Mental health bill decriminalising suicide passed by Parliament The Mental Healthcare Bill 2016, that decriminalises suicide and provides for mental healthcare and services for persons with mental illness, was passed in the Lok Sabha on Monday. The bill says that "any person who attempts to commit suicide shall be presumed, unless proved otherwise, to have severe stress and shall not be tried and punished under section 309 of the Indian Penal Code". The bill also has a provision to protect and restore the property right of the mentally ill people. Passed by the Rajya Sabha in August 2016, the bill ensures every person shall have a right to access mental health care and treatment from mental health services run or funded by the appropriate government. Read More India on verge of series win after seamers put Australia on the mat in Dharamsala Courtesy brilliant spells by spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja and pacer Umesh Yadav, India wrapped up the Australian team for a measly total of 137 on day 3 of the third test at Dharamsala. With the exception of debutant Kuldeep Yadav, India's bowling lineup made a strong case for a historic series win for India. And with two complete days in hand, a target of 106 puts India in the driving seat. For India, Umesh Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin all picked up three wickets apiece. At the end of day 3, Murali Vijay and KL Rahul were at the crease with India's total standing at 19 for no loss with 87 runs still to chase. Read More GST draft bills tabled in Parliament; peg peak rate at 40 per cent Four bills related to the Goods and Services Tax were on Monday introduced by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. These would provide for a maximum GST rate of 40 per cent, an anti-profiteering authority and arrests for evading taxes. With this, the rollout of GST has entered the last lap of legislation. Its passage by Parliament will pave the way for an integrated tax at a common rate replacing multiple state and central levies. On Monday, Jaitley tabled the Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST), Integrated GST (IGST), a Union Territory GST and a fourth one called the GST (Compensation to States) Bill. Read More As meat sellers go on strike, UP govt says ‘action only against illegal abattoirs’ Clarifying its stance on the crackdown on slaughterhouses in the state, the Uttar Pradesh government on Monday said that it was acting only against the illegal abattoirs. Health Minister Siddhartha Nath Singh said that licensed slaughterhouses should stick to norms and that they "need not fear". He directed officials that they should not act in over-enthusiasm nor they should overstep their jurisdiction. Meat sellers across the state went on an indefinite strike on Monday against the crackdown on illegal slaughterhouses. Read More Aadhaar cannot be made mandatory for welfare schemes: SC The Supreme Court on Monday said that the government cannot make Aadhaar card mandatory for welfare schemes offered by it. However, it also said that the government cannot be stopped ‘from using aadhaar in other schemes like opening of bank accounts and filing of income tax’. The government recently announced making Aadhaar mandatory for income tax returns and PAN cards. It also issued directives to telecom operators to re-verify users using Aadhaar-based process. There were also reports of Uttar Pradesh government mulling to make Aadhaar mandatory for Haj subsidy. Read More
