Morning Digest: Petrol price hike is a vexatious issue, says Nirmala Sitharaman; Unnao survivor taken off ventilator, and more

A select list of stories to read before you start your day.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

Petrol price hike a vexatious issue: Nirmala Sitharaman

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday said the steep rise in petrol prices is a very vexatious issue and referred to the various aspects involved in the pricing as a  Maha Bayankar Dharma Sankatam  (a huge and frightening moral dilemma).

Knowledge of biology or biological sciences a must for MBBS admission: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court has held in a judgment that prior knowledge of senior secondary level biology or biological sciences along with practical knowledge of the English language is at “the heart of eligibility” for MBBS admission.

Young Ayesha Aziz gives wings to Kashmir women’s dreams

Ayesha Aziz, 25, became the country’s youngest pilot when she acquired her flying license at the age of 16. She now flies GoAir planes and is emerging as a role model among women in the Kashmir valley, who too are eager to break the social barriers of a conservative society to join professions otherwise dominated by men.

Unnao survivor taken off ventilator

The teenager from an Unnao village, who was among 

three girls found unconscious in a field  on Wednesday, was taken off ventilator support on Saturday, a statement from the Kanpur hospital treating her said.

Former IPS officers and intellectuals slam Disha Ravi’s arrest

Former IPS officers and intellectuals have slammed the arrest of 22-year-old Disha Annappa Ravi, an Indian climate change activist, by the Delhi Police on February 13, in connection with the Greta Thunberg “toolkit” concerning protesting farmers.

Promote, preserve Indian languages, Venkaiah writes to Rajya Sabha members

Ahead of the International Mother Language Day on Sunday, Rajya Sabha Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu wrote to all members of the Upper House urging them to promote and preserve Indian languages. He lamented that regional languages were being given short shrift.

We’re agreeable to physical hearings, Supreme Court judges tell CJI

The Supreme Court judges have informally told Chief Justice Sharad A. Bobde that they are agreeable to hold physical court hearings of cases.

West Bengal Assembly polls | Trinamool launches new slogan

In an attempt to project Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as Bengal’s ‘own daughter’ and the BJP as ‘outsiders’, the Trinamool Congress on Saturday launched a new slogan ahead of the upcoming Assembly polls in West Bengal.

First phase of Gujarat local elections to be held on February 21

Elections to Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Jamnagar and Bhavnagar municipal corporations will be held on Sunday in the first phase of local bodies’ polls.

Ind vs Eng T20I series | Rahul Tewatia, Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan earn maiden call-up

Rahul Tewatia, Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan earned their maiden international call-ups, with the trio being named in the India squad for the five-match T20 series against England.