Tamil Nadu Minister V. Senthilbalaji is brought to the Madras High Court on August 12, 2023. Photo: Special Arrangement
ED files charge sheet against Senthilbalaji, court sends him to judicial custody till August 25
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on August 12 filed a charge sheet against Tamil Nadu Minister V Senthilbalaji as part of an ongoing money laundering investigation against him and his aides, official sources said. Principal Sessions Judge S Alli, before whom the 47-year-old DMK politician was produced, remanded him in judicial custody till August 25. The Minister, who was arrested by the ED on June 14, will continue to be lodged at the Puzhal central jail in Chennai The central agency also filed an about 168-170 pages prosecution complaint, apart from annexures, arraigning Mr. Senthilbalaji as an accused, the sources said.
Digital Personal Data Protection Bill now an Act; receives President’s assent
The Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, passed by Parliament this week, has received President’s assent, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on August 12. Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Law aims to protect the privacy of Indian citizens while proposing a penalty of up to ₹250 crore on entities for misusing or failing to protect digital data of individuals. Companies handling user data will be required to safeguard the individual’s information, and instances of personal data breach have to be reported to the Data Protection Board (DPB) and the user.
Lok Sabha functioned for only 43% of its scheduled time and Rajya Sabha 55% in the just-concluded Monsoon session but legislative activity remained high with 23 bills being passed, data compiled by a think tank shows. According to data compiled by PRS Legislative Research, the lower house had 17 sittings, which lasted for about 44 hours 15 minutes. The debate on no-confidence motion lasted for 19 hours and 59 minutes, and 60 members participated in the discussion. The motion was negated through voice vote.
At G20 meet, PM Modi calls for collective effort to fight corruption
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 12 said the impact of corruption is felt most by the poor and the marginalised people. He said corruption affects the allocation of resources, markets and diminishes the people’s quality of life. Addressing virtually the G-20 anti-corruption Ministerial meeting at Kolkata, the Prime Minister said, “India has a strict policy of zero tolerance against corruption.”
India needs new green revolution to show path of natural farming to world: Amit Shah
Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on August 12 said India needs a new green revolution under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to show the path of natural farming to the world and lead the way for prosperity of farmers. This green revolution will bring wealth from across the world to India by finding markets for organic products, he said. Mr. Shah was speaking at the ceremony to lay the foundation stone for leading fertiliser cooperative major IFFCO’s nano DAP (liquid) plant at Kandla in Gujarat’s Kutch district.
Mobile Internet ban | Manipur HC asks state govt to find ways to restore services
The Manipur High Court has now directed the State government to consider opening mobile internet in the State by whitelisting devices on a case-to-case basis gradually. The direction came after the Manipur government submitted that the physical trial ordered by the High Court earlier had shown “there is no data leakage to any other numbers which are not whitelisted” through this method. In the order dated August 10, the high court also noted that the government had taken steps to implement its earlier directions of resuming Internet Lease Line (ILL) and Fibre to the home (FTTH) connections gradually on a case to case basis and with restrictions.
Uttarakhand rain | Five killed in landslide in Rudraprayag
Five people, including three pilgrims from Gujarat, died after being buried under the debris of a landslide on the Kedarnath Yatra route in Rudraprayag district as the MeT department on August 11 warned of heavy rains in six districts of Uttarakhand for the next few days. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami undertook a ground inspection of the rain-hit Kotdwar area where a man had gone missing in a landslide a couple of days ago and several bridges were damaged, cutting off a large population from the rest of the State.
Cauvery water dispute | Distress should be shared by both states, says Siddaramaiah
Claiming that the flow of water into the reservoirs across Cauvery had come down in view of insufficient rainfall this year, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the distress over poor availability of water should be shared by both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. “The distress should be shared by both the States”, Mr. Siddaramaiah said responding to queries from reporters over Tamil Nadu’s demand for release of Cauvery water.
Would have never cleared NEET exemption bill, test is here to stay, says Tamil Nadu Governor Ravi
Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi on August 12 said that he would never clear the State’s Bill to exempt it from the National Eligibiligy-cum Entrance Test (NEET) if it were up to him and asserted that the exam was “going to stay in the country”. He was speaking at a felicitation of students from Tamil Nadu who had secured high marks in this year’s NEET. Provoked by a student’s father asking the Governor when he would give clearance to ban NEET, Mr. Ravi, retorted: “I am telling you very frankly. I will never give clearance to NEET [exemption Bill]”.
New uniform pattern in Lakshadweep schools: Congress warns of intense protest
The Congress on August 12 strongly condemned the Lakshadweep administration’s move to introduce a new pattern of uniform in schools in the Union Territory and warned them of intense protests, including mass class boycott by students against it. Lakshadweep Congress leader and ex-MP Hamdullah Sayeed alleged that the new dress code directive, which is silent on hijabs or scarves for girl students, amounted to destroying the intrinsic culture and lifestyle of islanders in the Muslim-dominated archipelago.
Nepal ready to supply tomatoes to India; seeks easier access to market
Nepal is ready to export tomatoes to India in bulk on a long-term basis to quell the skyrocketing prices but has sought easy access to the market and other necessary facilities. The neighbouring country’s assurance came after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told Parliament on August 10 that India has started importing tomatoes from Nepal amid a record-high spike in prices in the country. India is importing tomatoes for the first time due to high retail prices of around ₹242 per kg amid supply disruptions caused by heavy rains.
Foxconn gets board nod for $400 million investment in Telangana
Leading contract manufacturer of electronics globally Foxconn, which operates through multiple entities, has announced board approval for a $400 million investment in Telangana, the southern State where in May it broke ground for a $500 million manufacturing facility. Telangana IT and Industries Minister shared a social media post of V. Lee, Foxconn representative in India, and said that adding the previous $150 million, the total investment by will be $550 million.
Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar to be Pakistan’s caretaker PM
Senator Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar was on August 12 picked as Pakistan’s caretaker Prime Minister to govern the cash-strapped country and oversee general elections later this year. Outgoing Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the Leader of Opposition Raja Riaz finalised his name after two rounds of deliberations. Mr. Kakar, a lawmaker belonging to Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), will lead a caretaker government until fresh election is held later this year.
Australian PM Albanese to attend G20 summit in Delhi
Australia on August 12 announced that its Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will attend the G20 summit in Delhi on September 9 and 10. The Australian Prime Minister’s visit to India will be part of his three-nation tour. The other two countries that he will be visiting are Indonesia and the Philippines. “From September 9-10, the Prime Minister will attend the G20 Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi,” the Australian government said in a statement.
Russian Orthodox priests face persecution from state and church for supporting peace in Ukraine
Standing in an old Orthodox church in Antalya with a Bible in one hand and a candle in the other, the Rev. Ioann Koval led one of his first services in Turkey after Russian Orthodox Church leadership decided to defrock him following his prayer for peace in Ukraine. Last September, when President Vladimir Putin ordered a partial mobilization of reservists, Moscow Patriarch Kirill required his clergymen to pray for victory. Standing in front of the altar and dozens of his parishioners in one of Moscow’s churches, Koval decided to put the peace above the patriarch’s orders.
FIFA Women World Cup | Australia beats France in penalty thriller to reach semifinals
Co-hosts Australia beat France 7-6 in a thrilling penalty shoot-out to reach the semi-finals of the Women’s World Cup for the first time in their history on a night of drama in Brisbane on August 12. Australia now go to Sydney on Wednesday to face the winners of the final last-eight tie between England and Colombia. Cortnee Vine scored the winning penalty to end a remarkable shoot-out that saw both teams take 10 spot-kicks, the quarter-final having ended 0-0 after 120 nerve-shredding minutes.
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