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PM MODI CELEBRATES DIWALI IN KASHMIR, CALLS JAWANS HIS FAMILY
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi celebrated Diwali with Indian Army and Border Security Force personnel near the Line of Control (LoC) in North Kashmir’s Gurez sector on 19 October, 2017. In his address, the Prime Minister said that like everyone else, he too wished to spend Diwali with his family, and had visited the Jawans whom he considers “his family”. Appreciating their sacrifice amid harsh conditions, Shri Modi said he gets new energy when he spends time with the soldiers. This is the fourth successive Diwali that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has celebrated with troopers on the border and LoC.
— (TIMES OF INDIA)
RS 133 CRORE AYODHYA FACELIFT PLANNED
The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh is planning to embark on a drive to give a major face-lift to Ayodhya. The plan is to develop ghats in Ayodhya and provide the temple town with much needed amenities. Ram Katha Gallery and Park, Queen Heo Memorial, Ram Ki Paidi and Lakshman Kila Ghat all figure in plans for Ayodhya’s transformation. Apart from these historical and religious places, the state government has also laid out an elaborate plan “Ayodhya street rejuvenation – main road and footpath”.
Under this plan, the government plans to spend Rs 133 crore. Speaking to media-persons, UP CM Shri Yogi said, “Ayodhya is the epi-centre of our belief and it is my duty to develop Ayodhya”. He also slammed the Opposition for criticizing the grand Diwali celebrations which took place in Ayodhya.
— ( HINDUSTAN TIMES)
NEW TRANSPARENCY RANKING PLAN FOR GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS AND MINISTRIES
The Central Information Commission (CIC) is planning to rank the various government departments and ministries according to their transparency record. “The ranking will be of all ministries under the Centre which have done suo-moto disclosures. This information will help the departments do better, especially in terms of information being provided under section 4 of the RTI Act,” said chief information commissioner R K Mathur. The commission plans to come out with the ranking annually. Work on the ranking has already started. It should be available soon. Welcoming the proposed move, RTI activists and social service groups said with over 60 lakh RTIs being filed every year, a ranking or ease of getting information from various ministries and departments is going to go a long way in helping people.
— ( TIMES OF INDIA)
RETAIL INFLATION STEADY, INDUSTRIAL OUTPUT SURGES
India’s consumer price inflation numbers remained steady in September while industrial production rose favorably. According to preliminary data released by the Central Statistics Office on 12 October, 2017, the consumer price index (CPI) increased 3.28 per cent year on year against the August numbers of 3.36 per cent. Meanwhile, the index of industrial production (IIP) increased to 4.3 per cent in August against July’s figure of 1.2 per cent. Since June, IIP has also recovered from a negative position to a favorable number now indicating waning impact of GST as well. Experts and economists predicted a rise in inflation from the August figures though it was widely projected to remain under 4 per cent.
— (FINANCIAL EXPRESS)
DIRECT TAX COLLECTIONS JUMP 16 PERCENT TO RS 3.86 LAKH CRORE
India’s net direct tax collections for April-September, the first half of the current financial year, grew 15.8 percent from last year to Rs 3.86 lakh crore, data released by Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) showed. This amounts to 39.4 per cent of the total budget estimate for direct taxes for 2017-18. The rise in direct tax collections was primarily driven by a 11.5 per cent growth in advance tax collections that were recorded at Rs 1.77 lakh crore up to 30 September.
— ( TIMES OF INDIA)
(Compiled by Pankaj Anand)