Here are some important reports from the biggest newspapers of India:
1.) 600 of 622 Congress block chiefs want Priyanka to lead UP poll campaign
Nearly 600 Congress block presidents from across Uttar Pradesh have demanded handing over the charge of the 2017 poll campaign to Priyanka Gandhi. At a meeting with political strategist Prashant Kishor in Lucknow, they said the party's vote share would increase considerably if the Nehru Gandhi scion campaigns all over UP, instead of li miting herself to the family pocket boroughs of Rae Bareli and Amethi. Some of the block presidents even likened her “charisma“ to that of her late grandmother and for Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
There are, in all, 622 Congress block presidents across UP, of which nearly 600 attended the mee ting on Tuesday, The Times of India reported.
2.) Judiciary is destroying legislature brick by brick: Arun Jaitley
On the day the Supreme Court cleared the decks for Harish Rawat to return as chief minister of Uttarakhand, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, speaking in Rajya Sabha in the context of the GST Bill, urged MPs not to hand over budgetary and taxation powers to the judiciary. The Indian Express reports that Jaitley also claimed that the judiciary had been encroaching on legislative and executive authority. "Step by step, brick by brick, the edifice of India’s legislature is being destroyed," Jaitley said.
Responding to the Congress's demand for a dispute redressal mechanism under which a judge would resolve any dispute between the Centre and states on GST, Jaitley said, "For heaven’s sake, I beseech you in the interest of Indian democracy not to go on this misadventure… With the manner in which encroachment of legislative and executive authority by India’s judiciary is taking place, probably financial power and budget making is the last power that you have left. Taxation is the only power which states have."
3.) 24-hour 181 helpline open for only 8 hours
Women in Mumbai, heads up! If you are in distress, do not dial 181. As per the 2014 National Crime Record Bureau data, Mumbai has one of the highest crime cases against women. Yet the centralised helpline number 181, constituted to rescue women and provide them with counselling is running only for eight hours, instead of the prescribed 24 hours.
The helpline runs from 10 am to 6 pm, a fact verified by the mid-day. The women and child development department of the state government, however, says that a contract was given to a private agency to run it for 24 hours.
4.) Granny’s lathi- charge gets fake cop arrested
As 81-year-old Pushpaben Dhamji Bhalla walked out of her building in Dadar, she moved slowly, relying heavily on her cane for support. No doubt, she looked like an easy target to a conman lurking nearby. Frail as her body is, Pushpaben’s mind is still sharp as a razor, and she immediately knew something was wrong when the crook told her he was a cop.
So, when he told her give her gold bangles to him for safekeeping, she gave him a few beatings from her stick instead, The Mid-day reported.
5.) Railways set for brand new designer uniforms
The famous white uniform of the railway station master and the black coat of the ticket checker, immortalised by many Bollywood films, is soon set to become a thing of the past. The railways has roped in ace fashion designer of international repute, Ritu Beri, to design a new set of uniforms for its employees, The Mumbai Mirror reports.
The plan for the new uniforms is to incorporate both traditional and modern elements. Therefore the new uniforms will have both sarees and T-shirts. She is also set to introduce a new set of uniforms for all railway employees across all posts. However, Beri's design expertise is not going to be a setback for the railways as the designer has offered her services for free. She will be presenting her designs in July.
6.) Extent of Roy's wealth leaves SC stunned
Why would a man like Sahara group chief Subrata Roy suffer two years of incarceration in Tihar if his dues did not add up to even a fraction of his personal wealth? Why would such a wealthy person not just settle his dues?
These were pointed questions the Supreme Court posed on Wednesday when it scanned details of Roy's wealth while hearing his plea for an extension of his interim bail to six months after the business magnate was released on custodial parole on May 11 to complete rituals linked to his mother's death, The Times of India reported.
Roy's counsel Kapil Sibal showed a list of personal wealth and assets to assure the court Roy would not run away from the court-fastened Rs 36,000 crore financial liability, of which he has already deposited Rs 12,000-odd crore with market regulator Sebi.
7.) Frooti beats Slice to win back no. 2 slot after a decade
Parle Agro's Frooti has emerged the country's second most popular mango drink, outselling PepsiCo's Slice in the last quarter, nearly a decade after losing the spot to the multinational rival. Frooti had a share of 25.6% in Rs 6,300-crore mango drink category against Slice's 23.4% in the quarter ended March, said industry insiders quoting researcher Nielsen's data. Coca-Cola's Maaza maintained the top spot with 48% share.
Frooti improved its market share by 160 basis points in one year, entirely from Slice, The Economic Times reports.
8.) More vehicles on road during phase 2, finds govt panel
Car owners in Delhi voluntarily complied with the second phase of odd-even restrictions but open schools and more vehicles meant there was more congestion on the roads.
A six-member panel constituted by the government to compare the two phases of the restriction – one in January and the other in April – submitted its report on Wednesday.
According to the committee, other than schools being open, there were more vehicles on the road this time around. The committee also accessed data from the DND flyway and NH8 and found that there was a minor reduction in the number of cars that entered Delhi during the restriction, as reported by The Hindustan Times.
9.) DMK doesn't know how to use me… won’t vote this time: MK Alagiri
On May 7, as DMK leader MK Stalin addressed a massive rally in Madurai, his elder brother MK Alagiri sat in deep sulk at his palatial bungalow on the outskirts of the town. "I have no opinion," he says of the election in which his father is contesting for the 13th time. And then for good measure: "I will not vote for any party this time."
While the patriarch, M Karunanidhi, has made it clear that he will be chief minister should the DMK come to power — "If he (Stalin) has to get a chance, nature has to do something to me," he said on Tuesday — there's no doubt that the 63-year-old Stalin is the chosen one. Alagiri knows this better than anyone else, but has never been able to come to terms with his younger brother's rise in the party.
Karunanidhi had seen this coming long ago and so, in 1980, he sent Alagiri to Madurai, ostensibly to look after the party and to run Murasoli, the DMK mouthpiece. For 36 years, he lorded over the district, according to a report in the Indian Express.
10.) Adi Godrej first to speak out: Beef ban, prohibition are hurting economy
Industrialist Adi Godrej, chairman of the $4.1-billion Godrej Group, with diverse interests in fast moving consumer goods, real estate, consumer durables and furniture, on Wednesday said the beef ban and liquor prohibition in certain states were hurting the economy.
Godrej is the first leading voice from India Inc to speak out against beef ban and prohibition and point out its adverse impact on the economy. He told The Indian Express that government polices over the last two years have, by and large, been good. “Ease of doing business really helps. We have also benefited from low commodity prices,” he said. He believes “India will remain the fastest growing economy in the world… India will gradually emerge as a strong developed country”.
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