GS-II

An inter-State portability for ration cards has been launched for Rajasthan and Haryana to facilitate the distribution of foodgrains to beneficiaries of the National Food Security scheme. Labourers in the unorganised sector, migrating from one State to the other in search of work, will mainly benefit from the scheme. While …

NC, Congress and J&KPP members in the region let off with strictures on public statements regarding Article 370; no relief for Valley detainees With the announcement of the Block Development Council (BDC) polls amid growing outrage over continued political detentions, the J&K government on Tuesday released seven senior leaders of …

Indian legal demands for content removal are the fourth highest in the world Despite rising censorship of Twitter posts and accounts on the basis of legal demands from the Indian government, law enforcement agencies and others over the last five years, the lack of transparency behind suspensions, blocked tweets and …

Tells allies to forgo deals with Russia On a day when External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had said that he was “reasonably convinced” of persuading the U.S. to accept India’s decision on the purchase of the Russian S-400 missile defence system, U.S. officials warned that any such purchases may risk …

Mahatma’s dream of ‘Clean Bharat’ fulfilled by government, he says On the occasion of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared the country open defecation-free, claiming success for the government’s initiative under which every household now apparently has access to a toilet. “I am satisfied …

Deadlock continues as main parties fail to reach consensus Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suffered a major political setback on Tuesday when results of parliamentary election were out. Mr. Netanyahu, Israel’s longest serving Prime Minister who was in power for 10 consecutive years and was hoping to win a fifth …

The proposal, made by the Prime Minister’s allies, did not find many takers at Cabinet meeting Backers of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Thursday proposed abolishing the country’s highly-controversial executive presidency, but with few takers in the Cabinet it was thwarted, according to those present at the discussion. The move …

Iranian regime’s threatening behaviour will not be tolerated, says Secretary of State Pompeo U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Thursday that America backs Saudi Arabia’s “right to defend itself” after a weekend attack targeted the heart of its oil industry, comments coming after he described the assault as …

Trump and Modi may announce a limited package of trade-related agreements at Houston event India and the U.S. are expected to announce the resolution of some of their trade-related differences on medical equipment caps, ICT (information and communication technology) tariffs and market access for agricultural produce. They are in discussions …

Prime Minister Modi sees attempts from across the border to spread violence in the State Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said it was time to build a new Kashmir after the scrapping of Article 370, and the country should unite as one towards this. “Earlier, the slogan used to …

‘Avoid meetings with foreign colleagues’ Foreign spies keen to get their hands on Russian research are monitoring Russian scientists around the clock, the Kremlin said on Wednesday, after experts denounced a new security decree as a Soviet throwback. The Kremlin’s comments came after scientists criticised a Ministry directive calling on …

Ranil, Sajith Premadasa and Karu Jayasuriya are in the fray Days after former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa named his brother Gotabaya Rajapaksa as opposition presidential candidate, the battle over candidacy within the United National Party (UNP) has intensified, with no indication of a decision yet. While UNP legislators point …

India and Pakistan should bilaterally resolve the Kashmir issue, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday. The statement came during a phone call that Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi made to his Russian counterpart. “The Russian side emphasised the need for deescalation of tensions, and that there is …

“But people have taken advantage. Like, for instance, they view certain countries — like China, India, many countries — for a long time, they viewed them as ‘they’re growing’,” Mr. Trump said, adding that these countries had now grown and had “tremendous advantages”. “But we’re not letting that happen anymore, …

Pak. is keeping a sinister eye on Jammu & Kashmir, he says India carried out air strikes on a terrorist training camp at Balakot in Pakistan before it could plan another Pulwama-like attack, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Wednesday.“Our neighbour is continuously keeping a sinister eye on Jammu and …

This will avoid a dip in iron production The Union Environment Ministry plans to provide “temporary” forest clearances to prospective bidders for mines whose leases are set to expire in March 2020. The bulk of such mines are located in Odisha and Karnataka. Officials said that the Environment Ministry would …

ODF+ phase will focus on waste management In a nascent effort to look beyond toilets and kick off its ODF+ phase — that is, Open Defecation Free Plus — focussing on solid and liquid waste management, the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (SBA) has included the prevalence of plastic litter and water-logging …

The Indian Air Force (IAF) personnel who were part of the February 26 Balakot air strike on a Jaish-e-Mohammad terror training camp in Pakistan and the air engagement a day after have been awarded gallantry medals on the eve of Independence Day. Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman has been awarded Vir …

‘Articles 370 and 35A were likechains that kept people tied’ Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday that he wanted to assure the people of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh that these areas would develop as per their wishes. “For years, intimidation ruled the roost. Let us now give development …

‘People can enjoy progressive laws’ President Ram Nath Kovind on Wednesday said the recent changes to Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and Ladakh will bring “immense benefits” to the people by allowing them to enjoy the same rights and privileges as citizens in the rest of the country, including progressive laws …