Tag: Citizenship Amendment Act

The Hindu Morning Digest, April 2, 2024

Post By Sports , , , , , , , , , , ,

Chief Justice of India (CJI) Justice DY Chandrachud addresses during the 20th D.P. Kohli Memorial Lecture on Adopting Technology to Advance Criminal Justice, in New Delhi on April 1, 2024
| Photo Credit: ANI

Interplay between law and technology can ensure criminal justice reform: CJI

Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud on April 1 said that in the era of digital transformation, the interplay between law and technology can result in better crime detection and also ensure criminal justice reform.

Sounding a cautionary note, he said: “From issues of jurisdiction and privacy to questions of accountability and transparency, the integration of technology into our criminal justice system requires careful consideration of the ethical, legal, and societal implications at play.”

Lok Sabha elections | Katchatheevu issue unlikely to have electoral impact in Tamil Nadu

On March 31, Prime Minister Narendra Modi kicked up a controversy over Katchatheevu, a few weeks ahead of the Lok Sabha election in Tamil Nadu. Citing a report in a daily and posting it on “X” (formerly Twitter), he said: “Eye-opening and startling! New facts reveal how Congress callously gave away Katchatheevu…”

Yet, the utility of Katchatheevu as an electoral issue is doubtful, if one goes by the results of Lok Sabha elections in the Ramanathapuram constituency since 1977.

Arunachal Pradesh was, is, and will always be a part of India: Jaishankar

Arunachal Pradesh was, is and will always be a part of India, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said on April 1 in response to China renaming yet another 30 places in the State, which it claims as ‘south Tibet’. The development follows closely after the recent visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the State for the inauguration of the Sela tunnel, built at an altitude of 13,000 ft.

New rule brings relief for passengers stuck in planes for delay in take-off

Long delays due to reasons such as poor weather have on occasions forced airlines to confine passengers for up to 12 hours within an aircraft waiting on ground for its turn for a take-off. But this is set to change soon.

After reprieve on I-T notice, Congress says issue larger than tax demand

The Congress on April 1 welcomed the reprieve it got from the Income Tax (I-T) department on the tax demand of ₹3,500 crore, but said the entire episode raises issues that are larger than a tax demand.

Taking to X, former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram asked if demands can be raised on a political party when all political parties are exempt from income tax. “I welcome the Solicitor General’s statement in Court that no coercive steps will be taken to enforce the Income Tax demands on the Congress party. There are issues larger than a demand for income tax,” Mr Chidambaram said.

Guards among 8 reported killed in Israeli strike on Iran consular annex in Syria

Israeli air strikes destroyed the Iranian embassy’s consular annex in Syria on April 1, killing and wounding everyone inside, Damascus said as Iranian state TV reported a Revolutionary Guards commander among the dead.

Britain-based war monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said eight people, including several Guards members, were killed when “Israeli missiles… destroyed the building of an annex to the Iranian embassy”.

In Rajasthan, an RSS group issues CAA eligibility certificates to Hindus from Pakistan

For the past one week, a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)-affiliated group has been organising camps and issuing “eligibility certificates” to members of the Hindu community from Pakistan to help them apply for citizenship under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA).

India’s defence exports crossed all-time high of ₹21,000 crore: Rajnath

India’s defence exports crossed ₹21,000 crore, approximately $2.63 billion, for the first time, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced on April 1. The recent figures indicated that the defence exports have grown by 31 times in the past 10 years as compared to FY 2013-14, the Ministry said.

ECI censures Dilip Ghosh and Supriya Shrinate for making derogatory remarks against women

Censuring Bharatiya Janata Party leader Dilip Ghosh and Congress’ Supriya Shrinate, the Election Commission of India on April 1 said it was convinced that the two leaders made “low-level personal attacks” against women and thus violated the provisions of Model Code of Conduct.

New toll rates on highways to be effective only after Lok Sabha election

The Election Commission (EC) has asked State-owned NHAI to go ahead with the calculation of new toll rates on highways, which kicks in annually from April 1 across most of the tolled highway stretches in the country, but said the new user fees should be applicable only after the Lok Sabha elections.

NC fields candidate from Mufti’s bastion Anantnag, ends prospects of alliance with PDP

The National Conference (NC) on April 1 nominated senior leader Mian Altaf as its candidate for the Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat, putting an end to the Congress’ efforts to stitch together a pre-poll alliance between INDIA bloc members, including the NC and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in the Kashmir valley.

Rise in demand for MGNREGS a ‘living monument’ of govt. failure, says Jairam Ramesh

Reacting to the latest statistics of the flagship rural employment guarantee scheme showing that demand for work is more than the pre-pandemic level and on a steady rise, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said it is a “living monument” to the Narendra Modi government’s many failures.

Netanyahu vows to shut down ‘terror channel’ Al Jazeera from broadcasting in Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he will shut down satellite broadcaster Al Jazeera immediately. Mr. Netanyahu vowed to close the “terror channel” after parliament passed a law Monday clearing the way for the country to halt Al Jazeera from broadcasting from Israel.

IPL-17: MI vs RR | Boult bullies and Chahal bamboozles as Rajasthan crushes Mumbai

Rohit Sharma, the India captain, was cheered. Hardik Pandya was jeered, and cheered as well. Neither Rohit, who continued to be worshipped despite being replaced as Mumbai Indians skipper, nor Hardik, his successor, could withstand the Rajasthan Royals onslaught.

Source link

#Hindu #Morning #Digest #April

The Hindu Morning Digest, March 31, 2024

Post By World , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Members of All Assam Student Union (AASU) Sonitpur Unit participate in a Mashal Rally as a protest march after the Central Government notified the rules for implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2019, at Tezpur in Sonitpur.
| Photo Credit: ANI

Citizenship (Amendment) Act Rules silent on fate of rejected applicants

As applications start coming in through the online citizenship portal of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), some potential applicants are worried about their fate if rejected. The law’s Rules, notified earlier this month, are silent regarding any review process for applications rejected by the empowered committees which have the final authority to accord citizenship under the Act.

Lok Sabha elections | BJP names 11 more candidates; Mahtab from Cuttack, ex-ambassador Sandhu from Amritsar

The BJP on March 30 named its candidates for 11 more Lok Sabha constituencies, fielding a number of leaders who joined it from different parties recently such as Bhartruhari Mahtab, Ravneet Singh Bittu, Sushil Kumar Rinku and Preneet Kaur.

All these leaders have been fielded from the seats they represent in the outgoing Lok Sabha, while former Indian ambassador to the U.S. Taranjit Singh Sandhu will be making his poll debut from Amritsar.

Congress targets Modi govt., BJP over CBI closure report in Air India corruption case during Praful Patel’s tenure

Targeting the Narendra Modi-led government and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) closure report in a 2017 corruption case involving Air India during former Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel’s tenure, the Congress on Saturday held a press conference with a washing machine and a detergent powder to underscore how “stains” against politicians are “washed away” the moment they join the BJP or become a part of its alliance.

ED must probe ‘direct nexus’ between BJP and South lobby, says AAP

Claiming that it had found “another link” between the witnesses in the alleged Delhi excise scam and the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Aam Aadmi Party on Saturday demanded that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) — if it claimed to be an “independent body” — investigate the links between the “South lobby” and the saffron party.

Many countries yet to fully implement steps to prevent misuse of virtual assets, says FATF

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog, has found that many countries are yet to fully implement its requirements aimed at preventing misuse of virtual assets and virtual asset service providers (VASPs).

Left wants to iron out differences on candidates with Congress, Indian Secular Front in West Bengal

Left Front chairperson Biman Basu on March 30 joined senior Congress leader and Kolkata Uttar Lok Sabha candidate Pradip Bhattacharya as the Congress nominee began his election campaign from Gandhi Bhawan in the city’s Beleghata area. Mr. Basu said the Left Front and Congress are united as a third alternative against the Trinamool Congress and the BJP.

Rajnath Singh to head BJP’s manifesto committee; Nirmala Sitharaman to be convener

BJP president J.P. Nadda on March 30 notified the setting up of the party’s manifesto committee for the Lok Sabha election. The committee is to be headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. 

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will be the committee’s convener, and another Union Minister, Piyush Goyal, its co-convener. The Chief Ministers of four States — Bhupendra Patel of Gujarat, Himanta Biswa Sarma of Assam, Mohan Yadav of Madhya Pradesh, and Vishnu Deo Sai of Chattisgarh are also members of this 27-member committee.

It’s Pawar vs Pawar in Baramati: Ajit Pawar’s wife Sunetra fielded against Sharad Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule

The ruling Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party on Saturday officially announced the name of Mr. Pawar’s wife, Sunetra Pawar, as the Mahayuti’s candidate for the high-stakes Baramati Lok Sabha seat in Pune district.

Ms. Sunetra will be pitted against Sharad Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule, the incumbent Baramati MP, whose candidature was also announced on March 30 in the first list of five Lok Sabha candidates put out by the Opposition NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) faction.

Congress seeks to downplay Pappu Yadav’s Purnea claim

“We are not bothered who is saying what as we are focused on doing our best in the nine seats that has been allotted to us,” said a senior Congress leader, trying to downplay the threat of five-term MP Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav standing as rebel candidate from Purnea seat.

“Look at Nikhil babu [former IPS officer Nikhil Kumar]. He can’t contest from the Aurangabad but he hasn’t made any public statement. We won’t be encouraging any friendly fight at Purnea,”the leader added.

250 rescued from cyber fraud centres abroad: Ministry of External Affairs

The Union government is “collaborating closely” with Cambodian authorities and has rescued about 250 Indians from Cambodia, who had been lured there by cyber fraud and fake online recruitment scams, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Saturday. About 75 of them have returned to India over the past three months.

Nine pirates being brought to India to face legal action: Indian Navy

A day after rescuing a hijacked Iranian fishing vessel and its 23-member Pakistani crew under an anti-piracy operation at sea, the Indian Navy on March 30 said the nine surrendered pirates are being brought to India for further legal action.

Anticipatory bail must not be norm in many cases, rules Supreme Court

The Supreme Court has in a judgment said that bail may be the rule in many cases, but anticipatory bail is certainly not the norm

.A Bench of Justices C.T. Ravikumar and Sanjay Kumar said the power of the courts to grant anticipatory or pre-arrest bail is an extraordinary one, and not to be given for the asking.

IPL-17: LSG vs PBKS | Mayank Yadav breathes fire as LSG subdues PBKS

Say hello to Mayank Yadav. He is that rare Indian cricketer: the genuine fast bowler. And he announced his arrival in stunning fashion.

Not merely the 21-year-old bowled the fastest ball of the season, he also took the first three wickets of Punjab Kings to help Lucknow Super Giants register a 21–run win — its first in the 17th edition of the IPL — at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Stadium on Saturday night.

Source link

#Hindu #Morning #Digest #March

The Hindu Morning Digest, March 15, 2024

Post By World , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A five-judge Bench of the Supreme Court is scheduled on March 15 to hear an application filed by the Election Commission of India (ECI) seeking the return of electoral bonds’ documents. File.
| Photo Credit: AP

Electoral bonds data | BJP received ₹6,060 crore, highest among all parties

The Bharatiya Janata Party encashed electoral bonds worth ₹6060.5 crore — the highest among all parties — between April 12, 2019 and January 24, 2024. In the period, BJP’s share in the total bonds encashed was over 47.5%. The All India Trinamool Congress received ₹1,609.50 crore (12.6%) via this route followed by the Congress ₹1,421.9 crore (11.1%), the second and third biggest parties in terms of encashment in the period.

Electoral bonds data | Future Gaming and Hotel Services purchased ₹1,368 crore worth electoral bonds, most among firms 

Future Gaming and Hotel Services PR whose managing director is the well known lottery magnate Santiago Martin, is the largest donor to political parties for the period April 12, 2019 to January 24, 2024, the electoral bonds data released by the Election Commission, on receipt from the State Bank of India, revealed.

B.S. Yediyurappa booked under POCSO Act

The Sadashivanagar police booked senior BJP leader and former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, 81, under a section of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (POCSO) acting on a complaint by the mother of a 17-year-old of sexual assault.

ECI asks Supreme Court to return sealed electoral bonds documents

A five-judge Bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice of India D. Y. Chandrachud is scheduled on March 15 to hear an application filed by the Election Commission of India (ECI) seeking the return of electoral bonds’ documents handed over to the apex court in sealed cover/sealed boxes on two occasions. The application referred to a direction issued on March 11 by the Bench in its order that the “copies of the statements which were filed by the ECI before this court would be maintained in the office of the ECI”.

Petrol, diesel price cut by ₹2: Petroleum Minister

Oil companies have cut petrol and diesel prices by ₹2, effective from 6 a.m. on March 15, said Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri. “Reduction in petrol and diesel prices will boost consumer spending and reduce operating costs for over 58 lakh heavy goods vehicles running on diesel, six crore cars and 27 crore two-wheelers,” Mr Puri said in a post on X.

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee suffers injury after fall at residence

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was injured on her forehead after a fall at her Kalighat residence in Kolkata on. After a few tests, doctors found her stable to be discharged. She was then taken back home. There was widespread concern in the State after the incident. Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee was seen at the health facility along with other Trinamool leaders.

Will find a way for people without documents to apply under CAA: Amit Shah

The Union government will soon find a way for people who do not have the required documents to apply for benefits under the Citizenship Amendment Act, (CAA), 2019, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said. In an interview with news agency ANI, Mr. Shah said that according to government estimates, 85% of the people seeking to apply under CAA have the required documents, adding that the government would soon find an alternative for those who do not have the requisite papers.

As Canada doubles down on Nijjar allegations, New Zealand says its stand on investigation has not changed

Canada said that it continues to “actively” investigate the killing of Khalistani separatist Canadian Hardeep Singh Nijjar. The comment, that came in response to statements by New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters during his visit to Delhi, where he spoke about the case in Canada, and evidence shared thus far by Canadian authorities. Canada and New Zealand are part of the “five eyes” intelligence sharing network along with the U.S., the United Kingdom and Australia, that regularly coordinate on security issues.

India seriously considering FTA with Eurasian Economic Union: Belarus Foreign Minister

India is “seriously considering” starting talks for a free trade agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), the Foreign Minister of Belarus Sergei Aleinik declared during his two day visit to India. The remarks from the Belarusian Minister acquires significance as Belarus has been closely aligned with Russia even as President Vladimir Putin continues to push ahead with the military operation against Ukraine since February 2022. 

Rahul Gandhi promises GST exemption, loan waiver for farmers; offer prayers at Trimbakeshwar

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took potshots at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for working only for ‘media attention’ through actions like performing undersea pooja, flying on aircraft and visiting Pakistan and China borders while neglecting the urgent issues faced by farmers, including loan waiver for agrarian and export and import policies. The grand old party’s ally Nationalist Congress Party (SP) supremo Sharad Pawar and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut joined the former Congress president in his yatra.

I&B Ministry blocks 18 OTT platforms and associated social media accounts for publishing vulgar content

The Information & Broadcasting Ministry has blocked 18 OTT platforms on the charge of publishing obscene and vulgar content. The 19 websites, 10 apps and 57 social media handles associated with these platforms have also been blocked nationwide. Among the blocked OTT platforms are Dreams Films, Voovi, Yessma, Uncut Adda, Tri Flicks, X Prime, Neon X VIP, Besharams, Hunters, Rabbit, Xtramood, Nuefliks, MoodX, Mojflix, Hot Shots VIP, Fugi, Chikooflix, and Prime Play. The Ministry said a significant portion of the content hosted on these platforms was found to be obscene, vulgar, and portrayed women in a demeaning manner.

Notification for granting pension to women issued in Himachal Pradesh

Facing criticism for not honouring a poll promise of giving ₹1,500 per month to women in the age bracket of 18 to 59 years, the Himachal Pradesh government issued a notification for granting pension under the Indira Gandhi Pyari Behna Sukh Samman Nidhi Yojana. On March 4, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu announced that the State government will give ₹1,500 per month to women and said a sum of ₹800 crore would be spent on the initiative, benefitting more than five lakh women annually.

Source link

#Hindu #Morning #Digest #March

The Hindu Morning Digest, March 14, 2024

Post By World , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

BJP workers celebrate after the announcement of Union Minister for Road Transport and Highway Nitin Gadkari’s name as the party’s candidate from Nagpur constituency for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, in Nagpur, on March 13, 2024.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Ram Nath Kovind-led panel may submit report on simultaneous polls on March 14

The high-level committee on ‘’one nation one election”, headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind, may submit its report on simultaneous polls on March 14. There is no official word on the submission but a source indicated that the Kovind panel may submit its report to President Droupadi Murmu. The report is likely to recommend amending relevant articles of the Constitution and/or adding new sections to enable holding of simultaneous polls in the country.

Lok Sabha election 2024 | Gadkari, Piyush, Anurag in fray in BJP second list

The BJP released its second list of candidates for the coming Lok Sabha polls, featuring Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari contesting from Nagpur, Anurag Thakur from Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh, Pralhad Joshi from Dharwad and Piyush Goyal, who is also the Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha, from Mumbai North. The list of 72 candidates covered 10 States and one union territory, with all seats now declared for Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Tripura and Uttarakhand.

CAA helpline soon: Home Ministry 

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said it would soon launch a helpline to assist applicants for Indian citizenship under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), 2019. Users are required to register on the portal (https://indiancitizenshiponline.nic.in). A mobile application, ‘CAA-2019’, has also been readied. All documents, along with photographs are to be uploaded online, and applications will be processed after a background check by security agencies and the payment of ₹50. 

U.S. House passes bill that would lead to a TikTok ban if Chinese owner doesn’t sell

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that would lead to a nationwide ban of the popular video app TikTok if its China-based owner doesn’t sell, as lawmakers acted on concerns that the company’s current ownership structure is a national security threat. The lawmakers contend that ByteDance is beholden to the Chinese government, which could demand access to the data of TikTok’s consumers in the U.S. any time it wants.

Bulldogs, rottweilers, terriers may face ban

An expert committee constituted by the Department of Animal Welfare and Husbandry, Ministry of Agriculture, has recommended that certain breeds of “ferocious dogs” be prohibited from being kept as pets. An official letter has gone out from the department to all States listing out these dog breeds as well as instructions to no longer register licences that permit their sale.

Modi, Sunak assess progress on India-U.K. FTA negotiations

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke over the phone, assessing the progress made on negotiating a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), as both countries face general elections. On Tuesday, Mr. Modi tweeted that he and Mr. Sunak had reaffirmed their commitment to the “early conclusion” of a “mutually beneficial” agreement.

Will publish details of electoral bonds ‘in time’, asserts CEC Rajiv Kumar

Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said the Election Commission of India (EC) has received details from the State Bank of India (SBI) on the electoral bonds, in the wake of the recent Supreme Court order. Speaking in Jammu, Mr. Kumar said the EC will share all relevant information in time. “They have given us the details in time. I will go back and look at the data, and would definitely disclose it in time,” Mr. Kumar said.

Mamata snaps ties with brother and party rebel Babun Banerjee

West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee said that she was disowning and snapping ties with her younger brother Swapan Banerjee who is popularly known as Babun Banerjee. The Chief Minister’s remarks came a day after her brother said he would contest the Lok Sabha polls against Trinamool Congress candidate Prasun Banerjee as an independent.

PM Modi to kickstart BJP Lok Sabha poll campaign from Congress President Kharge’s home turf in Karnataka

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will kickstart the BJP’s Lok Sabha poll campaign in Karnataka by addressing a public meeting in Kalaburagi on March 16, the party’s state general secretary V. Sunil Kumar said. Karnataka is the most important State for the BJP in south India as it’s only here that it had held power in the past.

Stop speaking lies about CAA: BJP to Opposition leaders

The BJP accused the Opposition parties of stoking communal passion by speaking “lies” about the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), as the Modi government came under attack over its implementation. Former Union Minister and BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad hit out at the Opposition leaders including Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee for their fierce criticism of the law and maintained that it takes away no Indian’s citizenship or job.

Russia is ready for nuclear war, says Putin

Russia remains in a state of combat readiness and is fully ready for a nuclear war, but not “everything is rushing to it” at present, President Vladimir Putin said in remarks published. In an interview with state media, Mr. Putin, who launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine and is nearly certain to win the March 15 to 17 presidential election, said Russia would be ready to use nuclear weapons if its sovereignty was threatened. “From a military-technical point of view, we are, of course, ready,” Mr. Putin said.

Trump clinches GOP nomination for third consecutive U.S. Presidential election, setting up rematch with Biden

Donald Trump, whose single turbulent term in the White House transformed the Republican Party, tested the resilience of democratic institutions in the U.S. and threatened alliances abroad, will lead the GOP in a third consecutive presidential election after clinching the nomination. Mr. Trump’s victory in the GOP primary ushers in what will almost certainly be an extraordinarily negative general election campaign that will tug at the nation’s already searing political and cultural divides. He’ll face President Joe Biden in the fall, pitting two deeply unpopular figures against each other in a rematch of the 2020 campaign that few voters say they want to experience again.

Google restricts AI chatbot Gemini from answering queries on global elections

Google is restricting AI chatbot Gemini from answering questions about the global elections set to happen this year, the Alphabet-owned firm said on Tuesday, as it looks to avoid potential missteps in the deployment of the technology. When asked about elections such as the upcoming U.S. presidential match-up between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, Gemini responds with “I’m still learning how to answer this question. In the meantime, try Google Search”.

Source link

#Hindu #Morning #Digest #March

The Hindu Morning Digest, March 13, 2024

Post By World , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

All Assam Students Union (AASU) members take out a torch procession to protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in Guwahati, on March 12, 2024
| Photo Credit: AP

Indian troops begin withdrawal from Maldives

Indian troops stationed in the Maldives have begun withdrawing from the island nation, its defence authorities said, in line with President Mohamed Muizzu’s ‘India out’ promise to his supporters. Last month, the Ministry of External Affairs said a technical team from India had reached the Maldives to replace the troops that were stationed to operate the India-gifted aircraft and coppers. The deployment of a technical crew indicated that Male and New Delhi had reached a compromise after many rounds of bilateral discussion following Mr. Muizzu’s relentless demand that Indian troops leave the island nation.   

Muslim bodies condemn CAA notification, want it repealed

In a show of strength, Muslim bodies have “vehemently condemned” the notification of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) by the Centre, four years after the Act was passed by Parliament in December 2019. They have called for the Act to be repealed as it is “discriminatory in nature”. Among the signatories are top officials of the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, Jamiat Ahl-e-Hadith, Milli Council, and Imarat-e-Shariah.

Panel recommends law to regulate Big Tech firms

The Committee on Digital Competition Law, formed by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs last February, released its report on March 12, recommending legislation to regulate the market power of Big Tech firms like Google and Meta. The Competition Act of 2002 “intervenes after the occurrence of an anti-competitive conduct,” the committee said. “Such a framework was designed at a time when the extent and pace of digitalisation as is witnessed today could not be foreseen.” The recommendations, if implemented, would better equip the Competition Commission of India (CCI) to rule on competition matters for tech firms.

CAA won’t impact citizenship of Indian Muslims, says Centre

In a bid to allay the fears of Muslims after the rules of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) were notified a day ago, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said that “no Indian citizen would be asked to produce any document to prove his citizenship after this Act.” The MHA, in a press note titled “positive narrative on CAA, 2019”, has answered eight questions regarding its impact on Islam and Muslims. The document was pulled down from government’s website late on March 12.

India world’s top arms importer between 2019-23: SIPRI

India was the world’s top arms importer for the period 2019-23 with imports having gone up by 4.7% compared to the period 2014-18, according to the Swedish think tank, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). At the same time, arms imports by European countries increased by 94% between 2014–18 and 2019–23, the report said, which comes in the backdrop of the war in Ukraine. In the interim budget presented in February for financial year 2024-25, the total allocation for the Defence Ministry was at ₹6.2 lakh crore of which the capital allocation, for new procurements, was ₹1.72 lakh crore, 5.78% higher than the Budget Estimates of last year.

Supreme Court asks Centre to give Kerala a financial fillip as a ‘one-time measure’

The Supreme Court urged the Centre to give Kerala a one-time package to tide over its current financial crisis as a “special case” before March 31. An initially reluctant Centre, represented by Attorney General R. Venkataramani and Additional Solicitor General N. Venkataraman, who said a “bail-out package is impossible”, relented to discuss the issue with the government and report back to the court on March 13.

Blocking listing proposals in UNSC to sanction terrorists smacks of double-speak: India, in veiled reference to China, Pakistan

India has said that blocking evidence-based proposals in the U.N. Security Council to blacklist global terrorists without justification smacks of “double-speak” in dealing with the scourge, a veiled reference to China that has put holds on bids to sanction Pakistan-based terrorists. “Let us turn to the subsidiary bodies inhabiting a subterranean world, with their own custom-made working methods and obscure practices which do not find any legal basis in the Charter or any of the Council’s resolutions,” India’s Permanent Representative to the U.N. Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj said.

Mahua Moitra case: Sharing login details for typing help is unfathomable, Lok Sabha Secretariat tells SC

The Lok Sabha Secretariat has told the Supreme Court that expelled Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra’s defence that she shared her “confidential” Lok Sabha login credentials with Dubai-based business tycoon Darshan Hiranandani to help her type her questions is “unfathomable”. The Secretariat said Ms. Moitra’s login credentials, that is, user ID and password for the Lok Sabha Members’ Portal, were used 47 times from the IP address belonging to Mr. Hiranandani, including when she was not in Dubai.

Rahul Gandhi accuses BJP of making Adivasis homeless as yatra enters Maharashtra

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of taking away “jal, jungle, and jamin” (water, forests, and land) from tribals and transferring them to two corporate entities, making the Adivasis homeless. He criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for granting a loan waiver of ₹16 lakh crore to 22 industrialists while no relief has been provided for tribals, Dalits, and the poor. The amount was equivalent to the outlay for MGNREGS (rural employment scheme) for 24 years, as in one year, ₹65,000 crore is spent on the scheme, he said.

PM flags off 10 new Vande Bharat trains; dedicates projects worth over ₹1 lakh cr. from Gujarat

Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated to the nation and laid the foundation stone of various development projects worth over ₹1.06 lakh crore from Ahmedabad in Gujarat.  Of these, projects worth around ₹85,000 crore are dedicated to railways. He also flagged off 10 new Vande Bharat trains from Ahmedabad to Mumbai Central, Secunderabad to Visakhapatnam, Mysuru to Dr. MGR Central (Chennai), Patna to Lucknow, New Jalpaiguri to Patna, Puri to Visakhapatnam, Lucknow to Dehradun, Kalaburagi to Sir M Visvesvaraya Terminal Bengaluru, Ranchi to Varanasi and Khajuraho to Delhi (Nizamuddin).

Airlines damaged luggage of one in every two flyers: survey

In the last two years, every one in two flyers in India had experienced damaged baggage at least once, as per a survey by LocalCircles. In the same period, every two in five flyers in India had their baggage delayed or lost by an airline at least once. Moreover, one in four flyers whose baggage was lost/delayed/damaged by an airline said that when they reached out to complain, customer service and the responsiveness of the airline was poor or pathetic.

Source link

#Hindu #Morning #Digest #March