1. India Says No Troop Withdrawal at Doklam
Amid Border Standoff
India on Wednesday rejected China’s claim that the number of troops engaged in the Doklam standoff had fallen and insisted that peace and tranquillity at the border are an “important requisite” for smooth development of ties.
China’s foreign ministry issued a 15-page statement which said Indian troop numbers in the Donglang or Doklam region had fallen from a peak of more than 400 to about 40 at the end of July.
The statement also floated the idea that New Delhi and Beijing should sign a new boundary convention to replace the 1890 “Convention between Great Britain and China Relating to Sikkim and Tibet” that is said to have demarcated the Sikkim boundary.
Hours after China pointed to the thinning out of troops, Indian government sources said: “Neither has the Indian Army pulled back any troops nor has the force observed any withdrawal by the Chinese side. The status remains the same".
Source: Hindustan Times
2. I-T Dept Raids Karnataka Minister Hosting Gujarat Cong MLAs in Resort
Tax officials raided on Wednesday multiple properties linked to DK Shivakumar, a top minister in Karnataka who is hosting a group of party legislators from Gujarat to avoid a break in their ranks ahead of a close Rajya Sabha election.
Tax officers raided 64 places in Delhi and Karnataka linked to energy minister Shivakumar as part of investigations into his alleged tax evasion and dodgy investments in real estate. About Rs 10 crore in cash, much of it from his Delhi homes, as well as jewellery and investment documents were allegedly recovered.
The move triggered an angry response from the Congress, which accused the BJP of carrying out “an unprecedented witch-hunt”.
Party leaders raised the matter in parliament, protesting noisily and forcing multiple adjournments in the Rajya Sabha. In Lok Sabha, the party staged a walkout.
The Congress has accused the BJP of using “money and muscle power” to engineer defections among its legislators in Gujarat, where senior party leader Ahmed Patel is seeking re-election to the Rajya Sabha, on 8 August.
Source: Hindustan Times
3. Cabinet Nod to Scrapping
of No-Detention Rule
in Schools
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States will soon be able to able to conduct exams for students of Class V and VIII and detain them if they fail, as the Union Cabinet approved a proposal on Wednesday to scrap the ‘no-detention policy’, according to sources.
However, before being detained, students will get another opportunity to clear the exam, and only if they fail in that exam will they be detained.
Under the existing no-detention policy, students are promoted automatically to higher classes every year till the eighth grade.
“The proposal has been approved by the Union Cabinet, under which states have been empowered to take decision on detaining the students,” a source said, adding that certain safeguards have been introduced, such as remedial classes and an additional chance to pass the exam.
Source: Hindustan Times
4. Supreme Court for 3-Tier Right to Privacy: Intimate, Private and Public
Ahead of the completion of the two-week-long SC hearing that attracted arguments for and against conferring fundamental right status to privacy but which saw all parties accepting its intrinsic importance for an individual, a nine-judge bench headed by Chief Justice JS Khehar said privacy could be configured into three zones.
Justice DY Chandrachud set out the tentative thought process and drew support from Justice RF Nariman. He said:
The first zone could be the most intimate zone of privacy concerning marriage, sexuality, relations with family and the law should frown upon any intrusion. The state could still intrude into this intimate zone in extraordinary circumstances provided it met stringent norms.
“The second zone would be the private zone, which involved parting of personal data by use of credit card, social networking platforms, income tax declarations. In this sphere, sharing of personal data by an individual will be used only for the purpose for which it is shared by an individual.”
"The third is the public zone where privacy protection requires minimal regulation. Here, the personal data shared will not mean the right to privacy is surrendered. The individual will retain his privacy to body and mind." The formulation suggests right to privacy may not be unfettered.
5. SC to Hear NOTA Plea of Cong Today
The Gujarat Congress on Wednesday moved the Supreme Court against the Election Commission's decision to introduce NOTA in the Rajya Sabha polls. The Supreme Court has agreed to hear the plea on 3 August.
The introduction of NOTA is an issue of contention in the Gujarat Congress as it is bound to split the votes in an election that is already slipping away from the party’s grasp. On Tuesday, Senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel had kicked up a row after he questioned the Election Commission's decision to introduce NOTA in the Gujarat Rajya Sabha elections, in which he is one of the candidates, alleging that it was done "post notification".
However, the poll panel maintained that use of None of The Above (NOTA) in Rajya Sabha polls was not a new move as it was introduced in 2014 after the Supreme Court in 2013 made it mandatory to have the NOTA option in EVMs.
Read the full story on The Quint.
6. Government Clears Proxy Vote Move for NRIs
The Government on Wednesday approved changes in electoral laws to permit Non-Resident Indians to cast their vote in assembly and Lok Sabha elections from overseas. If the proposal passes political muster in Parliament, NRIs will be able to exercise their voting rights through “proxy”. Currently, only service personnel are permitted to vote through proxy.
However, the facility for NRIs will not be the same as that enjoyed by service personnel. For instance, voters in the armed forces can nominate their relatives as permanent proxy to vote on their behalf. But the Union Cabinet’s approval for proxy voting by NRIs carries a caveat: they cannot nominate one proxy for all polls.
Overseas electors will have to appoint a nominee afresh for each election — one person can act as proxy for only one overseas voter.
With the Cabinet’s approval, sources said, suitable rules and guidelines will be framed to make this move effective soon. Currently, voters residing abroad can only cast their votes in their respective constituencies.
Source: Indian Express
7. SC Directs Companies to Pay Rs 17,576 Crore for Illegal Mining in Odisha
In a major setback to mining companies engaged in illegal extraction of iron and manganese ore in Odisha since 2001, the Supreme Court on Wednesday cracked the whip and directed them to pay a compensation of about Rs 17,576 crore.
A bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta ruled that the companies would be liable to pay back 100 percent of the price of mineral extracted by them in violation of law.
It rejected the plea of Centre and SC-appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC) that only 30 percent value of the mineral be recovered from the companies.
“In our opinion, there can be no compromise on the quantum of compensation that should be recovered from any defaulting lessee – it should be 100 percent. If there has been illegal mining, the defaulting lessee must bear the consequences of the illegality and not be benefited by pocketing 70 percent of the illegally mined ore. It simply does not stand to reason why the State should be compelled to forego what is its due from the exploitation of a natural resource and on the contrary be a party in filling the coffers of defaulting lessees in an ill gotten manner,” the bench said.
Source: Times of India
8. Teen Pregnancy Rate Goes up in Capital
The percentage of teenage pregnancies has gone up significantly. According to government data, three out of every 100 women (3.10 percent), who delivered kids in Delhi in 2016, were 19 years and below.
The percentage of women from this age group delivering kids stood at 2.75, 1.93, 2.03 and 2.21 in 2015, 2014, 2013 and 2012, respectively.
Dr Alka Kriplani, professor and head of obstetrics and gynaecology division at AIIMS, said lack of education and poor knowledge about the use of contraceptive methods is the main reason behind the increase in teenage pregnancy.
“Younger women are at a higher risk of developing anaemia and hypertension if they get pregnant. It increases the risk of mortality too,” she said. Another gynaecologist said that teenagers from sound economic background are able to get abortion done for unwanted pregnancy, but those from poor families often have to carry through the motherhood risking their own life.
Source: Times of India
9. Daman and Diu Ties Itself in Knots Over Rakhi Diktat
The Daman and Diu administration on Wednesday withdrew a circular that asked women staff to tie rakhis on male colleagues after the order triggered a backlash from employees and was ripped apart on social media.
The union territory’s administration was forced to retreat within 24 hours of issuing the circular that made it compulsory for its staff to celebrate Rakshabandhan at workplace.
“It has been decided to celebrate the festival of Rakshabandhan on 7 August. In this connection, all offices/ departments shall remain open and celebrate the festival collectively at a suitable time wherein all the lady staff shall tie rakhis to their colleagues,” the order, issued on 1 August by Gurpreet Singh, deputy secretary (personnel), had said.
To ensure that no one skipped office, an attendance report was to be sent to the government the next evening.
Source: Hindustan Times
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