As per latest amendments and provisions of the Income Tax Act, 1961 with the Assessment Year 2018-19, there are various new provisions related to income tax proceedings and assessment procedure being included.

Jammu, July 17

A soldier allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself with his service rifle in a camp near the Line of Control (LoC) here, the police said on Tuesday.     Rifleman Ranbir Singh (28) was on guard duty at Hamirpur Nawan Military Garrison in Khour area of Akhnoor sector when he shot himself in the forehead on Monday, causing his instant death, a police official said.The body of the deceased, who hailed from Punjab, was handed over to his unit after completion of medical and legal formalities. — PTI.

Jammu, July 14

A soldier was injured when he was reportedly shot by a Pakistani sniper from across the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district, officials said on Saturday.The incident took place on Friday evening when the soldier was manning a forward post in Akhnoor sector’s Khour area, they said.        He suffered a bullet injury in his upper body area. The soldier was shifted to the Command Hospital in Udhampur after initial treatment at the local military hospital, officials said.He was reportedly injured in firing by a Paksitani sniper, they said.This is the second such incident in a week on the LoC. On July 7, an army jawan was injured reportedly in Pakistani sniper firing in Rajouri district’s Nowshera sector.As many as 52 people, including 24 security personnel, were killed and scores of others, mostly civilians, injured this year in more than 1,250 ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the LoC and International Border. — PTI.

New Delhi, July 8

Over Rs 29.41 crore was spent on using the Indian Air Force’s ultra-modern transport aircraft — the C-17 and the C-130J Super Hercules — to ferry newly issued Rs 2,000 and Rs 500 currency notes post-demonetisation, according to an RTI reply.The move to scrap old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 8, 2016, that saw 86 per cent of the currency being sucked out of the system, needing an urgent operation to replenish it with new Rs 2,000 and Rs 500 notes issued after demonetisation.According to the response provided by the IAF, its frontline transport aircraft, the C-17 and the C-130J Super Hercules, undertook 91 sorties to transport bundles of currency from security printing presses and mints to various destinations across the country after demonetisation.As on November 8, 2016, there were 1,716.5 crore pieces of Rs 500 and 685.8 crore pieces of Rs 1,000 notes in circulation, totalling Rs 15.44 lakh crore, about 86 per cent of the total currency in circulation, according to RBI and government data.In its RTI response to Commodore Lokesh Batra (retd), the IAF said it billed the government-owned Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India and the Bharatiya Reserve Bank Note Mudran Private Limited to the tune of Rs 29.41 crore for its services.“I am of the opinion that the government should have avoided using defence assets and instead could have easily requisitioned the services of civil transport aircraft,” Batra said.This situation could have been avoided, had the government fully prepared itself before making the announcement to demonetise currency notes, he said.Post-demonetisation, the RBI had spent Rs 7,965 crore in 2016-17 on printing new Rs 500 and Rs 2,000 notes, and those of other denomination, more than double the Rs 3,421 crore it had spent in the previous year.The demonetisation was hailed as a step that would curb black money, corruption and check counterfeit currency, but the RBI, in its annual report for 2017, had said just 7.1 pieces of Rs 500 note per million in circulation and 19.1 pieces of Rs 1,000 notes per million in circulation were found to be fake in its sample survey. — PTI91 sorties undertaken

• Indian Air Force’s the C-17 and C-130J Super Hercules aircraft were deployed to ferry Rs 2,000 and Rs 500 currency notes after demonetisation
• The aircraft undertook 91 sorties to transport bundles of currency from security printing presses and mints to various destinations across the country

Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 5

In a move that indicates a growing thaw in military-level ties between India and China the two nations will conduct a bilateral maritime dialogue and Chinese Defence Minister Lieutenant General Wei Fenghe is expected to visit New Delhi.Already a 10-member Chinese delegation, including eight from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), is on four-day visit to India. This includes a meeting with the Army’s Sukna-based 33 Corps that looks after Sikkim, the site of the Doklam stand-off last year.The maritime dialogue would be at the Joint Secretary-level, sources confirmed; the last one was in 2016. This one comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a keynote address on June 1 at the Shangri La Dialogue in Singapore focusing on the Indo-Pacific region.Modi’s speech had asked countries to follow ‘rules-based’ order and India’s stand of cooperating with the US on the ‘Indo-Pacific’ was considered a counter to China’s growing aggressiveness in that region.On China’s position in the Indo-Pacific waters and the contested South China Sea, a source said, “We have never been critical. We have only asked for a rules-based order.”In the recent past, separate bilateral maritime dialogues have already taken place with France and Indonesia. Sources said that besides China, India would be conducting a similar dialogue with Russia.Meanwhile, the dates for the visit of Lieutenant General Wei are being worked out. Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and he have met twice in the recent months–in Moscow on the sidelines of the Moscow Security Conference (MCS) and then in China. The Chinese Defence Minister has commanded the Second Artillery Corps,On the economic ties, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued licences and given clearances to Bank of China to open a branch in Mumbai, say sources, adding that India is working to address the trade imbalance with China. Clearances for agricultural products are being ‘fast tracked’. 

NEW DELHI: The defence ministry has specified new rules for homegrown startups to take part in military projects in an attempt to focus their attention on cutting edge research and development. The new rules, specified this week, seek to encourage new companies to undertake research projects to develop or upgrade weapon systems and to work towards reducing imports. Under the new rules, startups recognised by the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP) under certain categories will automatically qualify to take part in specified defence projects. These categories range from aeronautics, nanotechnology and Virtual Reality to renewable technology, robotics, green technology and internet of things.
For relatively smaller research and development projects, the government has simplified rules by keeping the race open to all Indian companies, doing away with any regulations for participation.
For projects with estimated cost of prototype development phase not exceeding Rs 3 crore, no separate technical or financial criteria (will) be defined for both ‘start-ups’ and ‘other than startups’, to encourage their participation,” the new rules specify.

Gerosa was one of the three alleged middlemen wanted in the Rs 3,600-crore AgustaWestland choppers deal case. File photo

New Delhi, June 22

In a major setback to investigation agencies, Italy refused to extradite Carlo Gerosa, an alleged middleman in AgustaWestland bribery scandal, saying it did not have any mutual legal assistance treaty with India.

After the recent development, the CBI approached the External Affairs Ministry, citing provisions under which he could be extradited to India even in the absence of legal assistance treaty between the two countries, sources said.

Carlo Valentino Ferdinando Gerosa (71), an Italian and Swiss national, was believed to be a key player in the bribery scandal as the process of manipulating the specifications for VVIP helicopter deal allegedly started after a meeting between him and cousins of former IAF chief S P Tyagi, they said.

Interpol had issued a Red Corner Notice against Gerosa, they said.

He was apprehended by authorities in Italy on the basis of the RCN in connection with its money-laundering probe in the Rs 3,600-crore AgustaWestland VVIP choppers deal case.

Gerosa was one of the three alleged middlemen wanted in this case and his interrogation and statement was very important for both the ED and the CBI who were probing the case.

On January 1, 2014, India scrapped the contract with Finmeccanica’s British subsidiary AgustaWestland for supplying 12 AW-101 VVIP choppers to the IAF over alleged breach of contractual obligations and charges of paying kickbacks to the tune of Rs 423 crore for securing the deal.

It was alleged that the three middlemen, Gerosa, Guido Haschke and Christian Michel, “managed to” make inroads into the IAF in order to influence and subvert its stand regarding reducing the service ceiling of helicopters from 6,000 m to 4,500 m in 2005 after which AgustaWestland became eligible to supply the dozen helicopters for VVIP flying duties.

The ED and the CBI had also issued Letters Rogatory to multiple countries to gather more leads and evidence in this case.

Letters Rogatory are requests issued by courts on the request of an investigation agency when it wants information from another country. PTI

Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, June 17

Security forces are gearing up for a major offensive against the militants after the Centre formally called off the month-long Ramzan ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir.Formal orders have been issued by the Central government to the security forces in the counter-insurgency grid to resume anti-militancy operations across Jammu and Kashmir.Soon after the directions, Inspector General of the CRPF, Srinagar sector, Ravideep Sahi, said they had started the area domination exercise. “The area domination operation has already started. As soon as we get information about militant presence, we will launch an operation,” he said.Earlier today, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had tweeted: “Security forces are being directed to take all necessary actions as earlier to prevent terrorists from launching attacks and indulging in violence and killings. The government will continue with its endeavour to create an environment free of terror and violence in Jammu and Kashmir.”After the unilateral ceasefire was announced on May 16, militants had made their intentions clear. During the entire month of Ramzan that ended on Friday, at least nine security men were killed. While the anti-militancy operations were halted by the forces, the counter-infiltration operations continued during Ramzan that left 24 militants dead.Security sources said the cordon and search operations (CASOs), which had been the backbone of anti-militancy operations in security circles, would resume whenever they get an input about militant presence.”Till this evening, no CASO had been launched, but we will launch operations on specific inputs,” a south Kashmir-based senior Army officer said. South Kashmir witnessed several militant attacks during the Ramzan month.State police chief Shesh Paul Vaid said the forces would carry out operations on the same pattern as they did before Ramzan.Combing operation begins in Baramulla After calling off the unilateral ceasefire, security forces launched the first anti-militancy operation in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district. Sources said after an input about the presence of militants at Mughalpora in Tangmarg, joint teams of the Army’s 29 Rashtriya Rifles and the J&K Police launched a cordon-and-search operation (CASO) in the area. “We have launched the CASO in the area,” police sources said. No, anti-militancy operation was carried by the forces during Ramzan

Srinagar, June 14

Two Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel went beyond their call of duty and broke their Ramzan fast to donate blood to a woman suffering from cancer as part of the forces’ ‘Madadgaar’ initiative for locals of the Kashmir valley.Officials said the CRPF’s Madadgaar helpline received a call a few days back from Kishtwar resident Anil Singh, seeking help to obtain blood units for his sister Pooja Devi, who is suffering from leukaemia.The requirement of the Singh family was six units and they said that while they had arranged for two bottles of blood from their family members, they were still looking for four units, a senior official said.Four men of the CRPF posted in Srinagar, Sub-inspector Sanjay Paswan and Constables Ramnivas, Mudasir Rasool Bhat and Mohammed Aslam Mir volunteered for the blood donation. Bhat and Mir, who are observing Ramzan fast, broke their fast and donated blood, he said.All four personnel went to the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences on Wednesday where a woman was admitted for treatment, he said. — PTI

The soldier is identified as Aurangzeb of the 44 Rashtriya Rifles (RR).

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, June 14

An Army man was reportedly kidnapped by militants in south Kashmir’s Shopian district on Thursday.

The soldier, identified as Aurangzeb of the 44 Rashtriya Rifles (RR), was travelling to Rajouri district when the militants stopped his vehicle in Kalampora area and kidnapped him. The soldier is a resident of Poonch district.

Meanwhile, Army sources in New Delhi said they were already “taking action” to locate and rescue the jawan.

“The information of one jawan of 44 Rashtriya Rifles who was proceeding on leave having been abducted has come in. Action is being ensured to locate the person and get him,” a source said.

The abduction comes on a day when Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh is discussing whether to extend or call off the Ramadan ceasefire that is due to end on Friday.

He was kidnapped around 2 km from the camp where he was posted. With Agencies