New Delhi, Sep 22 (PTI) Following are the top stories at 5 pm: NATION DEL35 GST-MODI

'GST Bachat Utsav' brings festive buzz to every home: PM Modi New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday highlighted the sweeping and upbeat coverage given in newspapers to the reduced GST rates to underscore the nationwide buzz it has created.

CAL28 AR-PM-LD RALLY

'Inherent habit' of Congress to abandon any development work that's difficult: Modi Itanagar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday alleged that the Congress has an "inherent habit" of abandoning any development work that is difficult, and this caused significant harm to the Northeast.

DEL12 GST-SHAH

Next-Gen GST reforms testament to Modi'€™s resolve to serve poor, farmers: Amit Shah New Delhi: The Next-Gen GST reforms are a testament to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's steely resolve to serve the poor, youth, farmers and women, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Monday as the new tax structure came into effect across the country.

DEL22 DEF-RAJNATH-SINDOOR

Armed forces were given complete freedom: Rajnath on Operation Sindoor New Delhi: Indian armed forces were given complete freedom to appropriately respond to the cowardly terror attack on innocent civilians in Pahalgam, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has said.

DEL33 RAHUL-PUNJAB-FLOODS

Rahul Gandhi urges PM Modi to announce comprehensive relief package for food-hit Punjab New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to soon give a comprehensive relief package to flood-hit Punjab and said the initial relief of Rs 1600 announced by him is an "injustice" to the people of the state.

LEGAL LGD14 SC-AI CRASH-LD PROBE

'Irresponsible, builds media narrative': SC miffed over selective release of AI plane crash report New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday termed as "unfortunate and irresponsible" the selective publication of a preliminary report on the June 12 Air India crash which outlined lapses on the part of pilots and paved way for a "media narrative".

LGD12 SC-LD JACQUELINE

SC refuses to interfere with order junking Jacqueline Fernandez's plea in money laundering case New Delhi: Actor Jacqueline Fernandez on Monday failed to get relief from the Supreme Court, which refused to interfere with an order dismissing her plea to quash an ECIR (equivalent to FIR) in a Rs 200 crore money laundering case involving alleged conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar.

LGD15 SC-DELHI RIOTS-LD BAIL

Feb 2020 riots: SC notices Delhi police on bail pleas of Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, others New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday sought Delhi Police's response on the bail pleas of activists Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Gulfisha Fatima and Meeran Haider in the UAPA case related to the alleged conspiracy behind the February 2020 riots in Delhi.

FOREIGN FGN12 INDIA-PHILLIPINES-MINISTERS

Jaishankar meets Philippine counterpart Tess Lazaro on UNGA sidelines New York: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has met with his Philippine counterpart Tess Lazaro here and discussed bilateral cooperation in the UN and the Indo-Pacific region.

FGN19 NEPAL-CABINET-MINISTERS

Nepal's four newly-appointed ministers sworn in Kathmandu: Nepal's four newly-appointed ministers took the oath of office and secrecy on Monday at a ceremony held at the presidential office, Sheetal Niwas. By Shirish B Pradhan

PTI HIG HIG

GST reforms signal reduced rates and nationwide implementation, reshaping indirect tax structure and public fiscal discourse. Reduced GST rates have been publicised through a 'GST Bachat Utsav' campaign that generated extensive media attention and emphasised consumer benefits. Concurrently, the Next-Gen GST reforms are characterised as a nationwide structural change to the indirect tax framework aimed at specified social objectives, signaling uniform implementation and implications for compliance and fiscal administration.