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Until now you only had to provide a valid identity proof while buying a SIM card but recently, the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=telecom+department&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">telecom department</a> told the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Supreme+Court+&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Supreme Court </a>now more than 90 % pre-paid SIM card holders will only be able to recharge their phones after proving their identity. 
 Attorney General <keyword id="205560" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mukul-Rohtagi">Mukul Rohtagi</keyword> told a bench led by <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Chief+Justice+of+India&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Chief Justice of India</a> Khehar that the move will come into action in a year. He said that those having pre-paid cards will only be allowed to recharge on showing proof of identity-based on valid papers whether <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=Aadhar+cards&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Aadhar cards</a> or any other such proof. 
 
This is to deter financial frauds and criminal activity, the court was told. The order came on a PIL.

Get ready to provide ID proof while getting your pre-paid connection recharged

<ul><li>Hospitals are struggling to keep their patients alive in the midst of a massive <keyword id="6355647" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Oxygen">oxygen</keyword> shortage.</li><li>While the crisis only worsens, there are petty fights between states to keep <keyword id="905962" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="oxygen-supply">oxygen supply</keyword> within their boundaries.</li><li>There are rising complaints of states not letting <keyword id="9939099" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="oxygen-tankers">oxygen tankers</keyword> pass through, in an attempt to hoard and keep the oxygen supply within the state.</li></ul>Today, India reported a staggering 3.15 lakh new COVID-19 cases, the highest single day rise reported globally since the pandemic began. Doctors and healthcare workers are crumbling under the pressure of incoming patients, while hospitals are struggling to keep their patients alive in the midst of a massive oxygen shortage. While the crisis has worsened by the minute, there are petty fights between states trying to hoard precious oxygen. There are rising complaints of states not letting oxygen tankers pass through, in an attempt to hoard and keep the oxygen supply within the state. Over the last few days, top hospitals in India’s national capital have been taking to social media to send out signals for help – ‘just a few hours of oxygen left for hundreds of patients’ read most tweets, posts. At 4.46 pm, <keyword id="46994" type="DOMAIN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Fortis-Healthcare">Fortis Healthcare</keyword>, one of the premier hospitals in the country, tweeted that its hospital in Haryana has just 45 minutes of oxygen supply left. Where is it stuck? It’s oxygen supply from Bhiwadi in Rajasthan hasn’t been allowed to come through. <div type="twitter" handle="fortis_hospital" handlename="Fortis Healthcare" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/915098892609273861/jVB333eu_normal.jpg" favoritecount="1697" retweetcount="1231" status="This is an #SOS call from Fortis to allow oxygen tanker from Bhiwadi to reach our hospital #ASAP. (2/2)" createdat="1619090193000" id="1385190784685592579"></div> In another case, Dr. Sangita Reddy, the Joint Managing Director of <keyword id="56368" type="DOMAIN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Apollo-Hospitals">Apollo Hospitals</keyword>, again one of the biggest hospital chains in the country, tweeted out in despair that an oxygen tanker meant for her hospital wasn’t being allowed to move out of the plant in Panipat, Haryana. <div type="twitter" handle="drsangitareddy" handlename="Dr. Sangita Reddy" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1385128322380693505/k26o64l5_normal.jpg" favoritecount="13529" retweetcount="5948" status="As I tweet, an oxygen tanker is outside the gate of Air Liquide Panipat plant at IOCL and he is not being allowed i… https://t.co/BCiwRrOaQA" createdat="1619074498000" id="1385124956002930689"></div> An hour later, she updated that the driver had been allowed to move but appealed for a ‘green corridor’ and ambulance status for oxygen cylinders. Delhi’s deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia has written to the health minister Dr Harsh Vardhan. “Police and senior officials of administration in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are stalling the tankers carrying oxygen, delaying the tankers to reach Delhi hospitals on time," he wrote. Sisodia has claimed that the national capital didn’t receive even 50% of the old quota of 378MT allocated. In a last effort to get clearance, hospitals are moving the Delhi High Court to get the needed supply of oxygen. Meanwhile the Supreme Court of India has now passed an order to transfer all COVID-19 related matters to the top court only – a move which has been criticised by many. Senior advocate and former Attorney General of India Mukul Rohtagi said that the move would make High Courts redundant, reported <a href="https://www.livelaw.in/top-stories/senior-lawyers-criticize-supreme-courts-move-to-transfer-covid-matters-from-high-courts-to-itself-172954">Live Law</a>. Take a moment to note, this is the struggle for oxygen in the national capital of India. In Maharashtra, the worst-hit state in the country, almost <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-which-states-are-worst-hit-why-is-oxygen-transportation-difficult-7277038/">10% of patients</a> are in critical need of oxygen. The state has already hit its production capacity of 1,250 tonnes, and is now dependent on states like Gujarat, Chhattisgarh for oxygen supply. For hospitals in smaller cities, rural areas, the situation worsens every minute. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high level meeting regarding the supply of oxygen in the country where he ‘stressed that the states should come down heavily on hoarding’. “It was noted that in the last few days, availability of Liquid Medical Oxygen has been increased by about 3,300 MT/ day with contributions from private and public steel plants, industries, oxygen manufacturers as well as through prohibition of supply of oxygen for non-essential industries. PM directed the officials to ensure that oxygen supply to various states happens in a smooth, unhindered manner. He spoke about the need to fix responsibility with the local administration in cases of obstruction.,” read the official statement from the press information bureau. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/if-2015-was-the-year-of-the-api-why-is-there-a-remdesivir-shortage-six-years-later/articleshow/82190931.cms">If 2015 was the ‘Year of the API’, why is there a Remdesivir shortage six years later?</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/covid-19-india-records-314835-fresh-cases-and-2104-fatalities-in-last-24-hours-highest-single-day-spike-in-any-country/articleshow/82192327.cms">COVID-19: India records 3,14,835 fresh cases and 2,104 fatalities in last 24 hours, highest single day spike in any country</a>

The COVID-19 crisis in India is getting worse with state administrations trying to hoard oxygen

New Delhi, July 3 (IANS) The National Green Tribunal has deferred its direction for deposition of Rs 25 crore interim fine by the Oil India Ltd, following the gas well leakage and fire in Assam, till the actual amount and its disbursement plans are worked out. The incident happened in Baghjan in Assam's Tinsukia district. Enormous volume of inflammable natural gas which was leaking from the Baghjan-5 oil well of the company since May 27 caught fire on June 9, claiming lives of two fire-fighters. On June 25, the tribunal had imposed a heavy fine of Rs 25 crore on OIL for causing damage to the environment, human and wildlife and over its failure to stop the oil well fire. An eight-member committee was also constituted to look into the matter. On July 2, the tribunal deferred the direction after senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for OIL, assured that the company has itself taken several measures for rehabilitation of the displaced families and deposited a sum of Rs 4.83 crore with the District Magistrate as an interim relief. He submitted that the committee is 'unnecessary' and so is the direction to deposit the amount of Rs 25 crore as the OIL is committed to compensate the victims and restitute the environment. It will pay whatever amount required on its liability being ascertained, he said. A bench of NGT Chairman Adarsh Kumar Goel observed: "In view of this assurance, we defer our direction for deposit of Rs 25 crore till the actual amount and its disbursement plan are worked out in the light of the report of the committee after considering viewpoint of victims as well as the OIL." However, adequacy of steps taken by the OIL will have to be looked into by the committee and then by this tribunal following due process of law, it added. The tribunal said that the OIL is stated to have set apart more than Rs 25 crore and Rohtagi also categorically assured that OIL being a public sector undertaking, there will be no difficulty in promptly making available whatever amount is required for discharge of its liability. Baghjan is one of the 23 oil wells set up by OIL to tap the large gas reserves in the Brahmaputra basin located near the Eco Sensitive Zone of the Dibru-Saikhowa National Park. The blow-out left behind mixture of chemical compounds that are toxic for land and vegetation. It is not only hazardous to the health of the people but also severely affects their livelihood, mainly agriculture, fishing, and animal rearing. The plea filed by activist Bonani Kakkar had pointed at the failure of the OIL authorities in preventing the blowout, resulting in a massive fire causing irreparable loss to the entire biodiversity of the region and loss of lives and property. "Due to the negligence and lack of concrete effort to control the spread of the oil and gas leak, enormous fire broke-out in the area which continues to rage causing displacement of more than 1600 families," Kakkar said. The matter will now come up for further consideration on July 29, the NGT said. --IANS aka/vd

Assam fire: NGT defers deposit of Rs 25 crore fine by OIL

The Supreme Court on Friday refused a plea by <keyword id="75190" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Nestle">Nestle</keyword> to stay a consumer case filed by the government against <keyword id="6369404" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Maggi">Maggi</keyword>. 
 A bench of justices Dipak Misra and P C Pant said they would take a call on this in January next year when they hear an appeal by the food standards authority the <keyword id="154680" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="FSSAI">FSSAI</keyword> against the High Court order which had rendered all its testing labs toothless 
 
The High Court had while setting aside the FSSAI order banning Maggi sales faulted these labs testing and certifying any food item till their accreditation process was complete. 
 
The FSSAI said it would not for now challenge the sale of Maggi in the market. Attorney General Mukul Rohtagi also challenged another SC ruling which had taken away the FSSAI power to certify non listed new products. 
 
All these cases will now be taken up in January. 
 
Image credit: Indiatimes

Maggi might be in trouble again as Supreme Court refuses Nestle's plea to stay case filed by the government against it

(Eds: Incorporating related series)New Delhi, Mar 18 () The Supreme Court on Wednesday lashed out at Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea and other mobile phone operators for self-assessing their outstanding telecom dues, saying they need to pay past dues with interest and penalty -- an estimated amount of Rs 1.6 lakh crore. The apex court also came down heavily on the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) for allowing companies to re-assess what they owed to the government, and said its order -- passed on October 24, 2019 -- on revenues for calculating dues was final. A three-judge bench, headed by Justice Arun Mishra, said it would consider the government's rescue plan of giving telcos 20-year time to make the payments during the next hearing scheduled after two weeks. "Exercise of self-assessment of AGR dues by telecom companies cannot be permitted even in wildest dreams. Withdraw forthwith any such orders which been passed," it said, adding that "this is sheer fraud". The top court said, "if we are to be very harsh, then all the MDs (Managing Directors) will be called here and sent straight to jail for contempt. They want self-assessment and commit fraud upon the public exchequer. "Through newspaper articles do they want to show that they are very powerful. Article are being published that economy will go here and there. They are fooling people by fake news. Truth must come out". Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea and Tata Group's self-assessed dues to the government are a whopping Rs 82,300 crore, which is short of what DoT calculated after the Supreme Court's October 24 ruling on the Aggregated Gross Revenues (AGR). In its submission before the apex court seeking relief in payment tenure, DoT had pegged Bharti Airtel's dues at Rs 43,980 crore, Vodafone Idea at Rs 58,254 crore and Tata Group at Rs 16,798 crore. Against these amounts, Bharti self-assessed its dues at Rs 13,004 crore and paid a total of Rs 18,000 crore, including Rs 5,000 crore towards reconciling any difference. Vodafone Idea assessed its dues at Rs 21,533 crore and paid Rs 6,854 crore. Tata Group of companies self-assessed their dues at Rs 2,197 crore. The remaining of the Rs 1.6 lakh crore dues pertain to firms that are in bankruptcy or have already closed down. In October last year, the Supreme Court upheld DoT's position on calculating dues after including non-telecom revenues in AGR, and had ordered payment of full amount of past 15 years within three months. When the companies dithered and filed pleas, the court threatened to initiate contempt proceedings for non-compliance. Earlier this week, the government filed a plea seeking 20-year payment scheme with a view to help the telecom sector that is already saddled with huge debt and losses arising from cut-throat competition. While Bharti Airtel has raised funds to meet the payment demand by way of rights issue of shares and bond sales, Vodafone Idea Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla in the past indicated that the company would fold up if it is forced to make the payments as per DoT calculations. Expressing anguish at newspaper articles interpreting its order, the top court said all MDs of telecom companies would be personally responsible and held for contempt of court for any such future write-ups hiding the truth. The bench, also comprising Justices S A Nazeer and M R Shah, refused to take up the centre's plea for allowing telecom companies to pay AGR dues in 20 years, saying the application would be taken up after two weeks. "The time frame of 20 years is unreasonable. The telecom companies have to clear all dues mentioned in the judgment," the bench said. The bench also said it had settled all AGR dues after hearing telecom companies and the government then had fought tooth and nail for interests and penalties. Further, the bench said it would summon the secretary and desk officer of the DoT who permitted telecom companies to do self-assessment of AGR dues. According to the court, serious fraud was being committed by telecom companies by asserting to do self-assessment of AGR dues and that its judgment was final and to be followed in the letter and spirit. "We will be party to fraud if we allow self-assessment of AGR dues by telecom companies," the bench said, adding that it cannot permit encroachment of its powers by allowing self-assessment. The court also said newspaper articles would not be able to influence its decision and it would draw contempt proceedings against the managing directors of telecom companies if they publish "fake news" against court on payment of AGR dues. "Any future newspaper article hiding truth from public on telecom case will make MDs of telcos personally responsible," the bench said. In its ruling last year, the apex court ruled that the statutory dues need to be calculated by including non-telecom revenues in AGR of telecom companies. It had upheld the AGR definition formulated by DoT and termed "frivolous" the nature of objections raised by the telecom service providers. The bench questioned DoT for allowing self-assessment of the AGR by companies, saying, "we are of the conclusive opinion that no such self-assessment or reassessment exercise shall be undertaken". "Who has permitted this self-assessment? From where this concept of self-assessment has come up?. Who is allowing all this?. This is a sheer contempt. We have already said that no objection will be entertained on the dues. "Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) audit has been done on the dues. It is there in our judgment then from where this concept has come out," the bench said while pulling up the Centre and the telecom firms," the court said. The court told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who appeared for the Centre, that it was a "question of prestige", that telecom companies are hoodwinking and they have earned money all these years on the resources since 2001 and now they have to pay the dues as settled by the apex court. "This is public money. The government has given them resources from which they earned money. "Your (Centre) department has given them leverage and your officers have written to them for self-assessment of AGR. We will haul those officers for contempt. Everything was before us and we heard them for months and settled for the figure of dues. The government then had fought tooth and nail for interest and penalties," the bench said. Mehta tried to intervene and said the Cabinet has taken a decision and according to the proposal, the interest of AGR would be frozen and that amount would be paid gradually. "If that is the case, then will test everything and will analyse how much these companies have earned over the years, how much was the dues and how much they have paid. Do you want that? Someone is trying to subterfuge our judgment. If this self-assessment is permitted, then it will be a more serious fraud on the public," the top court said. Senior advocates Mukul Rohtagi and A M Singhvi, appearing for Vodafone and Bharti Airtel, respectively, said that no one is saying that they would not comply with the verdict but there are some errors which needs to be corrected. To this, the bench said that errors cannot be of thousands of crore and clarified that the October 24, 2019 verdict was based on the 2011 decision of apex court, which had settled most of the propositions on AGR dues and only limited aspect was dealt by the recent judgment. MNL SJ ANZ HRS RAM

SC lashes out at telcos, DoT for self-assessing dues

Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi has asked the <keyword id="6354751" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Income-Tax">Income Tax</keyword> Department not to appeal against the Bombay High Court judgment in favour of <keyword id="15492" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Vodafone">Vodafone</keyword> in a tax dispute. 
 Rohtagi had said, “The judgment of the high court is absolutely correct and we should accept the judgment and every matter need not be challenged to the <keyword id="6354977" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Supreme-Court">Supreme Court</keyword>. I have also concurred with the views of the chairperson of the Central Board of Direct Taxes.” 
 
The Income Tax Department had asked for the attorney general’s opinion on whether it should appeal against verdict in the Supreme Court. The final decision in this regard will be taken by the government. Such a move is likely to improve foreign investors’ sentiment. 
 
Vodafone has been facing a number of tax disputes in India since entering the country seven years ago. In another case, Vodafone is fighting a legal battle over a tax demand of about $2 billion regarding its acquisition of Hutchison in 2007.

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BI India Bureau

The COVID-19 crisis in India is getting worse with state administrations trying to hoard oxygen

Sanchita Dash

Assam fire: NGT defers deposit of Rs 25 crore fine by OIL

IANS

Maggi might be in trouble again as Supreme Court refuses Nestle's plea to stay case filed by the government against it

BI India Bureau

SC lashes out at telcos, DoT for self-assessing dues

PTI

Attorney General Asks Income Tax Dept To Not Appeal Against Vodafone Tax Ruling

BI India Bureau

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