Government to peg MGNREGA wages to inflation in bid to hike incomes
Staring at a slump in rural demand and a slowdown in the rural economy, the Centre plans to inject more money into the UPA’s flagship Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme by linking wages under the Act to an updated inflation index, which will be revised annually. It hopes this will increase wages, thus increasing purchasing power and reviving rural demand.
U.S., India keen to wrap up trade deal
In the run-up to the meeting in Houston between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. President Donald Trump, it appears that both countries are frantically working on ways to resolve long-disputed trade issues, especially relating to medical devices, agriculture, and e-commerce. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, at a press conference, said the India-U.S. relationship “is in very good health” and trade problems are normal.
Israel's Netanyahu appears to suffer setback in exit polls
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fell short of securing a parliamentary majority with his religious and nationalist allies in national elections on September 17, initial exit polls showed, setting the stage for a period of coalition negotiations that could threaten his political future and clear the way for him to be tried on corruption charges.
Jammu and Kashmir decision inspired by Sardar Vallabhai Patel’s vision, says PM Modi
Sardar Vallabhai Patel’s vision inspired the Central government’s recent move on Jammu and Kashmir, Prime Minister Narendra Modi observed on Tuesday. Praising the former Home Minister for his role in unifying the country, Mr. Modi said the government’s move was aimed at resolving the decades-old issue having implications on national security.
Charges against Farooq Abdullah include support to rebellion
The government has listed 27 charges against former J&K Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah to detain him under the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA), according to details accessed by The Hindu . The charges include three First Information Reports (FIR) and 16 diary entries made in different police stations in the Kashmir Valley. While two FIRs are registered in Srinagar, one was registered in Delhi. The charges date back to statements made from 2016.
New Motor Vehicles Act impact: use of seat belts goes up among bus, truck drivers
The use of seat belts has improved substantially among bus and truck drivers after the new law on traffic violations came into force, according to a survey conducted by NGO Save Life Foundation. The findings show that in Delhi there was an 80.5% increase in use of seat belts by bus drivers with 88% of them wearing seatbelts after the implementation of the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019, whereas only 7.5% wore them earlier. Similarly, the use of seatbelts among bus drivers in Mumbai went up by 26%, with 50% of those monitored wearing them instead of a mere 26.5% earlier.
Ambulance driver, doctor carry patient in a sling in Odisha’s hilly terrain
In an exemplary show of service, a doctor, with the support of an ambulance driver, carried an ailing patient on a makeshift sling for over 5 km in a remote, hilly, jungle terrain to provide the orphan teenager proper medical care in Odisha’s Malkangiri district on Tuesday, September 17.
United Left candidates sweep JNUSU elections once again
Celebrations were delayed but not muted at Jawaharlal Nehru University on Tuesday evening as the united front of Left students groups swept all four central panel posts in the JNUSU polls. The election committee that conducted the JNU students’ union elections declared the results after the Delhi High Court granted it permission to do so earlier in the day. The results of the election, held on September 6, were not declared as per schedule on September 8 as the High Court was to hear two petitions regarding the polls on Tuesday. The court disposed of both the petitions.
Despite hurdles, Vande Bharat Express to remain on track
To bring some festive cheer for travellers, the Indian Railways plans to begin the second Vande Bharat Express on the Delhi-Katra route before Deepavali, Railway Board Chairman V.K. Yadav said on Tuesday. Mr. Yadav said the plans to add 40 such semi-high-speed trains by 2022 remained on track despite a few hurdles, adding that the specifications of the new trains had been modified to also support sleeper class coaches as against only chair-car class coaches now.
U.S. sues Edward Snowden over new book, cites non-disclosure agreements
The United States filed a lawsuit on September 17 against Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor who in 2013 leaked secret documents about U.S. telephone and Internet surveillance, saying his new book violates non-disclosure agreements. The Justice Department said Mr. Snowden published his memoir, Permanent Record, without submitting it to intelligence agencies for review, adding that speeches given by Mr. Snowden also violated nondisclosure agreements.
Ben Stokes terms ‘The Sun’ story about his family as ‘lowest form of journalism’
England cricketer Ben Stokes on September 17 lambasted an English daily for publishing details about his personal life and family, terming the act as “utterly disgusting” and the “lowest form of journalism”. Stokes said the newspaper article deals with “deeply personal and traumatic events” that affected his New Zealand-based family more than 30 years ago, according to a BBC report. The Sun told the BBC it had received the co-operation of a family member.
