Author: Harshita Pandey

Sonam Wangchuk, a renowned educator, innovator and environmentalist from Ladakh started a 21-day Climate Fast in Leh on 6th March. The aim of this hunger strike in Leh was to urgently highlight the pressing issue of climate change and its ill effects in Ladakh. The movement aims to remind the government to protect Ladakh’s environment and its rich tribal culture. Amidst this ulterior motive of environmental concern, his fast also highlights the broader demands of the Ladakhis for statehood and constitutional safeguards under the 6th Schedule of the Constitution. It aims to preserve their people, their land, jobs, and identities…

A shocking case of rape and murder has emerged from Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh where a 15-year-old minor boy has sexually assaulted and smothered a toddler to death. The boy had locked and raped her inside the toilet while the victim’s mother continuously banged the door. He did not pay heed to the mother’s banging as well as to the toddler’s cry for help. What did the boy do? According to the SP, the toddler was playing near her house when her father was away for work and on not finding her anywhere nearby, her mother started searching. After multiple failed efforts,…

Setting the stage for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Election Commission announced the dates for election polls on 16th March, Saturday. It was announced that voting will be held in 7 phases starting from 19th April and the result declaration will be on 4th June. Along with the announcement of the dates, the model code of conduct came into immediate effect. They will be held through the months of April and May. Phase of Elections : While the NDA government is hoping to clinch another term for the third time, the opposition, hardly managing to choose a face of…

The Supreme Court of India on 15th March, Friday issued a notice to SBI ( State Bank of India ) on the matter of disclosing the unique alphanumeric code on the electoral bonds that can be used to match each electoral bond donation to the party that has received it. SBI, on Tuesday had informed the Court that it had furnished details of the purchase and redemption of bonds to the Election Commission of India (ECI) as directed by the court. The Electoral Bond Scheme is a scheme that allows individuals and businesses to donate anonymously to political parties. Transparency…

In another attempt to lure voters, specifically women voters before the general election polls, the Maharashtra State Cabinet has decided to make the inclusion of mother’s name mandatory in all government documents. In simple terms, the name of a person should be in the order of : applicant’s first name, followed by the mother’s first name, then the father’s first name and lastly the surname. It has been made mandatory in documents like Aadhar Card, PAN Card, birth certificates, school documents, etc. The order is to be implemented from 1st May, 2024.  What is the decision made by the government?…

Ahead of the General Elections 2024, the Central Government notified the rules for implementing the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) that was passed in the Parliament on 11th December, 2019. The Citizenship Amendment Act amended the Citizenship Act of 1955 , under which now the government grants Indian nationality to non-Muslim migrants : Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis, and Christians who fled from neighbouring Islamic countries of Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan due to religious persecution. It applies to those who arrived in India till 31st December 2014 and does not apply to Indian citizens. The notification of the rules will, in…

The Oscars aka The 96th Academy Awards, took place in the Dolby Theatre, Los Angeles on the morning of 11th March (IST), with Oppenheimer wiping off the awards by bagging wins in 7 categories along with Poor Things winning 4 awards, bagging the second position. The thriller movie led the Oscars with 13 nominations, along with the dark comedy, Poor Things with 11 nominations. It was observed as a sigh of relief and cinema’s win as fan favourites Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr won their first ever Oscars. The awards were hosted by the infamous Jimmy Kimmel for the…

The Rameshwaram Cafe in Bengaluru’s Whitefield area on Friday, 1st March experienced a blast by an unidentified person which left 10 people injured. The unidentified person used an IED ( improvised explosive device ) which was kept in his bag. He was seen keeping the bag inside the cafe, minutes after which it blasted in the busy lunch hour when a crowd from nearby offices lined up. The case was registered under sections of Unlawful Activities ( Prevention ) Act of 1967 and Explosives Substances Act. The site of the explosion had been sealed as police carried out an investigation…

PM Narendra Modi on 8th March, presented India’s 1st National Creators Award at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi to digital and social content creators. It is inaugurated by the PM in lieu of the new booming profession of creators and to acknowledge and recognize the excellence of creators. The awards were given across 20 categories which included – The disruptor, best storyteller, celebrity creator, best creator for social change, green champion, most impactful agri creator, cultural ambassador, swachhta ambassador, best travel creator, new India champion, heritage fashion, most creative creator (male and female), tech creator, best creator in food category,…

A Mumbai court on 6th March, Wednesday, allowed the crime branch of Mumbai police to withdraw their case of the alleged scam of fake (TRP) Television Rating Points of 2020. The Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami was one of the many accused for being involved in the same. The Mumbai State Government through the Mumbai Police had filed an application seeking withdrawal of the scam case in November, 2023. Metropolitan Magistrate LS Padhen of Esplanade court permitted withdrawal of the FIR no. 843 of 2020 registered for the case after Shishir Hiray, special public prosecutor, representing Police told the Court…