Mahakaushal Express Derails In UP, At Least 22 Injured and 5 Other Updates

1. Mahakaushal Express Derails In UP, At Least 22 Injured

Eight coaches of Jabalpur-Nizamuddin Mahakaushal Express derailed near Mahoba station in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday and around 22 people have been reported injured as of now. The accident occurred at 2:07 am between Mahoba and Kulpahar stations. The injured were taken to a nearby hospital and 19 out of the 22 injured were discharged while rest still remain in critical conditions. The cause of the derailment has not been identified till now and rescue operations are still underway. Railway officials have operationalised helplines at Jhansi, Banda, Gwalior and Nizamuddin stations to inform the relatives of the passengers.

2. All Four Bills Related To GST Passed In Lok Sabha

Clearing the way for the 1st July rollout of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), the Lok Sabha passed all the four related bill on Wednesday after a day-long debate. The Central GST Bill, 2017, The GST (Compensation to States) Bill, 2017, The Integrated GST Bill, 2017 and The Union Territory GST Bill, 2017 were given a green signal. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that GST will make commodities “slightly cheaper” and all the rates would be dependent on whether a particular commodity is used by a rich person or a common man.

The four slabs in the GST are 5%, 12%, 18% and 28%. The maximum GST rate set by the government is 40% and the centre further introduced provisions for an anti-profiteering authority as well as arrests for tax evaders. Once rolled out, GST will subsume all central and state taxes (a total of 17 taxes) by a unified tax regime across the country.

3. TVF’s CEO Booked For Molestation

Following the molestation complaint filed against ‘The Viral Fever’ CEO Arunabh Kumar, senior investigating inspector Padmakar Devre of Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) said on Thursday that Kumar has been booked under Sections 354 A and 509 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The case was registered at a police station situated in the Andheri east suburb of Mumbai and Devre said that the complaint has not been filed by the TVF employee who accused her CEO of sexual harassment. Earlier this month, around 50 women came forward on social media and accused Kumar of harassment but none of them filed a complaint with the police.

4. Delhi LG Asks AAP To Pay Rs 97 Crore

Delhi’s Lt Governor Anil Baijal has ordered Arvind Kejriwal and the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to shell out Rs 97 Crore within next 30 days for the misuse of public money on advertisements by Delhi government. Of the Rs 97 crore, the AAP government has already paid Rs 42 crore to advertising agencies. Baijal has asked the party to reimburse the amount and to pay the remaining Rs 55 crore from its funds. According to the guidelines issued by Supreme Court, government ads cannot feature Chief Ministers or any other political leaders.

5. Ivanka Trump To Be Assistant To The US President

Ivanka Trump, the elder daughter of US President Donald Trump, is all set to join her husband, Jared Kushner, as an unpaid adviser to her father at the White House. While Kushner, 36, has the title of senior adviser, Ivanka Trump, 35, will join as an assistant to the President. Ivanka said, “I have heard the concerns some have with my advising the President in my personal capacity while voluntarily complying with all ethics rules, and I will instead serve as an unpaid employee in the White House Office, subject to all of the same rules as other federal employees”.

6. Market Opens In Green on Approval of GST Bills, Rupee Loses Against US Dollar

BSE’s Benchmark Sensex was trading higher by 63.41 points after the four legislations to give shape to the historic GST were approved by Lok Sabha, and traded at 29,594.84 on Thursday morning. NSE Nifty also rose by 10.70 points, holding the 9100-mark, to 9,154.50 in the early trade. Indian Rupee, on the other hand, lost 5 paise against the US Dollar as the foreign currency gained strength overseas. The green currency was valued at Rs 64.96 during the early trade on Thursday.