Wholesale price-based inflation unchanged

Wholesale price-based inflation was unchanged at 1.08 per cent in August, even as the prices of food items rose. The wholesale price index (WPI)-based inflation was at 1.08 per cent in July and 4.62 per cent in August 2018. Inflation in food articles rose to 7.67 per cent in August from 6.15 per cent in July mainly on account of the rise in prices of vegetables and protein-rich items. Vegetable inflation too rose to 13.07 per cent in the month under review as against 10.67 per cent in July. Inflation in protein-rich items like eggs, meat and fish rose to 6.60 per cent last month from 3.16 per cent in July. However, fuel and power basket continued to witness deflation at 4 per cent in August as against 3.64 per cent in July.

Discoms’ dues soar to Rs 73,748 cr in July

The outstanding dues owed by distribution utilities (discoms) to power producers have risen by more than 57 per cent to Rs 73,748 crore in July compared to the same month last year. According to PRAAPTI portal, discoms owed a total of Rs 46,779 crore to power generation companies in July 2018. The portal was launched in May 2018 to bring transparency in power purchase transactions between generators and discoms. In July, the total overdue amount, which was not cleared even after 60 days of grace period offered by generators, stood at Rs 54,342 crore as against Rs 30,331 crore in the same month in 2018. Power producers give 60 days time to discoms for paying bills for power supply. After that, the outstanding becomes overdue and generators charge penal interest in most cases.

Khattar vows to implement NRC in Haryana

After Assam, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has announced that the National Register of Citizens will be implemented in the state. Besides this, the constitution of a Law Commission is also being considered and an independent department would be set up to solicit the services of intellectuals, he said. An official release said the state government is working on a family ID card. Khattar said its data would be used in the NRC. On August 31, the final NRC in Assam was released, leaving 19 lakh people out. The process of NRC update was started in Assam following a Supreme Court order in 2013 and since then, the apex court has closely monitored the entire process. However, several political parties, including the BJP in the state, have voiced their dissatisfaction with the final document.

82 ex-MPs still to vacate official bungalows

More than 80 former MPs are yet to vacate their official bungalows in Lutyens’ Delhi despite a stern warning by a Lok Sabha panel, sources said. They said the government is contemplating to take action against these ex-MPs under the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act for their speedy eviction. On August 19, the Lok Sabha Housing Committee had ordered around 200 former MPs, who did not vacate their bungalows, to give up the facility within a week and disconnect their power, water and cooking gas connections within three days. According to rules, former MPs have to vacate their bungalows within one month of dissolution of the Lok Sabha. President Ram Nath Kovind had on May 25 dissolved the 16th Lok Sabha with immediate effect.

PhD fellowships on offer for ASEAN students

The government is set to launch a major programme offering 1,000 PhD fellowships to ASEAN students at IITs, officials said. The admission portal for the programme is being executed by IIT Delhi for offering PhD fellowships to ASEAN students at all IITs, they said. The launch ceremony of the ASEAN PhD fellowships at IITs will be held on  September 16 and will be jointly inaugurated by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Minister of HRD Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’. Head of Missions of ASEAN countries, senior officials of the Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Human Resource Development, directors of all 23 IITs, chairman of UGC and vice-chairman of NITI Aayog would also be present at the event, officials said.

Athlete completes longest ocean swim

Endurance athlete Cameron Bellamy completed the longest recorded ocean channel swim on September 15, covering the 151.7 km from Barbados to St Lucia in the Caribbean in 56 hours and 36 minutes. The 37-year-old South African set out from St Peters Bay in Barbados on September 14 morning, reaching St Lucia on September 15 evening. The swim is the latest in a list of endurance achievements by Bellamy, who previously rowed across the Indian Ocean and has swum the English channel, raising money for charity. His swim beats a 124.4 km swim by Chloe McCardel from the south of Eleuthera Island to Nassau in the Bahamas five years ago, recognised by the Marathon Swimmers Federation as the longest ocean swim. The MSF is yet to formally verify Bellamy’s swim.

Newsmakers

Pankaj Advani increased his tally of world titles to 22 by winning a fourth straight final in the 150-up format at the IBSF World Billiards Championship in Mandalay.

Renowned photographer Raghu Rai has been chosen as the first recipient of the inaugural edition of the Acadmie des beaux-arts Photography Award - William Klein. Established this year, the award is in honour of the celebrated French photographer and filmmaker William Klein, best known for his unusual photography techniques.