QBullet: Kanpur Rail Mishap Kills 145; Modi Talks of Cheap Loans
The Quint’s roundup of top headlines from national dailies.
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1. Kanpur Mishap: Rail Fracture Suspected to Be Cause, 145 Dead
Fourteen coaches of 19321 Indore-Rajendranagar Patna Express derailed near Pukharayan district of Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, early on Sunday morning. Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu later reached the accident spot.
Two coaches have been completely smashed, according to Kanpur Divisional Commissioner, Mohammad Iftikharuddin. Over 200 people have been injured at preliminary count.
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2. Govt Machinery Steps in to Insulate Kanpur Train Victims from Demonetisation
Authorities in Kanpur and Patna scrambled to protect victims of the Indore-Patna Express derailment and their kin from the effects of demonetisation, stepping in to facilitate cash availability on Sunday.
The Kanpur administration asked Bank of Baroda to depute a business correspondent at Lala Lajpat Rai Hospital to help the attendants of those injured in exchanging currency.
In Patna, the State Bank of India (SBI) set up a temporary counter at the railway station to exchange currency so that victims and their family members do not face any cash crunch.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
3. Time to Transport Cash to Banks Cut from 21 to 6 Days
The government has managed to cut down the transportation time of cash from printing to the main distribution centres from 21 days to six and is using all modes of transport, including helicopters and Indian Air Force planes, to move the cash quickly.
The government is hopeful that the situation will improve over the next week.
Referring to any "windfall" from the decision to demonetise 500 and 1,000 rupee notes, sources said any gains could be used for recapitalisation of banks, building infrastructure and purchasing advanced weapons systems for the armed forces.
There is a probability of the government getting a "windfall" as a significant portion of the notes may not come back. This will reduce the liability of RBI and increase its ability to pay higher dividend.
(Source: The Times of India)
4. Only 30% of Those Who Bought E-Tickets Opted for Insurance
Out of the 410 tickets booked on the IRCTC website – accounting for 695 passengers of the ill-fated Indore-Patna Express – only 126 (accounting for 209 passengers) included the recently-announced travel insurance that costs less than Re 1.
The IRCTC website offers passengers the option of availing travel insurance at a premium of 92 paise. The scheme was announced by Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu in his budget speech.
The scheme offers compensation of Rs 10 lakh in the event of death or total disability, Rs 7.5 lakh for partial disability, up to Rs 2 lakh for hospitalisation expenses, and Rs 10,000 for the transportation of a passenger's mortal remains from the site of accident or any other untoward incident – terrorist attack, dacoity, rioting, or arson.
(Source: The Times of India)
5. I am Not for Sale, Thunders PM Modi; Talks of Cheap Loans
Prime Minister Narendra Modi stood his ground on Sunday despite the Opposition’s growing clamour against his government’s move to recall 500 and 1,000 rupee notes, saying his decision will favour the country’s poor and middle class.
He praised the poor and middle class for supporting him and launched a veiled attack on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati – staunch opponents of the notes recall.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
6. Behind Fake Coin Racket, Brothers who Often Posed as RBI Officials
Ever since three operations producing fake Rs 5 and Rs 10 coins were busted, about 100 police officers from three separate agencies, including the Delhi Police special cell, have been working round-the-clock to hunt down the Luthra brothers – Swikaar alias Sonu and Upkaar alias Raj.
The brothers were familiar names to the Haryana Police even earlier, but few in the capital had heard of them. Now, they have gained notoriety as the masterminds behind all three operations.
To ensure that employees don’t become suspicious, the brothers would pose as Reserve Bank of India officials and claim they had bagged a contract to manufacture coins.
(Source: Indian Express)
7. JNU Issues Notice to ABVP Activist for ‘Hitting’ Najeeb Ahmed
The JNU administration has sent a show-cause notice to ABVP activist Vikrant Kumar after finding him guilty of “hitting” missing JNU student Najeeb Ahmed on the night of 14 October, a day before he went missing from the campus.
(Source: Indian Express)
8. SC Collegium Stands by 43 Names Rejected by Govt
The Supreme Court Collegium, led by Chief Justice of India TS Thakur, refused to accept the government’s rejection of 43 names it handpicked for judicial appointments in various high courts.
The battle lines were drawn when the Supreme Court informed the government on Friday that it had reiterated every one of the 43 names that was sent back by the Centre to the Collegium for re-consideration. The Collegium had met on 15 November.
The government is now on a sticky wicket as the new Memorandum of Procedure (MoP) is yet to be finalised. The prevalent procedure is that once the Collegium has reiterated its recommendations, as in this case, the government is bound to clear the names for appointment as judges.
(Source: The Hindu)
9. HRD Ministry for No Detention of Under-Performing Students Only Till Class 5
The Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry has reportedly approved a proposal on not detaining under-performing school students only till Class V, and sent it to the Law Ministry for vetting.
It was learnt that as per the revised proposal, states would be able to decide whether to detain students from Class VI onwards.
Under the existing no-detention policy, students are promoted automatically to higher classes every year until the eighth grade.
Sources said the Law Ministry will recommend whether an amendment would be required for bringing about the change.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
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