Centre hikes fertilizer subsidy to mitigate impact of price rise

Union Government on Wednesday decided to hike the DAP subsidy by 140 per cent to provide the fertilizer to farmers at old rate despite international price rise.The subsidy has been increased from Rs. 500 per bag to Rs.1,200 per bag. Now, despite the rise in international market prices, it will continue to available at the older price of Rs.1,200 per bag.A decision in this regard was taken during a high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue of fertilizer prices. Modi stressed that farmers should get fertilizers at old rates despite the international rise in prices.He remarked that his government is committed to the welfare of farmers and will take all efforts to ensure that farmers do not have to face the brunt of price-rise. Recently, the international prices of phosphoric acid, ammonia and others used in DAP have gone up by 60 to 70 per cent. So, the actual price of a DAP bag is currently Rs. 2,400 which could be sold by Fertilizer companies at Rs. 1,900 after considering  earlier subsidy of Rs. 500.

-A team of researchers headed by Professor Manindra Agrawal of Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur is studying the spread of COVID in the country and making predictions based on their mathematical model called SUTRA.He earlier predicted that peak of second wave of Corona virus pandemic will be over by mid of May.Now his study says that cases will come down sharply in the coming days. Professor Manindra Agrawal said that it will be early to say that the wave has ended. About the southern States especially Kerala Karnataka and Tamil Nadu where cases are still rising he said that in these parts, peak of COVID is yet to come but overall there will be decrease in the number of new cases in the country. 

-Bombay High Court has asked Mumbai’s civic body, if it is ready to introduce a door-to-door COVID-19 Vaccination Programme for senior citizens and disabled persons who are unable to visit inoculation centres.Noting that there was no need to wait for Centre’s nod, a Division Bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice G. S. Kulkarni said, they were ready to permit Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai to carry out such a drive. The court also directed MCGM Chief Iqbal Singh Chahal to file an affidavit today stating if it would be possible for the civic body to introduce a home-based vaccination drive with proper medical care for senior citizens, disabled persons and those who are bed-ridden or wheelchair-bound.The court was hearing a public interest litigation filed by two advocates, Dhruti Kapadia and Kunal Tiwari seeking directions for Centre to initiate a door-to-door vaccination drive for certain vulnerable categories. Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh, appearing for the Union Government, told the court on Wednesday that an Expert Committee has been set up to look into the issue and a Standard Operating Procedure may be issued soon.

-The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a case against Managing Director and CEO of Indian Farmers Fertilizer Co-operative Ltd (IFFCO) U S Awasthi and former MD of Indian Potash Ltd. (IPL) on the charges of importing fertilizers and raw materials at highly inflated rates to claim higher subsidy from the government.The CBI is also conducting searches at the office and residential premises of the accused in 12 locations including Delhi, Gurgaon and Mumbai. According to a case registered by the CBI on complaints of the Ministry of Chemical and Fertilizer, U S Awasthi, presently MD and CEO IFFCO and Pravinder Singh Gahlaut, then MD, Indian Potash Ltd colluded with a handful of private companies and their promoters to import fertilizers and raw materials through Kisan International Trading FZE in Dubai (a subsidiary of IFFCO) and other middlemen at highly inflated rates including the commission meant for Awasthi and Gehlot.The commission was then paid to these officials through sham transactions involving overseas suppliers. Other accused named in the FIR include Vivek Gahlaut, son of Pravinder Singh Gahlaut, Pankaj Jain of Jyoti Group of Companies and Rare Earth Group, Dubai.

-The Sports Ministry has approached the U K Government, through the Ministry of External Affairs to grant visa to the two-year-old son of ace tennis player Sania Mirza, so that she can take the toddler with her while she participates in a series of competitions in the United Kingdom, ahead of the Tokyo Olympics.Sania will be participating in the Nottingham Open on 6th of June followed by the Birmingham Open on 14th of June, the Eastbourne Open on 20th of June, followed by the Wimbledon Grand Slam on 28th of June. Though Sania has been granted a visa to travel to Nottingham, her son and his caretaker have not received UK visas owing to the travel restrictions on Indian travellers.Sania, who is a part of the Sports Ministry's Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS), approached the Ministry requesting for help with the visa of her son and his caretaker.