Morning Brief: Rush To Meet GST Deadline; Manipur Economic Blockade Lifted; Aadhaar Security Boost

Good Morning, Swarajya Readers! Here's What You Need To Know Today.

Cabinet Shifts Focus To GST Supplementary Laws: The Union cabinet may approve the supporting goods and services tax (GST) legislations today (Monday), which will then be introduced in Parliament as the government rushes to meet the 1 July deadline for rollout of the new indirect tax regime. A set of four supporting legislations – the compensation law, the central-GST, integrated-GST and Union Territory-GST – are likely to together go to the cabinet for approval.

Manipur Economic Blockade Lifted: The United Naga Council (UNC), which had imposed an economic blockade on Manipur to protest the formation of seven new districts, said it will lift the restriction from the midnight of 19 March. The UNC’s decision to lift the blockade after 139 days, which was a key election plank of the Bharatiya Janata Party, was announced after tripartite talks between the central government, the Manipur government and the UNC on Sunday in Senapati district of Manipur.

Jats Call Off Delhi Protest: The proposed march of Jat protesters to Delhi on Monday in support of their demands, including reservation under the Other Backward Classes, was called off after the government promised to expedite the process of granting reservation to the community and meet their other demands in a time-bound manner. The decision was taken following a marathon meeting of Jat leaders with Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Union Ministers at Haryana Bhawan on Sunday.

Adityanath Promises To Work For All: Newly-appointed Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday said that his government is committed to fulfill all the promises made by the BJP in its election manifesto. Addressing his first press conference Adityanath promised there would be no bias for or against anyone. Adityanath said: “Our government is fully committed to fulfill the promises that were made (before elections).”

New Call To Cap Air Fares: The government was asked by a parliamentary panel to look at capping air ticket prices and control the “artificially created exorbitant prices in the Gulf sector”. The Civil Aviation Ministry should consider fixing an upper limit for every sector, especially in the economy class of airfares, the panel has said. “We are a developing country and many of the pricing mechanisms applicable to the developed countries may not suit the Indian people and Indian conditions,” it added.

UIDAI To Strengthen Aadhaar Security Features: From 1 June, all devices using Aadhaar authentication will have to adhere to its new encryption standards, Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has said. The move is aimed at adding another security layer to the hardware at a time when such devices are all set to take the centre stage in biometric-based digital payments.

Christian NGOs Lead In Foreign Funding: Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) run by Christian charities receive maximum foreign funding in India. Kerala-based Ayana Charitable Trust, the new name under which US charity Gospel for Asia is reportedly funding projects in India, has emerged on top of the list of Indian NGOs with the highest foreign funding in 2015-16. It is one of three Christian evangelical NGOs – the other two being Believers Church India and World Vision India – that figure among the top four foreign contribution grossers in the country last fiscal.

Hindu Marriage Bill Becomes Law in Pakistan: Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussaid has approved the Hindu Marriage Bill 2017, turning the landmark legislation into enforceable law. The law allows Hindus, a minority in Pakistan, to marry according to their customs and rituals. The law aims to protect marriages, families, mothers and their children while safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of Hindu families.

MUST READ OP-EDS

UP Polls 2017: With All Decks Cleared, It Would Be A Litmus Test For PM Modi: If the state election results are any indication, it is clear that the public has embraced the government’s bold move for the ‘greater good’. From here on till the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, it would be a litmus test for the government.

Farm Loan Waiver Is No Solution To Farmers’ Woes: Election manifestos in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Punjab have committed to farm loan waivers, putting pressure on banks. The focus should be more on making the prime minister’s crop insurance scheme a success than demanding waivers from banks

The GST Council Template For Cooperative Federalism: That a fundamental reordering of federal fiscal relations has been achieved with a minimum of bickering, despite hurdles like demonetisation, is a tribute to the GST Council.

Decoding The Idea Of A Civil War: This month marks the sixth anniversary of the onset of the Syrian civil war. The conflict has left over 400,000 dead and wrenched some 10 million out of their homes. The attempt to regulate civil wars with legal norms has made states, especially the major powers, chary of labelling conflicts as civil wars.

SWARAJYA SPECIAL

India: A Bad Friend To Israel: Nicolas Blarel’s The Evolution of India’s Israel Policy: Continuity, Change, and Compromise since 1922 is a magisterial survey and analysis of Indo-Israeli relations over a span of 70 years.

We hope you enjoyed reading our morning brief. Have a great day ahead!

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