Top stories on 13th November in a capsule
INDIA
PM Modi at ASEAN: Lauds GST, Aadhaar
Attending the 31st Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit being held in Manila, Philippines, Prime Minister Narendra Modi put the limelight on India. Addressing the Business Summit he lauded India’s impressive rank on ease of doing Business index. He also met the Indian diaspora at a organised reception and asked them to strive to make this century ‘India’s century.’ “We will work and change India in a way that you will all want to live and come back to India,” he said. He also credited the GST move, implementation of Aadhaar and setting up of Jan Dhan Yojna for making India a ‘globally integrated economy.’
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Air pollution: NGT raps up Delhi govt, SC calls it an ‘emergency’
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Monday slammed the Delhi government for failing to file a review petition on the Odd-Even car rationing. “Is the government going to approach us or was the statement for media only,” the court asked referring to the AAP government’s statement. Meanwhile, schools in the national capital opened after a five day gap, while the transport received a setback with 69 trains being delayed. Addressing the media, minister Gopal Rai said they will approach the NGT to appeal for exemption of women and two-wheelers from the scheme. Meanwhile, the SC heard a PIL against the scheme on urgent basis, and termed it an ‘emergency situation’. The apex court further added that the issue of odd-even should be resolved by the NGT.
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Two army jawans lose lives in an IED blast at Manipur
Two army jawans of the Assam rifles were killed, and six were injured as an Improvised explosive device (IED) blast rocked Chandel town in Manipur on Monday. The area, is located at a close proximity to the Indo-Myanmar border. According to police, the suspected terrorists detonated the bomb outside the District Collectorate office, while the security forces were on their morning jog. The martyrs have been identified as Rifleman Indra Singh, who died on the spot and Rifleman Sohalal who succumbed to his injuries hours later. No group has taken responsibility for the attack yet, while additional forces from neighbouring states were deployed to lead a joint military operation.
Only 50,000 devotees can visit Vaishno Devi in a day: NGT
The National Green Tribunal On Monday capped the number of devotees visiting the holy place to 50,000 devotees a day. Once the maximum number of the visitors have been tapped, rest of devotees will either be stopped in Ardhkuwari or Katra, the court added. The move has been made so that the pilgrimage site does not have to compromise at the expense of large number of visitors. It also asked all new constructions to be stopped with immediate effect. “A new pathway, exclusively for the pedestrians will be constructed and battery-operated cars will run from November 24,” the court said.
Film associations back Padmavati, freedom of directors
In the latest development in Padmavati movie’s row, five film associations have extended their support to director Sanjay Leela Bhansali, for the release of his film on December 1. The Indian Film and Television Directors’ Association (IFTDA), headed by Ashoke Pandit, said, “The association will lead an appeal to Information and Broadcasting Minister Smriti Irani and Home Minister Rajnath Singh to allow freedom of expression for filmmakers.” The Cine and TV Artists Association (CINTAA), Western India Cinematographers Association (WICA), Screenwriters Association (SWA) and Association of Cine and Television Art Directors & Costume Designers, will also file the appeal for the same.
BUSINESS
Vodafone, Idea to sell their tower business
Vodafone India and Idea cellular have separately agreed to sell their cellphone tower business to ATC telecom for an enterprise value on 78.5 billion. ATC, formerly known as Viom would get a total of 20,000 towers combined. Vodafone India will receive Rs. 38.5 billion and Idea will get Rs. 40 billion from the transaction. Vodafone India and Idea announced their merger on March 20. The merged entity will avoid payment of exit penalties as the combined standalone tower businesses will collapse into single tenancies over a two-year period. The deal is expected to be completed by the first half of 2018.
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Traders body Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has threatened to ‘take the help of law’ if no action is taken against Infosys, the company which built the GSTN network. In a statement, CAIT said GST portal has brought much harassment and mental agony to traders by its non-smooth functioning and has proved a major roadblock in success of a good taxation system like GST. Infosys has already denied the allegations as ‘completely inaccurate’. The CAIT said that against its demand of CBI enquiry, Infosys has come out with ‘lame excuses’ having a stereo-type reply that portal is functioning well. Infosys had bagged a 1,400 crore deal to build the GST technology network.
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Traders body threaten to file case against Infosys over GST glitches
Traders body Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has threatened to ‘take the help of law’ if no action is taken against Infosys, the company which built the GSTN network. In a statement, CAIT said GST portal has brought much harassment and mental agony to traders by its non-smooth functioning and has proved a major roadblock in success of a good taxation system like GST. Infosys has already denied the allegations as ‘completely inaccurate’. The CAIT said that against its demand of CBI enquiry, Infosys has come out with ‘lame excuses’ having a stereo-type reply that portal is functioning well. Infosys had bagged a 1,400 crore deal to build the GST technology network.
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Sensex falls over 280 points, Nifty below 10,250
