Category: India

From lychings to child rape, key issues in government focus this month

Editor

The government had a packed July with Parliament in session and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Africa visit. It had to negotiate turbulent ties between Washington and Moscow and had to ensure a strong domestic policy agenda ahead of key state and national elections. In the monthly government dashboard, We examine key developments across central government ministries through July and what lies ahead. MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS MINISTER: SUSHMA SWARAJ BIG ISSUE: Modi on July 26 met Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of BRICS summit in South Africa. The…

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Assam final NRC draft released – Over 40 lakh not on final draft list of Indian Citizens

Editor

The names of around 40 lakh of 3.29 crore applicants were missing from the Supreme-Court mandated final draft of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) released on Monday. The NRC has been updated for the first time since 1951 to account for illegal migration from neighbouring Bangladesh. Claims and objections from those not included in the final draft list will be taken up from August 30 to September 28, said officials adding that no one would be deported or arrested as this is only a draft. The complete list would…

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Flooded ICU at Patna’s Nalanda hospital has patients, and fish

Editor

Heavy showers in Patna for last two days have not only aggravated the woes of residents, especially in low lying areas, but also put the lives of patients at Nalanda Medical College Hospital (NMCH) at risk after rain water gushed into the ICU and general wards of the hospital, Saturday evening. On Sunday, the ICU was in knee deep water with small fish and insects visible in the rain water creating an unusual sight for the attendants of patients and nurses. The nurses and para medical staff at the hospital…

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Every Hindu should have at least five children: BJP MLA Surendra Singh

Editor

A child is a gift from god and every Hindu should have at least five, two for the man, two for the woman and one surplus, Surendra Singh, BJP MLA from Uttar Pradesh, has said. Hindus will become a minority if there is “no balance” in population control, the legislator from Bairia, who earlier this month said rape cannot be curbed even if Lord Ram descends on earth, told reporters last night. “Hindus should have at least five children. Two for the man, two for the woman and one surplus.…

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Maratha bandh begins with protest marches, buses targeted in Thane, Navi Mumbai

Editor

Stone-pelting and protests were reported from a few places in Mumbai on Wednesday as the state braced for a bandh called by the Maratha Kranti Morcha demanding reservation for the community in Maharashtra. The Morcha activists took out marches and held up traffic at several places as the shutdown began in Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, and several other areas of Maharashtra on Wednesday morning. The train services are running as usual and security has been beefed up at several stations. Nearly 40 Railway Protection Force and Government Railway Police personnel…

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No Haj for Muslims if they create obstacles in construction of Ram Temple: BJP MLA Brijbhushan Rajput

Editor

BJP MLA from Charkhari, Brijbhushan Rajput, warned Muslims that they won’t be allowed to go on Haj pilgrimage if they create obstacles in the construction of Ram Temple in Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya. He issued the warning through a video on his Facebook page. “The Muslim community should respect the feelings (on the issue of Ram Temple) of 100 crore Hindus in the country. If they don’t do so, we will not respect their feelings too,” he said. “If they (Muslims) create hindrance or stop construction of Ram Temple, their Haj…

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Govt spent 1484 crore on flights, maintenance for PM Modi’s foreign trips since 2014

Editor

Narendra Modi visited a total of 84 countries in 42 foreign trips since taking over as Prime Minister in May 2014. Beginning from June 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has visited 84 countries, and the expenditure incurred on chartered flights, maintenance of aircraft and hotline facilities amounts to RS. 1,484, according to government. The details of Modi’s foreign travel expenditure under the three heads were shared in the Rajya Sabha by minister of state for external affairs VK Singh. According to the data, a total of Rs 1088.42 crore was…

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RSS-affiliate Rashtriya Muslim Manch sponsored Namaz on river bank called off after protest in Ayodhya

Editor

There were also rumours about Rashtriya Muslim Manch cancelling the event under pressure from the district administration. The Rashtriya Muslim Manch cancelled the grand namaz and Quran recitation session on the banks of Saryu river in Ayodhya scheduled for Thursday after some saints objected to it. “This programme was planned to bolster the unity between the two communities but since few people had reservations against it, the place has been changed,” said Muslim Rashtriya Manch leader Shabana Azmi. According to reports, some saints and a priest from Hanumangadhi Raju Das…

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If BJP wins 2019 polls, India will become Hindu Pakistan: Shashi Tharoor

Editor

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday said that if Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wins 2019 Lok Sabha elections, it will create a condition leading to the formation of a ‘Hindu Pakistan’. Addressing an event in Thiruvananthapuram, Tharoor further stated that the BJP will write a new Constitution which will pave the way for a nation, much like Pakistan, where rights of minorities are not respected. “If they (BJP) win a repeat in the Lok Sabha, our democratic constitution as we understand it will not survive as they will have all…

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After triple talaq, Centre targets nikah halala and polygamy

Editor

After moving to criminalise instant triple talaq + , the Centre is all set to throw its weight behind a clutch of petitions filed in the Supreme Court to declare “nikah halala” and polygamy “unconstitutional”. Sources said the Centre would extend its support to petitioners when the matter comes up next in the SC, which earlier this year agreed to hear the petitions. Nikah halala is a controversial practice which forbids adivorced couple from remarrying until the woman marries someone else, consummates her new marriage and gets divorced or widowed.…

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