President Ram Nath Kovind on Tuesday presented Gallantry Awards and Distinguished Service Decorations at the Defence Investiture Ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan. 

Kirti Chakras were conferred on Sepoy Vijay Kumar of Indian Army and Constable Pradip Kumar Panda of CRPF posthumously. 

Displaying exceptional bravery and commitment to duty during counter-terrorist operations in Jammu and Kashmir, both of them made the supreme sacrifice for the nation. 

Uttam Yudh Seva Medal was conferred on Lieutenant General Anil Kumar Bhatt for successful counter-terrorist operations conducted under him in Jammu and Kashmir.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Army Chief General Bipin Rawat, Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba and Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal B S Dhanoa and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.

GST council today approved a transition plan for new goods and services tax rates on residential properties under which developers of under-construction buildings may either opt to shift to the revised lower rates without input tax credit or stick to the previous rates.

Revenue Secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey told media that for housing projects launched on or after the first of April this year, the developers will have to adhere to the new GST rates recommended by the council last month. Developers can also opt for different GST options for separate buildings in a project depending on if construction started before or after 31st March this year. Mr Pandey added that there will be no revenue loss to the government due to the new GST structure for under-construction housing.

The next GST Council meeting will be held after the Lok Sabha elections. The Revenue Secretary informed that authorities will, however, seek permission of the Election Commission if the need arises for any meeting of the body.

Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev has announced his resignation after nearly 30 years in power. 

The 78-year old leader had ruled the country since it emerged from the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s. 

In a televised address last night, Mr Nazarbayev said, the decision was not easy but he wanted to help a new generation of leaders. He said, the Chairman of the Kazakh Senate would take over. 

The announcement came less than a month after the President sacked his government, citing a lack of economic development despite the country's vast energy resources. 

Former Supreme Court judge Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose has been appointed as the country's first Lokpal. 

According to a communique issued by Rashtrapati Bhavan, President Ram Nath Kovind has appointed the Chairman of the Lokpal along with other members of the anti-corruption watchdog.

The Lokpal will have four judicial and four non-judicial members. Former Chief Justices - Dilip B. Bhosale, Pradip Kumar Mohanty, and Abhilasha Kumari and sitting Chief Justice of Chhattisgarh High Court Ajay Kumar Tripathi - have been appointed as judicial members.

The non-judicial members are: former first woman Chief of Sashastra Seema Bal Archana Ramasundaram, ex-Maharashtra Chief Secretary Dinesh Kumar Jain, former IRS officer Mahender Singh and ex-IAS officer Indrajeet Prasad Gautam.

66-year old Justice Ghose retired as Supreme Court judge in May, 2017. He is a member of the National Human Rights Commission since 29th June, 2017.

With the shared mobility concept gaining traction in India and other markets, South Korean automobile manufacturer Hyundai Motor Group on Tuesday announced an investment of $300 million in India’s biggest cab aggregator Ola Cabs, as part of a strategic partnership between the two companies. With this deal, both Hyundai and Kia Motor Company will work with the Bangaluru based start-up for developing customized electric vehicles and charging stations appropriate for ride hailing applications.

The agreement will see the three companies collaborate on developing unique fleet and mobility solutions, building India-specific electric vehicles and infrastructure, as well as nurturing best in class opportunities and offerings for aspiring driver partners with customized vehicles on the Ola platform, both Hyundai and Ola said in a joint statement.

According to Euisun Chung, executive vice chairman, Hyundai Motor Group, India is the centerpiece of Hyundai’s strategy to gain leadership in the global mobility market and the partnership with Olais meant to accelerate the group’s efforts to transform into a smart mobility solutions provider.

The Telangana government and ANI Technologies-owned Ola Cabs, an app-based public transportation company, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to towards strengthening the traffic infrastructure in the city. The first pilot project proposed to be implemented under this MoU is the dynamic mapping of riding quality of major roads in Hyderabad through the network of vehicles operating on the app’s platform.

This data will be provided to respective departments of the Telangana government, which monitor road conditions and maintain their overall quality in Hyderabad. The intended outcome of this pilot is to reduce accidents due to potholes, monitor the quality of road construction, and prioritize road repair budget, said a press release from the state government on Monday.

This new partnership will see Ola, share ‘intelligent insights’ that enable the state to implement smart solutions to the mobility experience in the city, added the release. “With mobility playing a key role in the development of a city and our focus on building a comprehensive smart city plan for Hyderabad, these valuable data insights from Ola will pave the way towards building future-ready transport infrastructure," said Jayesh Ranjan, principal secretary, industries & commerce (I&C) and IT department, government of Telangana, in the release.

India has so far won a total of 188 medals at the Special Olympics World Games in Abu Dhabi. 

The medals include 50 gold, 63 silver and 75 bronze medals. 

The medal tally surged as Indian paddlers made history in table tennis with four gold and one silver medal. Coach Sheetal Negi said that the Indian contingent underwent four preparatory camps in Gurgaon, Jodhpur, Haryana and Mumbai before competing in Abu Dhabi. 

The men’s team has also won two gold medals at the games. 

In Judo, Sonu Kumar from Rohtak, Haryana won the gold medal by winning all three bouts. Muskan bagged a silver each in squat and bench press. She also won a gold in deadlifting. 

In Roller Skating, Vijay, Hufeja Ayub Shaikh, Jashan Deep Singh, Harshad Gaonkar and Hardik Agarwal also brought laurels for the country. Four Silver medals were bagged by Santoshi Vijay Kauthankar from Goa in the female category.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has paid 1.6 million US dollars, equivalent to over eleven crores in Indian currency, to the Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) as compensation after losing a case in the ICC's Dispute Resolution Committee. This was stated by PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani in Karachi today.

 The PCB had filed a compensation case against the BCCI last year before the Committee for an amount of 70 million US dollars for not honouring an MoU signed between the two boards. 

According to the MoU, India and Pakistan were supposed to play six bilateral series between 2015 and 2023, which the BCCI failed to honour.

The BCCI said they were unable to play against Pakistan as the Indian government did not give them permission. India also dismissed the Pakistan board's claims as legally binding

BJP MLA Pramod Sawant was sworn-in as the new Chief Minister of Goa late last night. He succeeds Manohar Parrikar, who passed away on Sunday following a prolonged illness.

Goa Governor Mridula Sinha administered the oath of office and secrecy to the 46-year-old Sawant. He represents Sankhalim constituency in Goa Assembly. 

The Governor also administered the oath to 11 other ministers, including those from BJP's allies Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and the Goa Forward Party (GFP). 

All the ministers who were part of erstwhile Manohar Parrikar-led Cabinet were sworn in by the Governor. MGP's two MLAs Sudin Dhavalikar and Manohar Ajgaonkar were sworn-in, while GFP MLAs Vijai Sardesai, Vinod Palekar and Jayesh Salgaonkar also took the oath. 

BJP MLAs Mauvin Godinho, Vishwajit Rane, Milind Naik and Nilesh Cabral also found a place in the Sawant-led Cabinet. Independent MLAs Rohan Khaunte and Govind Gawade were also sworn in by Governor.

Before taking oath as the CM, Mr Sawant resigned from the post of Speaker of Goa Legislative Assembly. Talking to reporters, Mr Sawant said his party BJP has given him a big responsibility. He also credited Parrikar for bringing him into politics.