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First phase of Gujarat polls today, BJP rebel Keshubhai in fray

News

Dec 122012

Almost half of Gujarat would exercise their franchise on Thursday for 87 seats in the first phase of the 182-member Gujarat Assembly elections where 1.81 crore voters will decide the fate of 846 candidates.The polling will take place in 48 constituencies in 7 districts of Saurashtra, on 35 seats in five districts of southern Gujarat and on four in Ahmedabad District.

Gujarat voters

1.81 crore Gujarat voters will decide the fate of 846 candidates in Gujarat Assembly polls.

Fourth-eight seats in Surendranagar, Rajkot, Jamnagar, Porbandar, Jamnagar, Amreli and Bhavnagar are considered very crucial and decisive as political observers are watching keenly on how former Chief Minister and ‘bete noir’ of Chief Minister Narendra Modi, Keshubhai Patel factor plays out in the region.

On Thursday, voters will also decide the fate of many state political big-wigs who are contesting elections like Keshubhai Patel, Assembly Speaker Ganpat Vasava, Gujarat BJP president R C Faldu, state Congress president Arjun Modhwadia and Leader of Opposition Shaktisinh Gohil.

Gujarat voters

For first phase, BJP has fielded candidates on all 87 seats going to the poll, whereas Congress is contesting on 84 and GPP on 83.

State ministers like Vajubhai Vala, Vasuben Trivedi, Narottam Patel, Mangubhai Patel, Purshottam Solanki, Kiritsinh Rana, Dilip Sanghani, Kanubhai Bhalala, Mohan Kundaria and Ranjit Gilitvala will also be awaiting their fate following tomorrow’s voting.

For this phase, BJP has fielded candidates on all 87 seats going to the poll, whereas Congress is contesting on 84 and GPP on 83.

Apart from these three major parties, there are total 26 political parties and 383 independents in the fray, which include BJP rebel and sitting MLA Kanubhai Kalsaria, who has formed a new forum – Sadbhavna Manch – and fielded six candidates.

Thursday’s voting will also decide if Leuva Patel, a politically powerful sub-community of Patidars will be swayed by the appeals and behind the curtain efforts to vote against the Modi government, on the plank of alleged injustice meted out to their leader Keshubhai Patel.

Out of total 1,81,77,953 voters there are 95,75,278 male, 86,02,557 female and 118 other voters are likely to exercise their franchise.

Among the 846 candidates, 46 female candidates too are in the fray and in the first phase of elections there are 9 such Assembly constituencies where more than one woman candidate is contesting this time.

Forty sitting MLAs from BJP and 16 from Congress are also contesting to retain representation in the state Assembly.

In the last ditch efforts to woo the voters going to the poll in the first phase, both the major political parties had used their maximum strengths with Congress bringing UPA chairperson and party president Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Sinh and Rahul Gandhi for the campaigning.

While BJP, apart from its star campaigner Narendra Modi, brought L K Advani, Navjotsingh Siddhu, Paresh Rawal and Smriti Irani. At the same time, Modi also increased the public meetings through 3D holographic projection technology to reach to the maximum number of voters.

This phase will also see important contests on Visavadar where Keshubhai Patel is pitted against BJP’s Kanu Bhalala. In Kutiyana, son of ‘God Mother’ Santokhben Jadeja and NCP candidate Kandhal is contesting against Karsan Dula Odedara.

In another interesting contest, Leader of Opposition Shaktisinh Gohil is facing Rs 400 crore fishing contract scam tainted minister Purshottam Solanki.

Fate of three Congress MPs, Vithhal Radadia (Dhoraji), Kunvarji Bavalia (Botad) and Somabhai Patel (Limbadi), will be sealed tomorrow as they are also contesting this Assembly elections.

Voting of the second phase will take place on December 17 for the remaining 95 Assembly seats and counting will be held on December 20.

PM calls Hamid Ansari after Mayawati’s outburst in Rajya Sabha

News

Dec 122012

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday called up the Rajya Sabha chairman Hamid Ansari to convey his distress and concern over BSP supremo Mayawati’s acerbic remarks against him in Rajya Sabha.

Trying to extract her price in return for support on FDI, Mayawati had stepped up pressure for passage of the quota bill for SCs and STs when she sharply criticised Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari and attacked the government after which the House was adjourned.

She stunned the Rajya Sabha (Upper House) when she criticised Ansari, who is also the country’s Vice President over conduct of the House.

Upset over the fact that lack of order prevented passage of the Constitution (117th Amendment) Bill that provides for reservation for SCs/STs in government job promotions, she rushed to the House during the Question Hour and criticised the Chairman without notice.

A visibly stunned Chairman tried to pacify her telling her that the House can function smoothly only with the cooperation of all sections.

But she continued to make some remarks against the Chairman, which were expunged in the evening, hours later.

Government is in a bind with BSP pressing hard for the passage of the quota bill and the Samajwadi Party vehemently opposing it.

The BSP supremo’s outburst came on a day when both Houses were again unable to conduct any significant business due to disruptions.

In the evening, Ansari convened a meeting of the Rules Committee to discuss the issue of either reschdeduling the Question Hour or totally disband it in view of the frequent disruption of the Hour by parties agitating on some issue or the other.

Ansari’s remarks were made in the presence of Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath, Leader of the Opposition in RS Arun Jaitley and several other opposition leaders soon after the Upper House was adjourned for the day.

This prompted Kamal Nath to have separate consultations with Mayawati in the lobby of the House.

Soon after, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called up Ansari and conveyed his distress and concern over the developments in the Rajya Sabha.

Rajya Sabha could not function because of uproar over the quota Bill providing for reservation to SCs/STs in government job promotions while Lok Sabha was paralysed by BSP members by demanding details about coal block allocations which have been shrouded by allegations of irregularities.

Ansari told the BSP chief that it was the responsibility of everyone to ensure smooth functioning of the House.

“You are a senior leader…the House is run with the cooperation with everyone. The House is running right now. You please allow the House to run,” he told Mayawati.

As she did not relent and her party colleagues shouted slogans against the government like ‘dalit virodhi ye sarkar nahi chalegi’ (anti-dalit government is not acceptable).

Ansari then adjourned the House till noon. Similar scenes later forced one more adjournment and finally for the day.

Rules do not not permit a member to question the Chair on any issue, more so on his presence or absence.

Later, Mayawati told reporters outside Parliament that her critical remarks in Rajya Sabha was the “first step” of her tough stance that she is going to adopt as she accused government of not seeming to be serious about passage of the bill.

“I had said two days ago that BSP would adopt a ‘tough’ stand. It is the responsibility of the government and the Rajya Sabha Chairman to bring the House in order… Today’s (criticism) was our first tough stand in Rajya Sabha. We will take our next stand at an appropriate time,” she said.

SC acquits Pak microbiologist Khalil Chisti of murder charge, allows him to return home

News

Dec 122012

Pakistani microbiologist Mohammed Khalil Chishti, who faced the prospect of life-long imprisonment in India in view of his conviction in a 1992 murder case, is now free to leave the country with the murder charge being overturned by the Supreme Court.

A bench comprising Justice P. Sathasivam and Justice Ranjan Gogoi on Wednesday held Chisti guilty of having merely caused hurt and sentenced him to imprisonment for a period he had already undergone.

The order comes as a major relief for the 80-year-old microbiologist, who is presently on bail in India, as the minimum sentence for murder is life imprisonment. The trial court and the Rajasthan High Court had both held him guilty of murder and had sentenced him to life imprisonment.

Justice Sathasivam had earlier in May allowed Chisti to make a trip to Pakistan while his appeal was pending consideration before the court. The court had asked him to deposit Rs 5 lakh as security and return by November 1. Chisti had returned on October 29, a couple of days before the deadline.

Chisti, who was on a visit to India, had been taken into custody on April 14, 1992, after a fight in Khadim Mohalla in Ajmer led to the death of a person and injury to another.

Modi’s allegation that Sir Creek is about to be given to Pakistan is mischievous: PMO hits back

News

Dec 122012

A day before the Gujarat assembly poll, Chief Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday stirred a hornet’s nest by writing to the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh against handint over Sir Creek to Pakistan . In a strong rebuttal, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said the claims are “unsubstantiated” “untrue” and “mischievous”.

In his letter, signed as “a concerned citizen”, the Gujarat chief minister said: “I am writing on a serious issue of talks being held on Sir Creek being handed over to Pakistan . Any attempt to hand over Sir Creek to Pakistan would be a strategic blunder considering the history and sensitivity of the region.”

The two-time Gujarat chief minister, said : “I would earnestly request you to stop this dialogue with Pakistan at once and Sir Creek should not be handed over to Pakistan.”

“I am writing to you at this juncture as I was told that a decision is being taken on Sir Creek issue on December 15,” Modi said in the letter.

He asked the prime minister to “stop taking any decision on this issue”.

Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik is likely to visit India December 14-16 for talks on the demarcation of the Sir Creek, among other issues.

In a strongly worded rebuttal, the PMO said : “The prime minister has received a letter dated 12th December 2012 from Narendra Modi, making unsubstantiated allegations and statements about discussions with Pakistan on the Sir Creek issue.”

“The contents of the letter and the timing of its release to the public, even before it was formally received in this office, raise questions about the motives behind its issue. The writing and release of this baseless letter by the Chief Minister of Gujarat in his ‘personal’ capacity, a day before elections in the state, is mischievous,” it added.

The first phase of the Gujarat elections are slated for Thursday, while the second phase is on Dec 17. Counting is on Dec 20. Modi, a senior BJP leader, who has been the chief minister of the state for two terms, is tipped to return to power once again.

The PMO also said the discussions with Pakistan had been carried out by successive Indian governments since the dialogue process began in 1998 and continued after former prime minister and Bharatitya Janata Party (BJP) leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s visit to Lahore in 1999.

“The allegation in the letter that Sir Creek is about to be given to Pakistan is untrue. Therefore, the other conclusions drawn by Modi from this alleged fact are also not real,” the statement said.

“It also seems that Modi has written his letter without making any efforts to ascertain the facts from the government of India,” it added.

Sir Creek is a 96-km-long disputed area between India and Pakistan in the Rann of Kutch marshlands, which opens up into the Arabian Sea. The Sir Creek divides the Kutch region of Gujrat and Pakistan’s Sindh province.

The marshy waterbody has been under dispute with the two countries and India and Pakistan have been discussing the issue for quite a long time.

In his letter, Modi said Sir Creek has been settled 100 years back between rulers of Kutch and Sindh.

“Even the tribunal verdict in 1968 headed by the British Prime Minister Harold Wilson shows Pakistan getting only 10 per cent of its claim of 9,000 sq kms of this border area,” he said.

“Handing over Sir Creek to Pakistan will totally open up Gujarat border with Pakistan. I was given to understand that recently Pakistan carried out a joint operation of their army, airforce and navy code named Sea-spark-12, almost one month ago very near to Sir Creek,” the chief minister alleged.

“Handing over Sir Creek to Pakistan will give them more control over the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the sea. This will be a permanent threat to fishermen of Saurashtra and Kutch area and also to the vital installations and major industrial installations like refineries and ports,” he said.

“Handing over Sir Creek to Pakistan will endanger our energy security as Kutch, Saurashtra and North Gujarat has vast potential of oil and gas both off shore and onshore,” he said.

“At no point in the entire process has the Gujarat government been consulted. In a similar case of Teesta agreement with Bangladesh, West Bengal Chief Minister was consulted and the agreement was cancelled,” he added.

“After the elections are over in Gujarat, I shall seek your time to discuss this issue with you,” he added.

Sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar passes away. He was 92

News

Dec 122012

Ravi Shankar, the sitar virtuoso who became a hippie musical icon of the 1960s after hobnobbing with the Beatles and who introduced traditional Indian ragas to Western audiences over an eight-decade career, has died. He was 92.

He was admitted to the Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla last Thursday after he complained of breathing difficulties. He breathed his last at 4.30 pm Pacific Time on Tuesday.

He is survived by his wife and daughters Anoushka Shankar and Norah Jones.

A three-time Grammy award winner, Pandit Ravi Shankar was nominated for a Grammy award for 2013 too. He was given the Bharat Ratna in 1999.

The prime minister’s office confirmed his death and called him a “national treasure.”

Labeled “the godfather of world music” by George Harrison, Shankar helped millions of classical, jazz and rock lovers discover the centuries-old traditions of Indian music.

He also pioneered the concept of the rock benefit with the 1971 Concert For Bangladesh. To later generations, he was known as the estranged father of popular American singer Norah Jones.

As early as the 1950s, Shankar began collaborating with and teaching some of the greats of Western music, including violinist Yehudi Menuhin and jazz saxophonist John Coltrane. He played well-received shows in concert halls in Europe and the United States, but faced a constant struggle to bridge the musical gap between the West and the East.

Describing an early Shankar tour in 1957, Time magazine said “U.S. audiences were receptive but occasionally puzzled.”

His close relationship with Harrison, the Beatles lead guitarist, shot Shankar to global stardom in the 1960s.

Harrison had grown fascinated with the sitar, a long necked, string instrument that uses a bulbous gourd for its resonating chamber and resembles a giant lute. He played the instrument, with a Western tuning, on the song “Norwegian Wood,” but soon sought out Shankar, already a musical icon in India, to teach him to play it properly.

The pair spent weeks together, starting the lessons at Harrison’s house in England and then moving to a houseboat in Kashmir and later to California.

Gaining confidence with the complex instrument, Harrison recorded the Indian-inspired song “Within You Without You” on the Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” helping spark the raga-rock phase of 60s music and drawing increasing attention to Shankar and his work.

Shankar’s popularity exploded, and he soon found himself playing on bills with some of the top rock musicians of the era. He played a four-hour set at the Monterey Pop Festival and the opening day of Woodstock.

Though the audience for his music had hugely expanded, Shankar, a serious, disciplined traditionalist who had played Carnegie Hall, chafed against the drug use and rebelliousness of the hippie culture.

“I was shocked to see people dressing so flamboyantly. They were all stoned. To me, it was a new world,” Shankar told Rolling Stone of the Monterey festival.

While he enjoyed Otis Redding and the Mamas and the Papas at the festival, he was horrified when Jimi Hendrix lit his guitar on fire.

“That was too much for me. In our culture, we have such respect for musical instruments, they are like part of God,” he said.

In 1971, moved by the plight of millions of refugees fleeing into India to escape the war in Bangladesh, Shankar reached out to Harrison to see what they could do to help.

In what Shankar later described as “one of the most moving and intense musical experiences of the century,” the pair organized two benefit concerts at Madison Square Garden that included Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan and Ringo Starr.

The concert, which spawned an album and a film, raised millions of dollars for UNICEF and inspired other rock benefits, including the 1985 Live Aid concert to raise funds for famine relief in Ethiopia and the 2010 Hope For Haiti Now telethon.

Ravindra Shankar Chowdhury was born April 7, 1920, in the Indian city of Varanasi.

At the age of 10, he moved to Paris to join the world famous dance troupe of his brother Uday. Over the next eight years, Shankar traveled with the troupe across Europe, America and Asia, and later credited his early immersion in foreign cultures with making him such an effective ambassador for Indian music.

During one tour, renowned musician Baba Allaudin Khan joined the troupe, took Shankar under his wing and eventually became his teacher through 7 1/2 years of isolated, rigorous study of the sitar.

“Khan told me you have to leave everything else and do one thing properly,” Shankar told The Associated Press.

In the 1950s, Shankar began gaining fame throughout India. He held the influential position of music director for All India Radio in New Delhi and wrote the scores for several popular films. He began writing compositions for orchestras, blending clarinets and other foreign instruments into traditional Indian music.

And he became a de facto tutor for Westerners fascinated by India’s musical traditions.

He gave lessons to Coltrane, who named his son Ravi in Shankar’s honor, and became close friends with Menuhin, recording the acclaimed “West Meets East” album with him. He also collaborated with flutist Jean Pierre Rampal, composer Philip Glass and conductors Andre Previn and Zubin Mehta.

“Any player on any instrument with any ears would be deeply moved by Ravi Shankar. If you love music, it would be impossible not to be,” singer David Crosby, whose band The Byrds was inspired by Shankar’s music, said in the book “The Dawn of Indian Music in the West: Bhairavi.”

Shankar’s personal life, however, was more complex.

His 1941 marriage to Baba Allaudin Khan’s daughter, Annapurna Devi, ended in divorce. Though he had a decades-long relationship with dancer Kamala Shastri that ended in 1981, he had relationships with several other women in the 1970s.

In 1979, he fathered Norah Jones with New York concert promoter Sue Jones, and in 1981, Sukanya Rajan, who played the tanpura at his concerts, gave birth to his daughter Anoushka.

He grew estranged from Sue Jones in the 80s and didn’t see Norah for a decade, though they later re-established contact.

He married Rajan in 1989 and trained young Anoushka as his heir on the sitar. In recent years, father and daughter toured the world together.

When Jones shot to stardom and won five Grammy awards in 2003, Anoushka Shankar was nominated for a Grammy of her own.

Shankar, himself, has won three Grammy awards and was nominated for an Oscar for his musical score for the movie “Gandhi.”

Despite his fame, numerous albums and decades of world tours, Shankar’s music remained a riddle to many Western ears.

Shankar was amused after he and colleague Ustad Ali Akbar Khan were greeted with admiring applause when they opened the Concert for Bangladesh by twanging their sitar and sarod for a minute and a half.

“If you like our tuning so much, I hope you will enjoy the playing more,” he told the confused crowd, and then launched into his set.

Newborn mauled by cat in Hyderabad hospital, allege parents

News

Dec 122012

A newborn boy suffered gashes on his face and other body parts after being bitten by a cat in a government hospital here, his parents have alleged.

Hospital authorities, however, denied the charge saying the baby was suffering from a rare disorder.

Police on Wednesday said they have filed a case under IPC Section 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others).

In his complaint, the baby’s father Y Veeresh, a native of Mahabubnagar district, said the boy had no injures when he was born in the maternity hospital at Petlaburj area on November 18.

However, when they saw the baby yesterday, deep cuts were visible on his face and other body parts, he said.

Veeresh alleged the hospital authorities had not allowed them to see the infant after November 18 and said the injuries may be a result of cat bite.

Charminar Police Inspector Mohan Kumar said following the complaint they have registered a case and were inquiry into the matter. “As of now we have filed a case but not named anyone.”

A petition has also been filed before the Andhra Pradesh State Human Rights Commission seeking necessary action in the incident.

However, hospital authorities refuted Veeresh’s allegations and maintained the baby was suffering from ‘amniotic band syndrome’.

“Immediately after the baby was born, his parents were informed that baby was suffering from amniotic band syndrome, a rare phenomena causing disfiguring of body parts.

“We gave proper treatment and the baby was then taken by parents to their village,” a senior health official of the hospital said.

Gujarat polls: Cricketer Irfan Pathan joins Narendra Modi for election rally in Kheda

News

Dec 122012

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Bollywood mourns Pandit Ravi Shankar’s death

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Election panel disapproves of Moily’s LPG remark

News

Dec 122012

The Election Commission Wednesday expressed its “strong disapproval” of Petroleum Minister M. Veerappa Moily’s remarks on raising the cap on LPG cylinder suppl y ahead of the Gujarat elections and asked him to be “circumspect in future.”

Moily, whom the commission on Tuesday asked to explain his remark over LPG cap being increased from six to nine, in his reply to the commission Wednesday accepted that he made the announcement.

The commission said the remarks amount to violation of Model Code of Conduct as the first phase of the Gujarat elections are slated for Thursday. The second round is on December 17. Counting in both Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, where polls were held Nov 4, will be on Dec 20.

“..the commission hereby conveys its strong disapproval of your above action and cautions you to be circumspect in future,” the panel said.

In its letter to the minister, secretary Harbans Singh said that though he said that the government is yet to take a decision in the matter, it has emerged that the cap on the supply of the subsidized LPG cylinders is being raised from the present six to nine a family a year.

“The commission is of the considered view that your above mentioned reply amounts to announcement of promise of financial grant by the government, which the Model Code of Conduct prohibits during its operation when the election process is on,” the poll panel said.

The poll panel said that when the Model Code of Conduct becomes effective, ministers and other authorities cannot make any announcement of any financial grants.

It said the announcement is thus “a clear violation both of the letter and spirit of the Model Code of Conduct.”

In his reply to the commission that was submitted Wednesday morning, Moily said there has been widespread demand from all sections of society, particularly women, for raising the cap on supply of domestic LPG cylinders.

In an event Tuesday, Moily told reporters that the LPG cap is “likely to go up definitely from six cylinders to nine cylinders”.

The minister said the decision to raise the cap will be taken by the union cabinet “very shortly”.

The government had, in September, limited the supply of subsidised LPG to six cylinders per household in a year.

Subsidised cooking gas costs Rs.410.50 per 14.2 kg cylinder at present. Additional requirements have to be bought at the market price of Rs.931.

Moily said as the capping decision was taken by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs, it would also decide on raising the cap.

Asked about the time-frame for the decision, he had said: “I think as early as possible.”

The government will have to provide an additional Rs.9,000 crore per annum if the cap is raised.

The petroleum minister had said the government was working on a “certain formula” to neutralise the impact of any additional subsidy burden, and he has had two rounds of discussions with Finance Minister P. Chidambaram on the issue.

Election Commission directs Centre to stop increase in cap on subsidised LPG cylinders

News

Dec 112012

Taking suo moto cognisance of reports of the Centre’s move ahead of Gujarat assembly polls to increase the cap on subsidised LPG cylinders , the Election Commission has directed it to stop the same forthwith.

The Commission held an emergency meeting soon after the Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas M Veerappa Moily said the government will raise the cap on supply of subsidised cooking gas (LPG) to nine cylinders per household a year from six at present.

The EC, at its meeting chaired by Chief Election Commissioner V S Sampath, decided to write to the Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry asking it to immediately stop the move which came just ahead of the Gujarat assembly elections and at a time when the Model Code of Conduct is in force there.

The first phase of Gujarat poll is on December 13 and the second and final phase on December 17.

The Election Commission, in its letter, has directed the Petroleum and Natural Gas ministry that “the move for reported increase in supply of subsidised gas cylinders, if any, must be stopped forthwith, under confirmation to the Commission.”

The EC letter to the Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry said it has come to know of the government’s move on LPG cylinders through media reports quoting the Minister Veerappa Moily.

Announcing the government’s plan to raise the cap on LPG cylinders, Moily told reporters that “I think it is likely to go up definitely from six (cylinders) to 9 (cylinders).”

Government had in September capped the supply of subsidised LPG to six cylinders per household in a year. Any additional requirement is to be bought at market price of Rs 931 per 14.2-kg bottle. Subsidised LPG costs Rs 410.50 per cylinder at present.

Sharp decline in I-T raids; Is govt really serious about recovery of black money?

News

Dec 112012

On the back of Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal’s repeated attacks, the government has assured Parliament that it has been doing all it can to retrieve black money stashed away in foreign bank accounts abroad. However, a study by Headlines Today of figures released by the Ministry of Finance shows a shocking drop in raids and seizures, one of the primary tools in the government’s armoury to unearth black money.

Though Union Finance Minister P.Chidambaram’s department has given a clear warning to tax evaders asking assesses to declare their true income or face the wrath, the actions of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) and the Income Tax Department seem to be just a formality. It again proves Kejriwal’s allegations true.

Headlines Today’s analysis of figures revealed a steep drop in search and seizure operations. While the raids showed a continuous increase from 2009 to March 2012, the numbers suddenly tapered off in the following months till September.

In Mumbai, which accounts for as much 42 per cent of tax collections, the statistics has gone down from 736 in 2010-11 to 28 cases till September 2012.

Sources told Headlines Today that one of the reasons could be that with Gujarat polls round the corner, I-T raids have become selective and fewer allowing rapid movement of cash by political parties.

Meanwhile, the taxmen have rebooted their database for better targeting of the salaried tax dodger. Even the revenue secretary has said that figures for the assessment year 2012-13 suggested far too many people were slipping through the tax net.

The government has been keeping a hawk’s eye on the suspected tax evaders’ credit card transactions and real estate purchases.

There were only 15 lakh tax assesses, including professionals like doctors, lawyers and chartered accountants, and companies who have declared a taxable income of over Rs 10 lakh in the current financial year.

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