The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on August 21 said a two-way communication between the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter and Chandrayaan-3’s Lunar Module has been established. “‘Welcome, buddy!’ Ch-2 orbiter formally welcomed Ch-3 LM. Two-way communication between the two is established. MOX [Mission Operations Complex] has now more routes to reach the LM,” the national space agency said in a post on ‘X’.
Despite Cabinet recommendation, Manipur Assembly session not held on August 21
Despite the Manipur Cabinet recommending Governor Anusuiya Uikey convene an Assembly session from August 21, the House did not sit on Monday as “no notification” has been issued by Raj Bhavan so far, officials said, creating a dilemma of sorts. This comes after 10 Kuki MLAs, cutting across party affiliations, had expressed their inability to attend the Assembly session as violence in the northeastern State continued.
SC says it will not stay Bihar caste survey unless petitioners establish prima facie case
The Supreme Court Monday (August 21) told the petitioners challenging the Patna High Court order giving the go-ahead to the Bihar government for a caste survey that it will not stay the exercise unless they made out a prima facie case against it. The top court also allowed Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, to file its response on the issue within seven days after he said the survey could have some consequences.
Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud on Monday said some parts of a draft Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) prepared by the Centre to tailor judicial conduct in government-related cases read as if the Centre wants to dictate the exercise of judicial review by courts “I have gone through your draft SOP… There are some points which actually say how judicial review should be exercised,” Chief Justice Chandrachud addressed Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, for the government.
BRS releases 115 candidates’ lists for Assembly polls due later this year
Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has announced its candidates for 115 out of 119 Assembly Constituencies in the State for the next Assembly elections here on August 21 with only seven changes. In a surprising decision,party president and Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Raohas announced that he would contests from two seats this time – Gajwel and Kamareddy. Mr. Rao has also ruled out the possibility of any alliance with the Left parties – CPI and CPI (M) – by stating that announcing the candidates for 115 seats in one go would mean that the party had inkling for any poll alliances.
Rahul, Shreyas Iyer included in India’s Asia Cup squad; Tilak Varma earns maiden ODI call-up
K.L. Rahul and Shreyas Iyer were on August 21 named in India’s squad for the Asia Cup, beginning August 31 while young batter Tilak Varma earned a maiden call-up to the one-day format. There were question marks over the fitness of Rahul and Iyer, who are making a comeback after undergoing thigh and back surgeries respectively. Iyer last played in March and Rahul in May. Wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson has been added to the squad as a back-up for Rahul who has developed a niggle recently.
Bhupinder Hooda says he will scrap Haryana Government’s flagship programmes if voted to power
Holding the ninth edition of Congress’ public outreach programme, ‘Vipaksh Aapke Samaksh’ (Opposition Before You), at Hisar, the bastion of ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-Jannayak Janta Party (BJP-JJP) coalition, former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda announced to scrap the government’s flagship programmes — ‘Parivar Pehchan Patra’ and ‘Meri Fasal Mera Byora’ — if voted to power. He also promised to double the old-age pension, 300 units of free electricity and two lakh permanent jobs. ‘
Law to ban polygamy: Assam govt. seeks public views
The Assam government has sought public opinion on a proposed law to end polygamy in the State, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on August 21. Sharing a government public notice on ‘X’ (formerly Twitter), Mr. Sarma appealed to the people to send their suggestions on the proposed law to ban polygamy in Assam. The notice published by the Principal Secretary of the Home and Political Department requested the people to send their opinion by August 30 through email or by post.
All international flight operations at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) will be shifted to Terminal-2 (T-2) from August 31. Currently, all international flight operations are confined to the 15-year-old Terminal-1 (T-1). “We are happy to announce that commencing 10:45 am on August 31, 2023, all scheduled International flights will arrive and depart from Terminal 2 #BLRAirport,” the operator BIAL posted on its official X handle on Monday.
Nine members of Rajya Sabha take oath
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar was among nine MPs who took the oath as members of the Rajya Sabha on August 21. The oath was administered by Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar in the Rajya Sabha chamber in Parliament House. Mr. Jaishankar took the oath in English. This is his second term as a Rajya Sabha MP. He was first elected in 2019.
Supreme Court criticises Gujarat High Court for its ‘counterblast’ in abortion case
The Supreme Court on Monday expressed strong displeasure at the Gujarat High Court’s “counterblast” to its criticism about the manner in which a 25-year-old rape survivor’s plea for abortion was handled by the High Court. The apex court had held a special session on Saturday, August 19, on an appeal filed by the woman, seeking an urgent hearing of her plea to medically terminate the pregnancy, which was already nearing 28 weeks.
A Supreme Court-appointed committee chaired by former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Justice Gita Mittal on August 21 said the reconstruction of thousands of essential documents lost or destroyed in the gunfire, arson and violence which has rocked Manipur since May is the first step that needs to be taken to nurse the State back to health. The committee has filed three separate reports in the Supreme Court after meeting stakeholders on August 19.
Kejriwal orders suspension of WCD official booked for raping minor
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday ordered the suspension of an official of the Delhi government’s Women and Child Development (WCD) department, who has been booked for allegedly raping a minor over several months and impregnating her, according to a Delhi government spokesperson. The Chief Minister has also sought a report from the Chief Secretary on the issue by 5 p.m. on Monday.
British nurse Lucy Letby imprisoned for life for the murders of 7 babies and attempted murders of 6
A former neonatal nurse who killed seven babies in her care and tried to kill six others at a hospital in northern England was sentenced Monday to life in prison with no chance of release by a judge who highlighted “the cruelty and calculation” of her actions. Lucy Letby, who refused to appear in court to face grieving parents who spoke of their anger and anguish, was given the most severe sentence possible under British law, which does not allow the death penalty.
FPIs’ investment value in Indian equities gains 20% to $626 bn in June quarter
The value of foreign portfolio investors’ holdings in the domestic equities reached $626 billion in the three months ended June 2023, which was 20% higher from the year-ago period, according to a Morningstar report. This could be attributed to good performance in the domestic equity markets as well as strong net inflows from foreign portfolio investors (FPIs). According to the report, the value of FPIs’ investments in Indian equities rose from $523 billion as of June 2022 to $626 billion at the end of June 2023.
Before embarking upon controlled human infection studies, the government must ensure that there is a public discussion with regard to this, and must also ensure that people are protected against unfortunate results, a group of activists has said. The group that includes an advocate, an independent journalist, an independent researcher and other activists, submitted its comments on the Controlled Human Infection Studies (CHIS) consensus policy statement that the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has released recently.
Explained | Renouncing Indian citizenship
A growing number of Indians are opting to surrender their passports, eventually renouncing their citizenship. Last month, the Central government told Parliament that more than 15 lakh Indians had relinquished their citizenship in the past decade, including around 87,000 this year, with most headed to the United States of America. While the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) claimed that many are taking up foreign citizenship to explore the global workplace and for reasons of “personal convenience”, the ‘great Indian migration’ is primarily believed to be an outcome of the search for better economic opportunities and improved social security. Data show that even millionaires are leaving the country. According to a recent report by the London-based Henley & Partners (H&P), around 6,500 high-net-worth individuals (HNIs) are expected to move out of India this year — the second-highest estimated net outflow globally after China.
