HC Dharwad Bench extends stay on ED summons to CM’s wife, Minister Byrathi Suresh till February 20
Dharwad: The Dharwad Bench of the Karnataka High Court has extended to February 20 the stay order on the summons issued by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s wife Parvati and Minister Byrathi Suresh in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) case.
Advocate CV Nagesh, representing Suresh, told the Bench that the minister was not an accused or involved in the MUDA case related to an incident that the petitioners claim occurred several years back.
He argued that while the petitioners have been stating that the case involves money laundering, the case was not so. In spite of this, the ED has issued a notice to Suresh, which is a questionable act on the part of the ED. The notice has affected the minister private and personal interests, the lawyer told the Bench.
The ED lawyers, however, did not ask the HC Bench to grant time to object to the applications, following which, the Bench extended the stay order on the summons and adjourned the hearing of the case to February 14.
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TN seeks duty-free cotton imports to support textile sector: CM Vijay writes to PM
Chennai (PTI): Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Thursday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to remove the import duty on cotton.
In his first letter to Modi after taking over as chief minister of the state, he said Tamil Nadu is the country’s largest textile and apparel exporting state.
Lakhs of people are dependent on this sector for both direct and indirect employment, especially women from rural and semi-urban backgrounds, Vijay pointed out.
Stating that the industry is facing a severe crisis due to an increase in cotton prices and consequently yarn prices, he said, “I understand this is caused primarily due to a shortage in cotton production and increased trading activity in the country.”
Pointing out that the price of cotton has increased from Rs 54,700 to Rs 67,700 per candy—an increase of 25 per cent over the last two months—while yarn prices have increased from Rs 301 to Rs 330 per kg, he said, “In this situation, the continued supply of raw material can be ensured only through imports.”
However, there is an import duty of 11 per cent on cotton, he said, adding that in such a situation, permitting duty-free cotton imports will help the industry meet increasing export commitments and remain globally competitive.
Vijay said that after agriculture, the textile and apparel sector is one of the largest employment-generating sectors.
“There is a significant responsibility on the government to safeguard the employment of lakhs of people and ensure the sustainability of the textile value chain," he said.
“Hence, I request your intervention to remove the import duty on cotton from the existing 11 per cent to 0 per cent to ensure the availability of raw material. This measure will enable the textile and apparel industry to remain globally competitive, enhance exports, and protect jobs,” he added.
