Here is what the newspapers have to say on Saturday
Kerala Minister Thomas Issac breaks away to back GST
Three days after the meeting on GST of state finance ministers with Union Minister Arun Jaitley, Kerala’s Finance Minister Thomas Issac, a member of the CPM Central Committee, distanced himself from the Congress’s demand of a cap of 18 per cent on the GST rate.
He said he "did not know what made them (the Congress) make such an amendment" and added that he "did not find any reason to stand in the way of the GST".
(Reported by The Indian Express)
Helpline no. for power snags is 1912
Here's one more number to remember. Power minister Piyush Goyal on Friday announced a countrywide 24-hour uniform four-digit helpline number, just like for police or ambulance, that consumers can dial to lodge a complaint about faulty power lines or outages in their area.
The minister announced the number 1912 at the end of a two-day conference of state power ministers at Panaji in Goa, the power ministry said in a statement. TOI had on May 12 first reported the government's move to launch the number.
(Reported by The Times of India)
IAF to induct 1st women fighter pilots today
Three women will be inducted as the Indian Air Force's -and the country's -first ever women fighter pilots on Saturday. Flight cadets Avani Chaturvedi of MP , Rajasthan's Mohana Singh and Bhawana Kanth of Bihar usher in a new chapter for the Indian defence forces, which have for long opposed the induction of women in combat roles.
They will be posted at either Bidar or Kalaikunda airbase to undertake training.
(Reported by The Times of India)
Hold Nat'l test after Class 12 for college admissions: Panel
Suggesting major changes in the school examination structure, the committee that formulated the National Policy of Education 2016 has proposed “on-demand board exams“ for candidates, a two-part system of exams for Class X and a national level test after Class XII, similar to the SAT in the US.
The committee, which recently submitted its report to the HRD ministry, said public board exams were “useful“ but there was a need to relieve stress and “offer flexibility.“ It recommended moving towards on-demand, online board exams that can be taken when the candidate is ready.
It also proposed a national level SAT-type test open to all who have passed Class XII irrespective of the examination board -to fix the problem of multiple entrance tests for admission to college courses.
(Reported by The Times of India)
Just 15% water left in 91 major reservoirs
The slow progress of the monsoon has meant water storage in 91major reservoirs has dipped further and overall availability stands at just 15% of capacity.This has not only hit initial kharif sowing but also availability of drinking water.
Though the area under kharif will increase once rains sweep the entire coun try over the next few weeks, the current water shortages have shrunk the total area under rice, pulses, oilseeds and other crops, except sugarcane. As on Friday , the sown area under kharif crops was 10% less than that in the same period last year.
(Reported by The Times of India)
Politics of 'exodus' spreads beyond Kairana
Politics over a supposed exodus of Hindus from Kairana in western Uttar Pradesh after “pressure from a particular community“ has spread to other parts of the state, with Aligarh's BJP MP Satish Gau tam saying on Friday that there is need to find out more about “other Kairanas”.
Backing Kairana MP Hukum Singh's statement that Hindus had left the town in large numbers, Gautam said, “Hindu exodus is the truth.There is a conspiracy to make Kairana Hindu-free.“
He rejected a probe report by the UP government earlier this week that said only three families had left Kairana for reasons of better education, health and business opportunities.
(Reported by The Times of India)
Smear campaign as polls ahead: Sheila
Former chief minister Sheila Dikshit on Friday rubbished as “politically motivated“ the allegations linking her to the Rs 400-crore water tanker scam.She also questioned the timing of the probe into the al leged scam, saying it was done with the assembly elections in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh in mind.
Dikshit claimed that the awarding of the tenders was a “collective“ decision by the DJB, and that included a BJP “representative“. The BJP denied her contention. Speculation is rife that Dikshit may be made the Congress' chief ministerial face for next year's assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh or given a major role in party's campaign in Punjab.
(Reported by The Times of India)
Support India for NSG, say US, UK
The US on Friday called on Nuclear Suppliers Group members to support New Delhi's claim for a seat at the high table, while British Premier David Cameron has assured Prime Minister Narendra Modi of the UK's "firm support".
The developments come ahead of the NSG plenary in Seoul from June 20-24.
“The US calls on NSG participating governments to support India's application when it comes up at the plenary ,“ state department spokesman John Kirby said.“I'm not going to get ahead of how that's going to go or hypothesise about where it's going to go, but we've made clear that we support the application,“ he said in response to a question at his daily news conference.
(Reported by The Times of India)
Microsoft enters the marijuana business
As state after state in the US has legalised mari juana in one way or another, big names in corporate America have stayed away entirely . Marijuana, after all, is still illegal, according to the federal government.
But Microsoft is breaking the corporate taboo on pot this week by announcing a partnership to begin offering software that tracks marijuana plants from “seed to sale“, as the pot industry puts it.
(Reported by The Times of India)
Pink ball makes India debut today
It's not always that journalists make a beeline for the practice session on the eve of a local cricket league decider. But the Cricket Association of Bengal-organised Super League clash between Mohun Bagan and Bhowanipore Club is not just another final. The four-day match, starting at Eden Gardens on Saturday will go into the record books as the country's first game to be played with the pink ball under lights.
With India keen to host a day-night Test sooner than later, there's a fair bit of interest over this match as it will highlight the merits and demerits of playing with the pink ball.
(Reported by The Times of India)
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