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The 2017 is yet another election year. Apart from Gujarat, Punjab and Uttarakhand, the most important state going to poll is Uttar Pradesh. It has 403 assembly seats and 80 Lok Sabha constituencies. It is said the party which controls UP, dominates politics at the centre. When the Congress controlled the state, it ruled the country. The upcoming elections in the state do not inspire much hope of development. The BJP is projecting itself as the likely winner; thanks to its large haul of 71 of 80 in 2014. But voters think and vote differently for national and state elections.

The United Kingdom, in a historic vote on June 23, decided narrowly by 52 per cent to 48, to exit European Union (EU) it has lived with through four decades of a contrived special relationship. The decisive 'Leave' vote throws the global financial markets into another spell of turbulence and adds to uncertainties on movements of stocks, currencies and capital flows. Growth recovery in world trade could also suffer.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF), still reeling under the devastating defeat in the assembly elections, is struggling to find its feet.

It is, perhaps, time for the Indian aviation industry to take off in right earnest. The new civil aviation policy announced last week, if followed in letter and spirit, should encourage birth of new regional low cost carriers, promote interests of bigger airlines by further liberalising foreign direct investments and, in the process, give wider choice to flyers in a competitive environment.

The Union Ministry of Railways has decided to enhance additional passenger friendly rail services from July 1, 2016. Accordingly, 50 per cent of the Tatkal ticket will be refundable as against the existing non-refundable Tatkal ticket. This is intended to mitigate the financial woes of passengers in exigencies, who get alternative modes of transportation. Another important user friendly decision is intended to end frustrating experience and uncertainty of wait-listed passengers with the introduction of Suvidha trains for which tickets will only be issued for confirmed and Reservation Against Cancellation (RAC) passengers. This will help those passengers, who are wait-listed in other trains and wish to travel in alternative Suvidha trains to reach their desired destination.

BHOPAL: The issue of reservation in promotion in the state government services has caused great divide not only among the government services but also in the society in general including the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party. Demonstrations, rallies, dharnas, protest meetings are being held all over the state by the rival groups. This is causing concern among the sane sections of the society.

The Congress party’s latest headache now comes from Karnataka, the biggest Congress ruled state, after it tasted such rebellion from Chhattisgarh, Manipur, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Uttarakhand and Puducherry in recent times. Karnataka is heading towards a political crisis after the chief minister Siddharamaiah dropped 14 of his ministers last week and inducted 13 new ministers. The major reshuffle came soon after the Rajya Sabha elections after the Congress won three of the four Rajya Sabha seats and four of the seven seats in the state legislative council's biennial elections. These elections saw allegations of blatant corruption and cross voting.

Bangladesh has urged upon its fellow members in the BIMSTEC grouping to implement more practical programmes like building bridges, widening roads and improve regional power connectivity on a priority basis. Representatives from India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar and Thailand recently attended a meeting at the organisation’s headquarters in Dhaka.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley announced recently that almost all states except Tamil Nadu are on board on the draft Goods and Services Tax bill that aims, among other things, to take away most autonomous taxation powers from the state governments. GST will replace almost all taxes that the state governments and the Union government now exact on goods and services. From being opposed by the then-Chief Minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi, to now being furiously pursued by the Union Government of India, led by its Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Goods and Services Tax bill has come a long way indeed.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Pinarayi Vijayan-led Left Democratic Front(LDF) Government has taken strong exception to the move of the Central Government to disinvest shares of the Fertilisers and Chemicals Travancore Ltd(FACT) and merge the State Bank of Travancore(SBT) in the State Bank of India(SBI).