Johnson's 'get Brexit done' worked, but there is a reality check waiting

Election News
Prime Minister Boris Johnson appears set for a sweeping election victory on a promise to "Get Brexit done", but there is a reality check waiting for jaded voters who are feeling relieved that the messy divorce seems to be finally over.
It's just the beginning.
With early vote-counting indicating a handsome Conservative majority, Johnson should be able to finally secure parliamentary approval for the withdrawal agreement he struck with the European Union in October so that Brexit happens on Jan. 31.
Britain will then go into a status-quo transition period until the end of 2020, which Johnson has said leaves ample time to negotiate a new relationship with the EU, including on trade.
But EU diplomats and officials say the following issues will be sticking points which, if not ironed out, could yet take Britain to the cliff edge of a no-deal exit one year from now.
Time
The EU hopes to start trade talks with Britain by March, leaving just 10 months to strike a deal and get it approved by London and the EU, including member states' parliaments.

Trade agreements with the EU typically take years to complete, and few in Brussels believe the transition period will be long enough to seal a deal with Britain.The transition period can be prolonged by one or two years but London must request an extension by the end of June...Read More

Luck or coincidence: Did name change bring electoral gains to Yediyurappa?

Election News
Coincidence or otherwise, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa's move to change the spelling of his name seems to be paying him handsome electoral dividends.
All set for his fourth innings as the chief minister in July, he had reverted to the earlier English spelling of his name "Yediyurappa" from "Yeddyurappa", apparently influenced by numerology.
After changing the spelling of his name just ahead of his swearing-in, Yediyurappa went on to win the floor test, and now BJP under his leadership has won 12 out 15 seats that went for bypolls on December 5, providing the much needed stability to his government with majority on its side.
"It may have been luck for him electorally in a way or it may be just a coincidence... it depends on how one perceives such things," a BJP functionary said, pointing out things have not been so smooth for Yediyurappa after becoming Chief Minister.
It has not been a smooth ride for the 76-year old leader, as days after he took charge, most parts of Karnataka witnessed large-scale destruction due to worst-ever floods in the state's recent history.His government came under intense scrutiny of the opposition, media and public at large for its handling of flood relief and delay in getting central relief despite the BJP being in power at the centre.

With a strong BJP central leadership, at personal level too it was felt that his stature was undermined, as he did not have complete say during formation ofthe Ministry headed by him that saw appointment of three Deputy Chief Ministers and he had to run a single member cabinet for over 20 days before it came into existence, a party source said.The change in spelling as Yediyurappa had become public on July 26 in his letter to Governor Vajubhai Vala...Read More

Jharkhand elections third phase: 12.8% turnout recorded till 9 am

Election News
An estimated 12.89 per cent of the over 56 lakh eligible voters exercised their franchise till 9 am on Thursday in the third of the five-phase Jharkhand assembly elections in 17 constituencies.
Though polling began on a sluggish note long queues, with women outnumbering men, were seen in several polling stations.Senior Congress leader and former union minister Subodh Kant Sahay was among the early voters.The voting began at 7 am amid tight security arrangements, officials said.
In 12 seats polling will end at 3 pm, while voters in the remaining constituencies will be able to exercise their franchise till 5 pm.Altogether 56,18,267 voters, including 26,80,205 women and 86 third gender voters, are eligible to vote to decide the fate of 309 candidates, including 32 women nominees.
The seats going to polls in the third phase are Kodarma, Barkatha, Barhi, Barkagaon, Ramgarh, Mandu, Hazaribag, Simaria (SC), Dhanwar, Gomia, Bermo, Ichagarh, Silli, Khijri (ST), Ranchi, Hatia and Kanke (SC), an EC release said.Two of the constituencies are rserved for Scheduled Caste (SC) candidates and one for Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidate.
Notable candidates in the fray are former Jharkhand chief minister Babulal Marandi, Urban Development Minister C P Singh and Education Minister Neera Yadav.Babulal Marandi, president of the Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik), is contesting from Dhanwar seat, while Singh and Yadav are contesting from Ranchi and Kodarma constituencies respectively.

Former deputy chief minister and AJSU party president Sudesh Mahto is trying his luck to regain Silli seat after he lost the 2014 assembly polls and the subsequent bypoll to JMM candidates Amit Mahato and his wife Seema Mahato....Read More

Citizenship Bill: Protesters defy curfew in Assam; Army conducts flag march

Election News
The people defied curfew in Guwahati on Thursday morning to protest against the Citizen (Amendment) Bill as the situation remained tense throughout Assam, with the Army conducting flag march in the city.
Guwahati, the epicentre of anti-CAB protests, was placed under indefinite curfew last night while the Army was called in at four places and Assam Rifles personnel were deployed in Tripura on Wednesday as the two northeastern states plunged into chaos over the hugely emotive Citizenship (Amendment) Bill or CAB.
All Assam Student's Union has called for a protest at 11 am in Guwahati.
Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti appealed to the people to come out on the road for peaceful protest.The people were on the road in the night despite curfew.
Army conducted a flag march in the city on Thursday morning. Vehicles were stranded in various cities of Assam due to heavy blockade. Half-a dozen vehicles were burnt. The houses of BJP and AGP leaders were attacked in various parts of the state."Curfew is on till further orders, We are monitoring the situation very closely. So far the situation is under control,' Mukesh Agrawal told PTI.An RSS official told PTI that the organisation's office in Dibrugarh, Sadya and Tezpur were attacked. The BJP office in Tezpur was also attacked.

Late in the night, curfew was also imposed in Dibrugarh for an indefinite period as protesters targeted the houses of Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Union minister Rameswar Teli in the district.As tens of thousands of anti-CAB protesters descended on the streets of Assam on Wednesday, clashing with police and plunging the state into chaos of a magnitude unseen since the violent six-year movement by students that ended with the signing of the Assam accord, Guwahati was placed under curfew...Read More

With 23 starvation deaths in 4 years, Jharkhand struggles to curb hunger

Jharkhand Election
The Central GST assortment missed the mark concerning the moved gauge by almost 40 percent during the April-November time of 2019-20, as indicated by the information exhibited in the Parliament.
The genuine CGST assortment during April-November remained at Rs 3,28,365 crore while the planned gauge is of Rs 5,26,000 crore for these months, Minister of State for Finance Anurag Singh Thakur said in a composed answer in Lok Sabha on Monday.
Thakur included that the information was, notwithstanding, provisional.In 2018-19, the real CGST assortment remained at Rs 4,57,534 crore as against the temporary gauge of Rs 6,03,900 crore for the year.
For reinforcing checking instruments to forestall GST avoidance, accentuation has been laid on framework based scientific devices and framework created insight, he said.
"In this association, the Directorate General of Analytics and Risk Management (DGARM) has been set up by the CBIC. Further, E-way charge squads have been initiated for the motivations behind irregular confirmation of the products in travel," Thakur said.
The priest likewise educated the House that it has embedded another CGST decide which puts limitation that the information charge credit (ITC) profited by a citizen will not surpass 20 percent of the qualified credit accessible in regard of solicitations or charge notes.

The topping of ITC would prompt decrease in instances of fake ITC availment just as increment in installment of duty through money in this way boosting GST assortment, Thakur included.....Read More

Cidco sells 7 Navi Mumbai plots at double the reserve price, nets Rs 386 cr

Jharkhand Election
A day before the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) was set to be discussed in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, there were widespread protests against the proposed law in the Northeast. There was also dissent within the Janata Dal (United) for supporting it in the Lok Sabha (LS) and the Shiv Sena indicated it might withdraw its support to the Bill.None of this is sufficient to decisively alter the numbers that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has marshalled in favour of the contentious Bill. Opposition strategists conceded they were at least 20 votes short of the government numbers. They said the battle was about constitutional morality and not majority.
As things stand, the BJP, its allies and regional parties, supporting the Bill have 128 votes in favour of the Bill in a House of 240. This figure, if the Sena also supports the Bill, would reach 131. The Opposition has 109, which could increase to 112 if the Sena votes with the opposition. An unlikely change of heart in the JD (U) could make the battle closer, but not by much. The JD (U) has six MPs in the Rajya Sabha. JD (U) leaders Prashant Kishor and Pavan Verma have spoken against their party for supporting the Bill.
Chart The Opposition received a shot in the arm in the LS with the Telangana Rashtra Samiti opposing the Bill. The Opposition strategists also feared several MPs to remain absent from within their ranks.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, who also heads the Shiv Sena, said in Mumbai, “We need to change this notion that one who supports the Bill and the BJP is a patriot and one who opposes it is anti-national. The government should answer all the issues raised on the Bill.”

Chart The Sena has suggested changes it wants to be included in the Bill in the Rajya Sabha, he said. “Where will these refugees stay...in which state. All this should be clarified.” “We raised some questions but they were not answered. It is an illusion that only the BJP cares for the country....Read More

Cidco sells 7 Navi Mumbai plots at double the reserve price, nets Rs 386 cr

Election News
At a time when the real estate sector is passing through difficult times, Cidco has managed to garner Rs 386 crore from selling 10 plots in Navi Mumbai within a few days.
The City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco), which is the planning body for Navi Mumbai, had put on block 10 plots across Airoli, Vashi, Kharghar and New Panvel (West) for residential and commercial development.
On December 6, the authority sold its five plots-- three in Airoli and two in Vashi -- for Rs 229 crore, which is almost four times higher than the reserve price.
The authority on Tuesday netted another Rs 157 crore from the remaining five plots, which was more than double the base price.
It may be noted that the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority, which too is sitting on a huge land bank in the plush BKC area, has not been able to sell its plots since the past many years due to poor market.
From the three Airoli plots Cidco fetched Rs 121.6 crore, while form the two commercial plots in Vashi, it earned Rs 116.5 crore.
In the first auction, the Ahmedabad-based Shreenathji Organisers was the highest bidder for two plots, while the remaining three were bagged by Pacific Properties, Avenue Supermarts and Narayani Trexim.

In the second auction, Cidco sold one plot in Kharghar, four plots in New Panvel (W) to Vishwakarma Bhagyodaya Aarsh Ventures, Millennium Infra, Olive Enterprises and Millennium Realtors, respectively......Read More