0815 HRS
30th January , 2013

THE HEADLINES:

• States reach broad consensus on GST roll out; three sub-committees to look into unresolved issues.

• Karnataka Assembly Speaker accepts the resignation of 12 BJP rebel MLAs.

• 13 people die in a road accident in Uttarkashi.

• Centre asks states to meet their Right To Education targets before the end of March this year.

• Madras High Court lifts ban on Kamal Haasan's movie Vishwaroopam.

• Nation pays homage to Mahatma Gandhi on Martyrs Day today.

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Paving the way for early roll out of Goods and Services Tax, GST, states havereached a broad consensus on the design of the new indirect tax regime under which states will be free to decide on the time of its introduction.

On the second day of the meeting of the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers in Bhuvaneshwar, the state governments accepted most of the suggestions made by a committee set up by Finance Minister P. Chidambaram to look into the design of the tax.

Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers Chaired by Bihar's deputy ChiefMinister Sushil Kumar Modi told reporters that it was agreed that instead of a single rate for GST there would be a floor rate with a band, giving freedom to states to fix their own rates.

On issues where consensus continued to be elusive, they have decided to form three sub-committees to resolve the issue of an integrated GST to be levied on inter-state trade and a revenue-neutral tax rate that will ensure states won’t suffer a revenue loss. The committee will also look into what items should be exempted from GST and the threshold revenue limit after which GST is levied. The sub-committees have been asked to submit their reports within three months.

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In Karnataka, the legislative Assembly Speaker K G Boppaiah has accepted the resignation of 12 BJP rebel MLAs last night. One of the MLAs Vittal Kattakdonda’s resignation was not accepted due to technical reason. With the acceptance of resignations, now the strength of BJP in the assembly has gone down to 106, including the Speaker. One of the Independents has extended his support to the Government. Our correspondent reports that the MLAs wishing to resign had resorted to dharna in the Speaker’s chamber when no word of acceptance came till late night.

By the acceptance of resignation of 12 BJP MLAs, the BJP government is reduced to wafer thin majority. It has two more MLAs than required for a simple majority. The Budget session that begins on 4th of next month will be a platform to test a strength of the government as it prepared to present the budget. A day long drama in Speaker's chamber ended late at night yesterday when the Speaker's office received a communication from the Lok Sabha Secretariat that the resignation of MLAs could be accepted despite a disqualification petition pending against them. Sudhindra, AIR News, Bangalore.

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India and Australia have agreed to concentrate on priority areas like energy and food security for mutual benefit of the two countries. At the 14th Session of the India - Australia Joint Ministerial Commission held in New Delhi yesterday, the two sides underlined the importance of a solid institutional framework to facilitate future growth in bilateral trade and investment. The Commission was co-chaired by Minister of Commerce, Industry and Textiles Anand Sharma and his Australian counterpart, Dr. Craig Emerson.

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In Uttarakhand, atleast thirteen people have been killed and seven injured when their jeep plunged into deep gorge at Gurai valley near mori block of Uttarkashi district. The accident occurred last night when the jeep, carrying 20 passengers, was returning from Netwad to Mori village. The cause of the accident is said to be overloading of passengers. The injured have been admitted to primary hospital in the area while seriously injured have been referred to Doon hospital in Dehradun.

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The Centre has asked the states to expedite the process of meeting Right To Education-RTE targets before the end of March this year. At the meeting of the state education secretaries in New Delhi yesterday, a senior official of the Human Resource Development, HRD, Ministry made it clear that there would be no extension of the RTE deadline beyond it and the states have to fulfill the provisions under the Act. The HRD Ministry also asked states to improve the delivery mechanism of the mid day meal scheme.

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The Madras High Court lifted the ban imposed on actor Kamal Haasan's movie Vishwaroopam by the Tamil Nadu government after it courted controversy over its alleged anti-Muslim content. After a day-long hearing, Justice K Venkataraman passed the orders, paving the way for screening of the movie amid indications that the state government may prefer an appeal.

During the hearing, Tamil Nadu government questioned the 'U/A' certificate issued for the film Rejecting the charge, Additional Solicitor General Wilson said the certification was done by procedure.

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Today is martyrs day. The Nation is paying homage to the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi on his death anniversary. Also the nation is grateful to those martyrs who suffered and died for the freedom, welfare, and progress of the country. It was on this day in 1948 when Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated. Since then, the day is observed as Martyrs’ Day. The day is also observed as World Leprosy Day. Our correspondent reports that several functions are being organized across the country to mark the day.

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In Assam, voting has begun for the first phase of Panchayat poll in 8 districts. Official sources said that a total of 27 thousand eight hundred 74 candidates are in the fray in this phase. 50 percent of the total seats have been reserved for women. Elaborate security arrangements have been made to conduct free and fair polls. 105 polling stations have been identified as sensitive. 86 armed companies have been deployed. The second and third phase of the poll which will be held on 6^th and 12th February. Counting will be held on the 14th and 15th of next month.

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The Election Commission of India, ECI has expressed satisfaction over the poll preparedness in Nagaland for the upcoming State Assembly Elections, scheduled for 23rd of February. Deputy Election Commissioner Sudhir Tripathi said this while briefing media-persons in Kohima last evening. Mr. Sudhir is in Kohima to review the various aspects of poll preparedness in the state.

In Tripura, the Election Commission has given approval for 23 Auxiliary Voting centers for the assembly elections to be held on the 14th of February. The Chief Election Officer, Tripura, said the 23 Auxiliary polling stations are for those polling station which have more than 1200 voters.

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In Madhya Pradesh, the District and Sessions Judge of Khandwa completed the hearing of a rape case just within four days and sentenced the accused to 14 years’ imprisonment under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. Our correspondent reports that it is probably the first time in the country that hearing of a rape case is completed in such a short time.

In another case of rape, a special fast track court in Delhi has sentenced a man to seven years in jail for raping a minor girl on false promise of marriage. The court exclusively set up to try cases of sexual offences against women,noted that crime against women was rising and there was an urgent need to curb it.

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The International Humanitarian Pledging Conference to raise funds worth 1.5 billion dollars in aid for millions of Syrians gets underway in Kuwait city today. Representatives from over 60 countries including Russia and Iran are expected to take part in the conference. Our West Asia correspondent reports that the Indian delegation is led by the Union Minister of State for External Affairs, E. Ahamed.

The UN Humanitarian Chief Valerie Amos has warned that it will not be able to help millions of war-hit Syrians without more money. The conference has been organized by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs to express support to the humanitarian needs of the Syrian people. UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon will chair the meeting. India will pledge around 14 crores rupees to Syria as part of its commitment to extend humanitarian support. Around 4 million Syrians need food, shelter and other aid inside the country. Atul Tiwary, AIR News.

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NEWSPAPERS HEADLINES

• Many papers have pictures showing military bands performing at Vijay Chowk and the illuminated buildings at the beating the retreat ceremony yesterday. 'A mesmerising ode to the republic' writes the Hindu, adding that 'services bands enthrall as republic day celebrations end'.
• The Hindustan Times and the Business Dailies lead with RBI cutting rates and home and auto loans to get cheaper. 'Repo rate reduced 25 bps after 8 months, CRR at record low' is the Business Standard headline.
• 'Congress loses way at T-point' writes Mail today, adding that the 'Telangana issue is on the boil again, as Congress high Command procrastinates and party MP's fighting for statehood threaten to quit'.
• Shah Rukh Khan triggering an Indo-Pak war of words finds front page coverage in many dailies. 'Govt, parties slam Malik for comments on SRK security' says the Statesman. Mail Today quotes SRK as saying ' I am proud to be an Indian'.
• The Hindu reports of Kolkata doctors performing a rare skull surgery on a six month old. The child was born with a deformed forehead and unequal size of eyes.
• Want to go for further studies but are cash strapped ? There's hope. 'Soon Rs. 7.5 lakh education loan for poor students' writes the Tribune.
• And finally, its not just about education - but health too. 'Short of cash? Now get healthy in installments' writes the Economic Times. The paper says if you can't pay for an expensive pacemaker implant, you will now be able to do it in EMI's.