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Gold Smugglers
The Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) on Sunday said Kannada actor Harshavardhini Ranya alias Ranya Rao, arrested for smuggling gold from Dubai, was allotted land to set up a steel plant by the previous government in February 2023. The board was reacting to reports that a company linked to the actor was allotted 12 acres of industrial land by the KIADB in 2023. Sensing that the case was taking a political turn, the office of Minister for Medium and Large Industries M B Patil shared the government's final notification issued on February 22, 2023, regarding the allocation of land to Ranya's firm Ksiroda India at the Sira Industrial Area in the Tumakuru district. The Congress came to power after defeating the BJP in the Karnataka Assembly polls in May 2023. The proceedings of the Karnataka government, shared by the minister's office, said, "Approval to the proposal of M/s Ksiroda India Private Limited to establish a unit for manufacture of 'steel products - TMT bars,
Gold smuggling has reduced significantly since July 2024 when the government slashed import duty on the precious metal to 6 per cent, Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) Chairman Sanjay Kumar Agarwal said. As per the latest available data, Customs and DRI officers seized 847 kg of gold worth Rs 544 crore at various airports in the April-June period of the current fiscal. In July, the government reduced customs duty on gold to 6 per cent from 15 per cent. "After the rate of duty was reduced on gold in the last year's budget, there is a significant reduction in the smuggling of gold," Agarwal told PTI in an interview. Although Agarwal did not reveal the quantum or value of gold seizures, he said authorities are keeping regular watch over the international passenger traffic, porous borders, and commercial cargoes coming into the country to cut the smuggling of narcotics through any route. Smuggling is the secret movement of goods across national borders to avoid custom
Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Tuesday asked what action has been taken by the ruling Left government or Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who holds the "reins of power", against the groups smuggling gold into the state and using money from it for "anti-national activities". Khan said that he came to know about this development only after reading what Vijayan told a newspaper, but the CM has access to all the information about it. "He (Vijayan) should come forward and tell us what action has been taken by the government against the gold smugglers who have indulged in anti-national activities. "He is holding the reins of power. He cannot just talk to the press and take no action. Why has no action been taken? Whose fault is it if action is not being taken? It is a serious matter. I have read about it only today," the Governor told reporters here. He further said that when he returns to Thiruvananthapuram, he will seek a report from the government on the issue. "I would like t