Ø Delhi appears headed for a mid-term Assembly
election after all the major political parties — the BJP, Congress and the Aam
Aadmi Party (AAP) — expressed their inability to form a government. Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung is likely to send a
report to the President recommending dissolution of the Assembly, ending the
eight-month-long political uncertainty. The Assembly has been in suspended
animation ever since President’s Rule was imposed in mid-February. Mr. Jung had
called the political parties for a consultation to explore the possibility of
government formation. In separate meetings with him, all the three parties said
they do not have the numbers to form a new government and sought fresh polls.
Ø Tazeen Fatima, wife of Parliamentary Affairs Minister
Mohammad Azam Khan, and five other Samajwadi Party candidates, including
general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav, filed their nomination papers on Monday for
the biennial elections to the Rajya Sabha. Former Lok Sabha MPs Neeraj
Shekhar, Chandrapal Singh Yadav and Ravi Prakash Verma, and Javed Ali Khan also
filed their papers.
 |
| Vijay Kelkar |
Ø Thirteenth Finance Commission Chairman Vijay Laxman Kelkar has been appointed as Chairperson of the Finance Ministry’s think tank
National Institute of Public Finance & Policy (NIPFP). He
replaces the former Reserve Bank Governor C. Rangarajan. Dr. Kelkar’s
four-year term commenced, according to an NIPFP release. He was awarded the
Padma Vibhushan in January 2011. Prior to this, he was Adviser to the
Union Finance Minister from 2002 to 2004. He was also the Union Finance
Secretary in 1998-1999. He was nominated as Executive Director of India,
Bangladesh, Bhutan and Sri Lanka on the Board of the International Monetary
Fund in 1999. He has also held various positions in government, public and
private sectors.
Ø Prime Minister Narendra Modi is learnt to have
asked the Union Urban Development Ministry to adopt a more “hands-on” approach
while drafting the smart cities project.
Ø The entire migration route of Amur Falcons — from
Nagaland to South Africa on to Mongolia and back to Nagaland — has been
scientifically plotted, with scientists confirming that a satellite-tagged Amur
Falcon ‘Naga’ has arrived almost a year after it began its journey. Amur
Falcons travel up to 22,000 km a year — known to be one of the longest
distances undertaken by migratory birds. The bird Naga was released in Doyang
in Wokha district in Nagaland on November 7, 2013, and returned on October 29,
2014.
| Amur Falcon |
Ø Thirteen years after the 9/11 terrorist attack,
the resurrected World
Trade Center is again opening for business marking an emotional
milestone for both New Yorkers and the United States as a whole. Publishing
giant Conde Nast will start moving Monday into One World Trade Center, a
104-story, $3.9-billion skyscraper that dominates the Manhattan skyline. It is
America’s tallest building.
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