Modi says deal an ‘historic’ accord
The Central government on Monday signed a peace deal with the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah), a Naga separatist group, hoping to end one of India’s longest-running insurgencies. The signing, which took place following nearly two decades of peace talks, was attended by top leaders from both sides, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and NSCN(I-M) leader Thuingaleng Muivah. While it was not clear how the agreement would incorporate the NSCN(I-M)’s demand for the integration of all Naga-inhabited areas in the North East, government officials said the details of the treaty and its implementation would be made public soon. Calling the deal an “historic” accord, Modi said it marked “the beginning of a new future”. However, the government still has to deal with another faction of the NSCN, the NSCN (Khaplang), which broke its ceasefire agreement and killed 18 soldiers during an ambush in Manipur in June.
25 Congress MPs suspended from Lok Sabha
Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Monday suspended 25 Congress MPs from the House for “persistently and wilfully” obstructing Parliamentary proceedings. The MPs, suspended for five sittings of the House, were removed after they picketed the well of the Lok Sabha. They accused Mahajan of planning the suspensions in advance and called it an attempt by the Narendra Modi-led government to divide the opposition. Responding to the suspension, the Congress said that all its legislators will boycott the Lok Sabha for the next five days. Party President Sonia Gandhi reached out to the leaders of other opposition parties for supporting the Congress in its decision. The suspensions were ordered almost two hours after the all-party-meeting called by the government failed to break the ongoing logjam in Parliament.
Government agrees to drop controversial Land Bill amendments
The Narendra Modi-led Central government on Monday agreed to drop most of its controversial amendments to the 2013 Land Acquisition Bill and bring back the consent and Social Impact Assessment clauses. Officials said the Joint Committee of Parliament examining the bill had reached a consensus on six of the nine main amendments brought in by the National Democratic Alliance government. A Congress member of the committee said the Bill was now “as good as our own Act of 2013”. Earlier, the NDA government had faced stiff opposition to the amendments from various quarters, including its own allies such as the Shiv Sena and the Shiromani Akali Dal. The committee is expected to submit its final report on the Bill by August 7.
FTII delegation meets I&B Ministry officials
A delegation of students from the Film and Television Institute of India met senior officials from the Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry in New Delhi on Monday in an attempt to reach a solution over the students’ demands. The students of the Pune institute, who have been protesting against the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan as FTII director, said they were not given any assurance of a meeting with the Information and Broadcasting Minister or his deputy, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore. “We are hoping the minister agrees to it and a channel of communication opens up,” a member of the delegation said. Apart from Chauhan’s resignation, the students have also demanded the dissolution of the existing FTII Society and the formation of a committee to set up a new society.
Congress leader accuses government of ‘Talibanisation’ over porn ban
Congress leader Milind Deora on Monday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government at the Centre of taking “one more step towards the Talibanisation of India” over its move to ban 857 pornographic websites. Deora said the ban had nothing to do with “liking or disliking porn”, adding that it was an instance of the government “hijacking personal liberties”. However, Union Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad rejected Deora’s accusation, saying that the government respected a free media and the freedom of communication. The Centre has claimed that it was merely following an order of the Supreme Court to block pornographic websites. However, the court is yet to make a final decision on the case, which has been pending since 2013.
The Central government on Monday signed a peace deal with the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah), a Naga separatist group, hoping to end one of India’s longest-running insurgencies. The signing, which took place following nearly two decades of peace talks, was attended by top leaders from both sides, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and NSCN(I-M) leader Thuingaleng Muivah. While it was not clear how the agreement would incorporate the NSCN(I-M)’s demand for the integration of all Naga-inhabited areas in the North East, government officials said the details of the treaty and its implementation would be made public soon. Calling the deal an “historic” accord, Modi said it marked “the beginning of a new future”. However, the government still has to deal with another faction of the NSCN, the NSCN (Khaplang), which broke its ceasefire agreement and killed 18 soldiers during an ambush in Manipur in June.
25 Congress MPs suspended from Lok Sabha
Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Monday suspended 25 Congress MPs from the House for “persistently and wilfully” obstructing Parliamentary proceedings. The MPs, suspended for five sittings of the House, were removed after they picketed the well of the Lok Sabha. They accused Mahajan of planning the suspensions in advance and called it an attempt by the Narendra Modi-led government to divide the opposition. Responding to the suspension, the Congress said that all its legislators will boycott the Lok Sabha for the next five days. Party President Sonia Gandhi reached out to the leaders of other opposition parties for supporting the Congress in its decision. The suspensions were ordered almost two hours after the all-party-meeting called by the government failed to break the ongoing logjam in Parliament.
Government agrees to drop controversial Land Bill amendments
The Narendra Modi-led Central government on Monday agreed to drop most of its controversial amendments to the 2013 Land Acquisition Bill and bring back the consent and Social Impact Assessment clauses. Officials said the Joint Committee of Parliament examining the bill had reached a consensus on six of the nine main amendments brought in by the National Democratic Alliance government. A Congress member of the committee said the Bill was now “as good as our own Act of 2013”. Earlier, the NDA government had faced stiff opposition to the amendments from various quarters, including its own allies such as the Shiv Sena and the Shiromani Akali Dal. The committee is expected to submit its final report on the Bill by August 7.
FTII delegation meets I&B Ministry officials
A delegation of students from the Film and Television Institute of India met senior officials from the Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry in New Delhi on Monday in an attempt to reach a solution over the students’ demands. The students of the Pune institute, who have been protesting against the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan as FTII director, said they were not given any assurance of a meeting with the Information and Broadcasting Minister or his deputy, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore. “We are hoping the minister agrees to it and a channel of communication opens up,” a member of the delegation said. Apart from Chauhan’s resignation, the students have also demanded the dissolution of the existing FTII Society and the formation of a committee to set up a new society.
Congress leader accuses government of ‘Talibanisation’ over porn ban
Congress leader Milind Deora on Monday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government at the Centre of taking “one more step towards the Talibanisation of India” over its move to ban 857 pornographic websites. Deora said the ban had nothing to do with “liking or disliking porn”, adding that it was an instance of the government “hijacking personal liberties”. However, Union Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad rejected Deora’s accusation, saying that the government respected a free media and the freedom of communication. The Centre has claimed that it was merely following an order of the Supreme Court to block pornographic websites. However, the court is yet to make a final decision on the case, which has been pending since 2013.
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