QBullet: Yashwant Sinha’s Barb at Jaitley; BHU Proctor Resigns
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1. Stung by Yashwant Sinha, Govt Defends Performance on Economy
Veteran BJP leader Yashwant Sinha's sharp attack on the government, and finance minister Arun Jaitley in particular, over the "mess in the economy" set off a political storm with the opposition hailing his remarks as a vindication of its criticism.
BJP members and ministers forcefully rejected his views.
Sinha's critical article published in The Indian Express, titled 'I need to speak up now', claimed he was airing concerns of several BJP leaders worried by a slide in the economy and was replete with criticism of Jaitley's handling of economic challenges.
Sinha also took swipes at BJP chief Amit Shah, and more indirectly at PM Narendra Modi.
"The PM claims he has seen poverty from close quarters. His finance minister is working overtime to make sure that all Indians also see it from equally close quarters," Sinha said in his article.
(Source: The Times of India)
2. Army Attacked at Myanmar Border, Repels Insurgents
Soldiers inflicted heavy casualties on militants belonging to the NSCN(K) along the Myanmar border in Nagaland early on Wednesday, the army said.
Unidentified insurgents indiscriminately shot at an army column moving along the Indo-Myanmar border at 4:45 am, the Kolkata-headquartered Eastern Command said.
But the soldiers brought the insurgents under “heavy retaliatory fire”.
“Own troops suffered no casualties during the firefight,” the Eastern Command said in a brief statement.
The army did not put a figure on the number of slain insurgents, but on previous occasions when the force announced heavy casualties the figure had been around 40 to 50.
The Eastern Command denied media reports that Wednesday’s operation was a “surgical strike” conducted across the border in Myanmar. “It is reiterated that own troops did not cross the international border,” the statement said.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
3. Govt Clears Rs 25k Cr Scheme to Modernise Police in 3 Years
The cabinet committee on security has cleared a ₹25,060 crore umbrella scheme aimed at modernising the central and state police forces over the next three years, with the Union government bearing a larger part of the financial burden.
The Centre’s share of the expenditure will come up to 80% of the MPF (modernisation of police forces) scheme’s total budget, translating to ~18,636 crore, while the states pitch in for the rest. Special provisions have been made under the programme for internal security, law and order, women’s security, modern weapons, mobility of police forces, logistical support, hiring of helicopters and wireless upgradation, among others.
Union home minister Rajnath Singh claimed that the scheme will help the Modi government fulfil its dream of establishing a ‘Samriddha aur Surakshit Bharat’ (Prosperous and Secure India).
(Source: Hindustan Times)
4. BHU’s Proctor Resigns Over Crackdown as PMO Intervenes
The chief proctor of Banaras Hindu University (BHU) resigned on Tuesday, shortly after the prime minister’s office (PMO) intervened to defuse the crisis in the century-old institute in Varanasi over a campus molestation complaint.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah were said to have spoken to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath about the campus unrest that threatened to spread to other universities.
The PMO summoned higher education secretary KK Sharma on Tuesday to discuss the situation.
A senior official instructed the human resource development (HRD) ministry to look into the grievances of students and ensure their redressal immediately, sources said.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
5. ‘He Kissed Me, Asked Me to Sleep in His Room’: Fiji Woman on BHU Hospital Head
Among the faculty appointments that Banaras Hindu University Vice-Chancellor GC Tripathi tried to push through at a meeting of its Executive Council Tuesday was the regularisation of Dr OP Upadhyay’s appointment as Medical Superintendent of the Sir Sunderlal Hospital on the university campus.
One of the EC members objected, saying Upadhyay had been convicted of sexual harassment by a Fiji court.
The order, accessed by The Indian Express, records what a 21-year-old Fiji woman who brought the charge against Upadhyay said in her testimony before a magistrate at Nasinu in January 2013: “He (Upadhyay) held my hand and insisted I should see the house. When we reached his room, he said I should come and sleep in his room. It was in Indian Hindi. He held my shoulder… rubbed my thighs… and kissed my cheek again.”
(Source: The Indian Express)
6. Militants Kill BSF Constable on Holiday Outside His Valley Home
In what appeared to be a targeted killing, BSF constable Rameez Parray, who had returned home for a holiday, was dragged out of his house and shot dead by suspected militants on Wednesday. The incident took place in Hajin in Bandipore district of Jammu and Kashmir. Police said three members of Parray’s family were also injured in the attack.
J&K Director General of Police SP Vaid said: “Three to four militants came to the BSF constable’s residence and started shooting. He was dragged out of his house and shot.”
Parray, 33, died on the spot. Three of his family members were taken to a Srinagar hospital with injuries. “Constable Rameez Ahmad Parray, a serving BSF personnel of 73 Battalion, who was on leave has been cowardly killed by terrorists today,” a BSF statement said.
(Source: Indian Express)
7. PM Modi Asks Officers to Handhold Traders Grappling With GST
Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked the country's top bureaucrats on Wednesday to "handhold" traders in a bid to resolve their problems relating to the goods and services tax (GST).
Chairing the monthly interaction with officials, known as Pragati, Modi said chief secretaries should use the district administration to enable small traders to access and adopt the new system.
The PM reiterated that small businesses must register with the GST Network to take advantage of business opportunities.
(Source: The Times of India)
8. Meeting Today to Choose Sectors For Stimulus Package
The Finance Ministry has called ministries and financial institutions for discussions on Thursday to look at sectors where it can step up capital expenditure and generate more investment and jobs at a time when the government is under attack for the weak economic environment.
The invitation to financial institutions is seen to be crucial given the limited fiscal headroom for the Centre, especially when goods and services tax (GST) collections remain uncertain. At the same time, credit demand has been low as companies are not investing partly due to the weak demand in the economy as also their stretched finances. It's a different matter that public sector banks themselves are under pressure on account of the massive pile-up in bad debt.
(Source: The Times of India)
9. In Gujarat, Rahul on a Temple Tour
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi's three-day blazing tour of the politically significant Saurashtra region was not only aimed at targeting PM Narendra Modi over issues like note ban and GST but also an attempt to help his party counter ‘anti-Hindu' and ‘minority appeasers' labels emblazoned on it by the BJP.
Along with hard-hitting speeches targeting Modi, Gandhi paid obeisance in five temples and performed aartis at a garba venue each in Jamnagar and Rajkot in three days. Gandhi, who began by visiting Lord Krishna temple in Dwarka on 25 September, wrapped up the tour by climbing nearly 1,000 steep steps to Chamunda Mata temple on Chotila hill-top on Wednesday.
(Source: The Times of India)
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