Year: 2017

NGT to decide Odd-Even fate today, raps govt on move

Editor

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) rapped the Delhi government on Friday for going ahead with odd-even traffic restrictions at a time the air quality appeared to be improving, and said it could ‘stay’ the scheme during a special hearing on Saturday if the government failed to prove that the restrictions were effective. Questioned the rationale behind the Delhi government’s move, the NGT pointed to data from the central and Delhi pollution control boards which showed that both PM 10 and PM 2.5 levels were higher after odd-even was implemented in…

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Kashmir Interlocutor Dineshwar Sharma’s visit fails to generate political heat

Editor

The interlocutor Dineshwar Sharma’s three-day stay in Kashmir during his maiden five-day visit to the State did not generate much political heat and enthusiasm among the political circles. The mainstream politicians, former interlocutor and political analyst blamed non clarity on Sharma’s mandate, no Kashmir-specific Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) and conflicting statements on his appointment by central ministers for the lukewarm response. Opposition National Conference chief spokesperson and MLA Budgam, Aga Ruhullah told New Indian Express that lukewarm response to Sharma was due to confusion created by central government about the…

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Twin militant attacks in south Kashmir, Police officer wounded as MLA’s house stoned

Editor

Suspected militants fired upon police party near general bus stand in main town Anantnag on Friday evening. According to locals, a loud bang was also heard as the firing was on. There was however no report of any injuries, they said. “Firing by militants was repulsed by police near bus stand Anantnag. No loss of life and property was reported. Area is under cordon,” said deputy inspector general of (DIG) South Kashmir range, S P Pani. Earlier, militants had fired upon a police vehicle in Bonigham area of Qazigund on…

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Kashmir militancy continues unabated as note ban makes no impact

Editor

At the height of demonetisation in 2016, there were interminable queues, a widespread cash crunch, tiny-scale debt mechanisms, and more than a hundred deaths. Amid all that drama, an academic sent me a message from Kerala, asking whether I thought the move would end terrorism in Kashmir. The government had cited terror funding as a major reason behind implementing demonetisation, and she said she wanted to know what I thought. I did not reply at the time. Despite my cynicism, I decided to wait, just in case the government had…

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Dineshwar Sharma terms J&K visit ‘Very Fruitful’, meet Kashmiri Pandits in Jammu

Editor

Says all Indian citizens stakeholders, promises to come to the state again Kashmiri Pandits meet Dineshwar Sharma in Jammu Wrapping up his meetings with stakeholders in the state, Centre’s interlocutor for Jammu and Kashmir Dineshwar Sharma today said his visit was “very fruitful” and he would come to the state again and again. “It is just a beginning. As I have already said all Indian citizens are stakeholders. I will be visiting J&K again and again,” Sharma said while replying to a volley of questions of media persons at the…

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Post 132 days rollout, GST cut on over 210 items, 180 of them in top 28% slab

Editor

Making the biggest change in the four-month-old goods and services tax regime, the GST Council on Friday moved 80 per cent of items in the top 28 per cent tax bracket to lower rates. Starting November 15, eating out could cost up to 13 per cent less than before (GST rate cut from 18 per cent to 5 per cent) and a whole host of consumer products like shampoo, deodorant, chocolates, fans, furniture and sanitary fittings should get cheaper by up to 10 per cent or more. Only 50 products,…

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Private school takes to ‘Book Selling Business‘, 17 books in Nursery curriculum

Editor

District administration Pulwama has issued a show cause notice to a leading private school for forcing students to purchase stationery items from the school itself, in complete violation of the court directions. The show cause notice to Dolphin International School was issued after a group of parents approached district administration alleging that school has not only been forcing them to purchase stationery items but it has added extra 10 books to the curriculum of Nursery Class students. The complaint reveals that the school has added 10 extra books to the…

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Despite no-show by Hurriyat, Dineshwar Sharma leaves Kashmir; calls visit ‘Very Satisfied as well Fruitful’

Editor

The Centre’s newly appointed special representative to Jammu and Kashmir, Dineshwar Sharma, said on Wednesday that he aims to talk to a younger generation of Kashmiris in order to understand their problems and find a way of resolving them. This apart, he said, he also aims to try and meet Hurriyat leaders. On the last day of his Kashmir visit, Sharma told  Kashmir Post that he was “very much satisfied” with his maiden visit to the Valley, and would try to make every effort to meet the Hurriyat leaders during…

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One year post demonetisation, These 11 charts show it affected Indian economy

Editor

Did demonetisation convince cash-dependant India to switch to digital transactions and mobile wallets? How did it impact the banking sector? On the one year anniversary of prime minister Narendra Modi’s demonetisation announcement, experts and politicians on all sides have been debating whether they risky policy was a success or a failure. The decision to demonetise Rs 500 and Rs 1000 currency notes was part of the government’s overarching agenda to crack down on black money and move towards a cashless economy. Did demonetisation convince cash-dependant India to switch to digital…

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Ryan school’s class 11 student killed junior to postpone exam: CBI

Editor

The day after school bus conductor Ashok Kumar was arrested by Gurgaon police for the murder of 7-year-old Ryan International School student Pradhyumn Thakur, TOI had asked in a headline, “Have cops got the right man? Pradhyumn’s father doesn’t think so.” Barun Thakur may have been right. The probe into the most sensational murder case in recent times turned on its head on Wednesday when the CBI identified a 16-year-old Class 11 student of the same school — the Ryan campus in Gurgaon’s Bhondsi — as the prime suspect. The…

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