Nepal PM Prachanda loses confidence vote, Oli set to take charge

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda suffered a major defeat as the vote of confidence he moved in Parliament secured only 63 votes against 194, resulting in his exit from power. 

The outcome in the House of Representatives came after a three-hour-long fiery debate with a visibly downcast Prachanda accusing outsiders of bringing political forces against him. He submitted his resignation to President Ram Chandra Poudel soon after.

As per the agreement, UML chairman KP Oli will be the next Prime Minister with NC as the coalition partner. 

Both Home and IT ministries pitch for control of nodal cyber security watchdog Cert-In

Two key ministries, Information Technology and Home Affairs, are making a strong pitch for the ownership of the Computer Emergency Response Team (Cert-In), the country's nodal cybersecurity watchdog. At present, Cert-In comes under the administrative control of the IT Ministry.

According to sources, the two ministries have been engaged in discussions for at least a year now after MHA first elaborated on how bringing Cert-in under its ambit would help law enforcement. Cert-In's technical expertise, the MHA believes will streamline its investigative abilities in cyberspace, particularly because it has enforcement powers.

The IT Ministry, however, believes the CERT-In's job, which includes incident reporting and also alerting organisations about malware, is quite technical, and that its remit goes far beyond law enforcement purposes.

Inflation jumps to over 5% in June, factory output at seven-month high

The retail inflation rate rose to a four-month high of 5.08 per cent in June as food inflation jumped to over 9 per cent, the highest level in six months, data released by the National Statistical Office (NSO) showed. 

Data released separately showed the country's factory output, as measured by the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), rose to a seven-month high of 5.9 per cent in May with a pickup in manufacturing along with higher electricity output reflecting the surge in power demand amid heatwave conditions.

To mark the Emergency, the Centre to observe June 25 as 'Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas'

The Government has decided to observe June 25, the day the Emergency was declared in 1975, as "Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas" to commemorate the "massive contributions" of those who endured "inhuman pains of the period", Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced.

The Government of India has decided to observe the 25th of June every year as 'Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas.' This day will commemorate the massive contributions of all those who endured the inhuman pains of the 1975 Emergency."

According to the notification, after the Emergency was declared on June 25, 1975, there was "gross abuse of power... and people of India were subjected to excesses and atrocities". The people of India have abiding faith in the Constitution and the power of its resilient democracy, it said.

Days after PM meets with Putin, Doval discusses Quad issues with Sullivan

National Security Adviser Ajit Doval spoke to US NSA Jake Sullivan, days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Russia and met President Vladimir Putin.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs, "They discussed a wide range of issues of bilateral, regional and international concern and forthcoming high-level engagements under the Quad framework.” 

It said that the NSAs "agreed to work closely to further advance India-US relations, which are built on shared values and common strategic and security interests". 

"They reiterated the need to work collectively to address global challenges to peace and security and further expand the Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership," the MEA statement said. 

Their conversation comes after Sullivan's visit to Delhi for the bilateral talks with Doval when he also met PM Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. 

Armed forces plan tri-service procurement of explosive vans

The Indian Armed Forces are planning a joint tri-service procurement of explosive vans for the safe transport of ammunition aiming to enhance integration and cooperation among the Army, Navy, and Air Force, which is crucial for implementing the ambitious theaterisation plan.

Under the theaterisation plan, the capabilities of all three services are integrated to optimally utilise their resources for wars and operations. Joint procurement of equipment is a move in that direction. 

A common explosive vehicle for the three services will allow joint operation commanders to better support integrated operations, said an official on the condition of anonymity.

The Army, which is steering the joint procurement of explosive vans, has floated a Request for Information (RFI) a formal process for gathering information from potential suppliers of a good or service - for this purpose.

The explosive vans will be used to safely transport various types of ammunition owned by the three services to different locations, reducing the risk of fire and other accidents that could lead to loss of lives. 

Deregulating non-subsidised fertilisers

NBS fertilisers are technically decontrolled: manufacturers or importers only receive a per tonne subsidy linked to their N, P, K, and S content. But in the last two years, even these have been brought under informal price control. 

Effective from April 2023, the Department of Fertilisers has prescribed maximum profit margins over cost to determine the "reasonableness" of MRPs. Companies charging more can't get subsidies from the Centre under NBS. 

The informally fixed "reasonable" MRPs are now Rs 27,000 per tonne for DAP, Rs 30,000- 31,000 for MOP, and Rs 11,000 for single super phosphate (SSP). They are Rs 24,000 for 20:20:0:13, and Rs 29,400 for 10:26:26:0 and 12:32:16:0 NPKS complex fertilisers.

Just a bargaining chip

The concept of special category status was introduced in 1969 by the Planning Commission in the Fourth Five-Year Plan. 

It was an instrument of positive intervention for allocating higher plan assistance to a few states (through the National Development Council, NDC) that were handicapped due to location and socio-economic factors. 

Balanced regional development in the country was its prime objective. Initially, only three states, Jammu and Kashmir, Assam and Nagaland, were given this status. 

Later, all northeastern states and Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh were given special category status.

HER OWN WORKPLACE

The Supreme Court's observed that a mandatory menstrual leave policy might be counter-productive for women in the workforce is an intervention in what has proved to be a contentious issue not just in India but across the world. 

The three-judge bench, hearing a plea to implement menstrual leave for women under the Maternity Benefit Act, of 1961, urged the Centre to frame a model policy in consultation with states and stakeholders, ensuring that fear of its misuse as a basis for discrimination does not deter the entry of women into the workforce. 

Kerala, Uttarakhand top NITI Aayog's SDG India Index; Bihar worst performer

Uttarakhand and Kerala have taken the top spot among states in NITI Aayog's SDG India Index 2023-24, which assesses sustainable development across states based on the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). 

Overall, India's SDG score improved to 71 points in 2023-24 from 66 points in 2020-21, supported by progress made in poverty reduction, economic growth, and climate action.

The SDG India Index, which evaluates progress made across 16 goals on a scale of 1 to 100, rated Kerala and Uttarakhand as the best-performing states with a score of 79 points each, while Bihar emerged as a laggard with 57 points, followed by Jharkhand at 62 points. 

Compared to 2020-21 scores, which was the last time NITI Aayog published the index, Punjab, Manipur, West Bengal, and Assam recorded the highest increase of 8 points to 76, 72, 70, and 65 points respectively. 

India plans to overhaul state-run firms: Report

India plans to overhaul more than 200 state-run firms to make them more profitable, signalling a departure from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's aggressive privatisation programme that has struggled to take off, government sources said.

The programme to privatise a major portion of India's lumbering $600 billion state sector announced in 2021, had slowed ahead of the general election in April-May and now faces more resistance after Modi lost his majority in parliament and had to rely on coalition allies to return to office.