BJP gets 81% from ‘unknown sources’, Cong 71% in FY16: ADR

The BJP got Rs 461 crore as donations from ‘unknown sources’ in 2015-16, accounting for nearly 81 per cent of its total income, while the same for the Congress was 71 per cent or Rs 186 crore, a report said today. Citing their tax returns, the report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) said the two parties together got Rs 646.82 crore, or over 77 per cent, of their total income from “unknown sources” during the year. Voluntary contributions and coupon sales were the key income sources for the ruling BJP and the Congress (INC) while the two parties’ cumulative total income amounted to Rs 832.42 crore in fiscal 2016, according to ADR, a non-government organisation that works for electoral reforms. ADR said the total declared income of the BJP and the Congress stood at Rs 570.86 crore and Rs 261.56 crore, respectively, in 2015-16.

Students stage flash protest at Jaya mausoleum against NEET

Despite police restrictions at the Marina beach here, students today staged a flash protest against NEET at the mausoleum of late Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa. The students squatted there, raised slogans against the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test and demanded justice for Anitha, a Dalit medical aspirant and anti-NEET court petitioner who committed suicide on Friday. Police said 28 protestors were held and later released. Protests were held across the state for the fifth consecutive day today by students of private and government colleges and some pro-Tamil outfits against NEET. Slogans were raised against the central and state governments demanding scrapping of the national entrance test for admission to medical colleges.

Troubled homebuyers shoot off letter to Narendra Modi: This is what they want PM to do

Pan-India homebuyers’ pressure group Fight For RERA has urged the government to amend the provisions of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 and give first priority to homebuyers in settling their dues by completion of project or refund with interest. “For this, it is also necessary that the Insolvency Resolution Professional are given powers to bring into insolvency proceedings other companies under same management including attaching the personal wealth of promoters since it is expected that the company under insolvency proceedings may be drastically asset negative,”Abhay Upadhyay, national convenor of Fight For RERA, said in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

After spate of accidents, Indian Railways speeds up safety plan; check out the massive task and big numbers involved

The recent increase in derailments has prompted Indian Railways to expedite its plan to upgrade its older Integral Coach Factory (ICF)-type passenger coaches with safer centre-buffer couplers, even as it has rededicated itself to the over Rs 1.5 lakh crore project to convert its entire fleet to Linke-Hoffman-Busch (LHB) coaches in a decade. According to a railway official who did not want to be named, the carrier will pick up coaches with a life of at least 15 years for retrofitting with safe couplers. These couplers have enhanced safety features, preventing toppling and coaches piling up during derailments, which increase casualties. However, retrofitting is just an interim measure, said the official, adding the transporter will eventually switch to LHB coaches.

I am loving it! Despite order to shut shop, outlets remain open; crowds lap up fare

Though Vikram Bakshi, the estranged Indian partner of US fast-food chain McDonald’s in their 50:50 joint venture Connaught Plaza Restaurants (CPRL), on Wednesday failed to get any interim relief from the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) on his plea seeking a stay on the termination of the franchise agreement, McDonald’s outlets in the city continued to function normally. This despite the fact that the 15-day notice served by McDonald’s on August 21 upon termination of the agreement with CPRL, which runs the outlets in north and east of the country, came to an end on Tuesday evening. There are 169 outlets run by CPRL in the north and east whose fate will be decided by what the NCLAT directs on Thursday when it will hear Bakshi’s plea seeking relief. Around 43 outlets had closed since June in the the capital following the expiry of their eating house licences.

First hyperloop transport system to come up in Andhra, connect Amravati and Viayawada

Hyperloop travel is set to come to India. Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT) has signed an agreement with the Andhra Pradesh government to connect the city centres of Amravati and Vijayawada. The MoU marks the first agreement in India for the new transportation system. This route would turn a trip of over an hour into a five-minute ride. HTT signed an MoU with the Andhra Pradesh Economic Development Board (APEDB) on Wednesday.