Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Saturday said hat the Parsi community in India has made "immense contribution" to nation building and is a "role model" for other communities.

The minister added that the declining population of Parsi community in India is "a matter of concern".

Addressing a gathering of Parsi community, including several renowned personalities at the launch of "Jiyo Parsi Publicity Phase-2", Naqvi said that the community had given so many great people who had been "architects of the nation building".

Naqvi said that even though the Parsi community was a very small minority community in India, it had been one of "the most liberal, aware towards education and an example of peace and harmony".

Remembering key Parsi personalities, Naqvi said that Jamshetji Tata played a crucial role in industrial development of India, Dadabhai Naoroji and Madam Bhikaji Cama played an important role in India's freedom struggle and Homi J. Bhabha is the father of Indian nuclear programme.

"Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw's services to the nation will be remembered always. Be it industry, military service, legal service, architecture or civil services, the Parsi community has always shown its talent," the minister said.

The Jiyo Parsi Publicity Phase-1 was initiated in 2013 "for containing the declining trend of population of the Parsi community and reversing it to bring their population above the threshold level", as per an official release.

"The main objective of the "Jiyo Parsi" scheme is to reverse the declining trend of Parsi population by adopting a scientific protocol and structured interventions, stabilising their population and increasing the population of Parsis in India," the release said.

"Ministry of Minority Affairs' scheme has two components: Medical Assistance and Advocacy/Counselling. The scheme has been successful. One hundred and one babies have been born in Parsi community through 'Jiyo Parsi' scheme," it added. 

Popular perceptions do not perturb him, which is the reason why India skipper Virat Kohli does not believe in counting the number of innings in which he had a dry run.

Kohli, in his last Test series against Australia, had an indifferent run but was back in his element in the first Test against Sri Lanka, scoring his 17th Test hundred in only his 58th match.

"I wasn't looking at things from people's point of view. I think people on the outside start counting the number of innings when a batsman doesn't score well. But for us as batsmen or anyone playing in the eleven, it's about what the team wants in that particular situation," said Kohli at the post match press conference after India thrashed Sri Lanka by 304 runs in the first Test here.

"I think the second innings required us to play a bit more positively and I am glad I was able to do that along with Abhinav Mukund. It helped to get us enough time to get the opposition out and put enough runs on the board for us to feel comfortable.

"I mean I certainly wasn't looking at how many innings I haven't scored because when you are playing all formats you are not thinking which format you have not scored runs in how many innings. You cannot utilise so much energy in that but it always feels good to score runs especially when the team wins," Kohli, who scored 103 not out, added.

Kohli though felt that his team came up with a "clinical performance", he said there was still room for improvement.

"Yes, we would like to think we ticked all the boxes with this win. There are still some areas that we can look back and try to improve on. Especially when you get 4-5 wickets, we need to not let the lower order get away with a few runs in the latter half of the innings. It is something that we can identify and work on in the next two games as well.

"All in all, playing Test cricket after February when we played last, from then having played so much one-day cricket and not having the time to prepare so much in between I think it was good to get back in the groove and do the things that are supposed to be done to win a Test match," said Kohli.

"From that point of view I would say that we had a pretty good game. As I mentioned we always look for things that we can still improve on, but very happy with the first game."

Kohli expressed pleasure that his team had become adept at the art of winning Test matches on flat tracks.

"The last time when we played here on this surface, it offered much more to the bowlers. It kept the bowlers in the game throughout, both the quicks and the spinners more so.

This time it was good to bat on even till on Saturday, and if you applied yourselves well you could easily score runs on this.

"So we had to work hard to get all the wickets that we did. I think the bowlers came up with different plans and they persisted long enough to get those breakthroughs. That is something that always helps at the beginning of the series if you get a victory like that on a surface that is not offering much," explained the skipper.

Kohli said his bowlers have become more confident in their own abilities because of the way they have performed consistently in the last two years.

"Plus they know what they have to do on the pitch to get people out now which is the most important factor. Especially in Test matches, if you are not getting wickets, then how to contain runs or how to create opportunities to get wickets.

"Even batsmen have become smarter now. You don't need to necessarily tell someone how to bat or how to plan an innings.

They understand, they prepare themselves really well, so guys have become more professional in the last two years and they understand how Test matches are won. That understanding of the game is something that has come a long way in the last three years," he said.

The year 2017 seems to be a hat-trick year for many celebrated Indian personalites, including entertainment mavericks to whom power means inner strength which empowers them to give the best to the world, and staying meaningful is being influential.

Many Bollywood stars and personalites made it to the GQ India list of 50 Most Influential Indians under 40 years of age. While the list brought to the forefront the power centres of our country, it is inspiring to hear what they had to say on power and influence – what they meant to them.

"For me, power is the inner strength to stay focused on your work and deliver to the best of your ability," 
Baahubali fame Prabhas, who dedicated four years in Rajamouli's magnum opus vision and whose name made it to the prestigious list said. 

Apart from Prabhash, critically acclaimed actors like Rajkummar Rao, Ranveer Singh, Radhika Apte, PR specialist Prabhat Choudhary, Punjabi actor and singer Diljit Dosanjh, Disney India (Studios) Vice President Amrita Pandey, comedians and actors Vir Das and Mallika Dua made their way to the list from the entertainment sector.

Power to Ranveer Singh is getting the basic right.

"The basics, that life is all rosy and that you are living this perfect aspirational life. Not really. You have human problems. People view you differently when you are a celebrity," Ranveer said.
Well, power when misused can be most harmful.

"Power if misused is the most harmful. But we all can chose to use is to benefit us, the society and the planet. We all have the power to make choices, to hold and voice opinions and to make a change. And here I'm not talking about authority but influence where in you spread/share your passion for a certain thing and in turn make a difference," Radhika said.

While power is what people are seeking, staying meaningful and staying ahead of the curve is a challenge which even the powerful face.

"For us relevance is power and relevance can only come from your ability to add value. We strive to be a small part of the larger narrative that our country is going through. Staying meaningful, staying relevant and staying a little ahead of the curve in this fast changing scenario is a challenge for everyone and every organisation. But that is what makes you influential," Chaudhary says.

The North Corporation is planning to develop parking lots and a well-organised utility structure in the Walled City area. This follows a visit to the area by Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal on Saturday. 

Baijal along with Commissioner, North Corporation, Secretary (PWD), CEO (Delhi Jal Board), Secretary (Transport and Power), Joint CP Traffic, CEO DUSIB and other senior officers of various agencies visited Chandni Chowk, Hanuman Mandir area, Yamuna Bazaar and the historic Town Hall. 

An official statement said North Corporation held a presentation on the re-development scheme of the historic Town Hall building. The LG instructed the civic officials to ensure that proper provisions for easy access to the building are part of the proposed redevelopment plan.

Town Hall, a landmark building in the Walled City Area, was the seat of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi since 1866 till 2009. Baijal advised regular maintenance and upkeep of the building.

He also directed North Corporation to coordinate with other agencies like Traffic Police and PWD for preparing a complete traffic circulation plan of the area.

Baijal stressed on the need to create new parking lots and upgrade existing ones to cater to the growing requirement of the area and also for ensuring proper day-to-day cleanliness and sanitation of the area. For beautification of the area, he directed that ducting of electrical wires, hanging over the roads/galis be expedited.

Baijal asked the Transport Commissioner and Joint CP (Traffic) to ensure regulated plying of registered e-rickshaws.

After inspecting the Town Hall, the LG inspected Hanuman Mandir flyover and directed time-bound beautification under the flyover.

The LG was informed that there is a proposal for construction of two multi-level stack parking lots in the area and for installation of one flower waste processing machine near the temple premises.

An official of North MCD said, "North Corporation will try to ensure that LG’s instructions are implemented in full."
He added, "LG would be updated on the progress of these works next month."

Accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government of cheating the people with the Goods and Services Tax (GST), the All India Congress Committee (AICC) media in-charge and senior party leader Randeep Singh Surjewala on Saturday said that the people are desperately waiting for the elections to oust BJP from power. 

Addressing a gathering in support of shopkeepers, traders and farmers at Assandh in Karnal, Surjewala alleged that the present GST system has been brought to serve the interests of multi-national companies (MNC). Common traders are harried as they do not keep the army of accountants on the pattern of MNCs. 

Common people are also facing the same problem as the government has implemented the GST in a hurried manner, he further added. 

He said that the GST proposed by previous Congress government was entirely different than the present GST. He said that UPA’s GST was simple and pro-people in which maximum tax slab was of 18 per cent whereas the present GST of BJP is complicated and anti-people. Situation is so bad that even after completion of one month, the traders and shopkeepers are unaware and confused about the new GST system.
 

While defining the tax rates of GST, the government did not contemplate or consider the impact of high GST Rates on common men. Various items like hospitals, schools, colleges, clothes, footwear, houses, food, old vehicles, rental income etc have been made costlier. Tax would be levied on charitable institutions like hospitals, schools, colleges etc, because almost all the charitable institutions have rent income, so those charitable institution have come under the purview of the GST after receiving the rent income. He said that the purchase and sale of old vehicles has become expensive. Any trader registered under GST will have to pay a heavy tax of 43 percent on the sale of the old vehicle, whose burden would ultimately fall on the common man, he added.

Surjewala said that BJP governments at Centre as well as in Haryana have completed three years of governance but no section of society was satisfied with the performance of the government.

Before elections, all sections were made big promises but none of them have been fulfilled. All the sections including students, youth, farmers, labourers, shopkeepers, traders, poorer and unprivileged sections are waiting for the elections to out BJP from power, he added.

He refused to testify against the now-ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in 1999 after General Musharraf staged a coup, landing himself in a military jail.

Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has remained loyal to his political master ever since. Now, after nearly two decades, his master has chosen him to step into his shoes, though for a short stint of 45 days. This period will allow the anointed prime minister, Shahbaz Sharif, brother of the ousted leader, to win a seat in the National Assembly, as required by law.

A second generation politician, 59-year-old Abbasi has been a staunch supporter of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz. He was chairman of Pakistan International Airlines from 1997 to 1999 when General Musharraf overthrew Sharif's government. He was arrested and remained in jail for two years. He was acquitted by a court in 2001.

He has steadfastly refused to turn approver against Nawaz Sharif in the corruption cases which reinforced the confidence of senior leadership reposed in him. After PML-N victory in 2013 general elections, he was made a part of federal cabinet by allotting him the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources. He conducted various projects for the discovery of fossil fuels in Sindh and elsewhere.

The announcement came a day after Pakistan's Supreme Court removed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif from the office, after finding that he was dishonest to Parliament and had misled the courts.

Abbasi, also the CEO of private airline Air Blue, has Master's degree in Electrical Engineering from George Washington University in Washington DC, and has been elected as Member of the National Assembly in six elections since 1988. He was also the Federal Minister of Commerce in the Yousaf Raza Gillani cabinet.

Abbasi will now need to obtain a trust vote from the National Assembly — a rubber stamp cermony — before he is sworn in. 

The rulling party also decided to rally behind Nawaz's younger brother, Shahbaz Sharif, as his eventual successor.

Sharif would be sworn in after 45 days of Abbasi's caretaker prime ministership. Sharif needs to get elected to the National Assembly before assuming the highest government office, and he will fight from seat NA-120 in Lahore. Pakistan's Election Commission will issue the date for the polls on July 28.

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Saturday asked Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi to explain if his family had deliberately attacked the Golden Temple in 1984 with the aim of destroying the symbol of Sikh faith and taken advice and help from the United Kingdom government to make this conspiracy successful.

In a statement here, former minister and SAD General Secretary Bikram Majithia said the recent disclosures by British Sikh MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi about the help extended by the UK government to then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to plan and execute Operation Bluestar on the Golden Temple complex, which houses the holiest of Sikh shrines — the Harmandir Sahib.

"It has become clear that the aim was not to flush out militants as claimed. This could be done in many ways. But the manner in which the attack was carried out with foreign help using helicopter gunships and tanks indicate it was carried out deliberately to destroy the symbol of the Sikh faith," Majithia said.

Dhesi, UK's first turban-wearing MP who is on a private visit to Punjab, had told the media that he would pitch for an independent inquiry into the role of the UK government in Operation Bluestar.

The Indian Army carried out Operation Bluestar in June 1984 to flush out terrorists from the Golden Temple complex. 

Majithia said this was the reason why the Gandhi family had never offered an unqualified apology for the attack on the Sikh race.

"Rahul Gandhi has never expressed remorse, forget seeking forgiveness from the community for attacking their supreme religious places and butchering its members en masse in massacres engineered by his family members," he added.

"Even now the Gandhi family was keeping a studied silence on the issue of seeking help from the UK government to attack the Golden Temple. After disclosures that a security adviser from the UK visited India and that those storming into the Darbar Sahib complex were given training by the UK's elite SAS (special forces), the Gandhi family has not thought it fit to explain its actions. 

"The family should apologise for seeking help to suppress Sikhs from the British who suppressed the country and butchered its freedom fighters. This amounts to disrespecting the freedom fighters also," he added.

Saying, it was never too late to express remorse and beg forgiveness from the Sikh community, Majitha asked Rahul Gandhi to "come clean and lay bare the entire conspiracy" hatched by his grand-mother to strike against the Sikh race besides seeking forgiveness for the same.

Besides the brilliant acting skills, the humble nature and hospitality make Anil Kapoor one of the most gracious actors in Bollywood.

The 60-year-old actor from Mumbai took good care of the whole crew of ‘Mubarakan’, which was released on Friday.

Despite his busy schedule, the ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ actor managed to attend the film’s special screening with the whole the cast and crew.

Anil showed up on time and met everyone personally to thank them for the support he received during the production of the film.

Directed by Anees Bazmee, ‘Mubarakan’ features Arjun Kapoor, Ileana D'Cruz and Athiya Shetty besides much-experienced actor Anil.

The film has won hearts in no time and is being loved by one and all.

A day after winning the trust vote, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday expanded his Cabinet, inducting 27 ministers – 14 from his Janata Dal-United and 13 from the BJP-led NDA.

Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi administered the oath to 26 new ministers at the Raj Bhawan. 

One BJP legislator, Mangal Pandey, failed to take oath as he was held up in Shimla in Himachal Pradesh due to bad weather.

Nitish Kumar refused to induct ministers from two allies of the NDA in his cabinet — Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP) of Union Minister Upender Kushwaha and Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) of former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi.

Nitish Kumar informed BJP leaders that he would keep the two parties out of the government.

Besides the 14 ministers from JD-U, 12 ministers are from the BJP and one from its ally LJP.

The JD-U has inducted most of those from the party who were ministers in the previous Grand Alliance government, to avoid any controversy.

On the other hand, the BJP named those as ministers who are considered close to Deputy Chief Minister and party leader Sushil Kumar Modi.

Manjhi, sensing trouble from Nitish Kumar, on Friday itself said he was not keen to join the cabinet and would work to strengthen his party. Nitish Kumar has not forgotten how Manjhi had betrayed him when he was appointed Chief Minister in 2014 by him.

Manjhi had lobbied with the BJP to induct three leaders of his party into the cabinet after it was decided that Pasupati Kumar Paras from the LJP will be inducted in the cabinet. Paras is the younger brother of LJP chief and Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan.

Paras is not a member of the legislative assembly. He was defeated in the 2015 assembly polls. Paswan is said to have put pressure on the BJP to induct him in the cabinet.

"Manjhi reportedly told BJP leaders that if Pasupati Kumar Paras can be inducted in the cabinet despite the fact that he is not a legislator, then his party leaders should also be inducted on the same lines," a BJP leader said.

Manjhi is the lone legislator of his party.

JD-U leaders said that Nitish Kumar has strong reservations against Upender Kushwaha, who had repeatedly attacked and targeted him in the last three years. Kushwaha is a friend-turned-foe of Nitish Kumar in the state politics.

"Nitish Kumar does not like Upender Kushwaha. When he proposed the name of one of his party legislators to be inducted in the cabinet, Nitish Kumar said no to it," another JD-U leader said.

Nitish Kumar on Wednesday resigned as the Chief Minister, dumping Grand Alliance partners Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Congress.

He again took oath as the Chief Minister with the support of the National Democratic Alliance on Thursday. Senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi took oath as Deputy Chief Minister.

Celebrated singer Hariharan says that he uses the digital platform and social media to reach out to maximum people with his music but when it comes to staying relevant with times, veteran singer Asha Bhosle manages to do that successfully.

The singer, who was present here on Saturday at the inaugural event of an Apple Store iAzure here in Bandra, the Padma Shri recipient told said: "Ashaji is always ahead of times and today she is inaugurating this store, it's amazing. Even I use social media and digital platform for my music but I do not stay online all the time."

The evening was graced by many celebrities including actors Rishi Kapoor, Jackie Shroff, Padmini Kolhapuri, Poonam Dhillon, Soni Razdan, politician Raj Thackeray and Sachin Tendulkar's wife Anjali, who came with her daughter Sara.

Asked if she uses any Apple product, the "In Aankhon Ki Masti Ke" crooner said: "Yes, I am using iPhone 6 Plus and waiting for iPhone 8! Time has changed and these days kids are always listening to music online, they prefer downloading rather than collecting CDs. It is all good as long as they are connected to music and downloading from the right platform."

Actor-producer Anil Kapoor says he never took a break in his 38-year-long journey in Bollywood as he was advised by megastar Amitabh Bachchan to never "commit such a mistake".

"I always look up to Dilip Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan, Naseeruddin Shah and Kamal Hassan, who are great actors," Anil said on a TV show.

"Amit ji took a five-year break after doing 'Khuda Gawaah'. He had gone to New York to live a normal life. I had gone there while shooting for 'Meherbaan'. I met and told him, I was tired after working for 25 years in films, and wanted a break. 

"Amit ji told me, ‘Never commit such a mistake in life. Never take a break (from films).' I went back and immediately signed two new films. I have never taken a break in my 38-year-long career," he added.

Anil said that one of the greatest moments of his life was to "receive the coveted Oscar (for 'Slumdog Millionaire') on stage". 

"All actors or directors across the world nurse a dream to receive an Oscar. I had a small role in the film. This feeling of joy shall remain in my heart till the end," he said.

"Receiving the National Award for 'Pukaar' was also a great moment for me. The film was quite underrated and it did not fare well because at that time Hrithik Roshan's film 'Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai' had become a big hit. When I got the National Award, I felt redeemed and I realised that the fruits of labour are indeed sweet," he added.

Anil's daughter Sonam Kapoor was honoured with a National Award earlier this year for her role in "Neerja".

Asked how he felt when Sonam won the award, Anil said: "For me, that moment gave me greater joy than the Oscar moment. When I saw my daughter walking up the stage and receiving the award from (then) President Pranab Mukherjee, it was a blissful moment for me."

In what might provide a major boost to trade and tourism in the state, the central government on Saturday has removed restrictions on international roaming in the Northeast and directed Licensed Service Providers to provide the facility to foreign subscribers.

Minister of State for Communications Manoj Sinha had conveyed this to Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal in a letter, a statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office here said.

Sonowal had earlier written to Sinha in March to remove restrictions on international roaming in Assam and the northeast. The Chief Minister mentioned that foreign tourists as well as the businessmen visiting the region had to face a lot of inconvenience due to the restrictions on international roaming.

This also discouraged foreign tourists from visiting the region in large numbers dissuaded foreign investors as well.

While welcoming the move, Sonowal expressed his gratitude to the Union Minister and hoped that the decision would give a major fillip to the development initiatives of the state government.
 

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Saturday attacked Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh and said he has not resigned even though his "family's name" figured in the Panama Papers.

"Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had to resign because his name figured in the Panama Papers. Here the name of Chief Minister's family also figured in Panama Papers, but he (Raman Singh) didn't resign," Congress Gandhi said while addressing "Jan Adhikar" rally here.

"How can he resign? He is the leader of the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) and the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party)," Gandhi said.

The Congress had targeted Raman Singh earlier also citing an International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) leak and said that "name of Raman Singh's son Abhishek Singh figured in it".

The list spelt his name as "Abhishak Singh", with "a" replacing "e" in his first name. A company — Quest Heights Ltd — was said to be registered in the name of "Abhishak Singh".

Lashing out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Congress leader said: "He speaks over corruption but he cannot see the corruption of his own leaders."

Gandhi said that in Chhattisgarh, the government was busy snatching the rights of the people of the state. 

"I can see only one thing happening here, whether it is land, water or forest, whatever belongs to you is now being snatched by the government," he said.

Gandhi also accused the BJP and the RSS of trying to end the reservations by using the tool of "outsourcing".

"RSS and BJP are trying to end reservations. They are using the word 'outsourcing' to end reservations from the backdoor," he said.

In Chattisgarh, everyone could get employment but the people of the state, he added. 

The Congress Vice President asked the people whether they had the the merit to get a job in their own state. "Do only people from Maharashtra know how to work in Chattisgarh?"

The Congress leader also accused the state government of telling a lie about building a steel plant in Bastar only to acquire land.

"They acquired your land saying that we would construct a steel plant here, and many of you will get employment. But later you came to know that the plant was not coming," he pointed out.

"And to date, the people have not got their land back," he added.

Mercedes’ incredible dominance in qualifying at the Hungarian Grand Prix came to an end on Saturday, with Ferrari duo of Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen qualifying in the first and second respectively, followed by Valtteri Bottas.

Under scorching conditions at the Hungaroring, the four-time world champion delivered a sizzling time of 1:16.276 to clinch his second pole of the 2017 season. Under pressure from Lewis Hamilton after seeing his championship lead whittled down to a solitary point, the German was at his clinical best and will be in a good position to extend his lead on Sunday.

As it has become a tradition, hordes of Finnish fans descended upon the Hungaroring and were delighted seeing compatriots Raikkonen and Bottas placed second and third respectively. 

Hamilton, in search of a record-equalling 68th pole, was forced to settle for fourth place and after running wide on a number of occasions, can count himself lucky to have made the second row. 

Mercedes, which had clinched the last five poles here, were emphatically outperformed by Ferrari in qualifying, for a change. The Silver Arrows enjoy an edge on Saturdays but the Hungaroring is such a circuit where their edge is almost neutralised and the Prancing Horse took full advantage to clinch a one-two in the qualifying. 
 
Red Bull were impressive as the mercury soared with Max Verstappen, who eventually qualified fifth ahead of teammate Daniel Ricciardo, particularly impressive. 
 
There were plenty of surprises in qualifying, with Paul di Resta giving a good account of himself on his first race in over four years. The reserve Wiliams driver, a last-minute inclusion for the indisposed Felipe Massa, finished 19th but the fact that he managed to compete on his first outing in the Williams Mercedes FW40 car. 
 
Apart from Vettel’s pole, the big news of the day was that Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne, in their unreliable McLaren, managed to make it to Q3 and will start from 8th and 9th on the grid respectively. 
 
It was a poor outing for Force India duo Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez, however, as they failed to make Q3 and will start from 12th and 14th place respectively. 
 
Renault’s Nico Hulkenbeg put in a good shift and placed ahead of the McLarens in 7th, while Toro Rosso driver Carlos Sainz rounded out the top 10 with a decent showing.

The top 10:
1. Sebastian Vettel  Ferrari
2. Kimi Raikkonen  Ferrari
3. Valtteri Bottas  Mercedes
4. Lewis Hamilton  Mercedes
5. Max Verstappen  Red Bull
6. Daniel Ricciardo  Red Bull
7. Nico Hulkenburg  Renault
8. Fernando Alonso  McLaren
9. Stoffel Vandoorne  McLaren
10. Carlos Sainz Toro  Rosso

Former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief minister and MP from Kangra district, Shanta Kumar on Saturday launched a scathing attack on chief minister, Virbhadra Singh on corruption issue and said there was no other sitting CM in the country, who is on bail and who is always busy with court cases.

“The governance is at lowest ebb in Himachal Pradesh and the state is passing through an unfortunate and shameful phase in the present Congress regime,” he said.

Accompanied by state BJP leaders, Rajiv Bindal, Suresh Bhardwaj and Khushi Ram Balnatah at the media conference, Shanta Kumar said the BJP in its ongoing executive meeting in Shimla has condemned the worsening and shameful state of affairs in HP under Congress rule.

Referring to Gudia case in Kotkhai area, he alleged political interference of highest levels in the Police investigation into the ghastly crime, earning a bad name for the state and Himachal Police in the entire country.

“There have been crimes in the state earlier also.  But Kotkhai incident is unprecedented and a blot on the state. There was questioning on Police probe that led to public outrage, that the state has never seen before. It seems people have no faith in the present government,” he said.

The former BJP CM said there is nothing like a government in Himachal Pradesh at the moment. He said the chief minister should step down on moral grounds for having failed to run the government.“He is doing injustice with the state and its people. He should quit, before any unceremonious exit at the hands of people of Congress high command,” Shanta Kumar said.

The senior most BJP leader in HP lambasted the Central Congress leadership and said the Congress party was on its way out in the entire country. “There is no alternative to Prime Minister, Narendra Modi and the BJP in the present situation, for the people believe that only the present leadership in centre can free the country of corruption,” he said.
 

Over 12 lakh businesses have applied for fresh registration under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime, Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia has said.

Of these, while 10 lakh applications for registration have been approved, 2 lakh are still pending approval.

“The figure of new registrations approved in GST crosses 10 lakhs today. About 2 lakh applications pending in process,” Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia tweeted.

Businesses have time till July 30 to register under the GST.

Also during the course of the year, if a business becomes liable to register under GST, it needs to apply for registration within 30 days from becoming liable for it.

Although businesses with turnover of up to Rs 20 lakh are exempt from GST and hence registration is not mandatory, traders and manufacturers are getting themselves registered so that the input tax credit can be passed on in the supply chain.

When a business registers under GST, it is given a provisional GSTIN. After that, in the second stage, the business has to log in to the GSTN portal and furnish details of its business including the main place of business, additional place, directors and bank account details.

After Delhi, now Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) appears to be in trouble in Punjab following registration of a first information report (FIRs) against the party legislator from Ropar, Amarjit Singh Sandoa, for allegedly molesting and attacking his former landlady.

The AAP alleged that the ruling Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) have joined hands to register false case against member of the
legislative Assembly (MLA). The party said the modus operandi followed in Delhi to register FIRs against AAP MLAs was now being followed in Punjab.

In her complaint, the woman Tarminder Kaur, a resident of Zail Singh Nagar (Ropar),  told the police that Sandoa was her tenant and the AAP
legislator left the house in April without paying the rent for a month. She alleged that the MLA damaged the property of the house. She
alleged that on Thursday evening she had gone to the MLA’s house where she was allegedly molested and assaulted.The police have registered a case under Sections 354, 294,506, 509, 323 of the IPC after medical examination of the woman.

Denying the allgeation, Sandoa, who used to work as taxi driver before winning election on AAP ticket, said he had taken Kaur's house on rent during Assembly elections and vacated the same in April after paying rent.

Sandoa said the woman was demanding Rs 15,000 to Rs 17,000 more for against the electricity and water and sewerage bills. He claimed to
have offered to pay the same to her through cheque. "I was touring my constituency when she (Kaur) called me on Friday evening to claiming
pending rent payment due to her which she said was Rs 15,000 to Rs 17,000 for water and electricity bills. I told her the same will be
sent to by cheque. But she insisted to meet me. When she came to my house, there were 10 to 12 people including my family members. I again offered  cheque to her which she did not accept and left the house within four minutes threatening to see me. The incident took place at
8 p.m. and the FIR was registered against me by 9.30 p.m. ," Sandoa told The Statesman over phone.

He said the swiftness shown by the police in registering the FIR shows the political conspiracy by the former minister and Shiromani Akali
Dal leader Daljit Singh Cheema and Congress. "The FIR was registered against me without an inquiry despite the fact that I am an MLA,"
Sandoa added.

An AAP spokesperson Harjot Bains said the FIR is political vendetta as the same has been filed on the basis of vague allegations. "The trend
which started in Delhi (of filing FIRs against AAP MLAs) is now being followed in Punjab," he said.