A village is going to be shifted. And not just any village but Raini of Uttarakhand — birthplace of the Chipko movement. Experts say it is in danger as the slope that it is seated could give way due to geological reasons. The search is on for another suitable place for residents. Home is where the heart is. So will the new place be home?
TOP NEWS
➡️ R0 value is increasing in 8 states
➡️ Ship hijacked in Gulf of Oman, Iran blamed
➡️ There is a new unicorn in town
IN PARLIAMENT
Lok Sabha: Bill barring strikes in units providing essenital services to protect India’s sovereignty and integrity passed, again without discussion. The govt said that there had been only six violations of the ceasefire with Pakistan since it was renewed in February.
Don’t Do This: Lok Sabha MP N K Premachandran has written to the Speaker saying that the govt has been passing bills without discussion when the house is not in order. This is a violation of rules, he said.
Outside Parliament: Rahul Gandhi invited like-minded MPs to a breakfast meeting, and in a show of unity 15 parties – except BSP, BJD, TRS and AAP – attended. Meanwhile, in his weekly parliamentary party meeting, Narendra Modi said the act of tearing a minister’s papers were an insult to Parliament.
Whoa, hold on!: A Parliamentary panel has told the govt to have a benchmark for the quantum of “haircut” that lenders can take due to proceedings under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code. At present, some lenders take as much as 95% haircut. The panel also advised against frequent revisions of the law, which ironically had another amendment passed in the Rajya Sabha the same day.
After a long time, nearly all key opposition parties have come together.
N K Premachandran, RSP MP.
INDIA NEWS
Coronavirus News: Himachal and J-K have the highest R0 value (reproductive number) of 1.4 (R0>1 = cases expanding) and in six others — Kerala, Karnataka, Mizoram, Tamil Nadu, Lakshadweep and Puducherry — the value is rising, which is a serious cause for concern. Kerala reported its highest single day spike in cases at 23,676.
Dhanbad Judge Murder Case: The Jharkhand high court has come down heavily on the police investigation into the incident.
Problem Word: With many people objecting to the word “bhumiputra (son of the soil)” in a recent bill passed in the Goa Assembly that described a resident to be s/he who has been there for 30 years, the state govt said it would drop the word. The tribals especially were against the word for they already considered themselves “bhumiputra”.
Eye on Polls: The SAD-BSP alliance has announced a 13-point pre-poll promises in Punjab that includes free electricty to upto 400 units, 75% job quota for locals and a cut in fuel price.
Let’s Play: The Madras High Court has scrapped Tamil Nadu’s ban on online betting games calling it irrational and excessive. The ban was brought in by the previous DMK govt ostensibly to curb addiction.
Digital I-Day: The Union home ministry has asked states to use tech to celebrate Indepdence Day this year and avoid large crowds.
Caste in Schools: An analysis of school textbooks has found that there was very little mention of Dalits. In Odisha, for example, 7/10 textbooks taught to elementary students did not mention Dalits at all, but at the same time talked about dominant castes. Gujarat’s speaks of the caste system as a “benign institution”. Rajasthan says “caste is a good system”. [Editor’s note: We cannot yet find a link to the story online. The source is “Dalit representation in books rare: ISI-IIT study”, Times of India]
Jammu and Kashmir: Stonepelting incidents have gone down by 88% in the state since 2019 primarily due to Covid-19 restrictions and action against militants’ overground workers, according to MEA data. The J-K Apni Party says it will launch a peaceful struggle for the restoration of Article 370 if Supreme Court doesn’t do it.
Supreme Court bench of justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Hrishikesh Roy over trivial and miscellaneous cases clogging the system.
“Collectively, we are making a mockery of the judicial system.”
WORLD NEWS
Afghanistan: Four men attacked the house of the country’s foreign minister Bismillah Khan Mohammadi in Kabul. But Mohammadi was not at home at the time and security managed to repel the attackers and kill them without harm to his family. Meanwhile, the Taliban is on the brink of taking over Lashkar Gah.
“Please leave as soon as possible so that we can start our operation. I know it is very difficult for you to leave your houses – it is hard for us too – but if you are displaced for a few days, please forgive us. We are fighting the Taliban wherever they are … We will not leave a single Talib alive.”
Gen Sami Sadat to residents of Lashkar Gah
Coronavirus News: China will test all 11 million residents of Wuhan, the original epicentre of ther pandemic, after cases were detected again. New York City has ordered patrons of gyms, restaurants to mandatorily carry with them a full vaccination certification. After Israel and Germany, Sweden and Greece are gearing up to offer a booster shot to its citizens.
Terror in the Gulf: A ship with the flag of Panama, the MV Asphalt Princess, has been hijacked in the Gulf of Oman and has been ordered to sail to Iran. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards say they had nothing to do with it. This is the second time in a week that the country has been accused of being involved in targetting ships.
Man Down: Vitaly Shishov, the head of a Belarusian group that helped people flee from the country, was found dead in a park in Ukraine. Police are investigating possible suicide or murder.
Games Probe: The International Olympics Committee has said it will investigate the case of Belarusian Krystina Timanovskaya who had alleged that she was forced to go to the airport to take a flight home after she criticised the coaches.
ENVIRONMENT, SCIENCE & TECH
Climate Crisis: July saw more severe events due to change in climate in the western Himalayas this year than ever before. Rainfall too has been more erratic with more cloudbursts.
BUSINESS/ECONOMY
Another Acquisition: Byju’s has acquired B’lore based Whodat, an augmented reality company. (Editor’s Note: We have lost count of how many companies Byju’s has acquired! Help?)
News Of Today 