1. MS Dhoni Quits as Captain of ODI and T20 Teams
MS Dhoni stepped down as the captain of India's limited-overs sides, but he will be available for the selection for the upcoming England ODI and T20I series starting 15 January, tweeted BCCI.
Dhoni, who had announced his retirement from Tests on 30 December 2014, captained India in 199 ODIs and 72 T20Is.
No other captain has led his team in more international matches (Tests, ODIs, T20Is) than Dhoni – 331. Ricky Ponting is second with 324.
Under Dhoni's leadership, India have won the ICC T20 World Cup in 2007, the ICC ODI World Cup in 2011, ICC Champions Trophy in 2013 and let the team into the semi-finals of the 2015 World Cup. He reached the top of the Test rankings in 2009.
(Source: The Times of India)
2. EC Blows Poll Bugle in Five States, Results on 11 March
The announcement of poll dates for five states – Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur – takes the spiralling battle between the BJP and its adversaries into a crucial phase that promises to be a test and an opportunity for PM Narendra Modi to expand and consolidate his power, but could provide a launch pad for the revival of the opposition should he fail.
The stakes are high for major players the BJP and the Congress and regional heavyweights like Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and Akalis as well as ambitious political upstart AAP. The elections coincide with the mid-way mark for the Modi government and a satisfactory performance will provide the PM with the necessary reassurance to persist with his high-risk initiatives in the second half of the term.
(Source: The Times of India)
3. Who Gets the Cycle? Poll Panel Asks Akhilesh Yadav, Mulayam Singh to Prove Strength
The Election Commission of India has initiated the process for the two warring factions of Samajwadi Party (SP) – led by Mulayam Singh Yadav and his son Akhilesh Yadav, respectively – to prove their majority, even as SP leaders from either camps made last-ditch efforts on Wednesday to save the party from splitting.
The Commission on Wednesday evening wrote to both factions asking for a show of strength among party delegates and MLAs, MPs and MLCs through “signed affidavits”. The EC is also learnt to have sought comments from the two camps to each other’s representations received by the poll panel this week.
“The EC has given them time until 9 January to respond,” said an official, who did not wish to be identified. The poll panel moved swiftly on the SP feud as the election dates to five states, including Uttar Pradesh, were announced on Wednesday afternoon.
(Source: The Indian Express)
4. VVIP Copter Scam: Politicians to Be Focus of CBI Probe Now
The CBI has now shifted the focus of its investigation into VVIP chopper scam from former Indian Air Force chief SP Tyagi to the "politicians" who were allegedly identified by the middlemen as crucial for swinging the deal signed under the UPA government.
Top CBI sources said they were required to examine those named by the alleged middleman, UK national Christian Michel, in his two notes. "The arrest of former Air chief does not bring the probe to a close. It marks the beginning of the investigation," said a senior source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
"The two notes were taken cognisance of by an Italian court when it convicted Bruno Spagnolini and Guiseppe Orsi, the former bosses of AgustaWestland and its Italy-based parent company Finmeccanica, in April this year for bribing Indian officials in connection with the chopper deal.
(Source: The Times of India)
5. EC Wants Poll Candidates to Reveal Their Source of Income
On the day it announced elections to assemblies in five states, the Election Commission, underlining its concerns over “the increasing role of money power” in polls, sought a Supreme Court order to make it imperative for candidates to also disclose sources of their income and the income of their spouses and dependent children in their affidavits.
Submitting its reply Wednesday to a notice by the Supreme Court on a PIL, the Commission also said that the Representation of the People Act must be amended to make sure that a candidate is disqualified not only when he has an existing contract with the government, but also when any member of his family has a similar financial agreement.
(Source: The Indian Express)
6. BJP-TMC Tussle Dims GST Rollout
The government’s push to roll out the Goods and Services Tax (GST) for a uniform, nationwide market from April received another jolt on Wednesday as a meeting with the states failed to resolve differences.
Even after six meetings, the Centre and states have failed to hammer out each other’s share of administrative power on the 10-million indirect taxpayers. Besides unresolved issues, the states created a new frontline over taxing high sea trade.
Another meeting is called on 16 January to clear the recurring differences so that the government can bring three bills linked to the GST during Parliament’s budget session, which begins on 31 January.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
7. Sahara Gets Immunity, Tax Panel Accepts Its Claim That Seized Papers
In what could be one of the quickest orders passed by the Income Tax Settlement Commission (ITSC), Sahara India has been granted immunity from prosecution and penalty following raids conducted on November 2014 during which “diaries” listing alleged pay-offs to politicians were recovered.
Significantly, the ITSC has concurred with Sahara’s claim that the “evidentiary value” of the “loose sheets” recovered during the raids “could not be proved” by the Income Tax Department.
The 50-page order, accessed by The Indian Express, shows that the ITSC had earlier rejected the application of the company and then on 5 September 2016 re-admitted it.
(Source: The Indian Express)
8. Denied Exchange of Old Notes, Woman Strips Near RBI's Delhi Office
Upset over not being able to exchange old notes, a woman allegedly stripped in front of a crowd outside Reserve Bank of India (RBI) building in New Delhi on Wednesday afternoon.
Police officials said the woman, a domestic help, came to the bank with a four-year-old child. She had been coming to the bank for the last two days, hoping to exchange R 4,000 old notes. But she allegedly stripped after the bank officials told her that the last date for exchanging old notes at bank counters was 24 November, and so they cannot exchange her old notes now.
Police said that the woman had no identity card. The old notes that she was carrying were damaged and “chopped by rats”.
The incident was recorded by someone on mobile phone.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
9. 97 Percent of Scrapped Notes Deposited With Banks as on 30 Dec: Report
Nearly 97 percent of the outlawed Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes has been deposited with banks as on 30 December, according to Bloomberg news service.
Quoting two people with knowledge of the matter, Bloomberg said banks had received Rs 14.97 lakh crore by the last date for depositing old cash, adding that the figures were provisional and could be revised. Rs 15.44 lakh crore, representing about 86 percent of all currency , was declared void on 8 November.
TOI had reported on 28 December that about Rs 14 lakh crore, or 90 percent, of the demonetised currency had been deposited with banks. At the time the decision to demonetise was announced, the view within the government was that roughly Rs 3 lakh crore of the scrapped currency would not come back into the system.
(Source: The Times of India)