The Election Commission on Saturday launched a nationwide one-month special drive to enroll eligible electors with a special focus on young citizens in the age group of 18 to 21.

During the special enrolment drive, the EC will give special attention to two activities, receiving Form 6 for enrollment of new electors and removal of names of registered dead electors, said a senior officer of the commission.

The EC has made all arrangements and asked applicants to send Form 6 at EROs office by post or by submitting the form online at National Voters’ Service Portal (www.nvsp.in).

Booth level officers would also be visiting households to collect Form 6 from the applicants, particularly in the 8-19 age group (extendable to 21 years of age) from 1 July to 31 July (except the special campaign dates), said a senior EC official.

The commission had made arrangements in June and completed its preparatory work, including identification of critical gaps in existing electoral rolls, strengthening of infrastructure and sensitisation of ground-level electoral machinery.

The Election Commission has also sent communication to all recognised political parties seeking their cooperation for the success of the special drive, the official said.

BLOs will make door to door visits to complete field verification. Disposal of Forms 6 and Forms 7 (death cases), received during the special drive will be done within the prescribed time of one month. However, Form 7 (other than death cases), Form 8 and 8A received during the period will be done on conclusion of the drive.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah on Saturday said after Prime Minister Narendra Modi publicly criticised mob violence, there was no apprehension about lynchings in the country.

Shah also said criticism of the central government led by PM Modi was unfair vis-a-vis the issue of lynchings and also questioned why journalists were being caught in the flow.

"There is no (apprehension anywhere in the country," Shah said, when asked if apprehension about public lynchings had been quelled by Modi's recent public statement criticising such incidents.

Shah suggested that there was an orchestrated effort to wrongly blame the Modi-led government on the lynching issue.

"I do not want to undermine lynching incidents, by presenting a comparison. In 2011, 2012, 2013, there were more lynchings in each year than in these three years (of National Democratic Alliance rule). But the question was not asked then. How are questions being asked now?" he said. 

"Mohammad Akhlaq died in Uttar Pradesh, when the Samajwadi Party was in power. It was their responsibility and yet there is a protest against Modi government," Shah added.

"What is this fashion? I can understand about the citizens but why are journalists getting caught in such a flow," the BJP President said.

Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic on Saturday defeated France's Gael Monfils to clinch the Eastbourne International title ahead of Wimbledon, which kicks off in two days.

The top-seeded Serb defeated Monfils, who reached his first grass-court final in 13 years, 6-3, 6-4 in an hour and 16 minutes, reports Efe.

Djokovic won Wimbledon three times and aims for the fourth in the upcoming tournament.

A day after the Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi slammed the Narendra Modi government for "rushing through" the Goods and Services Tax (GST)'s rollout in a "half-baked manner", the BJP returned the fire, saying it was not appropriate for Rahul to find fault with the government's policies while "vacationing in Italy".

Rahul reportedly returned here on Saturday after spending his vacation overseas with his maternal grandmother and family.

He had flown abroad on 13 June ~ six days before his 47th birthday on June 19 ~ even as eyebrows were raised in certain quarters over his foreign vacation at a significant time in domestic politics ~ such as the GST's rollout and the upcoming presidential election.

Hours before the GST's rollout function at midnight in Parliament's historic Central Hall, Rahul and his party had on Friday blasted the Modi dispensation for such "self-promotional stunt" and "trivialisation of sanctity" of the iconic circular hall associated with great events in Independent India.

The Congress had also boycotted this midnight event along with several Opposition parties.

The BJP hit out at them on Saturday. Speaking at function here, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan took a swipe at Rahul while making light of his attack.

"One of my close companions (Rahul Gandhi) has gone to Italy for a holiday to visit his grandmother; I guess even from there he would be blaming the Modi government for all the developments that we have done so far," Pradhan said.

The ruling party leaders castigated Rahul for his remarks, asking him to rise above party politics. They also questioned him over his "silence" while the government had been engaged in discussions with all political parties over the GST.

The BJP spokesman Nalin Kohli regretted the Congress’ absence at the Central Hall event.

"It was a spectacular occasion were all the parties came together but sad that Congress was against it. We all have to come together and make it a grand success as it's a historical tax reform. This GST is beneficial to consumer and manufacturer and we all have to make it happen for them," Kohli said.

The Congress has accused the BJP of acting in a "high-handed" manner, after it organised a welcome meeting for party president Amit Shah within the premises of Dabolim International airport in Goa.

"Airport authority officials, who allowed this meeting should be penalised along with all the Ministers and MLAs including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah for conducting the illegal public meeting inside the airport," All India Congress Committee (AICC) Secretary Girish Chodankar said on Saturday.

Earlier on Saturday morning, Shah, who arrived in Goa on a two-day visit, had addressed a meeting of nearly 2,500 party workers in the premises of Goa's only airport, located around 40 km from Panaji.

"This as a total and complete abuse of power by the power-intoxicated BJP," Chodankar added.

A team of the Government Railway Police (GRP) of Ambala Cantt raided a few areas in Delhi in search of the main accused in the stabbing to death of 15-year-old Junaid Khan in a Mathura-bound train near Ballabhgarh in Haryana on 22 June. The accused is absconding.

A senior official from GRP Ambala Cantt confirmed the development but refused to reveal further details, saying it can hamper their investigations.

Police sources told The Statesman that the accused who stabbeGRPd Junaid had boarded the train from Okhla railway station. Police searched several areas in the Capital and questioned a few people. They also checked CCTV footage of some areas.

“We have not arrested the main accused. He is still at large but raids are going on,” said Deputy Superintendent of Police (GRP) Mohinder Singh.

He said several teams have been formed which are raiding Palwal, Hodal and Ballabhgarh areas in Haryana.

“The accused might be a resident of Haryana as on the day of the incident he boarded a train which comes to Haryana,” said Singh.

Police so far have not got any leads from the other four accused who were arrested in the murder case.

The DSP said the accused was a daily passenger of the train in which the incident took place but the arrested accused had not given sufficient information about him.

"Arrested accused claimed that like other passengers they would only talk to him on the train but didn’t know any further details about him,” police said.

Junaid‘s father Jalaluddin told The Statesman that police is doing their job and he was hopeful the main accused would be arrested soon.

Residents in Junaid’s native village Khandawali said his brother Hashim was called by police to help make sketches of the other accused.

Junaid’s father said his other son Shaqir, who was badly injured in the train attack, was not well.

“He has been discharged but he cannot speak as he received stab wounds near his neck. Last night he was quite unwell,” said Jalaluddin.

According to Junaid’s family members, Shaqir went to AIIMS on Saturday and he has been asked to go again on Monday. A local political leader today met Junaid’s family.

Day 1 of the rollout of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), touted as a game-changing economic reform, saw little effect in the Capital’s markets. Shopkeepers felt the prices of essential commodities, fruits, vegetables, and medicines will remain the same for at least a fortnight.

"There is total confusion regarding the billing of the items in GST. I have almost all slabs of commodities. But do not know how to rate them according to GST. I asked my chartered accountant to rate prices according to the new tax regime, but he also does not know," said Anuj Gupta, who owns a grocery shop.

"Companies have ordered us to sell the garments at the same rate at present. After some time, they will inform us what to do," said Suraj Singh, who has a garment shop in Maharani Bagh. He said he had heard that the government will launch user-friendly software for billing the items.

The customers were also confused over the duty structure under the GST regime. "I think, the wholesalers, traders and shopkeepers among others are confused over GST as most of them don't have any knowledge of GST levies on different goods," said Dhananjay Sinha, who runs a restaurant, adding that he is also confused over the new tax structure.

Many vegetable sellers were clueless about GST. It was obvious that they had not heard of it before.

"We are selling the vegetables with the same rate as earlier. We bought them from the mandi at the same price too," said a group of vegetable sellers.

On being asked about any change in prices of medicines and cosmetics, a pharmacist in Lajpat Nagar said, "For now we have not seen any change. Slowly it will come in the process and be applicable."

Big Bazaar, the retail chain, offered discounts ranging from 2 to 22 per cent on select food and grocery items. The retailer announced a sale starting at midnight last night for two hours with new prices.

According to an executive at the retail store, "Last night, stores across the country were shut for two-and-a- half hours from 9.30 p.m. to midnight to upgrade the new software and billing system."

GST is an indirect tax applicable throughout the country which replaced multiple cascading taxes levied by the Central and state governments.

Nine decentralilsed sewage treatment plants (STP) will be completed within one month and 10 STPs in public-private partnership (PPP) model will be completed within the current calendar year, according to New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) chairman Naresh Kumar.

He delivered an address at the inauguration of an STP at Nehru Park. The STP, with a capacity of 500 KLD, was inaugurated by National Green Tribunal (NGT) chairperson Justice Swantanter Kumar.

"Climate change has posed a great threat not only to mankind but all other creatures. And it has happened due to deforestation, greed and vested interests of human being. Nature does not depend on mankind but mankind depends upon it. So it has become our foremost duty and responsibility to protect water, air and greenery from any kind of pollution. The Constitution of India imposed the duty on every citizen and every citizen should abide by his responsibility for maintaining ecological balance," said Kumar.

Lauding sustainable practices being adopted by the council, Justice Kumar said, “I was in a dilemma to accept this invitation and come for the programme as urban local bodies appear before the tribunal off and on, but here I am impressed with a local body (NDMC) which is not discharging its functions but also endeavoring to discharge them in an environmentally sustainable manner. I found the decentralised sewerage treatment plant exceptionally good, even better than what I was made to understand. Use of simple technologies and cost effective methods will not only preserve environment but also enrich it. I urge other local bodies of Delhi and the country to study this (NDMC) model for replication”.

The NGT chief also lauded the horticulture department of NDMC for "excellent" upkeep of green areas.

The NDMC chairman told the NGT chief that in order to conserve resources the NDMC had decided to set-up 10 decentralised STPs on PPP model.

While explaining the USPs of the STP which was inaugurated at Nehru Park, Kumar said it was based on a green technology, namely solid bio-technology (SBT). He claimed it was one of its kind and offered many benefits ~ no noise pollution, no air pollution, no foul odour and no generation of no volatile organic compounds.

 NDMC vice-chairman Karan Singh Tanwar and other members of the council were also present.

Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has expressed grief over the death of two civilians at Anantnag during an anti-militancy operation on Saturday.

Terming the deaths as tragic and unfortunate the chief minister appealed the people to keep away from the points of conflagration so that precious human lives are not lost.

Conveying her sympathies to the bereaved families, Mehbooba said the vicious cycle of death and destruction confronting Kashmir must end at the earliest and efforts should be made at all levels to revive the peace and reconciliation process for the larger good of the people sandwiched in a gory situation.  

"We in Jammu and Kashmir understand better what the ordeal of violence is, as it has been our fate to live through and survive its frightening and devouring hazards," she said and added that for the people of Jammu and Kashmir, suffering over two decades of turmoil, has been a long, dark experience, bloody at times and frustrating at almost every step. “This gory era must end now for the sake of our future generations,” she said.

Torrential rains triggered fresh landslides in Himachal Pradesh, even as the flood situation in Assam remained grim with more rains likely to hit the Northeast region on Sunday. 

The weatherman has predicted very heavy rains in Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim, Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh.

A downpour is "very likely" in Arunachal Pradesh, Gangetic West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand, west Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Goa, Chhattisgarh and coastal Karnataka.

The maximum temperature in Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab, which received rains over the last two-three days, was recorded below the season's average at most of the places.

A fresh spell of rains and a cloud cover thereafter kept the heat at bay in the national capital.

Several parts of the city gauged rainfall between 9.8 mm and 15.9 mm. It had a high of 35.1 degrees Celsius and a low of 25.4 degrees Celsius. Light rains and thundershowers are likely tomorrow.

A 17-year-old youth was killed after a cloudburst struck a village in south Kashmir's Kulgam district last night.

Meanwhile, the 300-km-long Jammu-Srinagar national highway, the only all-weather road connecting the Valley to the rest of India, was reopened for vehicular traffic after a day-long closure due to rainfall-induced landslides in Ramban and Udhampur districts of Jammu and Kashmir.

Widespread rains led to fresh landslides in Himachal Pradesh. The Manali-Leh road was blocked near Koksar.

The MeT office has predicted moderate to heavy rains and thundershowers in the mid and lower hills, and snow and rains in the higher reaches up to July 7.

In Assam, floods have affected more than 2.68 lakh people in Barpeta, Lakhimpur, Jorhat, Karimganj, Cachar, Dhemaji, Karbi Anglong and Biswanath districts.

The Assam State Disaster Management Authority's report said 453 villages have been inundated and over 5,272 hectares of crop area damaged by the swirling flood waters.

Karimganj is the worst hit with 1.53 lakh sufferers.

76,000 people have been affected in Lakhimpur. 5,670 people have taken shelter in 269 relief camps set up in four districts.

The southwest monsoon advanced into the remaining parts of Bihar.

Heavy and very heavy showers drenched northern Bihar, while the southern part of the state received light to moderate rainfall in the last 24 hours.

Patna gauged 0.7 mm of precipitation, Gaya 0.6 mm and Purnea and 7.7 mm. Humidity levels soared up to 100 per cent in Patna, Gaya, Bhagalpur and Purnea.

It was another wet day for Punjab and Haryana. Rains over the last two-three days have arrested the rise of the mercury in the region.

The maximum temperature in the two states remained below the normal levels and was recorded in the mid 30s at most of the places.

Denying that the newly launched Goods and Services Tax (GST) will lead to inflation, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday said the prices of maximum items will either go down or remain unchanged.

Jaitley also said India will not face a situation like other countries where the GST like taxes have been rolled out and seen higher inflation.

The minister said the reports of a businessman being burdened with filing 37 returns in a year under the new tax regime are totally unfounded.

"I don't think prices will go up after GST implementation because we have brought down the weighted average of entire taxation. Prices may go up for a few items but prices of maximum items will either go down or remain unchanged," said Jaitley, adding that every businessman will have to file only one return by 10th of every month after which the computer software will automatically generate the rest of the reports. 

"A businessman has to file only one return every month saying I sold items worth X amount. After that, this information will be tallied with his suppliers/wholesalers with the help of his GSTN number and linked to his commercial chain. At the end of the year, this information will be consolidated and on the basis of that final return, his annual assessment will be done," said Jaitley, speaking at a show of India TV which will be live on Saturday at 10 p.m.

The government launched the GST on June 30 midnight, implementing it from July 1, 2017 onwards.

Stating that some people are worried because earlier they could hide information on the amount of sale, Jaitley said that under GST, this is not possible and those trying to play mischief will be detected easily.

Coming down heavily on those criticising four different tax slabs and advocating a single tax rate under GST, Jaitley said there are people who have not seen poverty and that's why they are insensitive and making anti-GST statements.

Mentioning that paying tax is a patriotic duty, Jaitley said that the government needs resources for making India a developed country, 

"We need resources for the country. From where will the resources come? For how long will we be borrowing to meet the expenses of the government? We have to change the system. We were not able to change it earlier because we lacked the courage to implement such reforms," said Jaitley.

Pointing out that during the UPA regime, manufacturing states like Maharashtra and Gujarat opposed GST because they feared to lose revenue and the Congress-led UPA had refused to compensate for their losses, Jaitley said that the current government has agreed to compensate them for their losses for the next five years after which they supported GST.

Commenting on other states, Jaitley said compulsion of politics forced Janata Dal (United) leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad to come together, though they had different styles.

"Whatever is appearing in newspapers about Lalu Prasad is unheard of. We never heard of ministries being offered in lieu of properties. How many people will adjust to this style?" Jaitley asked.

The interview to select the next India coach will be held on July 10 in Mumbai, former India captain Sourav Ganguly who is also part of the three-member Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) said here on Saturday.

"The interview will be held on the 10th of this month in Mumbai," Ganguly told reporters on the sidelines of a Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) meeting.

Virender Sehwag, Tom Moody, Lalchand Rajput, Richard Pybus, Dodda Ganesh, Ravi Shastri and Venkatesh Prasad have applied for the post vacated by Anil Kumble last month.

Trendy hairstyles can give the much needed makeover to your look. It is important for men to get a hairstyle that goes with his looks and personality. Your profession may inspire your hairdo as we see a number of musicians with long dreads and funky hairstyles, writers, sculptors and composers with long locks. Keeping a well-groomed hair is important for everyone irrespective of gender. Hair, after all is considered the crowning glory, and the fascination for great styles continues. Give yourself a new look with few trendy haircuts and styles.

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Short hairstyles with textures: The combination of retro and sexy appeal with classic quiff is good option. A high pompadour is given a lift and combed back carefully. This hottest new trend has arrived with a big bang. From celebrities to commoners, all are rocking with this new look. This predominantly women’s haircut has made the men’s world go crazy for it.

Medium length pompadour hairstyle: With this hairstyle you can play up your natural texture like ‘Carey Mulligan’ for a more casual look. It is a versatile hairstyle that is easy to maintain. Incorporating texture into strands and ends combined with razor cut can transform your simple look into a more modern look.

People always judge you on the basis of your appearance, no matter how much you run away from it. Being a vital part of your appearance, your hairstyle should complement your features and overall presentation. All modern hairstyles are very much dependent on stylish tools and expert’s knowledge. For a modern finish look in any hairstyle, you may apply a texturising cream to your hair while still damp and use your finger tips to place the strands.

Yes! A good hairstyle that suits your face cut can give you the desired look.

Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Saturday compared the hyped conspiracies surrounding the Y2K phenomenon with the negativity spread by critics of the news GST regime, which came into effect from Friday midnight in the country.

Speaking at a function in Panaji, Parrikar also said that despite potential teething problems, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) would make daily consumption items cheaper.

"I remember highly qualified people would say that on midnight of December 31 (1999), the world is going to come to a grinding halt. The planes may stop flying midair because of Y2K. It was a big scam which resulted in a lot of IT companies making a lot of money," Parrikar said.

"Similarly, lots of people were telling me yesterday (Friday) that the GST regime is going to create a lot of problems for business. 

"I have not seen the business stop today (Saturday). The airplanes flew, the Chief Minister is here, in the morning Amit Shahji came. The hotels are running, possibly slightly cheaper than they were yesterday," the Chief Minister said.

Parrikar said that the GST era would have a strong positive economic effect on Goa, especially because it was a high-consumption state, with a lot of tourist traffic.

He also said that despite the air of negativity being created by the tax regime's critics, the GST era had already started, before "anyone realising it has begun".

"The GST regime ultimately will result in reduction of prices in most items," he added.

Tibetan Prime Minister Lobsang Sangay on Saturday expressed concern over the deteriorating health of Nobel Peace Prize-winning Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, who has been diagnosed with cancer.

"I am saddened to learn of Chinese Nobel Peace Laureate Liu Xiaobo's tragic cancer diagnosis and at the same time relieved to learn of his release on medical parole," a statement quoting Sangay said.

Urging the Chinese government to grant Liu and his family permission on humanitarian grounds to travel abroad for treatment, he said: "I also join the global call and prayers for his recovery."

Liu was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010 after being sentenced the previous year to 11 years of imprisonment for inciting subversion of state power.

He was arrested after he signed, along with 300 other intellectuals, the political manifesto Charter 08, which called for constitutional rights such as freedom of the press and expression as well as the implementation of a multi-party system.

At least 154 Nobel laureates have urged Chinese President Xi Jinping in an open letter to allow Xiaobo and his wife Liu Xia to travel to the US for medical treatment.

Tibetan government-in-exile president Dr Lobsang Sangay on Saturday called on the Chinese government to allow Nobel Laureate Liu Xiaobo who has been diagnosed with late-stage cancer to travel aboard for medical treatment.

Sangay expresses concern over Chinese Nobel Peace Laureate Liu Xiaobo’s tragic cancer diagnosis and said, he was at the same time relieved to learn of his release on medical parole.

“I urge the Chinese government to grant Liu Xiaobo and his family immediate permission on humanitarian grounds to travel abroad for medical treatment,” he said. He said he was inspired by the growing number of true democrats like Liu Xiaobo in China. “The tide of democracy is gradually touching the shores of China and I am optimistic that Liu Xiaobo‘s vision of a truly democratic China will be realised soon in the near future,” he said.

Besides Sangay, diplomats from the across the world including the United States, Germany and the European Union have called upon China for Liu Xiaobo to be allowed to travel abroad for medical treatment. At least 154 Nobel laureates across the six Nobel disciplines have also urged Chinese President Xi Jinping in an open letter to allow Nobel peace prize laureate Liu Xiaobo and his wife Liu Xia to travel to the United States for medical treatment.

Liu Xiaobo (61) was arrested in 2008 after writing a pro-democracy manifesto called Charter 08 in which he called for an end to one-party rule and improvements in human rights. Following a year in detention and a two-hour trial, he was sentenced to 11 years in December 2009 for inciting subversion of state power.

On 26 June 2017, he was granted medical parole after being diagnosed with terminal liver cancer.

Nearly 18 hours after India entered a uniform tax regime with the launch of Goods and Services Tax from the Parliament House, Prime Minister Narendra Modi headed to Delhi’s Indira Gandhi stadium and addressed hundreds of members of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.

The event was organised to celebrate the 68th Chartered Accountants’ Day. In his address PM Modi said govt is committed to more tough action against firms hiding black money. “We are not concerned about political implications,” Modi said. He gave a clarion call to the CAs to help the government collect more taxes and advised them not to save the taxes of their clients at the cost of the country’s interests.

“According to IT returns, only 32-lakh people earn more than Rs. 10 lakh. Is this believable?” PM Modi asked the gathering, mainly of chartered accountants. The PM said if they knew people with black money, warn them that they will not be spared.

He said people with black money will face more difficulties when Switzerland government begins automatic information exchange with India in two years. “Those who have looted the poor will have to give back what they have looted,” Modi said.

The PM said more than 3-lakh companies were under scanner and more than 47,000 shell companies have been identified. “Data mining after demonetisation has been going on. Transactions of over 3 lakh registered companies have come under scrutiny, this number could increase,” PM Modi said.