Author: Rahul M

The Election Commission (EC) said Sunday that the initial phase of the printing and distribution of the enumeration forms to registered voters for the Bihar electoral roll revision was “almost complete” and that 21.46% of the filled-out forms had been submitted.“The initial phase of the exercise, during which enumeration forms were to be printed and distributed, is almost complete with the forms being made available to all electors who were available,” EC Deputy Director P Pawan said in a statement. However, there is a significant backlog in the number of forms uploaded to the poll body’s ECINET database, with only…

A study commissioned by the Karnataka government to investigate sudden cardiovascular events, including heart attacks and cardiac deaths, and their possible links to the Covid vaccine, recently found no causal association between the two. The pilot study was carried out on 250 patients below 45 years of age by the Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research (JICSR). It gained significance after several deaths caused by cardiovascular diseases in the Hassan district. Story continues below this ad A committee, led by Dr C N Ravindranath, director of the Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research, found no connection between…

In the face of criticism from the Opposition and confusion on the ground in Bihar, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on Sunday defended the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the poll-bound state, saying the poll panel had “invited all recognised political parties for interaction” on the matter and “no one was satisfied with the current status of electoral rolls for one reason or the other”.  The Election Commission (EC) also clarified that the SIR was being conducted as per its June 24 order announcing the exercise and “there is no change in the instructions”.The poll panel…

A former sanitation worker in Karnataka has written to police that he was forced to bury multiple murder victims over a decade ago. He has come forward to expose what he describes as a systematic cover-up of brutal crimes “out of remorse”. After his letter was released by advocates Ojaswi Gowda and Sachin Deshpande, the Dharmasthala police in Dakshina Kannada district registered a case on Friday under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita section 211(a) (omission to give information to public servant by a person legally bound to give it). The complainant, who worked as a sanitation worker in Dharmasthala from 1995 to…

Days after the Mahayuti-led Maharashtra government rolled back two Government Resolutions (GRs) on the introduction of Hindi in primary schools, estranged cousins Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray came together for the first time in 20 years to hold a joint “victory” rally centred on Marathi identity Saturday.As Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj took the stage at the rally in Mumbai, the screen behind them displayed two words – Awaaz Marathicha or voice of Marathi. With the Thackeray cousins pledging unity in the fight for the rights of the “Marathi manoos (sons of the…

The Punjab government is attempting to bring in a legislation providing for stricter punishment against crimes of sacrilege, and is exploring legal options for a provision of death penalty for those found guilty.“We will be convening a special session of Vidhan Sabha on July 10 and 11 to bring a historic legislation for stricter punishment against those found guilty of sacrilege. The Centre should have done it. However, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government is bringing it in Punjab as it understands the emotions of the people of the state,” AAP spokesperson Neel Garg said on Saturday. Sacrilege and the…

On Sunday, the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, turns 90.Earlier last week, he had said that the continuation of the institution of the Dalai Lamas will happen under “some kind of a framework”. The statement assumes significance because in 2011, the leader stated he would consult the Tibetan High Lamas and the Tibetan people to re-evaluate whether the institution should continue when he turns 90. Sunday will also mark the conclusion of a Buddhist religious conference in McLeodganj, Dharamshala, where he lives. There is also anticipation around a video statement from the Dalai Lama, which could mention…

With the Narendra Modi government having completed 11 years in power, Union Minister for Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju discusses the performance of his ministry, the schemes and budgetary allocations, the Waqf (Amendment) Act, and the delay in disbursement of funds under the Maulana Azad National Fellowship. Excerpts:In the last 11 years, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the government has championed the principle of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas’. Following this principle, the Ministry of Minority Affairs has adopted the mantra of ‘bhagidari se bhagyodaya (participation to good fortune)’ to a result-oriented and empowerment-driven framework…

A LANDLOCKED region comprising Purnia, Katihar, Kishanganj, Supaul and Araria districts, the Muslim-dominated Seemanchal ranks the lowest on almost all development indices in Bihar. Around this time of the year, its foremost concern is the weather, with the rains bringing annual floods and distress.This time, there is another concern weighing Seemanchal down – the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, which requires voters to produce documents that few here own, or know how to go about procuring. With the poor and marginalised likely to be the most affected by the EC drive, as the only official documents most…

Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal Saturday lashed out at Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, accusing him and the Congress of belittling India’s scientific community and pharmaceutical sector. Goyal’s rebuttal came in response to Siddaramaiah’s recent remarks suggesting a possible link between Covid-19 vaccines and the rising incidence of heart attacks in Hassan district.Defending India’s vaccination drive, Goyal, speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, said, “India, with its vast population, successfully provided 250 crore vaccine doses free of cost because of our companies’ ability to manufacture vaccines for less than Rs 100 per dose. But here we have a chief minister…