3 Opp states say no to PM-SHRI, Centre stops school scheme funds

The Education Ministry has stopped funds under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), the flagship school education programme, to Delhi, Punjab and West Bengal because of their reluctance to participate in the Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India (PM-SHRI) scheme.

The scheme, with a budget of over Rs 27,000 crore for the next five years the Centre is supposed to shoulder 60% of the financial burden and the states 40% - aims to upgrade at least - 14,500 government schools into "exemplar" institutions to showcase the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. States have to confirm their participation by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Education Ministry.

Five states Tamil Nadu, - Kerala, Delhi, Punjab and West Bengal - are yet to sign the MoU. While Tamil Nadu and Kerala have indicated their willingness, Delhi, Punjab and West Bengal have refused, ostensibly prompting the Centre to stop their SSA funds, it is learnt. 

Existing structure made from parts of temples: ASI to HC on Bhojshala

The Archeological Survey of India (ASI) submitted its survey report on the disputed Bhojshala temple-Kamal Maula mosque complex in Dhar district to the Madhya Pradesh High Court, stating that a scientific investigation reveals the "existing structure was made from the parts of earlier temples".

The court had ordered the ASI to conduct the survey, observing that the nature and character of the structure needed to be "demystified and freed from the shackles of confusion".

The Supreme Court said it will consider listing for hearing a petition challenging the Madhya Pradesh HC order directing the ASI to conduct the "scientific investigation".

SC to consider setting up a bench to hear pleas over the passage of laws as money Bills

The Supreme Court agreed to consider a suggestion for setting up a constitutional bench to hear pleas challenging the validity of the passage of laws like the Aadhaar Act by the Modi government as money Bills allegedly to bypass the Rajya Sabha where it was in a minority.

The passage of Bills like the Aadhaar Act and even amendments to the PMLA as money Bills, apparently to circumvent the Rajya Sabha when the NDA did not have a majority there, has been at the centre of a major political and legal row.

Chouhan to release 40 technologies to boost innovations in agriculture

The Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will release 40 agricultural technologies on Tuesday during a function to mark the 96th Foundation Day of the Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR), according to a statement.

The ICAR statement said, "To encourage innovations in agriculture, 40 selected technologies will be released and the developer's efforts will be recognized."

WATCHING THE RAIN

The latest inflation data points towards a continuing dilemma for the monetary policy committee. Retail inflation, as measured by the consumer price index, rose to 5.08 per cent in June, up from 4.8 per cent in May. But this increase was largely on the back of rising food prices.

Core inflation, which excludes the volatile fuel and food components, remained subdued, indicating that the underlying price pressures in the economy are muted. With this reading, inflation has now averaged 4.9 per cent in the first quarter (April-June) of the ongoing financial year.

This is in line with the RBI's forecast that was released in the last monetary policy committee meeting. But an immediate policy pivot is unlikely. 

BILL OF WRONGS

Claiming that the existing anti-terror laws are insufficient, the Maharashtra government last week tabled the Special Public Security Bill, 2024, to tackle "urban Naxalism."

The Bill empowers the state to criminalise "unlawful activity" by individuals and prescribes stringent punishments against organisations it deems unlawful. While this is precisely the remit of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), 1976, the principle anti-terror legislation, the framers of the Maharashtra Bill deem it inadequate. 

In SC verdict on Assam man, humanising of citizenship law

The Supreme Court, recently, declared Assam resident Md Rahim Ali a citizen of India, throwing out the decision of a Foreigners' Tribunal in the state. The historic judgment written by Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah for himself and Justice Vikram Nath also clarified the law in cases of allegations of foreign nationality, and discharge of the burden of proof by the person under scrutiny.

Section 9 of The Foreigners Act, of 1946, puts the burden of proof on the person who is alleged to be a foreigner. However, as the SC said in its judgment, "the question is that does Section 9...empower the Executive to pick a person at random tell him/her/they/ them 'We suspect you of being a foreigner', and then rest easy basis Section 9?"

The SC noted that there was not "an iota of evidence" against Ali, and no information or material was on record about who had filed the complaint and on what basis, and from where specific information about him being from Mymensingh in Bangladesh had come.

Foreigners' Tribunals were established under The Foreigners Act, a colonial legislation that preceded the Constitution of India, and which was meant to deal with foreigners rather than citizens.

They were established in 1964 by an executive order of the Home Ministry, even though under Article 323B of the Constitution, tribunals may be established by "the appropriate legislature" by "law". 

Rules for civil servants

The Centre constituted a single-member committee under the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) to examine all documents submitted by probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar to secure her candidature in civil services.

All IAS, Indian Police Service (IPS) and Indian Forest Service officers are governed by the AIS (Conduct) Rules from the time they are allotted their service, and begin training.

AIS (Conduct) Rule 3(1) states: "Every member of the Service shall at all times maintain absolute integrity and devotion to duty and shall do nothing which is unbecoming of a member of the Service."

Rule 4(1) is more specific about what is "unbecoming". It states that officers must not use their "position or influence" to "secure employment for any member of his family with any private undertaking or NGO".

Exports stay in the green; traders worried over 'extraordinary' logistics challenges

India’s goods exports in June grew 2.55 per cent year-on-year to $35.2 billion amid continued demand recovery in key export markets such as the US and the European Union (EU) on the back of inflation easing slightly in the West. A 20 per cent jump in petroleum import bill year-on-year in June widened the trade deficit to $20.98 billion from $19.19 billion during the previous year, data released by the Commerce and Industry Ministry.

However, Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) president Ashwani Kumar said that exporters are going through "extraordinary logistics challenges" such as lack of container availability, shipping space, irregular shipping schedule and ships skipping Indian ports and that the exports would have recorded close to "double-digit growth" in June 2024 in the absence of these disruptions. 

Return on foreign currency assets doubles in two years

With interest rates rising in the US and other developed countries amid high inflation, the return, or the interest earned, on India's foreign currency assets doubled to 4.21 per cent during the fiscal ended March 2024 from 2.11 per cent in March 2022, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said.

The foreign currency assets comprise of multi-currency assets that are held in multi-asset portfolios. The total value of securities in FCA was $468.98 billion as of March 31, 2024. This means on a 4.21 per cent return, RBI would have earned over $19 billion as interest income. The rate of return on FCA was 3.73 per cent in FY23 and 2.1 per cent in FY21 and 2.65 per cent in FY20, the RBI said in its reply to the RTI application.

India plans talks with Russia on removal of non-tariff barriers to boost exports

India is aiming to discuss ways to eliminate non-tariff barriers (NTBs) that Indian exporters are facing in Russia to boost exports to the region, Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal told reporters during a press briefing, adding that a visit for the same is being planned too.

This comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow to discuss deeper trade ties, setting a bilateral trade target of $100 billion by 2030 and initiating talks for a trade deal with the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) that consists of five member states: Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Armenia, representing a $5 trillion economy.

'India should identify body to promote digital public infra in Global South'

Recognising India as a "leader" in the digital public infrastructure (DPI) sector, a G20 task-force has said that if the country wishes to retain its "leadership" role, it has to take on added responsibility so that these digital solutions can reach countries around the world, especially the Global South.

The final 'Report of India's G20 Task Force on Digital Public Infrastructure' by 'India's G20 Task Force on Digital Public Infrastructure for Economic Transformation, Financial Inclusion and Development' re- leased Monday said that the country needs to identify an existing body to harness the DPI ecosystem across various regions and countries especially Global South countries.