INDIA THIS WEEK FRIDAY AUGUST 5, 2022 1 A W e e k l y N e w s p a p e r Fe a t u r i n g N e w s & Tr e n d s f r o m t h e I n d i a n S u b - C o n t i n e n t P u b l i s h e d f r o m t h e U S C a p i t a l Website: www.indiathisweek.online Vol. 30 No: 31 • WASHINGTON D.C • Phone: 301-917-4800; 301-445-0200 • e-mail: indiathisweekads@gmail.com • Friday • August 5, 2022 Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri killed in drone strike by US: Report Washington [US], August 1 (ANI): Al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed in a drone strike in Afghanistan, CNN reported citing sources on Monday (local time). Taking to Twitter, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid confirmed the strike and said, “An air strike was carried out on a residential house in Sherpur area of Kabul city on July 31.” He said, “The nature of the incident was not apparent at first” but the security and intelligence services of the Islamic Emirate investigated the incident and “initial findings determined that the strike was carried out by an American drone.” Mujahid said the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan “strongly condemns this attack on any pretext and calls it a clear violation of international principles and the Doha Agreement.” However, the US government has not yet confirmed the death. White House on Monday said that President Joe Biden will speak at 7:30 pm (local time) on “a successful counterterrorism operation” against alQaeda in Afghanistan. “Over the weekend, the United States conducted a counterterrorism operation against a significant Al Qaeda target in Afghanistan. The operation was successful and there were no civilian casualties,” a senior administration official said. Zawahiri, who just turned 71 years old, had remained a visible international symbol of the group, 11 years after the US killed Osama bin Laden. At one point, he acted as bin Laden’s personal physician, CNN reported. He succeeded Laden as the chief of the group after Laden was hunted down by US SEAL forces in Jalalabad in Pakistan. In 1998, he was indicted for his alleged role on August 7, 1998, bombings of the United States Embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya. On August 7, 1998, nearly simultaneous bombs blew up in front of the American embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in Africa – 224 people died in the blasts, including 12 Americans, and more than 4,500 people were wounded. The culmination of Zawahiri’s terror plotting came on September 11, 2001, when nearly 3,000 people were killed in the attacks on the twin towers of the World Trade Center and Pentagon. A fourth hijacked airliner, headed for Washington, crashed in a Pennsylvania field after passengers fought back. Both he and bin Laden escaped US forces in Afghanistan in late 2001. In May 2003, for instance, almost simultaneous suicide bombings in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, killed 23 people, including nine Americans, days after a tape thought to contain Zawahiri’s voice was released, CNN reported. The whereabouts of Zawahiri had long been a mystery. Rumours have spread since late 2020 that al-Zawahiri had died from an illness. A recent report from UN Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team confirmed that Zawahiri was living in Afghanistan and communicating freely. It said that the proof that Al-Zawahiri was alive comes from the video messages issued by the group. The report also warned against the growing strength of terrorist groups including Al Qaeda and the Islamic State pose a great threat to the world. The US State Department had offered a reward of up to USD 25 million for information leading directly to Zawahiri’s capture. (ANI) SALES EVENT ES F SPORT RX F SPORT NX F SPORT ENDS SEPTEMBER 6 AAP KO NAVIGATION NAHIN CHAHIYE TO KNOW YOU’VE ARRIVED. LEXUS.COM | #LEXUS The Lexus Golden Opportunity Sales Event hai ek sunehra mauka to find sensations you’ve spent all Summer chasing. ©2022 Lexus, a Division of Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.
August 5, 2022 Friday INDIA THIS WEEK No question of India getting into stagflation or recession: Sitharaman New Delhi [India], August 1 (ANI): Highlighting India’s robust economic health despite the COVID pandemic and geopolitical situation, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday said there is no question of India getting into stagflation or recession like other major economies of the world. In her reply to the debate on price rise at the Lok Sabha, Sitharaman said, “We have never seen a pandemic of this kind. All of us were trying to make sure that people in our constituencies are given extra help. I recognise that everybody -MPs and state governments have played their role. Otherwise, India would not be where it is compared to the rest of the world.” “So, I fully credit the people of India for this. Even against adversity, we are able to stand up and be recognised as the fastest growing economy,” she said. The Finance Minister emphasized that due to the measures taken by the government, India is in a much better position than most countries. “Repeatedly in the assessment of global agencies, India remains the fastest growing economy in the assessment of global agencies. This House irrespective of the party should feel proud of the country and its people. State governments have helped,” she stated in the Lok Sabha. Referring to a survey, Sitharaman said there is zero possibility of India getting into recession. Sitharaman said the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the US fell 0.9 per cent in the second quarter following a 1.6 per cent decline in the first quarter. “They start it calling an unofficial recession. There is no question of India getting into recession or stagflation,” said the Minister. “Pandemic, second wave, Omicron, RussiaUkraine (war), even today largest supply components in China are under lockdown. In spite of that, we have held inflation well within 7 per cent or below. That has to be recognised,” she told Lok Sabha. She further said, “4,000 banks in China are reported to be going bankrupt. In India, the gross NPAs (Non-Performing Assets) of scheduled commercial banks is at a 5-years low of 5.9 per cent in 2022. So our NPAs are improving. The government debt to GDP Ratio of many countries is in triple digits including Japan, Greece, Bhutan, Singapore, the US, Portugal, Spain, France, Sri Lanka and Canada. But the central government very consciously controlled its debt and it is at 56.29 per cent of the GDP at the end of 2021-22 compared to the 59.9 per cent revised estimate that year.” According to IMF data, Sitharaman said the general debt to GDP ratio is 86.9 per cent including the Centre and the state. In July 2022, the Minister said the country has garnered the second highest level ever since the introduction of the GST which is 1.49 lakh crore. “In April 2022, it was 1.67 lakh crore which was the highest we reached. This is the fifth consecutive month that collections have been above Rs 1.4 Lakh crores,” she said. Quoting former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Raghuram Rajan, she said, “On Saturday, Raghuram Rajan said that ‘RBI has done a good job in increasing foreign exchange reserve in India, insulating India from problems being faced by neighbouring countries such as Pakistan and Sri Lanka. “Differentiating India from its vulnerable neighbours, Raghuram Rajan further added that ‘New Delhi is less indebted’, calling it a good sign, the Minister said. Amid Sitharaman’s reply to the debate on price rise, Congress members walk out from Lok Sabha. (ANI)
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August 5, 2022 Friday INDIA THIS WEEK Private players can use drones for delivery purposes in accordance with Drone Rules, 2021: Centre New Delhi [India], August 1 (ANI): Private players are free to use drones for delivery purposes subject to compliance with Drone Rules, 2021, informed Minister of State for Civil Aviation General VK Singh (Retd) in Rajya Sabha on Monday. According to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, in a written reply to a question asked about drone services for private players in Rajya Sabha, Singh said, “Drones offer tremendous benefits to almost all sectors of the economy. These include – agriculture, vaccine delivery, surveillance, search and rescue, transportation, mapping, defence and law enforcement to name a few.” “The Government is utilising services of drone service providers for vaccine delivery, an inspection of oil pipelines and power transmission lines, anti-locust operations, agricultural spraying, the survey of mines, land mapping under SVAMITVA scheme for issuance of digital property cards, etc. Many of these have been in remote areas of the country. Private players are free to use drones for delivery purposes subject to compliance with Drone Rules, 2021,” he said. The Union Minister further said that last year in September the Government notified the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme to promote the growth of drone manufacturing by private companies. “The scheme provides for an incentive of Rs 120 crores, spread over three financial years. The PLI rate is 20 per cent of the value addition over three financial years. PLI for a manufacturer shall be capped at 25 per cent of the total annual outlay. A provisional list of 23 PLI beneficiaries was released on July 6, 2022. The beneficiaries include 12 manufacturers of drones and 11 manufacturers of drone components,” Singh said. He said that the Drones Rules, 2021 notified on August 25, 2021, provide the necessary regulatory framework for the commercial use of drones. These rules cover various aspects like type certification, registration and operation of drones, airspace restrictions, research, development and testing of drones, training and licensing, offences and penalties etc. The key aspects of the regulatory framework under Drones Rules, 2021: (i) Every drone, except for those meant for research, development and testing purposes, is required to be registered and should have a Unique Identification Number (UIN). (ii) An airspace map of the country segregating the entire airspace into red, yellow and green zones is available on the digital sky platform. The operation of drones in red and yellow zones is subject to the approval of the Central Government and the concerned A ir Traffic Control (ATC) authority respectively. No approval is required for the operation of drones in green zones. (iii) The State Government, the Union Territory Administration and Law enforcement agencies have been empowered under the Rules to declare a temporary red zone for a specified period. (iv) Drones are requiredtohavethenecessary type certification issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). No type certification is however required in the case of nano drones (up to 250 gram all-up weight) and model drones made for research and recreation purposes. (v) The owner and operators of drones are required to furnish the necessary personal details including their Indian passport number etc. for issuance of any registration or licence. (vi) Rule 17 of the Drone Rules, 2021, lays down the provision of transfer of drone to another person by way of sale, lease, gift or any other mode, after providing requisite details of the transferor, transferee and unique identification number of the drone on the digital sky platform along with the applicable fees. (vii) Authorisation of Remote Pilot Training Organisations (RPTO) will be done by DGCA within specified time limits. (viii) Drone operations that violate the provisions of the Drone Rules, 2021 are punishable under Rule 49 of the Drone Rules, 2021 as well as provisions of any other law, for the time being in force. (ANI)
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August 5, 2022 Friday INDIA THIS WEEK Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha face disruptions, government withdraws Data Protection Bill to come with comprehensive legislation New Delhi [India], August 3 (ANI): Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha faced disruptions due to protests by opposition members on various issues with the two Houses passing a bill each on the 13th day of the Monsoon Session of the Parliament. The government withdrew the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019 to come up with more comprehensive legislation. The Central Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2022 was passed by the Lok Sabha and National Anti-Doping Bill by the Rajya Sabha. The Opposition parties protested in the two Houses alleging “misuse” of central probe agencies by the government. The Lok Sabha was adjourned till 12 noon, 2 pm, 4 pm before it was adjourned for the day after Central Universities (Amendment), Bill 2022 bill was passed. Earlier, Union Minister of Power and Renewable Energy RK Singh introduced the Energy Conservation (Amendment) Bill, 2022 in Lok Sabha. He said it will help reduce India’s reliance on foreign countries for large quantities of natural gas and petroleum. This Bill will benefit the environment and reduce carbon dioxide emissions, he said. Union Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw moved the motion for withdrawal of the Data Protection Bill in Lok Sabha. “The Data Protection Bill 2021 as reported by the Joint Committee may be withdrawn,” he said. The House adopted the motion. The minister later said that Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019 was deliberated in great detail by the Joint Committee of Parliament and 81 amendments were proposed and 12 recommendations were made towards a comprehensive legal framework on the digital ecosystem. The 2019 bill sought to bring a strong and robust data protection framework for India and to set up an Authority for protecting personal data and empowering the citizens’ with rights relating to their personal data ensuring their fundamental right to “privacy and protection of personal data”. The bill was sent to a Joint Committee of Parliament which gave its report on December 16, 2021. Replying to the debate Central Universities (Amendment), Bill 2022, Union Minister for Education and Skill Development Dharmendra Pradhan said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi always works with a vision for the future and under his leadership, a future-ready workforce to embrace the fourth industrial revolution and challenges of the 21st century is being prepared. He also spoke about steps being taken for India to be self-reliant in frontier technologies. The bill seeks to amend Central Universities Act, 2009, which was enacted to establish and incorporate universities for teaching and research in various states. It seeks to convert the National Rail and Transportation University, a deemed university, into Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya, an autonomous Central University under the administrative control of the Ministry of Railways. The National Rail and Transportation University is located in Vadodara. Pradhan said Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya will address the need of talent in the strategically important and expanding transportation sector and meet the demand for trained talent to fuel the growth and expansion of the sector. The scope of the proposed University will also extend beyond the railways to cover the entire transport sector to support the ambitious growth and modernisation of the sector. The Rajya Sabha passed the National Anti-Doping Bill, 2021 unanimously by a voice vote. Opposition parties also took part in the discussion on the bill which seeks to provide a statutory framework for the functioning of the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) and the National Dope Testing Laboratory in sports. The Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on July 27. Replying to the debate on the bill, Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Thakur said India will now join the league of nations like the US, China, France or Australia, Japan, S Korea to have a law and dope test laboratory. The bill provides for planning, implementing, and monitoring antidoping activities as well as investigating anti-doping rule violations. It also seeks to give effect to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation International Convention against doping in sports and compliance with such other obligations and commitments. The legislation prohibits athletes, athlete support personnel, and other persons from engaging in doping in sports. The Bill proposes to establish the National Board for AntiDoping in Sports with a view to make recommendations to the government on anti-doping regulations and compliance with international commitments on anti-doping. The board will oversee the activities of NADA and issue directions to it. In her maiden speech, From thePoet’sPen INDIA THIS WEEK- AUGUST 5, 2020 INDIA THIS WEEK- September 25, 2022 Three Wise Old Women by Elizabeth T. Corbett nominated Rajya Sabha member PT Usha said a high number of doping cases in India is a serious concern and this needs to be addressed. “We are yet to open our eyes to doping abuse in our country. What was once confined only to the senior national levels has now reached junior, college, and school levels too,” she said. CPI (M) MP John Brittas said budgetary allocation for sports should be increased. “You should be using your political clout to increase the budgetary allocation to sports in India,” he said, addressing Thakur. The Monsoon Session convened on July 18 and will conclude on August 12. (ANI) INDIA THIS WEEK Address: P.O. Box 352Bryans Road, MD 20616 Phone: 301-917-4800; 301-445-0200 301-445-3543; 301-685-1800 www.indiathisweek.online Three wise old women were they, were they, Who went to walk on a winter day: One carried a basket to hold some berries, One carried a ladder to climb for cherries, The third, and she was the wisest one, Carried a fan to keep off the sun. India This Week is published every Friday by ADV Solutions Inc, Views expressed in this paper are solely those of the individual writers and not necessarily of India This Week. India This Week accepts no liability for the errors in advertisements or in any of its reports. For remedial actions any errors should be brought to the attention of the editor either by mail to the above address or by e-mail provided below. But they went so far, and they went so fast, They quite forgot their way at last, So one of the wise women cried in a fright, “Suppose we should meet a bear tonight! Suppose he should eat me!” “And me!!” “And me!!!” “What is to be done?” cried all the three. Publisher: Chief Editor: Contributing Editors: “Dear, dear!” said one, “we’ll climb a tree, There out of the way of the bears we’ll be.” But there wasn’t a tree for miles around; They were too frightened to stay on the ground, So they climbed their ladder up to the top, And sat there screaming “We’ll drop! We’ll drop!” But the wind was strong as the wind could be, And blew their ladder right out to sea; So the three wise women were all afloat In a leaky ladder instead of a boat, And every time the waves rolled in, Of course the poor things were wet to the skin. Then they took their basket, the water to bale, They put up their fan instead of a sail: But what became of the wise women then, Whether they ever sailed home again, Whether they saw any bears, or no, You must find out, for I don’t know. Asst. Editors: Special Business Correspondent Business Coordinators Special Correspondent: Community Coordinator: India Office Columnists: World Religions Photo Journalist: System Admn. & Maintenance: Layout & Graphics: Business Affairs: Dr. Babu Stephen Rajan George Saju Mathew Isaac George Manu Jacob Sherena Panjikkaran Elisha B. Pulivarti Rajan C. George Jithu Johny Panjikkaran Dr. Renuka Misra, Geeta Goindi Prof. Vinod Goel Manish Krishna Anadi Naik Dr. Sam Prasad Jillella Mathew Karmel, Rajan C. George Prinston Samuel, Mrs. Molly George Advertisements: ADV Solutions Inc. Tel: 301-445-0200; 301-917-4800 301-445-3543, 301-685-1800 e-Mail: indiathisweekads@gmail.com Letters, Comments, Press Releases: indiathisweek@gmail.com
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August 5, 2022 Friday INDIA THIS WEEK Govt not concerned about Mehul Choksi, Nirav Modi, but engaged in intimidating Opposition: Adhir Ranjan New Delhi [India], August 2 (ANI): Hitting out at the Central government for intimidating the Opposition through ED, Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury asserted that the BJP’s strategy is well known as they are not going after Mehul Choksi and Nirav Modi who pocketed thousands of crores and fled the country. “We know government’s strategy, to anyhow frame and intimidate Opposition. DHFL caused a loss of Rs 34,615 cr; from Mehul Choksi to Nirav Modi, they pocketed thousands of crores. Is the govt worried about it? Have they tried to get it back?’ Chowdhury told ANI about ED raids over the National Herald case. Congress leader Karti Chidambaram also hit out at the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for conducting raids at the National Herald house and other offices of the institution. The Congress leader said the ED was weaponized earlier, now after the Supreme Court judgment, it has become a “weapon of mass destruction”. Earlier in the day, Union Minister Anurag Thakur slammed the Congress leaders for questioning the investigation against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald case and said that the “party is still living in slavery for just one family- Gandhi family.” “The biggest example of how to grab property worth thousands of crores is the National Herald case and this is done by none other than Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, who are currently being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate,” said Thakur. “They are out on bail but why they are running away from the investigation? These New Delhi [India], July 29 (ANI): The Centre on Thursday urged 14 states to accelerate the utilisation of central funds and exponentially expedite the completion of new medical colleges attached to existing District/ Referral hospitals approved under the Centrally sponsored scheme for early commencement of the Under Graduate courses. The concerning slow progress of these projects was strongly highlighted by Rajesh Bhushan, Union Health Secretary, as he reviewed the progress with Health Secretaries and Directors (Medical Education) of 14 states and UTs through video conference (VC) on Thursday. 157 new medical Colleges have been sanctioned under this scheme since 2014, in three phases so far. The states/UTs that participated in the review meeting were Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Jharkhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha and Punjab. Union Health Secretary urged the States to expedite the physical (Karnataka) [India], July 29 (ANI): A 23-year-old youth was hacked to death by an unidentified group on the outskirts of Mangaluru, said the police on Thursday. The deceased has been identified as Fazil and was attacked by lethal weapons. Following the incident, Section 144 was imposed at Surathkal, Mulki, around 8 pm (on July 28), there was an incident where a 23-year-old boy was brutally attacked by 4-5 people near Krishnapura Katipalla road, Surathkal. The boy was immediately shifted to a hospital and was declared dead,” said Mangaluru Police Commissioner, N Shashi Kumar. The officials also directed all wine shops limits to be closed on July 29. “We have requested all Muslim leaders to perform their prayers at their homes, in the larger interest of the law and order of every locality. Due justice will be done quickly and fairly,” Mangaluru CP added. Earlier, in another incident, Praveen Nettaru, a young BJP worker, was by unidentified people on a bike in Bellare in Dakshina Kannada late Tuesday evening. Karnataka Police on Thursday said that they have arrested two people in connection with the murder of BJP Yuva Morcha worker Praveen Nettaru. The accused persons will be produced before a local court, the officials added. crocodile tears of Congress leaders are just to hide the corruption done by their party and to stop the investigation. Is Congress out of bound of probe agencies? Does the law of the country not apply to the Congress leaders? Is the Gandhi family above the law of the country? They are out on bail, shouldn’t they tell the investigating agency why the scam happened? Why are they afraid if they are innocent?” he said. Earlier in the day, ED carried out raids at 12 locations in the national capital and at other places in connection with the National Herald case in which top Congress leaders are accused of violating norms. The National Herald case pertains to the alleged financial irregularities under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and was registered about nine months ago after a trial court took cognizance of an Income Tax department probe carried out on the basis of a private criminal complaint filed by former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Subramanian Swamy in 2013. The raids were conducted days after the investigative agency questioned Congress interim-president Sonia Gandhi for nearly three hours on July 27. It was the third round of questioning of the senior leader in the case. Following the summoning of Sonia Gandhi by the ED, Congress workers and leaders staged protests in various parts of the country alleging misuse of probe agencies by the government. Sonia Gandhi was questioned by ED on July 26 also. She had reached the ED office accompanied by her daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Meanwhile, in June, the ED questioned Rahul Gandhi for five days. Rahul Gandhi was questioned by the ED for over 27 hours for three straight days from June 13 to June 15 and was again summoned on June 20. On June 20, he was questioned for around 14 hours. The Congress leader deposed before the ED investigators in the case for the first time on June 13. He initially sought an exemption from appearance on June 16, following which he was called on June 17. But the senior Congress leader wrote to the ED to postpone his questioning citing the illness of his mother Sonia Gandhi. The ED then allowed him to join the probe on June 20 at his request. (ANI completion of projects to enable commencement of UG courses by academic session 2023-24. “It was pointed out that since the scheme will conclude on 31st March 2024, hence all projects need to be completed in time. It was informed that a sum of Rs. 7,500 crores have been allotted for the schemes of Human Resources for Health (HRH) and Medical Education (ME) for the financial year 2022-23,” said a statement by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. “However, due to the slow pace of expenditure of the States/UTs and since there has been no requisition for release of funds from the states, further release of funds by the Centre to States cannot take place. States were further informed that utilization certificates have to be furnished urgently without delay to enable the Centre to release balance funds,” the statement added. During the meeting, the Union Health Secretary emphasized benefits of newer technologies that enable quick completion and also high levels of conservation of energy. “States were advised to explore and use locally relevant and green technology options, and steel composite structures for the projects which are yet to start. It was also pointed out that some of the projects seem to be languishing as the construction companies lack requisite experience regarding the building of hospitals and provision of associated specialized services,” said the statement. The Government of India had launched the Centrally Sponsored Scheme for “Establishment of new medical colleges attached with existing district/referral hospitals” in January 2014, with fund sharing between the Central Government and States/UTs in the ratio of 90:10 for NE/ special category states and 60:40 for other states. (ANI) Health Ministry urges 14 States, UTs to expedite completion of new medical colleges Another youth hacked to death in Mangaluru, Section 144 imposed M a n g a l u r u Bajpe and Panambur. “At under the commissionerate’s attacked with lethal weapons
FRIDAY AUGUST 5, 2022 9 Sale Ends 8-31-2022 ED has expanded by over 50 per cent since 2018 New Delhi [India], August 2 (ANI): The Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is in the news over its action in various cases of alleged money laundering, has witnessed a remarkable growth over the last nearly four years since Sanjay Kumar Mishra assumed office as its Director. When Sanjay Mishra took charge as ED Director in 2018, the agency had five Special Directors and 18 Joint Directors. Many of them were from the Indian Police Service (IPS). Officers come to ED from deputation from central and state governments or union territories. Sources said the agency now has nine Special Directors, three Additional Directors, 36 Joint Directors and 18 Deputy Directors. For deputation in ED, preference is now given to the officers from Income Tax, Directorate General of GST Intelligence and Customs and Excise Department. ED has set up offices in states such as Meghalaya, Karnataka, Manipur, Tripura and Sikkim. The ED established its first office in Meghalaya in August last year. The new Sub-Zonal office is located in the state capital Shillong and will function under the Zonal Office-II located at Guwahati. The new subzonal office at Shillong is headed by a deputy directorrank officer. ED also set up its first office in Manipur in August last year. The new Sub-Zonal office, located at Imphal, is also functioning under Zonal Office-II in Guwahati. Last year in September, ED established its new office in Mangaluru in Karnataka. The new is headed by a Deputy Director-rank officer and has jurisdiction over 15 districts of the state. ED established its fourth Sub-Zonal office in the northeastern region of the country in October last year and the facility was operationalized in Gangtok. A similar Sub-Zonal office was established by the ED in Agartala. The central agency is probing high-profile cases across states including in Maharashtra and West Bengal as also Delhi. The probe agency’s profile has increased in the last four years and it has also strengthened itself in terms of manpower. Mishra was appointed as full-time chief of the Enforcement Directorate in November 2018. A 1984-batch Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer of the Income Tax cadre, he was earlier appointed as the principal special director in the multidisciplinary probe agency. The agency has been active in carrying out its mandate which includes enforcement of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA), Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (FEMA) and Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, 2018 (FEOA). According to the information given by the government in Parliament, the cases registered by ED under FEMA and PMLA jumped nearly three times in the first three years of the second term of the BJP-led government (2019-20 and 2021-22) compared to the same period in the first three years (2014-15 to 2016-17). The number of FEMA cases taken up for investigation more than doubled in the first three years of the BJP-led government’s current term. There has been an increase in searches to dispose of pending investigations in old cases and to complete investigations in new cases in a time-bound manner. Cases of alleged money laundering and violations of foreign exchange laws, in which there are multiple accused, often require complex investigations and multiple searches. The agency has also been attaching properties and carrying out seizures of assets in terror funding cases. M i s h r a was working as chief commissioner of the Income Tax Department in Delhi before his appointment in ED. He took over from Karnail Singh The central government in November last year extended Mishra’s tenure for a year, till November 18, 2022. (ANI)
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