Top 5 Stories of the Hour: Army kills 2 militants, GST bill, Gurgaon traffic nightmare and more

Two Indian soldiers today laid their lives in Kashmir while trying to foil an infiltration bid by militants in Kupwara district.  Congress President Sonia Gandhi will meet with senior party leaders to discuss strategy for persuading government to agree on 18% cap on GST. Haryana Government finally wakes up to grim reality in Gurgaon traffic mess, planning to avert future chaos. Here are the top 5 stories of the hour. 

1. Army foils infiltration bid, 2 militants, 2 soldiers killed

Army today foiled an infiltration bid along the Line of Control in Naugam sector of Kashmir’s Kupwara district, killing two militants in the operation that also left two soldiers dead. Troops noticed suspicious movement along the LoC in Naugam sector during the intervening night and challenged the intruders, who opened fire, an army official said.

2. Sonia Gandhi calls for party meet on GST, hopes to persuade govt on 18% upper cap

Congress President Sonia Gandhi has called for a meeting with senior party leaders to discuss upcoming Goods and Services Tax or GST bill. Congress hopes to persuade government on the ring fencing of the GST to an outer limit of 18 per cent as also creating an independent mechanism for resolution of disputes.

3. Gurgaon traffic mess: Haryana govt wakes up to grim reality, launches clean-up

After 48-hours of misery the Gurgaon Police seems to have taken a lesson from the big traffic mess caused by rains in in the city. The cops have finally come up with a fool-proof plan to avert chaos during the ongoing monsoon season. However, according to reports, the city is now struggling to limp back to normalcy and the restoration work is on full swing.

4. If you do gau raksha, who will do manav raksha, asks Dalit leader Ramdas Athawale

Newly inducted Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Ramdas Athawale on Saturday lashed out against gau rakshaks or cow vigilantes. Speaking to media, the Dalit leader said that the protection of cows should not be at the expense of human lives. He asked the government to ensure that incidents, such as the recent flogging of youths from his community by gau rakshaks in Gujarat’s Una, are not repeated.

5. Flipkart laying off at least 700 employees to cut cost

India’s largest e-commerce player Flipkart is sacking at least 700 employees, or over 3 per cent of its workforce, as it looks to cut cost to compete with rivals like Amazon and Snapdeal. Flipkart is asking “under-performing” employees to either resign or face the prospect of being sacked, sources said. The number of employees who may be handed pink slips could run as high as 1,000, they said.