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More than one in two Indian consumers who use instant loan apps are facing very high interest charges, extortion and <keyword id="6355729" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="data" source="Orion">data</keyword> misuse, as the Reserve Bank of India (<keyword id="30067" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="rbi" source="Orion">RBI</keyword>) takes a tough stand against unregistered digital loan lending apps, a new report showed on Tuesday. While 58 per cent of citizens said when they or someone in their family/ household staff took a loan using instant loan apps in the past two years, they were charged annual interest of over 25 per cent. Over 54 per cent of citizens surveyed experienced extortion or data misuse during the collection process, according to the report by community social media platform LocalCircles. The platform on Tuesday wrote to the RBI Governor <keyword id="6359111" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="shaktikanta-das" source="Orion">Shaktikanta Das</keyword> and IT Minister <keyword id="7787429" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="ashwini-vaishnav" source="Orion">Ashwini Vaishnav</keyword>, requesting them to take cognizance of the survey findings and take further action on such instant loan apps. According to MeitY, it has blocked 27 such fraudulent instant loan apps. The RBI has also disallowed non-bank prepaid payment instruments (PPIs) from loading credit. "The PPI-MD (PPI-master direction) does not permit loading of PPIs from credit lines. Such practice, if followed, should be stopped immediately. Any non-compliance in this regard may attract penal action under provisions contained in the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007," according to the latest RBI directive. The Maharashtra police cyber crime team recently wrote to Google Play Store, asking to remove 69 loan apps after receiving hundreds of complaints of harassment and threats made by fraudulent loan recovery agents to customers. India has witnessed an emergence of instant loan providers through smartphone-enabled fintech lending companies to help people meet shortages of funds. Some instant loan apps, according to consumers, charge as much as a 500 per cent interest rate and use extortion methods to collect money from borrowers or loan defaulters, according to LocalCircles. "Some citizens also claim to be getting phone calls for repayment of loans taken over a year ago, even though they have paid the amount taken or more," the report mentioned. On the other hand, there are many reports of borrowers' personal information, including <keyword id="144117" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="aadhaar" source="Orion">Aadhaar</keyword> card, PAN card, etc. being shared with third-party platforms. "People have also reported in a few cases, how their parents in a different location received messages about the loan payment which they had already made some time back," the report noted. SEE ALSO : <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/indias-biggest-companies-spend-nearly-11-lakh-crore-on-employee-expense-last-year/articleshow/92690317.cms">If you thought techies got the biggest hikes last year, think again...</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/enterprise/news/big-tech-should-obey-the-law-of-the-land-says-india-after-twitter-goes-to-court/articleshow/92689452.cms">Big Tech should obey the law of the land says India, after Twitter goes to court</a>

One in two Indians face extortion and data misuse thanks to instant loan apps

<keyword id="1553175" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Vodafone-Idea" source="Orion">Vodafone Idea</keyword>'s shares surged by nearly 10% during the first half of the day today. Nearly a month after quitting as the Chairman of Vodafone Idea, <keyword id="6354955" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kumar-Mangalam-Birla" source="Orion">Kumar Mangalam Birla</keyword> has met Union Minister for Communications <keyword id="7787429" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ashwini-Vaishnav" source="Orion">Ashwini Vaishnav</keyword>. The meet comes at a time when the government is in talks to come up with some relief measures for the stressed <keyword id="6354776" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="telecom" source="Orion">telecom</keyword> sector as a whole. According to people in the know, during the meeting on Wednesday, Birla and Vaishnav discussed about the health of the sector and the urgent need for government intervention. <div type="image" title="Vodafone Idea shares" msid="85861323" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Vodafone Idea shares&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> On August 4, the board of Vodafone Idea accepted the request of Birla to step down as the Non-Executive Director and Non-Executive Chairman of the Board. Days before Birla's resignation as the Chairman, it became public that he had written to the Cabinet Secretary that he is willing to hand over his stake in the debt-ridden company to government entities in a bid to keep the company operational. In a letter to Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba on June 7, Birla said that, with a "sense of duty" towards 27 crore Indians connected with Vodafone Idea, Birla is willing to hand over his stake to public Sector Unit (PSU), a government entity or any domestic financial entity, or any other entity that the government may consider worthy of keeping the company as a going concern. In the letter, Birla sought clarity on adjusted gross revenue (AGR), adequate moratorium on spectrum dues and floor pricing adding that without immediate and active government support VIL's operations will be at an "irretrievable point of collapse". (With inputs from IANS) SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/technology-is-changing-organisations-and-culture-has-to-keep-pace-with-it/articleshow/85854902.cms">Technology is changing organisations and culture has to keep pace with it</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/zomato-is-shutting-down-its-singapore-and-uk-based-subsidiaries/articleshow/85858611.cms">Zomato is shutting down its Singapore and UK-based subsidiaries</a>

Vodafone Idea shares spike after promoter Kumar Mangalam Birla's meeting with India's Telecom minister

Asia's first woman loco pilot <keyword id="277227" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="surekha-yadav" source="Orion">Surekha Yadav</keyword> has added another feather to her cap as she became the first female to operate the newly-introduced semi-high-speed <keyword id="7263559" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="vande-bharat-express" source="Orion">Vande Bharat Express</keyword> train, the <keyword id="6364162" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="central-railway" source="Orion">Central Railway</keyword> said. She piloted the semi-high-speed train between <keyword id="49186" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="solapur" source="Orion">Solapur</keyword> station and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) in Mumbai on Monday. The train departed Solapur station at right time on March 13 and reached CSMT five minutes before the scheduled arrival, a Central Railway release said, adding that on completion of a more than 450-km long journey, Yadav was felicitated at platform number 8 at CSMT. "Vande Bharat - powered by Nari Shakti. Smt. Surekha Yadav, the first woman loco pilot of Vande <keyword id="8996389" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="bharat-express" source="Orion">Bharat Express</keyword>," Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav tweeted. The Central Railway said, "Yadav notched another feather in Central Railway's cap by becoming the first woman loco pilot of Vande Bharat Express". Hailing from Satara in the western Maharashtra region, Yadav became India's first female train driver in 1988. She had won many awards at the state and national levels so far for her achievements. The Central Railway has launched two Vande Bharat Express trains on CSMT-Solapur and CSMT-Sainagar Shirdi routes, which were shown green flags by Prime minister Narendra Modi on February 10, 2023. According to railway officials, loco piloting on new routes involves comprehensive learning and the crew has to remain vigilant at every moment during the train journey. "The crew learning process involves signal observance, hands-on new equipment, coordination with other crew members, observance of all parameters for running of a train," the release stated. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/pfizer-agrees-to-buy-seagen-for-43-billion/articleshow/98624130.cms">Pfizer agrees to buy Seagen for $43 billion</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/news/global-banking-shares-slump-as-fallout-spreads/articleshow/98624442.cms">Global banking shares slump as fallout spreads</a>

Asia's first woman loco pilot Surekha Yadav operates Vande Bharat Express

Amidst massive layoffs in the American tech sector that have resulted in a large number of Indian professionals being jobless, two Indian-American organisations have launched an online petition urging President Joe Biden to extend the grace period of H-1B visas holders from two months to a year. This means that once fired from a job, a foreign tech worker on H-1B visas would have one year to find a new job instead of the existing duration of 60 days, after which they have to leave the country. The <keyword id="6358066" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="H-1B-visa" source="Orion">H-1B visa</keyword> is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. Technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China. "On behalf of immigrants (from the world, mainly from India and China) as well as naturalised citizens like Indian-Americans, Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies and Global Technology Professionals Association (GITPRO) has submitted an appeal to the President of the United States, the Secretary of DHS (Department of Homeland Security) and the director of USCIS (US Citizenship and Immigration Services) to extend the current grace period from 60 days to 1 year (minimum 6 months)," the online petition said. "We join the appeal and request to sympathetically consider the impact of the families on humanitarian grounds. We believe that this extension will pause this brain drain and ensure that the US will continue to be a world leader in technology and innovation. We also request elected officials to support this extension and if needed introduce a bill in the House of Representatives," said the online petition that has been signed by more than 2,200 people so far. According to LayoffTracker.com, 91,000 were laid off just in January 2023 and this number may grow in the coming months. This has a huge impact on them, and their families, especially on the H-1B holders who would need to leave the US immediately within 10 days beyond the H-1B grace period, the petition said. In addition to the impact on them and their families, this is also a long-term impact on the talent that the US has. For example, 70 per cent of startup founders are immigrants. About 50+ CEOs of public companies are of Indian origin. Hence, the exodus of this talent from the US is harmful for the long-term interests of the US, especially in the modern age of Artificial Intelligence competition, it said. "The laid-off H-1B holders currently have about 60 days to find another employer to file for the H-1B transfer or leave the country. During the current economic situation, it would be impossible for these hardworking, tax-paying and talented people to get hired till the economy recovers," said the petition. Meanwhile, a Facebook group of overseas Indians has launched a petition urging the Indian government to hire the laid-off Indian tech workers in the US. "Considering the ongoing layoff situation, we are requesting you to consider hiring the recently laid-off and returning Indian IT workers as consultants as part of the digitisation initiatives undertaken by your ministries," said the letter addressed to Ashwini Vaishnav, the Minister of Electronics and Information Technology. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/after-an-ather-450x-catches-fire-the-company-says-its-battery-is-safe-fire-was-due-to-a-wiring-harness-issue/articleshow/97733364.cms">After an Ather 450X catches fire, the company says its battery is safe — fire was due to a wiring harness issue</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/news/india-is-launching-a-upi-based-coin-vending-machine-pilot/articleshow/97720261.cms">Cold drinks, candy &amp; now 'change': India to test coin vending machines that use UPI</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/after-chinese-apps-the-indian-government-cracks-down-on-indian-betting-and-quick-loan-appsheres-why/articleshow/97690062.cms">After Chinese apps, the Indian government cracks down on Indian betting and quick loan apps—here’s why</a>

Extend H-1B visa grace period 12 months: Indo-American organisations launch online petition

<ul><li>New AI will decode doctor's handwritten prescriptions for you.</li><li><keyword id="6355629" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="google" source="Orion">Google</keyword> is also bringing <keyword id="15830279" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="project-relate" source="Orion">project Relate</keyword> to India for people with non-standard speech patterns.</li><li>Below, check out the top highlights of the ‘<keyword id="3173623" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Google-for-india" source="Orion">Google for India</keyword>’ event.</li></ul>California-based technology giant Google has announced a slew of new features at its ‘Google for India 2022’ event on Dec 19, 2022. The company is bringing new safety features to Google-pay, a digital payment app, and integration for the Google Files app with the government’s <keyword id="11907269" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="digilocker" source="Orion">Digilocker</keyword> service. At the event, Google also emphasized the increased use of artificial intelligence across different platforms. Google also revealed its new AI to decipher doctors' handwritten prescriptions and a new multi-search feature allowing users to take screenshots and add text to queries. Meanwhile, the search giant also bought the ‘<keyword id="15833460" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="search-in-video" source="Orion">Search in Video</keyword>’ feature, which will add the option to search within the videos. The ‘Google for India’ event witnessed the presence of its CEO Sundar Pichai and Ashwini Vaishnav, the Minister of Railways, Communications, and Electronics &amp; Information Technology. Business Insider India brings you all the big announcements Google made at the ‘Google for India’ event yesterday. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Bringing internet in native languages" comment="subhead" text="Bringing internet in native languages">Bringing internet in native languages</cmsannotation> According to Google, Indian internet users can now read webpages in their native language. To make this work, Google has collaborated with the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, and worked on open-source speech data to bring bilingual search results. Moreover, Google has planned to build a unified model capable of handling more than 100 native languages of India. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Improved visual search" comment="subhead" text="Improved visual search">Improved visual search</cmsannotation> Google announced that they would make visual search more natural so that users can search simultaneously with text and images. The multi-search will be available in different languages from next year. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Improved speech recognition for 'Hinglish' language" comment="subhead" text="Improved speech recognition for 'Hinglish' language">Improved speech recognition for 'Hinglish' language</cmsannotation> Google is bringing an improved speech recognition model for the Hinglish language, a blend of English and Hindi language. The improved speech recognition model will be capable of understanding accents and the person's speaking style. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="New security features in Google Pay" comment="subhead" text="New security features in Google Pay">New security features in <keyword id="2750705" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="google-pay" source="Orion">Google Pay</keyword></cmsannotation> Now, Google Pay will be showing more warnings and security alerts for suspicious transactions. Google Pay will use deep learning-based advanced algorithms to detect fraud behavior. Apart from this, Google Pay also gets transaction search via voice feature. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Project Relate" comment="subhead" text="Project Relate">Project Relate</cmsannotation> Google is bringing project Relate to India. Project Relate is an app that helps people with non-standard speech patterns. With Project Relate, Google wants its Assistant to be more accessible in India. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="AI in agriculture" comment="subhead" text="AI in agriculture">AI in agriculture</cmsannotation> Google has announced using remote sensing capabilities to give an overview of agriculture capabilities in India. According to Google, it will help farmers with agriculture solutions at the ground level. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Health information on Youtube in the native language" comment="subhead" text="Health information on Youtube in the native language">Health information on Youtube in the native language</cmsannotation> In partnership with Manipal Hospitals, Narayana Health, Medanta, and more, Google will be offering content in multi-languages such as Tamil, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, and more. Google will also provide tools to their health partners to develop content in their native language. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="AI in health" comment="subhead" text="AI in health">AI in health</cmsannotation> Using AI and machine learning technology, Google will help people identify medicine in handwritten prescriptions. Google is also working with Apollo on a project using AI to check an x-ray for tuberculosis. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/twitter-verification-what-do-the-grey-gold-blue-ticks-and-profile-labels-mean/articleshow/96275720.cms">Twitter verification: What do the grey, gold, blue ticks and profile labels mean?</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/upcoming-whatsapp-new-features-in-2023/articleshow/95998284.cms">Check out upcoming new WhatsApp features in 2023</a>

Google for India goes heavy on AI — From reading handwritten prescriptions to enhancing agricultural capabilities, here’s all you need to know

Prime Minister <keyword id="6354477" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="narendra-modi" source="Orion">Narendra Modi</keyword> on Saturday announced that January 16 will be celebrated as 'Startup' day and said that while small businesses are the spine of India's economy, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/tax-rates-and-rules-change-expected-from-budget-2022/articleshow/88899801.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Start-Ups</a> are the game changers. "Small businesses are the spine of India's economy and Startups are the game changers. This partnership can benefit both, the society and the economy, especially women employment will get strengthened because of this," Modi said as he interacted with Start-Ups via video conferencing as part of the Start-Up India Innovation Week. "I congratulate all the startups of the country, all the innovative youth, who are raising the flag of India in the world of Start-Ups. For the culture of Start-Ups to reach the far-flung parts of the country, it has been decided to celebrate January 16 as National Start-up Day," Modi announced. Recalling the concept of the current decade as the 'techade' of India, the Prime Minister listed three important aspects of the massive changes that the government is making in this decade to strengthen the innovation, entrepreneurship, and startup ecosystem. Elaborating on those steps, Modi said, first, to liberate entrepreneurship and innovation from the web of government processes, bureaucratic silos; second, creating an institutional mechanism to promote innovation and third, handholding of young innovators and young enterprises. He listed programmes such as 'Startup India' and 'Stand-Up India' as part of the efforts. Modi also spoke about bringing in ease by way of addressing issues related to 'angel tax', simplification of tax procedure, arranging for government funding and allowing self-certification of nine labour and three environment laws. The Start-Ups gave presentations on six themes viz 'Growing from Roots'; 'Nudging the DNA'; 'From Local to Global'; 'Technology of Future'; 'Building Champions in Manufacturing'; and 'Sustainable Development.' More than 150 Start-Ups were divided into six working groups for the purpose of these presentations. For each theme, there were presentations by two Start- Up representatives. The Prime Minister also said that the Government's effort was to institutionalise innovation in the country by creating attraction for innovation among students since childhood. "More than 9,000 Atal Tinkering Labs are giving children a chance to innovate in schools and work on new ideas," he said, adding, "whether it is new drone rules, or new space policy, the priority of the government is to provide opportunities for innovation to as many youths as possible." Underscoring the role of empowerment by entrepreneurship in addressing the problems of development and regional-gender disparities, Modi said, there is at least one Start-Up in each of the 625 districts of the country and more than half of the Start Ups are from tier II and III cities. "These are changing ideas of youth from ordinary, poor families into successful businesses." He also mentioned various indicators of increasing entrepreneurship and innovations - vis-A-vis patents and trademarks - citing comparable numbers between 2013-14 and now. Asserting that India's diversity is a key strength and keystone of India's global identity, Modi said, "Indian unicorns and Start-Ups are the messengers of this diversity." Earlier, during their presentation, the Start-Up representatives shared ideas and inputs on a variety of sectors and areas. Union Ministers Piyush Goyal, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, Ashwini Vaishnav, Sarbananda Sonowal, Parshottam Rupala, G Kishan Reddy, Pashupati Kumar Paras, Dr Jitendra Singh, and Som Parkash were among those present virtually.

Prime Minister Modi declares January 16 as 'National Startup Day'

<ul><li>The court has turned down the appeal to allow the government to form the probe committee.</li><li>“Justice Should not only be done but seen to be done,” the judge said while dismissing the government’s request.</li><li>A three-member committee will be headed by RV Raveendran, a former judge at the <keyword id="6354977" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="supreme-court" source="Orion">Supreme Court</keyword>.</li><li>‘Request the committee to expeditiously probe the matter,” the court said in its verdict today.</li></ul>The Supreme Court of India has set up a three-member panel headed by former Supreme Court judge RV Raveendran to probe whether <keyword id="6389936" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="pegasus" source="Orion">Pegasus</keyword> software was used by the Indian government to spy on journalists and other prominent citizens who were critics of the current administration. The apex court turned down the Narendra Modi government’s appeal to be allowed to set up the probe committee. “Justice should not only be done but seen to be done,” Chief Justice Ramana said. Earlier in September, CJI Ramana had orally said that it would set up a technical committee to investigate the allegations by the journalists, activists and scholars. The verdict <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/supreme-court-to-pronounce-order-next-week-on-pleas-seeking-independent-probe-into-pegasus-snooping-row/articleshow/86449232.cms">was delayed </a>as the members of the technical committee were unavailable at that time. These are some of the other highlights from the Supreme Court verdict in the Pegasus case today, as reported by Bar and Bench: <ul><li>Right to privacy violation needs to be examined.</li><li>There has been no specific denial by the centre. Thus, we have no option but to accept the submissions of the petitioner and appoint an expert committee whose function will be overseen by the Supreme Court.</li><li>There is no clear stand from the government. There is a serious concern of foreign agency involvement by surveilling Indians.</li><li>The Solicitor General had suggested that many such reports are motivated. However, such omnibus oral submissions cannot be accepted.</li><li>It is also about freedom of the press and the important role played by them. Such technology may have a chilling effect on the press.</li></ul>According to reports, the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/nso-groups-pegasus-can-hack-into-any-phone-it-wants-without-your-knowledge/articleshow/84582035.cms">Pegasus spyware</a>, which is developed by Israel’s <keyword id="3598670" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="nso-group" source="Orion">NSO group</keyword>, could have been used to spy on journalists, opposition leaders, ministers, lawyers and others. This claim was refuted by IT minister Ashwini Vaishnav in the lower house of the parliament, Lok Sabha, saying any form of illegal surveillance was <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/govt-did-not-engage-pegasus-for-snooping-on-individual-targets-prasad/articleshow/72775537.cms">not possible</a>. In the hearing on September 13, the Centre was not willing to file a detailed affidavit in the matter as it was concerned over national security. The Israeli group claimed its clients were “vetted governments” without identifying them. <div type="image" title="Business Insider India" msid="87308071" hostid="261"></div>Pegasus is accused of hacking into the phones of at least 180 journalists around the world, of which 40 are notable Indian personalities. The first hearing took place on August 5, when the Supreme Court observed that the allegations were serious and said that “the truth must come out”. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/world/news/mbs-talked-about-using-a-poison-ring-to-kill-the-saudi-king-in-2014-so-his-father-could-take-the-throne-exiled-spy-says/articleshow/87257441.cms">MBS talked about using a 'poison ring' to kill the Saudi king in 2014 so his father could take the throne, exiled spy says</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/world/news/russia-suspends-nato-mission-after-the-alliance-booted-alleged-spies/articleshow/87116613.cms">Russia suspends NATO mission after the alliance booted alleged spies</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/researchers-discover-a-fake-anti-virus-tool-for-pegasus-by-hackers-impersonating-amnesty-international/articleshow/86671717.cms">Researchers discover a fake anti-virus tool for Pegasus by hackers impersonating Amnesty International</a>

A panel headed by a retired judge will probe if the Indian government used Pegasus to spy on journalists and other prominent citizens

New Delhi, Feb 12 () The BJP defended the union budget in the Rajya Sabha on Friday saying it is pragmatic, provides relief to the poor and unemployed and aims at economic recovery as well as financial reforms. The BJP said the budget takes care of all sections of society and has earmarked funds for all including strengthening of the health sector. Participating in the debate on the Union budget in the Upper House of Parliament, BJP leader and union minister Anurag Thakur attacked opposition parties, alleging that they were using farmers for their political gains and asserted that the three new farm laws will help in doubling the incomes of peasants. He challenged the opposition leaders to show him if any of the three laws say that the regime of mandis and MSP would come to an end due to the legislation. "We are committed to double the income of the farmers," Thakur said. Bhupendra Yadav (BJP) lauded the government for providing over Rs 27.1 lakh crore, which is 13 per cent of GDP, under the 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' programme in three financial packages. He noted that farms bill bring "new hope" to farmers and the government is ready to talk on these bills with an open heart and mind. The government provided relief to 40 crore men and women of this country, he said, adding the health budget has been increased by 137 per cent to Rs 2.38 lakh crore. "Earlier governments ran healthcare in such a way that three-fourth of the population could not afford health services," he alleged. On the issue of privatisation, he quoted former Prime Minister Charan Singh, who in his book had talked about loss-making PSUs due to mismanagement and corruption. He told the House that Singh had stated in the book, "Had public concerns been private concerns, they would have on one hand yielded tax of hundreds of crores per year to government and on other hand profit of hundreds of crore on its proprietary and shareholders. On the other hand, public has had to pay and even now paying crores of rupees to make for losses, almost every year in vain." Defending the Budget, Sudhanshu Trivedi (BJP) said it is a transparent budget unlike the budgets of the UPA era which showed 9.5 per cent fiscal deficit. Stressing that just as apart from medicines, immunity needs to be developed to fight Covid, the budget has focussed on infra and capital expenditure. He said the budget is for all citizens' benefit. Ashwini Vaishnav of BJP said this budget has realistic estimates, whether for revenue, expenditure or fiscal deficit, and has been appreciated globally. "This budget has been framed by keeping the common man in mind," he said adding that Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has struck the right balance between consumption and investment. The budget has absolutely good temporary reliefs along with long term plans, he said. Shiv Pratap Shukla of BJP termed the budget as progressive. According to him, during the pandemic the Modi government gave priority to the health of the people and not on economic growth. The Finance minister has given the concept of three 'Rs' into the budget which is - relief for poor and unemployed, recovery of economy and reforms of the financial system. KRH NAM KKS MSS KRH RDM RDM

Budget pragmatic, aims at economic recovery and financial reforms: BJP

New Delhi, Apr 4 () The government on Saturday sought to assuage fears of electricity grid instability due to simultaneous switching on and off of most lights in the country, saying adequate protocols are in place to handle the variation in demand without causing any damage to appliances. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked citizens to switch off lights for nine minutes at 9 pm on Sunday and light candles and torches to "challenge the darkness" of the coronavirus crisis that has forced a three-week country-wide lockdown. Several states shot off letters to power utilities to take steps to deal with the possibility of a sudden drop in electricity demand, which has already dipped by 25 per cent to 125.81 gigawatts due to the lockdown shutting down most businesses. Power System Operation Corp Ltd, the agency responsible for managing electricity grid, said the lighting load of household consumes may be no more than 12-13 GW. "Unlike normal operation, this reduction in load of the order of 12-13 GW would happen in 2-4 minutes and recover nine minutes later," it said. "This sharp reduction in load and recovery, which is unprecedented, will need to be handled through hydro and gas resources." Its gameplan of managing the sudden change in demand is to reduce hydro power generation during 6:10 pm to 8:00 pm on Sunday and conserve it for providing flexibility during the 9:00 pm event. Also, coal-based generators as well as gas fired power stations would be scheduled in a manner so as to manage the peak demand. The switching off of only lights may lead to about 10-15 GW of reduction in electricity consumption out of expected demand of 115-125 GW on Sunday, Ashwini Vaishnav, BJP MP and a bureaucrat who served in Atal Bihari Vajpayee's PMO said. The government on its part moved to assuage any concerns on this front, saying the call was only for voluntary switching off the lights, and appliances such as computers, TV, refrigerators and ACs are to function normally. Also, lights in all essential services including hospitals, police stations and manufacturing facilities as well as street lights are not to be switched off. "Some apprehensions have been expressed that this may cause instability in the grid and fluctuation in voltage which may harm the electrical appliances. These apprehensions are misplaced," an official statement said. "The Indian electricity grid is robust and stable and adequate arrangements and protocols are in place to handle the variation in demand." It said the appeal of the Prime Minister is to simply switch off the lights in their homes from 9 pm to 9:09 pm on April 5. "There is no call to switch off either street lights or appliances like computers, TVs, fans, refrigerators and ACs in the homes. Only lights should be switched off," the statement said. "The lights in hospitals and all other essential services like public utilities, municipal services, offices, police stations, manufacturing facilities, etc will remain on." Stating that the Prime Minister has appealed to the people to voluntarily switch off their lights between 9:00 p.m to 9:09 pm, it said all local bodies have been advised to keep the street lights on for public safety. Union Power Secretary Sanjiv Nandan Sahai also wrote to heads of state power departments, saying "the National Load Despatch Centre has worked out the procedures for grid balancing during the period which they will be communicating to the regional and state load despatch centres separately." He said there is no call to switch off either street lights or appliances in homes. "Adequate arrangements and protocols are in place to handle the variation in demand. People should be assured not to worry and continue running all appliances as usual." A power ministry spokesperson had on Friday said there would be no such impact on grid stability as everything has been taken care of. Meanwhile, the State Load Dispatch Centre (SLDC) of Uttar Pradesh has written to state utilities to take a series of steps to deal with the possibility of a sudden drop in power demand. The SLDC in its letter asked the utilities to keep all the reactors of state grid in service while keeping capacitor banks inoperational. The SLDC has also asked them to start load shedding from 8 pm to 9 pm on Sunday in a staggered manner. Similar instructions have been given by the Tamil Nadu Transmission Corporation in a letter to its operational executives, saying that availability of sufficient staff should be ensured. Meanwhile, an official on the condition of anonymity said power demand may fall by 10 GW to 12 GW during the blackout, which will have no bearing on stability of the national power grid. The official further said this is not the first time the country is going for a blackout, as earlier too such exercises have been conducted for initiatives like 'Earth Hour'. The country had gone through a grid failure in 2012 due to technical reasons. BJP MP Vaishnav said apprehensions being made about the impact on the power grid are false. The Prime Minister's request is for switching off lights at home, and all other appliances will continue to run besides street lights and essential services, he said, adding out of about 115-125 GW expected power demand on Sunday, only about 10-15 GW will reduce by switching off of home lights. KKS KR ANZ ABMABM

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