India’s first Uniform Civil Code gets nod in Uttarakhand
The Uttarakhand assembly on Wednesday passed the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill 2024 by voice vote to become the first state to pass such a law, with Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami terming it an “historic moment” for the country.
“After we get approval from President Droupadi Murmu, we will start the process for its implementation in the state,” he said.
The proposed law overrides several national laws on marriage and property inheritance.
Officials refused to give a time frame for implementation, saying drafting of the rules will start only after the President approves the bill.
No more free movement on India-Myanmar border
Citing “internal security”, the Union Home Ministry on Thursday recommended the suspension of the India-Myanmar Free Movement Regime, which allows citizens from both nations to cross the border and travel up to 16km into the other without travel documents.
“It is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “resolve to secure our borders,” Home Minister Amit Shah said. “The Free Movement Regime (will) be scrapped to ensure internal security of the country, and to maintain demographic structure of north-eastern states.”
Earlier this week, Mr Shah said India would fence the entire 1,643km Myanmar border as part of the Modi government’s plan for “impenetrable borders”, and build a patrolling track next to the barrier.
Srinagar militant attack leaves Amritsar resident dead
Terrorists in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, opened fire on a worker from Amritsar in Habba Kadal area on Wednesday.
The man, identified as Mr Amritpal Singh, was injured and later died.
Another man was grievously injured in the firing. He is receiving medical treatment.
Court slams presiding officer’s conduct in Chandigarh polls
Days after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) approached the Supreme Court alleging “cheating” in the results of Chandigarh mayoral polls, the court on Monday slammed the conduct of the presiding officer and called it a “mockery of democracy”.
The court observed that the returning officer Anil Masih must be prosecuted as he was clearly seen defacing the ballot papers on video.
The AAP had alleged that he defaced the ballot papers to declare its votes invalid and announced Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Manoj Sonkar as the winner.
Indian embassy worker arrested in Uttar Pradesh for spying
The Uttar Pradesh anti-terrorism unit has arrested an employee of the Indian embassy in Moscow for allegedly spying on behalf of Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI.
Satendra Siwal was arrested in Meerut, a city in Uttar Pradesh, on Sunday.
The resident of Shahmahiuddinpur village in Hapur was working in the Ministry of External Affairs.
Ladakh shuts down as thousands march for statehood
A complete shutdown was observed across Ladakh on Sunday as thousands marched demanding statehood and constitutional protections under the sixth schedule for the Union Territory.
Protests were jointly organised by the Leh Apex Body and Kargil Democratic Alliance.
The Central government has already constituted a high-powered committee, headed by Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai, to address the demands of the people.
RBI refuses to offer concessions to Paytm Payments Bank
One97 Communications, which runs Paytm, may have to start preparing for life without its payments bank after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) refused to offer any concessions sought by founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma during his meeting with the Central bank’s officials on Wednesday.
While the RBI has not hinted at the possibility of cancelling the licence given to Paytm for the payments bank, industry observers don’t rule it out once the Feb 29 deadline is over.
On January 31, the RBI told Paytm Payments Bank to stop accepting new deposits from March citing supervisory concerns and non-compliance of rules.
India to remain on alert for ‘hot money’ after bond index inclusion
India will monitor flows of foreign funds after its inclusion into JPMorgan’s emerging market debt index and will take steps to avoid “hot money” that can trigger volatility in its currency and bond markets, a senior government official said.
“We will keep monitoring it, and when necessary, steps will be taken,” senior finance ministry official T.V. Somanathan told Reuters.
The aim will be to “prevent volatility or volatile inflows” but “never” to restrict outflows, he said, adding that “all possibilities are open to keep volatility in check”.
Last year, JPMorgan announced it will include some Indian bonds in the Government Bond Index-Emerging Markets and its index suite from June, which could lead to incremental inflows of around US$23 billion.
UP government moves to stop fraud in mass marriage scheme
The Uttar Pradesh government has decided to link the details of newly wed couples with national identity records to prevent a repeat of the fraud committed in Ballia last month during the Chief Minister’s mass marriage scheme in which 240 ineligible people enrolled themselves to derive benefits, said state Social Welfare Minister Asim Arun.
“The government will give marriage certificates to couples on the spot,” he said. “The photo of the bride and groom will be on it. But we should do a check on the spot to see if any other girl has come in place of the bride.”
The fraud took place at a mass marriage ceremony on Jan 25 in Maniyar, Ballia district. The police have arrested 16 people in connection with the case.
Man stoned to death following fight during cricket match
A 24-year-old man died on Sunday after he was allegedly hit on the head by stones flung by three men following an argument during a cricket match at Noida Extension, near New Delhi, on Sunday.
Mr Sumit, 24, fell into a drain while trying to escape from the trio and was attacked again.
Police launched a probe after they received a complaint from the family of the victim, who hailed from Meerut district in Uttar Pradesh.
High on drugs, Kerala couple slam into several cars
A couple who recklessly drove their car under the alleged influence of drugs on Tuesday and hit several vehicles near Kottayam in Kerala was caught after a crane was used to block the road they were moving on, police said.
The accused, identified as Arun and his wife Dhanusha from Kayamkulam, were taken into custody.
Locals tried to stop them, but the couple did not slow down, the police said. Police then rushed to the scene and eventually stopped the rogue car by parking a crane across the road.
