Junior Digest

New Delhi, Aug 3,2024: Climate crisis and its impacts are not ‘gender-neutral’, the Child and Development Minister Annapurna Devi said on Friday emphasising that women from lower economic backgrounds face some of the most severe effects of climate change.

Replying to an unstarred question in Lok Sabha, the Minister informed that the Government has not conducted audit regarding the impact of climate change on women and children.

“However, a report submitted by United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change revealed that women, especially those from lower economic backgrounds, face some of the most severe effects of climate change,” she said.

“Globally, it is now accepted that the climate crisis and its impacts are not ‘gender-neutral’,” She added.

“UNICEF has recognized that Children are more prone to dehydration due to their lower ability to regulate body temperature, making them more vulnerable to heatwaves and high temperatures,” the Minister informed.

She further mentioned, “Climate change may cause crop failures and rising prices, which in turn may lead to increased rates of malnutrition among children.”

Citing a recent study done by M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) in 2024 that examines the implications of climate change on women and children across various agro-ecological zones in India, the Minister informed, “This study reveals that women and children in Bihar, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, and Telangana are especially vulnerable to climate-related disasters.”

Children exposed to climate hazards are more likely to experience stunting, underweight conditions, and increased susceptibility to early pregnancies,” She said.

“According to the study, exposure to drought events raises the likelihood of underweight women by 35 percent, child marriage by 37 percent, teenage pregnancy by 17 percent, and intimate partner violence by up to 50 percent,” the Minister added.

Highlighting that the Government recognizes the adverse impact of climate change on women and children, Annapurna Devi said, “It has taken several steps to mitigate the vulnerabilities.

A National Programme on Climate Change and Human Health (NPCCHH) has been launched by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) in 2019 with the goal to reduce morbidity, mortality, injuries and health vulnerabilities to climate variability and extreme weather events especially among vulnerable groups like women, children and marginalized communities.”

“Various activities for increasing general awareness, capacity building of health care professionals and healthcare workers, strengthening health sector preparedness, collaborative partnership and steering research on climate sensitive health issues are the key objectives of the programme,” she added.

The Government implements the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), which is the overarching policy framework and comprises of National Missions in specific areas of solar energy, enhanced energy efficiency, water, agriculture, Himalayan ecosystem, sustainable habitat, health, green India and strategic knowledge on climate change, the Minister said.

Further, schemes like Ujwala Yojana, which provides for clean cooking gas connections, Har Ghar Nal se Jal under Jal Jeevan Mission, which provides for tapped drinking water at the doorstep, Swachch Bharat Abhiyaan under which crores of household toilets have been constructed, and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, the flagship scheme of Government for housing, have not only reduced the drudgery on women but also help improving their health status and empowerment, she added.

Agartala, July 29,2024: The union budget of the third NDA government has increased the allocation for tribal welfare to 73 percent under various schemes, informed Union Minister for Tribal Affairs, Jual Oram here.

As part of the ongoing campaign of the central government to highlight the thrust points of Union Budget 2024-25, he said that around Rs. 13,000 crore has been provided in the budget for the implementation of tribal welfare schemes across the country.

An amount of Rs 6,399 crore has been made in the budget for the construction of Eklavya Model Residential Schools, with a target to set up 728 such schools for the tribal students to study Class VI-IX free of cost, Oram stated adding that the development of livelihood options are given priority.

The schemes for the welfare of the poor, empowering women, skilling and employment opportunities for the youth, and farmers’ welfare to make their income double, the budget has proposed a ‘Prime Minister’s package of five schemes and initiatives’ for employment, skilling, and other opportunities for 4.1 crore youth over five years with a central outlay of Rs 2 lakh crore.

Oram underscored under the Uttar Purva Transformative Industrialization Scheme-2024, the budget has a vision for the progress of North East and Tripuram, which will be operational for the next ten years and will focus on the development of industries & employment generation in the region for Rs 10,037 crore.

He added that 14 projects under Northeast Special Infrastructure Development Scheme have been approved for Tripura with a cost of 458 crore rupees. The budget, he said, allocated more than Rs 3 lakh crore to schemes benefitting women and girls to promote women-led development.

Besides, the limit of MUDRA loans will be increased to Rs 20 lakh from the current Rs 10 lakh under the ‘Tarun’ category of PM MUDRA Yojana, which will further broaden the employment avenues, Oram claimed.

Pradhan Mantri Janjati Unnat Gram Abhiyan Scheme will cover 63,000 villages in the country and it will lay thrust on augmenting the infrastructure such as road connectivity, power supply, and medical facilities, he underlined.

The minister pointed out that Rs 2.6 lakh crore budgetary provision has been made for Rural Development, adding that Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana will cover 25,000 rural habitations across the country.

“Northeast region received record budgetary allocation for Railway infrastructure projects. The allocation has been proposed at Rs 10,376 crores, which is five times more than the average annual budget outlay of Rs 2122 crore for the region during 2009-14,” Oram added.

Eluru, Aug 12,2024: Andhra Pradesh Minister for Civil Supplies Nadendla Manohar on Monday said that the state government would disburse payment into the farmer’s account within 48 hours of procuring paddy from the ensuing kharif season.

The Minister disbursed dues to the farmers for the procurement of paddy at a programme held in CR Reddy College auditorium here.

He formally launched disbursement of Rs 674.47 crore worth payments to over 35,374 farmers from whom the paddy was procured by the previous government.

Speaking on the occasion, Manohar regretted that the erstwhile YSRCP regime did not pay Rs 1,674.47 crore to over 8,724 farmers for procuring paddy. Now the Chandrababu Naidu headed coalition government has taken steps to disburse the arrears to the farmers.

“As soon as the coalition government assumed charge, it disbursed Rs 1,000 crore to the farmers. The remaining Rs 674 crore is being disbursed to the farmers today,” the Civil Supplies Minister observed.

He also said the government will supply tarpaulins with a 50 percent subsidy for farmers to protect their paddy produce from being drenched in the rain.

Accusing the previous YSRCP government of putting the farming community in lurch, he flayed that the erstwhile government had taken Rs 40,500 crore loans in the name of Civil Supplies, but at the same time, the YSRCP regime did not disburse money to the farmers for the paddy purchased.

“Efforts are being made by the Civil Supplies Department to pay Rs 10,000 crore to the banks by March 31, 2025”, Manohar said.

The Minister promised to the farmers to issue CCR cards during the Grama Sabha programmes to be held from August 16 across the state.

He reiterated the commitment of purchasing full paddy produce from the farmers.

District Collector K Vetri Selvi maintained that 2,17,496 metric tonnes of paddy was procured from the farmers in the district. An amount of Rs 200 crore has to be disbursed to the farmers for the paddy procurement, of which, Rs 153 crore had been disbursed.

Now, the remaining Rs 47.53 crore is being credited into the bank accounts of 2,116 farmers in the district, the Collector added.

Ranchi, July 4,2024: Within a week of getting bail in an alleged corruption case, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader Hemant Soren on Thursday took oath as Chief Minister of the state for the third time.

Governor CP Radhakrishnan administered the Oath of Office and Secrecy to Soren at Raj Bhawan, the official said, adding that other Cabinet members are likely to be sworn-in on Sunday.

On Wednesday, Soren, along with leaders of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and allies Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal, met the Governor and staked claim to form government.

With the latest swearing-in, Soren will occupy the CM’s post for the third time, an official said. He will equal the record of JMM leader Shibu Soren and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Arjun Munda who have served as CM thrice.

In Jharkhand, the alliance of JMM, Congress and RJD has been ruling since December of 2019.

Soren’s return as CM was expected after he got bail in a property scam case on June 28. Soren had stepped down as CM on January 31, handing over the chair to party colleague Champai Soren after his arrest in the case.

Champai Soren tendered his resignation to the governor on Wednesday, paving the way for Soren’s return to CM office.

Kolkata, Aug 8,2024: Veteran Marxist leader and former Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee passed away at his south Kolkata flat on Thursday, family sources said. He was 80.

The Marxist stalwart is survived by wife Meera Bhattacharjee and son Suchetan Bhattacharjee.

Bhattacharjee breathed his last around 8.20 am while fighting a bout of mild fever at his Palm Avenue flat in south Kolkata, a family source said.

The octogenarian Marxist leader Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee was suffering for long owing to age-related ailment and breathing trouble. He had fought Covid-19 twice.

Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee reacting to the demise of the veteran Marxist leader saying, “Shocked and saddened by the sudden demise of the former Chief Minister Shri Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.”

“I have known him for the last several decades, and visited him a few times when he was ill and effectively confined to home in the last few years. My very sincere condolences to Meeradi and Suchetan at this hour of grief. I communicate my condolences to the members of the CPI(M) party and all his followers. We have already taken a decision that we shall give him full respect and ceremonial honour during his last journey and rites,” Banerjee said in her X handle post.

During the Left Front’s 34 years of rule in the state, Bhattacharjee was the second and last CPI(M) chief minister who was in office from 2000 to 2011.

BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari expressed his grief at the demise of the veteran Communist leader.

The veteran Marxist leader and a former Polit Bureau member of CPI(M), who had huge influence in the Leftist movement in Bengal was admitted to a private hospital a number of times before being shifted back to home in south Kolkata.

Bhattacharjee had served as the 7th Chief Minister of West Bengal from 2000 to 2011. In a political career spanning over 5 decades, he became one of the senior leaders of Communist Party of India (Marxist).

He was known for his relatively open policies regarding business, in contrast to the broadly anti-capitalist policies of CPI(M). But while trying to invite private investment during his tenure as CM, Bhattacharjee faced strong land acquisition protests and allegations about violence against the protesters.

This led to Bhattacharjee’s loss in the 2011 election, resulting in the end of Left Front’s 34 years of rule in West Bengal, the world’s longest democratically elected communist government.

Bhattacharjee was born on March 1, 1944 in North Kolkata to a Bengali Brahmin family. Famous poet Sukanta Bhattacharya was his father’s cousin.

A former student of Sailendra Sircar Vidyalaya, Bhattacharjee studied Bengali literature at the Presidency College, Kolkata, and secured his B.A. degree in Bengali (Honors), and joined Adarsh Shankha Vidya Mandir school at Dum Dum as a teacher.

New Delhi, July 10:2024: Holding that maintenance is not a matter of charity but a fundamental right, the Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that Muslim women can seek maintenance from their husbands under Section 125 of the erstwhile Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), which applies to all married women irrespective of their religion.

A Bench comprising Justice B.V. Nagarathna and Justice Augustine George Masih pronounced their judgment that would apply to all women and not just married women.

Both judges, who pronounced separate judgments but concurrent verdicts, said Section 125 of the erstwhile CrPC, which deals with a wife’s legal right to maintenance, covers Muslim women and also those women who may not be married but are dependent on relatives for survival.

The bench dismissed the criminal appeal filed by Mohd Abdul Samad, who said that under the Muslim law women were not entitled to maintenance.

Abdul Samad had challenged the order of the Telangana High Court refusing to interfere with the maintenance order of the family court in favour of his divorced wife.

He contended that a divorced Muslim woman is not entitled to maintenance under Section 125 of CrPC and has to invoke the provisions of the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Divorce) Act, 1986.

The Supreme Court said that section 125 would apply to all women, Justice Nagarathna said while pronouncing the verdict.

The bench said maintenance is not charity but the right of married women and it applies to all married women irrespective of their religion.

Chennai, Aug 16,2024: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) President M K Stalin on Friday thanked the Centre for issuing a coin to commemorate five time CM and DMK Patriarch M Karunanidhi’s birth anniversary.

In a statement here, he said “as the son of Mr Karunanidhi (popularly called as Kalaignar) and as one of you, I express my gratitude to the Union Government of India for issuing a coin bearing his image as another diamond in the crown of fame of our living artist, a beacon of future generations.”

The Rs 100 coin will be released by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at an event to be held in the city on Sunday.

Mr Stalin said it will be a happy and proud moment for all and a tribute to the great artist who is part of our lives.

He said the centenary of the late leader was being celebrated in every district on behalf of the Tamil Nadu government for the architect who built modern Tamil Nadu as the Chief Minister for five times.

He also pointed out building of Multi-speciality hospital, Centenary library in Madurai, Kilambakkam bus terminus near Chennai, named after Mr Karunanidhi to mark his centenary.

Mr Stalin pointed out that on behalf of the Union Government, an event will be held on Sunday evening at Kalaivanar Arangam in the city to honor the legendary leader, who continued to be the voice of state autonomy to strengthen India’s federal ideology, who has been a guide to various political leaders in strengthening Indian democracy, and who has played an important role in electing many presidents and prime ministers.

He also said the only time a condolence resolution was passed in Parliament for the death of a political leader was for Mr Karunanidhi who was not a member of either House of Parliament.

“Kalaignar, in his 95-year long career and 81 years of public life, has made an impact at the National level in terms of political-administrative-art-literature-film industry-journalism”, he added.

New Delhi, Aug 9,2024: “Bail is the rule and jail an exception,” the Supreme Court said on Friday while granting bail to former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party leader Manish Sisodia in cases related to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy under which he spent 17 months in jail waiting for the trial to begin.

The judgment also set a new, relaxed yardstick for interpretation of the harsh bail provisions under Section 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, in cases of prolonged incarceration.

“Bail can’t be rejected as a punishment,” said a bench of Justice B R Gavai and Justice K V Viswanathan upholding Sisodia’s “right to a speedy trial”, adding, “It’s high time that trial courts and high courts realize that bail is the rule and jail an exception.”

Accepting Sisodia’s bail plea, the bench said the procedure should not become the punishment and that the right to bail should not suffer due to delay in trial.

Giving hope to other incarcerated PMLA accused like Sisodia, the top court said the rigours of Section 45 of PMLA can be relaxed to account for prolonged incarceration.

According to Section 45 of the PMLA, bail can be granted to an accused in a money laundering case only if twin conditions are satisfied – there should be prima facie satisfaction that the accused has not committed the offence and that he is not likely to commit any offence while on bail.

The court barred Sisodia from leaving the country and set certain conditions before allowing him to step out of prison after 17 months.

The bench said that the bail shall be granted to Sisodia on depositing a bail bond of Rs 10 lakh and a surety of the like amount.

The court directed Sisodia to surrender his passport and report to the Investigating officer (IO) on every Monday and not attempt to influence witnesses.

Taking note of the denial of bail to Sisodia over the past few months, Justice Gavai said, “A citizen cannot be made to run from pillar to post for bail. He cannot again start from square one, the trial court, and climb up the ladder till the Supreme Court for bail. Grant of bail is not a snakes and ladders game.”

The Supreme Court noted that the AAP leader has suffered incarceration of 17 months and that the trial has not yet commenced.

The Court noted that Sisodia had been denied the right to a speedy trial and the trial court and the High Court ought to have given due weightage to this.

Dismissing the contentions of the ED and CBI that the delay in the trial can be attributed to Sisodia, Justice Gavai said, “When we specifically asked the ASG to show any order where the trial court found any application to be frivolous, not one was shown. We find that the finding of delay by the appellant is not supported by the record.”

The Court said that relegating the former Deputy CM to the trial court for relief would be a “travesty of justice”.

“A citizen cannot be made to run from pillar to post. June 4 order recorded that it did not go into merits…Procedures cannot be made a mistress of justice,” Justice Gavai said while dismissing the central agencies’ preliminary objections to the bail plea.

Justice Gavai noted that the Supreme Court in its order on June 4 had recorded an undertaking from Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who appeared for both the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), that the final chargesheet/prosecution complaint would be filed in the trial court on or before July 3.

At the start of the day’s proceeding, the bench asked, “How the central agencies justify the delay in the trial?”

Appearing for Sisodia, Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi had approached the Supreme Court asserting that the trial had not begun despite assurances from the probe agencies in October 2023 that it would be concluded within six to eight months.

Additional Solicitor General (ASG) S V Raju appearing on behalf of the ED and CBI said the delay came from Sisodia’s side who had sought one document after the other in court.

”Our trial would have commenced and these documents were unwarranted but just because of these applications. Delay is completely attributable to them and not to the agency. Speedy trials cannot be fitted in a straight jacket formula. It is case-by-case basis and they do not want this to be heard on merits. So the best option for them is to delay it,” Raju apprised the Supreme Court.

Justice Viswanathan then said that had the accused been on bail, he would have tried to delay the trial. But that was not the case here.

”Delay may happen on the accused side if they are on bail,” Justice Viswanathan reasoned.

Raju said the accused could also deliberately delay the trial and use the situation to seek bail and added that among the 400-odd witnesses, the ED could have the important ones to testify first.

The Supreme Court noted that the ED has to establish an unbroken chain of evidence linking Sisodia with the liquor lobby in the excise scam case.

“We know it is difficult to establish the chain as everything is done undercover… but that is where your competence lies,” the bench said.

The court observed that except a statement made by businessman Dinesh Arora, an accused-turned-approver in the case, there was no proof against Sisodia.

Sisodia was arrested by the ED and the CBI on February 26, 2023, and March 9, 2023, respectively.

Wayanad, July 31,2024: The death toll in landslide isn Kerala’s Wayanad district rose to 174 on Wednesday, with 225 people still missing, officials said.

A total of 191 people are still undergoing medical treatment at various hospitals, according to the Revenue Department sources.

The massive landslides hit Mundakkai and Choormala in Vellarimala village in Meppadi panchayat in Kerala’s Wayand district on Tuesday..

A total of 89 bodies have been identified so far and postmortem of 143 bodies completed, health department sources said.

As many as 72 bodies were recovered from Chaliyar river including 13 on Wednesday, between Pothukkal to Munderi areas in Malappuram district, which was around 38 Km away from the accident spot at Mundakkai, while 14 bodies recovered from the debris of the houses at Mundakkai.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan attended an all-party meeting while 8 relief camps have been set up at Mundakkal to accommodate around 1,000 victims from 500 odd houses.

Only 30 houses were remaining at Mundakkai, said a local resident.

Around 600 rescue personnel from Army, Navy, Coast Guard, NDRF, Kerala Police special force,dog squad, local volunteers have been conducting search and rescue operations at Mundakkal, Chooralmala areas, they have rescued around 250 stranded people.

The Army personnel have started the construction of bailey bridge connecting Chooramala to Mundakkai, after the bridge was washed away in the landslide on July 30.

Revenue Minister K Rajan and five member ministers are still camping at Mundakkai areas to assist in rescue and search operations.

Sriharikota, (Andhra Pradesh), Aug 16,2024: In yet another successful mission, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched the latest Earth Observation Satellite EOS-8 and a passenger satellite using the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) from the Spaceport of Sriharikota on Friday morning.
After a short and smooth 6.5 hr countdown that began at 0247 hrs, SSLV-D3, the third and final developmental flight carrying the 175.5 kg EOS-08 and SR-0 DEMOSAT took off majestically from the First Launch Pad as scheduled at 0917 hrs from the SHAR Range.

Hyderabad (Telangana), July 17,2024: Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy made it clear on Tuesday that the farm loan waiver scheme of up to Rs 2 lakh will apply to every farmer family possessing a land passbook.
According to an official release, CM Reddy shared details about implementing the loan waiver scheme at the Collectors Conference held at the Secretariat

.
He said that the ration card is being used only for family identification. The total number of ration cards in the state is 90 lakh, while the number of farmer accounts with bank loans is only 70 lakh.
CM Reddy further clarified that 6.36 lakh farmers in the state who do not possess ration cards and took farm loans are also eligible for the farm loan waiver benefit.
He emphasized that farmers are not being treated unfairly for not having ration cards, according to the release.
The Chief Minister ordered the collectors to hold a meeting with the district bankers at 11 am on Thursday, July 18.
CM Reddy said that the funds released by the government for the loan waiver scheme should be utilized only for farmers and not for personal or other loan waivers. He warned that action will be taken if the farm loan funds are diverted. In the past, the union government took action against some banks for diverting funds.
CM Reddy announced that loan waiver funds of up to Rs 1 lakh will be deposited in the farmers’ accounts at 4 pm on July 18. He suggested organizing a gathering of farm loan waiver scheme beneficiaries at Rythu Vedikas. Ministers, MLAs, and other public representatives of the respective districts should attend and share the happiness with the farmers.

Chandigarh, July 18,2024: The Aam Aadmi Party announced that it will be contesting in the upcoming assembly elections in Haryana on its own. Th AAP had contested one seat in the Haryana Lok Sabha election in alliance with the Congress.
During a press conference that saw the presence of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and AAP MPs Sanjay Singh and Sandeep Pathak in Chandigarh, Mann said that the AAP has decided to contest the Haryana assembly elections with full force.
“The Aam Aadmi Party has decided that it will contest the Haryana assembly elections with full force. We have governments in Delhi and Punjab; half of Haryana touches Delhi and half of Haryana touches Punjab. The people of Haryana appealed to us, that’s why we came here. Haryana gave a chance to the BJP, Congress and all parties, but everyone looted. Now bring Kejriwal,” Mann said.
Mann further said that AAP will form a team, contest elections and defeat the double-engine government in Haryana, which ruled the state for 10 years, as the people of Haryana want change.
This time, AAP will be contesting in all 90 assembly seats in Haryana solo.

New Delhi, Aug 14,2024: Refusing to grant interim bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the Supreme Court on Wednesday sought responses of the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate by August 23 on the Aam Aadmi Party leader’s petition seeking bail and challenging his arrest by the CBI in the Delhi Liquor Policy Scam.

A bench comprising Justice Surya Kant and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan issued notice to the probe agencies asking them to file their responses in the backdrop of the Chief Minister citing health issues to seek bail.

New Delhi, August 14,2024: The University Grants Commission has introduced a new enrollment procedure for students seeking admission to Open and Distance Learning (ODL) and Online Programmes for the academic year 2024-25. The change, effective from September 2024, is aimed at ensuring that students enroll only in approved Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) to offer ODL programmes and online programmes and enhancing transparency in the admissions process, stated UGC Chairman Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar.
“The UGC (ODL Programmes and Online Programmes) Regulations, 2020 set the minimum standards for such programmes, and a list of recognised institutions is available on the UGC Distance Education Bureau website. Recent issues with unrecognised institutions admitting students highlighted the need for this standardised procedure. To safeguard student interests, the UGC has developed a mechanism requiring students to register on the UGC-DEB web portal and create a unique DEB-ID using their Academic Bank of Credit (ABC)-ID. This DEB-ID will be mandatory for all students enrolling in recognized ODL/Online programmes, except for foreign learners, and will remain valid for their lifetime. HEIs are urged to implement this new admission process efficiently and promote it to new learners to ensure successful adoption and operation,” said the UGC Chairman.
UGC (ODL Programmes and Online Programmes) Regulations, 2020 stipulated the minimum standards for offering programmes in open and distance learning mode and online mode by the higher educational institutions and accordingly, the year-wise list of universities recognised/entitled by the Commission to offer programmes in ODL/Online mode is in the public domain at the UGC Distance Education Bureau website https://deb.ugc.ac.in/, according to the UGC.
It came to the notice of the Commission in the recent past that few HEIs admitted students in unrecognised ODL/Online programmes thereby putting the future of students at stake. To address such incidents and to increase the transparency in ODL and online mode admission, the Commission in its 581st meeting held on 25th June 2024 has decided to standardise the admission procedure for students enrolling in ODL and Online mode to safeguard their academic future and career prospects.
Accordingly, UGC has developed a mechanism for a transparent admission process wherein any student who intends to enrol in ODL/ Online Programmes shall register on the UGC-DEB web portal (URL link: https://deb.ugc.ac.in/ and https://deb.ugc.ac.in/StudentDebId) with their Academic Bank of Credit (ABC)-ID for generating a unique DEB-ID, according to the UGC.
All stakeholders are hereby informed that the creation of DEB-ID shall be required for every student (except foreign learners) willing to enroll in ODL/ Online programmes in recognized/entitled HEIs from the academic year 2024-25, the academic session beginning September 2024 (revised from July-August, 2024) and onwards. The DEB-ID once generated on the UGC-DEB web portal will remain valid for lifelong ODL/Online learning, according to the UGC.
All Higher Educational Institutions are requested to expedite the smooth implementation of the new mechanism for ODL and Online mode admission process by doing the requisite API integration process and promoting this initiative among new learners to ensure its successful implementation, according to the UGC.
For any further inquiries or concerns, learners can contact the Helpdesk established on the website at https://deb.ugc.ac.in/, according to the UGC.

New Delhi, July 25,2024: Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday slammed Opposition leaders for creating ruckus in Parliament and alleged that they have “insulted the House by lowering the dignity” of the budget session.

Addressing a press conference, Kiren Rijiju said, “The way the leaders of some parties commented during the budget session and the way they gave speeches, I would like to say that they have insulted the House by lowering the dignity of the budget session.”

The Union minister said, “The Opposition people did not say anything on the Budget, they just did politics in the House on Wednesday.”

“They have insulted the mandate of the country and the Opposition people have abused the prime minister,” he said.

Referring to Opposition’s remarks against the Budget, Rijiju said they insulted the mandate given by the people of the country for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s third term.

The Parliament Affairs Minister also appealed to the Opposition leaders to participate in the discussion in a constructive manner during the budget session.

“Why doesn’t the opposition discuss the provisions made for farmers and small tribal communities? The people have given a mandate to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and trying to insult this is not right. The Budget should be discussed in the budget session,” he added.

Meanwhile, the discussion on the Union Budget 2024-25, presented on July 23, continued in both Houses of Parliament on Thursday. The debate on the Jammu and Kashmir Budget for 2024-25, also presented on Tuesday, will also continue.

Earlier, Congress MP Manish Tewari filed an adjournment notice in the Lok Sabha on Thursday, requesting a discussion on the border situation and the significant trade deficit with China.

In his letter to the Lok Sabha Secretary-General, Tewari highlighted border clashes between India and China.

The letter asked for a suspension of zero hour and other business to address these urgent issues.

New Delhi, Aug 15,2024: In his first Independence-day address to the nation after forming government for a third successive term, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday pushed for implementation of proposals like a “Uniform Civil Code” and “One-Nation, One-Poll”, highlighted women safety and asserted his government’s resolve to take tough decisions and initiate reforms to make “Viksit Bharat 2047” a reality.

“The Supreme Court has held discussions regarding UCC again and again, it has given orders several times. A large section of the country believes – and it is true, the Civil Code that we are living with is actually a Communal Civil Code in a way… I would say that it is the need of the hour that there be a Secular Civil Code in the country, only then we would be free of discrimination on the basis of religion.”

Delivering his longest ever Independence Day speech of 98 minutes from the ramparts of Red Fort, PM Modi also warned against heinous crimes against women. In the wake of recent gang-rape in the medical college in West Bengal, he asked the state government to give the most stringent punishment to the culprits. “I call upon the state governments to take tough action against the culprits in rape cases… there is a need to create fear among the criminals for such crimes.”

On ruling BJP’s agenda for implementing “One-Nation, One-Poll”, he called upon all political parties and Constitutional experts to come forward and deliberate on the issue. Elections again and again put hinderance in the path of development. Extensive and widespread discussion has taken place in this direction and we must work on it with sincerity,

On India’s 78th Independence day, the Prime minister presented a “blue print” for “Viksit Bharat 2047”, saying the government has the political will to take tough decisions and reforms to make this a reality.

“Viksit Bharat 2047 are not mere words. This is not for an intellectual debate, it is a reflection of the resolve and dream of 140 crore Indians,” Modi said while speaking on a gamut of issues ranging from political and economic reforms, foreign policy and infusing young blood in politics.

Our government is committed to taking up big reforms, he said, adding, “Since my re-election for a third term, a majority of people seeking to meet me are big investors. They are keen to invest in India. I urge all states to establish clear, investor-friendly policies and ensure a strong commitment to good governance, transparency, and robust law and order.”

States must compete among themselves to bring investments and ensure that all these big investors who come to India never go back.

Modi’s first Independence Day address of his third term takes him past the record of Manmohan Singh, who unfurled the tricolour 10 times from the ramparts of Red Fort during 2004-2014. India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi did the honours for 17 and 16 times, respectively.

Taking a dig at “dynastic politics”, Modi called upon youth to come forward and contribute to nation building and be a part of Viksit Bharat 2047.

“I call upon to bring one lakh youth into the political system, specifically those with no history of politics in their families. This initiative is aimed at fighting the evils of nepotism and casteism and inducting fresh blood into India’s polity,” Modi said.

“We want to infuse fresh blood in politics so that we get rid of dynastic politics or politics of caste,” he added.

Modi started his address by paying rich tributes to the countless people who made sacrifices and struggled for the country’s freedom. “The country is indebted to them,” he said.

He expressed concern over rising number of natural calamities and their impact on people. The surge in cases of such disasters is a matter of concern, he said and paid condolences to families who lost loved ones in disasters.

Expressing concern over recent development in the neighborhood Bangladesh, the Prime Minister said India hopes situation there will be normal very soon and India will always be there with the development journey of Bangladesh. “India’s concern is to ensure the safety of Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh. India is committed towards the policy of peace and we always want our neighboring countries to walk the path of prosperity and peace.”

PM Modi ended his 90-minute long address to the nation by saying in his third term he will work three-times more and assured the nation stating, “We shall work 24×7 to make Viksit Bharat by 2047 a reality.”