Will Modi apologise, Congress asks after RBI report
New Delhi, Aug 29 : The Congress on Wednesday attacked the government over demonetisation, saying that a RBI report proved again that it was a "disaster of epic proportions" and asked if Prime Minister Narendra Modi will apologise for "lying" on the issue.
"The RBI report again proves that demonetisation was Modi-made disaster of epic proportions! 99.30 per cent of demonetised money returns! Modi, in his 2017 Independence Day speech, made tall claims of Rs 3 lakh crore coming back to the system! Modiji, will you apologise for that lie now?" Congress Communications Incharge Randeep Singh Surjewala tweeted.
The RBI announced on Wednesday that as per its report for 2017-18, on completion of the process of verification of scrapped Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, it was found that Rs 15.31 lakh crore of the Rs 15.41 lakh crore -- or 99.3 per cent -- in demonetised currency in circulation at the time of demonetisation on November 8, 2016, had come back to the banking system.
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India-bound LPG tanker clears Hormuz
New Delhi (PTI): A tanker carrying liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for India has sailed out of the Strait of Hormuz and is now headed towards the country, an official statement said on Sunday.
The Marshall Islands-flagged LPG carrier MT Sarv Shakti, loaded with 46,313 tonnes of LPG and staffed by 20 crew, including 18 Indians, cleared the key shipping chokepoint on May 2 and is expected to reach Visakhapatnam on May 13, it said.
The cargo -- enough to meet half a days requirement of the country -- will partly tide over supply constraints being faced since the start of the West Asia conflict more than two months back.
Ship-tracking data showed its position in Oman Gulf on Sunday evening.
The very large gas carrier has previously made runs between the Persian Gulf and Indian ports, has been chartered by state-owned Indian Oil Corporation (IOC).
Sarv Shakti is the first India-linked tanker to cross the war zone since a weeks-old US blockade of ships tied to Iran began, pushing transits through Hormuz back down to almost zero.
There are as many as 14 Indian flagged or India-owned vessels still stranded on the west side of the Strait of Hormuz.
The statement said no incident involving Indian-flagged vessels has been reported in the past 24 hours. The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways is working closely with the Ministry of External Affairs, Indian missions and maritime stakeholders to ensure crew welfare and uninterrupted operations.
The Directorate General of Shipping (DG Shipping) control room has handled 8,373 calls and more than 17,965 emails since activation, including 38 calls and 127 emails in the last 24 hours.
India has also facilitated the repatriation of more than 2,953 seafarers so far, including 31 in the past day from across the Gulf region.
Port operations across the country remain normal with no congestion reported, the statement added.
