The highest judicial authority today issued a stern rebuke to the State Bank of India (SBI) concerning its handling of information regarding electoral bonds, a program enabling discreet donations to political parties by individuals and entities. Following the court’s previous decision to nullify the electoral bonds scheme, SBI was instructed to divulge comprehensive data regarding donations spanning the past half-decade. ...

The electoral bonds data published by the Election Commission of India on its official website reveals the donor side and the political parties but not connect who received from whom. However, initial data interpretation showed that political parties received more than Rs 12,769 crore as donations from corporates and individuals since 2019. A total of 20,421 electoral bonds were encashed ...

The high-level committee, chaired by former president Ram Nath Kovind, has reportedly proposed amendments to at least five articles of the Constitution to facilitate the implementation of simultaneous elections across the country. The comprehensive report spans 18,626 pages. Established in September 2023, the Kovind-led committee on ‘One Nation, One Poll’ was tasked with assessing and providing suggestions for conducting simultaneous ...

A committee led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday announced the selection of bureaucrats Gyanesh Kumar and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu as election commissioners, according to Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who shared the information insisting that he had raised objections at the selection process. The decision follows the recent resignation of Election Commissioner Arun Goel just ahead of the ...

While the US House of Representatives recently passed legislation that could pave the way for a ban on TikTok, utilized by over 170 million Americans, it was India that initially took action to block the Chinese short-video platform, which boasts a global user base. On June 29, 2020, India enforced a ban on TikTok, a platform controlled by the Chinese ...

In a decisive move, the Indian government has announced the prohibition of 18 over-the-top (OTT) platforms due to their dissemination of obscene, vulgar, and in some cases, pornographic content. This action follows repeated warnings issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, as disclosed by Union Minister Anurag Thakur. Among the targeted platforms, one app alone had accrued over 10 ...

The Indian embassy’s social media post celebrating the successful test flight of the indigenously developed Agni-5 ballistic missile has gone viral, accumulating more than 10,000 likes and 3,000 reposts. The post, shared on microblogging platform X (formerly Twitter) by the Indian embassy in China, praised the achievement and shared Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s congratulatory message to the Defence Research & ...

The State Bank of India (SBI) has reportedly indicated its readiness to disclose details regarding electoral bonds, as mandated by the Supreme Court. Following the Court’s directive on Monday, SBI was instructed to provide information on electoral bonds encashed by political parties to the Election Commission of India by the close of business hours on Tuesday, March 12. Expressing dissatisfaction ...

Following the enactment of rules governing the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) by the government, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) launched a web portal on Tuesday to facilitate applications for Indian citizenship from individuals persecuted on religious grounds in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. The newly introduced web portal (accessible at https:/indiancitizenshiponline.nic.in) coincides with the MHA’s notification of the rules under ...

Now that the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) has been implemented to offer Indian citizenship to persecuted minorities, reactions from all over the world are pouring in. A “big win for human rights”, say Hindu organisations across the US, the UK, and Canada, hailing the announcement of the Indian government. The move was lauded by international advocacy groups. The India’s Citizenship ...

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra (BJNY) will enter Maharashtra at Nandurbar on Tuesday, March 12, 2024 and will culminate at the Chaityabhoomi in Mumbai’s Dadar, where the cremation of B.R. Ambedkar, the Architect of Constitution, was held. A significant aspect of the event will be the formal closure of BJNY at Chaityabhoomi, officially known as Dr. Babasaheb ...

The Union Home Ministry on Monday, March 11, 2024, notified the rules for the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), providing for granting citizenship to people of certain faiths facing persecution in neighbouring countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan and it applies to those who moved to India before 2015. An MHA spokesperson announced that immigrants eligible for citizenship under the CAA ...

President Droupadi Murmu embarked on a significant state visit to Mauritius from March 11th to 13th, strengthening the longstanding ties between the two nations. As a chief guest, President Murmu attended the National Day celebrations in Mauritius, underscoring the deepening bilateral relations. The visit saw the participation of a contingent from the Indian Navy, including two ships from the First ...

As expected, Christopher Nolan’s film ‘Oppenheimer’ dominated the 96th Academy Awards, with seven trophies including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, while ‘Poor Things’ bagged four honors at the grand ceremony held in Los Angeles. “We made a film about the man who created the atomic bomb, and for better or for worse, we’re all living ...

US private space agency SpaceX completed the flawless deployment of 46 Starlink internet satellites into low-Earth orbit within a span of just six hours on Monday, heralded as the Elon Musk-owned firm’s reusable Falcon 9 rocket embarked on its mission from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. SpaceX and NASA are targeting as ...

India’s parliament faced continuous disruption and now women’s groups are planning nationwide protests following a sexual assault and indecent parade of women during the beginning of ethnic clashes in Manipur state. The violence, which erupted on May 3, has so far resulted in at least 125 fatalities and displaced over 40,000 individuals in Manipur. The clashes originated when the Kuki ...

Remember the Capitol Hill rioter who posed with his feet propped up atop former House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s desk? Identified as Richard “Bigo” Barnett, the man has been found guilty of all charges finally. Barnett was among the crowd of thousands of supporters of former President Donald Trump who stormed Congress on January 6, 2021, in an attempt ...

Thalapathi Vijay-Rashmika Mandanna-starrer “Varisu” has grossed Rs 210 crore in its first week and is expected to continue its victorious run at the box office. Following a grand response, Rashmika said: “Looking at the massive love and appreciation being showered on ‘Varisu’ really warms my heart and makes me feel so grateful!” Directed by Vamshi Paidipally, Rashmika’s performance in the ...

The meeting between the Sports ministry officials and the delegation of four wrestlers, including Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik here on Thursday failed to yield results as protesting grapplers were not satisfied with the response. Speaking to reporters in Delhi, Bajrang Punia said that they didn’t get any ”satisfactory response” from the ministry and the protest will continue ...

For those planning a film with Indian director S.S. Rajamouli, this may sound uneasy as he said recently that it’s his dream to work in Hollywood. Currently in Los Angeles, meeting Hollywood honchos, Rajamouli’s dream may come true soon. Last Monday, his magnum opus ‘RRR’ turned Los Angeles’s colossal TCL Chinese IMAX into a dance party, with hundreds of audience ...