New think-tank constituted for development
The Union Government announced on Thursday that the Planning Commission had been replaced by the new National Institution for Transforming India, or NITI, Aayog, with a governing structure that includes chief ministers of all states and lieutenant governors of union territories. The institution will function like a think-tank to provide strategic and technical advice to the government. Its predecessor, the Planning Commission, was dismantled in December as a "socialist-era institution".
RSS pushes for rural recruitment drive in 2015
In a bid to recruit cadres for itself and its affiliates at the rural level, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh announced on Thursday that it would push for expansion in rural India this year. The Hindu reported that the Sangh was regretful that it had become an urban/suburban phenomenon, and that the penetration of its activities remained low in villages. To begin with, the Sangh is targeting villages connected to the state highways under its Rajmarg Sampark Yojana. It aims to cover 10,000 villages by 2015-end in Uttarakhand.
Excise duty on fuels hiked to pay for more highways
On Thursday, the government raised excise duties on petrol and diesel by Rs 2 per litre. The income generated from this move – expected to be Rs 10,000/year – is set to pay for an additional 15,000 km of highways in the next three years. The duty hike will come into effect on Friday, and will be the third since November. However, pump prices will remain unchanged, with oil companies deciding to absorb the hike.
Under Manmohan, Ratna for Vajpayee never saw light of day
Sanjaya Baru, the former media adviser to the Prime Minister, said on Thursday that former PM Manmohan Singh did want to award the Bharat Ratna to his predecessor Atal Bihari Vajpayee, but that the idea never saw the light of day. Baru also said that it was his suggestion to award the highest civilian honour to Vajpayee as well as Narasimha Rao, and hinted that the idea may have been shot down by Congress President Sonia Gandhi.
Court orders retrial of three Al Jazeera journalists in Egypt prison
On Thursday, Egypt’s highest court accepted the appeals of three Al Jazeera journalists who have been in prison for more than a year, and ordered a retrial after a hearing that lasted only 30 minutes. The journalists – Peter Greste, Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed – were arrested 13 months ago for ostensibly aiding the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood. The defence lawyers said the retrial will be held within a month.
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The Union Government announced on Thursday that the Planning Commission had been replaced by the new National Institution for Transforming India, or NITI, Aayog, with a governing structure that includes chief ministers of all states and lieutenant governors of union territories. The institution will function like a think-tank to provide strategic and technical advice to the government. Its predecessor, the Planning Commission, was dismantled in December as a "socialist-era institution".
RSS pushes for rural recruitment drive in 2015
In a bid to recruit cadres for itself and its affiliates at the rural level, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh announced on Thursday that it would push for expansion in rural India this year. The Hindu reported that the Sangh was regretful that it had become an urban/suburban phenomenon, and that the penetration of its activities remained low in villages. To begin with, the Sangh is targeting villages connected to the state highways under its Rajmarg Sampark Yojana. It aims to cover 10,000 villages by 2015-end in Uttarakhand.
Excise duty on fuels hiked to pay for more highways
On Thursday, the government raised excise duties on petrol and diesel by Rs 2 per litre. The income generated from this move – expected to be Rs 10,000/year – is set to pay for an additional 15,000 km of highways in the next three years. The duty hike will come into effect on Friday, and will be the third since November. However, pump prices will remain unchanged, with oil companies deciding to absorb the hike.
Under Manmohan, Ratna for Vajpayee never saw light of day
Sanjaya Baru, the former media adviser to the Prime Minister, said on Thursday that former PM Manmohan Singh did want to award the Bharat Ratna to his predecessor Atal Bihari Vajpayee, but that the idea never saw the light of day. Baru also said that it was his suggestion to award the highest civilian honour to Vajpayee as well as Narasimha Rao, and hinted that the idea may have been shot down by Congress President Sonia Gandhi.
Court orders retrial of three Al Jazeera journalists in Egypt prison
On Thursday, Egypt’s highest court accepted the appeals of three Al Jazeera journalists who have been in prison for more than a year, and ordered a retrial after a hearing that lasted only 30 minutes. The journalists – Peter Greste, Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed – were arrested 13 months ago for ostensibly aiding the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood. The defence lawyers said the retrial will be held within a month.
