Venkaiah Naidu

So far, the government has announced 33 cities that will be developed as 'smart cities' which would have facilities such as assured water and power supply, sanitation and solid waste management systems, efficient urban mobility and public transportation, IT connectivity and e-governance, among others.

In futures trade, gold for delivery in October contracts was trading Rs 176 or 0.56 percent lower at Rs 31,228 per 10 gram in a business turnover of 589 lots at the Multi Commodity Exchange.

Union Transport minister Nitin Gadkari today said nearly 800 "black spots" (accident zones) identified on national highways across the country, will be soon fixed to bring down road mishaps.

The Parliament secretariat is putting in strenuous efforts to compile the process undertaken in both the Houses before they are vetted by the Law Ministry and sent to all the states.

GST, the biggest economic reform since 1991, is likely to sail through smoothly in the Lower House. It will replace a raft of different state and local taxes with a single unified value added tax system to turn the country into world's biggest single market.

The second round of the survey will cover 500 cities and towns, each with a population of one lakh and above, besides capital cities with less than one lakh population. It would also cover towns which are important heritage and tourism destinations, Naidu said.

Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia listed seven challenges which need to be dealt with for smooth implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST).

"GST will result in better tax compliance due to a robust IT infrastructure. Because of efficiency gains and prevention of leakages, the overall tax burden on most commodities will come down, which will benefit consumers," the Finance Ministry said in a set of FAQs on GST.

"BJP chief Amit Shah not being considered for CM's post. The party needs him at the national level," Venkaiah Naidu said after the BJP Parliamentary Board meeting.

The government is leaving no stone unturned to seek a consensus and says it will address all concerns of states on GST. A 5-hour discussion has been slotted on the long-stalled GST bill in the upper house.

Under the modified provisions of GST Constitutional Amendment Bill circulated among the members today, GST Council will be required to establish a mechanism for adjudication of disputes, which could arise between the Centre and states or among states themselves.

In his speech, Naidu called upon all stakeholders to join the Prime Minister in his drive to eradicate corruption. "I call upon all stakeholders to join Modi. Modi is not Narendra Modi, Modi means 'Making Of Developed India'".

Party insiders claimed that PM's reaction on Kashmir unrest came after first civil services examinations topper from the valley, Shah Faesal wrote a letter to Modi requesting him to intervene in to the whole issue.

Authorities have imposed a curfew in Muslim-majority Kashmir for 11 days, blocked mobile phones and briefly ordered curbs on newspapers to stop people from gathering and to control the worst outbreak of violence there in six years.

"Mehbooba Mufti spoke to Venkaiah Naidu last night with regard to the reports of a ban on newspapers in the state. The CM clarified to the Minister that there is no such ban on publication of newspapers in the Valley," a senior I&B official told PTI.

Demand from jewellers at the domestic market remained soft, which kept the prices lower.

Another round of face-off between the Narendra Modi government and the opposition parties can take place in this session as well. The latter is likely to raise the issue of unrest in Jammu and Kashmir, the political upheaval in Arunachal Pradesh.

In an interview with CNBC-TV18, Venkaiah Naidu, Former Parliamentary Affairs Ministers talked about the prospects for the GST Bill and where negotiations between the ruling BJP party and Congress have reached.

Earlier this month, the government had announced reduction in retail prices of non-urea fertilisers including DAP by up to Rs 5,000 following drop in global prices of raw materials.

As an extension of the efforts undertaken by Ministry of Urban Development to encourage processing of solid waste, Shri Venkaiah Naidu today spoke to ...