Morning Brief: China Warns Against Interference In Maldives, Aadhaar Case Hearing, Sunjuwan Attack Toll Rises

Good morning! Here’s your morning brief.

China Warns Against Interference In Maldives, Aadhaar Case Hearing, Sunjuwan Attack Toll Rises

China’s state-run paper Global Times warned that Beijing will have to ‘take action’ if India decides to send troops to the crisis-hit Maldives. This is the latest in a string of statements China has issued over the past few weeks on the Maldives crisis. Last week China had said that other countries shouldn't interfere in Maldives.

China has been quietly backing the incumbent President Abdulla Yameen, a charge it calls “baseless”. The island nation has grown closer to China ever since Yameen took charge. He was among the first leaders to visit China during the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Twelve agreements were signed between Maldives and China last December including one on China’s flagship Belt and Road Initiative.

Aadhaar Case Hearing

In the latest hearing on the Aadhaar case the Supreme Court ask whether the government was not entitled to seek a proof of identity from citizens, especially if their entitlement to certain benefits depended on their identities.

Controversial SC lawyer Kapil Sibal appeared for the West Bengal government said that as a citizen one must have many ways of proving identity. Kapil Sibal argued that the architecture of the Aadhaar Act was unconstitutional. He also said that the identity of a person should not be made a public identity, and that these details cannot be centralised.

Sunjuwan Attack Toll Rises To 7

The army recovered the body of another solider who had died in the terror attack on Sunjuwan army camp in Jammu & Kashmir. This takes the official toll of the attack to seven – six army personnel and one civilian. Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists had attacked the camp dressed in Army fatigues. The terrorists have now been eliminated.

The defence ministry, meanwhile, cleared the purchase of Rs 15,000 worth assault rifles, carbines and sniper rifles on an urgent basis. The Defence Acquisition Council chaired by the Defence Minister cleared the procurement to beef up battalion level force levels in units deployed in Jammu Kashmir.

Railways Wants 3,000MW Solar Power Porjects

The Indian Railways will soon issue tenders to allot contracts to set-up 3,000 MW of solar power on its unutilised lands, rail and coal minister Piyush Goyal has said. State run lignite mining company NLC India will be bidding aggressively for these contracts, he added.

The company had entered the renewable sector by setting up a 140 MW solar plant at Neyveli, another 50MW plant in wind power. NLC will generate upto 4,250 MW power in renewables by 2025, the minister revealed.

GST Revenue Could Hit Rs 1 Lakh Crore A Month

Tax revenues from Goods and Service Tax might cross Rs 1 lakh crore a month by end of next fiscal year, especially if anti-evasion measures of matching tax data and e-way bills are put in place, finance ministry officials have said.

Some 98 lakh businesses are today registered for GST. An official is reported to have said that the government will be plugging gaps in the gold and jewellery industry.

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