Top events today: Gen Rawat to take over as CDS, Railway fare hike, & more

Business Standard brings you top events that are lined up for Wednesday

No MDR charge on online payment modes from Jan 1

Users will no more be required to pay merchant discount rates (MDR) when they make a digital payment using RuPay debit card, UPI, or UPI QR code starting next year. In a gazette notification, the revenue department of the Finance Ministry announced to amend Income-tax Rules, 1962, and prescribed use of the RuPay card and UPI for digital transactions to avoid MDR charges. The rule will come into effect from January 1, 2020 i.e Wednesday. Read more...

General Rawat to take over as CDS on January 1

General Bipin Rawat will take over as the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) on January 1 after a tri-services guard of honour. Defence Official said the office of Chief of Defence Staff will be in South Block. The new Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane will be given an Army Guard of Honour on the same day for assuming command of the force. Read more...

SMS returns to mobile phones, internet returns to govt hospitals in Kashmir

Broadband internet service was restored in government-run hospitals and SMS facility on all mobile phones from Tuesday midnight in Kashmir, after over four-and-a-half months of suspension. Internet services, landline and mobile phones were snapped across Jammu and Kashmir on August 4, a day before the Centre's announcement to scrap the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and divide it into two union territories. Read more...

Left parties call for week-long protest from Jan 1 against CAA, NRC

The Left parties have announced a seven-day nationwide protest from January 1 to 7 and a general strike on January 8 against the Citizenship Amendment Act, the National Population Register and the National Register of Citizens. The protests shall continue peacefully, the Left parties said. Read more...

Railways announces fare hike effective from Jan 1

The Indian Railways is going hike fares across its network, excluding suburban trains, effective from January 1, 2020. While suburban fares remain unchanged, ordinary non-AC, non-suburban fares will be increased by 1 paise per km of journey. The railways also announced a two paise/km hike in fares of mail/express non-AC trains and four paise/km hike in the fares of AC classes. Read more...
 

Notice to Ekbote, Bhide ahead of Jan 1 event at Koregaon Bhima

Ahead of the 202nd anniversary of the Koregaon Bhima battle on January 1, Pune Police have issued notices to over 160 people, including right wing leaders Milind Ekbote and Sambhaji Bhide. The notices, as part of preventive action, have been issued to all those against whom cases have been registered in connection with the violence. Read more...

Kerala govt to ban single use plastic from Jan 1

The Kerala government has decided to ban single use plastic products from January 1, 2020. A decision in this regard was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. After considering the environmental and health issues related to mounting plastic waste, the government decided to ban the single-use-plastic products in the state from January 1, 2020, a government press release said. Read more...