Prabhu offers resignation post 2 derailments, PM asks him to wait
Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu offered to resign from his post following two consecutive derailments in four days, the minister himself revealed in a series of tweets on Wednesday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has however “asked him to wait”, Prabhu further added. On Wednesday, nine coaches of the Kaifiyat Express crashed into a dumper near Auriaya in Uttar Pradesh injuring over 70 persons. On 19th August, the derailment of the Kalinga Utkal Express had killed 22 people and injured over 150 others. Railway Board Chairman AK Mittal who also submitted his resignation post the Auriaya accident was replaced by Ashwani Lohani, the CMD of Air India.
Prabhu’s resignation: Congress wants PM Modi to share the blame
Following the two derailment tragedies of Utkal Express and Kaifiyat Express, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu offered his resignation to the Prime Minister, on Wednesday. Following the announcement, Opposition parties reacted with consensus on the decision. The Congress which had earlier asked Prabhu to resign now demanded PM Modi to share the blame too. The Samajwadi Party lauded Prabhu’s move saying ‘it will send a message to the whole Railway Ministry’. Cabinet colleague and Finance Minister Arun Jaitely said that ‘accountability is good in the system and the government', adding that the PM will take a final call on the resignation. As of now, the PM has asked Prabhu to 'hold the decision.'
OBC Creamy layer ceiling raised to
8 lakh
The central government raised the creamy layer ceiling for central
government jobs from 6 lakh per annum to 8 lakh on Wednesday. This increment of
2 lakh, came after the announcement of setting up of a commission to work out
sub-categorization within Other Backward Classes (OBCs) for a "more
equitable distribution of reservation benefits". However, there will be no
review of the reservation. 11 states have already implemented the
sub-categorization for state level services, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said on Wednesday.
Lt Colonel Purohit out on bail in 2008 Malegaon blast case
A day after the Supreme Court granted bail to Lieutenant Colonel Shrikant Purohit in the 2008 Malegaon blast, the former Armyman walked out of the Taloja jail on Wednesday after serving almost 9 years. Purohit wasn’t released on August 21 as the completion of formalities took a couple of days. Purohit had appealed to the apex court after the Bombay High court rejected his bail plea. Seven people died in the Malegaon bomb blast on September 29, 2008, in Nasik district of northern Maharashtra.
Around 900 judicial deaths recorded in India for 2017
India has recorded around 894 deaths in judicial custody and 74 deaths in police custody, from January to August 2017, an RTI inquiry has revealed.Uttar Pradesh leads the chart in judicial custody deaths with 204 deaths, followed by Punjab with 76 deaths and Bihar with 64 deaths. Uttar Pradesh Inspector General of Police (Prisons) Pramod Kumar Mishra says, “We have over 95,000 inmates in our jails, when you count the deaths per ten thousand prisoners, I don't think we will stand out as much”. Among the 74 deaths in police custody, Maharashtra leads the the rest with 16 deaths, followed by Kerala with 7 deaths and Karnataka with 5 deaths.
Aadhaar now made mandatory for open school examination
Aadhaar card will now be mandatory for those appearing for open school exams, to ensure there are no proxy candidates appearing on other’s behalf. Judgment from the National Institute of Open Learning (NIOS) came after the approval from the HRD Ministry. It also offers elementary level courses through its Open Basic Education Programmes (OBE). The NIOS has also decided that the schools where CCTV facility is not available will not be made a examination centre.
By-polls: Judgment call for Kejriwal in Delhi; Goa, Andhra Pradesh crucial for BJP
The polling for by-elections of four assembly seats in Delhi, Goa and Andhra Pradesh took off on Wednesday. The Bawana seat of Delhi, which happens to be a crucial one for the Kejriwal government, received 45% polling. The Chief Minister himself visited the polling booth, the seat for which fell vacant after AAP member Ved Prakash, quit the party and contested from BJP. The polling booths in Goa, 50 in Panaji and 46 in Valpoi, received 70% and 79.8% polling respectively. Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who contested from Panaji, was positive of a win. In Andhra Pradesh, the Nandyal by-poll took place amidst heavy security forces and bitter war of words ensued between the major political parties.
SC rejects Sasikala’s review plea in DA Case
The Supreme Court has decided to cancel Sasikala’s review plea in the Disproportionate Assets (DA)case on Wednesday. The AIADMK General Secretary, who was locked up in the Agrahara Prison in Bengaluru, had moved the SC, seeking a re-examination on the verdict that directed her imprisonment for a period of 4 years. The apex court, however found ‘no merit’ in her case, the petition for which was filed by her sister-in-law Ilavarasi and Jayalalithaa’s foster son, VN Sudhakaran. The three, along with late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa were accused of possessing assets worth 65.66 crore during Jayalalithaa’s term from 1991 to 1996.
Charlie Hebdo's latest cartoon terms Islam as 'Religion of peace'
The satirical French magazine, Charlie Hebdo, is back in the news again with its latest cartoon based on the recent Barcelona attack. Featuring a sketch that showed 2 people being run over by a van, the cover read “Islam, the religion of peace… Eternal!” in French. The critics of the magazine have hit out with accusations of isolating a certain religion and implying it as ‘inherently violent’. Speaking for the choice of editorial, Editor Laurent Sourisseau said many of the experts and policy makers were avoiding the discussions on these events, as they are concerned for the law abiding moderate Muslims. The magazine made headlines in 2012, when a shooting attack within the office premises killed 12 editorial members.
