SCALE OF INEQUALITY INCOME Group Average Avg income (K) WEALTH Share (%) 2,34,551 Average wealth (K) 1922 Share (%) 13,49,029 Bottom 50% 71,163 15.0 1,73,184 6.4 Middle 40% 1,65,273 27.3 9,63,560 28.6 Top 10% 13,52,985 57.7 87,70,132 65.0 Top 1% 53,00,549 22.6 54,141,525 40.1 *As of 2022-23 HYDERABAD THURSDAY MARCH 21, 2024 `9.00 PAGES 16 LATE CITY EDITION Source: World Inequality Lab D I PA K M O N D A L @ New Delhi India will continue to provide humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, says prime minister Narendra Modi Vladimir Putin Volodymyr Zelenskyy Y E S H I S E L I @ New Delhi PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday used the oppor tunity of g reeting Vladimir Putin on his re-election as Russian President by nudging him during their telephonic conversation to resolve the ongoing Ukraine war through dialogue and diplomacy. He had a similar message for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his separate conversation with him. “I spoke with President Putin and congratulated him on his re-election and also agreed to work together to further deepen and expand IndiaRussia Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership in the years ahead,” Modi said. “Both leaders expressed satisfaction with the consistent and dynamic development of 1982 6.1% of national income went to the top 1% 2022 * 22.6% of national income with top 1% CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOGGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI ■ ■ ‘Inequality today worse Petitions in SC than under British Raj’ as govt notifies Modi nudges Putin, Zelenskyy to resolve conflict through talks mutually beneficial ties in trade, economy, energy, and transport,” a Russian readout of the call said. “An exchange of views was also held on a number of issues on the international agenda, in particular in the context of the situation around Ukraine,” the Kremlin’s statement said. President Putin conveyed his wishes to Modi for the successful conduct of the upcoming parliamentary elections. Modi is one of the few world leaders who have congratulated Putin for his reelection. Speaking to Zelenskyy, Modi assured India will continue to provide humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, guided by its “people-centric” approach. The prime minister reiterated India’s consistent support for all efforts for peace and bringing an early end to the ongoing conflict. Zelenskyy thanked India for its suppor t for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, humanitarian aid, and active participation in Peace Formula meetings. T he two leaders discussed ways to further strengthen the partnership in various spheres. 13% of national income pocketed by the top 1% ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITY Jharkhand Governor CP Radhakrishnan assumes additional charge as the Governor of Telangana at Raj Bhavan, in Hyderabad on Wednesday | P4 EXPRESS READ NEET-PG examination rescheduled to June 23 Hyderabad: The National Medical Commission and the Post Graduate Medical Education Board (PGMEB) on Wednesday announced the revised schedule for NEET PG-2024. The exam will now be conducted on June 23 and the result will be declared by July 15. The counselling sessions will be conducted from August 5 to October 15. The last date of joining will be October 21. INDIA is more unequal now than it was under the British rule, says a paper released by Paris-based World Inequality Lab. The report, co-authored by Nitin Kumar Bharti, Lucas Chancel, Thomas Piketty, and Anmol Somanchi, also recommends a 2% super tax on the net wealth of the wealthiest families to generate resources for public investment. The report says top-end inequality peaked between 2014-15 and 2022-23, driven by wealth concentration. By 2022-23, India’s top 1% income and wealth shares (22.6% and 40.1%) were at their highest historical levels. For context, the US’s top 1% income share was 21%. The report cautions such high levels inequality could trigger concentration of income and wealth, which could in turn negatively influence the society and the government at large. To arrive at these conclusions, the inequality report has taken into consideration the national income accounts, wealth aggregates, tax tabulations, rich lists, and surveys on income, consumption, and wealth. The report calls for a restructuring of India’s tax system to account for both income and wealth. It also stresses on the need for generating resources for investments in health and education to enable the common man to benefit from the ongoing wave of globalisation. The government should tap India’s wealthiest families to generate resources for public investments, it says, adding that India’s 167 wealthiest families in 202223 would yield 0.5% of national income in revenues. 42 yrs on, no compensation for land; RDO office seized S R A J A R E D D Y @ Adilabad Court staff seize material from the Mancherial RDO office on Wednesday AFTER a protracted legal battle spanning 42 years, a court in Mancherial on Wednesday ordered the seizure of the local RDO office till such time the administration releases `2.92 crore to an elderly woman farmer as compensation for the land acquired from her. Following the order, the court staff seized office materials such as computers and tables, and shifted them to the court premises. Counsel Suresh, who appeared for the aggrieved woman, said that in 1982, the state government acquired 23.27 acres of land from his client Ajmera Begum, a native of Parpelly village in Kothapalli mandal. The land falls under Survey Nos. 478 and 480. Later, the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) Utnoor sent a requisition letter to Mancherial RDO for mulberry plantation and construction on the acquired land. However, despite acquisition of the land by the RDO, compensation was not paid to Ajmera. Instead, the officials claimed that the land did not belong to the farmer. After the farmer approached the Asifabad court for justice, it ruled in favour of Ajmera. CONTINUED ON P2 fact check unit ahead of polls RAKESH KUMAR & PARVEZ SULTAN @ New Delhi AHEAD of the general elections, the gover nment on Wednesday notified the Fact Check Unit under the Press Information Bureau to monitor content on social media tied to the Centre. The unit was notified under the 2021 IT Rules. According to the new regulation, if a government information is misrepresented on any online platform, the fact-checking unit will flag it. Social media platforms and other online intermediaries will then decide on taking down the content. If they refuse to drop the content, they risk losing the protections granted under Section 79 of the IT Act. This section provides immunity to online platforms from content posted by users and third parties. The notification comes a week after the Bombay High Court rejected a petition filed by Editors Guild of India and others against the fact checker. They argued that the regulations could lead to censorship of free speech in the country . The Editors Guild has now filed a petition before the Supreme Court. “We remain opposed to it because I don’t think that in a democratic country like us, the government alone can decide what is fake information,” said Editors Guild general secretary Ruben Banerjee. Political satirist Kunal Kamra, too, has moved the SC.
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