Category: INDIA

Ahead of the bill’s tabling, the BJP has issued a three-line whip, directing all its Lok Sabha MPs to be present.

New Delhi: The central government on Tuesday introduced the “One Nation One Election” Bill in the Lok Sabha. Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal presented the two key bills during the session: The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024 — commonly referred to as the ONOE Bill — and The Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill. Ahead of the bill’s tabling, the BJP has issued a three-line whip, directing all its Lok Sabha MPs to be present.

“Laws can be brought in for electoral reforms… this bill is aligned with the process of easing the electoral process, which will be synchronised. There will be no damage to the Constitution via this Bill. There will be no tampering with the basic structure of the Constitution,” Meghwal said. “We are not tampering with the powers of the states,” he asserted, after which he proposed that the bill be sent to a joint parliamentary committee – as was expected – for wider consultation.

Home minister Amit Shah said that when the ‘One Nation, One Election’ Bill was taken up in the cabinet for approval, Prime Minister Narendra Modi suggested that the bill be sent to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for detailed discussions.

New Delhi: BJP National President and Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha, JP Nadda, initiated a debate in the Upper House of Parliament, highlighting the significance of the Indian Constitution. He criticised the period of Emergency and invited the Congress party to join in commemorating an ‘Anti-Democracy Day’ if they truly regret that era.

“We all know India is the largest democracy, but as PM Modi said, it is not only the largest democracy but the mother of democracy, and that we should understand,” Nadda remarked.

Referring to the Constituent Assembly debates, Nadda highlighted how Indian culture and history played a pivotal role.

He said, “When we look at Constituent Assembly debates, we find India’s culture, history, and Indian ethos deeply embedded. Indian ethos encompasses democracy, comprising freedom, acceptability, equality, and inclusivity in society, allowing common citizens to lead a quality and dignified life. This thought was deeply ingrained in the minds of the Constituent Assembly members.”

Touching upon ancient scriptures like the Rig Veda and Atharvaveda, the leader underscored that concepts such as meetings, discussions, and deliberations were taken into account while drafting the Constitution, keeping India’s heritage in mind.

Nadda further criticised the Congress for delaying the recognition of leaders like Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and said that after so many years the party mentioned the Iron Man of India’s name.

He said, “Sardar Patel integrated 562 princely states, but one — Jammu & Kashmir —was left to then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. An extraordinary provision was introduced, and Sheikh Abdullah was involved in Kashmir matters. Nehru asked Abdullah to consult B.R Ambedkar, but Ambedkar refused, stating, ‘To give consent to this proposal would be a treacherous thing to do,’ referring to Article 370.”

He recalled how Syama Prasad Mookerjee opposed Article 370, famously declaring, “In one country, two constitutions won’t be followed.”

Mookerjee’s death in prison, and his mother’s plea to PM Nehru for justice, were also dismissed, Nadda added.

Nadda criticised the imposition of Article 35A through a Presidential Order, bypassing parliamentary debate. “Article 35A defined state citizenship in J&K, allowing only those who resided before 1944 to be citizens, excluding refugees from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Women faced discrimination, if a Kashmiri girl married a non-Kashmiri, she lost her property rights.”

Nadda listed significant laws not applicable in J&K under Article 370, including protections against human rights violations, the POSCO Act, and women’s safety laws.

He pointed out that the Congress-backed amendments like the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Acts, which ensured grassroots democracy, were not implemented in J&K. “Reservation for Scheduled Tribes like Gujjar and Bakarwal communities was also denied,” he added.

He criticised the plight of workers brought to J&K for cleaning jobs, stating, “They were promised citizenship but remained cleaning workers, with no rights for their children to secure other positions or reservations.”

Nadda praised the Narendra Modi government for abrogating Article 370 on August 5, 2019, making J&K an “indivisible part of India.”

“I remember people sitting in protest against a law that caused such harm. I thank PM Modi because, under his guidance and strategy, we have rectified this,” Nadda asserted.

Referring to Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge’s comments on the Emergency, Nadda criticised the Congress party for imposing it in 1975.

He said, “The Emergency was not imposed because the nation was in danger, but because the chair and power were in danger. Congress must reflect on this dark period. On June 25, 2025, we will mark 50 years of that ‘black period’ of democracy. I call upon the Congress to join us in observing ‘Anti-Democracy Day’ and raise their voices against what happened. If you have any respect or regret, come and join us.”

Lucknow: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is supervising the construction of state-of-the-art Annapurna Bhawans across Uttar Pradesh to enhance food supply and ensure secure storage of essential goods.

These Bhawan are designed to make the public distribution system permanent and effective, ensuring the stability of ration shops despite change in dealers. So far 3,213 Annapurna Bhawan have been completed, while work is currently underway on an additional 1,630 Bhawans.

About The Annapurna Bhawans

The Yogi government aims to develop these Annapurna Bhawans as multi-purpose centers in both rural and urban areas of the state. The facilities will help meet the everyday needs of residents while also contributing to the improvement of their social and economic conditions.

These Bhawan are being constructed under MGNERGA and will not only serve as storage spaces for food grains but will also support the operation of fair-price shops.

These Bhawan’s are being constructed on government land in gram panchayats, and include facilities such as a hall, waiting room, and public services center. In the financial year 2024-25, construction has started on over 2,800 new Bhawans.

Aim Of The Annapuran Bhawan

The aim of Annapuran Bhawan is to streamline the food grain supply process in both rural and urban areas. Previously, fair-price shops were often situated on narrow streets, causing difficulties for both food grain supply vehicles, and customers. With the development of these Bhawans, access to both supply vehicles and the general public has significantly improved.

Annapurna Bhawan will serve as more than just a center for food grain supply; it will also provide a range of public facilities. Two separate rooms are being constructed within the Bhawan, one will be used for storing government ration, while the other will house the Common Service Center (CSC). The CSC will provide essential services such as issuing birth, death, income and caste certificates.

In addition, general stores and community service centers will operate in the Bhawans. These centers will provide facilities for electricity bill payment, broadband access, affordable generic medicines, and the sale of everyday necessities. This initiative will ease the lives of people while also ensuring effective implementation of government schemes.

State-of-the-art facilities are being integrated into the Annapurna Bhawan, including CCTV cameras and internet connectivity, ensuring both transparency and security. Supply inspectors have been instructed to identify suitable land for the construction of new Bhawans. Once land selection is completed, construction will begin immediately.

The Yogi government’s goal is to transform all 80,000 fair-price shops into permanent, fully equipped Annapurna Bhawans. This initiative will enhance the food distribution system and ensure that people receive high-quality services.

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has announced a 20% reduction in the prices of textbooks for classes 9 to 12. The decision was announced by NCERT Director Dinesh Prasad Saklani during an event held in the national capital on Monday. This price cut will be effective from the upcoming academic year, bringing relief to students and parents alike.

No Change for Classes 1-8 Textbooks

While the new pricing applies to books for classes 9-12, textbooks for grades 1-8 will remain at Rs 65 per copy. The discounted books for classes 9-12 will be available starting in the 2026-27 academic year.

Efficiency in Printing and Procurement

During the announcement, Dinesh Saklani emphasised the role of increased efficiency in paper procurement and the introduction of new printing technologies.

“This year, NCERT has streamlined its paper procurement process and onboarded printers with the latest machines, allowing us to pass on the savings to students,” Saklani said to PTI.

Partnerships with Flipkart and Amazon

In an effort to make textbooks more accessible, NCERT has signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with Flipkart and Amazon. These platforms will now sell the books, making them available even in rural areas at reduced prices.

Each year, NCERT prints approximately 4-5 crore textbooks across around 300 titles. However, for the next academic year, the council plans to increase this to 15 crore books, ensuring students across the country benefit from affordable educational resources.

This is the first time that the price of textbooks has been reduced significantly, added the director. 

Actor-comedian Kapil Sharma, who was at the receiving end of severe criticism over his comment on filmmaker Atlee, finally ended his silence on the fiasco. The comedian was accused of shaming and insulting Atlee over his appearance when he graced The Great Indian Kapil Show to promote his film, Baby John.

An X user shared a video of Kapil and Atlee’s interaction on the show, along with the caption, “Kapil Sharma subtly insults Atlee’s looks?(sic).” To that, Kapil responded, “Dear sir, can you pls explain me where n when I talked about looks in this video? pls don’t spread hate on social media 🙏 thank you (sic).”

He went on to say, “Guys watch n decide by yourself, don’t follow any body’s tweet like a sheep (sic).”

For those unversed, Atlee appeared on The Great Indian Kapil Show on Saturday, along with Varun Dhawan, Keerthy Suresh and Wamiqa Gabbi, to promote their film, Baby John. During one of the segments, the host asked Atlee, “Has it ever happened that you went to meet a star and they didn’t recognise you? Have they asked where is Atlee?”

While Atlee looked a bit taken aback by the question at first, he went on to reply, “Sir, in a way I understood your question. I’ll try to answer. I am very thankful to AR Murugadoss sir because he produced my first film. He asked for the script, but he didn’t see how I am looking and whether I am capable of it or not, but he loved my narration.”

“World should see that. We should not judge by appearance, we should judge by the heart,” Atlee added.

While netizens lauded Atlee for his reply, they slammed Kapil for “shaming” the director for his appearance. However, Varun and the others were seen laughing on the couch, and Atlee too proceeded through the episode in a lighthearted mood.

Atlee is yet to address the controversy. Meanwhile, singer Chinmayi Sripada too slammed Kapil and called his question “distasteful and crass”.

When it comes to winter beverages, you often look for options that will not only keep you warm but will also infuse your body with necessary nutrients to boost their immunity. It is always the local foods available in the market that help boost immunity in seasons of flue and cold. Amla (Gooseberry) is one such fruit that has numerous benefits for your body that can help nourish your health.

While green tea has gained popularity worldwide as a healthy drink, many don’t realise that homemade amla tea can be an even better option for boosting health. Chef Venkatesh Bhat, who is popular on Instagram for his cooking and providing tips to make you food more nutritious shared a simple Amla tea recipe that contains more nutrients than Green Tea. Let’s know more.

How does Amla tea have more antioxidants?

You must have tried varieties of tea based on flavour, nutrient value and number of calories. In a snippet that an Instagram page shared of Bhat, he is seen making Amla Tea and claims that it has 2500 more antioxidants than green tea. He is seen preparing this tea with amla, ginger, mint leaves and carron seeds (carrom seeds). Here’s how to make Amla tea:

1. Crush 1 amla, 4 mint leaves, 1 inch ginger and carrom seeds together and bring them to boil in water. Strain this mixture and your antioxidant Amla tea is ready to serve.

Bhat has also mentioned that this tea is a good remedy for heart burn, heart health, and even helps delay ageing.

Why choose homemade Amla tea over green tea?

For the unversed, green tea has polyphenols that fight free radicals, amla tea packs both antioxidants and other vitamins, offering multiple health benefits.

Moreover, Amla tea has no preservatives or chemicals like packaged teas. It is cost-effective compared to expensive green tea brand. It is made with fresh and natural ingredients.

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed principal chief conservator of forest to constitute a committee, which will submit suggestions for regulating the religious yatra in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in four weeks. Besides, principal secretary, forest, has also been directed to look into matter.

RTI activist Ajay Dubey had raised an environmental question concerning the permission granted by field officer Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve for Darshan Yatra proposed to be organised by Shri Sadguru Kabir Dharmdas Sahab Vanshavali.

As per petition, taking out yatra in the core area of Bandhavgarh National Park will threaten its fragile ecosystem, endanger its rich biodiversity and will violate provisions of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, and Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. Bandhavgarh National Park is a critical tiger habitat.

The core zone of the park is designed to provide a sanctuary for endangered species particularly tigers and to maintain ecological balance. Any human activity including religious yatra in this core zone will disrupt fragile equilibrium, leading to habitat destruction, disturbance to wildlife, and irreparable environmental degradation.

Advocate Harshwardhan Tiwari who appeared on behalf of petitioner, said, “This is a policy matter to be decided by state government. Thus, NGT has directed principal secretary (forest) to consider the letter dated October 18, 2022, submitted by principal chief conservator of forest to regulate the mela in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve.”

ARIES

Today you will be forced to keep your feet out of your house.

Finance: Expenditure for education /vehicle / tourism/health is indicated.

Career: People in fields like tourism / shipping/ fishery / import-export / religion will be benefited.

Domestic & love life: Family tour at some religious place / travel for education is indicated. Good day for meditation.

Health: Some people may suffer from obesity /overweight / sciatica

Lucky no: 1

Lucky colour: Orange

TAURUS

Today is the day to take care of health

Finance: Expect expenditure for travel/ premiums/ repair work/health

Career: People in consultancy/communication/occult science /insurance will get success.

Domestic & love life: ill health of family members is indicated.

Health: Some people may suffer from muscle pain / breathing problems.

Lucky no: 5

Lucky colour: Green

GEMINI

Today is the day to work /travel.

Finance: Expect expenditure for business/spouse/ travel

Career: People in fields like education / religion /tourism will get success.

Domestic & love life: You will be successful to manage business and family life, and make everybody happy.

Health: Some people may suffer from knee pain / waist pain.

Lucky no: 8

Lucky colour: Black

CANCER

Today is the day to earn / progress in career

Finance: Expect expenditure for travel/ education / medical

Career: People in fields like religion / tourism / education will get benefited.

Domestic & love life: You may attend a religious activity or can go for pilgrimage.

Health: Some people may suffer from pain in thighs / muscle pain / breathing problem

Lucky no: 3

Lucky colour: yellow

LEO

Today is the day to lose, so take decisions wisely.

Finance: Expect expenditure for premiums /travel /children / religious activity

Career: People in fields like occult / religion / law / construction will get success.

Domestic & love life: Dispute among family members is indicated

Health: Some people may suffer from muscle pain / asthma / piles

Lucky no: 9

Lucky colour: Red

VIRGO

Today is the day to study/travel/ business

Finance: Expect expenditure for business expansion /house /vehicle /education

Career: People in fields like education / religion/ travel will get success.

Domestic & love life: Today you may attend a religious activity

Health: Some people may suffer from muscle pain /breathing problem

Lucky no: 8

Lucky colour: blue

LIBRA

Today is the day to lose/ ill health

Finance: Expect expenditure for premiums/ health/ communication.

Career: People in fields like travel / religion/ education /communication/ medical will be benefited.

Domestic & love life: Dispute/ ill health of family members is indicated

Health: Some people may suffer from inflammation / breathing

Lucky no: 5

Lucky colour: Green

SCORPIO

Today is the day to earn/ meditation /entertainment

Finance: Expect expenditure for children / entertainment /education

Career: People from religion/speakers/banking/ finance/share traders /teachers will get success.

Domestic & love life: Dispute among family members is indicated

Health: Some people may suffer from throat pain / back pain

Lucky no: 3

Lucky colour: yellow

SAGITTARIUS

Today is the day to study/ take care of health

Finance: Expect expenditure for house renovation / education / health

Career: People in fields like education / consultant / lawyers / religion /occult will be benefited

Domestic & love life: Ill health/ dispute with family members is indicated.

Health: Some people may suffer from head ache / muscle pain/breathing

Lucky no: 9

Lucky colour: Red

CAPRICORN

Today is the day to keep your feet out of your house and travel.

Finance: Expect expenditure for your travel /children/ entertainment.

Career: People in fields like tourism / religion / education / communication will be befitted.

Domestic & love life: pilgrimage / foreign travel/ hospitalization of family members is indicated

Health: Some people may suffer from muscle pain/ ear problems/breathing

Lucky no: 6

Lucky colour: Pink

AQUARIUS

Today is the day to study/ to be with family

Finance: Expect expenditure for house /vehicle /education

Career: People in banking / consultants / religion / education will be successful.

Domestic & love life: Maternal relatives may visit your home.

Health: Some people may suffer from gas /asthma/muscle pain

Lucky no: 5

Lucky colour: Green

PISCES

Today is the day to take initiative in your work/ travel

Finance: Expect expenditure for travel / career / health .

Career: People in education / religion /counselors/ travel will be benefited.

Domestic & love life: Difficult to spare time for family

Health: Some people may suffer because of weight gain / obesity.

Lucky no: 2

Lucky colour: White

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): A doctor who charged Rs 2,500 for FFA test (Fundus Fluorescein Angiography) from patient in his private clinic, when the facility of this test was not available at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), is still working in administration section under AIIMS director. Dr Samendra Kumar runs private store and clinic, Prime Health Care, in Saket Nagar, in name of his wife Dr Anjali.

As per bill of Prime Health Care, Rs 2,500 was charged from patient for FFA test when this facility was not available. According to AIIMS sources Dr Samendra Kumar also sold 300 contact lenses from his store and they were surgically implanted in AIIMS, Bhopal, after cataract operations.

Dr Samendra also charged Rs 25,000 for anti-VEGF injection. A complaint regarding unethical practice was made to senior officials at AIIMS, Bhopal, couple of years ago. However, no action has been taken so far and Dr Samendra Kumar is still working in AIIMS, administration.

However, when Free Press contacted Dr Samendra Kumar, he said complaint was not made by any patient. Therefore, AIIMS did not take it seriously. //Box Director speak When contacted, AIIMS director Dr Ajai Singh said, “It is an issue of 2021. Complaint was made and Dr Samendra Kumar tendered apology as far as allegation of unethical practice is concerned.”