Top stories on 11 July in a capsule
Telecom Commission approves net neutrality rules
The decision making body of Telecom Ministry, Telecom Commission on Wednesday passed approval for new rules, making way for net neutrality in the country making internet facilities free for all, without having to pay extra to service providers. “The Telecom Commission (TC) today approved net neutrality as recommended by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) expect some critical services will be kept out of its purview,” Telecom Secretary Aruna Sundararajan told the media. The issue of net neutrality has created much uproar in the year 2015 after public had criticized the government for favoring service providers. The proposal now, included in the National Digital Communications Policy 2018 will now be forwarded to the PM Modi led cabinet for approval.
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7 killed as heavy rains lashes across Dehradun, National highways blocked
At least seven people were killed, two injured and a prominent bridge was washed off within hours on Wednesday as heavy rains lashed the Dehradun in Uttarakhand. While three people died in separate rain related incidents on Tuesday late night, four members of a family, including one child were killed under the debris of a fallen wall of their house. Meanwhile, the state government as a precautionary measure asked all schools to close for the next few days. As of now, 27 rural roads and 2 National Highways were blocked due to landslides. The Dehradun Meteorological Department has predicted that the heavy rains would continue even on Thursday.
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Jammu-Kashmir IAS officer in trouble over 'Rapistan' tweet
Jammu and Kashmir IAS officer Shah Faesel was served a letter from his department after a post by him on microblogging site Twitter on rape landed in controversy. The IAS 2009 topper on April 22 had posted “Patriarchy+Population+Illiteracy+Alcohol+Porn+Technology+Anarchy = Rapistan!” The issue came under news headlines on Wednesday as Faesal received a ‘love letter’ as he described from his boss over the same. Calling the post a ‘sarcastic tweet against rape-culture in south Asia’, the official letter accused Faesal of acting in a way unwelcoming of a public servant. Faesal is bound by the 2016 rules against criticizing the Central government on social media under which a statement of fact or an opinion which "has the effect of an adverse criticism" of any current or recent policy or action is treated as criticism.
_________________Union Minister Jayant Sinha apologies for garlanding Ramgarh lynching convicts
A week after Union Minister Jayant Sinha felicitated eight men accused of lynching a meat trader in Uttar Pradesh's Ramgarh drawing unfavorable controversy, the BJP leader expressed ‘regret’ for participating in the event. “We have always worked towards punishing the guilty and sparing the innocent. If by garlanding them (Ramgarh lynching case convicts) an impression has gone out that I support such vigilantism, then I express regret over it," the minister was quoted by news agency ANI. The minister was criticized by Opposition as well as his father and former BJP leader, Yashwant Sinha alike for garlanding the eight convicts on July 6, while they were out on bail. The men were accused of beating coal trader Alimuddin Ansari to death, in Ramgarh in June last year on suspicion of selling cow trader. On Tuesday, Congress President Rahul Gandhi also criticising Sinha, started an online petition to remove the minister from the alumni of the prestigious Harvard University.
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SC slams Govt over poor maintenance of iconic Taj Mahal
The Supreme Court on Wednesday slammed the Central government and the Uttar Pradesh state government for not keeping up with the maintenance of Taj Mahal and asked them to either ‘tear it down or demolish and restore it.’ Calling out both the government for being lazy and the protection of the 16th-century mausoleum a ‘hopeless cause’, the court went on to take a jibe and compare the monument with the Eiffel Tower in Paris. "Eighty million go to watch Eiffel Tower which looks like a TV Tower. Our Taj is more beautiful. If you had looked after it, your foreign exchange problem would have been solved,” news agency News18 quoted the bench saying.
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India on Wednesday surpassed France to become the sixth largest economy in the world. According to World Bank figures for 2017, the report said: "India's gross domestic product (GDP) amounted to $2.597 trillion at the end of last year, against $2.582 trillion for France". "India has doubled its GDP within a decade and is expected to power ahead as a key economic engine in Asia, even as China slows down," said the report. India’s GDP growth bottomed out in the middle of 2017 after slowing for five consecutive quarters, and has since improved significantly, with momentum carrying over into 2018.
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India becomes the 6th largest economy in the world
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Govt leaves judgement on Sec 377 to Supreme Court's 'wisdom'
In the latest development to the hearing on Section 377 on the criminalization of homosexuality in the Supreme Court, the Central Government on Wednesday made its stance clear, saying it will stand by whatever decision the top court takes. Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Central government on the second day of hearing said, “so far as the constitutional validity Section 377 to the extent it applies to “consensual acts of adults in private” is concerned, the Union of India would leave the said question to the wisdom of this Hon’ble Court.” ASG Mehta, however, cautioned the five-judge bench not to make rulings in any other matter as it may have ‘far reaching consequences.’
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RSS to organise grand Namaz and Quran recitation in Ayodhya
For the first time in the history of Ayodhya, a grand Namaz along with Quran recitation will be organized by RSS’s Muslim Wing on Thursday. Around 1500 Muslim clerics are expected to take part in the event along with many Hindu devotees. The event seeks to send out a message of brotherhood and also an attempt by the Rashtriya Muslim Manch to break its Anti-Muslim image. CM Yogi Adityanath’s cabinet minister and RSS leader Murali Das will be the chief guest at the event, which the Uttar Pradesh government is also supporting. "They will perform ablution with the running water of the Saryu river in Ayodhya since the running water is pure. They will then offer prayers, to be followed by the recitation of the Quran to give a message of peace and brotherhood to the world”, Raza Razvi, the national media convener said.
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