Morning Digest: April 15, 2023

Drones to deliver medicines for Char Dham pilgrims in case of emergency

Drones will be used to deliver medicines to Char Dham pilgrims during any emergency, according to Health Ministry officials. Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri — all 10,000-foot-high pilgrimages in the Garhwal Himalayas — will be covered under the scheme. “The decision to engage drones to deliver medicines in high-risk areas during an emergency was taken following recognition of the urgent need to offer immediate medical service to those in need,’’ said a senior Health Ministry official.

Congress leaders offer Sachin Pilot ‘bigger party role’ amid Rajasthan tussle

To avert a crisis staring the Congress in the face in Rajasthan where the stand-off between Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and senior leader Sachin Pilot threatens to derail the party’s campaign for the Assembly election scheduled at the end of the year, Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Kamal Nath has been roped in to play the mediator. According to sources, he along with party general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal met Mr. Pilot on Thursday evening. The two, it is learnt, heard out Mr. Pilot’s side of the story and also proposed a meaty role for him in Delhi as a peace offering. However, this has failed to cut ice with the rebel leader who remains adamant about sticking to his turf in Rajasthan.

Kalakshetra’s summer of discontent

A small revolution has been making itself felt on the sylvan campus of the Kalakshetra Foundation, an institution of the arts in Chennai. For an institution such as this one steeped in the  guru-shishya tradition and held in high regard, the revolt within has sent ripples of shock in the wider community. The charges that have been made are of a very serious nature: sexual harassment, verbal abuse, body-shaming.

Mumbai, Samarkand meetings increase focus on connectivity to Central Asia, Afghanistan

Two important meetings over the past few days held in Mumbai and Samarkand have highlighted the potential and problems of connectivity projects that are emerging in India’s immediate neighbourhood involving Afghanistan and central Asia. In the April 12-13 Joint Working Group Meeting of India and Central Asia on Chabahar in Mumbai, India emphasised the need to respect “sovereignty and territorial integrity” while pushing for connectivity projects, and in the ministerial of neighbouring countries of Afghanistan in Samarkand, China expressed willingness to help Taliban-led Kabul join the Belt and Road Initiative. A spokesperson for Taliban however supported India’s drive for Chabahar. 

NISAR satellite to map Himalayas’ seismic zones

A forthcoming satellite, NISAR, jointly developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of the U.S., will map the most earthquake-prone regions in the Himalayas with unprecedented regularity. The data this will generate can potentially give advance warning of land subsidence, as recently observed in Joshimath, Uttarakhand, as well point to places that are at greatest risk from earthquakes.

AAP splits in Surat, six municipal councillors join BJP

In a major split of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Surat, its six municipal councillors have resigned from the party and joined the BJP on Friday midnight. The councillors were inducted into the saffron party in the presence of Gujarat BJP Chief C.R. Paatil, who is also Navsari Lok Sabha member in South Gujarat. Earlier, four municipal councillors of the AAP had already joined the BJP, taking the number to 10 so far.

BJP leader Annamalai says he will approach CBI with plaint against TN CM Stalin for ‘tweaking’ tender 13 years ago

Tamil Nadu BJP president K. Annamalai on April 14, 2023, said he would file a complaint with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against Chief Minister M.K. Stalin seeking an investigation into what he claimed was “tweaking of tender regulations” for phase 1 of the Chennai Metro Rail project 13 years ago to favour the Indian arm of a multi-national company (MNC) for a quid pro quo. At that time, Mr. Stalin was Deputy Chief Minister. Strongly denying all allegations, the DMK warned the BJP leader of legal action.

Home Ministry develops online module for timely disposal of criminal cases

To ensure the timely disposal of criminal cases, the Ministry of Home Affairs’ (MHA) e-prosecution portal has added a new feature that will also fix the accountability of government lawyers. The system will send alerts to senior officers whenever a public prosecutor seeks a stay in a criminal case more than twice, a senior government official said. The e-prosecution module is part of the Interoperable Criminal Justice System (ICJS) that links and enables the seamless transfer of data and information among different pillars of the criminal justice system — such as courts, police, jails and forensic science laboratories — from one platform. 

Atiq Ahmad seeks permission from magistrate to attend funeral of son Asad killed in encounter

Gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad, who is currently in police custody in connection with the Umesh Pal murder case, has sought permission from a magistrate to attend the funeral of his son Asad who was killed in a police encounter. Mr. Ahmed’s lawyer Manish Khanna said that since Friday was a holiday on account of Ambedkar Jayanti, the request has been sent to the remand magistrate. The application will be presented in the court of chief judicial magistrate on Saturday, he said.

NCERT consulted 25 external experts, 16 CBSE teachers for syllabus rationalisation, according to Education Ministry

The NCERT consulted 25 external experts and 16 CBSE teachers to carry out its syllabus rationalisation exercise as part of which portions on the Mughals, Mahatma Gandhi, his assassin Nathuram Godse, reference to Hindu extremists, the 2002 Gujarat riots and Maulana Azad among others were dropped from school textbooks, according to the Education Ministry. Dropping several topics and portions from the NCERT textbooks has triggered a controversy with the Opposition blaming the Centre of “whitewashing with vengeance”.

Chhattisgarh Police serve notice on BJP functionaries for hate speech

The Chhattisgarh Police have called at least eight BJP functionaries, including spokespersons and the IT Cell in charge of the State unit, for questioning in connection with alleged hate speeches posted by them on social media. Taking cognisance of a complaint by the ruling Congress, in which the complainants had objected to terms like “ Bhupesh ka Jihadgad” and “ Talibani Hukumat” while referring to the Bhupesh Baghel-led State government and its regime, the Raipur Police have asked the BJP functionaries to visit their nearest police stations and provide facts to substantiate their online comments. 

Foreign tour operators being invited for ‘experience-based tourism’ in Rajasthan

With the Congress government in Rajasthan promoting “experience-based tourism”, foreign tour operators are being invited to the State for joining the themes of heritage walks, nature walks and food trails, which will attract a large number of tourists. A promotional international mart to be organised in Jaipur this month, will also unveil the potential of tourism products.

Amarnath Yatra to begin on July 1, continue till August 31

The annual pilgrimage to the Amarnath shrine, located at a height of 3,880 metres in south Kashmir Himalayas, will begin on July 1 and continue till August 31, authorities said on Friday. Registration for the pilgrimage will start on April 17.

U.S. Supreme Court temporarily blocks restrictions on abortion pill

The Supreme Court said on April 14 it was temporarily keeping in place federal rules for use of an abortion drug, while it takes time to more fully consider the issues raised in a court challenge. In an order signed by Justice Samuel Alito, the court put a five-day pause on the fast-moving case so the justices can decide whether lower court rulings restricting the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the drug, mifepristone, should be allowed to take effect in the short term.The court finds itself immersed in a new fight involving abortion less than a year after conservative justices reversed Roe v. Wade and allowed more than a dozen States to effectively ban abortion outright.

France’s Constitutional Council approves Macron’s new pension reform amid protests

France’s Constitutional Council on Friday approved an unpopular plan to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 in a victory for President Emmanuel Macron after months of mass protests that have damaged his leadership. The decision dismayed or enraged critics of the pension plan. Hundreds of union activists and others gathered peacefully in Paris on Friday evening before some groups broke off in marches toward the historic Bastille plaza and beyond, setting fires to garbage bins and scooters as police fired tear gas or pushed them back.

IPL 2023 | Harry Brook’s ton seals SRH’s 23-run win over KKR

England’s new batting sensation Harry Brook brought a high-flying Kolkata Knight Riders down to earth with a sensational 55-ball century as Sunrisers Hyderabad cantered to its second victory by 23 runs in an IPL match on Saturday. Young Brook finally managed to crack the IPL code in style with SRH managing a massive 228 for 4 in their stipulated 20 overs on a batting beauty. Their bowlers despite some hammering from home skipper Nitish Rana and Rinku Singh were restricted to 205 for 7 in 20 overs.