Front page
40 lakh in Assam labelled ‘illegals’. The Times of India has pegged its report on the NRC update on the 40 lakh people left out of the citizenship register. The report, however, quoted Registrar General of India Sailesh as saying that this list “is a draft… we will wait for the final one”.
Supreme Court slams custom of female genital mutilation. Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, hearing a PIL seeking a ban on female genital mutilation, said that the custom is “a violation of a woman’s right to life and dignity”, reports The Hindu.
The controversy over the Muzaffarpur shelter gets murkier. The Hindi daily owned by Brajesh Thakur, main accused in the case pertaining to the alleged sexual exploitation of minors at a shelter in Muzaffarpur, published 300 copies each day, but its daily circulation was shown as 60,862 copies, reports The Indian Express. The daily, Pratah Kamal, would get advertisements worth nearly Rs 30 lakh per year from the Bihar government, sources said.
A flag for north Karnataka. Calling for north Karnataka’s 13 districts to be carved into a new state, the Separate State Agitation Committee said it will unveil a flag for the nregion in Belagavi city Tuesday, just a year after an agitation was launched for a state flag for Karnataka, reports Hindustan Times.
Crucial hearing on Mallya extradition in UK court today. The hearing is set to kick off at 2.30 pm IST, reports The Hindu. The businessman stands accused of defrauding a consortium of public sector banks and laundering money.
NIA search at separatist Asiya Andrabi’s house. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) Monday searched the house of Asiya Andrabi, chief of the women’s separatist group Dukhtaran-e-Milat (Daughters of Faith), in Srinagar. However, no material evidence was seized, reports the Tribune.
Indian Navy to get 111 new helicopters. The defence ministry Monday cleared “platform-specific” guidelines for the purchase of 111 Naval utility helicopters under the ‘strategic partnership’ model to replace the Navy’s outdated fleet of French-designed Chetak choppers, reports Hindustan Times.
The National Supercomputing Mission is set to gather speed. After a slow start, the Rs 4,500-crore National Supercomputing Mission (NSM) is set to gain momentum. Until March this year, only Rs 200 crore of the total budget had been disbursed, but officials told The Indian Express that the NSM was “on track”. Under NSM, which was approved in 2015, the government plans to build a network of 70 supercomputers to be installed at research and academic institutions… aimed at enhancing the country’s capabilities in supercomputing globally,” the report adds.
Business Class
A national e-commerce regulator likely soon. A national regulator to ensure consumer protection and compliance with foreign investment caps in e-commerce, as well as mandatory localisation and tax sops for data centres are part of an upcoming legislation on India’s burgeoning e-commerce sector, reports Livemint. This could help mitigate the policy vacuum in which the sector is currently functioning.
Airtel, IndiGo on ‘anti-profiteering authority’s radar’. The telecom and airline sectors have come under the scanner of the National Anti-Profiteering Authority, with the government asking market leaders if GST benefits were being passed on to consumers, reports Business Standard.
News it’s just kinda cool to know
Scientists discover new shape while studying human cells. With five sides on one end and six on the other and a triangular surface on one of its longer edges, the shape has been labelled ‘scutoid’, according to a report by Hindustan Times.
Point of View
In a column in The Indian Express, TRAI chairman R.S. Sharma seeks to explain his controversial decision to make his Aadhaar data public. Once again, stressing the safety and strength of the platform, he said, “To reassure everyone that Aadhaar was indeed safe to share in actual use, I disclosed my Aadhaar details. My purpose in engaging in debate is to prove by my own example that Aadhaar number disclosure cannot cause any harm.”
The Times Of India, in an editorial, dwells on the fear and uncertainty caused by the NRC updation. “Assam has long borne the brunt of migration from neighbouring Bangladesh but NRC isn’t the best way to address the issue. Massive resources deployed for the exercise could arguably have been better ploughed into beefing up border security or developing the state,” it writes.
Supreme Court advocate Santosh Paul, in his column for The Hindu, argues in favour of increasing the retirement age of judges in line with the norm worldwide. Highlighting the benefits of this move, he says the decision will not only ensure a strong pool of experienced judges, but also “render post-retirement assignments unattractive and, as a consequence, strengthen the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary, both of which are crucial to sustain democracy”.
An editorial in Hindustan Times calls for regular social audits in shelters for destitute girls. Highlighting the recent case from Bihar, it says, “Shelter homes are meant to provide safe havens for children who have been abandoned or have no family support. But when those who are entrusted with their protection turn predators, the state must take exemplary action to ensure that this does not happen again. ”
Prime Time
‘Refugee in one’s own land’
As Assam released the complete draft of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), India Today TV’s Preeti Choudhary asked, “Are people being made refugees in their own country?”
While union minister Jitendra Singh of the BJP tried to defend the government, Congress’ Szarita Laitphlang pointed out flaws in the NRC.
‘Travelling 1,500 kilometres for an exam’
On NDTV India, Ravish Kumar raised the issue of 47 lakh students taking the assistant loco pilot and technician recruitment exam for 26,000 seats. Some examinees have alleged that their nearest examination centre is as far as 1,500 km away from their home. “Many have reached out to us claiming that they don’t have the capacity to spend Rs 4,000-5,000 (on travel),” said Kumar.
Kumar also criticised the railway ministry’s reply that only 17 per cent of the students will have to travel more than 500 km to take the examination. “Seventeen per cent means eight lakh students. Is it fair to them?” he asked.