White House says Trump ‘looking forward’ to meeting Modi; H-1B visa, terrorism, trade likely on the agenda
The maiden meeting between US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi would “set forth a vision” to expand the US-India partnership in an ambitious way, the White House said on Monday. “I think you can expect the two of them to set forth a vision that will expand the US-India partnership in an ambitious and worthy way of both countries’ people,” White House press secretary Sean Spicer told reporters at his daily news conference. The Indian external affairs ministry in New Delhi said that meeting would provide a new direction for a deeper bilateral engagement “on issues of mutual interest and consolidation of multi-dimensional strategic partnership.”
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Maharashtra govt tapping new sources to fund Rs 30,000 crore farm loan waiver
Already reeling under the debt of over Rs 4 lakh crore, Maharashtra government — which announced a loan waiver of Rs 30,000 crore on Sunday — has a herculean task of raising funds. A senior minister said “We have reached a point of saturation in taxation on almost all the fronts. The thrust will be on collecting the taxes to their fullest by plugging leakages. Among the identified sources, there is huge potential of revenue from the land monetisation. For instance, redevelopment of government-owned Bandra colony may fetch us Rs 10,000 crore in future.”
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Jyotiraditya Scindia and Hardik Patel head to Mandsaur to support protesting farmers
Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia and Patidar leader Hardik Patel will visit Mandsaur today to meet the families of six farmers who were killed in police firing at Pipliyamandi on June 6. Their arrival is expected to rankle the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government that has been on the backfoot over the incident.
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New Dalit icons are emerging in UP as the BJP tightens its reins in UP
Change is the only constant and politics is no exception. With the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP ) taking over the reins in Uttar Pradesh, new icons of Dalit and backward castes have gained prominence. Raja Suheldev, Rani Jhalkari Bai, and Lakhan Pasi have replaced Dr BR Ambedkar, Kanshi Ram, Ramabai, Jyotiba Phule and Shahuji Maharaj – the icons appropriated by the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). The BJP government has not only decided to install the statues of new icons at public places but will also include chapters on them in school textbooks under the new education policy.
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Denied ambulance, UP man cycles home carrying dead niece on shoulder
A man in Uttar Pradesh’s Kaushambi was forced to carry body of his niece on a bicycle after being allegedly denied an ambulance by a government hospital, in yet another case of medical apathy in the state. Hospital authorities ostensibly asked the bereaved uncle of the Poonam, the minor girl who had died on Monday morning after a severe bout of diarrhoea, to pay the fuel cost of the ambulance if he wanted to avail it to take the body home.
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All-party meeting in J&K to discuss GST
Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has called for an all-party meeting to discuss the implementation of GST in Jammu and Kashmir. The National Conference has warned the government against any “misadventures” on the GST’s extension to the state and said it would not allow the erosion of the state’s fiscal autonomy. A special session of the Assembly has been convened on June 17.
Late army officer’s kin in Rohtak denied insurance claim
The Rohtak-based family of Lt Nitish Kakkar, who died in a road mishap in Bathinda two years ago, is still struggling to cope up with the loss of their only son but the rejection of the insurance claim over his death has now further upset the bereaved family. The life insurance claim pertaining to the late army officer has been rejected on the ground that his documents were received by the company one day late.
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Trump gaon? Sociologist wants Rajasthan village named after US president
A top Indian sociologist and social worker has announced to name one Indian village after US President Donald Trump, as part of his efforts to further India-US relationship. “I announce to name one village in India as Trump Village,” Sulabh International founder and chief, Bindeshwar Pathak, announced at a community event organised in the suburbs of Washington DC. The village is being developed in Mewat region of Rajasthan.
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US Secret Service says it doesn’t have any Trump tapes
The US Secret Service has said it doesn’t have any recordings or transcripts of any tapes recorded within President Donald Trump’s White House, a disclosure that failed to rule out whether any tapes exist of Trump’s conversations with ousted FBI director James Comey. The agency made the disclosure on Monday in response to a freedom of information request by The Wall Street Journal. The newspaper noted that it doesn’t exclude the possibility of recordings created by another entity.
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Trump’s ‘Covfefe’ could be official if Congress passes a bill
From the incomprehensible “covfefe” to a post labelling fired FBI director James Comey a “leaker,” President Donald Trump’s tweets would be preserved as presidential records if a Democratic lawmaker’s proposed COVFEFE Act becomes law. Representative Mike Quigley of Illinois introduced on Monday the ‘Communications Over Various Feeds Electronically For Engagement’ Act that would amend the Presidential Records Act and require the National Archives to store presidential tweets and other social media interactions.
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Source: HindustanTimes