INS Vikrant Is Set To Enter Service In 2018 + 5 Other Major Reads From Today

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The country's first indigenous aircraft carrier will be commissioned by the Indian Navy by the end of 2018, said Rear Admiral Surendra Ahuja, assistant controller carrier project and assistant controller warship production and acquisition, Integrated Headquarters, Ministry of Defence (Navy).

"The indigenous aircraft is currently being constructed in Cochin. It is expected to be delivered by the end of 2018," Ahuja told reporters on the sidelines of the passing out parade of 87th helicopter course of INS Rajjali at Arakkonam, Vellore. Read more here.

Here are 5 more stories for you:

1. Election Commission Wants To Ban All Anonymous Donations To Political Parties Above Rs 2000

Seeking to stem the flow of black money in polls, the Election Commission has urged the government to amend laws to ban anonymous contributions of Rs 2000 and above made to political parties.

AP

There is no constitutional or statutory prohibition on receipt of anonymous donations by political parties. But there is an "indirect partial ban" on anonymous donations through the requirement of the declaration of donations under section 29C of The Representation of the People Act, 1951.

But, such declarations are mandated only for contributions above Rs 20,000. As per the proposed amendment, sent by the Commission to the government, and made part of its compendium on proposed electoral reforms, "anonymous contributions above or equal to a number of rupees two thousand should be prohibited. Read more here

2. Amidst Demonetisation Chaos & Cash Crunch, Rs 3,600 Cr To Be Spent On Mumbai's Shivaji Memorial

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In yet another move that proves that the government is far more concerned about glorifying the greats of the past and not as much about taking care of the people who voted them into power, there's going to be a major project that is going to cost a whopping Rs 3,600 crore of taxpayers money.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone for the Rs 3,600 crore Shivaji memorial project in the Arabian Sea on December 24.

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis made the announcement in the legislative assembly on Saturday. "Holy water from more than 70 rivers and holy soil from Maharashtra's forts will be used at the ceremony," Fadnavis said. Read more here

3. This Surat Tea Seller Just Redefined 'Black Tea' For Us, I-T Seizes Rs 400 Crores From Him

Reuters/Representational Image

The Income Tax Department on Saturday raided the premises of city-based tea seller-turned-financier Kishore Bhaijyawala and seized cash worth approximately Rs 400 crores, including cash, bullion, jewellery and property papers from his possession. 

The IT search was on Bhajiyawala's premises at the time of filing this report. Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) seized Rs. 30 lakh, of which Rs. 18 lakh were in new currency notes and 2.5 kg gold from the premises of a tailor in Mohali and Chandigarh.  Read more here

4.Bank 'Mistakenly' Deposits Rs 1 Crore In A Labourer's Account, Calls It A Clerical Error

Wikimapia

A whopping amount of Rs. 1,00,10,000 was deposited in a dormant account of a labourer at Khidiya branch of Bank of India in Hoshangabad district of Madhya Pradesh. 

When Modi banned the currency on November 8, little did we know about its ramifications. With its advent, demonetization did demolish the faith in Indian currency. Read more here

5. Jharkhand, One Of India’s Poorest States May Fail To Become India's First Cashless State

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It’s one of India’s poorest states and yet aspires to be first in the country to go cashless — if one is to believe Chief Minister Raghubar Das. However, given the state of power, internet connectivity and other related infrastructure in the state, the idea looks more like a pipedream than anything that can become a reality any time soon.

The state is also known for its difficult geographical terrain, with the majority of its 3.3 crore (2011 census) population living in rural areas — and that too below the poverty line. None of the telecom service providers in the state provides internet speeds of 2 MBPS despite the claims of providing speeds up to 5 MBPS. Be it private companies like Airtel, Vodafone or Aircel, or the state-run BSNl, they have all failed to provide high-speed internet services so far. Read more here