On the eve of the second round of polling, the Assam police and the CRPF jawans exchanged fire at Goalpara in which three were killed. However, according to unofficial sources, five jawans of both forces were killed in the incident. The army has been inducted into Goalpara town to specifically deal with the situation.
Petrol price down: Petrol and kerosene prices have come down marginally in the capital and in the other northern states as a result of a reduction in freight cost. While petrol price has declined by about nine paise per litre, the reduction in the case of subsidised kerosene is four paise per litre. The revised price of petrol will be about Rs 5.93 per litre and that of subsidised kerosene Rs 1.77 per litre.
PM’s think tank: Twelve days before it is to present the budget, Indira Gandhi’s government set up a five-member Economic Advisory Council to advise the prime minister on important matters relating to economic policy and development.
Professor Sukhmoy Chakravarty of Delhi School of Economics and a former member of the Planning Commission has been appointed Chairman of the Council which is being viewed as the government’s think tank for economic policy.
Relief in Dhaka: The situation in Dhaka has improved and life in the city has become normal. Curfew hours have been relaxed. It is now from 10pm to 6am except in the university area where it will be from 6pm to 6am. The streets of Dhaka are still being patrolled by the army and police. The death toll during the last two days all over the country is six and several hundred injured.
