GS-II

India has welcomed the decision of the U.S. government to grant it the status of a trading partner equivalent to its closest allies in the NATO. This decision is likely to boost India’s defence trade with the U.S. The Ministry of External Affairs, in a statement, said it proved India’s …

The Supreme Court on Tuesday made it clear that it cannot direct doctors to perform genital mutilation of minor girls of the Dawoodi Bohra Muslim community and questioned the “scientific justification”, if any, behind the procedure. A Bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra, which was hearing a PIL plea …

Former Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has reminded the Sarbananda Sonowal government of the commitment to clarify its stand on the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, “now that the updated draft of the National Register of Citizens has been published”. The complete NRC draft, published on Monday, excluded 40,07,707 people from …

The tenure of the Joint Parliamentary Committee examining the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 has been extended till the last week of the winter session of Parliament, when it is expected to submit its report. The Bill proposes citizenship to six persecuted minorities — Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, Parsis, Christians and …

The complete draft of the updated National Register of Citizens (NRC) has proved to be a great leveller, as it excluded people across the social spectrum — from daily-wagers and marginal farmers to soldiers and MLAs. Among the 40,07,707 people dropped from the list allegedly for lack of proper documents …

Union Finance Minister Piyush Goyal has written to the Joint Parliamentary Committee studying on the controversial Financial Resolution and Deposit Insurance (FRDI) Bill, stating his intention to withdraw it. The Joint Parliamentary Committee has also reportedly given its approval for the withdrawal of the Bill, following which the government will …

Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Deb on Tuesday said his State does not face the problem of illegal immigrants. Mr. Deb, who was in Nagpur to meet Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat, claimed 98% people of Tripura have Aadhaar cards. “The remaining people will also get their Aadhaar numbers soon. …

The Union Home Ministry has sent an advisory to State governments to enumerate, observe and collect biometric data of Rohingya migrants living in India, and told the Lok Sabha that the government had received reports of their involvement in illegal activities. The government also made it clear that Rohingya were …

The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed authorities not to initiate any ‘action’ against 40 lakh persons left out of the draft Assam National Register of Citizens (NRC) published on July 30. The Bench ordered the government, in consultation with State NRC Coordinator Prateek Hajela, to frame a ‘fair’ standard operating …