News to be read from “The Hindu”

Modi dares Oppn. on Art. 370

• The Opposition should stop shedding “crocodile tears” over the withdrawal of Article 370, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday and dared these parties to include the restoration of the special status for Jammu and Kashmir in their manifestos.

First private train violates Railway tariff law

• The country’s first private train has contravened the Railways Act, 1989, since the Central government is the competent authority to decide on tariff and not the IRCTC, say top railway officials.

World Bank cuts India’s growth projection to 6%

• After a broad­-based deceleration in the initial quarters of this fiscal, India’s growth rate is projected to fall to 6%, the World Bank said on Sunday.

Delhi’s air quality slips to ‘very poor’ category

• Ahead of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) that is scheduled to kick-­in on October 15 to check rising air pollution in the Capital, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said all the gains achieved so far to combat pollution would be nullified if neighbouring States do not stop crop burning.
• Sources in the Meteorological Department said smoke from crop residue burning in neighbouring States had started reaching Delhi and was not getting dispersed due to calm winds creating a haze over Delhi.

With 9 cases a day, Mizoram is top State with HIV prevalence rate

• Mizoram, one of the least populated States in India, reports nine positive cases of Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/ AIDS) a day.

Punjab records 45% increase in farm fires

• The paddy harvesting season has started in Punjab and the State has already recorded a 45% increase in stubble burning incidents till October 11, but the administration hopes the farm fire counts will come down gradually as a result of intensive interventions made this year.

Nepal, China ink road connectivity deal

• China and Nepal on Sunday concluded agreements for all­weather connectivity between Kathmandu and Tibet Autonomous Region.

• The infrastructure­ building agreements were part of the 20 documents that were signed after delegation ­level talks held by visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping and Nepalese Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli.