Top news: IAF pilot Abhinandan Varthaman to return soon

GST collection drops to Rs 97,247 crore in February from Rs 1.02 lakh crore in January

The Ministry of Finance on Friday said the Goods and Service Tax collection in February dropped to Rs 97,247 crore in February from Rs 1.02 lakh crore in January. Of the total collection, the ministry said Rs 17,626 crore was collected as Central GST, Rs 24,192 crore as State GST and Rs 46,953 crore as Integrated GST, including Rs 21,384 crore collected on imports.

Centre approves NIA’s proposal to set up research cell on Islamic State

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said the government had approved a proposal of the National Investigation Agency to open a research cell on the Islamic State terror outfit. Singh said 100 new posts have been created in the probe agency for effective investigation and supervision.

Lok Sabha polls will be held on time, says Election Commission amid India-Pakistan tensions

Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora on Friday said the General Elections will be held on time despite tensions between Pakistan and India. He was asked if the polls would be postponed. The term of the current Lok Sabha ends on June 3. Arora said the dates of the elections would be notified through the “usual press conference”. Arora was in Uttar Pradesh’s capital Lucknow to review preparations for the elections.

‘Some parties, guided by Modi-hatred, have started hating India,’ says PM after cross-border tension

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday criticised the Opposition’s response to the recent cross-border tensions, and claimed some parties, “guided by Modi-hatred”, have started “hating India”. The Opposition has criticised Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party for continuing its election campaigning amid tension with Pakistan. On Thursday, Opposition leaders issued a joint statement, expressing anguish over the BJP’s “blatant politicisation” of the sacrifices made by the armed forces.

Full text: In ‘appeal for reason’, citizens’ group asks India, Pakistan to avoid further hostilities

Several activists, journalists, public servants and citizens on Friday expressed concern at the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan and the “climate of intolerance” around it. They urged both governments to refrain from further hostilities. The petition, called “Appeal for Reason”, was signed by more than 600 citizens, including former Chief Justice of Delhi High Court AP Shah, writers Amitava Ghosh and Mukul Kesavan, activists Aruna Roy, Bela Bhatia, Bezwada Wilson, Harsh Mander, Jean Dreze, Agnivesh and Stan Swamy, lawyer Indira Jaising, Gujarat legislator Jignesh Mevani and former Delhi Lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung.

‘I am not in the race to be PM’: Nitin Gadkari says Narendra Modi will be re-elected

Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Friday denied that he is in the race to become prime minister, and said Narendra Modi will be elected to the post again this year. “Don’t talk about me becoming prime minister. Narendra Modi is the prime minister and will be the PM even after the elections,” Gadkari said. “I am a worker, service to the nation is my mission. We are all behind him [PM Modi]. I am another worker in the fulfilment of his vision. Where does the question of me being a PM arise?”

Gujarat: Migrant labourer sentenced to 20 years in jail for raping minor girl

A fast-track court in Gujarat on Thursday sentenced a migrant labourer to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for raping a 14-month-old girl in September last year. The incident had led to violence against migrant workers from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, which forced over 60,000 Hindi-speaking people to leave Gujarat.

Ministry of External Affairs briefs Parliamentary panel on India-Pakistan ties

The Ministry of External Affairs on Friday briefed the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs on the state of India-Pakistan relations. The committee, headed by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, met in Parliament House in the afternoon and was briefed by Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale.

Terrorism driven by distortion of religion, says Sushma Swaraj at OIC meeting; Pakistan absent

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Friday urged the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation to come together to fight the global menace of terrorism and extremism. Swaraj said the war against terrorism cannot be fought only through military and diplomatic means.

India-Pakistan tension: Why is the Opposition questioning government, asks Amit Shah

Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah on Friday criticised the Opposition for raising questions against the government amid escalating tensions with Pakistan in the last few days. The Indian Air Force on Tuesday conducted cross-border strikes in Balakot and claimed to have targeted a Jaish-e-Mohammed terror camp in retaliation to the Pulwama attack. A day later, Pakistani and Indian jets engaged in aerial skirmishes, with Pakistan capturing IAF pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman.

Pakistan will skip OIC meeting to protest against India’s participation, says foreign minister

Pakistan will skip a meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in the United Arab Emirates in protest against the group’s decision to extend an invitation to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi made the announcement at a joint session of the Parliament in Islamabad. Pakistan on Wednesday had threatened to boycott the OIC meeting in the event of India’s participation.

Pakistan will release IAF pilot Abhinandan on Friday afternoon, says foreign minister

Pakistan said it will release Indian Air Force pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman on Friday afternoon via the Wagah border near Amritsar. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday had announced that Islamabad will release Varthaman as a peace gesture after tensions between both countries recently escalated. Welcoming Pakistan’s decision, the United Nations urged both countries to “de-escalate tensions”.

Don’t give Thiruvananthapuram airport to Gautam Adani, Kerala CM tells Narendra Modi

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking him not to hand over the Thiruvananthapuram airport contract to businessman Gautam Adani. Last month, the Adani Group won a bid to operate five airports, in Ahmedabad, Thiruvananthapuram, Lucknow, Mangaluru and Jaipur.

Union Cabinet announces new AIIMS in Manethi, Haryana

The Union Cabinet on Thursday announced the creation of a new All India Institute of Medical Sciences facility at Manethi in Rewari district of Haryana for Rs 1,299 crore. It will also have one director, the government said. The new AIIMS will have 100 undergraduate seats and 60 bachelor of science (nursing) seats.

Videocon loan case: Enforcement Directorate searches home of former ICICI Bank chief Chanda Kochhar

The Enforcement Directorate on Friday morning conducted searches at the homes and offices of former ICICI Bank Chief Executive Officer Chanda Kochhar and Videocon Managing Director Venugopal Dhoot in a case of money laundering. The probe agency also searched the office of Nupower Renewables, a company founded and run by her husband Deepak Kochhar.

Centre asks social media firms not to allow platforms to be used to ‘weaken morale of the country’

Union Minister for Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad on Thursday asked social media firms not to allow their platforms to be used to “weaken the morale of the country”. He said the government respects freedom of expression, but “in the light of the current situation”, social media firms should not put out videos which harm the country’s morale.

Jammu and Kashmir: Two militants killed in overnight gunfight in Handwara, say reports

Two militants were killed in a gunfight with security forces at Babagund village in Handwara of Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara district, according to several news reports. However, there has been no official confirmation on the toll yet. The gunfight, which began on Thursday night, ended only on Friday morning. The bodies of the two militants were recovered on Friday morning.

‘Jaish chief Masood Azhar is on Pakistan soil’, admits country’s foreign minister

Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Thursday confirmed that terrorist outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad’s chief Masood Azhar was in the country. Qureshi told CNN in an interview that Azhar was “very unwell” and “cannot leave his house”. The minister said Pakistan would act against him only if India provides “solid, inalienable evidence”.

UN welcomes Pakistan’s decision to return Indian pilot Abhinandan

The United Nations on Thursday welcomed Pakistan’s decision to return captured Indian Air Force pilot Abhinandan Varthaman to India. Spokesperson for the UN Secretary General Stephane Dujarric said that the world body and the international community want the two countries to “de-escalate tensions”.

Abhinandan Varthaman release: Amarinder Singh says he won’t go to border to receive IAF pilot

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Friday said he will not receive captured pilot Abhinandan Varthaman as he had not heard from the Centre after he had expressed his wish to do so. “When any prisoner of war from the 1965 or 1971 war came back, he was first sent for medical examination, followed by a debriefing, which was likely to be the case with Wing Commander Abhinandan [Varthaman] too,” Singh said. “In the circumstances, it would be more proper not to go to the Wagah border to receive the officer.”

Russia’s Vladimir Putin speaks to Narendra Modi to express solidarity with fight against terrorism

Russian President Vladimir Putin called Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday night to convey his condolences over the Pulwama attack as well as express his solidarity with New Delhi in its fight against terrorism. Forty CRPF personnel died in the suicide bomb attack on February 14. Modi thanked Putin for “Russia’s steadfast support for India’s efforts to protect its interests against cross-border terror attacks”.

IAF air strike: Centre must share details with Opposition, says West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday demanded that the Centre share details about the Indian Air Force’s strike on a Jaish-e-Mohammad terror camp in Pakistan. Banerjee said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had not held an all-party meeting with members about the operation. The Trinamool Congress leader accused the Centre of politicising the operation.

Cabinet approves reservations for those living near international border in Jammu and Kashmir

The Union Cabinet on Thursday approved an amendment to extend reservations currently given to people living near the Line of Control to those who live in close proximity of the International Border. Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the reason for extending the quota to people living near the International Border was that these citizens live a life nearly as disturbed as those who live in the vicinity of the Line of Control.

Centre bans Jamaat-e-Islami group, declares it ‘unlawful association’

The Centre on Thursday declared the Jamaat-e-Islami group an “unlawful association” for a period of five years for activities “prejudicial to internal security and public order”. In a notification, the Ministry of Home Affairs said the group has the potential to disrupt the unity and integrity of the country. The government claimed the Jamaat-e-Islami is in close touch with militant outfits and supports extremism and militancy in Jammu and Kashmir.

Cabinet approves ordinance to make Aadhaar voluntary for phones and banking

The Union Cabinet on Thursday approved the promulgation of Aadhaar and Other Laws (Amendment) Ordinance, 2019, which amends relevant laws to comply with a Supreme Court judgement passed in September 2018. The Lok Sabha had passed a bill for the purpose on January 4, but the Rajya Sabha had not voted on it yet.

Election Commission says photo voter slips cannot be used as standalone IDs for voting

The Election Commission on Thursday said photo voter slips cannot be used as standalone identification documents during elections. The poll body said that voters will have to carry any one of several approved identification cards to the polling booth to be able to cast their vote. The Election Commission said it made the decision after receiving complaints that photo voter slips do not possess any security feature.