Above the Fold: Top stories of the day
1. The death toll in Nepal has crossed 6,200 after Saturday's massive earthquake as more aftershocks hit the Himalayan country.
2. India's foreign secretary S Jaishankar and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval are to visit Kathmandu today to oversee relief operations.
3. The Finance Minister has dropped a plan to set up a public debt management body, which would have taken away those powers from the Reserve Bank of India.
The Big Story: Moga case hits SAD government
A 15-year-old girl died and her mother was seriously injured on Wednesday after they had been harassed and then pushed out of a moving bus in Moga, Punjab. The incident happened to take place in an Orbit bus service vehicle, making it a part of the fleet that is partly owned by the family that runs the Punjab government, the Badals. As a result, it has turned into a massive political firestorm.
The Congress has called for the Orbit bus service to be shut down, as Uber was after its vehicle was the site of an outrageous incident. The incident has particularly turned a light on the Badals shady businesses, like the bus service, which have supplanted state buses. The Chandigarh-based Tribune has repeatedly reported on the Badals involvement in such business and use of their political power to promote their interests.
Police have arrested the three people allegedly involved in this incident, and have ruled out questioning the owners of the Orbit bus service for the moment. But while the criminal investigation will not get to the Badals, the political backlash is sure to hit a government that is already being criticised for corruption and the spread of drugs in the state.
Politicking & Policying
1. As the Supreme Court considers the validity of the National Judicial Appointments Commission, the bench hearing the matter has asked the government to point out one case where the wrong judge was appointed.
2. New Delhi has dismissed an American government body's report that questioned India's religious freedom, saying the report was based on a "limited understanding."
3. The Opposition has questioned Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's decision to bring in the Finance Bill, which passed on Thursday after a voice vote, saying it was being through last-minute "late night operations."
4. The poor performance of the Bharatiya Janata Party in West Bengal could be an indication of its prospects in Bihar, which goes to the polls later this year, although it will start off from a much stronger base.
Giggle
Punditry
1. India doesn't face a land, food or suicide crisis. It faces a jobs crisis, writes Manish Sabarhwal in the Indian Express.
2. Srinath Raghavan in the Economic and Political Weekly, writes that Prime MInister Narendra Modi has the political capital to push for a final settlement of the India-China border, as he heads off to Beijing next week.
3. A leader in Mint says realistic targets should be kept in mind when it comes to the government's ambitious 100 smart cities plan. Just a handful of good ones would be a better start.
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1. The death toll in Nepal has crossed 6,200 after Saturday's massive earthquake as more aftershocks hit the Himalayan country.
2. India's foreign secretary S Jaishankar and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval are to visit Kathmandu today to oversee relief operations.
3. The Finance Minister has dropped a plan to set up a public debt management body, which would have taken away those powers from the Reserve Bank of India.
The Big Story: Moga case hits SAD government
A 15-year-old girl died and her mother was seriously injured on Wednesday after they had been harassed and then pushed out of a moving bus in Moga, Punjab. The incident happened to take place in an Orbit bus service vehicle, making it a part of the fleet that is partly owned by the family that runs the Punjab government, the Badals. As a result, it has turned into a massive political firestorm.
The Congress has called for the Orbit bus service to be shut down, as Uber was after its vehicle was the site of an outrageous incident. The incident has particularly turned a light on the Badals shady businesses, like the bus service, which have supplanted state buses. The Chandigarh-based Tribune has repeatedly reported on the Badals involvement in such business and use of their political power to promote their interests.
Police have arrested the three people allegedly involved in this incident, and have ruled out questioning the owners of the Orbit bus service for the moment. But while the criminal investigation will not get to the Badals, the political backlash is sure to hit a government that is already being criticised for corruption and the spread of drugs in the state.
Politicking & Policying
1. As the Supreme Court considers the validity of the National Judicial Appointments Commission, the bench hearing the matter has asked the government to point out one case where the wrong judge was appointed.
2. New Delhi has dismissed an American government body's report that questioned India's religious freedom, saying the report was based on a "limited understanding."
3. The Opposition has questioned Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's decision to bring in the Finance Bill, which passed on Thursday after a voice vote, saying it was being through last-minute "late night operations."
4. The poor performance of the Bharatiya Janata Party in West Bengal could be an indication of its prospects in Bihar, which goes to the polls later this year, although it will start off from a much stronger base.
Giggle
#RahulRoar cartoon pic.twitter.com/rPwLQez8tW
— R Prasad (@rprasad66) April 30, 2015Punditry
1. India doesn't face a land, food or suicide crisis. It faces a jobs crisis, writes Manish Sabarhwal in the Indian Express.
2. Srinath Raghavan in the Economic and Political Weekly, writes that Prime MInister Narendra Modi has the political capital to push for a final settlement of the India-China border, as he heads off to Beijing next week.
3. A leader in Mint says realistic targets should be kept in mind when it comes to the government's ambitious 100 smart cities plan. Just a handful of good ones would be a better start.
