Sadhguru favours CAA: Spearheading a campaign in support of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday posted a video of spiritual guru Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, in support of the law. The message was posted with the hashtag “India Supports CAA”. It also asked people to share content, graphics and videos from the prime minister’s NaMo app to show their support for the law, which has triggered protests in different parts of the country. “In my opinion, CAA is too little compassion, coming too late. This Bill is only focused on religious persecution. Looking at the reactions on the street, the vehemence with which people are fighting, I was wondering did I miss something. Am I not getting something here,” Sadhguru told a gathering while speaking on the CAA, NRC and the protests against them.
Ramesh Pokhriyal: Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal on Sunday said in Kolkata that the central government will not tolerate educational institutions turning into hubs of politicking “at any cost”. He said that anyone is free to engage in political activities, but colleges and universities should be kept out of it, as many students come to study from far-off places. “The Narendra Modi government is not going to tolerate this at any cost,” he asserted. Pokhriyal also mentioned that the Muslim population in India has grown from “9 per cent during Independence to 14 per cent at present”.
Tirupati Audit: Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy has demanded that the State government allow the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) to audit the accounts of the Tirumala Tirupati Devastanams (TTD) for the past five years and make the report public. Delivering a lecture on ‘Temples in India’ at a meeting jointly organised by Global Hindu Heritage Foundation (GHHF) and Save Temples at Sri Padmavathi Mahila Viswavidyalayam (SPMVV) here on Sunday, he recalled that he filed a case in the High Court of AP in this regard.
First CDS: Army chief General Bipin Rawat has been appointed the country’s first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), effective December 31. Rawat will retire as the Chief of Army Staff on the same day. As CDS, Rawat will have salary and perquisites at par with the three services chiefs and will head the newly created Department of Military Affairs in the Ministry of Defence and function as its Secretary. Lieutenant General Manoj Mukund Naravane will take charge as the Chief of Army Staff on Tuesday succeeding General Bipin Rawat.
PAN: PAN-Aadhaar linking deadline extended to March 2020. The earlier deadline was Tuesday, December 31. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), that frames policy for the I-T department, said a notification has been issued in this context.
Kejriwal: Realising uncertainty of next poll, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Monday said one shouldn’t be overconfident about their prospects, adding that there is always an “element of uncertainty” during polls. The Aam Aadmi Party is looking for a second consecutive term in the national capital, having won 67 out of 70 seats in the last elections in 2015.
Thackeray Ministry: Thirty-six ministers were inducted in the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra cabinet on Monday. Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar, took oath as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra. This will be his second stint in over one month after an overnight coup to form a government with BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis lasted for just three days in November.
Hate Hindu Campaign: An old video of Shahid Afridi, where the Pakistani cricketer is confessing about smashing a television set after seeing his daughter imitate an “Aarti” — a Hindi ritual of worship — has prompted angry reactions online. The 57-second video, which has gone viral on several social media platform, features Afridi responding to the host when asked if he ever broke a television set.
Forest in India: The total tree and forest cover in the country increased by 5,188 square kilometres in the last two years, said the India State of Forest Report 2019 which was released on Monday by Union Minister Prakash Javadekar
US bombing Iraq: US officials said on Sunday that airstrikes in Iraq and Syria against an Iran-backed militia group were successful, but warned that “additional actions” may still be taken in the region to defend US interests. The US military carried out the strikes on Sunday against the Kataib Hezbollah militia group in response to the killing of a US civilian contractor in a rocket attack on an Iraqi military base, officials said.
Taliban: Taliban killed at least 17 local militiamen in Afganistan, an Afghan official said Sunday. The attack apparently targeted a local militia commander who escaped unharmed, said Jawad Hajri, a spokesman for the governor of Takhar province, where the attack took place late Saturday.
Pakistan: Facebook has blocked live streaming of the Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation’s (PBC) news bulletins for highlighting Indian atrocities in occupied Kashmir, Radio Pakistan reported on Monday.
Whistleblower identified: Trump has faced growing criticism since re-tweeting an attack that included the name of the reported CIA staffer at the heart of the Ukraine scandal — an act that could violate the whistleblower’s guaranteed anonymity under the law.
5G trials: Chinese telecom company Huawei was allowed by the Government to conduct 5G trials in the country, without making any distinction. “We have taken a decision to give 5G spectrum for trials to all players,” Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Monday. “5G is future, it is speed. We will encourage new innovation in 5G.”
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Dec 30 Monday 2019
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