Polity

Amit Shah counters opposition charge that amendments will pack NHRC with ‘yes men’ The Protection of Human Rights (Amendment) Bill, 2019 was cleared by a voice vote in the Rajya Sabha amid criticism from the Opposition that the legislation will ensure that only the government’s nominees are appointed to the …

Lok Sabha clears amendments, MPs of various parties call it the ‘RTI Elimination Bill’ The Lok Sabha on Monday passed the Right to Information (Amendment) Bill, 2019 three days after it was introduced. It seeks to amend the landmark transparency law and bring in changes involving the salaries and tenures …

Speaker sets 6 p.m. Tuesday deadline for vote after debates go on till close to midnight Five days after the motion of confidence was moved by Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, a vote in the Assembly was yet again deferred by a day after a heated debate continued till close …

Congress, JD(S) Ministers block trust vote citing SC hearing on petitions Five days after the motion of confidence was moved in the Karnataka Assembly by Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, a heated debate continued till late on Monday with the ruling coalition partners — the Congress and the JD(S) — locked …

Electoral bonds worth Rs. 5,851.41 crore were bought by donors to fund political parties between March 2018 and May 2019, of which 80.6% were redeemed in New Delhi, where the headquarters of major parties are located, reply to an RTI query has revealed. Chandrashekhar Goud, an RTI activist based in …

Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik on Sunday asked militants to stop killing innocent people, including security personnel, and rather target “those who have looted the wealth of Kashmir for years”. The statement evoked severe criticism from mainstream politicians. “These boys who have picked up guns are killing their …

Voting sees a jump from 4% in 2014 Having sent postal ballots to service voters electronically for the first time in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Election Commission of India on Sunday said the one-way electronic transmission had enabled 60.14% turnout of such voters. In comparison, an EC statement …

New Delhi wants to move away from past set pieces, break political hegemonies and put different actors on the political chessboard The ongoing Parliament session saw the extension of President’s Rule in Jammu and Kashmir by another six months. At the same time, Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke of …

No power on world can stop it, says Defence Minister on the 20th anniversary of the Kargil War Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said the Kashmir problem was “bound to be solved”. The Minister is in Jammu and Kashmir on the 20th anniversary of the Kargil War. “ Kashmir …

M.A. Khader alleges bid to centralise education sector The proposal in the draft National Education Policy (NEP) 2019 of the Narendra Modi government to develop “national textbooks” may take away the freedom and autonomy of States, M.A. Khader, former head, Curriculum group, National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT), …