QBullet: Irom Sharmila Breaks Fast, New Hope for GST Bill and More
Read The Quint’s compilation of the top stories in dailies across the country.
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1. Irom Sharmila Breaks Fast, Wishes to Get Married, Contest Manipur Polls
Manipur’s ‘Iron Lady’ Irom Sharmila, who had been on a hunger fast against the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) for the last 16 years, on Tuesday announced that she will end her fast on 9 August.
She further said that she plans to get married and wished to contest the Manipur Assembly elections next year as an independent candidate.
Read The Quint’s coverage of the story here.
2. Cow Was Killed by Lion, Not By the Dalits Gau Rakshaks Flogged: CID
In a major twist to the Una dalit flogging case, the Gujarat CID (Crime) on Tuesday said that the cow over which the youngsters were assaulted, was killed by a lion.
Rubbishing the allegations made by gau rakshaks that it was a case of cow slaughter at the hands of the dalit men, the CID quoted an eyewitness to make the claim.
The incident that happened on 11 July has created an uproar in the country over the recent spate of dalit atrocities in the state. While investigation in the case it still going on, 16 people have been arrested till now.
Source: The Indian Express
3. Hope Floats Again for GST Bill: Centre and States Agree on Fixing Rate
Making headway on the long-pending Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill, the Centre and States on Tuesday agreed on broad principles to fix the tax rate.
This implies that the bill will be tabled in the Rajya Sabha sometime next week.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley met state finance ministers on Tuesday as part of the government’s initiative to resolve differences on the proposed bill that has remained stuck in the Parliament for want of political consensus.
However, the crucial revenue neutral rate (RNR) of taxation as well as capping of the GST rate in the Bill did not find favour with many states during the meeting, reported The Indian Express, leaving room for some ambiguity about the fate of the bill.
Source: Hindustan Times and The Indian Express
Also Read: GST Bill: A Stalemate in Parliament
4. Devas-Antrix Deal: International Court Rules Against India
India has lost the arbitration case in an international tribunal over its space marketing agency Antrix Corp, annulling a contract with city-based private multimedia firm Devas, and may pay close to $1 billion as damages.
A Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) tribunal based in the Hague ruled that the Indian government had acted “unfairly” and “inequitably” in cancelling the contract involving use of two satellites and spectrum.
Source: The Times of India
5. Clinton Becomes First Female Nominee of Major US Political Party
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton secured the Democratic Party’s 2016 nomination for the White House on Tuesday, becoming the first woman to head the ticket of a major party in US history.
Clinton is now the party’s face against Republican nominee Donald Trump in the 8 November election.
Read The Quint’s story here.
6. Non-Performing Government Staffers Won’t Get Pay Hikes: Centre
In a move that could trigger severe backlash, the government on Tuesday decided to put in place stricter performance benchmarks for its employees, as revealed by the notification of the 7th pay commission.
It also added that the government can withhold annual increments of non-performers, besides tightening the benchmark for promotion.
Source: The Times of India
7. Lok Sabha Passes the Child Labour Amendment Bill
The Parliament on Tuesday passed the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Bill, which implies that giving employment to a child below 14 years of age will now invite imprisonment of up to two years.
The bill further states that the penalty for employing a child has been increased to imprisonment between 6 months and two years (from 3 months to one year) or a fine of Rs 20,000 to Rs 50,000 (from Rs 10,000-20,000) or both.
Source: The Hindu
8. DCW Chief Maliwal Booked for ‘Naming Rape Victim’
An FIR was registered against Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief, Swati Maliwal on Tuesday, for allegedly revealing the identity of a 14-year-old dalit rape victim.
Delhi Police said Maliwal circulated a notice which revealed the minor’s name, implying a clear breach of law, which clearly prohibits naming a rape victim in any report or public document.
The girl, who was repeatedly raped by her neighbour in North Delhi’s Burari area on 23 July, committed suicide and died the next day.
Source: Hindustan Times
9. Arvind Kejriwal’s Former Principal Secretary Rajendra Kumar Granted Bail in Corruption Case
Rajendra Kumar, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s former principal secretary, was granted bail on Tuesday by a special court in Delhi.
Kumar, who was arrested along with six others in a corruption case, was also previously suspended by both Delhi government and the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Kumar was booked for allegedly favouring a private agency while awarding government contracts.
Source: The Indian Express
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