The central government is likely to announce the implementation of One Rank One Pension scheme on August 28, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the 1965 war with Pakistan. Close to 22 lakh ex-servicemen and over six lakh war widows stand to be the immediate beneficiaries of the scheme, which envisages a uniform pension for the defence personnel who retire in the same rank with the same length of service, irrespective of their date of retirement. Currently, the pension for ex-servicemen is based on the pay commission recommendations of the time when they had retired.

Hardik Patel on indefinite hunger strike over quota for Patels
Accounting for 12 per cent of Gujarat's population, the Patels are among the economically strong communities of the state and a huge protest meeting today demanded Other Backward Class status. The convenor of the protest, 21-year-old Hardik Patel has begun an indefinite hunger strike. Patels' demand is being opposed by other communities in the OBC list as they fear inclusion of Patidars will shrink their quota.

Delhi Assembly makes social media debut with Twitter handle and Facebook page
Taking to social media, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government on Tuesday launched an official Twitter handle as well as a Facebook page for Delhi Assembly. The social media debut for the Delhi Assembly came alongside an orientation programme for the members of the House. One of the tweets announced that the Twitter account was formally launched Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia while the Facebook page was launched by Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta.

Man thrashed, stripped allegedly by Bajrang Dal activists in Mangalore
In an act of moral policing, a man was thrashed, stripped allegedly by Bajrang Dal activists in Mangalore city of Karnataka when he took his colleague for a drive. The woman later complained to police that she was being harassed by him. The woman alleged that the man had pictures of her which he used to blackmail her.

High court stays transfer of Punjab drug probe prosecutor
The Punjab and Haryana high court on Tuesday stayed the transfer of Special Public Prosecutor of the Enforcement Directorate Suresh Batra. Batra was slated to be transferred to Bengaluru. Batra was to be transferred as Punjab Minister Bikram Majithia's name had come up during the investigation.

Jayalalithaa's four new Amma schemes focus on free health care
Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa on Tuesday announced in the assembly several new medical schemes, including four schemes under the Amma brand -- Amma Master Health Check Up, Amma Woman Special Master Health Check-up, Amma Arogya Scheme and Amma Pregnancy Sanjeevi. Under Amma Master Health Check-up, people can undergo various tests to check for diabetes, blood pressure, hepatitis B, abdomen, heart etc at the government hospital in at a nominal cost. Amma Woman Special Master Health Check-up scheme allows testslike digital mammogram, pap test smear, vitamin D test and thyroid test. Under the Amma Arogya Scheme, people can approach 385 primary health centres for conducting tests for diabetes, blood pressure, echo cardiogram (ECG), cholesterol and eye-related ailments. Tests will be done free of cost. Amma Pregnancy Sanjeevi eleven types of medicinal powders will be given to pregnant women based on siddha doctors' advice.

Modi wants call drop problem to be fixed urgently
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked officials to address the issue of "call drops" on an urgent basis, saying it directly impacts the common man. The directions came at a high-level meeting chaired by him on Monday evening in which he reviewed the progress of digital and rural infrastructure, besides connectivity.

Stock markets rally on hopes for tax reform
Stock markets bounced back on Tuesday from their lowest levels in around a year after the government said it was considering reconvening parliament to make another attempt to pass the goods and services tax (GST). The 30-share Sensex ended up 291 points at 26,032 after hitting a high/low of 26,125/25,298 and the 50-share Nifty ended up 72 points at 7,881 after hitting a high/low of 7,925/7,667 in intra-day trades today.

Separatist Shabir Shah insults freedom fighter
Separatist leader Shabir Shah has sparked a controversy as he insulted Bhagat Singh, by equating the terrorists in Kashmir with the freedom fighter. The separatist leader today said that the terrorists were "fighting for a cause” just like Bhagat Singh. "Just like Indian authorities praise and pay tribute to Bhagat Singh, those taking up arms for the sake of their freedom are our heroes," said Shah.

Army officer killed by Pakistani sniper near Kashmir border
A junior commissioned officer (JCO) of Army was killed on Tuesday in cross-LoC firing by Pakistani troops in Kupwara district of Kashmir. The JCO was hit by a Pakistani sniper near the LoC in Nowgam sector and later succumbed to injuries. They army is yet to give details about the identity of the slain JCO, and the incident.