Government Policy

CM, Finance Minister welcome move; leaders of communities concerned sniff an ‘election gimmick’ Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Tuesday welcomed the Union Cabinet’s nod for granting Scheduled Tribe status to six communities listed as Other Backward Classes in Assam. Leaders of these communities, however, were more sceptical than happy …

It allows regulated use of genetic information to establish identity of persons The Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed a bill that allows regulated use of DNA technology to establish the identity of certain defined categories of persons, including offenders, suspects, and undertrials. The DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill …

Allows U.S. firm to pursue patent suit on Bt cotton variants The Supreme Court on Tuesday set aside a Delhi High Court Division Bench decision that held that U.S. agro major Monsanto did not have patent for its genetically modified BT cotton seed variants and had allowed it to claim …

If the Supreme Court rejects the idea, the reservation can be provided only by eating into the SC, ST and OBC quota share Who will the new 10% quota apply to? To all those who are not covered in existing quotas and have a family income below Rs. 8 lakh …

Shutdown called by several organisations against Citizenship (Amendment) Bill Violence marked Tuesday’s 11-hour shutdown across States in the northeast, called by several organisations against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016. In Tripura, at least six tribal protesters were injured, two critically, as violence erupted near Agartala during a highway blockade called …

Descibes decision as a ‘political illusion’ and an ‘election stunt’ Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Tuesday welcomed the 10% reservation announced for economically weaker sections of the general category but questioned the timing of the decision by the Narendra Modi government months before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. She …

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday accused the Janata Dal (S)-Congress coalition government in the State of “indirectly” supporting the bandh by declaring holiday for schools and colleges. Addressing a press conference here, BJP State general secretary N. Ravi Kumar questioned the need for declaring holiday for schools and putting …

Rajnath stresses need to shelter persecuted minorities The Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019, that seeks to provide citizenship to non-Muslims from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who introduced the Bill in the Lok Sabha, said the six communities — Hindus, Jains, …

‘We will send further details once joint survey is completed’ The State government has sought Rs. 2,400 crore from the Centre as drought relief, Revenue Minister R.V. Deshpande told presspersons in Chandaragi village in Belagavi district on Tuesday. He said that the State government had identified 156 taluks as drought-hit …

Lok Sabha on Monday passed a Bill seeking to remove leprosy as ground for divorce stating that this was a “discriminatory” provision for a disease that is now curable. “Leprosy is being removed as a ground for divorce as it is now a curable disease as against the earlier notion …

A three-judge Bench, led by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, is scheduled on January 8 to pronounce its judgment on a petition filed by exiled CBI Director Alok Verma against his “overnight” divestment from the top position in the country’s premier investigation agency. The Bench, which also comprises Justices …

The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Election Commission to respond to a plea that the counts from electronic voting machines and voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) units should be cross-verified in at least 30% randomly chosen polling stations in each Assembly and Lok Sabha constituency, especially in light …

The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the contentious Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2016 recommended that the Assam government should help settle migrants “especially in places which are not densely populated, thus, causing lesser impact on the demographic changes and providing succour to the indigenous Assamese people”. The Bill paves the way …

A proposed law, which got Cabinet approval on Monday, to provide 10% reservation for upper castes (or the unreserved category) exclusively with reference to their economic backwardness may run into rough weather if challenged in the Supreme Court. A nine-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court in the Indira Sawhney …

A stint in the National Cadet Corps has to be made compulsory in all educational institutions, said Vice-President M.Venkaiah Naidu, speaking to NCC cadets at the inaugural ceremony of the Republic Day camp on Monday. Source : https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/ncc-has-to-be-made-compulsory-venkaiah/article25936479.ece

The Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) on Monday decided to snap its two-year-old alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Assam after the Joint Parliamentary Committee submitted its report on the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, in Parliament. However, the AGP’s departure is unlikely to affect the Sarbananda Sonowal-led government as …

Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan has convened the joint session of Telangana legislature to meet at 11.30 a.m. on January 19. The State government had also issued separate notifications in this regard for the Assembly and Legislative Council in the name of Mr. Narasimhan on Monday. Source : https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/joint-session-on-june-19/article25936594.ece

The Union Cabinet on Monday approved a Constitution Amendment Bill to provide 10% reservation to the economically backward sections in the general category, a senior government official said. The Bill will also cover those from the Muslim, Sikh, Christian, Buddhist and other minority communities. The quota will be over and …

Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday hinted that the government may opt for a vote on account instead of a full-fledged Budget in February. “As we are all aware that before the election the government normally just goes for vote on account — only for few days. That will …

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has instructed all District Magistrates to ensure stray cattle and destitute cows are sent to shelters homes “under any condition” by January 10. Source : https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/send-stray-cattle-to-shelters-within-a-week-adityanath/article25904784.ece