Daily Bulletin: EC to announce poll dates for Haryana, Maharashtra; Modi embarks on seven-day US visit; day's top stories

Narendra Modi leaves for US; bilateral meets, diaspora address part of prime minister's schedule

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday departed for a week-long visit from 21 to 27 September to the United States to attend the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). However, his trip is not limited to UNGA sessions and includes multi-lateral engagements, interaction with the business community, bilateral meetings as also an address to the Indian diaspora.

The prime minister will have a stopover at Germany for a short time span before flying to New York where he will be following a packed schedule of events.

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Before leaving, the prime minister in a statement provided the itinerary of his visit to the US where he will interact with CEOs of leading energy companies on the first day of his arrival, besides attending a community event in Houston and addressing the 74th session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

File image of Narendra Modi. ANI

The prime minister will also be honoured with the Global Goalkeepers Goals Award 2019 from Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Apart from meeting the US president, Modi is also scheduled to have a bilateral meeting with Iran President Hassan Rouhani.

EC to announce Assembly poll dates for Maharashtra, Haryana today

Election Commission is expected to announce Assembly poll dates for Maharashtra and Haryana on Saturday at 12 pm, reported CNN-News18.

The Model Code of Conduct will come into force after the announcement of dates.

In 2014, EC had announced the dates for the Maharashtra and Haryana Assembly elections on 12 September. The voting had taken place on 15 October and results were announced by 19 October.

Congress lost its government in Maharashtra in the 2014 polls and the BJP came into power in alliance with the Shiv Sena. This year, Congress has formed an alliance with Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party.

BJP had managed to get from 47 seats in 2014, decimating the Congress and former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala's Indian National Lok Dal (INLD).

At GST Council meet, Nirmala Sitharaman announces reduction in tax rates on hotel tariffs, outdoor catering 

In a bid to boost the tourism industry, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday announced a reduction in GST rates on services related to hotels and outdoor catering services.

The decisions were taken at the GST Council at its 37th meeting held in Panaji.

Sitharaman said notifications giving effect to the recommendations of the Council are proposed to be issued on 1 October.

Referring to the hospitality and tourism sector, she said that there will be no GST on transaction value per unit per day of Rs 1000, 12 percent on the transaction from Rs 1001 to Rs 7500 and 18 percent on transaction of Rs 7501 and more.

The move is expected to boost tourism in line with the objectives of the government.

GST on outdoor catering services other than in premises having a daily tariff of a unit of accommodation of Rs 7501 has been reduced from present 18 percent with ITC to 5 percent without ITC.

"The rate shall be mandatory for all kinds of catering. Catering in premises with a daily tariff of a unit of accommodation of Rs 7501 and above shall remain at 18 percent with ITC," she said.

Uttar Pradesh farmers to march to Delhi t protest against power tariff hike, sugarcane dues

A large number of farmers, belonging to Western Uttar Pradesh are scheduled to march to Delhi at 6 am on Saturday to protest against hiked electricity rates and to draw attention towards the money from sugarcane sales.

The farmers are likely to march from Ghazipur to Chilla chowk. Delhi police has not issued a traffic advisory as of yet.

"After negotiations between Agriculture Ministry officials and farmers failed, we are left with the only option now that is to march to Delhi to draw attention towards our demand. We will leave for Delhi on Saturday morning, on our tractors," said Puran Singh, National President, Indian Farmers Organization.

"We were trying our best that the authorities should listen to our demands here itself. Our journey began around eleven days ago but, now we will be going to Delhi with our demands. I don't understand why didn't the government consider our demand that was given to them in writing. It has been decided that all the farmers will be heading to Delhi now," said Rajendra Yadav, State President, Indian Farmers Organization.

Amit Panghal to meet Uzbekistan's Shakhobidin Zoirov in World Boxing Championships 2019 final

India's Amit Panghal will aim to become the country's first male boxer to win the World Boxing Championships 2019 when he takes on defending Olympic gold medallist Uzbekistan's Shakhobidin Zoirov in the 52kg category final in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan on Saturday. Panghal had defeated Kazakhstan's Saken Bibossinov 3-2 in his semi-final bout.