The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved signing of the protocol amending the convention between India and Portugal for avoidance of double taxation.

“The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its approval for signing of a Protocol amending the convention between India and Portugal for avoidance of double taxation.

“The Protocol will also ensure prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income,” an official statement said.
It further said that once the protocol enters into force, both India and Portugal would be able to exchange tax related information, which will help tax authorities of both countries to curb tax evasion.

Having completed a month in office, Captain Amarinder Singh government is gearing up to introduce its new industrial policy within 90 days of formation of the new government.

The Congress in its manifesto, has promised to revive the existing industrial units by resolving their problems. The new policy will address all the issues and requirements of different industries such as textiles, yarn, hosiery, hand tools, light engineering, pharmaceuticals, cycles, garment making, sports goods and paper, differently and effectively.

According to the sources, the draft of the new industrial policy will take at least one week. The meeting was called by the chief minister on Tuesday in this regard.

"We are in regular talks with the CM office for the purpose. We are in process to conclude all important points in the draft of the new industrial policy," said a senior bureaucrat wished not to be named.

Congress has also promised to set up an industrial urban corridor between Amritsar and Chandigarh along the axis of the Grand Trunk (GT) road and the Hoshiarpur, Gurdaspur roads along with satellite townships as well. The motive behind this move is to open up major areas of the Punjab for Industrial Development.

Also, a new land bank will be created for industrial development. Adding to this, electricity tariff for the existing and new industry will be frozen at Rs.5 per unit for the next five years.

The Congress also promised to start the Border and Kandi district capital incentive scheme as per industrial policy 2002-2007.

A new policy for development of industrial clusters in the state is also on the cards. Likewise, development and maintenance of infrastructure in focal points and industrial estates will be taken up on priority basis. Also, special budgetary allocation will be made to improve the existing industrial infrastructures, particularly at the industrial estates and focal points.

The promotion of startup culture in Punjab is also a part of the new policy. A no objection certificate (NOC) for industries will be set up within the municipal limits in 1980 and 1990 will be exempted.

"We are having the same bureaucrats who were the part previous policy in 2015. All the individuals and industries participated in the meetings for that policy which could not be implemented. How we can have the high hopes as the same system still persists", Federation of Punjab State Industries Association (FOPSIA) president, Badish K Jindal, told The Statesman.

Financing for development is the key to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the guideline to end poverty by 2030, the BRICS economic grouping told a UN meeting here.

The statement came as Liu Jieyi, the Chinese permanent representative to the UN, on Tuesday took the floor at the UN meeting on the financing for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on behalf of the BRICS members — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

This was the first time for the bloc to air its views on important global issues since its establishment in 2006. China has earlier this year assumed the BRICS' presidency for 2017, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Financing for development is the key to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development," Liu said.

"Assured and predicable financial flow is indispensable to the realisation of sustainable development, particularly by developing countries."

The SDGs serve as the blueprint for global development efforts for the years running up to 2030.

Liu urged the the international community to take a strategic and long-term view of financing for development, and to advance international cooperation in this area.

These efforts should be made based on renewed and enhanced global partnership for sustainable development, to "mobilise adequate resources for the realisation of sustainable development by all countries, especially developing ones", he said.

"Economic globalization has suffered setbacks and we have witnessed the rise of inward-looking and protectionist tendencies in some countries' policies and the growth of 'anti-globalization' thinking," he noted.

"International cooperation for development is faced with daunting challenges of declining political will, dwindling resources and fragmentation of efforts. Financing for development is confronted with ever greater difficulties," he said.

Against such a backdrop, Liu said: "BRICS hopes that this meeting will help all parties to foster consensus and stimulate political will so as to mobilize needed resources and take international cooperation in financing for development to a new height, thus providing strong impetus to the global effort to implement the 2030 Agenda."

Developed countries should bear the primary responsibility in financing for development, honour their official development assistance commitments, fulfill the commitments under technology facilitation mechanism, help developing countries with capacity building and offer further debt reduction and market access to them, he said.

South-South cooperation is not a substitute to North-South cooperation, but an expression of solidarity among peoples and countries of the South, based on their shared experiences and objectives, Liu said.

"Financing cooperation should be strengthened within the framework of international development institutions such as the World Bank, and the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)," Liu said.

"Meanwhile, there is a need to explore innovative financing in a progressive and orderly way with a view to finding meaningful ways of financing for development."

There is a need to improve the global economic governance and create an enabling international environment for development, he said.

The Golf Industry Association (GIA) is set to host the sixth edition of the two-day India Golf Expo (IGE), South Asia's largest Golf industry trade show, at the Millenium city's DLF Club 5 here on Thursday.

The event has a power-packed schedule complete with an exhibition featuring all leading golf brands of the country, expert panels, forums, release of an industry research report as well as the presentation of the annual Golf Industry Awards on Thursday evening.

It will be the first time that all key stakeholders including the governing bodies of amateur and professional Golf in India as well as the top Golf industry brands will be present under one roof.

Among the key speakers at the Expo will be Dominic Wall, Director Asia Pacific, R&A, the global custodians of the game's rules and regulations and Mike Round, Director- development, Ladies European Tour (LET).

According to the GIA, around 20 smaller golf projects are already underway in India with total investments between Rs.600-1000 crore.

Another 20 large projects which are likely to be created in the next five years will see investments of Rs.5000-10000 crore into golf projects, as a standard 200 to 300 acre golf course entails an investment ranging between Rs.200-500 crore depending on the location and size.

Some top corporate brands, which will be exhibiting at IGE 2017, include the likes of Tata Hitachi, Yamaha and John Deere among others.

NASA scientists are designing metal fabrics that could one day be used for astronaut spacesuits, to shield a spacecraft from meteorites, or for capturing objects on the surface of another planet.

The prototypes that Raul Polit-Casillas, a systems engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, and colleagues have created look like chain mail, with small silver squares strung together.

But these fabrics were not sewn by hand; instead, they were "printed," created in one piece with advanced technologies, NASA said. 

The space fabrics have four essential functions: reflectivity, passive heat management, foldability, and tensile strength. 

One side of the fabric reflects light, while the other absorbs it, acting as a means of thermal control. It can fold in many different ways and adapt to shapes while still being able to sustain the force of pulling on it.

The researchers believe that the fabrics could also potentially be useful for large antennas and other deployable devices, because the material is foldable and its shape can change quickly. 

One potential use might be for an icy moon like Jupiter's Europa, where these fabrics could insulate the spacecraft. At the same time, this flexible material could fold over uneven terrain, creating "feet" that would not melt the ice under them.

A technique called additive manufacturing, otherwise known as 3-D printing on an industrial scale, is necessary to make such fabrics. 

Unlike traditional manufacturing techniques, in which parts are welded together, additive manufacturing deposits material in layers to build up the desired object. This reduces the cost and increases the ability to create unique materials.

"We call it '4-D printing' because we can print both the geometry and the function of these materials," said Polit-Casillas. 

Fabricating spacecraft designs can be complex and costly, said Andrew Shapiro-Scharlotta of JPL, whose office funds research for early-stage technologies like the space fabric. 

Adding multiple functions to a material at different stages of development could make the whole process cheaper, he said.

It could also open the door to new designs.

"We are just scratching the surface of what's possible," Shapiro-Scharlotta said. 

"The use of organic and non-linear shapes at no additional costs to fabrication will lead to more efficient mechanical designs," he added.

The JPL team not only wants to try out these fabrics in space someday, they want to be able to manufacture them in space, too.

Chinese telecom firm Huawei is in talks with the Indian government for its smart cities initiative, a top company official said on Wednesday.

It is also interested in offering its solutions to domestic power utility companies, Huawei Telecommunications India, Enterprise Business, President Derek Hao said here.

“Discussions are going on with government on Smart Cities initiative,” he said.

The company, which garnered revenue of $75 billion globally as of December 2016, has offered its expertise to develop 100 smart cities in over 40 countries, he said.

On offering the company's Smart Grid solutions to power utility firms, he said they were holding discussions.

“We are also discussing with power utility companies here in India,” he said.

“Huawei has AMI Solutions which is Advanced Metering Infrastructure. It can greatly help a power utility company reduce electricity loss and increase meter reading efficiently,” he said.

Responding to a query, he said the company was already offering its service to several power utility firms globally.

Hao and senior company officials were here to announce their partnership with city-based IT parts distributor Redington.

Hao and Redington India senior General Manager and Head Strategic Business, Johnson George exchanged documents as part of formally inking the partnership.

Through the tie-up, Redington India would distribute Huawei enterprise products and services in the country.

The government on Wednesday allowed state entities to borrow directly from bilateral overseas lending agencies like Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to fund infrastructure projects.

The decision would directly benefit important projects such as Mumbai trans-harbour link (MTHL), Finance Minister Arun Jaitley told reporters here.

The decision was taken by the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The government “has approved the policy guidelines to allow financially sound state government entities to borrow directly from bilateral ODA (Official development Assistance) partners for implementation of vital infrastructure projects,” an official statement said.

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), a state government entity, has also been allowed to borrow directly from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for implementation of MTHL project.
The estimated project cost for MTHL is Rs.17,854 crore, out of which JICA loan portion is expected to be Rs.15,109 crore.

The guidelines will help state entities to directly borrow from the external bilateral funding agencies and they would have to repay the loans and interests.

While state governments will furnish guarantee for the loan, the Centre will provide counter guarantee.

External assistance today plays a supportive role in financing major infrastructure projects, social sector projects and in building up institutional capacity.

Jaitley said the decision will help states manage their Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) targets.

In her performance Uncharted Seas, Kathak dancer and choreographer Aditi Mangaldas took the Egyptian audience on a spiritual journey.

Uncharted Seas was presented on Tuesday at the Cairo Opera House as part of the mega cultural festival India By the Nile Festival.

The performance, which is presented by Aditi Mangaldas and the Drishtikon Dance Foundation, is a dance company led by Aditi.

The dance show will also be held in the Sayed Darwish Theatre in Alexandria on April 22.

“The performance is basically about search – about why are we here, what is this search, is it for love, beauty, truth, freedom, a man, a woman,” Aditi told.

“There are just questions and they are not answered because no body can answer this. These are questions about humanity. These questions are explored with dance, music and light.”

Aditi, whose solo performances and group ensembles have been critical acclaim at leading festivals all over the world, said her show in Egypt was special because, “we are coming from the land of the Ganges to the land of Nile.”

According to Aditi, Kathak is the only dance style in India that is a beautiful synthesis of both Hindu and Muslim cultures.

“But we don't touch on that. It's a secular piece. It's a piece about being human not about any religion,” she said.

“Uncharted Seas” is consisted of seven dancers and three musicians.

Anjana Kumari, 27, a member of the dance troupe said that she is very happy to perform in Egypt for the first time.

“We have well prepared for the show and I think people will enjoy the show,” she said.

Ashish Gangani, 28, another dancer in the troupe, added, “I feel happy for being here and I hope people live our performance.”

The foundation has been presenting new, innovative and dynamic works for the past years.

They have performed at the Alchemy Festival in Queen Elizabeth Hall, South Bank Centre, London; the Edinburg International Festival and performed for a number of dignitaries and heads of state.

India M&A activity saw a robust start in the first quarter of this year with the value of deals doubling to $17.9 billion, says a report.

In the corresponding three months a year ago, the deals were valued at $9.2 billion.

According to global deal tracking firm Mergermarket, notwithstanding the significant rise in the value of deals, the number of transactions declined to 76 in January-March this year from 110 in the year-ago quarter.

Moreover, India's market share grew significantly in the Asia-Pacific (excluding Japan) region comprising 13.2 per cent of the total regional deal value, the highest proportion across all quarters since 2013, Mergermarket India M&A trend report Q1 2017 said.

The telecom sector attracted deals worth $13.6 billion from three deals in the January-March period, as compared to only $60 million from two deals a year ago.

The top deal this quarter was Vodafone Group's merger of Vodafone India with Idea Cellular, contributed $12.7 billion to the sector, which accounted 70.6 per cent of the total value.

Another noteworthy deal in the sector was Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co's (KKR) $948 million investment in Bharti Infratel Limited for a 10.3 per cent stake.

Energy, Mining & Utilities (EMU) was the second biggest M&A sector by deal value with $1.5 billion in January-March, attracting 11 deals.

This sector featured the second largest deal of the quarter: Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited's $995 million for 80 per cent stake of KG-OSN-2001/03 from Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation Limited.

Although inbound M&A has shrunk to a three-year low, Industrials & Chemicals, fuelled by the government's 'Make in India' ambition, stood out and continued to attract interest from overseas investors.

Out of the 14 deals worth $597 million announced during the first quarter of this year, 10 were made by foreign investors. These 10 deals contributed $332 million in total to inbound M&A in India, up 3.2 times by value from $105 million from only two deals in the same period last year.

Cancer survivor actress Manisha Koirala said she would be revisiting a lot of moments of her own life while playing the role of Sanjay Dutt's mother Nargis in a forthcoming biopic.

Nargis was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and died in the year 1981.

“Whenever I see a cancer patient today it is like reliving the moment. I am affected in any which ways. When I will be performing that (Nargis Dutt's role)…I am yet to start shoot, of course I will be revisiting that,” Manisha told reporters here at an event.

She was speaking at the launch of a social campaign – 'My Hair for Cancer' – an initiative by Nargis Dutt Foundation and hair care brand Richfeel. Sanjay's sister, former MP Priya Dutt was also present at the event.

“It is a great opportunity and honour to be playing Nargis Dutt ji on-screen. She is a legendary figure. I hope I do justice to the chance that is given to me.

“We did couple if look test and I think we have got closer to the look both in short or long hair. I am excited and kicked about it,” the 46-year-old actress added.

Directed by Rajkumar Hirani the biopic stars Ranbir Kapoor in the lead role.

Apart from the Dutt biopic, Manisha is also working on some other projects and will soon make the official announcement.

“There are other films that I am doing and as and when we go ahead the producers will announce it. Also, as far as health is concerned I would want to do a chat show about it. I am glued to understand health and human body. If that comes my way I will do it.”

Manisha was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2012. After fighting the dreaded disease and winning the battle, she is now actively involved in spreading cancer awareness.

She said the period when she was diagnosed with cancer was the turning point of her life.

“After that lot of things changed. I understood the importance of health and life and I connected with my soul. I think a person does become weak mentally and emotionally with any disease. But even in that time also one should be strong. I believe in the divine…we all have the strength and courage within us we just have to look for it.”

Manisha revealed that she was inspired by people who were cancer survivors like model-actress Lisa Ray.

The unthinkable, the dangerous scares, but thrills. And, what is a vacation without fun, adventure and thrill. While you could be an active participant of a thriller travel, you could also be a rejoinder as an spectator to spectacular events around the world.  

Roll over, summer breaks are just few weeks away. If you haven't planned a vacation trip yet, you could plan a thriller trip to England and check out the Cheese Rolling Festival at Gloucestershire in South-West England. The event, which is a famous traditional sporting event in the world, is held on Cooper's Hill every year in May. It returns this year on 29 May.

The Gloucestershire Cheese Rolling Festival is a traditional fun event dating back to 17th century, drawing spectators from all over the world. The lush green steep slope of the Cooper's Hill makes it an ideal venue for the cheese rolling event..

Participants, unable to stand on the steep hill, roll down the Cooper's Hill head over heels in an attempt to catch the prized Gloucester cheese. Although the prize is rarely caught, the contender who rolls down and crosses the line on the bottom of the hill is the winner of the event.

Every year, thousands throng to the Cooper's Hill to witnessed the event. Free of charge, many participate in the event despite its high injury possibilities. According to sources, the highest injury toll occurred in 1997. As many as 33 participants were treated for splinters and broken bones.

The races traditionally starts at 12 pm. So if you are visiting England in May, you may take time to witness the event.

While you are there, you can take a tour of the rich green forest, streams and fertile valley of the beautiful county – Gloucestershire. Breathe in the clean, gresh air here. Enjoy the lush green rural scene and idyllic and mesmerising landscapes. Visit the pretty villages – Bibury and Cotswold, Take a walk through the row of quaint cottages and houses of medieval times, where flowers bloom wildly. Watch the amazing sunsets and let the good times roll.

In his own inimitable way, Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan on Tuesday wished Sachin Tendulkar for his upcoming film and elicited a philosophical response from the cricket legend.

A film on Tendulkar – Sachin A Billion Dreams – will release worldwide on May 26 and celebrities across various walks of life have been wishing the cricket legend on social media. Shah Rukh's good luck post though stood out.

Tendulkar, who rarely shows his emotions, gave a glimpse of his philosophical side while responding to the gesture of extremely popular actor.

“I believed, when u did well I would 2 & when u didnt,I will fail. Like a billion others I miss my guiding lite. ATB for the film,” Shah Rukh tweeted.

In reply, Tendulkar tagged Shah Rukh's post and replied:”Zindagi me haar na hoti to koi kabhi jeet ta nahi aur kuch seekhta bhi nahi. Touched by your words like a billion others, love u @iamsrk :-)”.

Among the other notable personalities to have wished Tendulkar include Rajnikanth, Madhuri Dixit-Nene, Shreya Ghosal.

Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani on Wednesday said BJP's progress in the recent Kanthi Dakshin assembly by-polls indicated the "declining popularity" of West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and other political parties.

"It is indicative of the efforts put in by the BJP's Bengal unit. It is also indicative of the declining popularity of TMC and other political parties in West Bengal," Irani told media persons here.

Referring to her party's improved showing in the by-poll where it finished second, pushing the Left Front to third place, the Bharatiya Janata Party leader said: "It is indicative of the future directions the BJP is headed." 

The Trinamool retained the Kanthi Dakshin assembly seat, with its share of votes going up.

"You cannot take citizens of West Bengal for granted anymore," the minister said when asked about allegations that state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has not taken any steps against the accused party leaders and ministers in the Saradha chit fund and Narada sting operation cases.

Citing the success of Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana and Mudra Yojana, she said the BJP government has delivered in terms of development activities to the people of the state.

Asked about the state government slapping cases against BJP workers in the state, Irani said: "Law and order is a state subject. There is expectation from the constitutional framework that law would not be misused for politics."

She, however, declined to make any comment on CBI's investigation in the chit fund and the sting operation case.

"As a union cabinet minister, I cannot talk about the ongoing investigation. It would be improper for me to do so," she said.

Irani said one should not create an environment that could subjugate any particular investigation agency to any kind of pressure.

"The courts and agencies will ensure that justice is done," she said, adding that her party and central government "respect constitutional procedural and due process of law".

Refuting state opposition parties' allegations of an "understanding" between the Trinamool and the BJP, she said BJP workers were beaten up and supporters were threatened. "Does it mean any understanding," she asked.

Queried on the stand of a section of BJP state leaders that central leaders during their visit to Bengal should not remain soft on Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, Irani said: "I do not think so. Many senior BJP leaders have come to West Bengal. It is indicative of the support of government of India to Bengal, and is indicative of the support of BJP's national president."

She also did not give a direct reply to a poser as to whether the Mamata government was appeasing the minorities.

"When you have deteriorating law and order situation that affects every citizen… When you have no electricity in rural areas, it affects everybody… When you have no industries to employ youth, that affects every family," she said.

The infamous 'man-eating lions of Tsavo' – which killed at least 35 people in Kenya about a century ago – chose to prey on humans because a severe tooth disease made hunting down other animals difficult.

The study debunks the theory which suggests that prey shortages may have driven the lions to man-eating.

At the time, the Tsavo region was in the midst of a two- year drought and a rinderpest epidemic that had ravaged the local wildlife.

Researchers, including those from Vanderbilt University in the US, carried out an analysis of the microscopic wear on the teeth of the 'man-eating lions of Tsavo'.

They employed state-of-the-art dental microwear analysis on the teeth of three man-eating lions from the Field Museum's collection: the two Tsavo lions and a lion from Mfuwe, Zambia which consumed at least six people in 1991.
If the lions were desperate for food and scavenging carcasses, the man-eating lions should have dental microwear similar to hyenas, which routinely chew and digest the bones of their prey, researchers said.

“Despite contemporary reports of the sound of the lion's crunching on the bones of their victims at the edge of the camp, the Tsavo lion's teeth do not show wear patterns consistent with eating bones,” said Larisa DeSantis, assistant professor at Vanderbilt University.

“In fact, the wear patterns on their teeth are strikingly similar to those of zoo lions that are typically provisioned with soft foods like beef and horse meat,” said DeSantis.

The study provides new support for the proposition that dental disease and injury may play a determining role in turning individual lions into habitual man eaters.

The Tsavo lion which did the most man-eating, as established through chemical analysis of the lions' bones and fur in a previous study, had severe dental disease, researchers said.
It had a root-tip abscess in one of its canines – a painful infection at the root of the tooth that would have made normal hunting impossible.

“Lions normally use their jaws to grab prey like zebras and buffaloes and suffocate them,” said Bruce Patterson from The Field Museum of Natural History in the US.

“This lion would have been challenged to subdue and kill large struggling prey, humans are so much easier to catch,” Patterson said.

The diseased lion's partner, on the other hand, had less pronounced injuries to its teeth and jaw – injuries that are fairly common in lions which are not man eaters.

According to the same chemical analysis, it consumed a lot more zebras and buffaloes, and far fewer people, than its hunting companion, researchers said.

“Our results suggest that preying on people was not the lions' last resort, rather, it was simply the easiest solution to a problem that they confronted,” said DeSantis.

Employees in India, 62 per cent, are far more satisfied with their work conditions compared to those in Asia Pacific, as per a survey.

The 'Michael Page's 'Job Confidence Index Q1 2017' (January-March period), revealed that 62 per cent Indian employees are 'satisfied or very satisfied' with their working conditions compared to 53 per cent of employees in Asia Pacific.

However, in a city to city comparison in India, a number of major cities, including Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai and Mumbai, slipped in their work satisfaction rating during the first quarter this year compared to the last quarter of 2016, it said.

The Job Confidence Index Q1 2017, analysed the responses of 650 professionals in India and 4,700 across Asia Pacific.

It revealed that the three chief objectives for seeking employment in India remained unchanged, where 48 per cent of individuals aspire to acquire new skills, 39 per cent yearn for better work-life balance and 34 per cent consider income a significant factor.

Employees in India were more positive about work-life balance in the next 12 months (56 per cent compared to 55 per cent in Q4 2016) and development of new skills (85 per cent compared to 81 per cent in Q4 2016), it said.

While job hunting in India, better work-life balance (39 per cent) has surpassed salary (34 per cent) as the second most important factor.

“The Indian government has taken numerous initiatives to accelerate the economy through various sector focused initiatives. A robust demand for qualified professionals in a competitive market has resulted in the importance of skill enhancement among millennials,” Michael Page India Managing Director Nicolas Dumoulin said.

He said, on the backdrop of an improved economic environment and adaptation to global culture, Indian professionals have a positive outlook towards a rise in job opportunities, wage growth and a better work life balance.

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday dismissed a plea seeking direction to the government to approach the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for securing the release from Pakistan of alleged Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav.

A division bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice Anu Malhotra refused to interfere with the government's steps being taken to secure the release of Jadhav, who has been sentenced to death by a special military court in the neighbouring country. 

The bench said: "Every possible endeavour is being made by the government of India to secure the life of the citizen (Jadhav).. . the matter best deserves to be left to the expertise of the government. No intervention by us is called for."

The plea had said an Indian citizen had been illegally detained and wrongly sentenced to capital punishment by a Pakistani military court without providing him a fair trial.

Pakistan has not made public copies of the chargesheet against Jadhav and the copy of the judgment sentencing him to death, said social activist Rahul Sharma who approached the court. In his petion, he demanded that the Indian government challenge the violations of international law by the Pakistan government by taking the matt er to the International Court of Justice.

Jadhav, sentenced to death on April 10, faced seven charges including espionage and waging war against Pakistan.

Islamabad has rejected Indian requests for consular access to Jadhav.

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has filed FIRs against eight unauthorised websites for promising Aadhaar-related services, and illegally collecting Aadhaar number and enrolment details from people.

The crackdown marks the first instance of FIRs being lodged by the authority against fraudulent and illegal websites touting Aadhaar-related services.

The sites are aadhaarupdate.com, aadhaarindia.com, pvcaadhaar.in, aadhaarprinters.com, geteaadhaar.com, downloadaadhaarcard.in, aadharcopy.in, and duplicateaadharcard.com.

These websites were collecting Aadhaar number and enrolment details illegally from residents and promising Aadhaar services posing as entities authorised by UIDAI.

“We found that even after we ordered the shutting down of some unauthorised websites, some new websites had come up. This time, we have lodged an FIR against the erring websites,” UIDAI CEO Ajay Bhushan Pandey said.

These websites and companies extending these unauthorised services, tantamount to violation under Information Technology Act 2000, Section 38 of Aadhaar Act 2016, and Section 409 (Criminal breach of trust) and Section 420 (cheating) of IPC, according to UIDAI.

Pandey said the authority will continue to take stringent action against such sites and also asked the public to use UIDAI official website (www.uidai.gov.in) for all Aadhaar- related services.

The Section 38 of Aadhaar Act deals with penalty for unauthorised access to the Central Identities Data Repository. The punishment under this section is imprisonment of upto three years and fine not less than Rs 10 lakh. IPC's Section 420 provides for an imprisonment of up to seven years and a fine.

Earlier this year, UIDAI had got shut down 12 websites and 12 mobile apps available on the Google Playstore, for offering Aadhaar services illegally and charging excessive money from the public.

It had also directed authorities to close another 26 such fraudulent and illegal websites and mobile applications.

At present, any Aadhaar-related demographic information can only be shared following the procedures laid down in the Aadhaar Act, 2016.

Last month, taking a serious note of the public sharing of Aadhaar details of M S Dhoni, the UIDAI had blacklisted for 10 years the entity that had enrolled the ace cricketer, for leaking Aadhaar receipt which carried his personal information.

The UIDAI is the nodal body responsible for rolling out Aadhaar, the 12-digit unique identification number that identifies residents based on their biometrics.

More than 113 crore Aadhaar IDs have been generated in the country so far and Aadhaar authentications have crossed the 500 crore mark, while 100 crore e-KYCs have been done on the platform.