Category Archives: Fiscal Freedom

New Delhi [India], July 18 (ANI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday said that the Indian Navy spent over 64 per cent of its capital budget in domestic procurement in the last financial year and it is expected to increase to 70 per cent in the current financial year.

Addressing the Naval Innovation and Indigenisation Organisation (NIIO) seminar Swavlamban here, Singh laid thrust on innovation, indigenisation and partnerships between the Armed Forces, Industry, research establishments and academia.

He commended the Prime Minister Narendra Modis vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat, likening it with the Swadeshi movement of Father of Mahatma Gandhi.

Asserting that New India is making giant strides to achieve self-reliance with a new resolve, he exuded confidence that we will soon end the dependency on imports and touch newer heights.

He pointed out that at a time when the Nation is celebrating Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, a new dimension of self-reliance has been added to the definition of freedom.

We have not only achieved self-sufficiency in foodgrains, but are one of its major exporter countries. Vaccines manufactured in India are saving lives of people all over the world. Our space craft is taking satellites of other countries into space. Today, India is not only self-reliant in many sectors, it is also fulfilling the needs of other countries, he said.

He stressed that self-reliance not only means overcoming economic constraints, but also to achieve decisional autonomy for the country by overcoming diplomatic constraints. The self-reliance efforts in the defence sector, under the guidance of the Prime Minister, have transformed Indias image and we will soon become a global manufacturing hub, he said.

Rajnath Singh appreciated the Indian Navy for playing a pioneer role in this endeavour by making remarkable progress in surface, sub-surface and air domains, setting up an in-house-ship-design-organisation and transforming itself from a Buyers Navy to a Builders Navy.

He described the ever-increasing indigenous content in warships as a testament to Indian Navys unwavering commitment towards Aatmanirbhar Bharat, saying that it is a matter of great pride for the nation that the shipyards and the industries are together developing the capacity and capability of the Armed Forces.

He said that in line with the Aatmanirbhar Bharat campaign, the Indian Navy spent over 64 per cent of its capital budget in domestic procurement in the last financial year and it is expected to increase to 70 per cent in the current financial year.

He said the role of the Indian Navy is going to increase further in the Indian Ocean Region and the Indo-Pacific in the times to come and expressed confidence that it is ready to deal with every situation and will prove its mettle in all circumstances, whenever needed. (ANI)

This report is auto-generated from ANI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.

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Indian Navy expected to spend 70 pc of capital budget in domestic procurement this fiscal: Rajnath Singh - ThePrint

The Honorable Nancy PelosiSpeakerU.S. House of Representatives

The Honorable Kevin McCarthyMinority LeaderU.S. House of Representatives

The Honorable Rosa DeLauroChairwoman, Committee on AppropriationsU.S. House of Representatives

The Honorable Kay GrangerRanking Member, Committee on AppropriationsU.S. House of Representatives

July 15, 2022

Dear Speaker Pelosi, Minority Leader McCarthy, Chairwoman DeLauro, and Ranking Member Granger,

The undersigned civil society organizations write to express our grave concern regarding the amendments included in the Fiscal Year 2023 House spending bills for the Departments of Homeland Security and Health and Human Services that would legislatively codify and indefinitely prolong the use of the Title 42 policy, which has been used to block and expel asylum seekers and migrants seeking safe haven in the United States. We urge you to ensure that these poison pill riders, or others like them, are not included in any bill that receives a vote on the House floor.

In 1980, the U.S. Congress passed the Refugee Act, codifying in U.S. law the Refugee Convention protections drafted by the international community in the wake of World War IIs atrocities. Today, just forty years later, those vital protections are in grave risk. Title 42 prevents people who clearly qualify for asylum under our laws based on individual persecution in their homelands from even making their case. We urge the House of Representatives to reject the misguided political reaction of a few that would result in direct harm to asylum seekers and undermine the integrity of the U.S. asylum system.

Title 42 may sound innocuous; in reality it is a policy invented by the Trump administration to dismantle the U.S. asylum system, under the guise of specious public health justifications. Keeping Title 42 in place puts refugees at risk, exacerbates chaos at the border, and serves no legitimate public health goals.

The Title 42 expulsions policy harms asylum seekers. Expulsions have blocked people in need of protection from exercising their legal right to seek asylum without so much as a screening for asylum eligibility, as is required under U.S. law. Under Title 42, the U.S. government has routinely sent asylum seekers back to Mexico where they are vulnerable to kidnapping and violent assault, or back to the violence they fled in their countries of origin. Under the Biden administration, there have been over 10,318 reported violent attacks, including kidnapping and rape, against people expelled to Mexico under Title 42. The harms of the Title 42 expulsions fall primarily on Black, Brown and Indigenous asylum seekers. In recognition of the disparate racial impact inherent in the policy, civil rights leaders have called for the end of Title 42 in the name of racial equity and asylum law.

Title 42 does nothing to protect public health. The Title 42 policy was never justified as a public health measure. Senior CDC experts objected to the policy from its inception. Epidemiologists and medical experts have repeatedly confirmed that the Title 42 policy undermines public health responses to COVID-19 and that the pandemic, including emerging variants, can be addressed through existing precautions, such as offering vaccinations, testing, masking, and avoiding the use of congregate detention.

Title 42 sows chaos at the border rather than ameliorating it. Because Title 42 expulsions prevent people fleeing violence from seeking safety at U.S. ports of entry, the policy forces people to undertake repeated attempts to access asylum protections and U.S. immigration officials are actually prevented from enforcing U.S. immigration law. According to CBP data, the percentage of people who have attempted to repeatedly cross the southern border has jumped by over 385 percent from FY 2019 to FY 2022, from seven percent to 27 percent as of May 2022. Transnational organized crime also benefits from the Title 42 policy because without safe pathways to seek protection, migrants are often forced to rely on smugglers to get them to U.S. soil and are driven to dangerous pathways to seek protection.

The amendments passed out of the House Appropriations Committee are particularly harmful because they make Title 42s rescission contingent on termination of the COVID-19 emergency declaration, a decision with widespread public health and safety ramifications. The decision to end the COVID-19 public health emergency declaration is an incredibly consequential one, as the termination will limit or end the governments flexibility to respond to COVID-19 related public health needs, including the issuance of waivers or modifications of Medicare, Medicaid and CHIP requirements. The Kaiser Family Foundation estimates that between 5.3 and 14.2 million people could lose Medicaid coverage when the public health emergency is terminated. Tying asylum access to the public health needs of millions will inject an irrelevant complication into this important decision, with unintended and potentially harmful consequences for both immigration and public health.

We urge you to ensure that these amendments are not included in any legislation that receives a vote on the House floor. Permitting these bills to proceed would irreparably taint decades of congressional commitment to protect refugees and asylum seekers. With countless lives at stake, we expect you to protect, not undermine, the rights of asylum seekers.

Sincerely,

National Organizations:African Communities TogetherAlianza AmericasAmericas VoiceAmerican Civil Liberties UnionAmerican Friends Service CommitteeAmerican Immigration CouncilAmerican Immigration LawyersAssociation American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC)Amnesty International USAAsian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJCAsian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based ViolenceAsylum Seeker Advocacy Project (ASAP)Autistic Self Advocacy NetworkBend the Arc: Jewish ActionBlack Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI)Bread for the WorldBridges Faith InitiativeCenter for Constitutional RightsCenter for Disability RightsCenter for Gender & Refugee StudiesCenter for Law and Social Policy (CLASP)Center for Victims of TortureChildrens HealthWatchChurch World ServiceCivil Rights Education and Enforcement CenterCoalition on Human NeedsCommunities United for Status & Protection (CUSP)Community Change ActionComunidad Maya Pixan IximDetention Watch NetworkDisciples Immigration Legal CounselDisciples Refugee & Immigration MinistriesDoctors for Camp ClosureEvangelical Lutheran Church in AmericaFaith In Action (LA RED)Familia: Trans Queer Liberation MovementFamilies for FreedomFamily VoicesFIRM ActionFirst Focus Campaign for ChildrenFreedom for Immigrants (FFI)Freedom Network USAGovernment Accountability ProjectHaitian Bridge AllianceHIASHispanic FederationHuman Rights FirstHuman Rights WatchImmigrant Justice CorpsImmigrant Legal Resource CenterImmigration Equality Action FundInnovation Law LabInstitute for Justice & Democracy in HaitiInternational Mayan LeagueInternational Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP)International Rescue CommitteeInterReligious Task Force on Central America and ColombiaJesuit Refugee Service/USAJPIC Office, Adorers of the Blood of Christ, US RegionJustice Action CenterJustice in MotionKids in Need of DefenseKino Border InitiativeLatin America Working Group (LAWG)Leadership Conference on Civil & Human RightsLutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS)Maryknoll Office for Global ConcernsNAKASECNational Center for Lesbian RightsNational Center for Parent Leadership, Advocacy, and Community Empowerment (National PLACE)National Council of Jewish WomenNational Education AssociationNational Immigrant Justice CenterNational Immigration Law CenterNational Immigration Project (NIPNLG)National Justice For Our NeighborsNational Network for Immigrant and Refugee RightsNational Partnership for New AmericansNational Priorities Project at the Institute for Policy StudiesNETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social JusticeOxfam AmericaPhysicians for Human RightsPoder LatinxPresente.orgPrevention InstituteProject On Government OversightQuixote CenterRAICESRefugee CongressRefugee Council USARefugees InternationalRespond Crisis TranslationRobert F. Kennedy Human RightsSave the ChildrenService Employees International Union (SEIU)Showing Up for Racial JusticeSisters and Associates of St. FrancisSisters of Mercy of the Americas Justice TeamSojournersSouthern Border Communities CoalitionSouthern Poverty Law Center Action FundTruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human RightsTahirih Justice CenterU.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI)UndocuBlack NetworkUnion for Reform JudaismUnitarian Universalist Service CommitteeUnitarian Universalists for Social JusticeUnited We DreamVera Institute of JusticeWashington Office on Latin America (WOLA)Witness at the BorderWomens Refugee CommissionYoung Center for Immigrant Childrens Rights

Regional / state / local organizations:Adelanto Visitation & Advocacy NetworkAdhikaarAdvocates for Basic Legal Equality, Inc.Advocating OpportunityAl Otro LadoAll Souls Unitarian ChurchAmerican GatewaysAsian American Advocacy FundAsian American FederationAsian Americans Advancing Justice-AtlantaAssociation for Special Children & FamiliesBellevue Program for Survivors of TortureBend the Arc Jewish Action PittsburghBend the Arc: Jewish Action MarylandBend the Arc: Jewish Action Champaign-UrbanaBorder KindnessBorder Organizing ProjectCapital Area Immigrants Rights Coalition (CAIR Coalition)Central American Resource Center CARECEN of CaliforniaChildren at RiskChurch Women United in New York StateCoalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA)Colorado Immigrant RightsCoalition Community Asylum Seekers ProjectConnecticut Shoreline IndivisibleEl Refugio MinistryEnvision Freedom FundEsperanza Immigrant Rights ProjectExceptional Childrens Assistance Center (ECAC)Federation for Children with Special NeedsFellowship SouthwestFirst Friends of New Jersey and New YorkFlorence Immigrant & Refugee Rights ProjectGeorgia Asylum and Immigration Network (GAIN)Georgia Human Rights ClinicGeorgia Latino Alliance for Human RightsGood ShepherdGrassroots LeadershipGuadalupe Presbyterian Church USA, Guadalupe, AZHawaii Families As AlliesHoly Spirit Social JusticeHope Border InstituteHuman Rights Initiative of North TexasIllinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee RightsImmigrant Defenders Law CenterImmigrant Legal Advocacy ProjectImmigration Working Group, SWPA Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in AmericaINCLUDEnycInter-Faith Committee on Latin AmericaInterfaith Community for Detained Immigrants ChicagoInterfaith Welcome Coalition San AntonioJewish Activists for Immigration Justice of Western MassJewish Family Service of San DiegoJewish Progressive Action (NH)Justice for Our Neighbors El PasoKitsap Immigrant Assistance Center (KIAC)La ConexionLa Raza Community Resource CenterLas Americas Immigrant Advocacy CenterLutheran Social ServicesMaryland Against ICE DetentionMaryland Legislative CoalitionMigrant Center for Human RightsMinnesota Freedom FundMontgomery County Federation of Families for Childrens Mental Health, Inc.New Sanctuary Movement of AtlantaNew York Immigration CoalitionNorCal ResistNorth Carolina Justice CenterNorthwest Immigrant Rights ProjectNW Ohio Immigrant Rights NetworkOasis Legal Services OPAWL Building AAPI Feminist LeadershipParents Place of MDPEAK Parent CenterRio Grande Borderland MinistriesRocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy NetworkRutgers Law School, Child Advocacy ClinicSan Dieguito United Methodist Church, Encinitas, CASidewalk School Sisters of St. Francis of PhiladelphiaSisters of St. Francis, Tiffin, OHSisters of St. Joseph of CarondeletSocial Justice Coalition, Central Lutheran ChurchSPAN Parent Advocacy NetworkSt. James Cathedral, SeattleTakoma Park Mobilization Equal JusticeTexas Civil Rights ProjectThe Advocates for Human RightsTHRIVE CenterUniversidad PopularUniversity of San Francisco Immigration and Deportation Defense ClinicUnLocalWestchester Jewish Coalition for ImmigrationWind of the Spirit Immigrant Resource Center

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NGO letter opposing T.42 amendments in appropriations - Government Accountability Project

Starting next fiscal year, a 2 percent digital service tax will be charged on services provided over the internet to Nepali consumers by non-resident persons.

Electronic services such as gaming, video, music and app downloads, streaming services, cloud services and other services are taxable if the annual turnover exceeds Rs2 million.

"Digital service providers such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Netflix and others will have to register in Nepal from July 17, the beginning of the new fiscal year 2022-23," said Raju Prasad Pyakurel, information officer at the Inland Revenue Department and director of the Taxpayer Service Section.

He refused to offer any details as to what step the government would take if such foreign e-businesses refuse to register.

The guidelines on Digital Service Tax issued by the Inland Revenue Department under the Ministry of Finance will come into effect from Sunday, July 17.

This move is intended to bring foreign service providers into the countrys tax net, said Pyakurel. We have been receiving informal queries from several service providers about the new law.

The 183-day rule is one of the criteria used to determine non-citizens for tax purposes, according to the Income Tax Act 2002.

This is the beginning, Pyakurel said. There are some provisions to fine those who fail to pay taxes on time. But this does not mean the government is trying to constrict social media usage. We want to bring non-citizens providing their services into the tax system.

The 59th annual report of the Office of the Auditor General unveiled on Wednesday states that Nepal has not been able to collect taxes from different apps that are providing digital services in Nepal from abroad since they are not identified and registered in the country.

Since they provide their services in Nepal, they need to be taxed under the countrys laws.

A huge amount of money goes out of the country for using various apps such as YouTube, TikTok, Google Meet, Zoom and Microsoft Teams, among others, according to the audit report.

In the absence of a legal gateway to pay the operators of such applications, payments are being made through Paytm, PayPal and credit cards by using the international electronic payment medium.

According to the new guidelines, digital services include advertisement service; films, television, music, over the top (OTT) and other media services based on membership; data archive service; cloud service; gaming service; mobile application related service; online marketplace and things and services provided through it; data and photo download service; education, consultancy, skill development and training service; and e-book, e-library and e-paper services, among others.

Digital services provided to Nepali consumers refers to those services provided inside Nepal, meaning the billing address is in Nepal; if payment is done through a Nepali bank account or through any tools operated by an institution authorised by law.

This also includes payments made through debit card, credit card or any other medium issued by a Nepali bank or any other institution authorised by law or if the service is being received by using an Internet Protocol Address located in Nepal and those services received by using a SIM card with a Nepal telecommunication code or landline.

A taxpayer who pays taxes as per the new guidelines will not have to pay taxes as per the Income Tax Act 2002.

The department has also implemented the working guidelines on value added tax applicable to digital services for non-resident persons.

According to the guidelines, a non-resident person providing digital services inside Nepal and having an annual transaction of more than Rs2 million is required to pay 13 percent VAT.

The digital service tax should be paid through an online medium within three months of the end of the fiscal year.

If the tax is not paid by the stipulated deadline, a 15 percent fine will be charged, according to the guidelines.

Industry insiders say the guidelines introduced to raise taxes should not regulate social media and curtail freedom of expression.

While it is important to bring digital services under the tax net, any such guidelines should not be used to limit social media platforms or undermine freedom of speech and expression, said Taranath Dahal, executive chairman of Freedom Forum, a civil liberty group that advocates free speech.

"There were doubts about the governments intention when it launched the Information Technology Bill three years ago," said Dahal. The government should remove all provisions that curtail freedom of expression in the Information Technology Bill and pass it as soon as possible.

The Information Technology Bill, which was passed by the parliamentary Development and Technology Committee in December 2019 and has remained idle in Parliament since then, has also provisioned social media companies operating in Nepal to be registered locally and pay taxes on the income they make from Nepali customers.

Last February, the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology prepared a directive which gave unlimited powers to the Department of Information Technology to control social media, its operators and users.

Most of the provisions in the draft were similar to those in the controversial Information Technology Bill.

The bill is still in Parliament. A rule was needed to bring foreign digital service providers under the tax system, said Prem Sharan Shrestha, director general at the Department of Information Technology.

While the immediate intention of the government in bringing the guidelines seems to be collecting taxes from foreign digital service providers, we still suspect its intention is to strictly regulate social media platforms, said Rastra Bimochan Timalsena, an advocate who also runs a YouTube channel named Random Nepali. "Nepal is not a big market for foreign digital service giants. However, the question is about the hassles they would potentially face to be registered in Nepal.

"And what if they dont agree to be registered? Will they be banned or allowed to continue their service? he questioned.

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Digital services provided by foreign firms to be taxed from tomorrow - The Kathmandu Post

Ayushman Cards issued by the government for the wellbeing of its citizens in the lower strata of society is a game changer in the health care system of the country. The eligible categories are schedule casts, schedule tribe households, beggars, hawkers and families with no male members and no individuals between age of 16 to 59 years. The health insurance scheme covers over 50 crores citizens in India and has several success stories to it. It is a smart digital governance move by the government but at the same time, it also seems to have few lacunas in it. This program known as the Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojna is to make secondary and territory healthcare completely cash less for the underprivileged section of the society. The E- card can be used to avail services and facilities in empanelled hospitals (public and private) anywhere in the country. The coverage includes pre and post hospitalization expenses, operational expenses, etc up to Rs.5,00,000 p.a. per family per year.

Experts from the industry however hold a different opinion. Mumbai-based neurosurgeon Dr. Aadil S Chagla, said, Digital health ID Card is simply a ticket to access into health system and does not solve the real health issues. For instance, sex determination of an unborn child is not allowed to be disclosed in ultrasound clinics, in addition there still persists some stigma concerning certain health issues due to religious or family traditions. In such cases it becomes difficult for the patients more than the doctors. It is a lucrative opportunity to attack the privacy of individuals whose data would otherwise have been restricted to a few institutions in the normal course but now their personal data is available nationally as per the data management policy draft. Also, other sensitive information like bank account details and payment details will be stored in the database, making it easily prone to cyber-attack. Medically if we see its good for doctors but its a burden for laymen. Sharing sensitive information is not appreciated in many cases. There is an agenda behind every move. Its the IT that benefits from Aadhar Card linkage. Health sector needs to be attended at grass root level. Ex: certain patients come frustrated to me like the autoriksha driver having spine traumas due to poor road conditions who cannot afford to take a break for medical treatments as their livelihood gets affected? He is prone to overdose of medicinal intake which further deteriorates his condition like liver and kidney disorders. The government must make addition to the scheme to benefit such people so that their livelihood is not affected and they get proper treatment.

Talashi a Village in Radhanagari in Kolhapur District of Maharashtra, has no medical facilities for over 50kms. There are many such places where up to 100kms or more there is no medical facility. In case of chest pains, heart attacks, brain strokes, etc by the time the ambulance reaches, the patient may lose his life. Is it fair to get the digital world upgraded without making the foundations strong? The government should focus on addressing such pain points before focusing on digitalization. Todays buzz words are information and technology. Having said that, IT changes languages while upgrading but when it comes to health the basic foundations need to be strengthened.

Plastic and cosmetic Surgeon Dr. Suraj Singh Chauhan, says in times of fiscal crisis and shifting demographics, collaboration of public private hospitals will enable improved health infrastructure and would be a rewarding venture. However, patient privacy concerns need to be addressed. He suggests, using patients fingerprint logins for easy access to the Ayushman scheme as majority of the users are illiterate or semi-literate and at the time of need may not be even carrying their id card with them. This will enable for providing immediate medical attention especially in accident or emergency cases with access to the medical history of the patient. He said strong safeguards should be built in regarding the medical history and other data of the patient to be maintained independent of each other, to avoid misuse.

He also added The bureaucratic barriers to set up new hospitals must be reduced. At present, corporates are investing in establishing health care facilities, which is why they are running on business models with no freedom to doctors to play a significant role in administration. Doctors are blamed for performance when any crisis arises ignoring the fact that they are not well equipped to take any significant decision in administration or management, despite having the real knowledge as to what is required and what should be prioritised when it comes to real health care.

As per government, when approx. 86% of rural houses do not have access to any health care insurance, this health id card is a boon for them. Approx. 20% of rural families access health care by taking loans. This health id card will ease the burden on them and avoid debt traps.

Views expressed above are the author's own.

END OF ARTICLE

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Ayushman health ID card: A need for fine tuning! - Times of India

By N Chandra Mohan

For India, which imports 85% of its requirements, costlier oil implies a higher import bill and inflation, besides straining the current account, the broadest measure of Indias goods and services transactions with the rest of the world. Indications are that the crude import bill this fiscal is likely to substantially exceed last years level of 212 million metric tonne worth $120 billion. To incentivise higher domestic output, the cabinet committee on economic affairs has decided to provide greater pricing power to domestic oil producers to enable market-determined price discovery. However, they would continue to be barred from exporting their produce. Conflicting with this is the decision to slap a windfall gains tax on domestic crude producers.

Deregulation of crude sales and the waiver from allocating domestically produced oil only to government-owned refineries is effective from October 1. The largest state-owned producer, ONGC, thus can auction its output from Mumbai High to any refinery in the public and private sector. CCEAs decision thus could result in ONGC gaining by 7-8% from its crude and spur more investments in exploration and drilling, resulting in higher output. But these realisations would be hit by the windfall gains tax of as much as $40 a barrel. The development cess and royalty on domestic crude is 31% or $35 a barrel at current import-parity prices to refineries, which means that the effective tax is now higher at a substantial 65%, as reported byFE.

To be sure, taxation of windfall gains handsomely benefits the exchequer by as much as `65, 000 crore annually. But it also erodes the incentive to prospect for oil. This has been forcefully underscored by global oil companies operating in the North Sea in response to UKs energy profits levy imposed in May to fund a support package for households struggling with higher energy bills. ONGC, no doubt, benefited from the uptrend in global oil prices in supplying to state-owned refineries at import parity prices, registering a 31.5% increase in net profits in Q4 FY22. The oil giant needs these resources for its planned capex spend of `31, 000 crore till FY25. If the bulk of revenue generation goes as levies while costs of running operations take up 20-25%, this would make it difficult for it to invest more in exploration. However, the government has said the cess will not be levied on crude produced in excess of last years output.

Unfortunately, this exemption from cess may not mean much as the challenge of stepping up domestic output is daunting. Domestic crude production has been steadily declining from 38.1 mmt in FY12 to 29.7 mmt in FY22. Till May this fiscal, production at 5 mmt is virtually unchanged from the levels during the corresponding period in FY 22 according to the Petroleum Planning & Analysis Cell. Domestic production is falling for various reasons, including declining output from old and marginal fields. India lacks the technological capability for deep water exploration. There have also been no major hydrocarbon discoveries of late either. The country is currently increasing expenditure on seismic surveys of domestic hydrocarbon assets.

India has around 26 sedimentary basins covering an area of 3.3 million square km, of which only seven Category 1 basins have established commercial production of oil. The policy challenge is to incentivise prospecting the remaining areas, which entails a huge amount of resources and technology. Over the years, the sedimentary basin exploited has remained stagnant at 6 to 7%. In Parliament, Union petroleum minister Hardeep Puri said this has gone up to 10% since 2016 and the expectation is that it will rise to 15% very shortly and go on to 30% after that. This is the frontier that must be tapped if the drive to step up domestic production is to bear fruition. Domestic producers need a free run from burdensome levies to invest in exploration.

Towards this end, it is also absolutely essential that state-owned producers like ONGC are strengthened. Not so long ago, there were reports that ONGC might have to give away a 60% stake plus operating control in Indias largest oil and gas producing fields of Mumbai High to foreign companies and divest its drilling and services arm to become asset-light, among others. This prompted former Union secretary EAS Sarma to write to the Prime Minister that instead of weakening ONGC, the government should adopt a conscious strategy to strengthen its ability. So, if the policy thrust is to shift from revenue to production maximisation, domestic oil producers must be incentivised to produce more to reduce Indias import-dependence. Giving greater pricing freedom while hitting their realisations through windfall gains taxation may not be efficacious to address the imperative of stepping up relatively greater self-sufficiency in domestic oil production over the medium-term.

The writer is an economics and business commentator based in New Delhi. Views expressed are personal.

Originally posted here:

Windfall tax on crude goes against incentive of more pricing freedom - The Financial Express

Editors note: This is part of a monthly series of campus updates on diversity, equity and inclusion that will continue throughout the year.

The Juneteenth Flag flies below the Stars and Stripes during a flag-raising ceremony at the Penfield Tate II Municipal Building in Boulder. (Photo by Casey A. Cass/University of Colorado)

From left:Philip DiStefano, chancellor of CU Boulder; Junie Joseph, Boulder city councilwoman; and Sonia DeLuca Fernndez, senior vice chancellor for diversity, equity and inclusion at CU Boulder, chat before a June 17 raising of the Juneteenth flag at the Penfield Tate II Municipal Building in Boulder. (Photo by Casey A. Cass/University of Colorado)

CU Boulder and city of Boulder leaders and residents gathered on June 17 for a flag-raising ceremony to mark Juneteenth, Colorados newest official state holiday.

Chancellor Philip DiStefano and Senior Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Sonia DeLuca Fernndez were among the university and community leaders in attendance.

Earlier this month, CU Boulder critical ethnic studies doctoral student Shawn Trenell ONeal spoke about Juneteenth and its impact on the United States during a June 8 meeting of the Boulder Chambers Business Womens Leadership Group.

Juneteenth, traditionally celebrated on June 19, recognizes and celebrates the freedom and self-determination of African Americans and the end of slavery following the Civil War. It became a federal holiday in 2021, providing all Americans with an opportunity to deepen their understanding of the nations collective and diverse history.

ColoradoGov. Jared Polis signed a legislative bill into law in May designating Juneteenth an official state holiday, recognizing the importance of the date, also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Liberation Day and the second Independence Day.

For the 2022 fiscal year, qualifying university employees are eligible to take a personal observance day to mark Juneteenth before Dec. 31 in consultation with supervisors. Learn more about Juneteenth asa floating holiday and how it willimpact the campus community.

Read more:Four things to know about Juneteenth

CUPD Chief of Police Doreen Jokerst, Interim Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs JB Banks, and Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold celebrate Pride Month at a recent Boulder County Pride Week event.

Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold, left, and CUPD Police Chief Doreen Jokerst gather with members of the Boulder community during a parade to mark Pride Week, June 612.

Pride Month occurs each June to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in New York City and to celebrate the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals across the United States.

However, recognizing and supporting students, staff and faculty who identify as LGBTQ+ is a yearlong commitment at CU Boulder, and the campus offers services and resources for anyone who needs support, wants to connect with others or would like to learn more about LGBTQ+ history, communities, resources and activities on campus and beyond.

Campus resources and support services are available to students, staff and faculty through the universitys Pride Office in the Center for Inclusion and Social Change.

University Libraries offers a Pride Month research guide for campus community members who want to connect with local LGBTQ+ organizations, attend local programming, become an ally or learn more about LBGTQ+ history and communities.

Beyond the campus, Boulder County marked Pride Month June 612, a celebration that drew the participation of CU Boulder community members and campus leaders.

In addition, CU was among the dozens of sponsors of the annual Denver PrideFest June 2326, which included a parade, a 5K race, a rally and other activities.

According to Wikipedia, Denver PrideFest, which drew 525,000 people in 2019, hosts the sixth-largest Pride celebration in the United States after New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston and Houston. New York City held the largest WorldPride festival in 2019, drawing an estimated 5 million people.

Read more:From Dont say gay to bathrooms and sports: How debates over LGBTQ+ rights impact kids

The Center for Inclusion and Social Change has scheduled summer UndocuAlly Zoom sessions for staff, faculty and students with administrative or teaching roles.

Participants will learn more about the makeup of the campuss undocumented community and the history of U.S. immigration and gain a greater understanding of the challenges, opportunities and resources available to undocumented students.

Participants will also learn more about the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Colorados Advancing Students for a Stronger Economy Tomorrow (ASSET) and how these programs affect CU Boulder students.

The remaining summer session will take place from noon to 2 p.m. on July 22.

More information about how to register is available on the ODECE website.

Campus efforts and investments to address pressing and painful inequities at CU Boulder are only a beginning. Creating a culture of belonging will take each member of our community practicing sustained personal work to truly embrace and support diverse perspectives and identities in our community.

This year, Chancellor Philip DiStefano and other campus leaders urge every member of our community to join in learning more about diversity, equity, inclusion and anti-racism and to work continuously together to address these challenges more actively and in ways that can help authentically transform our campus culture in the coming year.

Excerpt from:

Diversity, equity and inclusion update: June 2022 issue | CU Boulder Today - CU Boulder Today

WASHINGTON, DC Senate Foreign Relations Committee chair Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence chair Adam Schiff (D-CA) reacted sharply to President Bidens decision to once again waive Section 907 restrictions on US aid to Azerbaijan, greenlighting new US military aid to the Aliyev regime despite its ethnic cleansing of the indigenous Armenian population of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh), reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

In a statement released on Friday, Chairman Menendez noted, I am deeply disappointed to see the Department of State once again make an exception to bypass Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act to provide what has become annual assistance to the regime in Baku. Adding insult to injury, the administration chose to move forward with this most recent waiver despite the recent publication of a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report which confirmed the Department of State and Department of Defense have failed to meet statutory reporting requirements to Congress on the impact of U.S. assistance on the military balance between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Chairman Menendez continued, As Azerbaijan continues to further occupy territory from its violent assault on Nagorno-Karabakh, during which more than 6,500 people died and more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians were displaced in 2020, it simply makes no sense to say that U.S. assistance and training has not impacted its military balance with Armenia. I will continue to conduct rigorous oversight of any and all assistance to Azerbaijan and expect the Department of State to operate with complete transparency and provide all necessary details for Congress to assess any assistance provided to Baku.

In commentary released to the ANCA, Chairman Schiff pledged to work with Congressional allies and the Armenian American community to remove a presidents power to waive Section 907 and to urge the Biden administration to reinvigorate the peace process. Chairman Schiff explained, Azerbaijan is responsible for provoking a horrific war and humanitarian disaster in Armenia and Artsakh, killing thousands of Armenians over 44 days in September 2020 and forcing thousands more to flee their ancestral homelands. To this day, Azerbaijan continues to illegally detain Armenian soldiers who have been subject to torture, and to threaten thousands of innocent civilians in Nagorno-Karabakh who live in fear of another attack and invasion.

Chairman Schiff continued, Under no circumstances should the United States be providing military support to such a regime it not only runs counter to our nations core democratic values, but could empower the Aliyev regime to continue or escalate its provocative actions against Armenians. President Biden should not have waived Section 907.

ANCA executive director Aram Hamparian thanked Chairman Menendez and Chairman Schiff for calling out the Biden administrations reckless decision demanding stronger Congressional oversight and a stop to US military aid to Azerbaijan. Not a single penny in US tax-payer money should go to the overtly racist and openly aggressive Aliyev regime. We look forward to working with Chairman Menendez and Chairman Schiff and their colleagues on key committees in both the Senate and the House to oppose US subsidies for Azerbaijans genocidal violence against Artsakh and Armenia.

The ANCA has been running an online campaign condemning President Bidens decision and urging Congress to use every legislative vehicle possible to zero-out military aid to Azerbaijan.

On June 23, the Biden administration reportedly notified Congress of their decision to waive Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act. The measure, adopted in 1992, establishes statutory restrictions on US assistance to the Government of Azerbaijan until the President determines, and so reports to the Congress, that the Government of Azerbaijan is taking demonstrable steps to cease all blockades and other offensive uses of force against Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. Congress included a Section 907 waiver in the FY2002 Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act. US presidents Republican and Democrat have waived Section 907 annually ever since.

During his run for office, on October 14, 2020, then-candidate Biden stated that the United States must fully implement and not waive requirements under Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act to stop the flow of military equipment to Azerbaijan. As President, he first reversed his position on the issue on April 23, 2021 on the eve of his historic announcement properly recognizing the Armenian Genocide.

A US Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, issued earlier this year, revealed that the State Department consistently failed to inform Congress of the impact of over $164 million in assistance to Baku on the military balance between Azerbaijan and Armenia. According to the GAO, the US has provided about $808 million in overall US aid to Azerbaijan in fiscal years 2002 through 2020.

The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is the largest and most influential Armenian-American grassroots organization. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters and supporters throughout the United States and affiliated organizations around the world, the ANCA actively advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.

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Menendez, Schiff alarmed that Biden again approves US military aid to Azerbaijan - Armenian Weekly

ByShahira Amin

In June, Russias state-owned atomic energy firm, Rosatom, made a surprise announcement that it would begin producing equipment for Egypts first nuclear power plant in the northwest town of El-Dabaa. The new development has raised concerns in the United States and Europe -which harbor resentment toward Russia for its aggression against Ukraine and see the continuation of the project as a sign of Egypt cozying up to Moscow.

The announcement, which came during a visit to Moscow by the head of Egypts Nuclear Power Plants Authority, marks a revival of an agreement signed by Egypt and Russia in 2015 and has seen little progress since. The decision to resume work on the controversial Dabaa civilian nuclear facility has also raised some skeptical eyebrows among observers in the US and Europe.

For one, Russiawhich has committed to financing 85 percent of the cost of the Dabaa project through a $25 billion loan over a twenty-two-year periodis engaged in the war in Ukraine that has led to the imposition of punitive, multilateral economic sanctions.

Egypt, meanwhile, has no pressing need for a nuclear facility, analysts argue. The North African country has an energy surplus thanks to growing investments in renewable energy and large oil and gas discoveries made in recent years. Production from Zohrone of the largest gas fields in the Mediterranean (discovered by Italian energy firm Eni in 2015)reached a record 2.74 billion cubic feet of gas per day in 2021. The addition of two new wells to the gas field is expected to further boost production in the coming months. Moreover, a $10 billion solar power facility is under construction in the southern city of Aswan, with the potential to produce the same amount of energy as Dabaa (at just one-third of the latters cost). This renders the Aswan facility far more cost-effective and without the potential environmental risks posed by the Dabaa facility.

Egyptian officials insist, however, that the countrys future energy securityand population growthnecessitate diversification of energy sources, including nuclear and coal.

They see the construction of the Dabaa facility as a means of catalyzing the countrys shift to a low-carbon economy: nuclear energy is low-carbon and can supply the Arab Worlds most populous country with clean, reliable, and affordable electricity, one security official told me. Egypts Integrated Energy Strategy aims to raise power production from renewable sources to more than 40 percent by 2035. Not surprisingly, the project is being touted in Egyptian media as one that would improve the living standards of Egyptians. The project also aligns with Egypts ambition to become a regional energy hub for Africa, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Middle East. Toward that end, Egypt has been implementing fiscal reform and constructing energy interconnections (besides its marked shift toward renewable energy resource development.)

Meanwhile, the Russian war in Ukraine and subsequent push by the US and its European allies to abandon the use of Russian fossil fuels, offers an opportunity for Egypt to step in and plug the gap in gas supplies to Europe through increased production and exports. Agreements have already been signed by Eni and the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company, EGAS, for Egypt to provide EuropeItaly in particularwith 3 billion cubic meters of liquified natural gas in 2022.

Seeing a solid partner in Russia and grateful to the latter for its support, Egypt has refused to cave in to pressure from US and European allies to blatantly condemn the Russian war in Ukraine. Egypt has instead chosen to remain neutral in the conflict and has rejected the idea of imposing sanctions on Russia despite the fact that the country, too, is suffering from the implications of the ongoing war. Egyptthe bulk of whose wheat imports had come from Russia and Ukraine before the waris now having to turn to alternative wheat import sources like Romania, France, and India, and is also paying a lot more for its imports. As Egypt grapples with a growing budget deficit and a shortage in foreign currency reserves, the country is paying up to US$ 480 per ton for imported wheat an approximately 78 percent increase iover the original price (US$270) paid before the war.

Addressing the International Economic Forum held in St. Petersburg on June 15-18, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi praised Egypts distinguished relations with Russia. He noted that the two countries were implementing large and ambitious projects, citing the Dabaa facility as one such project. Russia is also enhancing its cooperation with Egypt by establishing a Russian industrial zone in the Suez Canal, which is expected to attract $7 billion in investmentsand is also helping develop Egypts dilapidated rail network.

The two countries have enjoyed close relations for decades, but ties have grown stronger since President Sisi came to power in 2014. Irked by criticism from the US and European leaders in regard to grave human rights abuses committed by his regime, Sisi has sought to diversify Egypts global partnerships by cementing ties with his Russian counterpartan autocrat unconcerned with democracy and human rights.

Sisi, meanwhile, continues to be wary of the US, since the latter threw its weight behind the pro-democracy activists that led the 2011 uprising against dictator Hosni Mubarak, and was later willing to give democracy a chance by acquiesing to Muslim Brotherhood rule. The US went further, suspending n 2013 a portion of the $1.3 billion it annually gives to Egypt over the bloody crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood, according to a CNN report. Although the US released the suspended aid in 2015, the suspension had already caused a strain in US-Egypt relations.

In September 2021, the US State Department announced plans by the Joe Biden administration to withhold $130 million worth of military aid to Egypt until the latter takes specific steps related to human rights. The Egyptian Foreign Ministry has repeatedly characterized allegations of human rights violations as interference in the countrys internal affairs and misinformation spread by the opposition.

If the US wishes to bolster its cooperation with Egypt, it may need to do what the European Union (EU) has done: water down its criticism of Egypts human rights situation and look out for its interests. So long as Sisi halts the flow of illegal migration from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to Europeand continues his counter-terrorism efforts, the EU is willing to turn a blind eye to any excesses and bolster the Egyptian militarys arsenal through increased European arms sales to Egypt (notably from Germany and France.) This unspoken agreement has prompted Egypt to sign a long-delayed partnership deal with the EU to be implemented over the next five years. Priorities of the new partnership include helping Egypt build a sustainable and resilient economy through green and digital transition, energy, rural development, and supporting the country in tackling its food security challenge.

That isnt to say that the US and EU should disregard their core values of respect for human rights, equality, freedom, and democracy. Rather, the West should continue to press for political reforms through enhanced support and greater cooperation to build mutual trust.

In his address to the St. Petersburg Forum, Sisi acknowledged that Egypt is feeling the pinch of the global economic crisis and called fora collaborative effort from all parties to address the crisis.

The US would do well to heed the call by continuing to extend support to its North African ally in this time of economic upheaval and uncertainty. The Biden administration has made no secret of its plan to withdraw fromor at least downsize the US footprint in the Middle East. The decision has left countries in the region feeling vulnerableabandoned even as their leaders had looked to the US for support during the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, food shortages, and the impact of climate change, to name a few.

It isnt surprising that Russia would step in to regain its position in MENA and fill a potential vacuum created by the US disengaging from the region and shifting its focus to the Russian war and China. As Egypt continues its war against terrorism in the Sinai and struggles to lift its economy from imminent recession, the US needs to reconsider its policy vis-a-vis MENAin particular, Egypt, whose stability is key for the stability of the region.

Supporting Egypt is a win-win, as it would guarantee that the US has a reliable partner to work with, especially when conflicts arise in the region. Egypt has, on several occasions, proved its mettle as a mediator between Israel and the Palestinians. Such support would also ensure Cairos commitment to continuing the economic and political reformsit has started which are in the interests of both the US and Egypt. Now is the time for the US to cooperate more with Egypt, not less.

Shahira Amin is an independent journalist based in Cairo. A former contributor to CNNs Inside Africa, Amin has been covering the development in post-revolution Egypt for several outlets including Index on Censorship and Al-Monitor. Follow her on Twitter @sherryamin13.

Image: Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi speaks with Russia's President Vladimir Putin during the first plenary session as part of the 2019 Russia-Africa Summit at the Sirius Park of Science and Art in Sochi, Russia, October 24, 2019. Sergei Chirikov/Pool via REUTERS

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Egypt is cozying up to Russia. It's time for the US to step in. - Atlantic Council

Any sign of fatigue or wavering in Western support for Ukraine will play directly into President Putins hands, the Prime Minister will tell world leaders this week at the first in-person gathering of G7 leaders since Putins full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The first few weeks and months of the Ukrainian resistance have been characterised by overwhelming global unity and a huge surge of support for the Ukrainian people. It is essential that this is sustained for the long term. Russias behaviour and the atrocities Putin is committing must not become normalised in the eyes of the world.

During his second visit to Kyiv since the outbreak of war last week, the Prime Minister spoke to President Zelenskyy about the urgent needs of the Ukrainian Government. This includes military support, opening up the routes out of the country blockaded by the Russian military and urgent financial support to allow the Ukrainian state to function.

The Ukrainian Government fears it could run out of funding by the autumn unless it is given urgent financial help. To help with this pressing need the UK stands ready to provide another $525 million (or 429 million) in guarantees for World Bank lending later this year.

The new support announced today brings the total amount of fiscal support including UK loan guarantees to 1.3 billion ($1.5 billion) and the combined UK economic and humanitarian support to Ukraine to 1.5 billion ($1.8 billion) this year.

President Zelenskyy will virtually address the G7 Summit today. Following his address, the Prime Minister will use an intervention at the Summit to rally support for Ukraine. He will encourage all G7 countries to back Ukraine in the long-term, building on the significant pledges already made since February.

The Prime Minister said:

Future generations will be awed and inspired by the truly heroic Ukrainian resistance in the face of Putins barbarism.

Ukraine can win and it will win. But they need our backing to do so. Now is not the time to give up on Ukraine.

The UK will continue to back Ukraine every step of the way, because we know that their security is our security, and their freedom is our freedom.

UK loan guarantees are playing an important role in closing Ukraines financing gap, enabling Multilateral Development Banks like the World Bank to lend far more than they otherwise could to the Ukrainian Government. This lending is covering costs like Ukrainian public sector wages, and the running of schools and hospitals.

These investments will help preserve the Ukrainian state. The UK only covers the cost of the loan if the Ukrainian Government is unable to pay. They are therefore both an investment in Ukraines strategic resilience and an expression of confidence in the countrys future.

Without international support, the Ukrainian Government would be forced to pursue paths which compromise their macro-economic stability and long-term economic security, including running down reserves and printing money. Policies like these would directly lead to mass inflation and humanitarian catastrophe in the country.

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PM to say to G7 leaders: We must keep up our resolve on Ukraine - GOV.UK

Is it just me, or have you also been noticing a growing trend among many Christian pastors and Church members in our country to replace traditional Christian values with a completely different set of beliefs? Here are some of the shifts I have noticed cropping up from behind the pulpit and in the pews:

FROM: My kingdom is not of this world

TO: My kingdom is the American Dream in the chosen land of the United States of America.

FROM: Worship no God but me. Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.

TO: A new Trinity: God, Guns and Country.

FROM: The inspired word of God is the Bible

TO: The inspired word of God is the Bible AND the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, and the Pledge of Allegiance (see the new God Bless America Bible).

FROM: There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male or female, for you are all one in Christ

TO: The ideal kingdom is the United States, a nation made up of Christian, native born, religious, social, and fiscal conservative whites (now including right-minded descendants of previously excluded groups like Catholics, Italians, Jews and Greeks).

FROM: What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world if he loses his soul?

TO: Peoples worth is measured by the dollar value of all the stuff they own. Life is a continuous shopping spree for all things, big and small.

FROM: The last shall be first and the first shall be last

TO: Winning isnt everything, its the only thing. The whole purpose of life is winning.

FROM: Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing

TO Always get even. Better yet, two eyes for one.

FROM: Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?Jesus answered, I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times seven.

TO: Dont get mad. Get even. Forgiveness is for sissies.

FROM: Love your neighbor as yourself

TO: Whats in it for me?

FROM: The truth will set you free. Freedom consists not in doing what what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought.

TO: Freedom is the absence of constraints of any kind. Nobody is going to tell me what to do.

FROM: Blessed are your eyes, because they see and your ears because they hear.

TO: What youre seeing and what your reading is not what is happening.

FROM: Whatever you do to these the least of my brethren, you do to me.

TO: Nobody ever gave me anything. I got everything I have on my own. Everyone,even the bootless should lift himself up by his own bootstraps.

FROM: I am my brothers keeper. Were all in the same boat.

TO: Its every man for himself

FROM: Jesus loves the little children. All the children of the world. Red and yellow, black and white; they are precious in his sight. Jesus loves the little children. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

TO: Its okay to exclude, reject, mistreat, discriminate against and remain silent or even supportive when leaders whip up others to physically harm people because they are different from us in culture, ethnicity, skin pigmentation, origin, religious belief, or sexual orientation.

AND FROM: Blessed are the poor, the meek, the merciful, the pure of heart, peacemakers, those who mourn, those who hunger for justice, those persecuted for doing good, those insulted and lied about because of me. Rejoice and be glad for your reward will be great in heaven

TO: Get serious

Is this shift among many Christian shepherds and their flocks away from God as the Alpha and the Omega to Me as the Be All and End All of everything, from a religion of universal love to a religion of exclusionary nationalism really happening? I think so. But maybe it is just me. I sure hope so, because even if the Founding Fathers had wanted us to be a Christian nation, as many contend, I like to hope they were not thinking of such a perversion of Christs living example as I perceive we are witnessing.

Tim Mannello is a retired hospital executive and management consultant residing in Williamsport.

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Where have all the Christians gone? | News, Sports, Jobs - Williamsport Sun-Gazette - Williamsport Sun-Gazette