddy, Vijayasai Reddy, and Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy.

She remarked that because of this, Jagan Mohan Reddy was unable to fight in the Assembly like YSR used to fight.

Referring to loan waiver in neighbouring Telangana, Sharmila said while in power, Jagan Mohan Reddy betrayed farmers. She recalled that he had promised a price stabilisation fund of Rs 3,000 crore every year and crop loss compensation of Rs 4,000 crore.

“You ripped apart the YSR Jalayagnam programme. You promised prohibition but betrayed. Is there any bigger cheat than you,” she asked. Sharmila also slammed her brother for “illegal ties” with the BJP.

“For your selfish interests, you mortgaged state interests to the BJP, a party which YSR had opposed,” she added.

The YSRCP lost power in recent elections to the TDP-led NDA and could win just 11 seats in the 175-member Assembly.

–IANS

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Chandigarh, July 29 (IANS) Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini has approved an amendment in the policy of state awards for teachers working in state universities, government colleges, and government-aided private colleges.

According to the amendment, the service evaluation period for teachers has been reduced from 15 years to 10 years. This change will allow new teachers to also be eligible for awards.

A spokesperson for the Higher Education Department said on Monday that the government runs a state teacher award scheme for excellence and commendable services for the contribution of teachers towards academic, curricular and extracurricular assignments.

The aim of these awards is to honour faculty members for their performance in the field of teaching.

The spokesperson said the faculty members in higher education who demonstrate outstanding exceptional academic efficiency, quality of teaching, professional competence, good conduct, team spirit, community engagement, and use innovative teaching methods will be recommended for the awards.

Under the policy, 14 state awards will be given each year for their outstanding service.

Two awards will be given to state universities under the purview of higher education, eight for government colleges, and four for government-aided private colleges in Haryana.

The winners will be awarded Rs 1 lakh in cash, a citation, and a shawl.

–IANS

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