Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and other INDIA bloc MPs stage a protest at Parliament premises alleging discrimination in the Union Budget 2024, during the Monsoon session, in New Delhi, on July 24, 2024.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Centre, Opposition face off in Parliament over Budget
In both Houses of Parliament, the Opposition attacked the government, accusing it of presenting a “discriminatory budget” that excluded the non-National Democratic Alliance (NDA)-ruled States. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman issued a strong rebuttal to this in Rajya Sabha, hitting out at the Opposition for deliberately maligning the government, and giving a wrong impression that some States had been left out.
‘You are a woman… you don’t know anything’: Nitish Kumar shouts at RJD MLA Rekha Devi in Assembly
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar lost his cool in the Assembly on July 24 and shouted at Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MLA Rekha Devi. The Chief Minister, who was speaking on reservation, was assuring the House that he was taking steps to ensure that the proposed quota hike of 65% is implemented. Despite his assurance, the Opposition continued sloganeering. Losing his temper, Mr. Kumar pointed his finger at Ms. Devi, the Masaurhi MLA, who was protesting, and said, “You are a woman, don’t you understand, these people never let women progress. You are a woman, you don’t know anything.”
Netanyahu gives fiery speech to U.S. Congress, seeking support for war in Gaza
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza and condemned American protesters in a scathing speech to the U.S. Congress on July 24, which triggered boycotts by many top Democratic lawmakers and drew thousands of protesters to the Capitol to condemn the war in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis it has created.
Amid NEET row, UPSC to revamp its exam system with new tech
Amid widespread allegations of cheating in the NEET examination for medical college admissions, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is all set to revamp its own examination system through technological solutions such as Aadhaar-based fingerprint authentication and facial recognition systems, and closed circuit television (CCTV) surveillance using artificial intelligence (AI).
RSS leader calls out the BJP’s Amit Malviya for trolling people who criticised the budget
Ratan Sharda, an author and leader of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, came down heavily on Amit Malviya, the head of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s IT cell, on July 24, for trolling social media users who criticised the Union Budget. Terming it a “serious problem”, Mr. Sharda, who is also a columnist in the RSS’ English mouthpiece Organiser, said that the IT cell should instead focus on simplifying the government’s schemes for citizens who can benefit.
Rahul Gandhi briefs MPs on party line for Budget debate
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday told 20 Congress MPs, who are slated to speak in the debate on Union Budget, to ensure that in their speech rather than lamenting the funds allocated to Andhra Pradesh and Bihar, they should highlight the States that have been ignored.
Supreme Court urges a balance between railway needs in Haldwani and right to shelter of ‘encroacher’ families
The Supreme Court on July 24 urged a balance to be struck between railway infrastructure development at Haldwani, considered to be the doorway to the hills in Uttarakhand, and the fundamental right to shelter of nearly 50,000 people accused of illegally living on railway land. “They are also human beings…” a Bench headed by Justice Surya Kant observed.
India committed to Free Trade Agreement with the U.K., says Modi
India is committed to concluding a Free Trade Agreement with the United Kingdom, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, after meeting the visiting Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy — the highest ranking official from the United Kingdom to visit India since the Labour government won a landslide victory in the recent election.
Centre defends fact-check unit, says right to correct information important
Defending the formation of a fact-checking unit (FCU), the Union government said in the Bombay High Court on July 24 that the right to know factually correct information and the right to not be misled were equally important as the right to freedom of speech and expression under Article 19(1)(a). Stand-up artist Kunal Kamra, the Editors Guild of India, and the Association of Indian Magazines, have challenged the constitutionality of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Amendment Rules, 2023 that permit an FCU of the Union government to identify “fake or false or misleading” online content “related to the business of the Central Government” and demand its removal.
DRDO successfully tests Phase-II ballistic missile defence system
The Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) on Wednesday successfully flight-tested the Phase-II Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) system demonstrating the indigenous capability to defend against ballistic missiles of 5,000 km class. Phase 1 of the BMD, which can intercept ballistic missiles with a range of 2,000 km, has already been deployed.
Government admits BSNL data breached in May; forms telecom security panel
The Union government confirmed a data breach in BSNL’s systems, saying that the breach was reported on May 20. “Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) reported possible intrusion and Data Breach at BSNL on 20.05.2024,” Minister of State for Communications Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani said on Wednesday in a written response to a Lok Sabha query by Congress MP Amar Singh.
Joe Biden says he ended 2024 U.S. presidential bid to unite Democratic party
U.S. President Joe Biden addressed the nation from the Oval Office for probably the last time as he explained his decision to “pass the torch” to Vice President Kamala Harris and end his 2024 presidential campaign. The address offered the public their first chance to hear directly from Mr. Biden his rationale for dropping out of the 2024 after weeks of insisting he believed himself to be the best candidate to take on former President Donald Trump, whom he has called an existential threat to the nation’s democracy.
