Photo- Dr Anil Kumar Suri

Cancer of the uterine cervix, also known as cervical cancer, is the second leading cause of cancer deaths among women in India. Almost one lakh women fall victim to the insidious disease every year in the country. 

Researchers at the New Delhi-based National Institute of Immunology (NII) are in the process of fine tuning a solution that promises to add a highly potent weapon to the armoury against this type of cancer. They have extracted and identified a tumour antigen which seems to hold a lot of promise. The antigen has been named SPAG9.

“The tumor antigen, which is expressed in reproductive tract cancers and a variety of malignancies, has proved successful in phase I trials. This means it has been proved to be safe on human subjects. Phase II clinical trials are presently underway to gauge its efficacy. We hope to get positive results by next year,” said Dr Anil Kumar Suri, NII director, in an interview.

The therapeutic vaccine based on the antigen is being tested among 54 patients at Cancer Institute (WIA) at Adyar in Chennai. The trials are being conducted by a team of oncologist led by Dr T. Rajkumar. If proven efficacious, it could change the face of cervix cancer treatment. The human trials are being conducted subsequent to elaborate trials with animal models.

Invasion of foreign bodies like bacteria or virus usually trigger a volley of fighter cells called T cells. These T cells surround germs and fight them. Each type of virus or bacteria requires specific antigen T cells. Vaccination primes the body to potential threats and keeps the arsenal of antigens ever ready to fight an invasion. 

However, this cannot happen with cancer. Even though they are rogue elements, cancer cells are after all from within the affected persons themselves. Body’s immune system cannot normally recognize them as a ‘threat’. They, therefore, allow them to proliferate and spread all around the body. 

Immunotherapy is a new approach that exploits body’s inner capability to put up a fight against cancer. Under the approach, either immune system is given a boost or the T cells are “trained’’ to identify recalcitrant cancer cells and kill them. 

The NII scientists are using this strategy to develop the new weapon against cancer of the cervix.  Â“We take cells called monocytes from the patient’s blood and modify them into what are called dendritic cells. These cells have efficient antigens to stimulate the ‘fighter’ cells, or T-cells, in the body. They are then primed with the tumour antigen SPAG9, for ten days, and given back to the patients in the form of a vaccine. The ‘educated’ T cells are able to discriminate the cancer cells and put up a fight against them,” explained Dr Suri. 

Poor health, malnutrition, unhygienic environment are the main cause of Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection that leads to cervical cancer. Normally our body has tumor suppressor genes and proteins which are able to suppress formation of tumours. The cells in a tumour multiply uncontrollably with hardly any cell death.

NII has outsourced the manufacture of recombinant SPAG9 to Syngene International (Biocon Limited), Bangalore. “If the trials succeed, it will be the first molecule identified in India and will be an example of translational research outcome. Our findings have opened new avenues for novel treatment modalities in battling the deadly disease of cancer worldwide,” said Dr Suri.

Dr. Suri graduated from Hans Raj College, Delhi University and after that did his post-graduation and doctorate from National Dairy Research Institute at Karnal. Subsequently, he did his post- doctorate from Laboratoire pour le contrôle des Reproducteurs, Maisons-Alfort, France. He returned to India in 1985 and joined NII as a scientist. 

The thrust of his research is on early detection and diagnosis of cancer and development of targeted approaches for therapeutic interventions for cancer medicine.

Dr Suri has authored 63 high impact publications in reputed international journal and has 15 patents on novel immunotherapeutic method for cancer treatment and diagnosis in India and abroad. He has won the S.S. Guraya Memorial Award, Dr T C Anand Kumar Memorial Oration Award and Rabindra Nath Chakravarti Citation Award. (India Science Wire)

As the debate continues on connection of climate change with growing intensity of hurricanes like Harvey and Irma, climate change is already becoming a ground reality for scores of farmers in the hill state of Mizoram. Changing rainfall pattern and rising temperatures are forcing them to move away from traditional farming and to grow exotic crops that are heat-resistant and can survive erratic rains.

This year has been particularly bad. There has not been a single day when it has not rained. “Farmers are completely confused. They don’t know whether it was early monsoon or it is ‘everyday monsoon’. All important dates on the agriculture calendar have been missed,” pointed out Dr James Lalnunzira Hrahsel, a scientist with the Mizoram State Climate Change Cell.

Data of the past thirty years shows a rise in average temperature of Aizawl in the month of January. The lowest maximum was 18.7 degree in 1992 while the highest was 28.2 degree in 2005. This January it was 26.3 degree. On the other hand, minimum temperature in January has dipped. The difference between daily minimum and maximum temperature has been widening. The maximum and minimum temperatures in July also have seen a similar trend.

The rainfall pattern has changed so drastically that farmers are left clueless. The dates for burning jhums (shifting cultivation) had to be shifted twice this year due to rains. While there is an increasing trend in monsoon rainfall, there is decrease in post-monsoon rainfall and winter rainfall. Heavy precipitation events have gone up.

“The rainfall pattern in Mizoram has traditionally been so nuanced that Mizo language has different names for rain during different months, like To ruah (for April-May rains), Ruah Bing (for June-July rains), Ruah var pui (September rains), Ai Ruah (for October rains), Pawl del Ruah (December rains) etc. Even wind patterns have unique names – Vahtlao thli (February winds), Pa-sawntlung thli (March to May) and Pa leng thli (July winds) etc.,” explained Dr Lalrokima Chenkual, a disaster management expert with the Administrative Training Institute.

“But nowadays, it is difficult to distinguish one rain or wind from another,” said Dr Chenkual. 

All this is directly affecting farming communities. “Earlier farmers could grow a variety of fruits and vegetables throughout the year. Now they are approaching us to help them with new crops and varieties that can withstand changing climate. That’s why we have introduced dragon fruit from Thailand, new cabbage variety from China and two tomato varieties from Bangalore,”  Henry L Varte, horticulture extension officer, told India Science Wire.  

Dragon fruit is a cactus that can grow in warm and humid climate, needs less water and its fruits have high commercial value. As dragon fruit is climbing cacti, concrete pillars are erected to train the vine and on the top old tyres are used. “Dragon fruit cultivation is helping famers to adapt to rising temperature and erratic rainfall, while protecting their incomes,” said Varte. Similarly the cabbage variety imported from China is heat-resistant. Two  tomato varieties – Araka Smrat and Araka Rakshak developed the Bangalore-based Indian Institute of Horticulture Institute can withstand high temperatures and are disease-resistant. 

“Earlier I used grow oranges from seedlings imported from Israel, but pest attacks started due to heat and the yield dropped. Then I planted area nut. Last year I shifted to dragon fruit and have harvested 20 quintals of fruits this year. The market for this fruit is good, each fruit of about half a kilo sells for about Rs 100 to Rs 150,” said Zoramthanga, a dragon fruit farmer from Viapuanpho village in Mamit district. 

Mr Saurabh Sharma, state nodal officer for climate change, said adaptation had become necessary as districts in the state face ‘moderate to high’ vulnerability to climate change in terms of agriculture, forestry and water sector. The National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change is funding a three-year project to augment livelihood of rural communities by building resilience in agriculture in four districts – Aizawl, Mamit, Kolasib, Serchhip.  

“The idea is to develop one climate resilient village in each district so that they can serve as model for the rest,” Sharma explained while speaking at a media workshop. Mr Pradeep Chettri from Directorate of Agriculture (Crop Husbandry) said pilot projects were underway in three agro-climatic zones – humid mild tropical zone, humid sub-tropical hill zone and humid temperate sub-alpine zone- to increase tolerance and suitability of crops to climate change. 

The media workshop was organized by the Indian Himalayas Climate Adaptation Programme (IHCAP) and Department of Science and Technology (DST) in collaboration with Mizoram State Climate Change Cell; Directorate of Science and Technology and Centre for Media Studies. (India Science Wire) 

Gone are the days when only the elderly could or would buy homes on the back of their life savings. Thirty years ago, the typical Indian home buyer was invariably aged above 50 and cashed in his or her provident fund to finally make the dream of homeownership come true. Today, home buyers in India are younger than ever, with the age group of 34-38 populating a majority of sales deeds. Furthermore, these young buyers are maximizing the advantages of youth with the power of team leverage.

With dual-income nuclear families having become the new norm, young married couples are the preferred customer ‘configuration’ for banks and home loan companies. Their combined creditworthiness is boosted by the very healthy risk profile which banks see in people who have two decades or more of active professional life ahead of them. The result? The ability to buy a sizeable home in a good location today, locking in its value and capital appreciation potential. The Great Indian Dream is alive and kicking in its vibrant and highly aspirational youth.   

Understand your fundamentals

The decision to buy a home should not be influenced by other people’s thoughts and opinions. At the end of the day, this is a very personal decision which does not lend itself too well to ‘one-size-fits-all’ investment philosophies. While one young couple with a certain degree of financial agility may see a lot of sense in buying a home as soon as possible, another of comparable fiscal ability could be content to live out their lives in rental homes and invest their surplus money elsewhere. There is also no shortage of fence-sitting real estate agnostics who are perpetually waiting for changing market dynamics, rather than their own innate desires, to convince them of home purchase.

The ‘Starter Home’

Definitely, young aspiring homebuyers should keep in mind their current and future finances and balance these with their current needs. The concept of ‘starter homes’ is a very valid one in India – the kind of homes that a majority of young couples prefer or able to buy in the initial stages of their careers and/or married life. Such homes are generally only as big as they need to be but are in well-connected locations which allow for easy transit to and from work.

The idea of buying a starter home is to secure a property within one’s existing means, and then upgrade to a larger home as the family as well as financial capability grows. Ensuring that the starter home, though compact, is in a good project with good amenities, and in a well-connected location, will enable the couple to sell it off more quickly and at a better price when the time to upgrade to a larger flat finally comes.

This is by no means the default choice for all young couples – many prefer to invest in larger homes, which their combined credit-worthiness can certainly permit. Herein lies a primary fact of the market – a budget for home purchase is not always only a function of financial ability, but often also of personal choice.

Budget is the Key

When it comes to deciding on how much to spend on buying a home, much depends on whether the newly-baked family comprises of a single income earner or whether it is a dual-income scenario. If it is a single-income household, a starter home in a good project by a reputed developer is the way to go. In the case of a dual-income situation, a couple can set its sights a little higher – but it is important not to overreach.

The main focus at this point in one’s family life should be to secure home while simultaneously retaining the ability to enjoy the first years of married life in reasonable style. Travel and entertainment will and should be on the cards. Later, they also need to factor in the financial pressures of parenthood, and these eventualities should be prepared for in advance. The objective for a newly-married couple – unless they come from wealthy families – should not be to immediately buy the biggest, flashiest home on the block.

Buy or Rent 

For a considerable segment of young married couples in India today, the purchase of a home is definitely still a priority because:

• It frees the family of empty rental expenses which reap no returns and instead secures a performing asset which will appreciate in value
• With the predictable expense of monthly EMIs on a home loan factored in, one gets a clear view of what other investment options and life flexibility is still available
• A self-owned home in India has a singular power to provide not only accommodation but also a sense of security and comfort

For others, it makes more sense to stay in rental homes and invest into other instruments like mutual funds or even more adventurous speculation on the stock market. While it is obviously a challenge to judge how many young couples in India lean towards one philosophy or the other, what can be said is that home purchase has become a far more attractive option in India than ever before

The current market scenario

Over the past couple of years, we have seen significant property price rationalization in many cities. As a result, many more properties have now become affordable for a much larger cross-section of aspiring buyers. Also, thanks to more ready inventory, the legendary mental torture of ‘waiting for possession’ is now an option, not a necessity.

We will not see any further lowering of prices, especially now that RERA is cleaning up the market of fly-by-night operators and causing supply to slow down. However, as of now, residential property in India has become more affordable than it has been in several years. Simultaneously, home loan interest rates have declined to further boost the logic of home ownership in the country.

As the economy gathers further impetus and the real estate market recovers faster, bringing with it inevitable price escalations, locking into the currently prevailing low rates is the best possible investment choice for young couples who have decided on home purchase. Even the extended suburbs of our larger cities will densify over the coming years, adding better social infrastructure while simultaneously bringing forth a dearth of supply due to depleting land. As our cities widen, today’s extended suburbs will become more central locations. Buying a property in such locations now will lock in their future potential

Investment rationale, emotional value – or both?

While the Internet, as well as advisory columns in financial dailies, continue to offer conflicting advice, one immutable fact of the property market remains – property always appreciates in the long run. All over the world, real estate as an asset class provides excellent risk-adjusted returns in the long term. This is not to say that investment in other instruments does not reap comparable or even better returns; what it largely boils down to is one’s own outlook.

The intrinsic value that a self-owned home holds for an end-user differs a lot from that which it conveys to a pure investor. The pride and security of home ownership in a country like India is a rather unique phenomenon which cannot be replicated by other asset classes. Real estate is a performing asset in the truest sense since it can either generate rental income or provide freedom from rental outgo even as it gains in value.

Finally, we do know that RERA will significantly crimp the supply pipeline going forward, and reduced supply has a direct implication on prices. Losing out on the best opportunities today in the hope of further price corrections can imply a significant loss to those who defer their decision too long. The best strategy for young couples who are firmly decided on buying a home today is to negotiate the best possible price and go in for purchase.

(The author is property consultants)

In independent survey has shown that 85% of the household members use their latrine to defecate. Considering the medical costs averted as a result of open defecation free community, the financial saving for each household is Rs 50,000 per year.

In terms of cost benefit ratio, considering on the one hand the expenditures from the households and from the government, an on the other hand the financial savings induce by improved sanitation, the study found a cost-benefit ratio of 430% on average which means that Re 1 invested allows a saving of Rs 4.3.

The benefits are highest for the poorest quintile of the population. The survey was got one by UNICEF to mark the completion of three years of Swachh Bharat Mission and the Swachhta Hi Sewa fortnight. 

Releasing the findings of the survey, Nicolas Osbert, Chief WASH UNICEF said: “Having seen how poor sanitation can affect the health an lives of children and communities, the Mission is once-in-a generation opportunity.’’

Lack of hygiene and sanitation constitutes to spreading fecally transmitted infections, this is not only diarrhea, worms, other parasites. This is mainly due to widespread open defecation practice. It is estimated that in 2015, 117,000 under five children died of dairrhoea alone which is more than 13 children per hour an accounts for 22% of the global burden with regard under-5 mortality due to diarrhea.  This reduces their capacity to absorb nutrients leading to stunting. In India, 39 % children are stunted. 

As a consequence of weak infection prevention and control in health care facilities, sepsis is directly responsible for 11% of maternal and 15% of newborn deaths in India. 

With regard to economic development, India is paying a heavy price because of these preventable water-borne diseases; a study from the World Bank published in 2008 shows that the total economic impacts of inadequate sanitation in India was amounting to US $ 53.8 billion per year equivalent of 6.4% of India’s GDP in the same period. 

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Parmeshwaran Aiyar, Secretary, Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation said the major elements of Swachhta Hi Seva included massive awareness generation an community mobilization activities, large scale construction of twin-pit toilets, cleanliness drive an shramdaan. Also, Gandhi Jayanti would be observed as Swachh Bharat Diwas.

Photo- Prof Urmi Chatterji and Pritha Mukherjee

A group of Indian scientists have proposed a new strategy to make chemotherapy for triple negative breast cancer more effective.

Scientists at the University of Calcutta and the Saroj Gupta Cancer Care and Research Institute (SGCC&RI), Kolkata, have identified mechanisms that make breast cancer stem cells resistant to chemotherapy. This knowledge, they say, can be used to develop combination therapy along with conventional drugs to tackle aggressive triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). The study results have been published in journal Scientific Reports.

Breast cancer threatens one in every 28 urban women in India. TNBC is a subset of breast cancer which is resistant to most drugs and tends to recur once drug therapy is stopped. It is also aggressive and spreads easily. TNBC patients are generally given intense cycles of chemotherapy in addition to radiation. Clinical studies have shown that TNBC evolves prominently, especially in patients from West Bengal and Bangladesh.

Breast cancer stem cells are resistant to drugs, live longer and proliferate once chemotherapy ends. “This is because elevated expression of drug efflux pumps that throw out the drug from cells,” explained Pritha Mukherjee, a member of the research team. 

In this process, the study has found that three molecules – SOX2, ABCG2, and TWIST1 – play an important role. The researchers have further showed that on shutting down SOX2 (which further affects TWIST1 also) and treatment with anti-cancer drug, paclitaxel, restricted migration of cancer stem cells. Even after removal of the drug, these cells did not migrate. “This means obliterating SOX2 expression specifically in breast cancer stem cells before or during chemotherapy is a possible approach to eliminate their population within a tumour, with a promise to prevent post-chemotherapy recurrences,” said Prof Urmi Chatterji of University of Calcutta. 

The outcome of this basic understanding may be translated into a clinical method for controlling tumor recurrence. “A treatment strategy which ensures eradication of persistent drug resistant cells would serve as a complete therapy,” Dr Arnab Gupta, Director, SGCC&RI, told India Science Wire.

“Designing new methods which would target SOX2 would in effect render resistant cell population sensitive to anti-cancer drugs,” suggested Prof Dhrubajyoti Chattopadhyay, Vice Chancellor, Amity University, a co-author of the study.

“Further research in our lab by Dr Sreemanti Das has identified nanoformulation of anti-cancer drugs which have the potential to reduce SOX2 expression and effectively obliterate the cancer stem cell population in cells-in-culture as well as in tumors induced in mice. It has immense potential in being developed as a promising drug in future,” added Prof Chatterji. However, detailed clinical studies are needed to translate this research into treatment.

The research team included Dr Urmi Chatterji, Pritha Mukherjee, Dr Arnab Gupta, and Dr Dhrubajyoti Chattopadhyay. The study was funded by Department of Biotechnology.

Some 27 million children are out of school due to conflict, with girls facing a heightened risk of sexual and gender-based violence, the United Nations said in a report released today, calling on States and international organizations to integrate all uprooted children into the education system where they live.

“Many of the 50 million uprooted children in the world are in desperate need of education – not despite being uprooted from their homes but because they are uprooted from their homes,” the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) stressed in the report.

“For without education, how will they gain knowledge and skills to rebuild their lives? How will they be able to chart a path to a more peaceful and prosperous future for themselves, their families, their communities and the world?” queried the agency.

“Finding ways to provide education for uprooted children will require funding, creativity and commitment. Together, we can, and must, find solutions so every child can go to school and learn. Children’s futures – and our own – depend on it,” said UNICEF.

In 2015, nearly 50 million children were uprooted, more than 28 million of them forced from their homes because of violence and insecurity, with 27 million children of primary and lower secondary school age out of school in 24 conflict-affected countries, the report noted.

According to UNICEF, refugees are five times more likely to be out of school than other children, with only 50 per cent of refugee children enrolled in primary school and less than 25 per cent in secondary school.

In countries affected by conflict, girls are 2.5 times more likely to be out of school than boys and are more likely to become victims of sexual and gender-based violence.

Xenophobia, exclusion and stigmatization can create inhospitable, even dangerous environments for children seeking to join a new school system, while only 10 European Union Member States recognize the right of undocumented migrant children to enter the school system and five explicitly exclude them.

NEW DELHI: As former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda faces the heat of ongoing Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe, political circles in Haryana are talking about future course of action and alternatives available to the Congress.

The significance of last month’s chance meeting between Mr. Hooda and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Parliament House is also not lost. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had won a majority in Haryana in last assembly polls held in October 2014 and formed the government.

The general perception going around in the State is that the BJP has failed to make an impressive impression among the people so far as governance is concerned and the party would be open to having electoral understanding with smaller regional outfits in the next assembly elections.

Though Mr. Hooda himself played down his recent meeting with Mr. Modi, speculation is rife about his political move amid the CBI probe into land deals during his tenure. Mr. Hooda sought to explain his meeting with Mr. Modi by saying that they used to meet up as chief ministers whenever a meeting was held in the national Capital.

As the BJP chief Amit Shah is criss-crossing the country to widen the base of the party, already touted as the largest political party, he would like to further strengthen the party by roping in a tall Jat leader. The million dollar question then remains: Will Mr. Hooda fit into the scheme of things of the BJP? As there is the question of probity and the CBI investigation against him, the BJP might encourage Mr. Hooda to form his own regional outfit and then take his support. But these possibilities remain in the realm of speculation.

Jats are influential in Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan and the BJP President Amit Shah is known for working minutely into all details, there is a possibility that the party would try and lure a Jat leader of some stature into its fold. Mr. Hooda’s family is well known and entrenched and his “Kisan Panchayats’’ in the recent past have managed to get good numbers.

However, the delicate task would be to achieve a balance between Jats and non-Jats in Haryana. If indications are to be believed, a new political equation may emerge in the State in the coming months. The Congress may, after the return of the party vice president Rahul Gandhi from his U.S. tour, try and inject a new life in the workers by reshuffling the pack in the party set-up in Haryana.

Is the extended honeymoon of Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the people beginning to wear off. There is widespread discontent that not a single promise among the multitude made by him has materialised so far. 

What is surprising is that he is at the receiving end from one of his own senior party colleagues — former Union Finance minister Yashwant Sinha. It has not only sent shock waves in the BJP and gladdened the cockles of those concurring with Sinha’s unbiased assessment underlining the need for immediate course correction. 

Credit must be given to the senior BJP leader who has found it imperative to “speak up in national interest against the mess created by the Union Finance Minister (Arun Jaitley)”. He was of the firm view that the economy was on a “downward spiral and poised for a hard landing”. 

This is the best that Yashwant Sinha could have done under the circumstances as Modi’s diktat is that anyone above 75 years of age should bid adieu to active politics and take on the role of being an adviser. 

The common man has shown tremendous patience all along which appears to be wearing thin with barely 18 months remaining for the 2019 general elections. At the same time the Modi government is on terra firm and remains in the public gaze with a major announcement every now and then for the uplift of the poor. 

It is anybody’s guess how long the Head of Government’s charisma will last and sway the masses as evidenced from the time he campaigned in the run up to the April-May 2014 general elections. The Lotus party secured a majority on its own for the first time in the Lok Sabha. 

Is Modi keen to overcome the downturn in the economy as it is claimed to be a passing phase. The saving grace for the Modi government so far compared to the Congress led UPA regime is that there are no financial scandals or other skeletons falling out of the cupboard. 

There is hardly any opposition to Modi at this juncture which has the portends of compelling the masses to sit up and take note. For this to happen the opposition has to come forward with a cogent alternative to Modi’s economic policy. This is where the opposition has come a cropper so far.

By and large people, particularly the traders, have begun wondering if Modi’s much talked about slogan of “sab ka saath, sab ka vikas” is coming apart as the problems have got compounded with the GST. A large number of them aver they are surviving because of their savings and cautioned this situation cannot continue indefinitely.

The question being asked out of frustration is about the chances of Modi’s pledges becoming a reality at all. It is in this context that Yashwant Sinha’s article underlining the need for taking corrective action without delay assumes importance. 

In the prevailing circumstances it does not make any sense in pitting minister of state in the Modi government Jayant Sinha against his father Yashwant Sinha. The discriminating in the Modi government and outside concur with Yashwant Sinha’s contentions that the Centre urgently needs to take corrective measures rather than launch a frontal attack against him as evidenced by Union Finance minister Arun Jaitley. 

Claiming that the NDA government had taken decisive measures for stimulating the economy, Jaitley said while demonetisation had a short-term slowdown impact it would prove to be beneficial in the long term. 

At least two others in S Gurumurthy and Subramanian Swamy have expressed doubts about the demonetisation unleashed on November eighth last year having the desired impact. It had caused immense hardship to the people in withdrawing their own money from the ATMs. The serpentine lines in front of banks resulted in tension and avoidable harassment leading to no less than a 100 avoidable deaths. 

Yashwant Sinha has questioned the ability of the Modi government to take good economic decisions. In a subsequent interview to the Indian Express, Yashwant Sinha explained the government did not admit there “is a problem. Month after month, quarter after quarter they kept singing praises of their own performance, kept patting their own backs while the problems kept building up. And they were not attending to the problems which got accumulated over time. It was clearly a lack of application of mind to the tasks at hand”, he emphasised. 

The former Union Finance minister’s observations were preceded by criticism on the economic slowdown by the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh and the Swadeshi Jagran Manch as well.

(The views of author are personal.)

Several breakthrough reforms with pertinence to the Indian real estate sector saw the light of the day over the last one year. Be it demonetization – the Government’s ‘surgical strike’ against black money – the revolutionary RERA or the unified tax regime of GST – all bore the power of rendering the Indian real estate sector more transparent and professional.

The upward trajectory of consumer sentiment is a strong indicator that the market has responded well to these reforms. The incumbent Government has embarked on a determined journey to transform the Indian realty sector into a more wholesome industry.

While the primary and secondary residential markets undoubtedly benefited from the plethora of reforms, the rental market has also received a shot in the arm. Various reforms and announcements made over the last one year can potentially boost this crucial segment of the Indian real estate sector:

• April 2017: An End to Fake Rent Receipts

Under Section 10(13A) of the Income Tax Act, employees can avail tax exemption under House Rent Allowance (HRA). Hitherto, employees merely needed to submit rent receipts to avail this benefit, along with the landlord’s PAN details if the rent amount exceeded Rs 1 lakh per annum.

However, with its decision to cap the loss on second property purchased with a home loan, the Government has effectively plugged a tax loophole used by innumerable employees for tax exemption. As per the recent tribunal ruling, the assessing officer can now demand proof – such as the leave and licence agreement, and a letter to the housing co-operative society informing about the tenancy, electricity bill, water bill, etc.

This new ruling has cracked down on the practice of salaried employees submitting sham rent receipts.

• June 2017: Withholding Tax

The new section (194IB) introduced in the Income Tax Act makes it mandatory for individuals paying monthly rent of more than Rs 50,000 to withhold taxes at 5% on rental payments, and to deposit this amount within a prescribed time. Prior to this amendment, individuals were not required to withhold such tax. This new section has been inserted to widen the scope of TDS (tax deducted at source).

With this, landlords receiving higher income as rent will come under the tax scanner. They will now be liable to report the full rental income in their tax returns in order to claim benefit of the TDS amount. Moreover, with the recent linking of PAN and Aadhar numbers, the chances of malpractices going unnoticed have reduced drastically.

The winds of change have clearly started to blow post-demonetisation. Both tenants and landlords now prefer to keep their transactions clean by not indulging in any cash payments. Moreover, tenants have also become more vigilant regarding the rental agreement and rent receipts.

• July 2017: Model Tenancy Act

To replace the obsolete five-decade old Buildings (Lease and Rent Control) Act, the State Cabinet of Tamil Nadu announced its intention to bring in a law based on the Model Tenancy Act circulated by the Central Government. The new law aims to balance the rights and responsibilities of both the landlords and tenants.

Some of the salient features of the law:

• Mandatory registration of all rental agreements over 11 months
• Restriction of security deposit amount to three months’ worth of rent
• Limiting of tenants’ right to continue residing after the lease period to six months.

With a balanced law in place, many more home owners are expected to come forward and let out their properties.

Over the past few years, the country has seen a cultural and socio-economic shift. From 5.5 million to 9 million a year, migration of people in pursuit of better education and career opportunities in Indian cities from rural and peri-urban areas has almost doubled in the last ten years. This directly pushes up the demand for rental housing.

Also, it by now is an emerging market reality that many of India’s millennials prefer to rent rather than buy homes – largely because the property prices in most of the metropolitan cities are not affordable, and also because the rental option can provide better location advantages. Apart from the economic factors, rental housing comes with the benefit of ease and flexibility for the fast-paced Ola and Uber generation.

The Government, with its ambitious ‘Housing for All by 2022’ mission, is also half way through its tenure, and the pace of housing construction is still far behind schedule. It is a distinct Indian paradox that despite the acute housing shortage, approximately 11 million units lie vacant and unused. Clearly, efficient use of this existing inventory via rental housing (in markets where trunk infrastructure is in place) would ease some of the pressure.

In fact, the draft National Urban Rental Housing Policy aims to alleviate housing shortage in urban areas by encouraging renting out of these vacant homes across the country. Residential REITs are can also ease the mounting unsold inventory, as they have done in countries like the United States.

The Central Government is now planning to launch a ‘rent to own’ scheme under the National Urban Rental Housing Policy which will let people rent homes from Government institutions. Under this scheme, people will have the option to buy the home they have rented by paying the full price in easy instalments.

While the Government has started the engine, it is now high time to floor the accelerator and fully explore and unbox the massive potential of rental housing in India…

(The author is Chairman of Anarock Property. The views expressed are personal.)

Washington – Exercise Yudh Abhyas – 2017, a joint military exercise between Indian and US armies, commenced at Joint Base Lewis McChord, Washington, US September 16 with a brief and impressive opening ceremony.     

The US contingent was represented by Company of 5th Infantry Battalion from 20 Infantry Regiment of the US Army while the Indian side was represented by soldiers of Gorkha Rifles from the Surya Command.  

Major General Willard M Burlesan, GOC 7th Infantry Division, US Army welcomed the Indian soldiers. In inaugural remarks, he highlighted the common shared beliefs of democracy, freedom, equality and justice that are precious to both the nations.
During the two week long exercise soldiers from both countries will hone their tactical skills in counter insurgency and counter terrorist operations under a joint brigade headquarter. 

Both sides will jointly train, plan and execute a series of well-developed tactical drills for neutralization of likely threats that may be encountered in UN peace keeping operations.  Experts from both sides will hold detailed discussions to share their experience and expertise on varied operational topics. Exercise Yudh Abhyas is one of the largest joint running military training and defence corporation endeavours between India and US. 

The exercise held from Sep 14-27 is the 13th edition of the joint exercise hosted alternately between the two countries. Last year exercise Yudh Abhyas was held at Chaubattia Military Station, Ranikhet, .Uttarakhand.