Major News and Events of 26 July 2015

Delhi Police faced a major setback yesterday when a trial court discharged 36 accused including cricketers S Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan, and Ajit Chandila in 2013 IPL spot-fixing case. Former skipper Sourav Ganguly expressed happiness on clearing of the three players’ name. However, BCCI has said that its action is independent of verdict given by the trial court. Indian board went on to say that they are in no way going to revoke ban on these three players. In the July 30, 2013 chargesheet filed by Delhi Police, regarding IPL 6 spot-fixing scandal, absconding underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and Chhota Shakeel were named as main culprits.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while speaking at 87th foundation day of ICAR, asked progressive farmers as well as agri-scientists for carrying forward proper innovation so that India doesn’t require importing any farm commodity in the coming future. He also called for initiating revolution in the fields of agriculture, fisheries, milk, and energy so that India becomes self sufficient in these fields. While expressing his concerns on wastage of agricultural produce, PM Modi emphasized upon food processing. He especially stressed upon the urgent need of increasing per hectare yield of crop. He went on to predict that the second green revolution will take place in the eastern states.

With rising concerns of increasing onion prices, government has decided to accelerate procurement of around 10,000 tonnes of onion. Reports say that this procured onions will be sold through fair price shops in the open market for stabilizing onion prices. Observers say that price of onions is increasing because the farmers are holding their produce to get better prices at a future date. Shooting up of onion price, a major food article of average Indian, has made the PMO ask different concerned departments and cooperatives (including Nafed and Small Farmers' Agri-Business Consortium) to undertake all possible steps for avoiding abnormal rise in onion prices.

Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar along with Chief General of Army (Dalbir Singh Suhag), Air Chief Marshall (Arup Raha), and Navy Chief Admiral (R K Dhowan) paid their tributes to the martyrs of Kargil War at New Delhi’s Amar Jawan Jyoti for marking fifteenth anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas. The 60 days long Kargil War ended on July 26 and military has decided to mark the occasion with 3 day celebration (July 24 to July 26, 2015). Ex-servicemen today raised their demand of implementation of One Rank One Pension (OROP) policy during a marathon run organized to commemorate Kargil Vijay Diwas. Anna Hazare joined agitating ex-servicemen today.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi kick-started BJP’s campaign for Bihar assembly election by holding a huge rally in Muzaffarpur yesterday. Though Modi shared dais with Bihar CM Nitish Kumar during a government function in Patna earlier yesterday, he called senior Janata Dal United leader Nitish Kumar a back-stabber. Narendra Modi also attacked Nitish Kumar by accusing him of breaking the 17 year old alliance with NDA just before the Lok Sabha election. PM Modi also took pot shot at RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav and went on to give RJD a new name - "Rojana Jungle Raj ka Darr".

Nirmala Sitharaman, Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, has said yesterday that the differences over Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill has been ironed out after prolonged discussion. She also hoped that the concerned bill will get passed in the Rajya Sabha during ongoing Monsoon session of the parliament. Sitharaman’s reaction comes after the Rajya Sabha committee, examining the proposed GST bill, submitted its report. The minister also said that her government is currently working on FTAs (Free Trade agreements) with European Union, Canada, and Australia. She went on to add that possibilities of FTAs with Eurasia and Latin American countries are also explored.