The Hindu Morning Digest, March 28, 2024

The Hindu Morning Digest, March 28, 2024

Post By Sports CAA, IPL, lok sabha elections, Meghalaya, morning digest, morning digest the hindu, sports news, The Hindu, the hindu morning digest, the hindu news

Arvind Kejriwal arrest | After India summons envoy, U.S. stresses it encourages fair, transparent legal proceedings

After India summoned a senior U.S. diplomat to lodge a protest over remarks on the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Washington on Wednesday stressed that it encourages fair, transparent, timely legal processes and “we don’t think anyone should object to that”. “We continue to follow these actions closely, including the arrest of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal,” U.S. State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said.

Two killed after anti-CAA meeting in Meghalaya

Two persons were killed in Meghalaya’s East Khasi Hills district on Wednesday following a meeting organised by a local organisation against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) of 2019. Police said the bodies of the two persons — both non-tribals — were found at Ichamati and Dalda under the Shella Assembly constituency. Both places are close to the State’s border with Bangladesh. The district’s Superintendent of Police, Rituraj Ravi, told journalists that the post-mortem was yet to be done. “Additional police teams from Shillong have been sent to the site,” he said.

IPL-17 : MI vs SRH | Records go for a six as SRH outshines MI in run fest

Travis Head played a gem of an innings, Abhishek Sharma was stunning and Heinrich Klaasen flamboyant as the trio fashioned Sunrisers Hyderabad’s impressive 31-run win against Mumbai Indians in a high-scoring IPL league match at Rajiv Gandhi Stadium here on Wednesday night.

Priest can give CAA eligibility certificate, says government helpline

A local priest may issue an “eligibility certificate” under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), 2019 to validate the religion of an applicant, according to a response received by The Hindu through the Union Ministry of Home Affairs’ CAA helpline. The certificate, a mandatory document, is to be enclosed along with an affidavit and other documents that the applicants are to upload on the CAA portal. “The reasons for which applicant wishes to acquire Indian citizenship” must also be stated.

Congress announces 14 more candidates for Lok Sabha polls

The Congress on Wednesday brought out a fresh list of 14 candidates from Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Telangana and Madhya Pradesh for the Lok Sabha elections. Some of these were cleared by the Central Election Committee (CEC) of the party earlier in the evening. Sources said the CEC had discussed around 18 names and most had been cleared. In Uttar Pradesh, the party named Dolly Sharma from Ghaziabad, Virendra Chowdhury from Maharajganj, Nakul Dubey from Sitapur and Shivram Valmiki from Bulandshahr.

₹50 lakh stolen from van carrying cash to ATM in Kerala

In a brazen daylight theft, ₹50 lakh was stolen from a van that was taking the money to fill cash vending machines, at Uppala in Kasaragod in Kerala on Wednesday .The incident occurred outside an ATM of the Axis Bank around 2 p.m. The van involved in the incident belongs to a private agency, Secure Valley. Notably, it arrived at the location without security personnel. The police apprehended the driver and seized the van.

Nirmala Sitharaman decides against contesting Lok Sabha polls

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has decided against contesting the Lok Sabha election, she said on Wednesday, citing the lack of “money to contest” the poll and her inability to meet the “winnability criteria” in southern States such as Andhra Pradesh or Tamil Nadu that she could have considered battling from. The Minister, in her second term in the Rajya Sabha, had been sounded out by the Bharatiya Janata Party’s top brass to consider a Lok Sabha candidature in the upcoming election, along with some of her Upper House cabinet colleagues such as Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Environment and Labour Minister Bhupender Yadav.

Government notifies revised wages under the MGNREGS

The Union government on Wednesday notified the revised wages under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), with several States reporting a hike in wages by 8 to 10%. The hike ranged from ₹7 in Uttar Pradesh (2023- ₹230 – to 2024 rate of ₹237) to ₹34 hike in Goa (2023 wages ₹322 to 2024 wages ₹356). Significant jump in wages have been reported by Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Goa, where the hikes varied from 8% to 10.5%. Bihar follows closely behind, where the wages have been revised by ₹17.

Former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt convicted in false drug seizure case

A court in Gujarat on Wednesday convicted former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt in a drugs seizure case dating back to 1996. The court is expected to pronounce the quantum of punishment on Thursday. The sessions court in Palanpur held Bhatt guilty of falsely implicating a Rajasthan-based lawyer, Sumer Singh Rajpurohit, by claiming that police had seized drugs from a hotel room in Palanpur where the lawyer was staying. The case was lodged when Bhatt was the district Superintendent of Police.

‘Close your eyes, feel my presence’: Arvind Kejriwal’s wife reads out his message to people

Sunita Kejriwal, the wife of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, posted a video message on the CM’s X account on Wednesday, where she relayed a message from her husband: “While my body is in jail, my spirit is with the people of Delhi.” “Close your eyes, and you will feel my presence around you,” Ms. Kejriwal said, relaying her husband’s message with her eyes closed and hands folded. While remanding Mr. Kejriwal in Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody, a court in New Delhi had allowed him to meet his wife and lawyers between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. daily.

Solution cannot be found on battlefield, says Jaishankar on Russia-Ukraine conflict

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on March 27 said India’s position in the Russia-Ukraine conflict has been that a solution cannot be found on the battlefield and New Delhi wants to find a way of bringing this conflict to an end. Responding to a question on India’s position on the Russia-Ukraine conflict during his interaction with the Indian diaspora in the Malaysian capital, Mr. Jaishankar said that there are “no winners of a conflict”. “We took the position from the start, that you’re not going to get a solution to this conflict on the battlefield,” he said.

In its seventh list, BJP announces Navneet Rana’s candidature for the contentious Amravati Lok Sabha seat

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday announced the candidature of Navneet Rana for the reserved Amravati Lok Sabha seat in its seventh list of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha election. Ms. Rana, an independent MP and the incumbent legislator of the Amravati Lok Sabha seat, is a supporter of the BJP along with her husband Ravi Rana, who is the current MLA from Badnera (in Amravati). The announcement now paves the way for Ms. Rana to formally join the BJP and contest on the Scheduled Caste (SC) reserved seat.

Rameshwaram Cafe blast: NIA conducts simultaneous raids in Shivamogga and Tamil Nadu

The National Investigation Agency (NIA), probing Bengaluru’s The Rameshwaram Cafe blast case, conducted simultaneous raids and questioned several suspects in Shivamogga, Karnataka, Chennai, and Ramanathapuram districts in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday (March 27). NIA sleuths on Wednesday raided the residences of Mussavir Hussain Shazib and Abdul Matheen Taha in Thirthahalli. The duo are accused in the 2020 Al Hind IS module case registered in Suddaguntepalya and have been absconding since. They are also said to be the kingpins of the Thirthahalli module and accused in the Mangaluru cooker blast of November 2022. Given the similarity in the timer and detonator devices in the IEDs used in The Rameshwaram Cafe blast and the cooker blast, agencies have suspected the role of the same module.

Woman stripped, paraded and beaten up in M.P. village; four women held

Four women were arrested for allegedly beating up, stripping and parading a 30-year-old woman over a dispute at a village in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore district, police said on Wednesday. A video of the purported incident that occurred during the Holi celebrations also surfaced on social media. “On Monday, four women forcibly pulled the victim out of her house, beat her up and humiliated her by stripping her naked in public at Bachhora village of Gautampura police station area,” Superintendent of Police (Rural) Sunil Mehta said.

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The Hindu Morning Digest, March 27, 2024

Post By Sports ILO report, IPL, lok sabha elections, Lok sabha polls 2024, morning digest, morning digest the hindu, sports news, The Hindu, the hindu morning digest, the hindu news

Employment scenario in India grim, says ILO report

India’s youth account for almost 83% of the unemployed workforce and the share of youngsters with secondary or higher education in the total unemployed youth has almost doubled from 35.2% in 2000 to 65.7% in 2022, as per the India Employment Report 2024 released by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the Institute of Human Development (IHD) here on Tuesday. The youth employment and underemployment increased between 2000 and 2019 but declined during the pandemic years, the study, released by Chief Economic Adviser V. Anantha Nageswaran, said, adding that educated youths have experienced much higher levels of unemployment in the country during the period.

Photojournalists covering AAP protest face police’s wrath

Photojournalists covering the Aam Aadmi Party protests were harassed by the Delhi Police on Tuesday. The matter escalated between members of the press and police forces as photojournalists were attempting to click pictures of AAP leaders protesting Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest. Salman Ali, a photojournalist with the Hindustan Times, was injured during the exchange, fracturing his elbow. Mr. Ali told The Hindu that there was heavy police force, and they were misbehaving with members of the media, going to the extent of grabbing a fellow photojournalist’s collar.

IPL-17: CSK vs GT | Super Kings put on a regal display to subdue Titans with consummate ease

Like most Indian venues, Chepauk is used to the chants of ‘Sachin, Sachin’ while cheering the nation’s most celebrated cricketer, Sachin Tendulkar, in his playing days .Figuring in only his second IPL match, Rachin Ravindra found a way into the hearts of the city’s passionate fans, who quickly belted out ‘Rachin, Rachin’ as the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) opener produced another impressive cameo that laid the foundation for the defending champion’s thumping 63-run win over Gujarat Titans at the MAC Stadium on Tuesday.

In its seventh list, Congress announces four candidates for Chhattisgarh

The Congress on Tuesday announced its seventh list of candidates for the Lok Sabha polls. The list has five names — four, including two women candidates, from Chhattisgarh, and one from Tamil Nadu. With these four — Shashi Singh from Surguja, Dr. Menka Devi Singh from Raigarh, Biresh Thakur from Kanker [all three seats reserved for the Scheduled Tribe (ST)] and Devendra Singh Yadav from Bilaspur — the party has now announced all the names from Chhattisgarh that has 11 parliamentary constituencies.

Crew of cargo ship that lost power and collided with bridge in Baltimore, U.S. are all Indian

The entire 22-member crew of the cargo ship that struck a major bridge in Baltimore early on March 26, causing it to snap and plunge into the river below are Indians, the company said. The Singapore-flagged container ship “Dali” collided with one of the pillars of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore at approximately 1:30 am local time. According to the vessel information provided by the Synergy Marine Group, the crew was “All Indian, 22 in total”.

Ladakh activist Wangchuk ends 21-day fast, urges PM Modi, Amit Shah to deliver on promises

Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk on March 26 (Tuesday) ended his 21-day fast in Leh, as he urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to “prove themselves as statesmen” .“It was for 21days. From tomorrow, women’s groups will start their fast and will be followed by youth, then monks and so on,” Mr. Wangchuk told The Hindu. Mr. Wangchuk has visibly grown frail and his voice has also strained. The Ladakhi activist has matched the longest fast held by Mahatma Gandhi during the freedom movement.

Big tech told to identify AI deepfakes ahead of EU vote

The EU called on Facebook, TikTok and other tech titans on March 26 to crack down on deepfakes and other AI-generated content by using clear labels ahead of Europe-wide polls in June .The recommendation is part of a raft of guidelines published under a landmark content law by the European Commission for digital giants to tackle risks to elections including disinformation. The EU executive body has unleashed a string of measures to clamp down on big tech, especially regarding content moderation.

RJD, Congress hold talks to iron out differences over seats

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav and Congress leaders held talks on Tuesday to sort out the differences that have emerged between the two allies over the seat-sharing arrangements in Bihar. The much-awaited meeting took place at senior Congress leader Mukul Wasnik’s official residence here after a week of tussle. Mr. Wasnik is the convener of his party’s alliance committee. Bihar Congress chief Akhilesh Prasad Singh and AICC in-charge Mohan Prakash were also present. Another meeting could take place on Wednesday before a final agreement is announced in Patna.

ED attaches ₹124.57-crore assets in Religare Finvest Limited case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached immovable properties worth ₹124.57 crore belonging to RS Infrastructure, Kenwood Mercantile, Goodfaith Builders and other suspects in a case related to Religare Finvest Limited and others. The agency, in a statement, said Kenwood Mercantile and Goodfaith Builders were entities belonging to the M3M group, a Gurugram-based realtor. “Land measuring 430 acres in Gurugram/Faridabad belonging to the entities of M3M group has been provisionally attached (it) being the proceeds of crime (PoC) flowing through a maze of companies to the M3M group,” it said.

In Gujarat, BJP drops nearly 50% of sitting MPs

In Gujarat, the BJP has dropped more than a dozen sitting MPs, including Ministers Darshna Jordosh and Mahendra Munjapara, for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Two Cabinet Ministers, Mansukh Mandaviya and Parshottam Rupala, whose Rajya Sabha terms end in April, find a place on the candidate list instead .The ruling party has fielded Mr. Mandaviya from the Porbandar seat in the place of Ramesh Dhaduk and Mr. Rupala from Rajkot in the place of Mohan Kundariya. With Mr. Mandaviya hailing from Bhavnagar and Mr. Rupala from Amteli, both candidates were considered outsiders.

Home-cooked food, bed: facilities CM Kejriwal is allowed in ED lock-up

Inside the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) lock-up, where Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is currently lodged after being arrested in an excise policy-linked money laundering charge, an accused gets access to basic facilities like bed and bottled drinking water. It is learnt that the toilet and bathroom are located a little away from the lock-up, which is guarded round the clock by security personnel. The premises are also monitored through closed-circuit television cameras (CCTVs).

Supreme Court raises concern over the rich gagging media

The Supreme Court has highlighted the problem of the affluent getting pre-trial injunctions from courts against the media and civil society, gagging free speech and the public’s right to information about important affairs .A three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud said such ex-parte interim injunctions granted by courts rather mechanically spell a death sentence to journalistic stories even before the allegations against them are proven right, if ever.

FIFA World Cup Qualifier: Afghanistan shocks India in Sunil Chhetri’s 150th international match

Lower-ranked Afghanistan shocked India 2-1 as the home team suffered one of its most embarrassing defeats in recent years despite talisman Sunil Chhetri’s 94th international goal in his 150th match, in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in Guwahati on March 26. In his landmark game, Chhetri did what was expected of him and found the back of the net from the spot in the 37th minute after Haroon Amiri handled the ball inside the box in India’s home leg match in the second round of the joint qualifiers for the World Cup and 2027 AFC Asian Cup.

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The Hindu Morning Digest, March 26, 2024

Post By Sports General elections 2024, Indian Premier League, lok sabha elections, morning digest, morning digest the hindu, The Hindu, the hindu morning digest, the hindu news, UNSC on gaza ceasefire

Members of the United Nations Security Council vote on a Gaza resolution that demands an immediate ceasefire for the month of Ramadan leading to a permanent sustainable ceasefire, and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, at U.N. headquarters in New York City, U.S., March 25, 2024.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

U.N. Security Council for the first time demands immediate ceasefire in Gaza

The United Nations Security Council on March 25 demanded an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages after the United States abstained from the vote .The remaining 14 council members voted for the resolution, which was proposed by the 10 elected members of the body. Washington had been averse to the word ceasefire earlier in the nearly six-month-old war in the Gaza Strip and had used its veto power to shield U.S. ally Israel as it retaliated against Hamas for an Oct. 7 attack that Israel says killed 1,200 people.

European Union investigates Tech giants under new digital Law

The EU, on March 25, launched probes into whether Apple, Alphabet and Meta violated a new law, the Digital Markets Act (DMA), in what is the latest instance of governments trying to exercise greater control over the functioning of big tech companies. The companies could be fined up to 10% of their global revenues and 20% for repeat infringements of the DMA.

Congress questions Modi government’s record in implementing women’s welfare schemes

On a day when an objectionable post by the Congress’ social media in-charge Supriya Shrinate against actor and BJP candidate from the Mandi Lok Sabha seat, Kangana Ranaut, triggered outrage, the Congress attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government for reducing the budget of women-centred welfare schemes, flagging five key problems. Ms. Shrinate later clarified that the post had been authored by someone who had access to her social media accounts.

Alcohol warning in Hindi, foreign films on the rise

In recent weeks, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has started requiring an increasing number of Hindi and foreign films to display anti-liquor watermarks for films that feature alcohol consumption, The Hindu has found, based on a review of cut lists of recent films issued by the censor board. For instance, All of Us Strangers, a British film classified ‘A’ for adult-only audiences that extensively features liquor abuse, has the warning onscreen for a significant duration of the film.

Holi is special this year due to Ram temple inauguration, says Amit Shah in Gujarat

Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on March 25 celebrated Holi with party functionaries in Ahmedabad .At the gathering in the BJP’s Gandhinagar Lok Sabha office, located in Thaltej area, Mr. Shah and Mr. Patel applied colours on party leaders, including Rajya Sabha MP Mayant Nayak, MLA Amit Thakar, Gandhinagar Mayor Hitesh Makwana, Gujarat BJP’s general secretary K.C. Patel and others of the women’s wing.

RLP supremo Hanuman Beniwal is INDIA bloc candidate from Nagaur following alliance with Congress

The Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) on March 25 announced its supremo Hanuman Beniwal as the INDIA bloc candidate for the Lok Sabha election from Rajasthan’s Nagaur seat following an alliance formed with the Opposition Congress. Mr. Beniwal — elected as an MLA from Nagaur district’s Khinvsar in 2023 — is likely to file his nomination papers on March 27 .The Congress had left the Nagaur seat for the RLP in the list of candidates released on Saturday. The two parties entered into an alliance in the State after intense negotiations lasting several days amid doubts created by the resignation of Mr. Beniwal’s close confidant Ummeda Ram Beniwal from the RLP and his entry into the Congress.

Advocate Robert Bruce to take on BJP’s Nainar Nagenthran in Tirunelveli

After days of marathon negotiations, intra-party squabbles and persuasions, advocate C. Robert Bruce, 62, of Saralvilai near Kattathurai in Kanniyakumari district has been fielded in Tirunelveli Parliamentary constituency as the Congress candidate. Sources in the Congress said the delay in announcing the candidate to take on BJP’s Nainar Nagenthran was due to the intense race among the aspirants in getting the ticket who left no stone unturned to achieve their political goal.

Congress lists ‘massive failures’ of WCD ministry, says will usher era of women’s safety in June

The Congress listed “massive failures” of the Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) in the last 10 years on March 25 and asserted that a new era of women’s safety, prosperity, and development will begin when its government “takes charge in June” .Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said the formation of a Congress-led government in June 2024 will end the “10 years of anyaay-kaal for women”. He alleged the BJP government’s slogans of ‘nari shakti’ remain empty words without real action.

Kyiv endures a third bombardment in 5 days as Russia steps up targeting of Ukrainian cities

Russia launched missiles against Kyiv for the third time in five days Monday as Moscow escalated its aerial bombardment of Ukrainian cities while the front line in the war remains largely stationary .Nine people were injured in the strike on the Ukrainian capital, the Ukraine Rescue Service said. The Pecherskyi district was the hardest hit. Missile debris damaged homes in two districts and a local college gym in another district, Ukraine’s National Police said.

Don’t show hostility towards resident associations if they use public buildings for holding functions, Madras High Court tells civic bodies

Civic bodies such as the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) need not show hostility towards residents’ welfare associations by locking and sealing public buildings if vacant spaces in those buildings had been used by the residents for celebrating birthdays or for teaching yoga/music/dance to the children in the locality without any commercial motive, the Madras High Court has advised.

With nothing to lose, Akali Dal banking on panthic agenda

At the recently held core committee meeting, the SAD resolved to focus on panth issues, in an effort to resurrect itself on the hustings. “The party will continue to put principles above politics and it will never deviate from its historic role as a champion of the interests of Khalsa Panth [Sikh community], minorities, as well as all Punjabis. At the same time, we will continue to devote all our energies towards preserving the atmosphere of peace and communal harmony… As the sole representative of the Sikhs and all Punjabis, the party will continue its fight for more powers and genuine autonomy to the States. We have never compromised on these interests nor will we let our guard down on these issues in future,” said a resolution passed at the meeting, which was presided by party president Sukhbir Singh Badal.

Donald Trump’s $454 million civil fraud judgment fine slashed to $175M by New York appeals court

A New York appeals court on March 25 agreed to hold off collection of former President Donald Trump’s $454 million civil fraud judgment — if he puts up $175 million within 10 days. If he does, it will stop the clock on collection and prevent the State from seizing the presumptive Republican Presidential nominee’s assets while he appeals. The development came just before New York Attorney General Letitia James was expected to initiate efforts to collect the judgment. Messages seeking comment were sent to Ms. James’ office and to Mr. Trump’s lawyers.

IPL-17: RCB vs PBKS | Virat Kohli’s exceptional fifty carries Bengaluru to four-wicket victory over Punjab Kings

Virat Kohli produced a quality half-century on a slightly gummy pitch that took the Holi-day crowd on a joyride and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a four-wicket victory over Punjab Kings in an IPL match here on Monday .The 177-run target wasn’t a massively tough one, but needed a meticulous scaling down because of the deck’s nature. Kohli (77, 49b, 11×4, 2×6) conducted it to near-perfection as RCB made 178 for six with four balls to spare to register their first win of this IPL.

Refrain from contesting Lok Sabha election, Manipur’s Kuki-Zo tribals urged

A tribal forum in ethnic strife-torn Manipur has urged the Kuki-Zo people to exercise their franchise but refrain from contesting in the Lok Sabha election in April .The Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF) has been the voice of the ethnic communities belonging to the Kuki-Zo group since their conflict with the Meiteis broke out on May 3, 2023. “The ITLF Presidential Council, in consultation with its constituent member-tribes, has agreed that no member from the Kuki-Zo community should file nomination for the upcoming Lok Sabha election, considering the plight that we are facing,” the forum said in a statement on March 25.

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The Hindu Morning Digest, March 25, 2024

Post By Sports BJP candidates list, General elections 2024, Hardik Pandya, India Pakistan trade, Indian Premier League, JNUSU polls, Kangana Ranaut, lok sabha elections, morning digest, morning digest the hindu, The Hindu, the hindu morning digest, the hindu news

Left candidates trounce ABVP in JNU students’ union elections

Around 11.30 p.m, the election committee declared that the United Left panel won three posts of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU), while the Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students’ Association (BAPSA) won one post. The RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad lost all the posts by a few hundred votes. Dhananjay of the AISA, who won the president’s post with a total of 2,598 votes, said, “I’m overwhelmed at the support I have received. It has been made clear that the students are unhappy with the government and they want things to change.” The ABVP’s Umesh Chandra Ajmeera came second with 1,676 votes.

Lok Sabha elections | Congress drops Jaipur candidate after row over links to right-wing forum

Following a political uproar over its choice of candidate for the Jaipur City Lok Sabha seat, the Congress on March 24 dropped Sunil Sharma and fielded former minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas in his place .Mr. Sharma has been associated with Jaipur Dialogues, a right-wing forum that is known to target the Congress leadership and target minority communities. In a fresh list of three names on Sunday, the party fielded Mr. Khachariyawas, a minister in the Ashok Gehlot government, from Jaipur.

Lok Sabha elections | Kangana Ranaut, Arun Govil, Maneka Gandhi in BJP fifth list; Varun Gandhi dropped

Bollywood star Kangana Ranaut and television actor Arun Govil, who starred in the Ramayan series, are among the names in the BJP’s fifth list of 111 candidates from 17 States for the upcoming Lok Sabha election, released on Sunday. Ms. Ranaut will contest from Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, while Mr. Govil will contest from Meerut.

Pakistan to ‘seriously examine’ restarting trade with India: Foreign Minister

Pakistan will “seriously examine” whether to restart trade with India, said its newly appointed Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar. Responding to questions during a press meet in London, Mr. Dar said he had been approached last year by Pakistani businesspersons over the issue, and said any decision would follow a full discussion with all stakeholders. Meanwhile, visiting Singapore, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankarhit out at Pakistan for its “industry-level” support to terrorism, stressing that any talks with Pakistan would need to “face up to the problem”.

IPL 2024, GT vs MI | Titans keep their nerve, MI loses its poise and the plot

Shubman Gill passed his first captaincy test as Gujarat Titans eked out a nervous six-run win over Mumbai Indians in their Indian Premier League opener at the Narendra Modi Stadium here on Sunday .Pursuing 169, MI was coasting along at 107 for two after 12 overs. But Sai Kishore trapping Rohit Sharma (43, 29b, 7×4, 1×6) leg-before and Mohit Sharma sending back Dewald Brevis (46, 38b, 2×4, 3×6) and Tim David triggered a scarcely believable downturn.

Sri Lanka’s ex-president Sirisena to be quizzed by police over controversial remark on Easter bombings

Sri Lanka’s former President Maithripala Sirisena will face police questioning on Monday on his recent remarks on the 2019 Easter Sunday suicide bombings that he was “aware” of the masterminds of the attacks that killed 270 people, including 11 Indians. Sirisena, 72, was president between 2015 January and 2019 November. He had previously denied any knowledge of the attacks. Police chief Deshabandu Tennakoon told reporters on Sunday that Sirisena’s statement would be recorded on Monday.

AAP leadership goes into huddle, workers told to remain united

The entire brass of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi went into a huddle on Sunday, with its leaders asking workers to step up their presence on social media platforms and remain united following the arrest of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in an excise policy case .Mr. Kejriwal, AAP national convener, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on March 21 in the case involving allegations that the now-scrapped 2021-22 excise policy benefited certain liquor manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers for monetary considerations.

IPL 2024 | Just a matter of time before Pant regains form: Sidhu

Former India opener Navjot Sidhu is confident wicketkeeper batter Rishabh Pant’s return to form is just a “matter of time” following his nearly 15-month-long absence from professional cricket after a horrific car crash .Pant is back leading his Indian Premier League side Delhi Capitals after missing the action last season due to his recovery and rehabilitation. Though Pant did not have the comeback he would have wished for in DC’s match against Punjab Kings here on Saturday, being dismissed for 18 by Harshal Patel, he was quick between the wickets, took a catch behind the stumps and also effected a stumping.

Former judge, Trinamool turncoats, and woman from Sandeshkhali in West Bengal BJP candidate list

The second list of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates in West Bengal for the upcoming Lok Sabha election comprised a mixed bag, including former Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay, two turncoats from the Trinamool Congress (TMC), and a woman from Sandeshkhali who was at the receiving end of the violence .Former Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay, who resigned from the Calcutta High Court recently, has been nominated from the Tamluk Lok Sabha seat. The party has fielded Arjun Singh from Barrackpore, and Tapas Roy from Kolkata Uttar. Both Mr. Singh and Mr. Roy had quit the Trinamool Congress to join the BJP recently. The BJP candidates from Tamluk, Kolkata Uttar, and Barrackpore had joined the party earlier this month.

CBI team revisits Sandeshkhali to gather more evidence in the ED team attack case

A Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) team, probing the attack on Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials at West Bengal’s Sandeshkhali on January 5, on March 24 visited a village in the area to gather more evidence .This is the second visit by the CBI to Sarberia village in North 24 Parganas district after getting the custody of suspended Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Shahjahan Sheikh, the main accused in the attack, on March 6. CBI officials had gone to Mr. Sheikh’s house the following day and, after finding it locked, clicked its photos and talked to local people.

Lok Sabha polls: Samajwadi Party fields S.T. Hasan from Moradabad, changes its Bijnor candidate

The Samajwadi Party on March 24 renominated its Lok Sabha MP from Moradabad S T Hasan from the same seat and changed its Bijnor candidate by fielding Deepak Saini, the son of a party MLA .The party announced the names in a post on X. The Samajwadi Party had earlier named Yashveer Singh as its candidate from Bijnor. However, on Sunday, it named Deepak Saini as its candidate for the seat. He is the son of Ram Avtar Saini, the SP legislator from the Noorpur assembly segment that comes under the Bijnor parliamentary constituency.

Myanmar rights group asks India not to deport refugees

A Myanmar-based organisation has asked the Manipur government not to deport Myanmar refugees back to the war-torn country unless they choose to return. They say people returning are likely to face conscription .The Nongthombam Biren Singh government began the process of sending back 77 refugees from Myanmar by deporting eight of them on March 8. In a statement issued on Sunday, the Burma Refugees Committee – Kabaw Valley said they feared that they would be handed over to the military junta.

Ireland to get its youngest ever premier as Simon Harris elected leader of Fine Gael party

Ireland is poised to get its youngest-ever premier after Simon Harris secured the leadership of the Fine Gael party on Sunday, replacing Leo Varadkar who announced his surprise resignation last week .The 37-year-old Mr. Harris, who is the government’s Further and Higher Education Minister, was the only candidate to put his name forward to succeed Mr. Varadkar, who had been Ireland’s previous youngest Prime Minister, or what Ireland calls its taoiseach.

Industrialist and former Congress MP Naveen Jindal joins BJP

Industrialist and former MP Naveen Jindal quit the Congress and joined the BJP on Sunday. He said that he wanted to contribute to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s agenda of ‘Viksit Bharat’ .BJP general secretary Vinod Tawde was present at the ceremony. He said Jindal’s presence in the party will help the government’s agenda of boosting the economy and creating prosperity. Mr. Tawde noted that the Jindal Steel chairperson has a keen interest in sports and education as well.

Only classes 3 and 6 will receive new textbooks in 2024-25, says CBSE

Only students in Classes 3 and 6 will receive new textbooks for the upcoming academic year of 2024-25, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) confirmed on March 22, in a circular sent to all schools affiliated with the board. The new textbooks are being formulated by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT).

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The Hindu Morning Digest, March 24, 2024

Post By Sports Aam Aadmi Party, Arvind Kejriwal, congress 4th list, Electoral Bonds, General elections 2024, IPL, Israel Hamas war, lok sabha elections, PM Modi vs Ajay Rai varanasi, The Hindu, the hindu morning digest, the hindu news, UP politics

Congress names Digvijaya Singh from Rajgarh in Madhya Pradesh, Ajay Rai from PM Modi’s Varanasi seat in fourth list

The Congress on Saturday announced 45 names in its fourth list of candidates for the Lok Sabha polls while one seat for the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) in Rajasthan. Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh will contest the Rajgarh seat in the State while Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai has been fielded from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s seat of Varanasi. Chhattisgarh Congress chief and sitting member from Bastar, Deepak Baij, has been dropped as the party named Kawasi Lakhma from the seat.

Electoral bonds linked to project clearances by BRS government in Telangana

The purchase of electoral bonds and subsequent encashment by the then ruling party in Telangana, the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), seemed to be closely linked to the award of contracts and opening of new units by donor companies, if the report submitted to the Election Commission (EC) is to be believed .In Telangana, the BRS encashed the bonds donated by IRB Infra, which were purchased a few weeks after the Outer Ring Road (ORR) contract was awarded to the company. The BRS government gave a Letter of Acceptance (LoA) to IRB Infra on April 27, 2023, leasing out the ORR for 30 years for maintenance.

BJP made ‘bribes’ legal via electoral bonds: Congress

Alleging that the electoral bond (EB) scheme ensured that “prepaid, postpaid, and post-raid bribes” could be routed through regular banking channels, the Congress on March 23 reiterated its demand for a Supreme Court-monitored investigation into the scheme .Addressing a press conference at party headquarters, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said that an analysis of recently published State Bank of India (SBI) data has revealed that 38 corporate groups received 179 government contracts and projects worth ₹3.8 lakh crore after donating electoral bonds to the BJP.

AAP raises concern with CEC as Delhi Police block party office

Alleging that the Delhi police have blocked all routes to the Aam Aadmi Party’s office in the national capital after the arrest of the party’s national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the AAP wrote to Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar on March 23 seeking a meeting to present their urgent grievances.

Winter lacks bite in Munnar as frost gives the hill station a miss this year

Munnar, the hill station famed for its misty mornings from December to February, has deviated from its usual winter pattern this year. Officials say winter was marked by a total lack of frost, a first in the past two decades, which is unprecedented .Data from the United Planters Association of South India tea research centre in Munnar show that no sub-zero temperature was reported this year in Munnar town. “The lowest recorded temperature was 2°C on January 18 and 19 at Silent Valley Estate under Kanan Devan Plantations in Munnar. “This year, there was an absence of frosty conditions in Munnar compared to the past 20 years,” says a source.

Nitish shortlists JD(U) candidates for 16 seats in Bihar, many of them are sitting MPs

With the first phase of the upcoming Lok Sabha election less than a month away, National Democratic Alliance (NDA) ally, the Janata Dal-United (JD-U), has shortlisted candidates for its 16 constituencies in Bihar based on seat-sharing within the alliance. Barring a few seats, party president and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, it is said, has opted to repeat several candidates.

Now, Karnataka knocks on Supreme Court’s door seeking drought relief from Centre

As repeated appeals seeking funds under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) from the Centre have not yielded results, the Congress government in Karnataka has filed a petition in the Supreme Court against the Union government for denying financial assistance for drought management in the State .The move is expected to trigger a fresh political debate in the run-up to the two-phase Lok Sabha elections in the State. Earlier too, Karnataka raised the issue of “discrimination” by the Centre in devolution of funds, clearances to projects and financial assistance for schemes.

2024 Lok Sabha election | Prakash Ambedkar remains ambivalent over MVA tie-up; will clear stand on March 26

Continuing to maintain an ambivalent stance towards forging an alliance with the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi, Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) president Prakash Ambedkar on Saturday said his party would announce its decision on March 26 on whether it would contest the Lok Sabha election independently or go along with the MVA. Mr. Ambedkar again claimed that the MVA parties (which include Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena UBT, the Congress, and Sharad Pawar’s NCP-SP) had yet to resolve their seat-sharing problems and that it was wrong to point fingers at the VBA for acting as a roadblock in seat-sharing discussions.

2024 Lok Sabha election: U.P. BJP to depute minority party workers to counter ‘bogus’ voting

In a first of its kind move, the Uttar Pradesh wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will depute women members from the Muslim community as agents on minority dominant polling booths to keep a check on bogus voters for the upcoming Lok Sabha election. The BJP Minority Morcha, which planned this initiative, said the focus will be on parts of Western U.P. from where the party claims to have received reports of bogus voting in previous elections.

IPL-17: KKR vs SRH | Russell, Salt fifties carry KKR to four-run win over SRH despite Klaasen’s heroics

Andre Russel’s all-round effort headlined Kolkata Knight Riders’ sweaty four-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in their IPL match here on Saturday .Russell’s brutal unbeaten 64 off 25 balls with three fours and seven sixes and Phil Salt’s more pragmatic 54 off 40 balls guided KKR to 208 for seven. Left-arm pacer T Natarajan was their most successful bowler with a three-wicket haul (3/32). At several points, SRH threatened to chase 208 down, particularly when Heinrich Klaasen (63, 29b, 8x6s) went berserk in the backend of the innings.

Hong Kong lawmakers pass new national security law, giving government more power to curb dissent

Hong Kong lawmakers passed a new national security law on Tuesday that grants the government more power to quash dissent, widely seen as the latest step in a sweeping political crackdown that was triggered by pro-democracy protests in 2019. The legislature passed the Safeguarding National Security Law during a special session Tuesday. It comes on top of a similar law imposed by Beijing four years ago, which has already largely silenced opposition voices in the financial hub.

BJP ends alliance with SKM; to contest Lok Sabha, Assembly polls in Sikkim alone

The BJP on March 23 called off its alliance with the ruling Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) and announced that the party would go alone in the simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in the Himalayan State. The SKM, on the other hand, did not rule out the possibility of a post-poll alliance with the BJP on the lines of a similar arrangement made after the 2019 polls. The announcement to fight the upcoming polls alone was made by State BJP president D.R. Thapa, who returned to Sikkim after attending a meeting with the party’s central leadership in Delhi on seat-sharing with SKM.

Israel says 170 Gaza gunmen killed in hospital raid

Israeli forces fighting in Gaza have killed more than 170 gunmen during their days-long raid at the Palestinian enclave’s main hospital, the military said on Saturday .Israeli troops entered Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City in the early hours of March 18 morning and have been combing through the sprawling complex, which the military says is connected to a tunnel network used as a base for Hamas and other Palestinian fighters. “Thus far, the forces eliminated more than 170 terrorists in the area of the hospital, questioned over 800 suspects, and located numerous weapons and terror infrastructure,” the military said.

Kejriwal seeks police officer’s removal from security; court orders for CCTV camera footage to be preserved

A local court has directed authorities to preserve CCTV camera footage on a plea filed by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, seeking the removal of a Delhi Police officer deployed for security in the court for alleged misconduct .“Application has been filed on behalf of the accused [Kejriwal] stating that the security staff/in-charge responsible for bringing him for production before the court, namely ACP [Assistant Commissioner of Police] A.K. Singh, is unnecessarily harsh and mishandled the people around the courtroom,” Special Judge Kaveri Baweja noted.

2024 General elections | These are the Lok Sabha constituencies, Assemblies going to polls in Phase 1

The 2024 Lok Sabha Elections, which are set to commence from April 19, will see the country vote in seven phases as simultaneous elections also take place for four State Assemblies — Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh .A total of 102 Parliamentary constituencies in 21 States and Union Territories (UTs) will go to the polls in the first phase on April 19. The last date of nominations in Phase 1 for all 20 States and UTs other than Bihar is March 27. For Bihar, it is March 28 due to a festival.

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The Hindu Morning Digest, March 23, 2024

Post By World Anna Hazare on Kejriwal arrest, Bhutan’s Gelephu project, bihar lok sabha seats, cbse schools, csk beats rcb, elections 2024, Elvish Yadav bail, gaza ceasefire, ireland youngest pm, kate cancer diagnosis, kejriwal ed custody, lalu prasad, lok sabha elections, moscow attack, moscow shooting, princess kate cancer, russia concert attack, Sandeshkhali land, stalin launches campaign, The Hindu, the hindu morning digest, the hindu news

People lay flowers and lit candles in memory of the Moscow concert gun attack victims in the center of Simferopol, Crimea, on March 22, 2024. Gunmen opened fire at a Moscow concert hall on March 22, 2024 killing at least 40 people, wounding more than 100 and sparking an inferno, authorities said, with the Islamic State group claiming responsibility.
| Photo Credit: AFP

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for an attack on Moscow concert hall that killed several people

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for a gun attack on a Moscow concert hall on March 22, which Russian authorities said killed several people. IS fighters “attacked a large gathering… on the outskirts of the Russian capital Moscow”, the group said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app. Russia’s Federal Security Service said 40 people died and more than 100 were wounded in the attack.

Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu seeks debt relief from India amid tensions

After his anti-India rhetoric, Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu has struck a reconciliatory tone, saying India will continue to remain his country’s “closest ally” and urged New Delhi to provide debt relief to the archipelago nation.

Arvind Kejriwal sent to ED custody till March 28

A court on March 22 remanded Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal in Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody till March 28, a day after the Central agency arrested him in connection with an excise policy-linked money laundering case. Special Judge (Prevention of Corruption Act) Kaveri Baweja of the Rouse Avenue Courts asked for Mr. Kejriwal to be produced before her on March 28 at 2 p.m. The six-day remand came on an ED plea seeking his 10-day custody in the case.

INDIA bloc leaders reach out to EC, highlight ‘misuse’ of Central agencies

A day after the arrest of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal by the Enforcement Directorate in the excise policy case, a delegation of INDIA bloc leaders on March 22 called on the Election Commission (EC) to allege “unrelenting, blatant and illegal deployment of Central Agencies” by the ruling BJP to target the Opposition parties. The delegation presented a memorandum in which the INDIA bloc leaders submitted a list of 10 instances of agencies going after the Opposition parties since January and the absence of a level playing field in the elections.

Delhi High Court rejects Congress’s plea against tax reassessment

In a huge setback to the Congress ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the Delhi High Court on March 22 rejected its pleas challenging the reassessment proceedings initiated against it by the Income Tax department. The court said the I-T department “appears to have collated substantial and concrete evidence warranting further scrutiny and examination”.

AAP workers hit streets; police ramp up security; traffic goes into a tailspin

Central Delhi turned into a fortress as Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) workers reached Deen Dayal Upadhyay (DDU) Marg on Friday to protest against the arrest of their party chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Stalin launches campaign with scathing attack on PM Modi over electoral bonds, corruption

Chief Minister and DMK president M.K. Stalin hit the campaign trail for the Lok Sabha election on Friday with a blistering attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said that the electoral bonds scheme had turned out to be a “Himalayan scam” that had brought shame to the country.

Lalu Prasad shortlists candidates, may field daughter Rohini from Saran Lok Sabha seat

The Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) led by the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in Bihar is abuzz with talks that party chief Lalu Prasad is likely to field two of his daughters in the Lok Sabha election. Mr. Prasad could field eldest daughter Misa Bharti from Patliputra seat again and second daughter Rohini Acharya from Saran, said party sources.

Arrest of Kejriwal will only positively impact the INDIA bloc, says VCK chief Thirumavalavan

Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) president Thol. Thirumavalavan on Friday condemned the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the Delhi excise policy case but said it will only galvanise the Opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) in the upcoming Lok Sabha election.

Result of his own actions: Anna Hazare on Kejriwal’s arrest

Social activist Anna Hazare on March 22 said that he had cautioned Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, currently arrested in the excise policy case, to refrain from involvement in such policy matters. Mr. Hazare, a key figure in the Lokpal movement alongside Mr. Kejriwal in the early 2010s, stated that the Delhi Chief Minister’s arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) was a consequence of his own actions.

OBC leaders extend unconditional support for Congress

An umbrella organisation of backward classes outfits, representing the interest of other backward classes (OBC), called on Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday and announced its “unconditional support” to the INDIA bloc. Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi was also present at the meeting that took place in Mr. Kharge’s official residence.

Rights groups seek return of land taken away in Sandeshkhali

A collective of four civil rights organisations on Friday released a fact finding report on Sandeshkhali violence and demanded that the lands which have been forcibly taken from the villagers be returned and made cultivable at the expense of the State government. Sandeshkhali, a block in Sundarban and under the administrative control of North 24 Parganas district was on the boil over past several weeks over allegations of sexual assault.

Post surprise inspection, CBSE cancels affiliations of 20 schools citing malpractices

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has cancelled the affiliation of 20 schools across India on Friday, after it was revealed that these schools were involved in malpractices. The malpractices included presenting dummy students, ineligible candidates and not maintaining records properly, said Secretary, CBSE, Himanshu Gupta.

Arvind Kejriwal entitled to fair and impartial trial, says German Foreign Ministry

Germany on Friday became the first major global power to remind that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on Thursday has the right to a “fair and impartial trial.”

YouTuber Elvish Yadav gets bail in drugs case, to be taken to Gurugram from Noida jail today

A Gautam Buddh Nagar court granted bail to controversial YouTuber Siddharth Yadav alias Elvish Yadav in a drugs case on March 22, six days after he was lodged in a jail in Noida, his lawyers said. The jail authorities said they have received Mr. Yadav’s release order but he would be handed over on March 23 to the custody of a court in Haryana’s Gurugram, where he is to be produced in an assault case involving content creator Sagar Thakur alias Maxtern.

With Bhutan’s Gelephu project in mind, India to double assistance to ₹10,000 crore for next 5 years

India has decided to double Bhutan’s assistance over the next five years, from ₹5,000 crore in 2019-2024 to ₹10,000 crore for the period till 2029, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced in Thimphu on March 22. Mr. Modi made the announcement after he was awarded Bhutan’s highest honour, the ‘Order of the Druk Gyalpo’, which was announced in 2021, to acknowledge India’s role in ensuring “Bhutan’s success in managing the COVID-19 pandemic”.

Princess of Wales Kate Middleton says she is having chemotherapy after cancer discovery

Britain’s Princess of Wales Catherine “Kate” Middleton, said on March 22 she was undergoing preventative chemotherapy after tests taken following major abdominal surgery in January revealed cancer had been present. Princess Kate, 42, the wife of heir-to-the-throne Prince William, spent two weeks in hospital in January after having what her office said at the time was a successful, planned surgery for a non-cancerous but unspecified condition.

Simon Harris set to be Ireland’s youngest PM

Simon Harris, set to become Ireland’s youngest ever taoiseach (Prime Minister), will hope his social media skills and fresh face can save his party’s flagging fortunes as elections loom. Already dubbed by media the “TikTok Taoiseach” (pronounced “Tee-shock”), the 37-year-old beats the previous record holder, predecessor Leo Varadkar, who was 38 when he took the top job in 2017.

Russia and China veto U.S. resolution in UNSC calling for immediate ceasefire in Gaza

Russia and China on March 22 vetoed a U.S.-sponsored U.N. resolution calling for “an immediate and sustained cease-fire” in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza to protect civilians and enable humanitarian aid to be delivered to more than 2 million hungry Palestinians. The vote in the 15-member Security Council was 11 members in favor, three against and one abstention.

IPL-17; CSK vs RCB | Mustafizur and batters fashion CSK’s winning start

Ruturaj Gaikwad couldn’t have asked for a better start as captain of Chennai Super Kings as his side began its title defence in style with a comfortable six-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the opening game of IPL-17 at MAC Stadium on March 17. Chasing 174, CSK powered through to the target, riding on a series of cameos from its batters. Opener Rachin Ravindra set the ball rolling by blasting a quickfire 37 (15b, 3×4, 3×6) before Ajinkya Rahane, Daryl Mitchell, Shivam Dube, and Ravindra Jadeja chipped in with valuable contributions.

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The Hindu Morning Digest, March 21, 2024

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PM Modi cancels visit to Bhutan due to inclement weather

A day ahead of his planned departure, Prime Minister Narendra Modi put off his visit to Bhutan due to “inclement weather”, an announcement made simultaneously by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the Bhutanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday evening. The visit is being rescheduled, although no dates were given. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was due to land in Paro, Bhutan’s only international airport at present, and travel to the capital Thimphu on Thursday morning, and return by the same route on Friday morning. However, with heavy rain and possible snowfall in Paro predicted to continue on Thursday, officials said the visit had to be postponed.

Take ‘stringent action’ against Rahul Gandhi for ‘shakti’ remarks: BJP to Election Commission

The BJP on March 20 lodged a complaint with the Election Commission against Rahul Gandhi for his “fight against a shakti” remarks at a recent rally in Mumbai, and urged the poll panel to take “stringent action” against the Congress leader and issue directions for lodging an FIR against him.

Indian government probe found ‘rogue operatives’ involved in plot to kill Pannun, says media report

An Indian government investigation into the alleged plot to kill Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York City has found that “rogue operatives”, not authorised by the government, were involved, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday. Federal prosecutors in the U.S. had, in November, accused an Indian citizen, Nikhil Gupta, of plotting to kill Pannun at the behest of an Indian government official.

Government employees defer indefinite strike plan demanding restoration of the old pension scheme

The Joint Forum for Restoration of Old Pension Scheme (JFROPS), a platform of employees of the government and various public sector undertakings, has decided to defer the indefinite strike they had announced from May 1 demanding restoration of the old pension scheme.

With Congress yet to declare 18 candidates, BJP tries to make early gains in Madhya Pradesh

With the Congress yet to declare 18 candidates in Madhya Pradesh for the Lok Sabha election, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday stepped up its game to make early gains against the Opposition party. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, who is campaigning for the BJP candidates in Sidhi, Jabalpur and Mandla Lok Sabha constituencies, claimed that the Congress was unable to announce all the tickets as “even senior party leaders are not willing to contest the polls”.

Congress poll panel clears name of Sushil Kumar Shinde’s daughter for Solapur seat

The central election committee (CEC) of the Congress on Wednesday is believed to have cleared the names of 12 candidates from Maharashtra for the upcoming Lok Sabha election, including Praniti Shinde from Solapur, daughter of former Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde.

Jharkhand HC stays defamation case against Rahul Gandhi for one month

The Jharkhand High Court on March 20 stayed the 2018 defamation case filed against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for one month. On February 27, the MP-MLA Court of Chaibasa district had issued a non-bailable warrant against Mr. Gandhi and subsequently on March 14, the court had mandated the Congress leader for physical appearance, refusing his petition to make his appearance through a pleader.

CCI dismisses pleas of Indian app cos against Google’s new Play Store billing policy

Fair trade regulator CCI on March 20 dismissed four petitions of Indian app companies filed against Google’s new Play Store billing policy to levy an 11 to 26% charge on in-app payments. Indian-origin app firms alleged that Google’s Play Store payment policies are anti-competitive.

Remove all unauthorised political advertisements from public spaces, EC tells Centre, States

The Election Commission on March 20 asked both the Union and State governments to remove all unauthorised political advertisements, such as posters, wall writings, hoardings and banners, from public spaces like railway stations, bus stands, airports and government buses. In a letter to the Cabinet Secretary as well as Chief Secretaries of all States, the commission sought a compliance report in the matter by 5 p.m. on March 21.

NEET PG rescheduled to June 23 due to Lok Sabha elections

In view of the Lok Sabha elections, the National Medical Commission (NMC) on Wednesday rescheduled medical entrance exam NEET PG to June 23. The NEET PG 2024 was scheduled to be held on July 7.

Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev undergoes emergency brain surgery

Spiritual leader Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev underwent an emergency brain surgery at a private hospital in New Delhi, a statement from the hospital said on March 20. The surgery was carried out on March 17 to remove bleeding in the skull. Sadhguru was weaned off the ventilator post-surgery, the statement from Indraprastha Apollo Hospital said, adding he has shown “steady progress and his brain, body and vital parameters have improved”.

Kargil observes shutdown, holds rally to support activist Sonam Wangchuk’s ongoing fast for statehood to Ladakh

Ladakh’s Kargil town observed a shutdown and hundreds of locals came out in support of activist Sonam Wangchuk, whose climate-related fast in sub-zero temperature and under the open skies entered the 15th day on Wednesday, in a bid to press the Centre to grant Statehood and Sixth Schedule status to the four-year-old Union Territory (UT).

Former General with ties to past dictatorship confirmed as Indonesia’s next president

Prabowo Subianto, a former special forces general with ties to Indonesia’s current president and past dictatorship, was confirmed the victor of last month’s presidential election over two former governors who have vowed to contest the result in court. Mr. Subianto won 58.6% of the votes, while former Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan received 24.9% and former Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo got 16.5%, the General Election Commission said Wednesday after the official counting was completed.

A wooden boat carrying dozens of Rohingya Muslim migrants capsizes off Indonesia’s coast

A wooden boat carrying dozens of Rohingya Muslims capsized off Indonesia’s northernmost coast on Wednesday. Local fishermen rescued six refugees who said more people were still on the boat. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

China to launch ‘international manhunt’ to target officials involved in graft in BRI projects: Report

China plans to launch an “international manhunt” to target officials allegedly involved in corruption in the country’s ambitious decade-old multi-billion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a media report said March 20. The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), the Communist Party of China’s anti-corruption watchdog, made the call in a meeting on March 19 with multiple agencies involved in the cross-border corruption hunt, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported.

IPL Countdown | Super Kings will bank on consistency and inspirational leadership to defend crown

When Ravindra Jadeja hit the winning runs off the last ball of the final to help Chennai Super Kings (CSK) beat Gujarat Titans, and clinch its fifth title in Ahmedabad last year, there were wild celebrations but also a bit of trepidation in the air. There was a feeling that CSK’s talismanic captain, M.S. Dhoni, could well bid adieu to the game in style.

IPL Countdown | Spotlight on first-time skipper Gill as the Titans usher in a new era

When Gujarat Titans came into being in 2022, not many expected the side to find instant success. The competition in IPL was brutal, for in the 14 seasons until then, 11 had been won by just three teams. There were three others who had not touched any silverware in more than a decade’s existence.

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The Hindu Morning Digest, March 20, 2024

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Lokpal orders CBI probe into charges against Mahua Moitra

The Lokpal has directed the Central Bureau of Investigation to further probe the allegations made against former Lok Sabha member Mahua Moitra and submit a report on its findings within six months. “After careful evaluation and consideration of the entire material on record, there remains no doubt regarding the fact that the allegations levelled against the RPS (Respondent Public Servant), most of which are supported by cogent evidence, are extremely serious in nature, especially in view of the position held by her,” said the Lokpal’s judgment.

PM Modi, BJP slam Rahul Gandhi’s remarks on ‘Shakti’ as evidence that the Congress is anti-Hindu and anti-women

For the second successive day, the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi attacked the Congress party and Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi over his remarks on ‘Shakti’, making the issue an important theme in the party’s campaign for the Lok Sabha election. In Salem, the Prime Minister alleged at a public rally that the Congress and its allies, including Tamil Nadu’s ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), were out to “destroy Shakti”, but asserted that “they will get destroyed” instead.

Lok Sabha election | Congress plans to reach every household with 25 guarantees and ‘paanch nyay’

Asserting that the BJP’s guarantees for 2024 Lok Sabha polls would be another “India shining” moment, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) on March 19 urged its office-bearers to ensure that the party’s 25 guarantees and five pillars of justice or paanch nyay reached every household in India. After a three-hour discussion, the CWC approved the manifesto that will also include a section on electoral bonds. Former party chief Rahul Gandhi told the closed door CWC meeting that the electoral bond scheme had “exposed the BJP’s corruption and extortion tactics”.

SC directs States and Union Territories to give ration cards to 8 crore migrant workers

The Supreme Court on March 19 took exception to the delays in the implementation of its April 2023 order to provide ration cards to about eight crore migrant workers registered in the eShram portal but not covered under the National Food Security Act. The portal has 28.6 crore registrants. Of this, 20.63 crore find place in ration card data. A Bench led by Justice Hima Kohli directed States and Union Territories to provide ration cards to the remaining eight crore migrant and unorganised sector workers registered on the eShram portal in two months.

Schoolchildren at PM Modi’s Coimbatore road show | FIR registered, action to be taken against headmaster, report called for

The Sai Baba Colony Police registered a First Information Report (FIR) on Tuesday, against the management of a government-aided school for bringing schoolchildren to participate in a roadshow led by BJP leader and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Coimbatore on March 18.

Congress poll panel clears Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Kharge’s son-in-law as Lok Sabha candidates

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Congress leader and member from Baharampur in the outgoing Lok Sabha, is among the candidates whose names were cleared by the party’s central election committee (CEC). The CEC also cleared the name of Radhakrishnan D., the Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s son-in-law, as the party’s candidate for Gulbarga. Mr. Kharge had represented the seat in 2009 and 2014, but lost it in 2019.

Regulator snubs revenue projections at Adani-controlled Thiruvananthapuram Airport

The Adani-controlled Thiruvananthapuram Airport’s projection of revenue from non-aeronautical services such as the sale of food and beverages — used to subsidise costs levied on airlines and passengers — is just a “miniscule” 12% of the norm, according to the country’s airport tariff regulator. In fact, it is only a third of what the airport earned before privatisation.

Activist calls for border march in Ladakh to mark land lost to China

Around 10,000 people from Ladakh will march to the border along China this month to showcase how much land has been lost to the neighbouring country, climate activist and education reformer Sonam Wangchuk said on Tuesday. Mr. Wangchuk has been protesting in open in sub-zero temperature in Leh, surviving only on salt and water for the past 14 days, to demand constitutional safeguards for the Union Territory.

Railways earned ₹1,230 crore from cancelled waiting list tickets in span of 3 years

The Indian Railways clocked earnings of ₹1,229.85 crore from cancelled waiting list tickets between 2021 and 2024 (till January), a reponse to a query under the Right to Information Act has revealed. The Railway Ministry response to the RTI application filed by Madhya Pradesh-based activist Vivek Pandey also showed that earnings from this source have increased year on year.

21 lakh SIM cards in use have fake proof: DoT

At least 21 lakh SIM cards have been activated using fake proof of identity or proof of address documents, according to analysis carried out by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). In an alert sent to Bharti Airtel, MTNL, BSNL, Reliance Jio, and Vodafone Idea, the DoT provided a list of suspicious subscribers and called for an urgent re-verification of their documents, and disconnection of those found to be bogus.

Army repurposes 21 Signal Group to research futuristic communications tech

The Army has transformed the 21 Signals Group into the Signals Technology Evaluation and Adaptation Group (STEAG). It will function as an elite technology Unit which will research and evaluate futuristic communication technologies like AI, 5G, 6G, machine learning and quantum technologies for defence applications.

To solve for dietary preference of 100% vegetarians, Zomato introduces a ‘pure veg’ fleet

Food delivery platform Zomato on March 19 launched a “pure veg” delivery fleet that would deliver orders from restaurants that do not serve meat, fish or egg-based dishes. The fleet’s personnel are shown in promotional images wearing green uniforms and with green boxes on their bikes, and the company will not assign “pure veg” delivery partners to any orders from restaurants where food is not exclusively vegetarian.

Former Mumbai police officer gets life imprisonment in fake encounter case

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday awarded a life sentence to former Mumbai police officer Pradeep Sharma in the case related to the fake encounter killing of an alleged member of convicted gangster Chhota Rajan in 2006. The court also upheld the life sentence to 13 others, 12 of whom are police personnel (Dilip Palande, Nitin Sartape, Ganesh Harpude, Anand Patade, Prakash Kadam, Devidas Sakpal, Pandurang Kokam, Ratnakar Kamble, Sandeep Sardar, Tanaji Desai, Pradeep Suryavanshi and Vinayak Shinde) and one a civilian (Hitesh Solanki).

Police shoot dead man accused of murdering two minors in Uttar Pradesh

Police shot dead a man accused of murdering two boys aged 12 and 6 in Budaun district of Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday. A mob set ablaze a shop belonging to the accused man. Tension gripped Badaun district as news of the murder spread. The accused man, Mohd. Sajid, is said to have slit the throats of the minors who were brothers and also injured a third brother, aged 8, who managed to escape and share the horror with his parents.

UN chief ‘alarmed’ by reports civilians killed in Myanmar air strikes

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres has said he is “alarmed” by reports of ongoing Myanmar military air strikes on villages in Rakhine state, where locals told AFP more than 20 people were killed on March 18. Clashes have rocked Myanmar’s western Rakhine state since the Arakan Army (AA) attacked security forces in November, ending a ceasefire that had largely held since the military’s 2021 coup.

Trump says Jews who vote for Democrats ‘hate Israel’ and their religion

Former President Donald Trump on Monday charged that Jews who vote for Democrats “hate Israel” and hate “their religion,” igniting a firestorm of criticism from the White House and Jewish leaders. Mr. Trump, in an interview, had been asked about Democrats’ growing criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his handling of the war in Gaza as the civilian death toll continues to mount.

World Meteorological Organisation confirms 2023 as ‘hottest year’

In line with a host of observations by climate agencies in the preceding three months, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has officially confirmed 2023 to be the hottest year on record. The State of Global Climate Report, published Tuesday, stated that the global average near-surface temperature was 1.45 degrees Celsius (with a margin of uncertainty of ± 0.12 degrees Celsius) above the pre-industrial baseline. It was the warmest ten-year period on record.

Israel may be using starvation as ‘weapon of war’: U.N.

The U.N. said on March 19 that Israel’s severe restrictions on aid into war-ravaged Gaza coupled with its military offensive could amount to using starvation as a “weapon of war”, which would be a “war crime”. United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk denounced the rampant hunger and looming famine in Gaza.

IPL | I would like to see Dhoni smash the ball the way he loves to, says Vijay

Sameer Rizvi made the headlines in December 2023 when he became the most expensive uncapped player at the IPL auction. He was bought by Chennai Super Kings for a whopping 8.40 cr. The promising youngster from Uttar Pradesh is known for his power-hitting abilities in the middle-order, making him the ideal player to fill the role that Ambati Rayudu played for the five-time champion.

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The Hindu Morning Digest, March 16, 2024

Post By World Abdul Khaleque, Adani wind power project Sri Lanka, Citizenship Amendment Act Supreme Court, Delhi liquor policy case, Dornier aircraft, electoral bond ED raids, Gautam Adani Hindenburg, Kavitha BRS arrested, LIC staff wage revision, new elections Commissioners, Nitish Kumar cabinet expansion, Pocso case BY yediyurappa, Santiago Martin electoral bonds, The Hindu, the hindu morning digest, the hindu news, Viksit Bharat railway

BRS leader K Kavitha being arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) from her residence in connection with the Delhi excise policy-linked money laundering case, in Hyderabad, on March 15, 2024.
| Photo Credit: PTI

BRS MLC K. Kavitha arrested after ED searches at her Hyderabad residence

In a dramatic development that stretched through the day, the Enforcement Directorate officials arrested Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) Member of the Legislative Council (MLC) Kalvakuntla Kavitha in connection with the Delhi Liquor Policy scam case. She has been arrested under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

U.S. probing Gautam Adani and Adani Group over potential bribery: report

The United States has widened its investigation of Adani Group to focus on the conduct of its founder, Gautam Adani, and whether the company may have engaged in bribery, Bloomberg News reported. Prosecutors are digging into whether an Adani entity or people linked to the company, including Mr. Adani, were involved in paying officials in India for favourable treatment on an energy project, the report said.

Supreme Court agrees to hear plea for stay of Citizenship (Amendment) Act, its rules on March 19

The Supreme Court agreed to hear on March 19 pleas to stay the operation of the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), 2019 and its rules, notified on March 11, which fast-track the grant of Indian citizenship to non-Muslim migrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

New Election Commissioners take charge

Former bureaucrats Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu assumed charge as Election Commissioners, a day before the poll body is scheduled to announce the dates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. This is the first time that Election Commissioners have been appointed in accordance with the new Chief Election Commissioner and other Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023, which was brought in by the Government in December last year.

CID to probe POCSO case against BSY

The State government has handed over the case against former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, registered under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (POCSO), to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). The order was issued by Director-General & Inspector-General of Police Alok Mohan on Friday afternoon, but the case is yet to be handed over to the CID. This decision came hours after Home Minister G. Parameshwara confirmed that the city police had registered a case against the former Chief Minister.

Santiago Martin aka Lottery King | The business tycoon who topped the list of electoral bond donors

Over five years, Future Gaming and Hotel Services PR donated a whopping ₹1,368 crore in electoral bonds. The Coimbatore-based company founded in 1991 by Santiago Martin, aka Lottery King, emerged on top in the list of donors to political parties released by the Election Commission, thanks to the Supreme Court which ordered the State Bank of India to release the data. Santiago Martin, founder and chairman of Martin Group of companies, rose from being a simple trader to head one of the largest business empires, mostly involved in lottery.

Adani wind power project sparks concern in Sri Lanka’s Mannar district

A wind power project being executed by Adani Green Energy in northern Sri Lanka has run into controversy, with locals and environmentalists raising concern over its possible impact on the coastal region and livelihoods. In February last year, Sri Lanka’s Board of Investment cleared the company’s $ 442-million project at two wind energy-rich sites in the island’s Northern Province.

Viksit Bharat: Indian Railways to create mega terminals, hubs

The Indian Railways will create mega railway terminals with multi-modal connectivity in aspirational cities with population of more than 10 lakh across the country. The programme is part of the infrastructure being developed for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Viksit Bharat’ initiative. According to official sources, the Railway Board has communicated to General Managers of all Zonal Railways that the project could also be extended to cities where sizeable population was expected.

Huge assumption to link ED raids with electoral bond purchases, says Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman dismissed suggestions that electoral bonds were purchased by many corporates to “save themselves” from investigative agencies’ probes, arguing there is a probability that these bonds had been either transferred to regional parties or were donated to the ruling party before the said probes began. “For all you know, that money was given earlier and yet, we went knocking at their door. Am I making sense? No?!… What if the companies gave the money and after that, we still went and knocked at their doors through the ED… Is that a probability or not?” the Minister said.

Electoral bonds are quid pro quo: AIMIM chief Owaisi

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi said his party did not receive a single electoral bond, and described those that did receive them as having sold themselves to buyers, and indicated that there exists a quid pro quo. He claimed that if a company purchases an electoral bond for any party, it does not do so for nothing. “When they [EB donors] are giving, then Modi is giving something to them [in return]. All parties are saying: you give me, I will give you everything. You give me a bond, take in return whatever you like (sic),” he said.

MoD signs ₹2,890-crore contract with HAL for midlife upgrade of Dornier aircraft

The Ministry of Defence signed a contract worth ₹2,890 crore with the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for the midlife upgrade of 25 Dornier patrol aircraft of the Indian Navy. In addition, this upgrade will also enable the aircraft to carry out secondary roles of search and rescue, casualty evacuation and communication linking. The upgrade is likely to generate an employment of 1.8 lakh man-days during its execution span of 6.5 years, the statement said

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar expands Cabinet; 12 BJP and nine JD(U) Ministers sworn in

A day before the Lok Sabha election date is to be announced, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar expanded his Cabinet, inducting nine Ministers from his party JD(U) and 12 from the ruling ally BJP. Earlier, along with Mr. Kumar and two Deputy Chief Ministers from the BJP quota, six other Ministers were in the Cabinet, which can have a maximum of 36 Ministers in the 243-member Assembly. The Cabinet expansion comes 46 days after the new NDA government was formed in the State on January 28, 2024 after Mr. Kumar severed ties with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and rejoined hands with the BJP.

Assam Congress MP Abdul Khaleque resigns after being denied Lok Sabha ticket

Assam MP and former journalist Abdul Khaleque resigned from the primary membership of Congress after the party declined to field him again from the Barpeta parliamentary constituency. In a letter to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, he said Congress attracted him 25 years ago because of its ideologies and the “selfless sacrifice” of its leaders leading to the country’s independence.

Centre’s okays wage revision for LIC staff, overall hike at 17%

The Centre has approved wage revision of LIC employees with effect from August 1, 2022, a decision that will result in a 17% increase in wage bill of the State-owned insurance major. More than 1.10 lakh LIC employees will benefit from the revision that incorporates an enhancement in NPS contribution from 10-14% “for a better future” of nearly 24,000 employees who had joined after April 1, 2010, LIC said on Friday.

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The Hindu Morning Digest, March 15, 2024

Post By World B.S. Yediyurappa POCSO, CAA, Citizenship Amendment Act, Electoral Bonds, Electoral Bonds data, Electoral Bonds donor, Electoral Bonds list, electoral bonds supreme court, Electoral Bonds top donor, Eurasian Economic Union FTA, Hardeep Singh Nijjar Canada, Himachal Pradesh women pension, Mamata Banerjee injury, petrol-diesel price, Rahul Gandhi Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, The Hindu, the hindu morning digest, the hindu news, The Hindu top news

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.

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