Daily Bulletin: Bharat Bandh enters Day 2; HAL officials to meet Sitharaman; quota, citizenship bills to be tabled in RS; day's top stories

Quota bill for poor sections, Citizenship (Amendment) Bill to be tabled in Rajya Sabha

A landmark bill seeking to provide 10 percent reservation in jobs and education for the poor in the general category was passed by the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, with most parties backing the measure. The government had described it as “historic” and in the country’s interest.

As many as 323 members voted in support of the Bill and only three voted against it, underlining the cross-party support the politically crucial bill elicited. The government will table the bill in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill — which seeks to make six minority communities of Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who came to India till 31 December, 2014, without valid travel documents eligible to apply for Indian citizenship and not be treated as illegal migrants — will also be tabled in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.

“Assam’s burden is the whole nation’s burden,” Rajnath Singh had said while tabling the bill, adding that “the proposed amendment will make persecuted minorities in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan “eligible to apply for citizenship”.

Bharat Bandh to continue on Day 2

The two-day Bharat Bandh launched by labour unions on Tuesday to protest against the Narendra Modi government’s “anti-worker” policies will continue on Wednesday.

Over 32,000 employees of Mumbai’s civic transport undertaking BEST also went on an indefinite strike on Tuesday in support of various demands, including higher salaries.

The strike is expected to continue into Day 2 as talks between the undertaking’s management and striking workers failed, even as a Shiv Sena-affiliated union in the transport body said its members had withdrawn from the stir.

West Bengal, where the Trinamool Congress-led state government had made elaborate security arrangements, reported an incident of stone pelting at a school bus and other sporadic incidents of vandalism at a few places.

In southern India, public transport services were largely unaffected in cities like Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai. However, Left-ruled Kerala witnesses a total shutdown.

Economic blockade over Citizenship (Amendment) Bill

Civil society organisations in Assam are bracing for the second phase of the agitation against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in the form of an economic blockade . As many as 70 civil society organisations have already declared an indefinite economic blockade, restricting movement of commodities from Assam to other parts of India.

The economic blockade is going to take place a day after the state observed 11-hour bandh in protest of the Bill.

Speaking about the declared protest programme that is going to take place from Wednesday, Junmoni Devi Khound, one of the female leaders of the movement told Firstpost , “The economic blockade has started from today (Tuesday) itself. But since a bandh was already called, the blockade programme was not evident. It will start in a full-fledged manner from tomorrow (Wednesday).”

The passing of the controversial Bill in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday was marked by the strike, which brought life to a standstill in Assam and had its spillover effect in the other states of the North East.

Tuesday saw a BJP spokesperson quitting the party, moments after the Bill was passed in the Lower House of Parliament, a former chief minister demanding the resignation of the BJP-led Assam government and a state minister describing the Asom Gana Parishad’s (AGP) withdrawal from the government as a “historic blunder”.

HAL officials likely to meet Nirmala Sitharaman

Officials of the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) are likely to meet Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and top government officials on Wednesday to discuss ways to resolve the cash crunch the aerospace firm is facing.

In the wake of reports that it is facing a financial crisis, HAL had said on Sunday that its finances are expected to improve.

“In view of the various media reports on HAL, following is clarified: HAL has taken overdraft of Rs 962 crore. With anticipated collection up to March, the cash position is expected to improve. Orders for LCA Mk1 A (83) & LCH (15) are in advanced stages,” it said in a tweet.

Narendra Modi to visit Agra, Solapur

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will kick-start the BJP’s election campaign in Uttar Pradesh by addressing a rally in Agra on Wednesday. He is scheduled to fly to Agra from Bidar in Karnataka and reach around 3.15 pm.

Modi is expected to inaugurate a number of projects. Around two lakh supporters are expected to attend the rally at the Kothi Meena Bazar ground.

Modi is set to launch a series of developmental projects in Solapur, where he will also dedicate to the nation revamped section of the Solapur-Tujlapur-Osmanabad highway on NH-221.

Supreme Court reinstates Alok Verma as director

In a jolt to the Centre, the Supreme Court on Tuesday reinstated Alok Verma as CBI director, quashing the unprecedented “overnight” order in which he was stripped of his power and sent on leave along with his deputy Rakesh Asthana after they traded corruption charges, sparking a bitter feud in the agency.

The court, however, clipped Verma’s wings saying he cannot make any major policy decision till the high-powered committee, which selects the CBI chief, decides on his continuation since the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) is probing charges of corruption against him.

Verma’s two-year tenure as CBI director ends on 31 January.

Asking the committee to meet within a week, the court said it was “still open” for the panel to consider the matter involving Verma. The committee comprises the prime minister, the Chief Justice of India and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha.

Kevin Spacey appears in court, pleads not guilty

Actor Kevin Spacey has pleaded not guilty of allegedly groping an 18-year-old at a bar in Nantucket, Massachusetts in 2016. The House of Cards fame star was on Monday arraigned on a charge of indecent assault and battery, a felony charge that comes with up to five years in prison.

The alleged victim is the son of former television news presenter Heather Unruh, who spoke publicly about the incident in 2017. She accused Spacey of buying her then 18-year-old son alcohol — the drinking age in Massachusetts is 21 — and then groping him.

Spacey has been ordered to stay away from the alleged victim and his family by Nantucket District Court Judge Thomas Barrett.

Gold prices up even as global trend shows decline

Gold prices advanced by Rs 40 to Rs 32,690 per 10 gram at the bullion market on Tuesday on continued buying by local jewellers, even as the global trend marked a decline. Silver, however, met with resistance at prevailing higher levels and shed Rs 210 to Rs 39,800 per kilogram.

Traders said sustained buying by local jewellers at the domestic spot market to meet increased demand kept gold prices higher but a weak trend overseas limited the gains. Globally, gold fell 0.54 percent to $1,282.40 an ounce and silver shed 0.74 percent to $15.60 an ounce in New York.

Lamborghini Huracan Evo unveiled

Lamborghini has unveiled a version of the Huracan supercar, termed the Huracan EVO. As the suffix suggests, this is not a complete rethink of the brand’s most popular model after the Urus but an attempt to update the package to make it that much more cutting edge.

The Huracan EVO has received a few minor updates to its styling. The basic shape remains unchanged, but it now gets a new more aggressive bumper that highlights the motifs seen across Lamborghini’s cars.