DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA JOURNALISM OF COURAGE MONDAY, JUNE 17, 2024, AHMEDABAD, LATE CITY, 14 PAGES BUSINESS AS USUAL BY UNNY ON FM’S TABLE AHEAD OF BUDGET IN JULY THIRD WEEK Govt looks at tax rate cut to boost demand, trigger private investment Income limit at which tax kicks in may be raised beyond Rs 3 lakh a year AANCHAL MAGAZINE NEW DELHI, JUNE 16 HARDLOOK BEHIND THE BUSINESS OF GAMING ZONES IN GUJARAT PAGE 4 `5.00 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM SINCE 1932 AS THE INDIAN economy grappleswiththeproblemof flagging consumption, policymakers in the government are in favour of rationalisingtheexistingincome tax structure, especially at lower income levels. Accordingtotwogovernment officials The Indian Express spoke with, it is likely that tax rate cuts for those earning less may likely take precedence over freebies or excessivewelfarespendinggiven the focus on fiscal consolidation. The tax cuts may be a more efficientmeasuretoenhancedisposable income, which in turn wouldresultinhigherconsumption,andgiveafilliptoeconomic activities, the officials said. Aboosttoconsumptionisbeingseenascrucialforrevivingdemand, which in turn is central to restarting the investment cycle, especiallyrekindlingprivatecapitalexpenditureinconsumer-focused sectors, an official explained.Of course,thiscouldalso PFCE IN GDP Value in GDP Growth rate 2021-22 87,32,573 12% 2022-23 93,23,825 7% 2023-24 96,99,214 4% Private Final Consumption Expenditure, an indicator of consumption; absolute numbers in Rs cr; source MoSPI add to GST collections, he said. “This way (tax rationalisation), you will unlock consumption.Therewouldbegreaterdisposable income, means greater Whynothigher welfarespend WHILE WELFARE spending comes with leakages, a tax rate cut at the lower income levels often leads to higher consumption. It boosts demand, which is critical for kickstarting investment, especially by the private sector, which has remained moribund for years now. consumption, greater economic activities,moreGSTcollection.So you may be actually activating moredirectandindirectrevenue collection. It would also mean more direct tax collection, also for corporations, because they wouldbehavingmoreincometo report,” another official said. The discussions have taken note that the rise in marginal income tax is “too steep” in the existing tax structure. “Right now, in the new tax system, your first slab of 5 per cent starts at Rs 3 lakh. By the time it goes to Rs 15 lakh, which is five times, the marginal tax rate jumps from 5 per cent to 30 per cent — a six fold jump. So while income goes up five times, the marginal tax rate goes up six times, which is quite steep,” the official said. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Naidu’s poll promises pose a challenge to Andhra’s fiscal math With Budget scheduled next month, need for finances is gaining urgency NIKHILA HENRY NEW DELHI, JUNE 16 WITHTHETeluguDesamParty’s electionpromisesincludingcash payments to unemployed youth and children, free travel to women and free LPG cylinders, estimated to cost a whopping Rs 60,000 crore, the party’s demand for a special package from the NDA government gains urgency as the new state Finance Minister Payyavula Keshav prepares to present a budget in July. The total debt of Andhra Pradesh, under YS Jagan Mohan Reddy government, jumped 67 per cent to Rs 4,42,442 crore as on March-end 2023 over four years since he took charge. The state’s gross fiscal deficit estimatedatRs55,817.50croreason March31,2024,hasseena57per cent increase from Rs 35,441 crore in 2018-19. An uphill task now awaits TDPchief NChandrababuNaidu, Chandrababu Naidu took oath as CM last week. File who took oath as Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday. Sources in the Centralgovernmentsaidwhilea Special Category Status may not be forthcoming since it will trigger similar demand from other states, the finance ministry may considerspecialpackagesincluding more Central funds for some of the big projects such as the Amaravati capital city project. The TDP promised welfare schemes — dubbed Babu Super Six — in the run-up to the polls which include free bus travel for women,threefreeLPGcylinders peryearforallhouseholdsunder the Deepam Scheme, an annual dole of Rs 18,000 for every CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 EXPRESS NETWORK 11 HOUSES RAZED IN MP, POLICE SAY ‘FOUND BEEF IN FRIDGES’ PAGE 10 Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and BJP ministers and MPs after the inauguration of the ‘Prerna Sthal’ in the Parliament House complex on Sunday. PTI House protest site Gandhi statue gets a new spot, Cong says arbitrary, violates democracy DAMINI NATH NEW DELHI, JUNE 16 FOR YEARS, a common sight in Parliament complex was that of MPs protesting or gathering in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue near the main entrance to thebuilding.Itwon'tbethesame when the 18th Lok Sabha convenesforthefirsttimeonJune24. Thestatuehasbeenrelocated along with 14 other statues that dottedthecomplexandinstalled in one area, named Prerna Sthal (inspirationpoint),whichwasinaugurated by Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar Sunday. WhileLokSabhaSpeakerOm Birla said the decision was taken by the Lok Sabha as the government has “no interference” in its running, the Opposition hit out at the ruling-BJP for moving the statues from their prominent lo- cations near the main entrance to Parliament House. Thestatueshavenowbeeninstalledonthestretchneartheold Parliament building, renamed SamvidhanSadanlastyear,tillthe back of the Library Building. The statueofMahatmaGandhiandDr BRAmbedkarhavebeeninstalled near Gate No 7 of Samvidhan Sadan, facing the old building. Over the years, both OppositionandrulingpartyMPs helddharnas,addressedthemedia and met in front of the Gandhi statue facing Parliament House. While the construction of the new Parliament building was on, the Gandhi statue was relocated to a green patch outside the new building in 2021. CongresscommunicationsinchargeandRajyaSabhaMPJairam Ramesh said in a post on X: “Today,amajorreconfigurationof CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Mumbai seat: Cops probe Muslim cleric mentions ‘cow’ in illegal phone use; had no sacrifice list, arrested in Bharuch EVM link, says poll officer VADODARA, JUNE 16 IN A "preventive measure", a 54year-old Muslim cleric was arrested at Amod in Bharuch on Sunday for an alleged provocative social media post that could potentially "breach communal peace" ahead of Monday's Eidul-Adha. The Bharuch district police hasbookedtheaccused—Maulvi PAGE 1 ANCHOR Maulvi Abdul Rahim Rathod Abdul Rahim Rathod, who is a cleric of Daru Uloom Barkat-eKhwaja — for "promoting enmity" after his social media post describingtheIslamic"ritualistic Flagging need for Russia to be in, India opts out of Ukraine declaration Onlyoptionsacceptabletobothparties canleadtoabidingpeace:NewDelhi SHUBHAJIT ROY NEW DELHI, JUNE 16 WITH RUSSIA not attending the Swiss summit on peace in Ukraine and calling it a “waste of time”, India decided to not sign the joint communique by saying that “only those options acceptable to both parties can lead to abiding peace”. Representing India at the two-daysummitthatconcluded Sunday, Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs PavanKapoorsaidthatIndiahad joinedthesummittoexplorethe way forward to a negotiated settlement of a very “complex and pressing issue”. According to the communique, signed by as many as 80 countries, the “territorial integrity” of Ukraine should be the basisforanypeaceagreementto end Russia’s war. However, underlining that “enduringpeacecanbeachieved onlythroughdialogueanddiplomacy,” Kapoor said that such a peacerequires“bringingtogether allstakeholdersandasincereand practical engagement between the two parties to the conflict.” TheIndianpositionof notbecoming a signatory to the joint MEA’sSecretary(West)Pavan KapoorduringtheSummit inSwitzerlandonSunday. communique was explained by Kapoor in his statement as Moscow — one of the two warring parties —declined to attend the summit in Burgenstock in central Switzerland. The RussiaUkraine war, which began on February 24, 2022, is in its third year now, with no end in sight. ReflectingNewDelhi’sdiplomatic tightrope walk that has marked its diplomacy since the war began, in a prepared text at the summit, Kapoor said: “Our participation in the summit and continued engagement with all stakeholders is with a view to understanding different perspectives, approaches and options, to find a way forward for a CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 YATRA BEGINS JUNE 29 PREVENTIVE MEASURE, SAY POLICE EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE SWISS PEACE SUMMIT procedure" for animal sacrifice enlisted the cow among other slaughteranimalssuchascamels and buffaloes. Notably, the cleric was out on bail after his arrest in a2022caseforallegedconversion of tribals in the district. "The post put up by the cleric was instigating in nature as it explicitlymentionedcow-slaughter. Weactedbeforeasituationcould arise.Infact,theclericalsoputup an apology after posting the first CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE MUMBAI, JUNE 16 THE RETURNING Officer of Mumbai North West Lok Sabha seat, where allegations of manipulation of poll results have been made by Shiv Sena UBT candidate Amol Kirtikar, on Sunday said there was no attempt to hack the EVMs inside the vote counting centre even as police said they were investigating the unauthorised use of a mobile phone at the centre. The mobile phone which belonged to a data operator at the centre was seen in the possession of an aide of the winning candidate, Shiv Sena's Ravindra Waikar, leading to allegations of EVM manipulation. Waikar beat Kirtikar by 48 votes — the thinnest margin CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 On table at J&K meet: ramp-up in Jammu security, tighter net for Amarnath Yatra Replicate successes achieved in the Valley, Shah tells security agencies Union Home Minister Amit Shah with NSA Ajit Doval , J&K L-G Manoj Sinha and others at North Block on Sunday. ANI DEEPTIMAN TIWARY NEW DELHI, JUNE 16 ‘Modi, Meloni share the same vision about relationship between tradition and present challenges’ VINCENZO DE LUCA AMBASSADOR OF ITALY TO INDIA PAGE 9 STRENGTHENING THE anti-infiltration grid, generating better intelligence, increasing boots on the ground and stepping up patrollingarewaysinwhichtherecent spurt in violence in the Jammu region is expected to be tackled, sources have told The Indian Express. These measures were on the table at the over 5-hour-long meeting chaired Sunday by UnionHomeMinisterAmitShah at North Block to review the security situation in Jammu and Kashmirandtakestockof thesecurity preparedness for AmarnathYatrascheduledtobegin June 29. “Union Home Minister directed security agencies to replicate the successes achieved in Kashmir valley through Area DominationPlanandZeroTerror Plan in Jammu division. Shri Shah asserted that Prime MinisterShriNarendraModi-led government is committed to set anexamplebycrackingdownon terrorists through innovative means. Shri Amit Shah directed all security agencies to work in a mission mode and ensure quick response in a coordinated manner,” the Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement following the meeting. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Techie by day, cricketer by evening: Hero of Team US, from Mumbai DEVENDRA PANDEY MUMBAI, JUNE 16 WHEN THE United States unexpectedly advanced into the Super Eight stage of the T20 cricket World Cup, Saurabh Netravalkar informed his manager at software major Oracle that he won’t be returning to work for another week. AsvitalasheistoOracle,where he handles databases of companies and even holds a patent for a search innovation, Netravalkar is indispensable to Team USA as it co-hosts its first major internationalcrickettournament. The Mumbai-born left-arm seamer has been one of the standoutplayersintheUSAlineup that got the better of Pakistan —withhimbowlingthedecisive Super Over — and gave India a run for their money with the wickets of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to secure at least three more games against the elite sides in the Caribbean. “After we qualified (for the Super Eight), I informed my office that I will be on leave for somemoretime.Nowmywhole officeiswatchingthegame,they all have been very supportive,” Netravalkar told The Indian Express. The technology that Netravalkar worked on is called ‘wildcardsearching’.Itgetsfaster search results by auto-guessing orauto-completingthetextafter thefirstlettersorwordsaretyped. “We store data of companies and ensure search engines work fast,” says Netravalkar, adding that he has since applied for another patent. “Luckily, there hasn’t been any SOS when I am playing, as there have been one or two instances in the past when I got a call. Otherwise, we have a team that manages everything. And it's World Cup time, so no one has bothered me. They all know Saurabh Netravalkar celebrates after a wicket during the match against Pakistan. AP File what I'm up to.” As he enjoys his new-found popularity for his exploits on the cricketfield—atypicalprogrammer,hecitesnumbers:Instagram followers up 200 per cent, memes increased by 80 per cent —there’salsoadmirationforhow hehasbalancedthetwofacetsof his life and excelled at both. “Every project has a deadline sothereispressure…Therehave been instances when I have worked at night. I know my cricket schedule, so I plan accordingly with my manager. I finished my work before I joined the USA for the World Cup,” the techie says. It’safarcryfromhisearlydays, whenhiscricketingtalentandpotential earned him a spot in the IndiaU-19teamforthe2010agegroupWorldCup.Heremembers how his mother or father would accompany him on a crowded Mumbai local to Churchgate to play in tournaments. Life takes many turns Brilliant at studies as well as cricket, Netravalkar had asked his parents to give him a couple of years to make a mark in elite cricket, failing which he would focus on his other skills. When he couldn't make it to the Mumbai Ranji Trophy squad due to the presence of the likes of Zaheer Khan, Ajit Agarkar, Aavishkar Salvi and Dhawal Kulkarni,Netravalkarrealisedhe had to move on. But even that wasn't easy. “After the under-19 World Cup, I was offered a job at BPCL wheretheyaskedmetoundergo various tests. One of them was for the eyes where they show various colours on a screen and we need to identify them. They later told me that I had colour blindness,” he says. Netravalkar then decided to pursue his Master’s in the US after getting a scholarship in 2016. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 Ahmedabad