1. Nine killed, 20 rescued as bus catches fire on Yamuna Expressway in Greater Noida
Nine passengers were killed after a bus travelling from Delhi to Mahoba in Bihar caught fire on the Yamuna Expressway in Greater Noida, officials said on Thursday. More than 20 passengers were rescued safely during the incident that took place late Wednesday night. The driver and conductor of the bus, which was carrying 35 passengers, have been taken into custody, the officials said.
2. Cauvery water: SC asks Karnataka to respond to Tamil Nadu's plea alleging shortfall
The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Karnataka government to respond to the Tamil Nadu government's plea seeking release of its share of the Cauvery River water, alleging a shortfall in supply. While the Tamil Nadu government told the apex court that it has already lost an early Kharif crop due to lack of water, the Karnataka government said it was facing a "terrible drought situation".
3. Power staff recruitment plan to be announced within a week: TN Minister Nirmalkumar
Energy Resources and Law Minister R Nirmalkumar on Thursday said the government would announce within a week whether vacancies in the power sector would be filled through the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC) or on a contractual basis. Talking to reporters, Nirmalkumar blamed the previous DMK government for increasing the Electricity Board’s debt from Rs 1 lakh crore to Rs 2.5 lakh crore.
4. Power outages disrupt TN ministers' events a day after CM's TNPDCL review
In a major embarrassment for the state government, power cuts disrupted successive meetings chaired by ministers on Thursday, just a day after Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay inspected the Electricity Board headquarters. Vijay conducted a review at the Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation Limited (TNPDCL) head office in Chennai on September 23, following severe electricity deficit issues.
5. AIADMK seeks Election Commission probe into alleged cash distribution in Madurantakam, Dharapuram
The AIADMK has urged the Election Commission to order a comprehensive inquiry into alleged cash distribution and voter inducement in the Madurantakam and Dharapuram Assembly constituencies ahead of the October 6 bypolls. AIADMK advocate wing secretary and MP I S Inbadurai alleged that election rules and laws were being seriously and extensively violated in the two constituencies.
6. CJP threatens 'Jantar Mantar 2.0' if CEC Gyanesh Kumar does not resign
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Thursday demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar for "undermining" voter rights, and warned of a nationwide agitation, including "Jantar Mantar 2.0", if he does not step down within 48 hours. Speaking at a press conference, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke alleged that the electoral process had been "rigged" and the right to vote was being taken away from citizens.
7. CIC recommends publishing paper-wise UPSC marks, flags no order for 2018 halt
The Central Information Commission has recommended reinstating the practice of publishing the detailed break-up of marks obtained by selected candidates in the Civil Services (Main) Examination after finding that the DoPT had no record of any formal decision behind discontinuing the practice from 2018. The recommendation came amid contradictory positions of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on custody of the detailed marks.
8. Assam Cabinet approves rules for compulsory registration of Muslim marriages
The Assam Cabinet on Thursday approved rules for compulsory registration of Muslim marriages in the state, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. "From now on, Muslim marriages will be registered by registrars. If the number of applications is more, then some panchayat-level officials could be authorised to register the marriages so that people don't face problems," the chief minister said.
9. Congress' Nandigram bypoll candidate's wife alleges Suvendu 'misused power' to jail husband
Arpita Pradhan, wife of incarcerated Congress's Nandigram bypoll candidate Milan Pradhan, alleged on Thursday that Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari “misused power” to throw her husband in jail, while asserting that the leader was implicated in “false cases”. Arpita thanked both Rahul Gandhi and Mamata Banerjee alike “for lending their support” to the jailed candidate and urged all opposition parties to join hands to fight the ruling BJP in the October 6 bypoll.
10. Only 10 pc of UPI transaction value risks MDR charges; corporates to absorb most proposed fees: NPCI
Only about 10 per cent of the overall value of UPI transactions could face the risk of charges being passed on to consumers under the merchant discount rate (MDR), with large corporates, which already accept credit cards, absorbing most of the proposed costs, NPCI chief Dilip Asbe said on Thursday. He added that 80 per cent of the MDR collected would come from businesses with annual turnover of more than Rs 1,000 crore, which already accept credit cards and pay significantly higher charges.