1. Cong, NCP, Shiv Sena Combine Seeks Immediate Floor Test, SC to Rule Today
As the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress combine dared the BJP to prove its strength and urged the Supreme Court to order an immediate floor test in Maharashtra, and the Chief Minister and Raj Bhavan sought more time, the top court reserved its order on Monday, saying it will announce its decision Tuesday morning.
Hearing pleas by the Sena-NCP-Congress combine, Justice NV Ramana, heading the bench also comprising Justices Ashok Bhushan and Sanjiv Khanna, said: “The question today is whether the chief minister enjoys the majority of the House.” He made this remark when senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and some BJP MLAs, said the situation in Maharashtra was “quite different from Karnataka” where the Supreme Court had asked the BS Yediyurappa government to prove its majority on the floor of the House in 48 hours.
(Source: The Indian Express)
2. JNU Panel for Partial Rollback After UGC Okays More Funds
The University Grants Commission (UGC) on Monday agreed to release Rs 6.41 crore to Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) to help the institution tide over the funds crunch that led to a substantial hike in the hostel fee.
With the regulator agreeing to release more money, the High-Level Committee (HLC) set up by the JNU administration recommended 50 percent reduction in service and utility charges for all students, from what it had earlier decided. As of now, these elements are not part of the hostel fee.
The HLC also recommended 75 percent reduction in these charges for Below Poverty Line (BPL) students, the Registrar said in a circular Monday. The revised rates are to be implemented from January 2020.
(Source: The Indian Express)
3. Bhupesh Baghel Goes Back on Paddy MSP Promise, Blames Centre
The Congress government in Chhattisgarh has said that it will acquire paddy at the Centre-mandated MSP of just over Rs 1,800 per quintal this season, instead of Rs 2,500 per quintal as promised in its poll manifesto.
However, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel sought to assure farmers that they would get Rs 2,500 per quintal “in their pockets”, saying a ministerial sub-committee had been set up to come up with a scheme that is designed to do this. Blaming the Centre, Baghel said it did not respond to repeated petitions to acquire paddy into the central pool despite the proposed higher MSP.
(Source: The Indian Express)
4. Refugees in Bengal Who Came After ’71 War to Get Land Rights
The West Bengal Cabinet on Monday decided to hand over land rights to those refugees, who came to the state for shelter after the 1971 Bangladesh War but are still living on land that belongs to the state, the Centre or private owners, in a bid to counter the Central government’s decision to have a National Register for Citizens (NRC) across India.
“It is really sad that many refugee families still do not have any land of their own. Some live on land that belongs to the state, the Central government or private owners. There are around 1.25 lakh families. We have identified around 55,000 families that are living on Central government land and 13,353 families that lived on state land,” Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said after the Cabinet meeting.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
5. Delhi Air Quality May Improve Today; Better Wind Speed, Light Rain Likely
Delhi’s air quality on Monday dipped marginally, settling in the ‘poor’ category. Scientists from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), however, said that the wind speed will pick up again by Tuesday and pollution levels may dip.
On Monday, the overall air quality index (AQI) of Delhi was recorded 252, a minor deterioration from Sunday’s 234 according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data.
At 7:30 pm, though at some of the monitoring stations including Shadipur, Dilshad Garden and Pusa, the AQI levels improved to reach ‘moderate’ levels, some others such as Dwarka, Nehru Nagar, Bawana and Mundka were in the ‘very poor’ zone.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
6. Opposition Likely to Boycott Joint Session of Parliament on Constitution Day
The Congress and some other opposition parties are likely to boycott the joint sitting of Parliament on Tuesday called to commemorate the Constitution Day.
A Congress functionary said apart from his party, the Left parties, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), the Trinamool Congress and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) have planned a joint protest outside the BR Ambedkar statue inside the Parliament House complex against the “installation of an illegitimate government” in Maharashtra.
The government is celebrating ‘Constitution Day’ or ‘Samvidhan Diwas’ on Tuesday in the Central Hall of Parliament to mark the 70th anniversary of adoption of the Constitution by the Constituent Assembly in 1949.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
7. IS Member From Kerala Surrenders in Afghanistan
Security agencies claim to have identified at least one Indian woman among more than 600 Islamic State fighters and affiliates, who have surrendered before the Afghan authorities over the past 10 days.
A senior official told The Hindu that the woman had been identified as Sonia Sebastian, 32, alias Ayisha, a resident of Kasargod in Kerala. She was among the 21 men and women from Kerala who left India in 2016 in batches to join the Islamic State in Khorasan Province in Afghanistan. They crossed over to Afghanistan on foot from Iran, officials had said.
(Source: The Hindu)
8. BJP Wanted Electoral Bonds Without Serial Numbers
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had pitched for greater anonymity for donors of electoral bonds, according to a letter sent by party general secretary Bhupendra Yadav to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in August 2017 when the scheme was being drafted. This letter was obtained by activist Lokesh Batra through a Right to Information application.
The party recommended that electoral bonds should be issued without any serial number or identification marks so that they cannot be used to identify donors. The final scheme did include serial numbers on the bonds, as demanded by the State Bank of India which issues the bonds. The SBI does not share the number with anyone, including the government or bond users, and the number cannot be used to track the donation or the buyer, according to the Finance Ministry.
(Source: The Hindu)
9. ACB Clarifies as Reports of Clean Chit for Ajit Pawar Goes Viral
With Maharashtra still reeling from Nationalist Congress Party leader Ajit Pawar’s sudden volte face last week and joining hands with the BJP to form the government, another twist was added to the plot on Monday in the form of an order issued by the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB).
The order, signed by ACB Additional Director General Bipin Kumar Singh, directs the agency to close open enquiries into nine applications received regarding tenders that were issued when Mr. Pawar was the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra.
ACB officials said the order was a routine one, and did not in any way affect investigations into the Rs 70,000-crore irrigation scam, that is being probed by the agency.
(Source: The Hindu)