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Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Centre to bring stricter law to deal with fake fertilisers
The Centre is preparing to introduce a stricter law to tackle the issue of fake fertilisers and spurious agricultural inputs — a problem that, according to a recent study, accounts for 40% of total sales by value and causes economic losses to farmers by reducing overall output, HT has learnt. The country already has provisions that ban and criminalise sale of counterfeit pesticides and fertilisers, but seizures and crackdowns are not commonplace. The new law will have harsher punishment and target supply chains, an official said. Agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had recently flagged the issue, urging farmers not to overuse agricultural chemicals and limit their use to prescribed limits, apart from warning marketeers of fake fertilisers of stern action. Under current provisions, the federal fertiliser control order 1985 (clause 19) lays down technical specifications for each type of fertiliser approved for farm-use sale, making illegal the marketing of agrochemicals not meeting these standards. However, sale of substandard, fake or adulterated fertilisers is currently punishable under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, a law that is meant to regulate and maintain supply of goods, and often used to crack down on hoarding and tame inflation. 'The government wants to bring a strict law that is specifically meant to penalise sale of illegal and fake fertilisers and farm chemicals,' the official said. Fake products cut over 10 million tonnes of potential agricultural output in the world's most populous country, according to a 2015 study by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce (FICCI). The value of illegal pesticides, for instance, has been expanding by nearly 20% a year, according to the study's findings. Farmers often complain of lack of accountability for the spurious sales. In 2023, the ministry of chemicals and fertilisers, while uncovering the diversion of subsidised urea, had seized 70,000 bags of potentially counterfeit products. Counterfeiters manage to penetrate rural markets by copying packaging and labelling of genuine brands, a second official said. On May 30, the Rajasthan government sealed 34 factories and lodged 12 first information reports on fake fertiliser sales.
Indian Express
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
May 20, 1985, Forty Years Ago: 56 Tamils Killed
Unidentified attackers killed 40 Tamil civilians and burnt Tamil houses in towns near the site of a recent massacre in the latest round of ethnic violence in Sri Lanka, the police said. Attackers also killed 16 Tamils in the eastern port of Trincomalee, despite an unofficial curfew imposed in some parts of town. Quota Debate Madhu Dandavate, Janata Party leader, said that the opposition parties were committed to the constitutional guarantees to the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and backward communities. Dandavate suggested that a round-table conference of all parties concerned be called to sort out the reservation tangle which had led to widespread violence and disturbance in Gujarat in the last few weeks. FICCI Meet The private sector not only wants to play a bigger role in national development but also needs facilities and better government support to make it a success. This sentiment was reflected in three resolutions on the second day of the annual general meeting of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry. R P Goenka, who is expected to be chosen vice-president of FICCI, moved the first resolution — about the distribution system in the service of consumers. Sundarayya Dead P Sundarayya, the founder-general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and a top leader of the Telangana movement, died at a private hospital in Madras, following kidney failure. He was 73 and is survived by his wife Leila Sundarayya, a member of the Andhra Pradesh state committee of the CPI(M).
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Business Standard
05-05-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Rajasthan govt aims to become a concert tourism hub, attract MICE
Rajasthan, known not only for its grand forts and palaces but also for its centuries-old craftsmanship, soulful folk music, timeless architecture, and vibrant cultural traditions, now wants to become a concert tourism hub. The state government plans to set up concert tourism facilities in various cities soon, Deputy Chief Minister Diya Kumari said on Sunday. Speaking at the 'Meet in India' Conclave during the 14th Great Indian Travel Bazaar (GITB) in Jaipur, Kumari said that the state will focus on building better infrastructure to support this emerging sector. 'This sector is growing, and we plan to create concert tourism facilities in various cities in the state soon,' she said. 'For this, better infrastructure will be built in Rajasthan.' Jaipur, also known as the Pink City, recently hosted a series of high-profile events, including concerts by Yo Yo Honey Singh, singer Diljit Dosanjh, Papon, and Sunidhi Chauhan, along with several stand-up comedy shows. 'Rajasthan holds a special place on the global map,' Kumari said. 'The state is now rapidly emerging in the field of concert tourism, opening new avenues for investment and partnerships. On one hand, we are preserving our traditions, and on the other, we are moving towards becoming a global tourism hub through modern infrastructure and tourism-friendly policies.' GITB is organised by the Union Ministry of Tourism in collaboration with the department of tourism of the Rajasthan government and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci). The three-day event began on May 4 and will conclude on May 6. Kumari said that Rajasthan is positioning itself not only as a leisure destination but also as a venue for international conferences, business meetings, cultural fairs, and events. 'The state is set to become a leading destination for conferences and events,' she said. 'To boost the MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions) industry, we will soon launch the Rajasthan Mandapam.' Planned in Jaipur, the Rajasthan Mandapam will be a convention and exhibition centre with state-of-the-art facilities. 'From cultural richness to rural tourism circuits and new destination development, every part of Rajasthan is being prepared to host high-impact events,' Kumari added. 'We believe in strong public-private partnerships — from local artisans to luxury hoteliers, grassroots logistics teams.'
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Business Standard
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Standard
WAVES Summit 2025: List of celebs joining PM Modi at grand inauguration
Today in Mumbai, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will officially launch 'WAVES 2025'. With the theme "Connecting Creators, Connecting Countries," the four-day World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES) is a first-of-its-kind event that seeks to position India as a centre for creative innovation and entertainment. Several Bollywood celebs, including Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, and Karan Johar, will attend the major event. The goal of the summit, which will also feature speakers from the film industry, is to increase the potential of the media and entertainment sector, which generated Rs 2.5 lakh crore in revenue in 2024. WAVES Summit 2025: Theme Media globalisation, the future of content creation and distribution, and technical disruptions brought about by AI and the Metaverse are among the themes of the WAVES Summit 2025. The goal of the 'WAVES Summit 2025' Projecting India as a global center for media and entertainment is the goal of the WAVES Summit 2025. The Summit also aims to promote international cooperation, attracting capital to India's creative sector, and growing the nation's media and entertainment industry. WAVES is emerging as a leading platform for the Indian entertainment sector to expand its reach and push limits. The Create in India Challenge, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) are organising the summit, which is expected to be a ground-breaking platform for conversations, partnerships, and game-changing inventions. List of Celebrities attended 'WAVES Summit 2025' The inaugural 'WAVES Summit 2025' boasts an impressive roster of notable celebs from various fields. The 4-day event at the Jio World Convention Centre (JWCC) in Mumbai is expected to draw high-profile personalities from international platforms as well as the biggest Indian superstars and filmmakers. From Bollywood celebs like Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Karan Johar, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Kareena Kapoor Khan, and Ekta Kapoor to icons like SS Rajamouli, AR Rahman, Rajinikanth, Chiranjeevi, Mohanlal, and Hema Malini. Anil Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Vicky Kaushal, Allu Arjun, Bhushan Kumar, Namit Malhotra, Shahid Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao, Atlee, Riteish Deshmukh, Zoya Akhtar, and Vijay Deverakonda are also anticipated. The list also includes prominent figures in the tech and entertainment industries, such as Ted Sarandos (Co-CEO, Netflix), Neal Mohan (CEO, YouTube), and Adam Mosseri (Head, Instagram). WAVES Summit 2025: Ticket prices • Business Visitor Pass: The Business Visitor Pass which will cost Rs 3,000 grants complete access to exhibitions and sessions from May 1 to May 4. • Public Visitor Pass: On May 3 and 4, the Public Visitor Pass grants entry to specific public sites. The price is Rs 99. • Student Pass (Free): Students can enter specific sites on May 3 and May 4 using the Student Pass (free). The price is Rs 99. Students can enter designated sites on May 3 and May 4 using the Student Pass (free). • Media Pass: Designed for journalists with accreditation. • Exhibitor Pass: Exhibitor passes are given out according to the size of the booth (1 pass/3 sqm). The exhibitor cost of Rs 30,000 includes it. WAVES Summit 2025: How to book a ticket online? The official WAVES Summit 2025 website allows you to immediately register for a pass. After paying according to your category, you can get a pass by clicking the "Book Your Pass" option on the website.
Epoch Times
26-04-2025
- Business
- Epoch Times
London Is Losing Its Millionaires
London is losing its richest residents. The British capital has seen more than 30,000 millionaires vanish over the past 10 years. It has now dropped out of The firm found that London had lost 11,300 dollar millionaires in just 12 months, including 18 individuals with a net worth of $100 million or more, and two billionaires. London, which now has 215,700 millionaires, is one of only two cities in the top 50 — the other being the heavily sanctioned capital of Russia, Moscow—that has fewer rich individuals than a decade ago. In total, the British capital has lost 12 percent of its wealthiest residents since 2014, while Moscow has lost 25 percent. Related Stories 4/24/2025 4/23/2025 Many millionaires fled Moscow in the wake of Western sanctions following the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Though the Russian capital has lost more millionaires as a percentage over the past decade, with 10,000 leaving, in terms of sheer numbers, London has lost three times that number in the same time frame. The majority of departures have been to other European countries such as Italy and Switzerland, as well as the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Dubai, in particular, has seen a huge growth in the number of millionaires over the past decade, increasing by 102 percent. So what is driving the super-rich out of what was once one of the premier playgrounds of the rich and famous? Andrew Amoils, head of research at He said that rising concerns about crime and safety were the big factors putting the rich off the British capital. 'Safety is one of the key drivers of long-term wealth growth,' Amolis said. 'Women and child safety is especially important—the recent child grooming scandal highlighted this crisis.' Crime and Safety A number of billionaires in recent months have made similar statements about crime being an issue. Devin Narang, an Indian entrepreneur, said in a meeting attended by David Lammy, then shadow foreign secretary, that fear of crime in London was one of India's elite's biggest concerns about the city. 'People are being mugged in the heart of London–in Mayfair,' Narang, a member of the executive committee of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, said at a meeting in New Delhi in February 2024, the 'All CEOs in India have had an experience of physical mugging and the police [in London] not responding.' Manchester United owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe also said that he had stopped wearing luxury watches in the capital. 'I can't wear a watch in London, and I just need to be a bit wary, a bit careful,' Ratcliffe told Ratcliffe, one of Britain's wealthiest people, cited the story of a murder over a Rolex picked up on one of his company Ineos's CCTV cameras at its headquarters in Knightsbridge. 'He died in a pool of blood because somebody tried to take his Rolex, and he resisted. About a year ago, we had three guys in hoodies, with machetes, right outside the office, opposite Harrods.' More than 6,800 watches were reported stolen in 2023, the latest year for which Taxes a Turnoff High taxes are another one of the prime reasons the rich no longer call London home. Amoils said: 'Capital gains tax and estate duty [inheritance tax] rates in the UK are amongst the highest in the world, which deters wealthy business owners and retirees from living there. 'The recent tax rises from the October 2024 budget have exacerbated this issue as they pulled non-doms, farms, and small businesses into the UK estate duty net.' Non-dom, short for non-domicile, describes a person who lives in the UK, but whose permanent home for tax purposes is outside the country. It refers to a person's tax status and has nothing to do with their nationality, citizenship, or resident status, although it can be affected by these factors. A non-dom previously only paid UK tax on the money they earn in Britain and did not have to pay tax to the British government on money made elsewhere in the world. In October, the Labour government confirmed plans to abolish non-dom status from April 2025, and to replace it with a residence-based regime, which will also bring foreign earnings into the UK inheritance tax system. Dwindling Importance Another factor spurring the movement of millionaires is the fact that the city itself is becoming less globally significant. 'The London Stock Exchange (LSE) was once the largest stock market in the world by market cap, but it now ranks 11th globally,' Amolis said. 'The past two decades have been particularly poor, with a large number of delistings and relatively few new IPOs. 'The continued ascendance of rival financial hubs such as Dubai, Paris, Geneva, Milan, Lugano, Frankfurt, and Amsterdam has eroded London's status as Europe's top financial center.' He added that growing American and Asian dominance of the global space has also prompted several wealthy tech entrepreneurs in the UK to reconsider their base location, with many moving to tech hubs in North America and Europe. 'A lot of the new wealth that has been created in the last decade has mainly been from the tech sector, so if you miss out on that, you are missing out on a huge amount of wealth,' Amolis said. Amolis also said that the historic appeal of London and the UK was its use of English, which remains either the first or second language of most millionaires globally. 'However, over time, this has become less relevant as the economies of the other major English-speaking countries like the United States, Australia, and Canada have grown,' he said. 'Furthermore, there are now several other high-income markets globally where one can get by only speaking English, including the likes of Singapore, the UAE, New Zealand, and Malta.' Another factor is that part of the drop in the number of wealthy people in London is not necessarily that they left the city; they just became less well off due to the drop-off in the stock market and a worsening exchange rate of the pound against the dollar. 'A lot of them have just got less money,' Amolis said. 'So, for instance, if someone was worth $1.2 billion and then their investments have gone down and they are now worth $900 million, they are no longer a billionaire.' Despite this drop in wealthy residents, London remains one of the most expensive cities to live in, with property prices per square meter higher than anywhere else on the planet—other than Hong Kong, New York, and Monaco.
