1. All-Party Meet on 12 Aug, Rajnath Says Will ‘Talk to All' About Kashmir
As Parliament clamoured for a comprehensive and concrete decision on curbing the violence in Kashmir, the Centre scheduled an all-party meeting on Friday, to deliberate on how to resolve the mounting unrest in the Valley, in the aftermath of the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani.
Addressing the House, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, said the Centre was also contemplating sending an all-party delegation to Kashmir, after taking state chief ministers into confidence on the terms and protocol of the engagement.
He assured the opposition that the government would, without a doubt “talk to all” and engage all parties in the dialogue regarding Kashmir, whether “moderates, political parties or others.”
He however vehemently ruled out any discussion with Pakistan regarding Kashmir, saying:
Kashmir is an inseparable part of India. No power on earth can separate it from India.
Source: Hindustan Times
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2. Arrested Pak National Bahadur Ali Was Trained by PoK Terror Groups, says NIA
In a press conference on Wednesday, the national Investigation Agency alleged that Bahadur Ali, the Pakistani terror suspect captured after an encounter in Kupwara district was routinely instructed and guided from the control room of terror groups in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK).
Ali reportedly told NIA interrogators that he was trained by military experts, which the agency had suspected, given the arms and ammunitions training Ali had received.
In the press conference, the NIA revealed that a Lashkar control room, going by the name of Alpha-3 and located at a high-altitude peak in PoK instructed Ali and his accomplices. The control room is run with the support of Pakistani forces, NIA added.,
The agency also added that LeT had reportedly ordered its corps to support Kashmiris during protests which have lashed the Valley since the death of Hibul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani.
Source: Hindustan Times
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I Was Trained in 3 LeT Camps in Pak: Bahadur Ali Confesses to NIA
Pakistan Rejects India's Claim of Cross-LoC Infiltration
3. Modi, Putin and Jaya Dedicate Nuclear Project to Nation in a Virtual Meeting
Nearly three decades after Russia and India officially signed the agreement to set up the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KNPP), Russian President Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa dedicated the first unit of the plant to the nation.
IAEA/Petr Pavlicek) ">The three of them, sitting in three different cities, met virtually in a video conference, to announce plans about the project.
The first unit of the KNPP is the largest single unit of electrical power in the country. Modi announced that in Kudankulam alone, five more units of 1,000 MWe each are on the charts.
He asserted that the unit, called KNPP-1, is a step forward in India's efforts to “scale up production of clean energy.”
Putin said for a rapidly growing “enormous economy” like India, nuclear energy for development was the need of the hour.
Source: The Hindu
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4. Former Arunachal CM Kalikho Pul's Funeral Takes Place in Hawai Village
On Tuesday, former Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Kalikho Pul's mortal remains were flown down to his native Hawai village in Anjaw district. Mourners gathered at the chief ministerial bungalow as they bid him a tearful goodbye.
Amidst the farewell, there rose demands to make public the 60 page notes in Hindi, supposedly written by Pul which were retrieved from the room in which he was found dead on Tuesday.
Pul's supporters and admirers wanted the contents of the notes to be made public so it could be discerned what drove him to take such a step.
Pul was on Tuesday, found hanging from the ceiling fan in one of the rooms in the CM's bungalow, which he had not vacated after the Supreme Court's historic judgement which removed him from the CM's position, and reinstated the erstwhile Congress government.
His last rites will be performed in Hawai on Thursday with full state honours.
Source: The Telegraph
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Kalikho Pul: How a Carpenter, Guard Rose to Arunachal CM's Chair
Tension in Arunachal Capital as Ex-CM Kalikho Pul Commits Suicide
5. Hiranandani Kidney Racket: Two More Docs May be Arrested, Medical Fraternity Takes Offence
The kidney racket scandal at Mumbai's reputed Hiranandani Hospital may warrant two more arrests even as five senior doctors were arrested late on Tuesday.
Mumbai's medical fraternity however seem to have taken offence, as they came out in support of the doctors and raised questions about their role in verifying the relationship between the donor and the recipient in organ transplants.
The five senior doctors who were arrested earlier were produced in court on Tuesday, and will continue to be in custody until Saturday. The arrested doctors include hospital CEO Sujit Chatterjee
Seeking an extension, the public prosecutor in the Andheri metropolitan magistrate's court said the doctors had failed to examine the transplant papers, and that the police needed time to ascertain if these doctors were involved in performing transplant surgeries at other hospitals as well.
Source: Times of India
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Kidney Racket: Hiranandani Hospital CEO, 4 Others in Custody
6. Red Cross Offers Irom Sharmila Shelter as Activist Finds No Place to Go
After breaking her fast of 16 years, Manipur's ‘Iron Lady' Irom Sharmila finds that she has nowhere to go. She was denied shelter by residents of Imphal twice, who were skeptical of the commotion they knew she would bring with her.
Finally, the Manipur chapter of the Indian Red Cross Society has offered to give her sanctuary.
We are contemplating requesting her to stay with us for as long as she wants. We will take a decision very soon and make the offer to her.Y Mohen Singh, Secretar, IRCS Manipur to The Telegraph
Sharmila had explicitly said that she would meet her mother and return home only once AFSPA was repealed from Manipur.
I will accept the offer happily. I want to thank the society for their kindness and willingness to help me after I was turned away from other places last night.Irom Sharmila to The Telegraph
Source: The Telegraph
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After 16 Long Years in Hospital, Irom Sharmila Has Nowhere to Go
Without Sound or Fury: Irom Sharmila's Unique Brand of Heroism
7. Cabinet Approves 6 Months Maternity Leave
On Wednesday, the Union Cabinet approved a proposal to grant six months' maternity leave to women employees, which is twice the amount of leave women currently get after childbirth.
Chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Cabinet also agreed to give 12 weeks of maternity benefits to a “commissioning mother” – one wh conceives with the help of a surrogate – and to “adopting mothers”.
This completely new provision is a part of the Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill 2016, which the labour ministry is attempting to pass in the current Parliament session.
The ministry's aim, through this Bill is to enable women to devote more time to taking care of their children while also increasing the women's labour force participation rate (WLFPR) in India.
Source: Livemint
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Indian, Preggers & Working? Your Maternity Leave To Double in 2016
Dear Indian Women, Do You Know Your Maternity Rights?
8. More Than 22 Lakh Cases Pending for Over a Decade: Supreme Court
Recent statistics released by the Supreme Court reveal that as of 31 May, courts across the country had nearly 2.18 crore cases pending, of which 27% or 59.3 lakh cases have been in the pipeline for over five years.
Of the 59.3 lakh pending cases, as many as 22.3 lakh cases have been waiting to be cleared for over a decade.
The reasons for the backlog are diverse. It may be the insufficient number of trial judges, or poor infrastructure to hear all of these cases on time or several others.
The statistics show that the countrywide average of clearing very old cases had also fallen.
Source: Times of India
Also Read:
In India, 80 Lakh Court Cases Are Pending for Over 5 Years
9. Trouble Afoot for Ola, Uber as Centre and Delhi Make Laws Stricter
The Delhi government will fix a cap on pricing for app-based taxi aggregators Ola and Uber.
These measures, which the Delhi government plans to follow strictly are as part of preparation for a policy, after directions form the Delhi High Court. In light of the Lieutenant Governor being decreed the “administrative head” of New Delhi, the proposals will first be sent to L-G Najeeb Jung for approval.
The government will fix the rates and cabs will charge within the limit. If there's a law for autos and taxis, Ola and Uber cannot be above it.Satyendar Jain, Transport Minister
The new policy is in keeping with the amended motor vehicles law, approved by the Union Cabinet a week ago.
Apart from putting an end to surge pricing, all taxis will have to install fare meters, instead of internet-based meters, as a government study showed that Ola and Uber fares were sometimes inflated due to poor mobile networks, as cell phones would connect to a tower further from the pick-up or drop point.
Source: Hindustan Times
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Ola Under Threat: Uber Attacks Its $12 Billion Home Market
Ola Served Notice by Karnataka Transport Dept for Over-Charging
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