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Cheers from India Inc as GST bill finally passed

  All the parties in Rajya Sabha unanimously passed the Goods and Services Tax bill finally. This has brought huge cheers from a large section of the society, primarily the industries and businesses. The who's who of the top businesses expressed their happiness on the passage ofthe bill. Chanda Kochhar, MD & CEO, ICICI Bank said, The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill is the most important reform in indirect taxation in India ever. It signals the Government’s resolve to put in place a significant structural change which will benefit all segments of the economy.   Consumers will see lower prices in the medium term. Rana Kapoor, MD & CEO, YES BANK said, " The Government has taken a giant economic leap by passing the GST Bill. In one bold move, this will unify India’s tax architecture, make manufacturing efficient, and boost Ease of Doing Business, thus ushering a virtuous growth cycle in India for several decades up to 2050. " Ashish Goel, CEO & Co-founder of Urban Ladder said, " GST will help create a single unified market across India and allow free movement and supply of goods in every part of the country."

300 people escape from burning airoplane

  It was a miraculous escape for the 300 passengers of the Emirates flight which caught fire on landing at Dubai airport. The exact circumstances of the accident, which involved a Boeing 777 flying from India with 300 people on board, were not immediately clear. Video clips circulated on social media showed thick black smoke billowing from the centre of the plane, which was on ground. Its fuselage appeared to be lying on the runway with escape slides opened. 14 people were taken to hospital to be treated for “cuts and bruises”, but their injuries were described as “moderate”. Dramatic video appears to show the plane exploding on the runway.   Tragically hero firefighter, Jasim Issa Mohammed Hassan, died while putting out the flames. The Emirates chairman told a press conference that evacuation procedures were executed professionally and the cabin crew were the last to leave the plane. "As we were landing there was smoke coming out in the cabin. People were screaming and we had a very hard landing. We left by going down the emergency slides and as we were leaving on the runway, we could see the whole plane catch fire." said Sharon Maryam Sharji who was on of the passengers on the plane.

Rape Videos on sale in UP for Rs.50

  If the law and order system in Uttar Pradesh needs to get any better, then looks like the police need to curb a lot of other activities too. In some horrific news coming from the state, In shops across UP, right under the nose of the police and the administration, rape videos are being sold in hundreds, perhaps thousands, every day. Depending on the "exclusivity" of the clips, which are 30 seconds to even 5 minutes long, they are priced anywhere from Rs50 to 150. If this is not enough, a recent news report also showed the fact that there are a lot of loopholes in the security of the poeple in the state.    Agra city SP Ghule Sushil Chandrabhan said, "In the past we have conducted raids at Tajganj and Sadar areas and arrested one for selling explicit videos and pirated films. We will continue to raid such places." Sources in the police said it would be close to impossible to put an end to the trend. In other news there is yet no big breakthrough in the recent horrific ongoing in the state, the culprits who raped a mother and her daughter are still at large. Police is still investigating the case.

Lakes in Bangalore being put on sale

  In a bizarre incident in IT city Bangalore, a lake has been put up on sale. A family in Bangalore is claiming ownership of a lake in Hosur area of the city and has put it up for sale for what they say is "just Rs 400 cr". The Bengaluru-Chennai expressway - the manufacturing highway of India; is around 6 km from Koramangala - the hub of techies and high net worth individuals; is bang in the middle of the tech corridor stretching from Koramangala to Electronics City - where the big bucks are. Spread over 13 acres and 24 guntas (over 6 football fields), the asking price is Rs 400 crore. The only glitch? It's a lake. Activists who got a whiff of the intended sale posed as buyers and collected documents from the family. Among the documents is a file noting by none other than "Chief Minister Siddaramaiah" asking officials to "do the needful".   This noting - it could not be confirmed whether it is rightfully the CM's - has added some legitimacy to the claims of the family over the parcel of "land". Added to that is a Karnataka High Court order of August 2014 directing the Special Deputy Commissioner of Bengaluru to restore the family's name in the title deed. "I have received the complaint and need some time to look at the documents. There is a court order and I also have to collect many more documents from the deputy commissioner's office. I am also calling all the officers who have enquired and declared it as a lake. The enquiry is under process and I will soon come out with a report," Speaker KB Koliwad said. He heads the legislative committee on lake encroachment in Bangalore.

Sonia Gandhi fractures her arm;In ICU

  Congress President Sonia Gandhi is now in a stable state say doctors. They say that she had arrived at the research and referral hospital in a state of severe dehydration that caused an 'electrolyte imbalance.' Congress president Sonia Gandhi's medical condition was described as 'grim' when she was admitted in a state of emergency at India's premier military hospital on Tuesday night. Gandhi who was ill since Monday had to cut short her rally in Varanasi after her health deteriorated. According to reports she continues to be dehydrated and has electrolyte imbalance. The 69-year-old  accidentally fractured her arm when she collapsed during the rally.   "Mrs Sonia Gandhi has been admitted to SGRH on Wednesday at 1.30pm under the care of Dr Arup Basu and his team from the department of pulmonology. She is dehydrated but is presently stable and further investigations are being conducted. She is advised rest," Sir Ganga Ram hospital said in a press statement. Sources said Gandhi is still in ICU and is unlikely to be discharged this week. "Though she is still in ICU, her condition is much better than what it was when she was rushed to Delhi on a chartered flight, leaving the campaign midway. She was drowsy, could barely talk and her aides had to rush her to the Army hospital though the initial plan was to take her to SGRH," said a source.

Delhi HC ruling on LG a big blow to Kejriwal

  In what could be a big blow to the Aam Aadmi Party head and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, The Delhi High Court ruled today that the Lieutenant Governor, who represents the Centre, is the "administrative head" of Delhi and Mr Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government has to run all its decisions by him. This comes as a blow Arvind Kejriwal's bid to corner more executive powers into the Delhi CM's office. The Delhi government has said it would appeal against the Delhi HC ruling in the Supreme Court. The Delhi HC dismissed a batch of petitions by the AAP, that challenged the powers of the Lieutenant Governor (LG).   Kejriwal and his party have been railing against the reading of Constitutional provisions that make the LG the administrative head of a Union Territory. "Policy direction can't be issued without communicating to the Lieutenant Governor," said the court. The AAP government was told that it was wrong to set up inquiries into alleged scams involving CNG fitness for buses and Delhi's cricket body DDCA without seeking Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung's approval. The May 21, 2015, notification of Centre barring ACB from proceeding against central government employees is neither illegal nor unsustainable, the HC bench had added.

2 Indigo flights almost collide in air

It was a miraculous escape for two indigo flights from a mid air collision. An Indigo aircraft 6E-136 from Mumbai to Guwahati was going to land at the Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport and another Indigo flight 6E-813 bound for Chennai had taken off. The Chennai-bound flight was crossing path with the Mumbai-bound one and they flew dangerously close to each other. At least four passengers and two cabin crew were shaken by the near disaster, a spokesman for Indigo Airlines said. The passengerscomplained of giddiness while the cabin crew needed first aid. "The IndiGo flight en route to Guwahati experienced turbulence due to monsoon," said the Indigo spokesman, adding this caused itto climb down by 250-300 feet, just when the Chennai-bound aircraft was taking off. A statement by the airline said, "The Indigo flight 6E 813 from Guwahati to Mumbai experienced turbulence due to monsoon, this caused aircraft to climb 250-300 feet. At the same instance aircraft 6E 136 was crossing 6E 813 following protocol pilot took advisory action to maintain desired separation. The incident took place yesterday (August 2, 2016). Flight later made a normal landing," The four passengers and two cabin crew were given medical assistance.

Former Maoist chief is new Nepal PM

  Former Maoist rebel chief Prachanda was elected as the new Prime Minister of Nepal by the country's parliament. Pushpa Kamal Dahal , who led a decade-long insurgency that toppled a Hindu monarchy, becomes the prime minister after predecessor K.P. Oli resigned rather than face defeat in a vote of no confidence. Minister Khadga Prasad Oli stepped down last week ahead of a no-confidence vote in parliament, which he was expected to lose. The Nepali Congress, the biggest party in parliament, and a number of smaller parties have said they would support Dahal. It is his second time as prime minister ofthe Himalayan nation. Dahal's first tenure ended in 2009 when he resigned over differences with the president about the sacking of an army chief.   Dahal will serve as the 24th prime minister in the 26 years since the nation adopted a multi-party democracy, and the eighth since a 239-year-old monarchy was abolished eight years ago. He led a communist rebellion against the government for a decade until 2006, when the rebels signed a UN-monitored peace agreement. More than 17,000 people were killed during the rebellion.

Flight from Trivandrum crash lands in Dubai

  An Emirates plane EK521 with 275 people on board was involved in an accident on landing Wednesday at Dubai airport. Thick, black smoke was seen coming out of the fuselage of the flight EK521. Reports say that the aircraft has suffered heavy damage. The plane, a Boeing 777, landed on its tail at the Dubai International Airport and its right wing caught fire.Confirming the incident, Emirates airline tweeted: We can confirm flight EK521 from Thiruvananthapuram to Dubai has been involved in an accident at Dubai International.   There were 275 passengers and crew on board. Our main priority now is the safety and well-being of all involved." The plane landed at 12.45 pm local time "after an incident", said Emirates in a statement. The reason behind the crash-landing is still not known, but eyewitnesses said the landing gear collapsed as the plane hit the runway. "There were no announcements for emergency landing. We tried to open the emergency exit," a passenger on board the aircraft said.

Finance Minister lists benefits of GST

  The Goods & Services Bill , which is touted as the biggest tax reform in the country since Independence, was tabled in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. The Finance Minister Listed some benefits of the bill he said, the Merits of the system itself are that it would convert India into one uniform economic market. The other benefits being, best economic management of the country, ease of doing business, It will also empower states and also improve the revenue of states and the Centre. It will ensure no tax on tax; there will be no cascading effect of taxes.  It will give a boost to the economy required at this critical stage. With a uniform tax rate,bring about seamless transfer of goods and services across country, enable us to check evasion.   While speaking in the Rajya Sabha at the beginning of what will be a five-hour debate on the GST bill, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley acknowledged that the Bill was first introduced by the UPA government. He said, several discussions were held to get a consensus amongst all the states to ensure none of them felt shortchanged. The GST, once passed by parliament and cleared by 50 per cent of the state assemblies, will be implemented from April 1, 2017. It is expected to add 2 percentage points to India's GDP, according to economists.

Sonia Gandhi shifted to Ganga Ram hospital

  Sonia Gandhi, 69, who fell sick while campaigning in Uttar Pradesh ahead of the polls in the state was admitted to the Army Hospital in Delhi. But according to the latest reports the Congress president has been shifted from the Army Research & Referral hospital to the Sir Ganga Ram hospital in New Delhi. Sonia Gandhi was stable and under observation of specialist doctors at the Army's Research and Referral Hospital here after she was admitted there late last night due to high fever, her party said. Gandhi, who was in Varanasi on Tuesday to lead the party’s massive roadshow, had flown back to the national capital after she fell ill.   The party president had dropped out of the roadshow after she complained of unease. UP Congress president Raj Babbar later told reporters that she was running a fever when she reached the city, which subsequently aggravated during the hectic roadshow. Gandhi was attended by a team of doctors at the VIP lounge at the airport. No medical bulletin on her health has been yet issued by the hospital but the Congress said she is recovering under medical supervision.

Not Amit Shah, but a new face to be Guj CM

  As soon as the news of the Gujarat CM Anandiben Patel's resigning from the post came about, speculations were rife that the next Chief Minister of Gujarat could be the BJP President and a man very close to the Prime Minister Modi, Amit Shah. But today senior leader Venkaiah Naidu dismissed rumours that Mr Shah himself was in line for the top job in his home state."Amit Shah will remain BJP president and will decide on the new CM. The party wants him to lead us in national politics," Mr Naidu said. Anandiben Patel's resignation has been accepted and party chief Amit Shah will decide who will succeed her as Gujarat chief minister, the BJP's topdecision makers, the parliamentary board, decided at a meeting today at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Race Course Road residence in Delhi.   Anandiben, he said, will meet the state governor today to formally resign and lawmakers in Gujarat will elect a new leader tomorrow. Among the frontrunners for the post is Gujarat BJP chief Vijay Rupani, a Jain leader known to be close to both PM Modi and Amit Shah. And also Gujarat's most senior minister Nitin Patel, who holds several key portfolios in the Gujarat government.

Mumbai-Goa highway bridge collapses;20 missing

  A 50-foot bridge, built more than seven decades ago in Mahad town, crashed around 11.30 pm after flood waters rushed into the river Savitri. The bridge lies along the highway connecting Mumbai to Goa. Several vehicles, including two buses ferrying dozens of people are believed to have been swept away in the collapse. Traffic on the highway has been disrupted after the collapse. The Savitri River flows through the Konkan region in Mahad. NDRF teams were rushed from Pune and are engaged in search and rescue operations at the spot. They are, however, facing some difficulty owing to heavy rains and consequently a traffic pile-up. Over 12 hours after the mishap, the bdies of two of the victims have been recovered, officials said.   20 of them are reportedly missing. Navy and Coast Guard helicopters are being used to spot possible survivors. Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and offered his support. No survivors or vehicles have been found so far. The Savitri River is presently seeing a swell in its water level thanks to heavy monsoonal rain that has lashed the area.

Mamta to drop West from West Bengal!

  In a long list of cities, towns and states being renamed, in all probability West Bengal could be the latest addition to the list. The Trinamool ruled state government has proposed to rename West Bengal as "Bengal", dropping "West" from its name, in English and 'Bongo' or `Bangla` in Bengali. Her cabinet on Tuesday agreed that the state, which is actually located in eastern India, should be renamed. Minister of State Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Babul Supriyo on Tuesday welcomed the Mamata Banerjee government's initiative to rename West Bengal.   "It is a great idea...fantastic. We have the Royal Bengal tiger..." union minister Babul Supriyo of the BJP said. This decision was taken at a state Cabinet meeting chaired by chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday. “A resolution will be passed at a special session of the state Assembly which will start on August 26,” education minister Partha Chatterjee said after the meeting. Thereafter the resolution will be sent to the Centre for Parliament’s approval. Mr Chatterjee claimed that the decision was taken “for the sake of the people of the state, its heritage and culture as well as to promote and protect its interests at the national level.”

Iphone 6 explodes causing 3rd degree burns to man

  There are always reports coming in as to how cheap quality phones and charges keep exploding resulting in injuries to users. But this incident of the high end phone- iPhone 6 exploding in man's pocket is sending shock waves across the phone users. In a bizarre accident, a man in Australia received severe burns when his Apple iPhone 6 exploded in his back pocket while he was mountain biking. Gareth Clear, a 36-year-old management consultant from Sydney, Australia, was severely burned by his iPhone 6 after he fell off his bicycle.Then the phone burnt through Gareth's pocket - melting his shorts as it melted itself - and then through two layers of skin on his upper right thigh.   The burn was so severe that he had to undergo skin graft surgery. "It was a one in one million chance I hit a part of the phone which pierced the lithium battery and it exploded," he said, adding "I am 36, I have had a mobile phone for 18 years of my life and for that thing to explode or short circuit and cause it to temporarily ignite. I could see the metal bending and all the lithium leaking out of the bottom end". He has since taken to Twitter to try and spread the message about the dangers of lithium ion batteries, which can explode when they overheat, short-circuit or take impact.Clear has spoken with Apple about his injury, and now wants to share his story.

Sonia falls sick; Modi prays for her health

  Sonia Gandhi who started her campaign in poll bound state - Uttar Pradesh yesterday with a lot of vigour was forced to head back home mid way through her campaign due to ill health. At about 6:45 pm last evening, the Congress was compelled to announce that Mrs Gandhi, 69, was unwell with fever and would not complete the rest of her roadshow. After being put on a drip at the Varanasi airport, she was taken to a Delhi hospital upon landing for a check-up, with sources saying she was dehydrated. Her daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said the Congress chief was already indisposed when she left for Varanasi on Tuesday morning. “She was very keen to go, but had a bit of strain… I guess,” Priyanka told mediapersons outside the Delhi airport on Tuesday night.   She was there with her brother, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, to receive Gandhi upon her return. UP Congress chief Raj Babbar said that Sonia had fever for the past three days but had decided to go ahead with the roadshow. "While she was keen on the temple visit, the doctor accompanying her advised against it," he added. PM Modi called up former Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit to enquire about Sonia's health and sent a plane for her transportation back to the national capital. He also tweeted saying, "Heard about Sonia ji’s ill health during her Varanasi visit today. I pray for her quick recovery and good health."

GST to be tabled on Aug 3

  The date had been set for the GST bill to be tabled in parliament. The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill, which has been in the making for over a decade, entails introduction of a single indirect tax regime across the country. The ambitious Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill has been listed for discussion in Rajya Sabha (RS) for Wednesday, finally. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley told the Rajya Sabha that the amendments to the bill, pending in the Upper House for the past year, were given to the Secretariat of the House two days ago and have been circulated to the members. He was responding to concerns raised by some members, including Naresh Agrawal of the SP, who said they have not received copies of the bill or the amendment.    Deputy Chairman P.J. Kurien said the bill was circulated to members in August 2015 before its introduction in the Upper House. That as per rules andprocedures is okay, he said. Top speakers, full attendance, briefings for lawmakers. Just some of the ways the big two, the BJP and the Congress are prepping for the crucial Goods and Services Tax Bill, which will be presented for the approval of the Rajya Sabha. The Bill needs two-thirds of the 243-member Rajya Sabha to vote in its favour. Most regional parties have backed the bill and the government believes it has the support of the 162 that it needs tomorrow, without the Congress's 60 MPs.

Bullet train's test run halted by heavy rain

  Spanish-made train Talgo that started its third and final phase of trials from Delhi on Monday evening arrived in Mumbai on Tuesday. Heavy rains and water on tracks in Gujarat delayed the train. Talgo aims to cut the travel time between Delhi and Mumbai from 16 hours to 12. With nine lightweight coaches, the train started its journey at 7.55 pm from New Delhi station. The train was expected to reach Mumbai at around 8.31 am. The train is expected to run at speed ranging from 130 kmph to 150 kmph. Railways had first tested the Talgo trains on the Bareilly-Moradabad stretch in Uttar Pradesh in May.   The second trial run was conducted on the Palwal-Mathura route. The trial runs will continue between Mumbai and Delhi over the next 15 days to test the tracks for cruising speeds of 130 to 150 km per hour. "Then the fourth trial will be at 150 kmph with higher speed on the curves. We expect that it is likely to take 11 hours 30 minutes at 150 kmph to reach Mumbai," railway official Hemant Kumar said. "Talgo train Trail run Delhi-Mumbai was great success,it recorded 50Minutes gain from the sheduled run upto Ratlam (sic)," tweeted the Railways ministry.

No nationwide ban on liquor:Govt

  After the states like Bihar and Kerala which recently imposed ban on liquor in the state, the central government has said that there will be no ban on liquor in the countrywide manner. The Centre can help state governments on the issue of imposing prohibition in their respective states but as of now it has no plans to impose ban on liquor consumption across the country, the Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday. Minister of State for Home Hansraj Gangaram Ahir, while replying to questions, said 2927 people had died due to consumption of illicit/spurious liquor between 2012 and 2014. Of these, 731 died in 2012, 497 in 2013 and 1699 in 2014.   Minister of State for Home Affairs Hansraj Gangaram Ahir was replying to a supplementary by Janata Dal-United member Kaushelendra Kumar, who wanted to know whether the Centre will emulate the steps taken by the Bihar government and bringing about liquor prohibition across the country. The minister, however, agreed that ever since the prohibition was imposed in Bihar, the number of casualties due to consumption of hooch liquor has definitely declined. Biju Janata Dal member from Sambhalpur, Nagendra Kumar Pradhan demanded prohibition in the country and recalled that prior to country's independence even Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi had once said that his first priority would be liquor prohibition and then the liberation of the country.