AAP has not sought Lamba’s resignation: Sisodia
Senior AAP leader and Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Saturday rejected party MLA Alka Lamba’s claim that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had “demanded” her resignation for not supporting a resolution in the assembly on revoking late PM Rajiv Gandhi’s Bharat Ratna.
“Neither any resignation has been sought [from Lamba] nor is anyone resigning,” Mr. Sisodia said at a press conference in New Delhi.
Separately, Ms. Lamba told PTI , “I am not resigning.”
GST Council cuts rates on 23 items, rationalises 28% slab
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley flanked by MoS for Finance Shiv Pratap Shukla and Revenue Secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey at the 31st meeting of the Goods and Services Tax Council, in New Delhi on December 22, 2018.
In a relief to the common man, the GST Council on Saturday cut rates on 23 commonly used goods and services, including TV screens, movie tickets and power banks.
The annual revenue implication of the rate cuts would be ₹ 5,500 crore, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said.
The council rationalised the 28 per cent slab by bringing down the tax rate on seven items in the highest tax bracket, thereby leaving only 28 items in the slab.
Delhi’s air quality turns ‘severe’
Workers level the footpath to prepare Rajpath for the upcoming Republic Day function, in New Delhi on December 22, 2018.
Delhi’s air quality deteriorated to ‘severe’ category on Saturday as a cover of smog surrounded the national capital and prevented dispersion of pollutants, authorities said. This is a fourth time this season that the air quality here has worsened to severe category. The first time it dipped to the severe category this year was just two days before Diwali.
A day after Diwali, which fell on December 7, the air quality again slipped to severe category on November 8. The third time it slipped into severe category was on December 12.
The overall air quality index (AQI) of the city stood at 408, which falls in the ‘severe’ category, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed.
An AQI between 100 to 200 comes under the ‘moderate’ category, 201 and 300 is considered ‘poor’, 301 and 400 ‘very poor’, while that between 401 and 500 is ‘severe’
Protests against Hungarian government
Demonstrators protesting against recent legislative measures introduced by the government of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, march towards the Presidential Palace on December 21, 2018 in Budapest, Hungary.
Thousands of people marched in anti-government protests Friday in Budapest, upset over labor law changes, increasing corruption and limits on academic freedom under Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s nationalist government.
The protests, which started last week, have given the country’s fragmented opposition a chance to work together as they challenge Orban, who has led the country with increasing powers since 2010.
Protesters gathered outside Parliament and marched to the offices of President Janos Ader in Buda Castle to rebuke him for signing the labor changes as well as other legislation creating a new court system under government control.
Tribal literature festival
Tribals from Adilabad Chunchu Ghat performing the Metla Kinnera instrument during the Tribal Literature Festival organised by Sahitya Academy in Vijayawada on Saturday, December 22. 2018.
