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Tue, 24 December 2019
Hindus have only India: Gujarat CM
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23:37 Hindus have only India: Gujarat CM
While Muslims can choose any one of the 150 Islamic countries in the world (for residence), India is the only country for Hindus, Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani said on Tuesday while justifying the Citizenship Amendment Act.
While addressing a rally in support of the CAA outside the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, the chief minister slammed the Congress for opposing the new law that grants Indian citizenship to non-Muslim refugees from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh who have migrated till December 31, 2014.
He accused the Congress of not honouring the wishes of Mahatma Gandhi and former prime minister Manmohan Singh on the issue.
"There were 22 per cent Hindus in Pakistan at the time of Partition (in 1947). Now, due to persecution, rapes and constant torture, their population has reduced to just 3 per cent. That is why Hindus want to come back to India. We are doing what the Congress was supposed to do to help these distressed Hindus. And when we are doing it now, you are opposing it," said Rupani.
He said the Hindu population has shrunken to just 2 per cent in Bangladesh.
"Out of 2 lakh Hindu and Sikh residents in Afghanistan some decades back, their number is just 500 today. Muslims can go to any of the 150 countries, but there in only country for the Hindus, and that is India. So what is the problem if they want to come back?" asked Rupani.
Seeking to counter protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in various of the country, Gujarat BJP leaders and government functionaries on Tuesday took part in such pro-CAA rallies across all 33 districts of the state. -- PTI
22:36 MHA withdraws 72 companies of CAPF from J-K
The Union home ministry has ordered "immediate" withdrawal of over 7,000 paramilitary troops from Kashmir after a security review, officials said on Tuesday.
A total of 72 companies of Central Armed Police Forces have been ordered to "revert" to their locations across the country, they said. One such company has about 100 personnel.
These units drawn from the Central Reserve Police Force, the Border Security Force, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, the Central Industrial Security Force and the Sashastra Seema Bal were sent to the Kashmir Valley after the Centre abrogated Article 370 provisions in Jammu and Kashmir.
As per the order issued on Monday, while 24 companies of the Central Reserve Police Force are being withdrawn, 12 each of the Border Security Force, Central Industrial Security Force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police and Sashastra Seema Bal are being sent back.
About 20 such companies were withdrawn from the valley early this month. -- PTI
22:30 UP police admit to firing at anti-CAA protesters
The district police in Bijnor said on Tuesday that a youth died when they fired in self-defence last week, contradicting an earlier claim by the state director general of police that no one was killed in police firing during the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act.
Kanpur police made a similar admission, saying they opened fire in the air but nobody was injured.
Bijnor's Superintendent of Police (Rural) Vishwajeet Srivastava on Tuesday said a 22-year-old man was killed when a policeman opened fire while facing a violent mob in Nahtaur area.
"On December 20, after Friday prayers, a violent mob attacked a police station and snatched the pistol of sub-inspector Ashish Tomar," he said. A constable was fired at when he tried to get it back.
"When the constable opened fire in self-defence, it hit 'upadravi' (troublemaker) Suleiman and he died," the SP added.
On Sunday, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had visited Suleiman's family in Bijnor.
Suleiman's mother "told me with tear-filled eyes" that her son has been "martyred" for the country, according to the Congress leader.
The youth's family said he had been preparing for the civil services entrance exam and claimed he had nothing to do with the protests.
Another man, Anis, died in firing from the mob in the district, the SP said.
Bijnor Superintendent of Police Sanjiv Tyagi said police used minimum force against the protesters.
"They put children in the front and resorted to slogan shouting, stone pelting and arson," he said.
Meanwhile, Kanpurs Senior SP Anant Deo Tiwari admitted that some policemen had loaded their weapons and opened fire, as shown in video clips on news channels and social media.
He said the firing was in self-defence.
"They fired four rounds but it was in the air," Tiwari said, claiming that nobody was injured.
Asked specifically if the death of a person in Kanpur was due to a police bullet, he said, "Forensic examination will establish it."
Earlier, a video grab surfaced showing a police sub-inspector purportedly loading his pistol, amid the sound of gunfire. The video appeared to be from Yateemkhana area in Kanpur.
This is for the first time that the state police have accepted that they have opened fire during the violent protests in the state. At least 17 people have been reported killed.
Director General of Police O P Singh has said no one was killed in police firing in the state and blamed the deaths mostly on "cross-firing".
Police had said only protesters used firearms in the violence last Thursday, and then after the Friday prayers. They said 288 policemen have been injured across the state, including 62 who suffered firearm injuries.
Police claimed over 700 live and empty cartridges were seized.
Another video, purportedly related to the violence earlier at Aligarh Muslim University, shows students pushing at the campus gate.
The protesters are apparently trying to get out as police try to confine them to the campus. -- PTI
22:03 Hemant Soren to take oath as J'khand CM on Sun
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha president Hemant Soren, who has staked claim to form government in Jharkhand today after the JMM-Congress-RJD alliance won the state assembly election, will take oath as chief minister on Sunday.
He will take oath of office at 1 pm at a swearing-in ceremony in Ranchi.
21:11 NPR beneficial for welfare schemes: MHA
The National Population Register, which will be carried out across the country next year, will have credible data of every family and individual, strengthen the national security and can be used for transparent and efficient delivery of social benefits, officials said on Tuesday.
During the NPR exercise, no documents will be collected at the time of door to door enumeration.
"The NPR is a register of usual residents linked with location particulars such as village or town, sub-district, district and state. It will strengthen security. At present, there is no proposal to create a National Register of Citizens in the country based on NPR data," a home ministry official said.
During updating of the NPR, no biometric data will be collected from citizens. The aim is to create a credible register of every family and individual and improve the delivery mechanism of benefits under various government schemes and programmes, officials said.
By linking the NPR with registration of birth and death, real time population register will be available leading to register based census in future, they said.
The NPR data can be used for transparent and efficient delivery of social benefits by linking it with various beneficiary oriented government schemes, they said.
The benefits could be obtained in banking, insurance services, admission in school, colleges and hostels, scholarship, distribution of seed, fertiliser, pesticide, marketing credit, registration of land, property, shares, health and medical services, public distribution system, gender issues, child marriage, marital status, maintenance of separated women.
The government will get data on employment, disaster management, disability, old age pension, freedom fighter.
Another official said the socio economic caste census (SECC) is based on the NPR data, which was subsequently used for deciding different types of beneficiaries.
Household wise NPR data was used in better targeting of schemes such as Ayushman Bharat, Jan Dhan Yojana, Prime Minister Awas Yojna, Ujjwala Yojana, Saubhagya etc.
The NPR household data was also provided to various state governments viz. Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Odisha, Manipur for 'Sarvam', PDS scheme and Rajasthan for 'Bhamashah'. -- PTI
20:56 Govt decides to name tunnel under Rohtang Pass after Vajpayee
The government will name the strategic tunnel under Rohtang Pass in Himachal Pradesh after former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his birth anniversary on Wednesday.
The historic decision to construct a strategic tunnel below the Rohtang Pass was taken on June 3, 2000 when Vajpayee was the prime minister.
"Government has decided to honour the contribution of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee by naming the strategic tunnel under Rohtang Pass after him on December 25," the defence ministry said.
The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting presided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday.
The 8.8-km-long tunnel will be the world's longest above an altitude of 3,000 metres and will reduce the distance between Manali and Leh by 46 kilometres, according to the defence ministry.
The tunnel is now nearing completion. Once thrown open, the tunnel will provide all-weather connectivity to remote border areas of Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh which otherwise remain cut off from the rest of the country for about six months during winters.
"The Border Roads Organisation worked relentlessly to overcome major geological, terrain and weather challenges that included the most difficult stretch of the 587-metre Seri Nalah Fault Zone," said an official. -- PTI
20:43 NPR is the first step of the NRC: TMC
After the union cabinet approved Rs 3,941.35 crore for updating the National Population Register on Tuesday, the Trinamool Congress said that Bharatiya Janata Party is trying to "fool and cheat" the people of the country as the population register is the "first step towards NRC".
The NPR is a list of "usual residents" of the country. A "usual resident" is defined as a person who has resided in a local area for the past six months or more or a person who intends to reside in that area for the next six months or more.
The data for NPR was collected in 2010 along with the house-listing phase of Census of India 2011.
"BJP is cheating the people. The cabinet decision on NPR has been taken and funds approved. NPR (National Population Register) is the first step of the NRC (National Register of Citizens)," O'Brien, who is the TMC Rajya Sabha parliamentary party leader, said.
Elaborating, he said BJP is cheating the people as NPR will be carried out alongside the census. This will confuse the innocent people who will think it is the census and not the first step of the NRC.
To buttress his point, O'Brien said that the government had in a written reply in Parliament in 2014 said that the NPR by verifying the citizenship status of every usual resident is the first step towards creation of National
Register of Indian Citizens.
The Trinamool Congress, which has been at the forefront of protests against the proposed NRC and the newly amended citizenship law, has already stayed the process of updation of NPR in West Bengal. -- PTI
19:46 PM was right, no discussion on NRC right now: HM
Home minister Amit Shah on Tuesday backed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's assertion that there is no pan-India discussion on National Register of Citizens at the moment.
The home minister emphasised there have been no talks on the subject either in Parliament or the Union Cabinet.
Shah again underscored that the Citizenship Act is only about providing citizenship and takes away nothing from anyone.
19:17 No link between NPR and NRC, clarifies Shah
Seeking to put an end to apprehensions about updation of National Population Register, Union home minister Amit Shah on Tuesday said that there was no link between the National Population Register exercise and the National Register of Citizen.
In an exclusive interview with ANI, Shah said that that information obtained through NPR cannot be used for NRC which was a separate process.
He said the Union Cabinet has not ever discussed NRC.
Shah's remarks came on a day the Union Cabinet approved the proposal for conducting Census of India 2021 and updating of NPR.
The minister said that while Census was held every 10 years and NPR was started by the United Progressive Alliance government and the government was carrying it forward as it was a "good exercise".
"NPR is register of population, NRC is register of citizens. There is no link between the two and the two have different processes," Shah said.
He said the names of people living in the country are in NPR based on which programmes are made.
With West Bengal and Kerala having decided to put a stop to NPR exercise, Shah said there should not be politics over the exercise as it is aimed at benefitting citizens and for improving the planning of welfare schemes.
"I will talk and appeal to them that no politics should be done on this", Shah said.
19:10 Hemant Soren elected JMMLP leader
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha working president Hemant Soren was on Tuesday formally elected the legislature party leader, a party source said.
Soren, who was projected as the chief ministerial candidate of the JMM-Congress-RJD alliance, is likely to stake claim tonight, a JMM release said.
Our party working president Hemant Soren has been unanimously elected as the legislature party leader and he will call on the governor around 8 pm, JMM general secretary Suprio Bhattacharya said after Hemant Soren was formally elected in a meeting of the newly elected JMM MLAs held in the residence of the party president Shibu Soren. -- PTI
19:08 Calcutta Univ to confer honorary D Litt on Abhijit Banerjee
The Calcutta University will confer the honorary D Litt (honoris causa) on Nobel laureate Abhijit Vinayak Banerjee at its annual convocation which will be held on January 28 next year.
Vice-Chancellor Sonali Chakraborty Banerjee told a press meet here on Tuesday, that the senate, the highest decision making body of the institute unanimously cleared the proposal to confer honorary D Litt on the 2019 Nobel prize winner in Economics.
To a question, if West Bengal Governor and University Chancellor Jagdeep Dhankhar will be invited to preside over the convocation, which is usually attended by chief minister Mamata Banerjee, the VC evaded a direct reply saying, "Everything will be decided according to the university statute."
However, she did not elaborate on the statute.
To another question, she said the CU decided the date of the senate meeting after intimating the Higher Education department 10-days back as per the new law passed in West Bengal Assembly earlier this month.
The new law stated that any academic decision to be taken by the highest decision making bodies of state universities are to be communicated to the higher education department.
The university will confer Sir Asutosh Mookerjee Memorial Medal to eminent astrophysicist J V Narlikar on the occasion.
Scientists Samir K Brahmachari, Arup Kumar Raychaudhuri and Partha Pratim Majumder will be conferred with the Sir Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray Medal.
The Rabindranath Tagore Memorial Medal will be awarded posthumously to poet Aurobindo Guha, and writer-activist Manoranjan Byapari. -- PTI
18:46 PM to unveil Vajpayee's statue in Lucknow on Wednesday
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will unveil a statue of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at Lok Bhawan here on Wednesday.
The event coincides with the birth anniversary of Vajpayee, who represented Lucknow in the Lok Sabha five times -- 1991, 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2004.
The venue in the high security zone of the state capital has been sanitised, keeping in view the recent state-wide agitation against the amended citizenship law.
Modi will also lay the foundation stone of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Medical University here for which the Uttar Pradesh government has decided to transfer 50 acres of land. -- PTI
18:08 No plans to prepare NRC on basis of NPR: Govt
The government has no plans as of now to carry out an exercise to prepare a National Register of Citizens for the whole country on the basis of data to be collected during the updating of National Population Register next year, officials said on Tuesday.
The remarks by the home ministry officials came in the backdrop of the controversy over the NRC and the Citizenship Amendment Act.
"There is no proposal as of now to prepare NRC on the basis of NPR data for the whole country," an official said.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also said that there has been no discussion in the government on the NRC.
"Since my government first came to power in 2014, I want to tell 130 crore countrymen, there has never been a discussion on this NRC," he said, noting that it was done only in Assam due to a Supreme Court order. -- PTI
17:43 Cabinet clears ordinance to further amend insolvency law
The Union Cabinet on Tuesday approved an ordinance to further amend the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, which will help remove certain ambiguities.
With the changes, there would be no liability on a corporate debtor for an offence committed prior to commencement of the insolvency resolution process, an official release said.
Further, the corporate debtor would not be prosecuted for any such offence from the date of resolution plan being approved by the adjudicating authority.
Union minister Prakash Javadekar on Tuesday said the Cabinet has cleared an ordinance to amend the code.
"The amendment will remove certain ambiguities in the IBC, 2016 and ensure smooth implementation of the code," the release said.
On December 12, the government introduced a bill in the Lok Sabha to amend the code.
The bill, introduced in the Lok Sabha, seeks to remove bottlenecks and streamline the corporate insolvency resolution process, wherein successful bidders will be ring fenced from any risk of criminal proceedings for offences committed by previous promoters of companies concerned.
The code -- which provides for resolution of stressed assets in a time-bound and market-linked manner -- has already been amended thrice. -- PTI
17:24 Answering trolls not our job: Aaditya to Sena boys
Shiv Sena MLA Aaditya Thackeray onTuesday asked party workers to exercise restrain in dealing with trolls, a day after some party workers tonsured the head of a man for posting a derogatory message on social media against Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.
The man, in a Facebook post, berated Thackeray for comparing the police action on Jamia Millia Islamia students protesting against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act with the Jallianwala Bagh massacre of 1919. Some Sena functionaries later beat him up and tonsured his head outside his residence in suburban Wadala.
Reacting to it, Aaditya Thackeray, in a statement, asked Sena workers to follow the chief minister. "Calm, composed, aggressive about delivering promises and serving the people. Let's win people. Trolls lose anyway," said the Worli MLA who is the chief minister's son.
He said the Shiv Sena should focuson silencing the chaos, divisions, fear, hate by drawing a "longer line" that works for the people and keeps them united. "Our answer is to create jobs and revive the economy," he pointed out.
The legislator said he got to know of the untoward and angry reaction to a "nasty, low life troll" who used uncivilized language against the chief minister's effort to maintain religious harmony and remove fear from Maharashtra about the new citizenship law.
"Law and order is a subject of police and shouldn't be taken by anyone into his/her hands. Answering trolls who are nasty, threatening and abusive should not be our job," Aaditya Thackeray said.
17:19 Rupee settles 9 paise down at 71.27 against US dollar
The rupee depreciated by 9 paise to close at 71.27 against the US dollar on Tuesday amid heavy selling in domestic equities and steady rise in crude oil prices. Forex traders said the rupee traded in a narrow range but was weighed down in the latter half of the session after reports emerged that the government might not be able to meet its disinvestment target. PTI
17:03 Akhilesh questions UP govt's claim of 'outsiders' role' in anti-CAA violence
Samajwadi Party national president Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday questioned the Uttar Pradesh government's claim of 'outsiders' role in the violent protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in the state and wondered what the authorities did to stop the agitators. The SP chief was speaking to reporters in Lucknow after handing over a cheque of Rs 5 lakh to the family of a rape survivor who died on Saturday.
"The government is saying that people from West Bengal came here (to indulge in violence)... then what were you (government) doing? From Bengal, news is coming that some people (from BJP) were involved in arsoning after they changed their clothes," Yadav told reporters.
Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma had on Sunday alleged "outsiders' role" in the incidents of violence reported from various districts of the state where anti-CAA protests took place. He had pointed out that persons hailing from West Bengal's Malda district, associated with the Popular Front of India (PFI), had been arrested by the state police.
"All Indians are against CAA. The move has been initiated to divert attention of people from core issues," Yadav said. When asked about unveiling of statue of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at a programme in Lok Bhawan in Lucknow on Wednesday, Akhilesh said, "Our CM (Yogi Adityanath) has done no work. BJP is showing SP's work to the PM. We are happy PM is coming to see work of Samajwadis."
16:54 Is PM or HM speaking truth on NRC, asks Mamata
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday claimed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah were making contradictory statements on NRC and wondered who was speaking the truth.
Addressing a rally in Kolkata, Banerjee, who is also the TMC supremo, said there was "no bigger fraud than the BJP", and people should be aware of the party's intentions.
"The prime minister is saying there has been no discussion or proposal on (nationwide implementation of) National Register of Citizens (NRC). But a few days ago, BJP president and Union Home Minister Amit Shah had said NRC exercise would be carried out across the country.
"Both the statements are contradictory. We wonder who is speaking the truth. They are trying to create confusion," the chief minister said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during a rally in Delhi on Sunday, said his government never discussed a nationwide National Register of Citizens (NRC) since coming to power for the first time in 2014. "Whatever we have been saying is in public domain. Whatever the BJP has said is in public domain too. It is for people to decide," the TMC chief said.
"The BJP is trying to divide India but people of the country will not let that happen," she warned.
"As long as I am alive, I will not allow them to implement CAA or NRC in Bengal and divide the country on religious lines. In Assam, where the BJP is in power, detention centres have been built. In Bengal, we will never build any such centre," the CM asserted.
16:45 A meeting of MPs
The Congress party's Twitter-happy Thiruvananthapuram MP, Shashi Tharoor shares this: "Delighted to catch up with my friend @SachinPilot on his quick transit through Thiruvananthapuram yesterday. With next-generation leaders of his caliber, @INCIndia is in good hands!"
16:37 Sensex falls by 181 points, IT and auto stocks suffer
Equity benchmark indices faced a downturn on Tuesday due to weak investor sentiment in a holiday-shortened week with IT and auto stocks suffering the most.
The fall followed reports that the government may miss its divestment target for the current fiscal year 2019-20.
The stock market will remain shut on Wednesday on account of Christmas. The BSE S&P Sensex closed 181 points lower at 41,461 while the Nifty 50 lost by 51 points at 12,212.
At the National Stock Exchange, sectoral indices were mixed with Nifty IT falling by 0.54 per cent, media by 0.48 per cent and auto by 0.41 per cent. Among stocks, Bharat Petroleum Corporation tumbled by 2.72 per cent at Rs 479.60 per share with reports suggesting that its divestment is likely to be pushed beyond March 31.Index heavyweight Reliance Industries lost by 1.71 per cent at Rs 1,544.50 per share.
IT stocks too suffered with HCL Technologies down by 1.7 per cent and Tata Consultancy Services by 0.7 per cent. The other prominent losers were Eicher Motors, UPL, GAIL, HDFC Bank, Larsen & Toubro and Dr Reddy's. However, the prominent winners included Yes Bank, Cipla, IndusInd Bank, JSW Steel and ONGC.
16:27 Farmer poisons peacocks
In Rajasthan, 23 peacocks were found dead allegedly after a farmer poisoned them to prevent crop damage, in Seruna village in Bikaner. Assistant Conservator of Forests, Forest Department confirmed, "Carcass of 23 peacocks were recovered. Farmer Dinesh Kumar has been arrested."
15:46 BJP's descent began with Guj, will lose Bihar, Delhi too: Cong
Former Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan has claimed the BJP will face defeat in the Bihar and Delhi Assembly polls to be held next year, and said the saffron party's downslide started with Gujarat elections.
Referring to the BJP's defeat in the Jharkhand Assembly polls, he said the Amit Shah-led party claimed it will clinch more than 65 seats of the total 81, but did not manage to get even half of it.
The JMM-led three-party alliance stormed to power in Jharkhand on Monday by winning 47 seats, ousting the BJP which bagged 25 seats. "The BJP's downslide in state elections started with the Gujarat polls. It will face defeat in the Bihar and Delhi Assembly polls as well," Chavan said in a statement.
He said the Congress central leadership did not campaign with full vigour like Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah did in Haryana, Maharashtra and Jharkhand polls.
Still, the BJP lost these three states. This shows people are not voting for the BJP in state polls," he noted. Chavan said poverty has risen in Jharkhand in the last five years. "Forty six per cent of population in Jharkhand lives below poverty line. Unemployment in Jharkhand is at its peak due to industrial and service sectors being hit," he said.
Chavan said that Modi, during his recent in Delhi, did not touch upon the pressing issues of economy, unemployment and farm crisis. "People of the country are watching this attitude of the central government," he said.
15:43 Unemployed engineers ransack JSW office in Paradip
A group of unemployed engineers ransacked the office of JSW Group in Odishas port town of Paradip on Tuesday alleging non-fulfilment of job assurance by the company, police said. The unemployed graduate engineers forced their way into the JSW office and damaged furniture, computers and threw away files. After vandalizing the JSW office, they went to the Model Police Station to lodge a complaint against the company. When the agitators refused to leave the police station, about a dozen of them were detained. Twenty bikes used by them were seized, said Paradip ASP B C Mishra. Paradip Model Police Station Inspector-in-Charge P K Samal is investigating into the matter, Mishra said. The police suspect that the graduate engineers could be members of the Student Organisation of Biju Patnaik University.
15:40 Cabinet Committee on Security approves creation of chief of defence staff
The Cabinet Committee on Security on Tuesday approved the creation of a chief of defence staff, who will be the single-point military adviser to the government as suggested by the Kargil Review Committee in 1999, official sources said.
The CCS also approved the report of a high-level committee, headed by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, which finalised responsibilities and the enabling framework for the CDS, they said.
In a landmark military reform, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 15 announced that India will have a CDS as head of the tri-services. Days after the prime minister's announcement, an Implementation Committee headed by Doval was appointed to finalise an enabling framework and determine the exact responsibilities for the CDS. -- PTI
15:35 Marathi for elite language status, demands Uddhav
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray writes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting him to consider giving Marathi language elite status.
15:16 Rs 8500 cr fund for National Population Register
The Union Cabinet on Tuesday approved over Rs 8,500 crore for updating the National Population Register, officials said. The updating exercise is to commence from April next year.
The NPR is a list of "usual residents" of the country. A "usual resident" is defined for the purposes of NPR as a person who has resided in a local area for the past six months or more or a person who intends to reside in that area for the next six months or more.
The data for National Population Register was collected in 2010 along with the house-listing phase of Census of India 2011. The data was updated in 2015 by conducting door-to-door survey. The digitisation of the updated information has been completed.
Now it has been decided to update the National Population Register along with the house-listing phase of Census 2021 during April to September 2020 in all the states/union territories except Assam, according to the website of the Office of the Registrar General, and Census Commissioner. A gazette notification to this effect was issued in August this year.
The NPR will be prepared at the local (village/sub-Town), sub-district, district, state and national level under provisions of the Citizenship Act 1955 and the Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and issue of National Identity Cards) Rules, 2003.
It is mandatory for every usual resident of India to register in the NPR. The objective of the NPR is to create a comprehensive identity database of every usual resident in the country. The database would contain demographic as well as biometric particulars. PTI
14:59 Goa BJP plans mega CAA rally on Jan 3
The Goa BJP has planned a massive rally here on January 3 to create awareness about the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), a senior party functionary said on Tuesday. Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant held meeting with all BJP MLAs in Panaji to discuss the anti-CAA protests, he said.
"We decided to hold a state-level mega rally in Panaji on January 3 to create awareness about the CAA," said BJP MLA Glenn Ticlo, who was part of the meeting. People from across the state will be gathering for the event, which will shed light on the CAA, he added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken the right step by introducing the Act, which will provide security to minorities in countries such as Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, Ticlo said. The opposition parties are against every good thing that the Prime Minister has done, he said.
Goans should not be concerned about the CAA, though some opposition parties are spreading wrong information about the Act, the MLA said. Minorities in Goa and India are totally safe. They don't have to be afraid as they are Indian citizens, he added. -- PTI
Image: Anti-CAA/NRC protests in Mumbai
14:38 CAA deaths: Cops bar Gandhis from entering Meerut
Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were on Tuesday stopped by police from entering Meerut on their way to meet the families of those who died during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act.
The two had requested that they, along with another Congress leader, be allowed to meet the families, but were denied entry, Congress sources said in Delhi. The Gandhis were stopped near Partapur police station.
"We asked the police to show us the order, but they did not show any order for stopping us and told us to return," Rahul Gandhi told reporters.
At least five protesters died in Meerut alone. Later, senior state Congress leaders Imran Masood and Pankaj Malik met the victims' families. A Congress spokesperson said that the Gandhis will again try to meet the families on Wednesday.
Priyanka Gandhi had on Sunday met the families of some of the protesters who died in Bijnor.
Seventeen people are reported to have died in Uttar Pradesh during protests against the new citizenship law. A four-member Trinamool Congress delegation, which was scheduled to meet the grieving families of those killed in Uttar Pradesh during protests over the new citizenship law, was also detained at Lucknow airport on Sunday afternoon. PTI
13:48 Mamata marches again
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee leads a protest march against the CAA and the NRC, in Kolkata
13:34 GoAir cancels 19 flights across destinations
Wadia group-owned GoAir suspended some of its services for the second consecutive day on Tuesday as it cancelled 19 flights across destinations, leaving thousands of passengers stranded, a source said.
The city-headquartered airline had cancelled 21 flights on Monday, owning to non-availability of some of the aircraft and inadequate operating crew. The company had, however, attributed the non-operations of these flights to protests against Citizenship Amendment Act, hostile weather and the duty norms for the cockpit crew, among others.
The airline operates over 200 flights per day to domestic and international destinations with a fleet of 57 aircraft.
"GoAir has cancelled 19 flights so far today (Tuesday) as it grapples with shortage of aircraft and pilots," a source in the know of development told PTI.Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Kochi, Patna and Lucknow, among others, are the cities from where these flights have been cancelled, he said.
GoAir has reported a series of mid-air incidents of engine glitches, leading to the grounding of planes with such engines.
13:27 Rahul thanks youth for 'anti-Partition' stir
Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday thanked "students and the youth" for participating in yesterday's protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act and NRC.
Gandhi, in a tweet, called the CAA and the National Register of Citizens part of an attempt to divide India by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.
"Many thanks to the students, youth of India and all the workers of the Congress party for making successful the Ekta Satyagraha organized at Raj Ghat in protest against the partition of the country by Modi-Shah," he said.
Scores of students and youths joined the Congress' sit-in, Ekta Satyagraha, at Raj Ghat on Monday evening. Senior Congress leaders including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi read out the preamble of the Constitution and vowed to safeguard the democratic values of the country. -- ANI
13:11 Soren to be elected JMM legislature party leader
Having won an emphatic victory in the Jharkhand Assembly polls, the newly-elected JMM MLAs will meet here on Tuesday afternoon to formally elect Hemant Soren as their leader, party sources said.
The Congress legislature group will also meet separately to choose its leader.
Soren, who was projected as the chief ministerial candidate of the JMM-Congress-RJD alliance, is likely to visit New Delhi later with AICC in-charge of Jharkhand, RPN Singh to meet Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi before staking claim to form the government, sources said.
The three-party alliance has won 47 of the state's 81 seats. The JMM won 30 seats, Congress 16 and RJD one. The BJP clinched 25 seats, the AJSU Party two, the JVM (P) three and others four. -- ANI
13:09 Shatrughan on 'arrogance of BJP's 2-men army'
Former union minister and Congress leader Shatrughan Sinha on Tuesday made a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah amid the BJP's loss in the Jharkhand Assembly elections.
Taking to Twitter, Sinha said that the arrogance of the 'two men army' lead to the defeat of BJP in Jharkhand.
Sinha also congratulated independent candidate Saryu Roy for his victory against BJP candidate and former Chief Minister Raghubar Das.
"God Bless & heartiest Congratulations to the great & brave victory of the man of the match, man of integrity, honesty, credibility #SaryuRoy.
"I'm told that on the instruction/ arrogance of 1man show & 2 men army, he was denied a ticket but he fought against all odds as an independent candidate, defeating the ex CM, Jharkhand #RaghubarDas with a record win. Long Live JMM, #HemantSoren, whose dynamic leadership we are looking forward to."
In a series of tweet, Sinha expressed his happiness over Congress's victory. Sinha also mentioned the Congress party's impressive performance in Haryana and Maharashtra elections.
Sinha also accused PM Modi and Home Minister Shah of contradicting each other's statement over Citizenship Amendment Act and National Register of Citizens.
"Sir, the writing on the wall is a reality now, which seemed very obvious. #JharkhandResults
Sir, after your not so good & desirable show in Haryana, it was touch & go in Maharashtra, where the rug was pulled from under your feet, with the strength of the combined opposition.
"And of course, under the dynamic leadership of the 'real' Chanakya of India 🇮🇳 #SharadPawar & the most worthy son of the most worthy father #UdhhavThackeray & now Jharkhand ki bari with a clear cut majority despite EVMs & inspite of all your tricks of the trade, Dhan Shakti & false propaganda & has also gone against #CAB,#CAA & #NRC turned anarchy.
Didn't I tell you Sir, 'Phir na kehna, hoshiyaar na kiya kabardar na kiya'.
"Sir, let's do something for the nation, get rid of our arrogance, hollow promises, repetitive & contradictory speeches, where our friend, #HM says something else & you contradict it with something else."
12:03 Sec 144 in parts of Delhi
Delhi: Section 144 imposed in Mandi House area in view of a protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act. Police teams have been deployed.
12:01 Go Back! slogans greet WB guv in Jadavpur univ
After being shown black flags by students at the Jadavpur University on Tuesday morning with placards that read "BJP activist Mr Jagdeep Dhankar, go back", West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar termed the whole incident 'unwholesome and worrisome situation'.
As the Governor has been invited for the convocation ceremony of Jadavpur University, protesting students greeted him with black flags and were heard shouting slogan -- 'Dhankar Go Back."
Taking to Twitter, Dhankar said he arrived at the varsity so that the students may get their degrees and enjoy the fruits of their labour and contribute to society.
"At Jadavpur University so that the students may get their degrees and enjoy the fruits of their labour and contribute to society. Unfortunately, the way to the venue in the University is blocked. Unwholesome. No affirmative role by concerned insight. The worrisome situation," he wrote on Twitter.
The governor said 50 people have obstructed his way to the venue, adding that the system is being held hostage and those enjoined with the task are oblivious of their obligations.
"The number of those obstructing is only around 50. The system is held hostage and those enjoined with the task are oblivious of their obligations. A collapse that can only lead to unwholesome consequences. Rule of law is nowhere in sight. As constitutional head I'm concerned," he said.
"Media in such situations need to focus on public welfare as well and signal that student interests can't be so put in jeopardy," he said in a series of tweets.
He also alleged that Jadavpur University Vice-Chancellor is "presiding total collapse of rule of law." "A painful scenario that the Jadavpur University Vice-Chancellor is oblivious deliberately of his obligations and looking for alibis. He is presiding the total collapse of the rule of law. The ruinous state of affairs," he said.
11:50 All is well with min govt, max governance: Rajnath
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said that government is being made to function effectively and efficiently under the "Minimum Government and Maximum Governance".
"Now under Minimum Government and Maximum Governance, government function is being made effective and efficient. Performance standards are being set for government officials and in financial management, in prudence and accountability, mechanisms are being adopted," he said while addressing an event.
Stressing that the Ministry of Defence, Finance and Controller General of Defence Accounts is involved in all the financial activities of the Defence Services, the Minister said, "Therefore, I want to particularly say this that...with the harmony and synergy with which the department has been able to achieve its efficiency in fulfiling the changing requirements of the services and has demonstrated willingness and readiness to face new challenges...no matter how much I appreciate...it will not be enough."
Speaking on the occasion, Army Chief General Bipin Rawat said defence finance has been advising as to how to evaluate the budget. "I am saying it with happiness that with the speed with which ITIsation and computerisation is happening in defence finance...we have begun to use e-portals...it has brought transparency in our budgeting," General Rawat said.
11:03 Jharkhand's Congress MLAs to meet today
The Congress in-charge for Jharkhand, RPN Singh, has called a meeting of newly elected party MLAs at the Congress office in Ranchi today.
As the JMM-led alliance emerged the winner in the Jharkhand Assembly polls on Monday, the Congress reiterated that JMM chief Hemant Soren would be the chief minister.
RPN Singh said, "We will form the government as we fought the elections for the people of the state by raising issues that affect their lives and livelihoods. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah tried to divert the attention of the people away from fundamental issues but the people did not get swayed."
Reiterating that Hemant Soren of the JMM will be the chief minister as declared earlier, Singh said the Jharkhand results are a defeat of BJP's "arrogance and diversionary tactics".
Congress coordinator for Jharkhand polls Ajay Sharma said this is the defeat of BJP's corruption and its arrogance.
BJP gave tickets to corrupt candidates whom the people rejected. The Congress kept the focus on people's issues and articulated common man's problems which the BJP failed to solve, Sharma said.
The JMM-Congress-RJD alliance in Jharkhand won 47 seats out of the 81 seats of state Assembly, while the ruling BJP won 25 seats.
10:48 Shimla church bell silent for 35 years, will peal again
A feel-good story, for now.
After a long gap of 35 years, people in Shimla will get to hear the sound of a 150-year-old bell at Christ Church, which has not been functioning for decades.
Victor Den, a local resident and a retired mechanical engineer, said he took it upon himself to restore the bell and the chimes of the church ahead of Christmas Day.
Speaking to ANI, Den said, "People will be very happy to hear this bell ring again. It will be a nostalgic moment for them. Many people have spent their childhood in and around this church. We have fond memories related to the bell as well."
"It was not functional for over 35 years now, so I repaired it. The bell took over 20 days' of hard labour to repair. I got many parts locally manufactured and bought the others from Chandigarh," Victor said.
Most Christian denominations ring church bells to call the people to worship and convey the start of a mass or service. According to the locals, Christ Church was built in Shimla around the year 1857.
10:42 Vajpayee statue to be unveiled in Lucknow
When the mandate goes against you, do something constructive... like build statues. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be unveiling a statue of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee tomorrow at Lok Bhawan in Lucknow on Vajpayee's birth anniversary.
10:26 No NRC in Cong states, Prashant Kishor to Rahul
Janata Dal (United) leader and political strategist Prashant Kishor has thanked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for joining the citizens' movement against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC).
He, however, urged the senior Congress leader to communicate with senior members in the party and openly declare that there will be no NRC implementation in Congress-ruled states.
"Thanks, Rahul Gandhi for joining citizens' movement against CAA and NRC. But as you know beyond public protests we also need states to say no to NRC to stop it. We hope you will impress upon the Congress to OFFICIALLY announce that there will be No NRC in the Congress-ruled states," Prashant Kishor tweeted on Tuesday.
Kishor, who has been vocal against both CAA and NRC, has even shared a few ways in which implementation of NRC can be stopped. One of the ways suggested by him was to ensure that all non-BJP states should say no to NRC.
The JD(U) leader's statement comes a day after top Congress leadership, led by interim party president Sonia Gandhi, sat on a Satyagraha for Unity at Mahatma Gandhi's memorial Rajghat in New Delhi on Monday.
10:16 Cold wave to sweep northern India
Cold wave conditions are likely to prevail over the national capital and the adjoining areas for the next few days. According to the India Meteorological Department, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi are likely to witness dense to very dense fog in the morning hours and cold day to severe cold day during the next two days.
A thick layer of fog engulfed the national capital on Tuesday morning as the temperature dipped in the city. The forecast agency has also predicted that dense to very dense fog in the morning hours is very likely to prevail during the next five days and there will be cold wave conditions from 24th to 27th December over north Rajasthan.
"Isolated to scattered rainfall with isolated thunderstorm accompanied with lightning and hail likely over East and adjoining central India during 24th and 26th December," the IMD said in its forecast bulletin.
On December 23, the minimum temperature that the Safdarjung area in national capital recorded was 8.3 degrees Celsius and the highest was 14.3 degrees Celsius. While in the Palam area, the maximum recorded temperature was 13 degrees Celsius and the minimum was 7.2. -- ANI
10:08 Plane for all to see
West Bengal: A truck carrying an abandoned India Post aircraft has got stuck under a bridge in Durgapur.
09:34 PC stands in solidarity with Muslim gold medalist
Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram tweets in support of the Pondicherry university student who was not allowed to attend her convocation ceremony.
"Keeping out gold medalist Rabeeha Abdurehim from the Convocation of Pondicherry University was an outrageous assault on her rights. Who was the officer who took the student out and refused her entry? The officer violated the civil rights of the student and must be held liable, the senior Congress leader said.
A female student of the university, a gold medal winner, alleged that she was prevented from attending the convocation ceremony on Monday at which President Ram Nath Kovind was the chief guest.
Rabeeha Abdurehim, who hails from Kerala and had done her Masters course in Mass Communication, also refused to accept the gold medal to express solidarity with students protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act.
The student claimed she was asked by a senior police officer to leave the auditorium before the commencement of the convocation.
She was allowed into the auditorium after the President left when the ceremony continued to present gold medals and certificates to the outgoing graduates.
She said she did not know the actual reason why she was asked to leave by the police officer.
"I don't know why I was sent out. But I learnt when the students inside asked police they said maybe it is because she is wearing scarf in a different way. That could also be the reason why they sent me out but nobody told me blatantly on my face," she said.
Abdurehim said she received the degree scroll and declined to accept the gold medal to express solidarity with students protesting the CAA.
The convocation ceremony continued after the President left the campus and an university official handed over the certificates and medals.
An official in the university said that they did not know what had happened outside. "The ceremony went off well," the official said.
09:02 Why not include Muslims: BJP's CK Bose raises questions on CAA
Hours after BJP working president Jagat Prakash Nadda took out a march in Kolkata in support of the newly-enacted Citizenship law, the party's West Bengal vice president Chandra Kumar Bose has raised his voice against the Act and said India is a country "open to all religions and communities".
"If #CAA2019 is not related to any religion why are we stating - Hindu, Sikh, Boudha, Christians, Parsis & Jains only! Why not include #Muslims as well? Let's be transparent," Bose tweeted.
"Don't equate India or compare it with any other nation - as it's a nation Open to all religions and communities," he said in another tweet.
The comment by Bose, a grandnephew of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, has come even as BJP has launched a massive public awareness campaign on social media and through its cadres to reach out to the Muslim community and dispel their doubts on the issue.
Earlier, BJP-ally Shiromani Akali Dal had demanded that Muslims should also be included in the CAA in sync with the democratic and secular principles of the country.
-- ANI
08:31 'JMM-led alliance to form govt in 2-3 days'
After the outstanding victory of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha's Hemant Soren from Dumka and Barhait in the Jharkhand assembly elections, his younger brother Basant Soren on Tuesday said that JMM-led alliance will form the government in two-three days.
"As the people's mandate is with us, we are forming government in 2-3 days," Basant told media reporters.
On being asked if the government will be formed by the opposition alliance similar to Maharashtra, he said: "Maharashtra scenario was completely different from here."
Lambasting the former BJP government led by Raghubar Das in the state, he said: "People had decided what they have thought. Citizens had decided to remove the corrupted and arrogant government. They (BJP) do development by just saying and promising and we bring development by working on the ground."
He further said that if the party asks him to contest elections in the near future then he will surely fight.
"Basant Soren is here with you all....with the public. In the future, if leadership wants me to contest the election then I will surely fight," Basant replied on being asked about his further role in the party.
Hemant Soren won by a margin of 13,188 votes from the Dumka seat and from the Barhait assembly constituency by a margin of 25,740 votes.
JMM-led alliance, which includes Congress and RJD, on Monday won an absolute majority in the Jharkhand elections by winning 47 seats in 81-member assembly. The alliance defeated the BJP which won 25 seats.
-- ANI
07:56 Sher ka bachcha sher: Soren on dynastic politics
Hemant Soren, who will be the next chief minister of Jharkhand, said it was the people's sufferings under the BJP government which has led to the massive win of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and the Congress alliance in the state.
As instances, he cited the demonetisation and the BJP's comments about rolling out National Registry of Citizens across the country, insisting that it was "not about Muslims".
Hemant Soren, 44, who is set to take over, was the state's fifth Chief Minister, serving for around 17 months in 2013-14. The son of Shibu Soren -- one of the key figures of the statehood movement and a three-time chief minister -- he was also the deputy chief minister during the BJP government led by Arjun Munda. That period had ended in President's Rule as the JMM had pulled out support to the BJP government.
Asked about dynastic politics - one of the key complaints of the BJP against opposition leaders - Soren said "This is very hurtful, it feels like you are attacking the parents".
"Sher ka bachha toh sher hi hoga na? (A lion's cub will be a lion only) No one has a problem if a cobbler's son is a cobbler," he added.
07:53 Ajit Pawar may be back as Deputy CM on Dec 30
The expansion of the Maharashtra cabinet is likely to be delayed further to December 30, an NCP leader said, adding that senior leader Ajit Pawar could make a comeback as a deputy chief minister in the Uddhav Thackeray-led government.
Amid talks of expansion of the cabinet, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and NCP president Sharad Pawar held discussions for nearly one hour at the Sahyadri Guest House on Monday evening.
When asked about the exact date of the cabinet expansion, the NCP leader said: It is likely to happen on December 30. And Ajit Pawar is expected to take oath as deputy chief minister, news agency PTI reported.
He said the exercise will be carried out after holding discussions with the Congress.
Ajit Pawar, nephew of NCP chief Sharad Pawar, had served as deputy chief minister for two truncated terms when the Congress-NCP was in power before 2014.
He had pulled off a coup by joining hands with the BJP on November 23 this year and taking oath as deputy CM under the leadership of Devendra Fadnavis, who was sworn in as the CM.
However, the government lasted for barely 80 hours, after Ajit resigned as deputy chief minister citing personal reasons.
02:06 Anti-CAA stir: No leaves for docs, paramedics
The health department in Ghaziabad has cancelled leaves of all government doctors and paramedical staff for the next 15 days to deal with any untoward situation in the wake of the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
All government hospitals, primary and community health centres have been put on alert in the district, Chief Medical Officer N K Gupta said.
Private hospitals have also been cautioned to remain vigilant, he added.
The orders have been issued as there are apprehensions of troublesome incidents during protests against the CAA, Gupta said.
He said ambulance services 102 and 108 will remain active.
The CMO said leaves of the staff or the doctors will be granted only in emergency cases. -- PTI
01:10 BJP's bid to divide society defeated: Sonia
Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Monday said the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-Congress-Rashtriya Janata Dal alliance's victory in the Jharkhand Assembly polls was of 'extreme contemporary importance' and asserted that the people have defeated the BJP's attempts to divide the society on caste and religious lines.
Gandhi thanked the people of Jharkhand for expressing their 'substantive faith' in the people centric Congress-JMM-RJD alliance led by Jharkhand Mukti Morcha working president Hemant Soren.
Gandhi congratulated Soren, all alliance partners and the Congress party leaders and workers for the victory, the party said in a statement.
The victory is special and of extreme contemporary importance, and the people of Jharkhand deserve special gratitude and congratulations for summarily defeating the BJP and its divisive agenda, she said.
With this mandate, the people have defeated the BJP's attempts to divide the society on caste and religious lines, the Congress president asserted.
The JMM-led alliance attained a majority in the 81-member Jharkhand assembly on Monday, Election Commission website said. -- PTI
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