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Women’s reservation bill to come into force after 2024 census: FM Sitharaman

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PTI
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Nirmala Sitharaman, Finance Minister | Image : PTI

The Centre will initiate steps to enforce the women’s reservation bill after the 2024 census, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said.

Speaking after releasing a commemorative postal stamp in the name of Rani Abbakka at Moodbidri in Dakshina Kannada district on Friday, Sitharaman said the women’s bill became a reality as Prime Minister Narendra Modi has always believed in the role of women in nation-building.

Lauding the courage and heroics of Rani Abbakka, the 16th-century queen of Ullal who fought against the Portuguese, Sitharaman said the Union government has taken steps to document the contributions of many unknown fighters who fought against imperial forces.

As part of Aazadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, the government has compiled a digital district repository with 14,500 stories, highlighting places linked with the freedom struggle, she said.

The Union Ministry of Culture has also tied up with Amar Chitra Katha to bring out three books on the role of women in the freedom struggle, women in the constituent assembly, and tribal leaders of the freedom struggle.

The finance minister expressed the hope that a Sanik School would be opened in the name of Rani Abbakka in coastal Karnataka. She congratulated artist Vasudev Kamath for the portrait of Rani Abbakka, used for the commemorative postal stamp.

Sri Kshetra Dharmastala Dharmadhikari (hereditary administrator) Veerendra Heggade and chief postmaster general (Karnataka Circle) S Rajendra Kumar were present.

Telangana Speaker recognises KCR as Leader of Opposition

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ANI
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Telangana Speaker recognises KCR as Leader of Opposition 3

Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) president and former Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao was recognised as the Leader of Opposition in the assembly on Saturday.

The announcement was made by Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar in the House.

”I recognised Bharat Rashtra Samiti Legislature Party as the main opposition party since it is the second-largest party with the strength of 39 members in the third Telangana Legislative Assembly and its leader Kalvakuntla Chandrasekhar Rao, MLA, is recognised as the Leader of Opposition in the third Telangana Legislative Assembly,” the Speaker said.

The announcement came ahead of the debate on the Motion of Thanks Address by Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan to the legislature on Friday. The Congress assumed power in the state, winning 64 out of the total 119 seats in the recent assembly polls, while its pre-poll ally CPI bagged one seat.

Pakistan’s election body issues election schedule for Feb 8 polls on Supreme Court’s order

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PTI
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Pakistan's election body issues election schedule for Feb 8 polls on Supreme Court's order 5

The schedule for Pakistan’s general elections on February 8 has been issued, hours after the Supreme Court quashed a lower court’s decision which could have delayed the much-awaited polls.

The election schedule was issued on Friday night by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), within hours after the Supreme Court quashed a decision by the Lahore High Court (LHC) to suspend the appointment of officials from the bureaucracy to oversee the elections in defiance of the apex court’s orders.

The LHC’s verdict was issued on a petition filed by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) — the same party that had called for timely polls in a plea filed in the Supreme Court.

Due to the LHC’s order, Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa and Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja met with senior officials on Friday to ensure that everything went according to plan.

Following detailed deliberations, the commission filed a petition in the top court seeking the annulment of the LHC’s order. The Supreme Court accepted the plea a few hours back, putting the process back on track.

According to the ECP’s notification, the nominations by the candidates can be filed with the Returning Officers (ROs) from December 20-22. The names of the nominated candidates would be published on December 23 and the scrutiny of their documents would be held from December 24-30.

The last date for filing appeals against the RO’s decisions on rejecting or accepting nomination papers will be January 3 and the final date for deciding the appeals of candidates by an appellate tribunal will be January 10.

The revised list of candidates will be published on January 11 and the last date for withdrawing one’s candidature is January 12. The election symbols will be allotted to political parties on January 13 with polls set for February 8.

The electoral watchdog added that the election program shall also apply to the seats reserved for women and non-Muslims in the national and provincial assemblies. “Last date of filling of a separate priority list for seats reserved for women and non-Muslims before the ROs is December 22,” the notification read.

After fresh delimitation, the National Assembly (NA) would consist of 336 seats, including 266 general seats, 60 seats reserved for women, and 10 for non-Muslims.

The delimitation shows that the strength of the Assembly has decreased by six seats from the previously 342 seats.

Earlier, in an informal chat with the journalists, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja said the ECP was fully prepared for the polls.

“I never said the election may be delayed,” he said, adding that the ECP was fully prepared for polls.

The issuance of a detailed schedule removed the last bit of doubt about holding elections in the country on February 8 as the Supreme Court in orders suspending the LHC verdict stated that nobody would be allowed to derail the democracy and ordered the ECP to go ahead with its plan to organize the polls on the stated date.

Actor Matthew Perry died from ‘acute effects of ketamine’

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ANI
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Actor Matthew Perry died from 'acute effects of ketamine' 7

‘Friends’ star Matthew Perry, 54, died from the acute effects of ketamine, according to the toxicology report from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office. Contributing factors in Perry’s death included drowning, coronary artery disease, and the effects of buprenorphine (used to treat opioid use disorder), Variety reported.

Perry had been undergoing ketamine infusion therapy prior to his death, reportedly for depression and anxiety. The toxicology report stated, “At the high levels of ketamine found in his postmortem blood specimens, the main lethal effects would be from both cardiovascular overstimulation and respiratory depression.” Ketamine is illegally used as a recreational drug for its numbing and hallucinogenic effects.

“There were trace amounts of ketamine detected in the stomach contents. He was reported to be receiving ketamine infusion therapy for depression and anxiety. Per the Medical Examiner Investigator’s report, his last known treatment was 1.5 weeks prior to death, and the ketamine in his system at death could not be from that infusion therapy since ketamine’s half-life is 3 to 4 hours, or less,” the report added. No alcohol was detected in his system by the autopsy report. Nor were there any traces of other drugs such as cocaine, heroin, or fentanyl. The examiner’s report does not specify how or when Perry had consumed the fatal dose of ketamine.

Perry, best known for his role as Chandler Bing on the hit TV sitcom ‘Friends’, was found unconscious in his home’s hot tub on October 28. Perry’s untimely demise left his fans, family, and colleagues extremely heartbroken.

Following his death, the Friends cast wrote about their experiences with Perry and how much his character, Chandler Bing, meant. Matt LeBlanc, who portrayed Joey Tribiani on Friends, shared a post on Instagram with a carousel of images and a heartfelt note for Perry. He wrote, “Matthew It is with a heavy heart I say goodbye. The times we had together are honestly among the favorite times of my life.”

“I am so grateful for every moment I had with you Matty and I miss you every day. When you work with someone as closely as I did with Matthew, there are thousands of moments I wish I could share. For now here’s one of my favorites,” Courteney Cox wrote. Taking to Instagram, David Schwimmer wrote, “Matty, Thank you for ten incredible years of laughter and creativity. I will never forget your impeccable comic timing and delivery. You could take a straight line of dialogue and bend it to your will, resulting in something so entirely original and unexpectedly funny it still astonishes. And you had heart. Which you were generous with, and shared with us, so we could create a family out of six strangers.”

He also shared a picture with Matthew from one of his favourite moments spent with him on the ‘Friends’ set. “This photo is from one of my favorite moments with you. Now it makes me smile and grieve at the same time.I imagine you up there, somewhere, in the same white suit, hands in your pockets, looking around–‘Could there BE any more clouds?’,” he added.

“Matty, I love you so much and I know you are now completely at peace and out of any pain. I talk to you every day… sometimes I can almost hear you saying could you BE any crazier? Rest little brother. You always made my day..,” Jennifer Aniston posted.

Parliament security breach: the accused had started planning in January, and one of them carried out a recce during the Monsoon Session

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Web Team
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Parliament security breach: the accused had started planning in January, and one of them carried out a recce during the Monsoon Session 9

Seeking 15-day custody, the Delhi Police Special Cell stated they needed to conduct an in-depth investigation to unearth the larger conspiracy behind their acts. A Delhi court sent the four arrested for the Parliament security breach to seven-day police custody on Thursday.

Manoranjan D, Sagar Sharma, Neelam Verma, and Amol Shinde were booked under sections of the anti-terror Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and produced before Additional Sessions Judge Hardeep Kaur’s Court in Patiala House. As per the eyewitness in the house, Manoranjan and Sagar jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the visitors’ gallery, and Neelam and Shinde opened smoke canisters outside Parliament.

Additional Public Prosecutor (APP) Atul Srivastava stated in court that the accused were carrying a pamphlet showing the PM as a missing person and that the reward for finding him would be paid by a Swiss bank. APP Srivastava also stated that the shoes in which the accused hid the smoke cans were bought from Lucknow and the smoke cans from Mumbai.

Further, the APP underlined that the accused had created a group called ‘Bhagat Singh Fan Club’. “We need to take the accused to these places. We wish to find out who are the people behind it, what is the funding they got,” added Srivastava.

Counsel Umakant Kataria, representing the accused, said that 3–4 days of custody is enough for the investigation. The FIR was registered against the accused persons under IPC sections 153 (wantonly giving provocation with an intent to cause riot), 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 452 (trespass), 186 (obstructing public servants in discharge of public functions), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servants from discharge of their duty) and Sections 16 and 18 of the UAPA.

Decision on old pension scheme to be taken in the next budget session: Maharashtra CM in assembly

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ANI
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Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde Maharashtra Government
Image: PTI

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde told the legislative assembly on Thursday that the government will study the recommendations of the Subodh Kumar committee over the issue of old pension scheme (OPS) and take a decision on it in the next budget session of the legislature.

He said two additional chief secretaries will study the committee’s report before the decision is made. The CM’s announcement came hours after the government, as well as semi-government employees and officials, launched a strike to press for their demand of restoring the OPS.

Earlier in the day, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar told reporters in the Vidhan Bhavan premises here that CM Eknath Shinde has assured government employees demanding restoration of the OPS that a decision on it will be taken before the upcoming budget session, which is generally held in February-March every year. CM Shinde said, ”The state government is positive towards the demand of the state employees who went on strike today. We need some time to study the Subodh Kumar committee’s recommendations. Additional chief secretaries of finance and services departments will study them. The state will take a decision about it in the next budget session.” The government received the Subodh Kumar committee’s report last week, he told the lower House of the legislature.

Under the OPS, a government employee gets a monthly pension equivalent to 50 per cent his/her last drawn salary. There was no need for contributions by employees. The OPS was discontinued in the state in 2005. Under the New Pension Scheme, a state government employee contributes 10 per cent of his or her basic salary plus a dearness allowance, with the state making a matching contribution. The money is then invested in one of the several pension funds approved by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) and the returns are market-linked.

WPI inflation spikes to 8-month high of 0.26 pc in Nov on costlier veggies, onion

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PTI
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Image: Afternoon Voice / File Photo

Wholesale price-based inflation rose to an eight-month high of 0.26 per cent in November, driven by a sharp jump in food prices, especially onions and vegetables.

The WPI inflation was in the negative or deflationary zone for the past seven months since April and was at (-)0.52 per cent in October.

The last positive WPI inflation was recorded in March at 1.41 per cent.

”Positive rate of inflation in November 2023 is primarily due to increase in prices of food articles, minerals, machinery & equipment, computers, electronics & optical products, motor vehicles, other transport equipment and other manufacturing, etc.,” the Commerce and Industry Ministry said in a statement.

Food inflation spiked to 8.18 per cent in November from 2.53 per cent in October.

Inflation in onion zoomed 101.24 per cent in November, up from 62.60 per cent in the previous month.

The government last week banned exports of this kitchen staple till March next year in a bid to increase domestic availability and contain prices, which skyrocketed to Rs 80/kg in the retail market. It expects prices to cool to Rs 40/kg by January.

Inflation in vegetables was 10.44 per cent, as against (-)21.04 per cent in October.

In paddy and fruits, inflation was 10.44 per cent and 8.37 per cent respectively. Inflation in potato remained low at (-)27.22 per cent in November.

During the month, inflation in manufactured products stood at (-)0.64 per cent, fuel and power (-)4.61 per cent and non-food articles (-)3.20 per cent.

Barclays Research said the magnitude of increase in wholesale food prices was more than in retail food prices, indicating wholesalers did not pass through the entire price rise to consumers, which may be reflected in elevated retail food prices in December unless supply (particularly of vegetables) increases.

The RBI in its monetary policy review last week, had said that there would be an uptick in the inflation data for November and December due to pressure on food prices.

”Going ahead, the inflation outlook would be considerably influenced by uncertain food prices. High-frequency food price indicators point to an increase in prices of key vegetables, which may push CPI inflation higher in the near term,” RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das had said.

Retail or consumer price-based inflation rose at its fastest pace in three months at 5.55 per cent in November, driven by a spike in food prices, data released earlier this week showed.

The RBI had projected retail inflation to average 5.4 per cent this fiscal.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) in its December outlook released on Thursday said India’s inflation forecasts for 2023 and 2024 are in line with recent data and are still within expectations. It forecast retail inflation at 5.5 per cent for this fiscal.

“Gross misconduct”, Trinamool MP Derek O’Brien suspended for rest of Winter session of Parliament

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ANI
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"Gross misconduct", Trinamool MP Derek O'Brien suspended for rest of Winter session of Parliament 13

Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha member Derek O’ Brien has been suspended from participating in the rest of the winter session of parliament for “gross misconduct” and “defying the Chair” during the proceedings on Thursday morning. The winter session is scheduled to run till December 22. The Upper House of Parliament has adopted a motion for the suspension of the Trinamool member.

O’Brien had demanded a discussion on the security breach incident, in which two men jumped from the visitors’ gallery into the Lok Sabha and burst yellow smoke canisters. Soon after, the Trinamool MP was named by Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar and asked to leave the House.

Despite the warning from the Chair, O’Brien and some other opposition members continued to protest and demanded that Union Home Minister Amit Shah be present in the House to answer for yesterday’s security breach incident. Speaking outside Parliament, Trinamool MP Dola Sen also demanded action against BJP MP Pratap Simha, who had reportedly helped the accused Manoranjan get a visitor pass for Parliament.

“Why is the Ethics Committee quiet on this? Pratap Simha who is a BJP MP, why is he not being expelled. We seriously want to know if the security of parliamentarians is compromised then what will happen to the people of the county? Home minister did not even give a statement on this. TMC needs a proper investigation,” Dola Sen said. Meanwhile, the Lok Sabha secretariat suspended eight security personnel on Thursday over security lapses that led to a major security breach in Parliament on Wednesday.

The security breach happened on the anniversary of the 2001 Parliament terror attack. Two people–Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan D—jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the public gallery during Zero Hour, released yellow gas from canisters and shouted slogans before being overpowered by the MPs. Today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting with senior ministers inside Parliament over a security breach. While the opposition leaders are demanding statements in both houses,.

A drastic security change was witnessed in Parliament on Thursday, with security personnel deputed to the entrance of the outer gates insisting on removing even shoes despite doing minute frisking of those entering the premises of the campus. The new security set-up looks similar to that of the airport, where shoes, especially long boots or a few made of leather, are asked to be opened during a security check. Only MPs are being allowed to enter the Parliament building from Makar Dwar, and all persons entering the building are being checked thoroughly.

As per the Ministry of Home Affairs, the inquiry committee will investigate the reasons for breaches in the security of Parliament, identify lapses, and recommend further action. “The Committee will submit its report with recommendations, including suggestions on improving security in Parliament, at the earliest,” the MHA had said.

Nobody can force filmmakers to make movies of particular genre: Manoj Bajpayee

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PTI
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Nobody can force filmmakers to make movies of particular genre: Manoj Bajpayee 15

Popular actor Manoj Bajpayee said nobody can force a filmmaker to make movies of a particular genre.

Interacting with reporters during the 29th Kolkata International Film Festival here recently, the 54-year-old actor said it is up to people to choose the kind of films they want to see. ”It is up to the audience to choose what films they want to see. There has to be space for everyone and every genre. Please don’t ask a filmmaker to make a movie of your choice. A director is free to make a film of his choice,” the Satya actor said.

Manoj said most Indian movies promote good family values and glorify women.

”I am thankful to directors for giving me choices. I have to make the most of it before I leave (the stage). I expect a lot from myself. I choose my roles carefully,” the ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ actor said.

Manoj said he doesn’t see ”negative and positive roles” as there are lots of possibilities and a wide variety of scripts nowadays.

On the growing popularity of the OTT platform, Manoj, whose ‘The Family Man’ on the web was a runaway hit, said, ”OTT has certainly democratised the system and helped the entire (film) industry.” He said, ”The OTT platform has helped many actors. So many stars came up during the pandemic when people were glued to their mobile phones.” On OTT content regulation, he said, ”Censorship in digital media should be introduced only when it is required. I think people are intelligent and sensible.” Paying tribute to Satyajit Ray, he said, ”I am curious to know the experiences of actors who worked with Ray. When I worked with Sharmilaji (Sharmila Tagore) in a film, I used to often asked her to share her experience about working with Ray.” Expressing reservations on calling the Hindi film industry as Bollywood, he said, ”It is a bad copy of Hollywood.” He said the working styles and values between Hollywood and our film industry don’t match.

Parliament security breach accused Lalit Jha “kept his details shady” claims NGO founder who was in touch with accused

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ANI
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Lalit Jha one of the absconders in the parliament security breach.

NGO founder Nilaksha Aich who was sent a video of the Parliament security breach by the accused, Lalit Jha, who is currently absconding, has said that Jha never mentioned his whereabouts to him, adding that the accused always kept his details shady.

In a telephonic conversation with ANI, Nilaksha Aich, who runs an NGO working on tribal education in West Bengal’s Purulia district, said that accused Lalit Jha was a member of that organisation. “It was around 12:50 yesterday; he asked me to see the media coverage. I did not know anything, as I was attending college at the time. After I returned home, I saw the whole coverage. He asked me to keep the video with me. He is not a close friend of mine; I have an NGO of mine that works with tribal development. He was a member of an organisation. I came across him in April,” Nilaksha Aich told ANI.

Asked about the accused behaviour’s pattern, Aich said,” He never said anything about anything himself to me. He has always kept his details shady. He never mentioned his whereabouts, who they were in his family or not. I have not seen him being violent personally.” Earlier, a case has been registered against the accused under multiple relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in the Parliament Security Breach incident, police said on Thursday.

A case under Sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 452 (trespassing), Section 153 (want only giving provocation with an intent to cause riot), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servants from the discharge of his duty) of IPC. “Under UAPA, cases have been registered under sections 16 and 18 at Parliament Street Police Station. The case is being transferred to the Special Cell for further investigations,” police said.

Police sources informed us that the absconding accused in the Parliament security breach case, Lalit Jha, also sent a video of the incident to his NGO partner after the four accused committed the act. So far, four people have been arrested in the case. Police informed us that two people, one identified as Vicky and his wife, are being interrogated.

The accused, identified as Lalit Jha, is absconding. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) also ordered an inquiry into a Parliament security breach incident on Wednesday. “On request from the Lok Sabha Secretariat, MHA has ordered an inquiry into the parliament security breach incident. An inquiry Committee has been set up under Anish Dayal Singh, DG, CRPF, with members from other security agencies and experts,” the Home Ministry said.

On the 22nd anniversary of the Parliament terror attack, a major security breach occurred when two intruders entered the Lok Sabha chamber from the visitor gallery during Zero Hour. In a security breach in Lok Sabha, two men jumped into the House from the visitors’ gallery, holding canisters in their hands. They released yellow gas from canisters and shouted slogans before being overpowered by MPs.

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