QBullet: Amarnath Yatra Begins; PM Slams Bid to Impeach CJI Misra
Here are the top stories of the day.
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1. Vijay Mallya’s Plea: Let My Firms Sell Assets Worth Rs 13,900 Crore, Repay Banks
Days after the Enforcement Directorate moved a special court to declare him a fugitive economic offender, Vijay Mallya, the promoter of the now grounded Kingfisher Airlines Ltd, on 26 June said that he had requested the Karnataka High Court on 22 June to allow his firms to sell assets worth Rs 13,900 crore “under judicial supervision” and “repay creditors including the public sector banks” that have declared him a wilful defaulter.
(Source: The Indian Express)
2. Economy in a Bright Spot, India Growth Engine of World: PM Narendra Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 26 June said that his government is committed to the path of fiscal consolidation and the economy is in a “bright spot” with strong macroeconomic fundamentals like lower inflation, foreign exchange reserves of over $400 billion and robust foreign direct investment flows.
Stating that a “new India” is rising, Modi said, “India’s economic resurgence closely mirrors that of many other parts of Asia and has become the main growth engine of the world now”.
(Source: The Indian Express)
3. Amarnath Yatra Begins Today: Pilgrims Ready, ‘a Little Worried’
A day before the first batch of Amarnath Yatra pilgrims leaves, the streets on 26 June were largely deserted except for several companies of the CRPF and J&K Police, who patrol the area and conduct area domination exercises outside the periphery of the Bhagwati Nagar base camp. The Governor’s office said at least two lakh pilgrims have registered to go on the Yatra this year.
(Source: The Indian Express)
4. Now, Apply for Passport on Mobile Phone from Anywhere in India
External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj on 26 June launched a Passport Seva app that will allow people to apply for the vital travel document from anywhere in the country using their mobile phones. Until now, applicants had no choice but to apply for the document at passport seva kendras (PSKs) in the areas where they lived and the application could only be made on a laptop or a personal computer.
The mPassport Seva App, released on the occasion of the Sixth Passport Seva Divas, is available on both Android and iOS platforms and will have the facilities to apply, pay, and schedule appointments for passport service.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
5. US Supreme Court Backs Trump on Travel Ban Targeting Muslim-Majority Nations
The US Supreme Court on 26 June upheld US President Donald Trump’s controversial order which prevents the nationals of several Muslim-majority nations from entering the country.
The nine-judge court voted 5-4 in favour of the ban.
“The proclamation is expressly premised on legitimate purposes: preventing entry of nationals who cannot be adequately vetted and inducing other nations to improve their practices,” Chief Justice John G Roberts wrote for the majority opinion. “The text says nothing about religion.”
(Source: Hindustan Times)
6. Lionel Messi’s Argentina Strike Late vs Nigeria to Enter Fifa World Cup 2018 Rd of 16
Argentina and Lionel Messi progressed to the last 16 of the World Cup by the skin of their teeth on 26 June after an 86th minute strike from defender Marcos Rojo gave them a 2-1 win over Nigeria, eliminating the African side.
Croatia advance as winners of Group D with the maximum nine points after beating Iceland 2-1 and Nigeria were just minutes away from joining them before central defender Rojo superbly volleyed home a Gabriel Mercado cross from the right.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
7. India No Longer Home to the Largest No. of Poor: Study
In the time that it takes you to read this article, several Indians will have escaped the clutches of extreme poverty. In fact, about 44 Indians come out of extreme poverty every minute, one of the fastest rates of poverty reduction in the world. As a result, India has finally shed the dubious distinction of being home to the largest number of poor, with Nigeria taking that unwanted position in May 2018.
If present trends continue, India could drop to No. 3 later this year, with the Democratic Republic of the Congo taking the number 2 spot. Defining extreme poverty as living on less than $1.9 a day, a recent study published in a Brookings blog says that by 2022, less than 3 percent of Indians will be poor and extreme poverty could be eliminated altogether by 2030.
(Source: The Times of India)
8. Bid to Impeach CJI Shows Emergency Mindset: PM Modi
Congress’s move to impeach CJI Dipak Misra was nothing but an attempt to intimidate the judiciary after the Gandhi family was forced to seek bail in a corruption case and was evidence that its “Emergency mindset” had not changed decades after the draconian interlude, PM Narendra Modi said on 26 June.
“The move to impeach the CJI is living proof that there is no difference in the mindset of Emergency and that of present day Congress’s impeachment motion. (Ye jeeta jaagta saboot hai ki aapat kaal ki maansikta aur vartaman Congress ki impeachment motion ke peeche ki maansikta mein koi antar nahin aaya),” the PM said at a Mumbai event.
(Source: The Times of India)
9. SC: Superior Not Guilty If Staffer Ends Life Due to Heavy Workload
In a decision with important workplace implications, the Supreme Court has ruled that superiors cannot be held responsible for abetment if an employee, depressed because of a heavy workload at office, commits suicide. The SC said a superior officer assigning a load of work to an employee could not be assumed to be of a criminal bent of mind who intended to harass an employee or force him to end his life. It rejected the argument of the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay HC that the officer was culpable even if there was no direct abetment on the grounds that the conditions created could lead to unbearable mental tension.
(Source: The Times of India)
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