LIVE! Passage of quota bill by Parliament is victory of social justice: PM

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Wed, 09 January 2019

Passage of quota bill by Parliament is victory of social justice: PM

Timeline Refresh

23:32 Alok Verma nullifies transfer orders made by Interim CBI chief

Soon after resuming charge as the director of the Central Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday, Alok Verma has withdrawn almost all transfer orders made by the interim CBI director M Nageswara Rao with immediate effect.

The order says that the status-quo before the issuance of above mentioned orders would be maintained.

Around thirteen CBI officers were transferred by Rao after two senior officers, including the current CBI director, were sent on forced leave. However, most of these transfer orders now stand reversed.

On the midnight of October 23, 2018, the central government had sent Verma along with Special Director Rakesh Asthana, number two in the CBI, on forced leave in the wake of their bitter fight.

Verma had challenged the government's order in the Supreme Court, which, on Tuesday, directed that he be reinstated as the CBI chief but barred him from taking any major policy decisions.

The Supreme Court bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, while reinstating Verma on Tuesday, said the Central government should have referred the case to this Selection Committee if it wished to initiate the removal of the CBI director.

The judgment, read out by Justice Kaul as the Chief Justice was on leave, said the Selection Committee will be called within seven days from Tuesday to take a decision on the basis of the findings of the CVC inquiry into the corruption allegations against the CBI Director.

The court also said that till then Verma will refrain from taking any important policy decisions.

Verma's two-year tenure as CBI Director ends on January 31.

-- ANI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the decision of the Rajya Sabha to pass the bill providing 10 per cent quota to the economically weaker sections in the general category.

Shortly after the Upper House passed the bill with 165 voting in favour of it, Modi said, "Passage of quota bill by Parliament is victory of social justice."

He added, "Delighted that Rajya Sabha has passed quota bill, it ensures wider canvas for country's 'Yuva Shakti' to showcase their prowess."

22:30 How the Rajya Sabha voted on the quota bill

When it came down to the quota bill, the Ayes have it!

Here's a breakdown of how MPs in the Upper house voted on the bill that provides 10 per cent quota in jobs and education for people from general category who also belong to the economically weaker sections.

A 10 per cent quota in jobs and education for people from general category who also belong to the economically weaker sections became possible today after a bill for this was passed by the Rajya Sabha.

With 155 noes, the Rajya Sabha rejects proposal to send bill for scrutiny of a select committee. The motion was moved by DMK MP Kanimozhi.

The bill, which was passed by the Lok Sabha last evening, will now need the signature of the President.

Most parties have questioned the timing of the bill, alleging that the government's move was meant to reap benefits in the coming national elections. Pointing out that polls are held in the country every few months, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made a push for simultaneous elections.

After Narendra Modi attacked Rahul Gandhi for his remarks that the prime minister made 'a woman' defend him in Parliament over the Rafale deal, the Congress president took a jibe at the PM saying in "our culture respect for women begins at home".

"Stop shaking. Be a man and answer my question: Did the Air Force and Defence Ministry object when you bypassed the original Rafale deal? Yes? Or No?" Gandhi tweeted.

The tweet came hours after Modi said at a public event, "They are bent upon insulting a woman defence minister. This is not an insult to a woman, but an insult to entire India's women power, for which these irresponsible leaders will have to pay the price."

Modi's attack was in response to Gandhi's remarks at a farmers rally in Jaipur where he said, "The watchman with a 56-inch chest ran away and told a woman, Sitharaman ji, defend me. I won't be able to defend myself, defend me."

Reacting to the prime minister's scathing criticism, Gandhi, in his tweet, said: "With all due respect Modi Ji, in our culture respect for women begins at home."

While Gandhi did not elaborate, some Congress leaders in the past have alleged that Modi deprived his wife of her rights.

There was no immediate reaction from the BJP on Gandhi's statement.

-- PTI

Nobel laureate economist Amartya Sen described the proposed 10 per cent reservation for economically backward people in the general category as a "muddled thinking" that raises serious question about its political and economic impact.

He also said the Modi government sustained the "high economic growth" achieved during the UPA regime, but that did not translate into jobs, poverty elimination and better healthcare and education for all.

On the government's move to provide 10 per cent reservation in jobs and educational institutions to economically weaker sections in the general category, Sen said, "The reservation for the low income upper caste is a different problem."

"If the whole of the population is covered by reservation then that would be removal of reservation," he said.

"Ultimately this is a muddled thinking. But the muddled thinking may have serious political and economic effect which are seriously questionable."

The economist said the Modi government was successful in maintaining the economic growth India achieved before they came to power.

"(Prime Minister Narendra) Modi can say 'yes we have continued that'. There has not been a big reduction in the economic growth of India," he said.

But the benefits of economic growth in terms of generation of employment, inequality reduction, poverty elimination, better healthcare and education for all cannot be seen on the ground though the economic growth has continued at a high rate, he said.

-- PTI

Britain's government suffered another setback on Wednesday as MPs voted to force it to announce within three sitting days what steps it will take next if its Brexit deal is rejected by parliament next week as appears likely.

The contentious amendment was passed by 308 votes in favour to 297 against, a day after MPs delivered another blow to Prime Minister Theresa May by voting to scupper a no-deal Brexit.

Amazon chief executive Jeff Bezos and wife MacKenzie Bezos have announced that after a trial separation they have decided to divorce.

Bezos, 54, is the world's richest person with a net worth of $137 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, a ranking of the world's 500 wealthiest individuals.

The couple met when they both worked at hedge fund DE Shaw, and they married in 1993. Bezos founded Amazon a year later.

The Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti and its 70 partner organisations on Wednesday vowed to not let Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union ministers enter Assam till the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 was scrapped.

Addressing a press conference, KMSS leader Akhil Gogoi said they will also protest in all meetings and functions of Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Bharatiya Janata Party MLAs in the state.

"Till the time the bill is withdrawn, the Prime Minister, Central ministers and other BJP leaders will not be allowed to enter Assam," Gogoi said.

"We will not allow them to hold any function, be it official or non-official, in the state. Everywhere, black flags will be shown," he added.

Obstructions will be created in their every function, including political rallies for the Lok Sabha polls, Gogoi said.

"We will also not allow the Chief Minister and other BJP MLAs to hold any meeting or official function in the state. We will show black flags wherever they go," he added.

Flanked by other leaders of the groups, Gogoi said if the Rajya Sabha passes the bill on Wednesday, then a "civil disobedience movement" will begin from Thursday.

The Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019, which seeks to provide Indian citizenship to Hindus, Jains, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan after six years of residence in India instead of 12 years currently even if they do not possess any document.

Protests against the bill intensified in different parts of Assam on Wednesday with the effigies of Modi and Sonowal being burnt by the agitators.

-- PTI

19:59

JUST IN: AGP ministers Atul Bora, Keshav Mahanta, Phanibhushan Choudhury tender their resignations to Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal.

19:41 SC's 5-judge Constitution bench to hear Ayodhya case tomorrow

A five-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Thursday the politically sensitive case of Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land title dispute in Ayodhya.

The bench will be headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and also comprise of Justices S A Bobde, N V Ramana, U U Lalit and D Y Chandrachud.

A three-judge bench of the top court had on September 27 last year, by 2:1 majority, refused to refer to a five-judge constitution bench for reconsideration of the observations in its 1994 judgement that a mosque was not integral to Islam. The matter had arisen during the hearing of the Ayodhya land dispute.

When the matter was last taken up on January 4, there was no indication that the case would be referred to a constitution bench as the apex court had simply said that further orders in the matter would be passed on January 10 by "the appropriate bench, as may be constituted".

The newly set up five-judge bench comprises not only the incumbent CJI but the four judges who are in line to be CJI in the future.

Justice Gogoi's successor would be Justice Bobde followed by Justices Ramana, Lalit and Chandrachud.

As many as 14 appeals have been filed in the apex court against the 2010 Allahabad high court judgment, delivered in four civil suits, that the 2.77-acre land be partitioned equally among the three parties -- the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla.

Various Hindutva organisations have been demanding an ordinance on early construction of Ram temple at the disputed site.

-- PTI

Indian cricketer Hardik Pandya on Wednesday responded to the BCCI show cause notice by saying that he was "sincerely regretful" for the comments he made on a TV show, which were slammed as sexist and misogynistic.

In his response to the notice, which gave him 24 hours to explain himself, Pandya said he did not realise that his comments would be found offensive.

"I made an appearance on the chat show where I have made certain statements without realising that these could be disrespectful and offend sensitivities of viewers for which I am sincerely regretful," he wrote in his response.

"I would like to assure you that there was no malice or any sort of ill-intent on my part to offend anyone or portray any section of the society in bad light. I made these statements in the flow of the show and had not comprehended the extent to which my statements would be found offensive," he added.

The 25-year-old, who is part of the team for the ongoing series against Australia, vowed never to repeat the behaviour.

"Rest assured I hold the BCCI in highest regard and will exercise complete discretion and prudence to ensure that such incidents are never repeated in future," he said.

Pandya appeared on the show with teammate K L Rahul, who was a lot more restrained in his responses to questions on women and relationships.

It is learnt that Pandya has unreservedly apologised to the Indian team management and his teammates.

-- PTI

Pakistan Supreme Court refused to air Indian content on Pakistani TV channels, stating that it "damages our culture".

A three-member SC bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar, on Wednesday made it clear that the Supreme Court will not allow Indian content to be shown on Pakistani channels. "We will not allow Indian content to be aired on [Pakistani] channels", reported the country's leading daily Dawn.

The court was listening to an appeal filed by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority against high courts' decision to ban the broadcast of Indian content on TV channels in Pakistan.

In 2016, the PEMRA had imposed a complete ban on airing and transmission Indian content on local television and FM radio channels. A year later, the Lahore High Court lifted the ban. However, in October 2018, the Pakistan SC reinstated it.

In the latest plea, PEMRA Chairman Saleem Baig told the court that 65 per cent of the content shown on Filmazia channel is foreign and that the number at times goes as high as 80 per cent.

Pemra counsel explained to the chief justice that "Filmazia is not a news channel but is an entertainment channel; it does not do any propaganda."

"It is, however, damaging our culture," the top judge countered.

18:33

Hockey India sacks men's coach Harendra Singh, citing disappointing results in 2018

18:15 Rahul says PM got a woman to defend him on Rafale, Modi calls it insult to all women

Referring to Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's recent speech on the Rafale deal, Congress president Rahul Gandhi said Wednesday the prime minister got a woman to defend him in Parliament, provoking a sharp retort from Narendra Modi.

Referring to Modi as a prime minister who claimed to have a broad chest, Gandhi said, he had "run away" from a debate in Parliament on the issue.

The watchman with a 56-inch chest ran away and told a woman, Sitharaman ji, defend me. I won't be able to defend myself, defend me, he said at the rally.

For two and a half hours, the woman could not defend him. I had asked a straight question answer yes or no but she couldn't answer, he said, using the Hindi word mahila' for a woman.

Later in the speech, he accused the prime minister again of running away from the debate, but this time did not refer to the defence minister in the same manner.

In his public meeting later in the day in Agra, Modi reacted strongly to Gandhi's remark.

He said now the opposition is bent upon insulting a woman. This is an insult to the women in the country, he added.

He said Sitharaman defended the Rafale deal strongly.

-- PTI

The Rajya Sabha discusses the quota bill that seeks to provide 10 per cent reservation in jobs and educational institutions to the economically weaker sections in the general category.

TMC leader Derek o Brien said, "This bill is an acknowledgement of guilt for not creating enough jobs in the last 4 years."

"The youth of the country is asking where are the jobs. You promised 2 crore jobs, instead, you are answering with Pakodanomics."

"The government has a problem of making promises and not fulfilling it. Startup India, Digital India. This new scheme is called Cheat India."

TMC leader Derek o Brien said, "In the previous governments, 65-70 per cent bills used to get passed with scrutiny. Under this government, only 20 per cent have undergone scrutiny."

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik made it clear that his BJD will not join any grand alliance (or Mahagathbandhan) the opposition parties are trying to form before general elections, and would not align either with the BJP or the Congress.

Speaking to reporters, The Biju Janata Dal president said his party would "continue with our policy of equidistance from the BJP and the Congress."

"I want to clarify that as far as Mahagathbandhan is concerned, the Biju Janata Dal is not a part of it," he said.

The chief minister's statement is significant as several non-BJP parties are trying to forge unity in a bid to form a grand alliance to take on the ruling party in the Lok Sabha elections this year.

Patnaik's statement comes a day after he said during his visit to Delhi on Tuesday that his party needed time to take a decision on Mahagathbandhan. "We will take some time and think about it," he had said.

While the ruling BJD was in alliance with BJP for over a decade and both shared power in the state from 2000-2009, the regional party snapped ties with the saffron party on the eve of 2009 elections. Thereafter, it has been maintaining distance from both the BJP and the Congress.

The BJP, meanwhile, accused the BJD of having some "understanding" with the Congress, which, in turn, charged that Patnaik's party has been "with the BJP all along".

Odisha BJP president Basant Panda said, "There is no doubt that the BJD is having hidden understanding with the Congress. Patnaik's statement is nothing but a ploy to mislead the people,"

-- PTI

16:49 Budget session likely from Jan 31 to Feb 13

The Budget session of Parliament is likely to be held from January 31 to February 13 and the interim Budget is expected to be presented on February 1, government sources said Wednesday.

The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs headed by Home Minister Rajnath Singh deliberated on the dates for the Budget session and the final decision will be announced after the Rajya Sabha is be adjourned sine die and the committee recommends prorogation of the Winter session, sources said.

Thereafter the recommendation will be sent to the President.

As of now, it has been decided that the Budget session will be held from January 31 to February 13. The interim budget is likely to be presented on February 1, the sources said.

President Ram Nath Kovind is likely to address the joint sitting of the two Houses on January 31 and the Economic Survey may also be tabled on the same day.

The Budget session which usually happens in two phases is likely to be held in a single phase as the general elections are due in April-May this year. It is expected to be the last session of the current Lok Sabha.

The Winter session of Parliament, supposed to end Tuesday, was extended for a day for Rajya Sabha to table the Constitution amendment bill that provides 10 per cent reservation to the 'economically weaker' sections in jobs and educational institutions.

The session in the Lok Sabha was concluded yesterday, and it was adjourned sine die.

-- PTI

Delhi high court agrees to hear Ministry of Defence (MoD) on the arbitration proceedings going on between AgustaWestland & MoD; asks both parties to file their affidavits within five weeks.

Ministry of Defence (MoD) alleges before the Delhi HC that there are several criminal proceedings going on against Agusta Westland due to which arbitration proceedings cannot be allowed to go on. -- ANI

16:14 RLD demands six Lok Sabha seats in UP alliance

The Rashtriya Lok Dal, a part of an opposition alliance in Uttar Pradesh, has demanded to field candidates in six seats, a senior party leader said on Wednesday.

RLD vice-president Jayant Chaudhary and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav met in Lucknow on Tuesday.

"The RLD is a part of the mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) and the party leadership has demanded six seats," RLD's UP chief Masood Ahmed told PTI.

The Lok Sabha seats demanded by the RLD are Baghpat, Mathura, Muzaffarnagar, Hathras, Amroha and Kairana. Currently Kairana is represented by RLD's Tabassum Hasan, who won a by-election from the seat with support from the Samajwadi Party and Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party.

"Any decision on seat sharing will be taken when Jayant Chaudhary meets Akhilesh Yadav and BSP supremo Mayawati," Ahmed said.

"Possibly on January 15, BSP chief Mayawati may speak to leaders of the mahagathbandhan in this regard. RLD vice-president Jayant Chaudhary will come to Lucknow on January 12," he said.

Uttar Pradesh has 80 Lok Sabha seats, the highest in the country.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the RLD failed to win a single seat and polled only 0.86 per cent votes. In the 2017 UP state elections, the RLD won only one seat out of the 277 it contested, and got 2.59 per cent votes.

Uttar Pradesh assembly has 403 members.

Yesterday, Jayant Chaudhary met Akhilesh at the SP headquarters here and the two spoke for over an hour.

"We discussed present politics and future course of action and also about BJP's failures," Chaudhary had said, without elaborating. -- PTI

Congress president Rahul Gandhi said on Wednesday that farmers, troubled by the agriculture distress, showed Prime Minister Narendra Modi their strength in the recent assembly elections in three Hindi heartland states, including Rajasthan, in which the Bharatiya Janata Party lost power to the Congress.

Addressing a farmers' rally in Jaipur -- the first after Congress formed the government in Rajasthan, he also promised to waive farm loans in every state if the Congress is voted to power in 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

The Congress president, however, said waiving farm loans is a small step towards addressing the agriculture distress and 'a new green revolution (harit kranti) is needed to address the problem'.

Attacking Modi for not participating in the debate on the multi-crore Rafale jet deal, Gandhi said, "Chowkidaar could not stand in Lok Sabha for a minute during the debate on Rafale issue."

Gandhi has been playing on the word 'chowkidaar', used by Modi after his election to say that he will not allow corruption on his watch, to target the prime minister.

"We demand a JPC probe of the Rafale deal," Gandhi said, asserting that Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman could not reply to his questions during the debate on the issue in Lok Sabha.

The Congress wrested power from the BJP in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh in December. -- PTI

15:33

Here's the detailed statement by Shah Faesal on his resignation that he posted on Facebook:

'To protest against the unabated killings in Kashmir, and lack of any sincere reach-out from the Union Government; the marginalization and invisiblization of around 200 million Indian Muslims at the hands of Hindutva forces reducing them to second-class citizens; insidious attacks on the special identity of the J&K State and growing culture of intolerance and hate in the mainland India in the name of hypernationalism, I have decided to resign from Indian Administrative Service.

'I wish to remind the regime of the day that subversion of public institutions like RBI, CBI and NIA has the potential to decimate the Constitutional edifice of this Country and it needs to be stopped.

'I wish to reiterate that voices of reason in this country cannot be muzzled for long and the environment of siege will need to end if we wish to usher in true democracy.I am thankful to my family, friends and well-wishers for supporting me in this amazing journey in IAS.

'One of my important tasks here-after will be train and guide aspiring civil servants to help them in achieving this dream.

'I will be addressing a press conference on Friday to share my future plans.

'I will look forward to your support and blessings in this new mission (sic).'

15:23 IAS Shah Faesal resigns, to contest Lok Sabha poll

Kashmiri IAS officer Shah Faesal has reportedly resigned from the services to join politics, ThePrint reported quoting sources.

The report said the 2010 batch topper sought voluntary retirement on Monday to join the Farooq Abdullah-led National Conference.

Faesal, 35, who comes from the Lolab valley in Kupwara, is believed to be eyeing the Baramulla constituency in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

"He applied for voluntary retirement the day before, but the process takes time since it has to be approved by the DoPT," a source familiar with the development told ThePrint.

Read the full report

The Delhi high court dismissed a public interest litigation on Wednesday seeking a ban on The Accidental Prime Minister and its trailer on allegations that it defamed the constitutional post of the prime minister.

A bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V K Rao said the petitioner has no locus standi to file the plea and private interest was involved in it.

Petitioner Pooja Mahajan alleged that provisions of the Cinematograph Act are being misused and the film producer has released the trailer affecting the image of the office of the prime minister and giving a bad name to it at the national and international level.

The film is scheduled to release on January 11.

Initially the matter was listed for hearing before a bench of Justices S Muralidhar and Sanjeev Narula in the cause list uploaded on Tuesday, however, it was changed this morning and was heard by the bench headed by the Chief Justice.

During the hearing, the producers of the film said they were not made a party in the PIL and the court should not pass any order without hearing them.

Advocate Sangram Patnaik, appearing for film producers Sunil Bohra and Dhaval Gada, objected to the petition saying it was not maintainable and how could the production house was not made a party.

He said if the adverse order is passed, it would be the producers who would be affected as it is their money which is at stake.

A single judge had earlier refused to entertain the plea asking the petitioner to file it as a public interest litigation.

The film, which stars Anupam Kher as former prime minister Manmohan Singh, is based on a book of the same name by Singh's media advisor Sanjaya Baru.

The court noted the submission of the counsel for the Centre and the Censor Board that the petitioner had stated in the first paragraph of her petition that she had no personal interest in the issue.

The plea, filed through advocate A Maitri, alleges that the released trailer of the film defames the constitutional post of the prime minister.

It has arrayed the Centre, through the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), Google (India) and YouTube as parties. -- PTI

A man suspected to be a spy of Pakistan intelligence agencies has been arrested in Arunachal Pradesh's Anjaw district, near India-China border, army sources said.

The accused has been identified as Nirmal Rai, a resident of Sadiya in Assam's Tinsukia district, they said.

State Director General of Police (DGP) SBK Singh, when contacted, said Rai had been working as an army porter at Kibithu and Dichu two border posts along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

He was arrested to January 6 by army personnel and handed over to Arunachal Pradesh Police a day after, the DGP said.

"Rai belongs to a Nepali community. He worked at a burger shop in Dubai between 2016 and 2018 before moving to Kibithu," he said, adding that more details in the case will be available after interrogation.

Army sources told PTI that Rai was under watch for over a month due to his suspicious behaviour.

The suspected spy was probably trained and recruited by Dubai-based handler of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), an army personnel said.

"He was involved in passing on sensitive information on location and deployment of army units, weapon profiles and artillery guns at Kibithu, as well as infrastructure development along the LAC," he said on condition of anonymity.

A smart phone has been seized from the possession of Rai, the personnel said, adding that the arrest was made under provisions of Official Secrets Act, section 120B of the IPC for criminal conspiracy and section 72 of the IT Act for breach of privacy. -- PTI

Putting all speculations to rest, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday said that the Biju Janata Dal will not be a part of the 'Mahagathbandhan' (grand alliance) in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.

He informed that his party will continue to remain equidistant from both the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress.

"The BJD will not be part of the Mahagathabandhan. We will continue with our policy of equidistance from BJP and Congress," Patnaik told reporters in Bhubaneswar.

On Tuesday, the BJD supremo said that he needed more time to decide on joining the grand alliance, ahead of the high-stakes general elections.

The 'Mahagathbandhan' is a proposed group of non-BJP parties, including the Congress, which is aiming to dethrone the Narendra Modi-led government in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. -- ANI

Asserting that no country is immune to the 'existential threat' of terrorism, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday said the need of hour is to ensure zero tolerance towards terrorism and those using it as an 'instrument of convenience'.

Swaraj, in her address at the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi, said that with unwavering belief in multilateralism, India speaks not just for itself but also for the cause of justice, opportunity and prosperity around the world.

"For us, transformation is not just a domestic agenda but a global vision," she said.

Talking about the 'critical challenges' that confront the world, she said the first among them is terrorism.

"There was a time when India would talk about terrorism and it would be treated as a law and order issue at many global platforms. Today, no country, big or small, is immune to the existential threat, particularly terrorism actively supported and sponsored by states," Swaraj said.

In this digital age, the challenge posed by terrorism is even greater with more vulnerability to radicalisation, she said.

As far back as 1996, India proposed a Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism at the United Nations, but it remains a draft to this day because the countries cannot agree on a common definition of terrorism, she said.

"Ensuring zero tolerance towards terrorism and towards those using it as an instrument of convenience is the need of the hour," the external affairs minister said.

She said the threat of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and climate change were also major challenges facing the international community. -- PTI

13:45 Interim Budget to be presented on February 1

Interim budget to be presented on February 1 during the budget session of Parliament.

The budget session to be held from January 31 to February 13.

The decision was taken in the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs, ANI reports quoting sources.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said the smooth passage of the bill which provides 10 per cent quota for the general category poor in jobs and education in the Lok Sabha is a 'strong answer' by the Parliament to those 'spreading lies'.

Hoping the Rajya Sabha will pass the Bill on Wednesday, Modi said the rights of the deprived sections, including the Dalits and the tribal people, will not be affected because of this bill.

He termed the the passage of the bill in the Lok Sabha as a 'historic' step which seeks to uplift the deprived sections and also illustrates the commitment of the government to prioritising the good of those needing it the most.

The passage of the Citizenship Bill, seeking to provide Indian citizenship to non-Muslims from Bangaldesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan also found a mention in Modi's speech in Solapur.

He assured the people of Assam and North East that their rights will not be curtailed in any way through the bill's provisions.

Speaking after inaugurating a highway project built at an investment of over Rs 970 crore, Modi said Solapur will soon be covered under the Udaan scheme which seeks to link far off places with air connectivity.

He also laid the foundation stone of a over Rs 1,800 crore project of 30,000 houses under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana in Solapur. -- PTI

A nun, who published poems, bought a car and took part in a protest against former bishop of Jalandhar diocese in connection with a rape case, has been issued notice by her congregation based in Aluva near Kochi, for leading a life 'against principles of religious life'.

In its notice, Franciscan Clarist Congregation accused Sister Lucy Kalapura belonging to its St Mary's province, Mananthavady, of leading a life, which was against the 'principles of religious life' and the rule of congregation.

The nun has been asked to offer explanation to Superior General sister Ann Joseph at Generalate of the Congregation at 11 am on Wednesday.

Asked whether Sister Lucy could reach the congregation at 11 am, a Nun who attended the phone of the congregation office said she would have faced problems to commute from Wayanad as the vehicles were off the road on account of the nation wide strike called by trade unions.

The congregation termed as 'grave violations' a Nun taking licence, buying a car, taking a loan for it and publishing a book spending money without permission and knowledge of her superiors.

The provincial superior had denied permission to Sister Lucy to publish her collection of poems. She, however, published her book Snehamazhayil without seeking permission from her superiors.

The congregation also called as 'grave scandal' the Nun participating in discussions in TV news channels and writing articles for non-Christian newspapers 'making false accusations against Catholic leadership and belittling it'.

The sister had invited the wrath of the Church leadership by participatingin a street protest here by five nuns belonging to the Catholic religious order Missionaries of Jesus demanding the arrest of Bishop Franco Mulakkal, who was accused of raping a nun.

The nun could not be reached for her comments. -- PTI

Rajya Sabha adjourned till 2 pm after uproar over general category quota bill.

The debate over the bill was disrupted as opposition parties protested extension of the House by one day.

Earlier, presenting the bill, Union Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot said, "This bill will uplift the poor of the nation. This decision has been taken with thorough consideration."

Opposition members came into the well of the House as the minister spoke on the bill. -- with ANI inputs

In yet another ceasefire violation, the Pakistan army resorted to firing and mortar shelling on forward posts along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir for the second consecutive day on Wednesday, a defence official said.

Pakistani troops targeted posts in Gulpur and Khadi Karmara in Poonch district, he said.

"At about 0900 hours, Pakistani troops initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation by small arms and heavy caliber weapons besides shelling in Poonch," he said, adding Indian troops retaliated strongly.

Pakistan has been increasingly violating the 2003 ceasefire agreement with India. It has resorted to firing and shelling along LoC five times in the past seven days, including on Tuesday.

Also, the year 2018 witnessed the highest 2,936 ceasefire violations by Pakistani troops in the past 15 years.

During the past one week, Pakistani troops have targeted forward posts in Mankote, Khadi Karmara, Gulpur areas without any causality.

Northern Command chief Lt Gen Ranbir Singh on Monday visited forward areas and reviewed security situation in Jammu and Rajouri districts. -- PTI

The Delhi high court said Wednesday it will hear on January 15 the appeal of Associated Journals Ltd (AJL), publisher of National Herald newspaper, challenging the single judge order asking it to vacate its premises in New Delhi, due to non-availability of advocates.

A bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V K Rao was informed by the central government's standing counsel Rajesh Gogna that they are led by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta who was not available for the day.

The counsel for AJL said senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who will argue their case, was also not available.

The court listed the matter for hearing on January 15 after both the sides consented to it.

A single judge on December 21 had dismissed AJL's plea challenging the Centre's order to vacate its premises and asked AJL to vacate the ITO premises within two weeks after which eviction proceedings under the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised Occupants) Act, 1971, would be initiated. -- PTI

Ruckus continued in the Rajya Sabha on the last day of Winter Session as opposition parties objected to extension of the session by a day.

As the House commenced, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Vijay Goel said that the government 'wants to extend the functioning of the House by a day as there are important bills to be passed'.

The RS was supposed to take up the bill supporting introduction of the 10 per cent quota for economically backward sections of upper castes and Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2019, both of which were passed by the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

Opposing the extension of the session, Congress's Anand Sharma said, "The way the House proceedings were extended without the consent of the opposition parties was not right.'

"The situation now is such that there is no dialogue between the Opposition and the government. The government is foremost responsible if the House doesn't function," Sharma said.

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said, "The country expects the House to function. As per normal working days, we should have been working, on most of them the House stood adjourned. There is one extra day to consider legislations."

However, opposition members continued protesting and some members trooped into the Well, shouting slogans.

Amid continued ruckus, the deputy chairman adjourned the House till 12 noon. -- with ANI inputs

11:29 Fog envelops Delhi, nine trains delayed

It was a cold, foggy morning in the national capital on Wednesday with nine trains running late by an average of three hours.

The minimum temperature was recorded at 8C, a notch above normal, a MeT official said. The humidity level was 94 per cent.

A senior Railways officer said nine trains have been delayed by an average of three hours due to fog.

Purshottam Express, Brahmputra Mail, Poorva Express, Sampark Kranti and Mahbodhi Express were among those delayed as a cover of moderate fog enveloped the city.

At 5.30 am, the visibility reduced to 200 metres at Palam and 400 metres at Safdarjung, the official said.

The weatherman has forecast mainly clear skies for the day.

It said the maximum temperature will hover around 20C.

On Tuesday, the minimum temperature in the national capital settled at 7C, while the maximum was 19.7C. -- PTI

The two-day nationwide strike by central trade unions to protest against alleged anti-worker policies and unilateral labour reforms entered its second day on Wednesday, impacting normal life in some parts of the country.

According to the reports, public transport and banking services remain disrupted for the second day in some states.

The 10 central trade unions (CTUs) which have given a call for the two-day Bharat Bandh are protesting the government's snub of their 12-point charter of demands seeking minimum wage of Rs 18,000, social security for all workers and issue related to price rise.

The workers participating in the strike will go on a protest march from Mandi House to Parliament on Wednesday at noon, and similarly protests would be seen in other parts of the country as well.

All India Trade Union Congress General Secretary Amarjeet Kaur told PTI that there will be a complete bandh in Goa and Bihar, while 100 per cent strike is expected in other parts of the country too.

She said that due to UGC exams, which started from Tuesday, some state transport departments would not participate completely in the strike in the interest of students.

The exams are scheduled in some states on Wednesday as well. The strike had received mixed response on Tuesday.

The educational institutes, rail, banking, postal and transport services are expected to witness disruption on Wednesday too.

The unions have alleged that the government has failed to create jobs and grossly ignored unions' 12-point charter of demands.

They also said that the Group of Ministers headed by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on labour issues has not called unions for any discussion since September 2, 2015, strike which left them with no option but to go on another strike.

In a joint statement issued on Monday, the CTUs also alleged that the government undermined tripartism and continued its 'aggressive attack with arrogance on the lives and livelihood of the working people'.

They are also opposed to the proposed amendments in Trade Union Act, 1926, saying those are irrational and extremely damaging to the independent functioning of unions.

Farming communities, through their associations, have also extended support to the strike.

Student and teacher organisations of various universities have also declared support, the statement had said. -- PTI

IMAGE: Protesters during 48-hour Central Trade Unions strike vandalised a government bus in Dinhata, Cooch Behar; 2 people including bus driver injured. Photograph: ANI

10:53

Ambassador Bisaria, our high commissioner in Islamabad and Prime Minister AB Vajpayee's PS, tweeted: 'Thrilled to pay homage to #Jehangir in Lahore. He rests in a gorgeous setting on the banks of the #Ravi, in an expansive, peaceful garden. The great #Mughal loved the city, where he fell in love with the ill-fated #Anarkali and later married #Nur Jehan @IndiainPakistan.'

10:50 Suspicious packages found in Indian consulate, others, in Melbourne

Suspicious packages were found on Wednesday at several diplomatic missions in Melbourne, including the Indian consulate, prompting Australian authorities to launch a major emergency response, reports Natasha Chaku.

A major operation is underway after packages were delivered to at least 10 international consulates across Melbourne.

Firefighters and Ambulance Victoria paramedics were attending the Indian consulate and US consulate on St Kilda Road.

"Police and emergency services have responded to suspicious packages to embassies and consulates... The packages are being examined by attending emergency services. The circumstances are being investigated," Australian Federal Police tweeted.

The Metropolitan Fire Brigade said it was assisting the Australian Federal Police at a number of incidents at embassies across Melbourne.

The United Kingdom consulate, located on Collins Street, along with the Korean consulate (St Kilda Road), German consulate (Queen Street), Italian consulate (St Kilda Road), Swiss consulate (Ashwood), Pakistan consulate (Cardigan Place), Greek consulate (Albert Road) and the Indonesian consulate (Queens Road) are also believed to have been affected.

Emergency workers wearing chemical suits were seen entering some of the buildings. There was no reports of any one injured so far.

More than a dozen hazardous material alerts have been issued on the VicEmergency website.

The developing situation comes just two days after a "suspicious" white powder was found at the Argentinian consulate in Sydney.

-- PTI

JUST IN: Central Bureau of Investigation Chief Alok Verma arrived at agency headquarters on Wednesday to resume charge.

Verma was reinstated by the Supreme Court on Tuesday.

More details awaited. -- ANI

Army chief General Bipin Rawat says that 'terrorism is here to stay as long as there are nations that continue to sponsor it as state policy'.

At the Raisina Dialouge 2019, Gen Rawat said, "Terrorism now spreading its head like a multi-headed monster. Terrorism becoming a new form of warfare.

On Afghan peace process, Gen Rawat said that there should be negotiations with Taliban, but without conditions.

"Pakistan always kept Taliban in its backyard. Pakistan should be concerned about it,' he said.

The Army chief said that 'radicalisation has taken a different form in our country.

"In J&K, youth is getting radicalised due to misinformation and falsehood about religion being fed to them. This is becoming a form of warfare,' he said. "The biggest issue is that social media need to ensure that radicalisation does not happen through false information & misinformation.

Radicalisation through social media is becoming one of the reasons for raising funds for terrorist organisations. We need to control social media,' he said. -- ANI

As part of the ongoing efforts to rescue the trapped miners from a flooded coal mine in Ksan near Lytein River in East Jaintia Hills, Indian Navy's Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) probes, up to a distance of 100 feet, have been successfully undertaken inside the two identified rat holes which run horizontal to the vertical shaft, informed Eastern Naval Command on Tuesday.

The ROV operations are aimed at identifying and entering the rat holes in the incident shaft while simultaneously sanitising the adjacent shafts.

"Since diving was not feasible, simultaneous ROV operations were undertaken in the adjacent shafts which are likely to be linked to the incident shaft through a network of rat holes.

"Two shafts have been sanitized thus far without any trace of miners. The probes by ROV in the incident shaft have been undertaken at night on several occasions and two rat holes out of a probable four have been identified," read a press release shared by Eastern Naval Command.

It further added that considering the limited dimension of the incident shaft at the bottom and dewatering being a greater priority, ROV operations in the incident shaft have been curtailed and would commence when permitted by imperatives of dewatering.

ROV ops in adjacent shafts would continue in the meanwhile.

A total of five naval ROVs have been augmented on site and simultaneous probes are being undertaken to maximise coverage.

The Indian Naval diving team from Visakhapatnam has been a part of the Meghalaya mines rescue operations since Dec 28.

The team's initial contribution involved depth measurement, marking of the shaft at various levels and UWROV (Under Water Remotely Operated Vehicle) probes for obstructions/ entanglements below the waterline.

The local authorities and National Disaster Response Force have also been involved in the rescue effort.

15 miners have been trapped in a 370-feet deep illegal mine in Lumthari village since December 13 last year, when the water from the nearby Lytein River flooded the mine.

Since then, rescuers are struggling hard to pump out water from the inundated mine.

So far, attempts by rescuers to reach them have yielded no result. -- ANI

United States President Donald Trump made a plea for border wall funding on Tuesday night in a televised address, declaring that there is 'a humanitarian crisis, a crisis of the heart and a crisis of the soul'.

Addressing the nation from the Oval Office for the first time, Trump argued for funding on security and humanitarian grounds as he sought to put pressure on newly empowered Democrats amid an extended partial government shutdown.

The US president called on Democrats to return to the White House to meet with him, saying it was 'immoral' for 'politicians to do nothing'.

Trump, who has long railed against illegal immigration at the border, has recently seized on humanitarian concerns to argue there is a broader crisis that can only be solved with a wall along the US-Mexico border.

But critics say the security risks are overblown and his administration is at least partly to blame for the humanitarian situation.

Democrats have vowed to block funding for a wall, which they say would be immoral and ineffective, and have called on Trump to reopen shuttered portions of the government while border negotiations continue. -- Agencies

India's gross domestic product is expected to grow at 7.3 per cent in the fiscal year 2018-19, and 7.5 per cent in the following two years, the World Bank has forecast, attributing it to an upswing in consumption and investment.

The bank said India will continue to be the fastest growing major economy in the world.

China's economic growth is projected to slow down to 6.2 each in 2019 and 2020 and 6 per cent in 2021, according to the January 2019 Global Economic Prospects report released by the World Bank on Tuesday.

In 2018, the Chinese economy is estimated to have grown by 6.5 per cent as against India's 7.3 per cent.

In 2017, China with 6.9 per cent growth was marginally ahead of India's 6.7 per cent, mainly because the slowdown in the Indian economy due to demonetisation and implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), the report said.

"India's growth outlook is still robust. India is still the fastest growing major economy," World Bank Prospects Group Director Ayhan Kose told PTI in an interview.

"With investment picking up and consumption remaining strong, we expect India to grow 7.3 per cent in the fiscal year 2018-2019, and average 7.5 per cent in 2019 and 2020. India registered quite a bit of pick up in doing business ranking. The growth momentum is there (in India)," Kose told PTI.

In India, the growth has accelerated, driven by an upswing in consumption, and investment growth has firmed as the effects of temporary factors wane, the World Bank said in its latest report.

Domestic demand has strengthened as the benefits of structural reforms such as the Goods and Services Tax (GST) harmonisation and bank recapitalisation take effect.

"India's growth accelerated to an estimated 7.3 per cent in FY2018/19 (April to March) as economic activity continued to recover with strong domestic demand. While investment continued to strengthen amid the GST harmonisation and a rebound of credit growth, consumption remained the major contributor to growth," the World Bank said.

According to the report, India's GDP is forecast to grow by 7.3 per cent in FY2018/19 and 7.5 per cent thereafter, in line with June forecasts.

Private consumption is projected to remain robust and investment growth is expected to continue as the benefits of recent policy reforms begin to materialise and credit rebounds.

Strong domestic demand is envisioned to widen the current account deficit to 2.6 per cent of GDP next year. Inflation is projected to rise somewhat above the midpoint of the Reserve Bank of India's target range of 2 to 6 per cent, mainly owing to energy and food prices, the bank said.

It said in India the recent introduction of the GST and steps toward demonetisation are expected to encourage a shift from the informal to the formal sector.

"India's recent growth numbers suggest that the economy remains robust despite temporary setbacks (due top demonetisation and GST)," Kose said.

The World Bank's estimate suggest that India's potential growth rate is around seven per cent, and is expected to remain around seven per cent, he said in response to a question.

"The fact is that Indian economy is being able to deliver growth slightly above its potential is a very good sign," he added.

Refraining from commenting on the economic performance of the Modi Government that too in an election year, the World Bank official said growth performance of India as compared to other emerging markets has been quite impressive.

"India's growth performance has been quite impressive. Year after year it has delivered strong numbers around its potential growth," he said. -- PTI

Amazon has eclipsed Microsoft as the most valuable publicly traded company in the US as a see-sawing stock market continues to reshuffle corporate America's pecking order.

It marks the first time Amazon has held the top spot and ends Microsoft's brief return to the pinnacle after it surpassed Apple in late November.

The repositioning has been triggered by mounting concerns that the Trump administration's trade war with China and rising interest rates will bog down the worldwide economy.

All flights out of the UKs busiest airport, Londons Heathrow, have been suspended after a drone sighting, just weeks after a similar report at Gatwick grounded about 1,000 flights.

A spokesperson for Heathrow said: We are currently responding to a drone sighting at Heathrow and are working closely with the Met police to prevent any threat to operational safety.

As a precautionary measure, we have stopped departures while we investigate. We apologise to passengers for any inconvenience this may cause.

The Metropolitan police said: At approximately 5.05pm today, 8 January, we received reports of a sighting of a drone in the vicinity of Heathrow airport. As a precautionary measure, Heathrow airport has stopped departures, and officers based at Heathrow are currently investigating the reports with colleagues [there].

About 1,40,000 people were affected by the disruption at Gatwick, which occurred over a three-day period in the run-up to Christmas. The latest incident comes only days after it was announced that both airports had invested significant sums of money in military-grade anti-drone technology.

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