Caste bias, segregation in prisons violate dignity: SC

The Supreme Court declared that caste-based discrimination of prisoners, segregation of their work according to caste hierarchy, and the treatment of inmates from the de-notified tribes as "habitual offenders" within prison walls across India are oppressive to fundamental human dignity and personality.

The top court directed the revision of prison manuals within three months. It ordered the deletion of the 'caste column' and any references to caste from registers of undertrials and convicts maintained in prisons.

 The court underscored that members of de-notified tribes must not be subjected to arbitrary arrest.

Internships to bridge job market-skills gap; pilot project takes off

The Union government opened up a portal for India's top 500 companies to participate in the one-year internship scheme announced in this year's Union Budget to bridge the gap between the skill sets of unemployable youth and those needed by employers.

As many as 111 corporates including Mahindra Group, Max Life Insurance, and Alembic Pharma - had already signed up within hours of the portal's launch, offering 1,077 internships. 

This kicks off a process that is expected to result in about one lakh youngsters joining the on-the-job training exercise, officially called The Prime Minister's Internship Scheme in Top Companies, by December 2. 

Marital relations must be exempt from rape provisions, Centre tells apex court

The Centre told the Supreme Court that punishing non-consensual sexual acts by a man with his wife as 'rape' will impact conjugal relationships and lead to "serious disturbances" in the institution of marriage. 

"The demographics of a marriage are sui generis. There are plenty of examples of male-female relationships. However, the relationship between a husband and wife, which emerges as a result of the tying of the matrimonial knot, is distinct from all of these relationships. To ignore or even to seek to undermine this is to ignore plain reality," the government argued. 

The Union government was responding to a bunch of public interest litigation petitions seeking to strike down Exception 2 of Section 375 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). 

The provision excludes non-consensual sexual intercourse by a husband with his wife, if the latter is over 15 years of age, from the definition of 'rape'.

Should EC ensure internal democracy in political parties?

India's multi-party democracy thrives on diversity but often sees political parties driven by individual charisma rather than internal democracy. 

Despite their role in upholding the nation's democratic framework, many parties struggle to maintain democratic structures. Can the Election Commission (EC) ensure these organisations practise internal democracy? 

What is the status of the Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0?

The Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) or Clean India Mission is a country-wide campaign launched by the Central government on October 2, 2014, to eliminate open defecation and to create Open Defecation Free (ODF) villages. 

In 2021, the Government launched its second edition - the five-year Swachh Bharat (Clean India) Mission-Urban 2.0 (SBM-U 2.0), committing to making all cities "garbage-free cities" by 2026. 

Exposure to emissions from hazardous waste can irritate the mouth and throat. Inhaling methane from landfills can cause nausea, vomiting, and loss of coordination.

Jaishankar to meet Dissanayake today

In a visit expected to set the course for India-Sri Lanka ties, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will travel to Colombo to meet the Sri Lankan "leadership", less than a fortnight after President Anura Kumara Dissanayake was sworn in, the Ministry of External Affairs announced. 

"In keeping with India's Neighbourhood First Policy and SAGAR outlook, the visit underlines the shared commitment of the two countries to further deepen the longstanding partnership for mutual benefit," the MEA said in its statement. 

In particular, discussions over the future of Indian projects, including the Trincomalee infrastructure and energy projects, and private investments such as the wind power project of the Adani Group, whose selection process Mr. Dissanayake has questioned, are expected.

In addition, the new government's stance on issues of devolution and Tamil rights, which New Delhi has been vocal about in the past, will be watched most closely 

USCIRF flags India's 'collapsing religious freedom'

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), a Washington DC-based bipartisan U.S. federal government agency, has released a country update on India, flagging "collapsing religious freedom conditions". 

The report highlights that religious freedom conditions have "continued to worsen throughout 2024, particularly in the months before and immediately following the country's national elections". 

Offering an overview of the various religious freedom violations that took place in 2024, it details changes in the legal framework, including the strengthening of "discriminatory legislation like state-level anti-conversion and anti-terrorism laws", as well as the publication of the rules for implementing the 2019 Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), and the passing of a State- level Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill in Uttarakhand.

SC slams air pollution panel for failing to stop stubble burning

The Supreme Court criticised the Commission for Air Quality Management for its inability to prevent incidents of stubble burning in the National Capital Region and its adjoining areas. 

Appearing before a three-judge Bench headed by Justice A.S. Oka, Additional Solicitor-General Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the CAQM, vehemently argued that the body had been working hard to rein in air pollution. 

Ms. Bhati said the commission had issued 83 statutory directions and 15 advisories besides various orders, guidelines and official communications from time to time, targeting each of the identified sectors. 

Marathi and Bengali are among five granted classical language status by the Union Cabinet

The Union Cabinet approved classical language status to Marathi, Bengali, Assamese, Pali, and Prakrit.

India has had six classical languages till now - Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Sanskrit, and Odia. Tamil was the first language to be given classical status in 2004, followed by Sanskrit in 2005. 

All agri-sector initiatives are brought under 2 new schemes; States to implement them

The Union Cabinet decided to merge all Central schemes in the agriculture sector into two new schemes, Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (PM- RKVY) and Krishonnati Yojana (KY). 

With a projected expenditure of ₹1,01,321.61 crore, the schemes will have a Central share of ₹69,088.98 crore and the States will have to add the remaining₹32,232.63 crore. 

The PM-RKVY, with an allocation of ₹57,074.72 crore, is aimed at promoting sustainable agriculture and the KY will address food security and agricultural self-sufficiency, with a fund of ₹44,246.89 crore. Both schemes will be implemented through the State governments.

Focusing on emergent challenges of agriculture such as nutrition security, sustainability, climate resilience, value chain development, and private sector participation is also envisaged under the two schemes. 

Indian push needed to end AIDS as a global health threat by 2030: UNAIDS

Without India doing a large part of the heavy lifting, it is unlikely that the world will meet the Sustainable Development Goal of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030, said Eamonn Murphy, UNAIDS director for the Asia Pacific and other regions, 

Noting that India has demonstrated high commitment and positive results in the last decades, he said that annual new HIV infections had fallen 44% between 2010 and 2023, better than the global average. However, HIV prevention efforts will need to be accelerated if India is to close the gap with a focus on specific States and districts, he said. 

The UNAIDS director emphasised that the next five years would be critical for the country to accelerate efforts and share its experience with other countries in the region. 

Farmers earn less than 40% of price paid for fruits, vegetables: RBI paper

Middlemen and retailers seemed to have cornered a large part of the price paid by consumers, thus profiteering at the cost of farmers, during the time of high inflation in case of fruits and vegetables, working papers by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) show. 

In working papers prepared by RBI's Department of Economy & Policy Research, farmers were found to have earned a far lesser share of the consumer rupee in the case of fruits, including bananas, grapes and mangoes and essential vegetables such as tomatoes, onions and potatoes, while the share was much higher in dairy, poultry farming and pulses. 

U.K. to return Chagos to Mauritius in historic deal

The U.K. and Mauritius have reached a historic political agreement to secure the strategically important U.K.-U.S. military base on Diego Garcia and towards restoring Mauritian sovereignty over the Chagos archipelago. A treaty is now being worked out to firm up the agreement, the U.K. announced. 

"For the first time in more than 50 years, the status of the base will be undisputed and legally secure, following a political agreement between the U.K. and Mauritius," the U.K. High Commission in India said in a statement. 

"It sees Mauritius assume sovereignty over British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), with the U.K. authorised to exercise the sovereign rights of Mauritius on Diego Garcia."