1. Panel Will Study the ‘One Nation, One Poll’ Issue
A committee will be formed by the Narendra Modi-led government to prepare a road map for “One nation, one election”, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced at the end of an over four-hour meeting with presidents of 21 political parties. Eleven political parties, including the Congress, skipped the meeting convened by the prime minister.
Speaking to reporters at the end of the meeting, Singh said, “Majority of the parties supported. CPI and CPI (M) raised questions about its feasibility but didn’t oppose the move. The Prime Minister then said he will form a committee regarding this issue.”
(Source: The Hindu)
2. Crisis Deepens as Encephalitis Death Toll in Bihar Touches 128
An outbreak of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) in Bihar claimed 15 more lives on Wednesday as the state government scrambled to stamp down on a disease that has killed 128 children as fresh cases were reported from some districts that had not been affected so far.
In Muzaffarpur, which is the epicentre of the disease that causes brain swelling and high fever followed by disorientation, seizures, coma and death — with malnourished young children the worst affected — three more children died at the Sri Krishna Medical College Hospital (SKMCH).
Deaths were also reported from Bhagalpur, Banka, Sitamarhi, West Champaran and Samastipur districts. In Sitamarhi, officials said at least 15 AES-related cases were undergoing treatment at the Sitamarhi Sadar hospital.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
3. Harassment Case: Police Reinstate Husband, Kin of CJI Complainant
The husband and brother-in-law of the woman who had accused Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi of sexual harassment have been reinstated as head constables in the Delhi Police — more than four months after they were suspended.
“The suspension order has been revoked. Both of them have been reinstated last week but the departmental inquiry against them is still pending,” Additional Commissioner of Police (Delhi Armed police) C K Mein confirmed to The Indian Express. Asked why was the order revoked, Mein declined to comment.
In an affidavit, the woman had alleged that the two men were suspended soon after her termination as a Supreme Court staffer.
(Source: The Indian Express)
4. Lacks Rigour, Simplistic: PM Advisory Team Rejects Ex-CEA GDP Downgrade
Eight days after former Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramanian wrote in The Indian Express about his new research that the country’s growth has been overestimated by around 2.5 percentage points between 2011-12 and 2016-17, the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister Wednesday issued a 12-page note to rebut it.
Rejecting the findings, the contributors of the note Bibek Debroy, Rathin Roy, Surjit Bhalla, Charan Singh and Arvind Virmani wrote: “Having closely read the paper and taking into account all information available until June 19, 2019, the primary contributors of this note reject the author’s methodology, arguments and conclusions in the said paper.”
(Source: The Indian Express)
5. June 17 Terror Attack: Car Bomb Used to Target Army Patrol Vehicle, Says NIA
A Maruti 800 car is suspected to have been used in Monday’s terror attack on an Army patrol vehicle on the Arihal-Pulwama road in South Kashmir, initial probe suggests.
An improvised explosive device (IED) packed in a car parked by the road was detonated when a mobile vehicle patrol of the 44 Rashtriya Rifles passed by. Two Army personnel were killed and six others injured in the attack. The Army said it was “a failed attempt”.
A team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) visited the scene of the explosion on Tuesday and picked up samples for forensic examination.
(Source: The Hindu)
6. Sunny Deol, BJP MP, Asked to ‘Reconcile’ Poll Expenses Crossing Rs 70 Lakh Limit
Bollywood actor and Gurdaspur BJP MP Sunny Deol has been asked to explain his poll expenditure during the recent Lok Sabha elections after it was found to have crossed the statutory limit of Rs 70 lakh, an official said on Wednesday.
The notice to Deol to “reconcile” his poll expenditure account was issued by Gurdaspur district election officer-cum-deputy commissioner Vipul Ujjwal. For Lok Sabha candidates, the statutory poll expenditure limit has been fixed at Rs 70 lakh. “His poll expenditure was found to be more than Rs 70 lakh limit,” said Ujjwal.
Deol was elected MP from Gurdaspur Lok Sabha seat. He defeated Congress nominee Sunil Jakhar with a margin of 82,459 votes.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
Now Track Your Stolen Mobile: Govt Ready to Roll out IMEI Database
In a bid to curtail the rampant cloning and theft of mobile phones across the country, the Telecom Ministry is ready to roll out a Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) — a database of IMEIs, the 15-digit numbers that uniquely identify each mobile device.
Once implemented in the coming weeks, consumers in India whose mobile phones are lost or stolen can inform the Department of Telecom (DoT) via a helpline number after filing a report with police. The DoT can then blacklist the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) number, effectively blocking the mobile device from accessing any cellular network in the future.
Alongside this, the stated objectives of India’s CEIR specifically refers to facilitating “IMEI-based lawful interception”. India had 1.16 billion wireless subscribers as of March 2019, according to TRAI data.
(Source: The Indian Express)
Shikhar Dhawan Ruled out of World Cup, Rishabh Pant Named Replacement
Shikhar Dhawan was formally ruled out of the World Cup on Wednesday, exactly 10 days after the Indian opener was hit on his left hand by a Pat Cummins delivery during India’s match against Australia.
Rishabh Pant, who was immediately brought to England as a back-up while the Indian team management waited thumb and foot on Dhawan to recover, has now been named as Dhawan’s replacement in India’s 15-man squad.
While batting coach Sanjay Bangar had then stated that the team was willing to give Dhawan a recovery time of “three to four games” before taking a call on him, the announcement was made just two matches after the one against Australia, where Dhawan had scored the bulk of his match-winning hundred after sustaining the blow.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
State Department Reiterates Trump’s ‘Fair and Reciprocal Trade’ Message for India
The State Department on Wednesday reacted to India’s announcement of retaliatory tariffs on certain US imports, reiterating US President Donald Trump’s message of reciprocal trade and the strength of U.S.-India ties.
“India is one of our closest strategic partners in the Indo-Pacific region. The U.S.-India partnership stands upon a shared commitment to democratic values and the rule of law. As the President has repeatedly stated, the United States wants fair and reciprocal trade,” a State Department spokesperson told The Hindu via email, adding, “The United States is India’s top market for exports and US companies see great opportunity in India.”
(Source: The Hindu)
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