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Finance minister Arun Jaitley cited a 2018 International Monetary Fund report as he sought to demonstrate India’s economic growth since the BJP came to power. A Facebook post by him reads, “The last four years have seen a series of reforms, both legislative and otherwise, which have been carried at (sic) by the government. The system has been substantially cleaned up and made more transparent. Decisiveness has led to easier decision-making and made the economy stand out before several other countries.” Not everyone agrees, though:
https://twitter.com/sidmtweets/status/1033720755702378498
Jaitley is only good at telling lies! https://t.co/9VbfiCzp3G
— Ashok Swain (@ashoswai) August 26, 2018
Dear Sh Arun Jaitley, Congress Govts- UPA 1 & UPA 2 delivered the highest decadal growth (8.13% at factor cost) since Independence.
Under Modi Govt,GDP Growth in 2017-18 is just 6.7%. which is a 4 year low. In July 2018, IMF itself lowered our Growth projections.
Acche Din? 1/
— Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) August 26, 2018
Twitter continues to rage over Rahul Gandhi’s comments on the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. But it missed out the Congress president’s praise for external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, which has “put her in an awkward situation”, according to a report in The Telegraph. Speaking to the Indian Journalists Association in London Saturday, Gandhi said, “The job of a foreign minister is to make foreign policy — and have discussions on strategy. Sushma Swaraj is not allowed to have those discussions. She is an extremely capable woman — I know her — I have served on committees with her. I have issues with her, with her style, but she is a capable woman. But the government has no use for her.”
Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath has said that the issue of 60 infant deaths at BRD Hospital in Gorakhpur within a week last year was “blown out of proportion” due to “internal politics”. He also reiterated his government’s stand that lack of oxygen could not have been the cause.
The Central Information Commission has said the amount of money spent on BJP president Amit Shah’s security cannot be disclosed. The statement comes after an RTI petitioner sought to know the rules governing the deployment of security for private individuals. Shah has had a Z+ security cover since July 2014. The CIC is reluctant to order the release of the information because it could “endanger” Shah’s life.
The Rs 600 crore that the Centre has given to Kerala is only an advance, the Raj Bhavan said in a statement that followed a meeting between PM Narendra Modi and governor P. Sathasivam. According to the statement, more money was to come, PTI reported.
India is on a winning streak at the Asiad, bagging five silver medals on Day 8. The Indian Express commemorates this victory with the headline, “Indian women mark silver streak on Jakarta track”, referring to runners Hima Das and Dutee Chand. The third runner to win was Mohammed Anas, and the other two silvers were rare wins at an equestrian event.
PM Modi has said the debate on simultaneous elections was a healthy sign for democracy and thus a fitting tribute to the late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who passed away earlier this month. Modi was addressing his latest episode of Mann ki Baat. A dear cause for the Prime Minister, simultaneous polls have been ruled out as a possibility by the Election Commission for now.
The CBI believes the murders of Gauri Lankesh and Narendra Dabholkar are ‘linked’. The agency has told a court that, during its investigation, it found an accused from the Dabholkar case corresponding with one of Lankesh’s alleged killers.
News it’s just kinda cool to know
Listen up, applicants! These 15 companies do not require college degrees anymore, Quartz reports. The list includes top companies like Google, Apple and IBM, among others. It marks a significant shift among employers towards greater emphasis on experience and skills.
NASA has spotted asteroid Bennu for the first time, two years into the flight of an asteroid sampling spacecraft, IANS reports. The spacecraft, OSIRIS-REx, which began in September 2016, seeks to arrive at the near-Earth asteroid in December this year. NASA claims that the mission will help understand the solar system better. The spacecraft will examine the asteroid’s dust plumes, light and spectral properties.
Business Class
Big payday for Paytm. Legendary investor Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathway is in talks with One97 Communications, parent company of Paytm, for an investment of about Rs 2,000-2,500 crore, reports The Economic Times.
It’s raining cash in the e-commerce sector in India. Amazon India is in talks with Kishore Biyani-led Future Group for an investment of about $600-700 million, reports Business Standard.
Point of View
The Patna High Court has banned reporting on the Muzaffarpur shelter case. The Indian Express writes in its editorial, “The Patna High Court gag order on Muzaffarpur shelter home case will come in the way of efforts to uncover state failures. It must be reviewed.”
The Odisha government has cleared a proposal for a 49-member legislative council, or state upper house. The Hindu writes in its editorial, “If there was any real benefit in having a legislative council, all states in the country should, and arguably would, have a second chamber. The fact that there are only seven such councils suggests the lack of any real advantage, apart from the absence of a broad political consensus on the issue.”
Satya Pal Malik is the first politician in 51 years to be appointed the governor of Jammu & Kashmir. BJP general secretary Ram Madhav writes in his column in The Indian Express, “Being a politician, J&K’s new governor can be an effective interlocutor for reviving the dialogue process.”
Prime Time
‘Self goals for RaGa’
India Today TV discussed the numerous “bloopers” Congress president Rahul Gandhi committed on his visit to Germany and the United Kingdom, from comments linking the creation of the IS to unemployment, to denying the Congress’ involvement in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. The channel asked whether Gandhi had scored self goals in his attempt to project himself as a credible alternative for 2019.
R.P. Singh of the BJP said Gandhi was rubbing salt into the wounds of Sikhs with his comments, but Congress’ Sanjay Jha argued that attempts were being made to ‘mischaracterise’ the Congress president’s statements. He claimed that, unlike PM Modi’s “scripted or rehearsed interviews”, Rahul Gandhi had the “courage to participate in press conferences and take questions”.
NDTV telethon for Kerala helps raise Rs 10.2 crore
The show hosted some of the greatest names in the field of cinema and music, like Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and his sons Amaan and Ayaan. Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan made an appearance on the show and said, “People of Kerala have shown tremendous courage. It is our duty to help them rebuild their lives.”
The government estimates the loss for Kerala at somewhere around Rs 20,000 crore. Thomas Isaac, Kerala’s finance minister, listed out the essentials needed, like dewatering pumps, cleaning material, and gumboots.