Indian government vows to respond ‘appropriately’
The Pakistani government on Wednesday invited separatist leaders from Jammu and Kashmir for a meeting, days before the National Security Advisers of India and Pakistan are due to have discussions. Separatist spokesperson Ayaz Akbar said that hardline Hurriyat Conference leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani was among those invited to visit the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi. A spokesperson for the Pakistani embassy confirmed the invitation, but declined to explain why it had been issued. A senior Indian official said that the government was monitoring the situation closely and would respond “appropriately”. Last year, foreign secretary-level talks between the two countries were called off by India after Pakistan consulted with Kashmiri separatist groups before the meeting. India accused its neighbour of interfering in its domestic affairs.
Rahul criticises government over FTII arrests
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday criticised the Narendra Modi government for the arrests of five students from the Film and Television Institute of India on Tuesday night. Gandhi said that the events were a symbol of what was happening across the country. Students were being “suppressed and crushed” by the “education model” of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Gandhi said, adding that the arrested students were not criminals who needed to be “arrested in a midnight crackdown”. The FTII students were arrested after the Institute's Director, Prashant Pathrabe, filed a complaint with the police alleging that they had manhandled him.
CBI registers case against Raja
The Central Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday registered a disproportionate assets case against former Union Telecom Minister A Raja and 16 others. The charge sheet accused Raja of garnering assets worth more than Rs 27 crore through his relatives and close associates from 1999 till 2010. The agency conducted simultaneous raids in 20 locations in various cities, including Chennai and New Delhi, seizing documents, financial statements and fixed-deposit receipts. A senior official said that the case was registered based on a report from the team investigating the 2G-spectrum scandal, in which Raja was named as an accused.
Congress seeks amendments to GST Bill
The Congress on Wednesday sought amendments to the Goods and Services Tax Bill, saying that the legislation could not be passed by Parliament without its support. Party leader Jairam Ramesh said that the four amendments demanded by the Congress were “pro-consumer”. They included capping the GST rate at 18% and forming an independent mechanism to resolve any disputes. Ramesh alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had single-handedly blocked the passage of the bill during his tenure as Gujarat Chief Minister, when the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government was in power at the Centre. While Modi’s National Democratic Alliance government managed to pass the bill through the Lok Sabha, it is yet to be approved by the Rajya Sabha, where the opposition is in a majority.
States call for revocation of no-fail policy
Union Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani on Wednesday said that the Education Ministers of several states had asked the Centre to revoke its no-fail policy for students and also reintroduce compulsory Class X board examinations. Briefing reporters after her first meeting of the Central Advisory Board of Education, Irani said that a sub-committee formed by the previous United Progressive Alliance government had recommended the reintroduction of the exams for various reasons, including tracking the performance of students and taking remedial measures to improve the overall assessment system. Both policies were introduced by the Congress-led UPA in 2009 following the passage and implementation of the Right to Education Act.
The Pakistani government on Wednesday invited separatist leaders from Jammu and Kashmir for a meeting, days before the National Security Advisers of India and Pakistan are due to have discussions. Separatist spokesperson Ayaz Akbar said that hardline Hurriyat Conference leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani was among those invited to visit the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi. A spokesperson for the Pakistani embassy confirmed the invitation, but declined to explain why it had been issued. A senior Indian official said that the government was monitoring the situation closely and would respond “appropriately”. Last year, foreign secretary-level talks between the two countries were called off by India after Pakistan consulted with Kashmiri separatist groups before the meeting. India accused its neighbour of interfering in its domestic affairs.
Rahul criticises government over FTII arrests
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday criticised the Narendra Modi government for the arrests of five students from the Film and Television Institute of India on Tuesday night. Gandhi said that the events were a symbol of what was happening across the country. Students were being “suppressed and crushed” by the “education model” of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Gandhi said, adding that the arrested students were not criminals who needed to be “arrested in a midnight crackdown”. The FTII students were arrested after the Institute's Director, Prashant Pathrabe, filed a complaint with the police alleging that they had manhandled him.
CBI registers case against Raja
The Central Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday registered a disproportionate assets case against former Union Telecom Minister A Raja and 16 others. The charge sheet accused Raja of garnering assets worth more than Rs 27 crore through his relatives and close associates from 1999 till 2010. The agency conducted simultaneous raids in 20 locations in various cities, including Chennai and New Delhi, seizing documents, financial statements and fixed-deposit receipts. A senior official said that the case was registered based on a report from the team investigating the 2G-spectrum scandal, in which Raja was named as an accused.
Congress seeks amendments to GST Bill
The Congress on Wednesday sought amendments to the Goods and Services Tax Bill, saying that the legislation could not be passed by Parliament without its support. Party leader Jairam Ramesh said that the four amendments demanded by the Congress were “pro-consumer”. They included capping the GST rate at 18% and forming an independent mechanism to resolve any disputes. Ramesh alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had single-handedly blocked the passage of the bill during his tenure as Gujarat Chief Minister, when the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government was in power at the Centre. While Modi’s National Democratic Alliance government managed to pass the bill through the Lok Sabha, it is yet to be approved by the Rajya Sabha, where the opposition is in a majority.
States call for revocation of no-fail policy
Union Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani on Wednesday said that the Education Ministers of several states had asked the Centre to revoke its no-fail policy for students and also reintroduce compulsory Class X board examinations. Briefing reporters after her first meeting of the Central Advisory Board of Education, Irani said that a sub-committee formed by the previous United Progressive Alliance government had recommended the reintroduction of the exams for various reasons, including tracking the performance of students and taking remedial measures to improve the overall assessment system. Both policies were introduced by the Congress-led UPA in 2009 following the passage and implementation of the Right to Education Act.
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