Evening News

THE HEADLINES:

Government accuses opposition of distorting remarks of Home Minister Amit Shah about Dr B R Ambedkar in Parliament; Opposition parties hold protest over the remarks.
Indian Navy’s state of the art hydrographic vessel INS Nirdeshak commissioned at Naval dockyard Visakhapatnam.
A ferry boat capsizes in the sea near Mumbai, atleast thirteen people dead.
Direct tax collection during current financial year shows over 20 percent growth over the same period last year.
In cricket, third Test of Border-Gavaskar Trophy between India and Australia ends in a draw as rain disrupts play.

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The Government today accused the opposition of distorting the remarks of Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Dr B R Ambedkar. Prime Minister Narendra Modi hit back at the Congress over its allegation against the remarks saying Amit Shah has exposed the Congress’ dark history of insulting the architect of the Indian Constitution.

Senior BJP leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah also hit out at the Congress accusing the party of presenting facts regarding his speech in the Rajya Sabha yesterday in a distorted way. Briefing media at the party headquarters in New Delhi this evening, Mr Shah condemned this, alleging the Congress of being anti-BR Ambedkar and against reservation and the Constitution.

Talking to media in Parliament House, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said a small clip of Mr Shah’s speech in the Rajya Sabha is being circulated, distorting what he said.

Earlier in the day, Opposition parties staged a protest in Parliament House Complex against Mr. Shah’s remarks on Dr. BR Ambedkar. Talking to media, Congress President Mallikarjun Khargehit out at the Home Minister over his comments. He alleged that through his remarks, Mr. Shah has insulted the architect of the Constitution.

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Both Houses of Parliament were adjourned today for the day following ruckus by the Opposition accusing Home Minister Amit Shah of insulting Dr B R Ambedkar. In the Lok Sabha, when the House reassembled after the adjournment at 2 PM, the Presiding Officer disallowed the adjournment notices moved by the opposition members over various issues. Opposition party MPs were raising slogans against the remarks of Mr. Shah demanding his apology. Amid din, the Presiding Officer adjourned the House for the day. Similar issue also rocked the Rajya Sabha proceedings. When the House assembled after the adjournment at 2 PM, opposition MPs started sloganeering against the remarks of the Union Home Minister on Dr. Ambedkar. Amid the pandemonium, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar adjourned the House for the day.

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In Maharashtra, atleast 13 people died in a boat accident near Mumbai this evening. A private ferry boat en route from gateway of India to Elephanta Caves capsized near Uran in Raigad district. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said, out of 13 victims, 10 are civilians and other three navy personnel. Two passengers are critically injured and are undergoing treatment in Navy hospital. Talking to the media in Nagpur, Mr. Fadnavis added that the mishap took place after a speeding uncontrolled Navy boat collided with the passenger boat. He added that the rescue efforts are currently underway by the Navy, Coast Guard, and marine police. The Chief Minister also announced an ex-gratia of 5 lakh rupees to the families of the deceased from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has also expressed his grief over the loss of life in the accident.

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Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has said the Uniform Civil Code will be implemented in the state from January 2025. He said this step will prove to be a milestone in the direction of strengthening social equality and unity.

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In Himachal Pradesh, the premises of Vidhan Sabha at Tapovan in Dharamshala has been connected with e-Vidhan application NeVA today. After connecting with NeVA, all the proceedings of the state assembly can be viewed from any corner of the country.

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In Punjab, farmers today blocked train routes at 52 places under Ferozepur Railway Division as part of their three-hour ‘Rail Roko’ protest. However, the protest passed off peacefully. Railway sources told Akashvani that due to protest, 12 trains were cancelled, two short terminated and 34 delayed. Train services resumed after the protest was lifted. Farmers are protesting in support of their demands including a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price of crops. Meanwhile in a related development, the Supreme Court today asked Punjab authorities to swiftly tackle the health situation of farmers’ leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal. He is on fast at Khanauri-Shambhu border for 20 days. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan also clarified that the farmers can directly place their demands before the court instead of making representation to the High Powered Committee.

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Indian Navy’s state of the art hydrographic vessel INS Nirdeshak was commissioned at Naval dockyard, Visakhapatnam today. Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, Union Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth said the Indian Navy is utilising technology to create the best survey vessel as part of Atmanirbar Bharat. INS Nirdeshak, the second ship of the Survey Vessel Project, is designed to conduct hydrographic surveys, aid in navigation, and support maritime operations.

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The Income Tax Department has collected over 19 lakh 21 thousand crore rupees as direct tax for the financial year 2024-25 till yesterday. It is 20.32 percent higher growth as compared to financial year 2023-2024 during the same period. The collection includes corporate tax of over Nine lakh 24 thousand crore rupees and Non Corporate Tax of nine lakh 53 thousand crore rupees.

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Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla today called for balancing development and sustainability to tackle the challenge of climate change. He said this while addressing the inaugural session of an appreciation course of Parliamentary Processes and Procedures for a group of Officer Trainees of Indian Forest Service at the Parliament House Complex today. Mr Birla said that climate change is one of the greatest challenge before the world and India is at the forefront of tackling this challenge with Mission life.

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Minister of State for Minority Affairs, George Kurian today said India is the safest country in the world for all minorities. Addressing an event in New Delhi on the occasion of Minority Rights Day, Mr Kurian said India’s culture of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, assures equal rights and opportunities for everyone in the nation.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Netherlands counterpart Dick Schoof today discussed ways to further deepen the existing cooperation in the sectors of water, agriculture, health. Mr Modi received a telephone call from the Prime Minister of the Netherlands. Both leaders underscored the trusted and valued partnership between India and the Netherlands that are based on shared values and belief in democracy and rule of law.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Kuwait on the 21st and 22nd of December, at the invitation of the Amir of Kuwait, Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. The External Affairs Ministry said in a statement during the visit, the Prime Minister will hold discussions with the leadership of Kuwait. Mr Modi will also interact with the Indian community in Kuwait.

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The 23d Meeting of the Special Representatives of India and China, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, was held in Beijing today. Both Special Representatives underlined the importance of maintaining peace and tranquillity in the border areas to promote the overall development of the India-China bilateral relationship. They emphasised the need to ensure peaceful conditions on the ground so that issues on the border do not hold back the normal development of bilateral relations.

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External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar today held a telephonic conversation with his Israeli counterpart Gideon Sa’ar. In a social media post, The Minister said that Mr Sa’ar briefed him about the ongoing developments in the region. He added that Israel’s Foreign Minister also discussed bilateral relations between both the nations and efforts to strengthen them.

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In Vanuatu, a South Pacific Ocean nation made up of roughly 80 islands, search operation is underway for people trapped under the rubble a day after a 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck the capital Port Vila. Vanuatu Police Commissioner Robson Iavro confirmed that at least 14 people have been killed so far including two Chinese nationals have been damaged commercial buildings, embassies and a hospital. He said, more than 200 people have been injured in two buildings that collapsed due to the shocks.

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The outgoing Biden administration has relaxed rules for H-1B visas that will make it easier for American companies to hire foreign workers with special skills and facilitate a smoother transition from F-1 student visas to H-1B visas. The rule, announced by the Department of Homeland Security aims to provide greater flexibility to employers and workers by modernising the definition and criteria. This move is likely to benefit thousands of Indian tech professionals.

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Russian today detained a suspect in the killing of a senior general, in Charge of its nuclear protection forces, Igor Kirillov. According to the Russian Federal Security Service, the suspect is an Uzbek citizen recruited by Ukrainian intelligence services. It said, the 29-year-old man was reportedly recruited by the ‘Security Service of Ukraine’, was promised one lakh US dollar and residency in the European Union.

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India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast cold wave to severe cold wave conditions over Himachal Pradesh, East Rajasthan and Punjab during the next 2-3 days. According to the IMD, Jammu-Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit, Baltistan, Muzaffarabad, Haryana, and West Rajasthan are expected to witness cold wave conditions during the next 3 days.

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In Cricket, the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at the Gabba, in Brisbane ended in a dramatic draw as rain played a spoilsport. India, batting in their second innings, were 8 for no loss when play was halted due to rains. The visitors needed 267 runs to win at the time, but the weather denied either side a decisive result. Earlier on day five, India were all out for 260 in their first innings in response to Australia’s 445.

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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN.

Government accuses opposition of distorting remarks of Home Minister Amit Shah about Dr B R Ambedkar in Parliament; Opposition parties hold protest over the remarks.
Indian Navy’s state of the art hydrographic vessel INS Nirdeshak commissioned at Naval dockyard Visakhapatnam.
A ferry boat capsizes in the sea near Mumbai, atleast thirteen people dead.
Direct tax collection during current financial year shows over 20 percent growth over the same period last year.
In cricket, third Test of Border-Gavaskar Trophy between India and Australia ends in a draw as rain disrupts play.

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