PM Modi presents 9-point agenda against fugitive economic offenders at G20 Summit

Agencies

December 1, 2018

Buenos Aires, Dec 1: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday (local time) presented a nine-point programme to take action against fugitive economic offenders during his address in the second session of the ongoing G20 Summit here.

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar took to his Twitter handle to share an image of the programme that the Prime Minister presented at the G20 summit earlier today.

As part of the programme, Prime Minister Modi suggested "strong and active" cooperation among the G-20 nations. He highlighted the importance of cooperation in legal processes such as "effective freezing of the proceeds of crime; early return of the offenders and efficient repatriation of the proceeds of crime should be enhanced and streamlined", so as to "deal comprehensively and efficiently with the menace of fugitive economic offenders".

He further suggested joint efforts to be made by the G20 nations to form a mechanism that denies entry and safe havens to all fugitive economic offenders. He stressed the "effective" implementation of the principles of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) and the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organised Crime (UNOTC). The Prime Minister underscored the need to implement features related to "International Cooperation" in the two conventions.

The Prime Minister said that the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) should be called upon "to assign priority and to focus on establishing international co-operation that leads to a timely and comprehensive exchange of information between the competent authorities", adding that the FATF should be tasked to formulate a standard definition of fugitive economic offenders.

The document added that the FATF "should also develop a set of commonly agreed and standardised procedures related to identification, extradition and judicial proceedings for dealing with fugitive economic offenders to provide guidance and assistance to G-20 countries, subject to their domestic law".

The programme suggested the setting up of a common platform "for sharing experiences and best practices including successful cases of extradition, gaps in existing systems of extradition and legal assistance."The G20 forum should consider initiating work on locating properties of economic offenders who have a tax debt in the country of their residence for its recovery, the Prime Minister concluded.

Prime Minister Modi`s programme for curbing the menace of fugitive economic offenders comes amid heightened efforts by India to apprehend a number of such offenders, including liquor baron Vijay Mallya, absconding diamantaire Nirav Modi and his uncle-cum-business-partner Mehul Choksi.

The three fugitives are involved in separate scams to the tune of billions of dollars.

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Over 58 lakh names dropped from draft voter list in Bengal ahead of polls

News Network

December 16,2025

The deletion of over 58 lakh names from West Bengal’s draft electoral rolls following a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has sparked widespread concern and is likely to deepen political tensions in the poll-bound state.

According to the Election Commission, the revision exercise has identified 24 lakh voters as deceased, 19 lakh as relocated, 12 lakh as missing, and 1.3 lakh as duplicate entries. The draft list, published after the completion of the first phase of SIR, aims to remove errors and duplication from the electoral rolls.

However, the scale of deletions has raised fears that a large number of eligible voters may have been wrongly excluded. The Election Commission has said that individuals whose names are missing can file objections and seek corrections. The final voter list is scheduled to be published in February next year, after which the Assembly election announcement is expected. Notably, the last Special Intensive Revision in Bengal was conducted in 2002.

The development has intensified the political row over the SIR process. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her Trinamool Congress have strongly opposed the exercise, accusing the Centre and the Election Commission of attempting to disenfranchise lakhs of voters ahead of the elections.

Addressing a rally in Krishnanagar earlier this month, Banerjee urged people to protest if their names were removed from the voter list, alleging intimidation during elections and warning of serious consequences if voting rights were taken away.

The BJP, meanwhile, has defended the revision and accused the Trinamool Congress of politicising the issue to protect what it claims is an illegal voter base. Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari alleged that the ruling party fears losing power due to the removal of deceased, fake, and illegal voters.

The controversy comes amid earlier allegations by the Trinamool Congress that excessive work pressure during the SIR led to the deaths by suicide of some Booth Level Officers (BLOs), for which the party blamed the Election Commission. With the draft list now out, another round of political confrontation appears imminent.

As objections begin to be filed, the focus will be on whether the correction mechanism is accessible, transparent, and timely—critical factors in ensuring that no eligible voter is denied their democratic right ahead of a crucial election.

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