The central government and the RBI on Wednesday allowed time till April 30 for "commensurate deposits" by citizens who have declared their unaccounted income under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Deposit Scheme (PMGKDS) that offered non-interest bearing deposits for four years.

The scheme had black money holders opportunity to declare their unaccounted income under till March 31.

"The effective date of opening of the Bonds Ledger Account shall be the date of receipt of deposits by the Reserve Bank of India from the authorised banks; wherein the due tax, surcharge and penalty has been received till March, 31, 2017," a Finance Ministry statement said.

The RBI said in a release: "It has now been decided by the Government of India, in case of persons who had filed the declaration by depositing tax, surcharge and penalty under PMGKDS on or before March 31, to allow extension of time till April 30 for banks to upload details into RBI's E-Kuber system and for depositors to make commensurate deposits, if not already done."

"The date of deposit and uploading would not be extended beyond April, 30 2017."

The deposits could be made in the form of cash or in an account with bank or post office or specified entity, with a tax, surcharge and penalty totaling up to 49.90 per cent.

Mandatory deposit of 25 per cent of the undisclosed income will be made in Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana (PMGKY). The deposits are interest free and have a lock-in period of four years.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will meet his US counterpart Donald Trump at the White House on May 3, a senior Palestinian official announced on Wednesday.

"During the upcoming meeting with Trump, President Abbas will express his commitment to a just and comprehensive peace," Xinhua news agency quoted Abbas' aide, Nabil Abu Rdineh, as saying.

"President Abbas is to tell President Trump that a just and comprehensive peace would contribute to achieving peace and security in the region and the entire world," according to Abu Rdineh.

Ahead of Abbas's visit to Washington, a high-ranking Palestinian delegation is scheduled to arrive in US to prepare for the visit.

On March 10, Abbas received a first ever phone call from Trump since the latter took office as US President.

With two days left for campaigning to end for MCD polls, the BJP is set to "carpet bomb" Delhi with rallies by its senior leaders including party chief Amit Shah and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.

Apart from Shah and Rajnath Singh, Union Ministers M. Venkaiah Naidu, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Smriti Irani, Uma Bharti, Santosh Gangwar, Krishna Pal Gurjar and Sanjeev Baliyan are slated to hold rallies in different parts of the capital.

Former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, party leader Shahnawaz Hussain and former Haryana Minister O.P. Dhankar will also campaign to woo voters of the metropolis.

Shah will address a public gathering in west Delhi's Dwarka on Thursday while Rajnath Singh will address a rally in north Delhi's Kirari assembly constituency.

Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti, who is among party leaders against whom the Supreme Court on Wednesday revived the conspiracy charge in the Babri Masjid demolition case, will hold rallies in Chandni Chowk area.

Textiles Minister Irani will address a public rally in east Delhi while Law Minister Prasad will hold rally in Kesavpuram and Shakurpur in north Delhi.

The polls for the three civic bodies – East Delhi Municipal Corporation, South Delhi Municipal Corporation and North Delhi Municipal Corporation – will be held on April 23.

The BJP has been ruling MCD for the past 10 years and is keen to maintain control over the civic body.

Reacting to US President Donald Trump signing an executive order reviewing the H-1B visa programme in a move that is likely to affect Indian techies, the government on Wednesday night said it was in touch with Washington on the matter and was also making full assessment of the impact of the proposed changes in consultation with all stakeholders.

Also in the case of Australia, which had on Tuesday announced abolishing of a temporary work visa popular with Indians, the same approach was being followed with the government being in touch with the government of that country.

According to MEA spokesperson Gopal Baglay, the government's foreign policy has facilitated expansion of workforce within the country through flagship programmes such as ‘Make in India’, ‘Skill India’, ‘Digital India’, by delivering large technological partnerships and enhanced Foreign Direct Investment.

He recalled that the government had agreed with the Government of France last year to allow Indian students at Masters Level and above to extend their stay in France for two years.

 Insofar as H1-B visas were concerned, the cap has remained at 65,000 since December 2004 when the H1-B Visa Reform Act of 2004 was enacted by the US Congress, he noted.                                               

The changes announced by the Government of Australia recently replace one scheme with another. "Senior Australian officials have conveyed to us that the impact of the changes will be negligible on Indian workers, most of whom fall in high skill category," the spokesperson explained.

New Zealand batsman Kane Williamson brought good fortune for Sunrisers Hyderabad as riding on his 89-run knock, the defending champions stunned Delhi Daredevils by 15 runs at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Wednesday.

Delhi failed to chase down a tough target of 192 runs and were restricted to 176/5 at the end of their innings.  

SRH pacer Mohammed Siraj excelled on his home ground as he dismissed both the openers Sanju Samson (42) and Sam Billings (13).

All-rounder Yuvraj Singh, who managed to hit just three runs with the willow, took the scalp of wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant (0) with his orthodox spin.

Siddharth Kaul struck late in the last over to claim the wicket of Sri Lankan all-rounder Angelo Mathews (31) to join the bowling attack.

Shreyas Iyer managed to hit an unbeaten fifty for Delhi, highest in their innings, while Karun Nair was run out for 33 runs.

Nevertheless, it was dynamic hitter Willamson who steal all the limelight in his first match of the season as his 89-run knock lifted SRH to a strong total of 191/4 in their allotted 20 overs.

The 26-year-old New Zealander struck five sixes and six boundaries in his 51-ball fiery knock that was concluded at a strike rate of 174.80.

After winning the toss, SRH captain David Warner opted to bat first. However, Warner failed to give Hyderabad a good start as he lost his wicket cheaply for four runs in the second over.

The second-wicket pair of Shikhar Dhawan and Williamson then stood strong in front of the stumps and put a 136-run partnership stand.

Dhawan made 70 runs off 50 balls with the help of a six and seven boundaries.

For Delhi, their leading wicket-taker Chris Morris (4/26) was the lone warrior as he claimed all four wickets.

No other bowler from the DD camp managed to bag a single wicket.
 

The ruling BJP camp ruled out resignation of the Union minister Uma Bharti following the Supreme Court's order Wednesday allowing the CBI's plea for restoration of criminal conspiracy charge in the 1992

Babri Masjid demolition case against Bharti and top BJP leaders including L K Advani, M M Joshi and Kalyan Singh.      

The apex court's order might have political implications for these leaders, especially Advani considered to be among the BJP's possible candidates for the upcoming election to the post of the President of India.

Replying to reporters' questions on Bharti's resignation in the wake of the apex court's order, the Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said, "This case is going on since 1993…and no new situation has arisen. So the situation which was prevailing will continue."

Indicating that Bharti and Joshi had been Union ministers and Advani been the Deputy Prime Minister during the trial in this case earlier, Jaitley said, "There have been Ministers, there have been Deputy Prime Minister," thereby making it clear that the earlier situation will continue.

On whether the Supreme Court's verdict will have a bearing on selection of the BJP's candidates for the posts of the President and the Vice President in upcoming elections, Jaitley merely said, "It is hypothetical".

To a question, Jaitley shot back, saying "If charge sheet is the rule (to resign), then just calculate, how many Congress chief ministers will (have to step down)".

Regarding the Rajasthan Governor Kalyan Singh, Jaitley referred to the apex court order which noted that the former enjoys constitutional immunity and could be tried only after he ceases to hold his office.

Separately, the BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya said, "We don’t think there can be any action against anyone from party against these leaders because all of them were involved in Ram Mandir movement."

On her part, an unfazed Bharti rejected the demand for her resignation, slamming the main Opposition Congress. There was "no conspiracy and everything was in open" in the Babri demolition matter, she told reporters.

Bharti said she was "proud, unapologetic and unrepentant" about her association with the Ram Janmabhoomi movement and was prepared to get "hanged or be jailed" over construction of a Ram Temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya.

She claimed she will leave for Ayodhya tonight to seek Lord Ram's blessings, but later reportedly cancelled her visit.

Holding that she had quit the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister's post over a decade ago after a court had convicted her in a case involving the national flag, Bharti said : "In this (Ayodhya) case, the charges are yet to be proved…the post of a minister is too small for me….This is the country of cow, Ganga, Ram, tricolour. I will sacrifice life if I see insult of any of them."

Following the apex court's order, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting with the BJP president Amit Shah and his senior Ministers including Rajnath Singh, Jaitley, Nitin Gadkari and M Venkaiah Naidu. They might have discussed the legal and political ramifications of this order, although there was no official word about it.

The Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the BJP will study in detail the apex court's verdict and that

the party highly respected its leaders like Advani and Joshi.

In its subdued reaction, the Congress said the guilty in the Babri demolition case should be punished.

The senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal rued that it had taken 25 years for the cause of justice to take this

step forward.

The Congress spokesman Manish Tewari refrained from making comments on Bharti's charges against the Congress top brass, saying that she was "rattled" by the apex court's order. Regarding Bharti's resignation, he said the Congress would leave it to PM Modi's conscience and morality.

Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu on Wednesday advocated for the use of cutting edge technology in the transportation sector, stressing that technology is the solution to every problem.

“We need to modernise, upgrade our infrastructure and find technology solutions. All problems can be solved through technology. Right technology is the answer,” said Prabhu while inaugurating an event on the use of modern technology in railway signalling system here.

The public transporter has organised a workshop on adaption and sustainability of modern technologies in railway signalling with focus on skill development and Make in India.

Prabhu said there is a need to focus on safety as it is a much larger issue. “There is a need for upgradation of signalling and balancing it with safety. With safety, there is a greater need for upgradation of signalling. We have to identify new technology and also for training required to use it,” he said.

He said cutting-edge technology in communication can be used in the transportation sector. Adaptation of modern technologies like Centralised Traffic Control, Automatic Train Protection and Automatic Signalling provide low-cost solution for safety at higher speeds and throughout enhancement. “We should constantly develop, modernise (the system) and make it suitable for contemporary times,” Prabhu said.

For sustainability of technologies it is necessary that a framework is made for development of products in India and suitable skill development for its maintainability. He said railways can join hands with foreign countries for development and modernisation. “We can partner with top global companies and co-develop in India. But before it reaches the market a lot of things need to be done,” he said.

In a move that would benefit over 9,000 officers and other personnel of the defence services, the Union Cabinet at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday approved leave encashment up to 180 days in respect of those Defence personnel who died or were invalidated out of service between 30 December 1991 and 29 November 1999 with less than 15 years of service.

The decision will benefit the families of 9777 officers and other personnel of Defence services who died or were invalidated out of service during this period. This period is significant as a large number of casualties took place during the Kargil conflict (“Operation Vijay”) and in counter-insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir and North East during the period.

With US President Donald Trump ordering tougher conditions for issuance of H-1B visas and Australia deciding to abolish the 457 Visa system, India on Wednesday said it is in touch with both governments.

Indians are the biggest beneficiaries of the two programmes.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay, in a statement, also pitched France as another destination for jobs for Indians with advanced degrees.

On Tuesday, hammering his "America First" campaign theme, Trump signed an order tasking the department heads of State, Justice, Homeland Security and Labour to propose reforms in order to ensure H-1B visas are given to the "most-skilled or highest paid" petitioners.

The move is seen as a deterrent to Indian IT firms which send software engineers to the US on H-1B visas.

Earlier on Tuesday, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced he would be abolishing the existing 457 Visa programme, currently used by temporary foreign workers to gain employment in the country.

Turnbull he said would "put jobs first" and "Australians first", signalling a reduction in the occupations available to skilled foreign workers and raising the threshold to qualify.

According to government statistics, 95,758 people were living in Australia under the 457 Visa programme last year, with the highest proportion coming from India (24.6 per cent), followed by Britain (19.5 per cent) and China (5.8 per cent).

"Insofar as H-1B visas are concerned, the cap has remained at 65,000 since December 2004 when the H-1B Visa Reform Act of 2004 was enacted by the US Congress," Baglay said.

As for Australia, he said the changes announced by the Australian government replaced one scheme with another.

The 457 visa scheme in Australia will be replaced by two temporary visas that will impose tougher English language tests, stricter labour market testing, at least two years of work experience and a mandatory police check.

The numbers of jobs eligible for the two- and four-year visa streams will be slashed, with 216 occupations ranging from antique dealer to fisheries officer to shoemaker axed from a list of 651 professions on the list.

"Senior Australian officials have conveyed to us that the impact of the changes will be negligible on Indian workers, most of whom fall in high skill category," Baglay said.

"The government is in touch with the governments of the United States and Australia on these matters and is also making full assessment of impact of these recent changes, in consultation with all stakeholders."

The spokesperson also said that the government's foreign policy has facilitated expansion of workforce within the country through flagship programmes such as Make in India, Skill India, Digital India, by delivering large technological partnerships and enhanced foreign direct investment.

Baglay referred to fact that the India had agreed with the French government last year to allow Indian students holding postgraduate degree and above to extend their stay in France for two years.

Union Minister Uma Bharti, who had announced a visit to Ayodhya to offer prayers to Ram Lala, cancelled her programme on Wednesday after the Supreme Court revived the conspiracy charge against her in the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition case.

"The issue of Ram temple at Ayodhya is not political but a matter of conviction for me. If I would have gone there, this would have turned into a political affair. So I am cancelling my visit," Uma Bharti said in a statement.

The minister added that she would campaign for the party in the Delhi civic polls and later visit Ayodhya.

Earlier in the day, the BJP leader announced that she would visit Ayodhya on Thursday to offer prayers to Ram Lala.

Maintaining that she was ready to "sacrifice her life" for construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya, Uma Bharti said: "A grand Ram temple in Ayodhya is my dream. I am ready to go to prison or be hanged for India and Ram mandir. I will do whatever it takes to see the Ram temple constructed… Ram temple will be built. The time has come to construct the temple."

Her remarks came after the Supreme Court revived the conspiracy charge in the Babri Masjid demolition case against her and senior BJP leaders L.K. Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, among others.

British tennis star Andy Murray advanced to the third round of the Monte-Carlo Masters after eliminating Luxembourg's Gilles Muller here on Wednesday.

Murray, the world's No.1, defeated No. 32 Muller 7-5, 7-5 in one hour and 55 minutes, reports Efe.

The Briton breezed through to the round of 16 in which he will play against Spain's Albert Ramos-Vinolas, who ousted Argentine Carlos Berlocq from the second round.

Senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram on Wednesday welcomed the government's decison to buy paper trail machines for EVMs saying "it's a victory for Congress, opposition parties and democracy".

"Welcome government's decision to allot money to buy VVPATs. Clear victory for Congress, Opposition parties and democracy," Chidambaram tweeted.

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the Election Commission's proposal to buy paper trail machines for electronic voting machines (EVMs), Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said.

Talking to reporters after the Cabinet meeting, Jaitley said a total of 16,15,000 Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) units would be needed for the EVMs as per the Election Commission estimates.

"The Election Commission had been consistently demanding VVPAT machines to hold elections. The Cabinet approved the demand today. This would cost Rs 3,173.47 crore," he said.

Rohan Bopanna and his Uruguayan partner Pablo Cuevas beat Marcin Matkowski of Poland and Austrian Alexander Peya to enter the second round of the men's doubles event at the Monte Carlo Masters tennis tournament here on Wednesday.

Bopanna and Cuevas overcame a strong challenge to win the first round clash 6-3, 6-7, 10-2 in one hour and 27 minutes at the Monte Carlo Country Club.

The Indo-Uruguayan combination will meet Raven Klaasen of South Africa and American Rajeev Ram in the second round. Ram and Klaasen were handed a bye in the first round.

In the singles competition, top-seeded Andy Murray of Britain beat Giles Muller of Luxembourg 7-5, 7-5 in a tough second round encounter that lasted just under two hours.

Third seed Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland also entered the third round with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 win over Jiri Vesely of the Czech Republic.

With complaints from residents of Delhi about the monkey menace and problem of stray dogs, the AAP in its manifesto for civic elections has said that it will tackle the twin problems using existing laws.

"AAP will solve the dog and monkey menace in Delhi within the existing legal and statutory framework, if it come to power in the municipal corporations," Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said in its manifesto released on Wednesday.

Residents of several areas in Delhi have complained to municipal authorities about presence of monkeys, noting that it restricts their movement and causes a scare among children. They also complained of monkeys tearing up clothes and fiddling with pipes and cable wires.

The city's hospitals also receive regular cases of dog bites.

Municipal authorities had last year estimated that the number of stray dogs in south Delhi itself was about 1.89 lakh.

Delhi will vote on Sunday to elect a new South Delhi, an East Delhi and a North Delhi Municipal Corporation. All three bodies were earlier one single entity: Municipal Corporation of Delhi.

The results of the civic body elections will be known on April 26.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who on Wednesday took the decision that VIP vehicles should do away with red beacons, said "Every Indian is a VIP".

Replying to a tweet hailing the government decision, Modi said: "Every Indian is special. Every Indian is a VIP."

In another post, Modi said: "It should have gone long ago. Glad that today a strong beginning has been made."

"These symbols are out of touch with the spirit of new India."

The decision was taken by Prime Minister Modi, who informed the cabinet about it. Soon after the announcement, several ministers removed the red beacons from their vehicles.

The central government on Wednesday announced that no dignitary will be allowed to flaunt red beacons atop their vehicles from May 1, and necessary changes in the laws for the purpose are being brought about.

WINIT, a leading Mobile Sales Force Automation company on Wednesday announced new contract wins from five global companies.

It won the contracts from Procter & Gamble (India), Bajaj Corporation (India), Colgate Palmolive (Saudi Arabia), Olam (Nigeria) and National Food Products Company (NFPC Group) Dubai.

The company already has partnered with leading FMCG companies as its clients like Kwality Ice Cream, Bisleri, Baskin-Robbins to name a few.

WINIT's mobile SFA solution which is powered by new age Artificial intelligence and advanced analytics along with Real Time Collaboration capabilities helps improve sales effectiveness, profitability and over all ROI of sales team of FMCG companies, the company said in a statement.

The FMCG companies choose WINIT's solution because it enables their sales force to "sell more and sell better" thus increasing their profitability. Sales people are better managed and execute the plans of their managers efficiently, increasing their efficiency and productivity.

"Our single minded focus on improving the sales efficacy and revenue maximisation for clients has been the key to our success. Our clients like to work with us because we are able to establish value generation through our consultative implementation and support rather than just selling a software solution," said Prakash Sreewastav, CEO, WINIT.

New Zealand’s dynamic batsman Kane Williamson started his IPL 2017 campaign on a perfect note as he scored 89 runs in his first match to take Sunrisers Hyderabad to 191/4 against Delhi Daredevils at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Wednesday.

Williamson struck five sixes and six boundaries in his 51-ball knock that was concluded at a strike rate of 174.80.

After winning the toss, SRH captain David Warner opted to bat first. However, Warner failed to give SRH a good start as he lost his wicket cheaply for four runs in the second over.

The second-wicket pair of Shikhar Dhawan and Williamson then stood strong in front of the stumps and put 136 runs partnership stand.

Dhawan made 70 runs off 50 balls with the help of a six and seven boundaries.

For Delhi, their leading wicket-taker Chris Morris (4/26) was the lone warrior as he claimed all four wickets.

No other bowler from the DD camp managed to bag a single wicket.