Afternoon brief: Armed forces seek to extend Agnipath age limit; DoT rebuffs Cong's claims on mobile tariff hike, more
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The armed forces are expected to suggest to the government that the age ceiling for Agnipath inductees be raised to 23 and that at least 50% be retained after four years, senior military officials aware of the matter said on Friday. The officials, who asked not to be named, attributed the suggested changes in the controversial scheme for recruiting soldiers that was introduced two years ago to a desire to boost “combat effectiveness”. The Agnipah scheme has come under fire from aspirants across the country, especially the northern states, and is believed to have lost the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) some votes across the region in the summer’s national election. Dig deeper
More news | Agnipath set to hit combat effectiveness: Ex-navy chief
The Department of Telecommunication (DoT) on Friday responded to Congress’s attack on the government over mobile tariff hikes by telecom companies, saying that the rates are determined by market forces where the government “does not intervene”. The response came hours after Congress accused the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government of “fleecing” 1.09 billion mobile users by allowing the three largest telcos of the country to raise tariffs without any oversight or regulation. The three major mobile networking companies – Airtel, Jio and Vodafone Idea – recently announced an increase in tariff plans which came into effect from July 3 and 4. While Reliance Jio hiked the prices by an average of 20%, Vodafone hiked the tariff price by an average of 16%, and Airtel by 15%. Dig deeper
More news | On Gujarat visit today, Rahul Gandhi to meet kin of Congress workers held after clash
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Trending
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Business News
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Global Matters
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Entertainment Focus
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Lifestyle and Health
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Sports Goings
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