Top Stories on 27th July in a capsule

Ganga water too should carry injurious to health warning like cigarettes: NGT

The National Green Tribunal on Friday expressed concerns over the polluted water of River Ganga and asked why shouldn’t the polluted river carry a health warning just like cigarette packets. “If cigarette packets can contain a warning saying it is ‘injurious to health’, why not the people be informed of the adverse effects (of the river water),” a  bench, headed by NGT chairperson A K Goel, said while hearing a case over the Ganga River pollution. The green panel also directed National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) to install display boards at a gap of 100 kilometers, indicating whether the water was fit for bathing or drinking. It directed the NMCG and the Central Pollution Control Board to place on their website, within two weeks, a prominent map showing where the water was good for bathing and drinking.

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Karunanidhi’s health stable says son MK Stalin

M.K. Stalin Party working chief & son of Dravid Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) patriarch M Karunanidhi, who is being treated for fever, on Friday said the ailing leader's condition was improving. “There is a good improvement in his health, the fever and infection are receding,” he told reporters. The announcement came even after political leaders across the nation made a beeline to visit ailing Karunanidhi. President Ram Nath Govind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also enquired about the 94-year-old DMK chief’s health. "Karunanidhi has overturned countless obstacles, failures, and betrayals into accomplishments. Let's follow his footsteps. Karunanidhi has spent 80 years in public life, 70 years in cinema and arts, 50 years as DMK Chief," Mr Stalin tweeted. The fever is coming down, he added. Mr Karunanidhi is being treated for fever due to urinary tract infection with intravenous antibiotics and fluids.

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Truck operators’ strike called off after 7 days

Truck operators, who were on strike since the last week have agreed to call off their strike after the government promised to consider their demands. The announcement came after Transporter union representatives met the central government officials on Friday. The All India Motor Transport Congress had called the strike to press Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government to reduce taxes on fuel, roll back higher insurance premiums and cut highway tolls. The countrywide strike by trucker operators has led to an estimated direct and indirect loss of over Rs. 50,000 crore to the economy and the government. The transporters’ strike across the country had sent prices soaring in the south and western regions through north India saw normal cargo handling. Delivery of online retail companies like Amazon besides traditional retailers was also impacted.

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No point revising one rank, one pension: Centre tells Supreme Court

The Government of India on Friday told the Supreme Court that there will be no revisions, as of now, to the One Rank, One Pension (OROP) scheme. Centre said that it has already decided on the formula for OROP and nothing much can be done as it would lead to financial implications. The government response came in reaction to a petition filed by an association of ex-servicemen in the Supreme Court. The Narendra Modi government had announced the One Rank One Pension scheme for the ex-servicemen in September 2015. It calls for payment of a uniform pension to the Armed Forces personnel retiring in the same rank with the same length of service, regardless of their date of retirement. The Centre has also rejected the possibility any annual benefit to the ex-army men stating the doing so would further "burden the exchequer".

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Pakistan: Imran Khan prepares for coalition talks after official results

Imran Khan has won a disputed Pakistan election but has fallen short of an outright majority, according to official results announced Friday that indicate he will need to enter into a coalition to form a government. The Election Commission said on Friday that with only 11 seats left to count, Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) enjoys a strong lead with 114 seats, and will be the biggest party in parliament. Election officials are under fire for the lack of a full official result two days after ballots closed, an unprecedented delay that observers say has undermined the legitimacy of the exercise. Khan, a 65-year-old former cricket star, claimed victory in a wide-ranging address to the nation Thursday. "We were successful and we were given a mandate," he said from his home in the capital Islamabad.

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Abolish practice of confessions in Churches: NCW

The National Commission for Women (NCW) has recommended abolishing the practice of “confessions” in churches as it can lead to blackmailing of women. “The priests pressure women into telling their secrets and we have one such case in front of us, there must be many more such cases and what we have right now is just a tip of the iceberg,” she said. The recommendations come in the backdrop of a rape case against four priests of Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church who have been accused of sexually exploiting a married woman belonging to their church. Responding to this, the Kerala church body wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the NCW has ‘hidden agenda’.
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Took citizenship of Antigua last year to expand business: Mehul Choksi

Fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi, allegedly involved in over USD 2 billion scams in Punjab National Bank, claims he had taken Antigua citizenship last year to expand his business as the passport of the Caribbean nation provides visa-free travel to 132 countries, an Antiguan daily reported. Calling the fugitive businessman as the mastermind, the ED in its charge sheet added that it was Mehul Choksi who "designed" the entire scheme of fraud. The companies (involved in wrongdoing) had directors and partners, who acted as dummies but the ultimate decision making was only with Choksi. Some of these companies also received proceeds of crime and parking of funds, according to ED

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We fear our wives will divorce us if we hug Rahul Gandhi: BJP MP Nishikant Dubey

A day after Congress President Rahul Gandhi took a dig at Bhartiya Janta Party stating that they ‘take two steps’ back fearing his hugs, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey mocked him with a statement that BJP leaders were afraid of hugging Rahul because their wives might divorce them. “Yes, we do fear to hug Rahul Gandhi because we are married people. And all BJP MPs worry as to what will their wives say when they will go back to home after hugging him (Gandhi)? Wives will either divorce or say your ‘symptoms’ are different. “Secondly, the Supreme Court has not yet scrapped Article 377, which is why unless it (homosexuality) gets ‘legalised’, till then what is the guarantee that either Rahul Gandhi or someone will not file a case accusing us of cuddling in public. So, one, we fear a court case, then we fear divorce from wife. That is why we run away from them,” Dubey was quoted as saying on Thursday by news agency ANI.

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Rising Muslim population responsible for rapes: BJP MP Hari Pandey

Senior Bhartiya Janta Party MP Hari Om Pandey on Friday sparked a controversy after his comment that the cases of heinous crimes such as rape and murder are rapidly increasing due to the growing Muslim population in India. The BJP MP from Uttar Pradesh's Ambedkar Nagar also asserted that soon a new nation like Pakistan will be carved out from India if the government fails to curb the rising Muslim population in the coming days. “The menaces such as of terrorism, rape, sexual harassment prevailing in India is only because of the rising Muslim populations. If one looks closely, there is a rapid increase in the percentage of Muslim populants since the time of Independence,” said Pandey. "I believe that a bill on population control must be introduced in the Parliament in order to save India from another dreadful partition," he said.

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