Front Page
The story of the bloody attack Sunday on a religious meeting near Amritsar in Punjab is spread on the front pages of all the English newspapers.
The Hindu reports, “At least four people were killed and 15 injured in a grenade attack on a religious congregation at village Adliwal near Amritsar on Sunday.” The Indian Express has put the police version and the CM Amarinder Singh’s statement in the very first paragraph of the report. It writes, “While police said it appeared to be a “terrorist act,” Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said the “possibility of involvement of ISI-backed Khalistani/ Kashmiri terror groups could not be ruled out.”
In another story, The Indian Express narrates how a routine visit to the Dera became a nightmare for the families of the killed. It writes, “Till noon, it was just another Sunday for the families of three persons who got killed in today’s grenade attack…By the evening, they were sitting outside Ivy hospital – a private hospital on Guru Ram Dass Jee International airport road – waiting to receive bodies of their loved ones.”
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) board meeting is scheduled for Monday. Citing sources, The Indian Express writes, “The government has sought a discussion on governance in the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and an appropriate economic capital framework during the central bank’s board meeting scheduled Monday.”
The Hindu, citing sources, writes, “The Union government may not invoke Section 7 of the RBI Act to issue directions to the central bank, in a bid to reduce the tension between North Block and Mint Road, sources privy to the government’s thinking told The Hindu.”
The Telegraph has this news on its front page with the headline “What RBI can give and what govt wants to take.” Writing about the background of the meeting, The Hindu says, “The central board of the RBI will meet on Monday to discuss contentious issues that figured at the last board meeting — economic capital, governance issues of the central bank, boost for the micro, small and medium-sized enterprises and the prompt corrective action (PCA) framework for banks.”
Finally, the Marathas have got their quota! The Devendra Fadnavis government in Maharashtra has found a way to do it. The Times of India writes, “After 57 protest rallies by Maratha groups in the last two years, the Maharashtra cabinet on Sunday evening decided to provide reservation to the community by creating a separate category called ‘Socially and Educationally Backward Class (SEBC)’, but didn’t finalise the quantum of quota.”
Reporting on the new provision, The Indian Express writes, “The decision to classify Marathas as a separate category is an attempt to avoid legal and constitutional hurdles as well as conflict between Marathas and OBCs.” At present, the total reservation in Maharashtra is 52 per cent.
Prime Time
Does Congress recall only Nehru’s legacy?
Republic TV anchor Arnab Goswami discussed whether there has been an attempt by the Congress party to destroy the legacy of every other family except for Jawaharlal Nehru’s. Union Minister Prakash Javadekar told reporters on 14 November that the Congress could not look beyond one family or recall the contribution of others to the country.
Chandra Kumar Bose, grandnephew of Netaji Shubash Chandra Bose, said, “We are not here to demean anyone, Nehru has his place. But what about Bal Gangadhar Tilak and many others? The nation is above individuals. Hence we need to have a holistic approach.”
Political analyst Nishant Verma said, “The last five years, why haven’t you shown the right legacy? Why are you conducting a post-mortem of the Congress?”
Can Amritsar blast be termed a terror attack?
Times Now anchor Athar Khan discussed whether the attack on Nirankari Bhavan at Amritsar can be termed as a terror attack.
At least three people were killed and several others were injured when two motorcycle-borne masked youths threw a grenade at Nirankari Bhavan in Punjab’s Amritsar district Sunday.
Times Now consulting editor Maroof Raza termed it a terror attack and said, “It is terror attack as innocents are killed. I don’t think politicians should be doing finger pointing at each other. We should rise above party politics.”
Congress leader Gurjeet Aujla countered Raza to say, “We should not call it a terrorist activity till the time intelligence agencies ascertain what was the reason behind the blasts. The Punjab government is totally vigilant right now.”
News its kinda cool to know
According to a study published in the journal Healthcare Informatics Research, scientists have developed a new artificial intelligence (AI) technology that can compare different treatments and identify the most suitable alternative for a patient, reports PTI.