Morning Digest | Process on to amend criminal laws, says Govt; Kabul bomber was on a suicide mission to India in 2017, claims Islamic State, and more

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

Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani at Parliament on February 2, 2022.

Marital rape | Process on to amend criminal laws: Government

The government has started the process of comprehensive amendments to criminal laws, Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani told Parliament on Wednesday in response to a question on marital rape, but warned against condemning every man as a rapist and every marriage as a violent one.

Kabul bomber was on a suicide mission to India in 2017

The Islamic State (IS) bomber  who stormed the Kabul airport in August 2021  during the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan was sent on a suicide mission to India in 2017, a new magazine by the Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISKP) has claimed.

ED attaches properties of Tamil Nadu Fisheries Minister Anitha Radhakrishnan

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached properties of Anitha R. Radhakrishnan, Minister for Fisheries, Fishermen Welfare and Animal Husbandry (formerly Minister for Housing and Urban Development), and his family members under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

COVID-19 outbreak in India’s squad at Ahmedabad

At least six members of India’s squad — three players and three support staff members, including a coaching staff member — in Ahmedabad have been diagnosed COVID-19 positive ahead of Sunday’s first ODI versus the West Indies.

However, despite the scare, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) insiders insisted the series will “proceed as per schedule” with the selectors deputing replacements.

Electoral bonds worth ₹1,213 cr. sold in January

Electoral bonds worth ₹1,213 crore were sold by the SBI in January, with most of them (₹784.84 crore) being encashed in the New Delhi branch, pointing towards national parties, while the Mumbai branch sold the most (₹489.6 crore worth), according to a Right to Information reply this week.

Union Budget 2022: What does the budget offer the common man? | In Focus podcast

Economist and  Malcolm S. Adiseshiah Chair Professor at the Institute of Social Sciences, New Delhi, Arun Kumar speaks to us on what the numbers of the Union Budget mean for the common man.

China honours PLA Galwan commander as Winter Olympics torchbearer

A People’s Liberation Army (PLA) regiment commander who was involved in the June 15, 2020 clash with India in Galwan Valley was chosen by the Chinese government to carry the Winter Olympic torch in Wednesday’s torch relay in Beijing.

‘Indian intelligence service’ bought Pegasus from Israel, coordinated with Mossad: NYT reporter

The “Indian intelligence service” purchased Pegasus from Israeli company NSO in a deal pegged at “dozens of millions of dollars”, a The New York Times (NYT) reporter involved in the newspaper’s investigation into the use of the surveillance system worldwide has said.

₹3,358 crore MGNREGA wage payments pending, Government tells Rajya Sabha

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) workers are still waiting for almost ₹3,360 crore in pending wage payments, with the largest pending payments in West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, according to the government’s reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.

India isolated; voices of States muffled: Rahul Gandhi

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said the Narendra Modi government had put India at risk by bringing China and Pakistan together as a “unified front”, and found itself isolated and surrounded by the neighbours even as there were fights raging within.

Illegal facilities in Bengaluru prison: ACB files chargesheet against Sasikala, two senior prison officers

The Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB), Bengaluru has filed a chargesheet against six persons, including two senior prison officials of Karnataka and V.K. Sasikala, a close aide of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, in a corruption case of illegally providing preferential facilities when Sasikala was lodged in the Central prison in Bengaluru while she was serving a sentence in a corruption case against Jayalalithaa.

U.P. Assembly election | Sanjay Chauhan getting impatient as ally SP delays seat allocation

Sanjay Chauhan, a key element of the backward caste matrix of Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav in the 2022 Uttar Pradesh election, is getting impatient. The chief of the Janvadi Party (Socialist), which claims a support base among the Noniya, Loniya and Loniya Chauhan communities mostly in central and eastern Uttr Pradesh, Mr. Sanjay Chauhan is still waiting for his larger ally to allocate seats to his party.

Anganwadi workers call for stir in response to Budget

An umbrella body of 24 anganwadi unions has given a call for protest against the Union Budget’s “failure” to address their demands for minimum wages instead of honorarium and higher allocation for nutrition.

Jammu and Kashmir transfers 289-acre land for housing, Dubai realtors likely to invest

A month after Dubai-based realtors signed deals with the J&K government, the UT Administrative Council (AC), headed by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, on Wednesday approved the transfer of 2,318 kanal (289.75 acres ), eight marla (2,178.008 sq. ft.) in seven villages at 17 locations in Srinagar and Budgam districts.

SGPC accuses Congress of hurting Sikh sentiments by distorting prayer

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) — the body responsible for the management of Gurdwaras — on Wednesday hit out at the Congress party accusing it of distorting Sikh prayer for its political interest.

Zydus Cadila starts supply of COVID-19 vaccine ZyCoV-D to govt

Pharmaceutical company Zydus group on Wednesday announced that it had started the supply of its COVID-19 vaccine, ZyCoV-D, to the Central government against their order. The group is also planning to make the vaccine available in the private market.

Fitch Ratings flags high fiscal deficit target

Rating agencies are not enthused by the fiscal consolidation road map and the lack of major reform proposals in the Union Budget. Fitch Ratings, which has a negative outlook on India’s sovereign rating, said that beyond the higher capex drive, the Budget was short on major reforms and the fiscal deficit target for 2022-23 at 6.4% of the GDP, is higher than the 6.1% it had anticipated.

U-19 World Cup | Skipper Yash Dhull leads India to fourth consecutive final

Skipper Yash Dhull gave a glimpse of his rare talent with a well-paced hundred as powerhouse India reached their fourth consecutive U-19 World Cup final with an emphatic 96-run win over Australia in Osbourn on Wednesday.