Government to announce OROP soon
Ex-servicemen’s associations on Friday threatened to intensify their agitation over the One Rank One Pension scheme if the Central government unilaterally implemented the programme. Representatives said that the associations were still holding talks with the government on various provisions, including on deciding a fixed interval for the revision of their pensions. The veterans’ remarks came after reports said that the Centre had prepared a draft on the modalities of the scheme and was likely to announce it within two to three days. Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Joint General-Secretary Dattatreya Hosabele said that the draft represented the “best possible deal” the government was offering to the veterans.
RSS endorses Centre's engagement with Pakistan
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh on Friday endorsed the Narendra Modi-led Central government’s engagement with Pakistan and praised its “direction, intent and commitment” over the matter. At its coordination meeting with the Bharatiya Janata Party, the organisation said that there was a need to discuss how to improve relations with Islamabad. RSS Joint General-Secretary, Dattatreya Hosabele said India and Pakistan were brothers. He dismissed the opposition’s criticism of the RSS "coordination exercise" with the government, saying that the Hindutva organisation had “every right” to hold ministers accountable as they were “citizens of the country”.
Court allows permanent commissions for women in Navy
The Delhi High Court on Friday allowed women to be offered permanent commissions in the Navy following the completion of their short-service stints. A two-judge bench said that the court would “frown upon any endeavour” that tried to “restrain the progress” of women. It also criticised what it called the sexist bias of the Navy. The bench passed its judgement on the matter after hearing six separate please filed by 19 women officers. The officers approached the High Court after their counterparts in the Army and the Air Force were granted relief over the same issue in 2010.
Congress likely to extend Sonia’s presidential term
The Congress is likely to extend party president Sonia Gandhi’s term by another year when its Working Committee meets in New Delhi next week. Party officials said that Gandhi, whose term is expiring in December, would be re-elected as President as Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi was not ready to take charge of the party. The officials said that any change in the Congress’ leadership ahead of the upcoming assembly polls in Bihar could hurt the party's performance.
Supreme Court seeks report on black money
The Supreme Court on Thursday sought a progress report from the Centre on the measures taken to recover and curb the flow of unaccounted money. A bench of the court lead by Chief Justice of India HL Dattu asked Attorney-General Mukul Rohatgi to inform the court about the steps taken to implement the recommendations of the Special Investigation Team set up to investigate black money. While senior advocate Prashant Bhushan sought an order from the court to make the SIT’s reports on the matter public, the counsel for the SIT opposed the move, saying that the three reports contained “delicate information”.
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Ex-servicemen’s associations on Friday threatened to intensify their agitation over the One Rank One Pension scheme if the Central government unilaterally implemented the programme. Representatives said that the associations were still holding talks with the government on various provisions, including on deciding a fixed interval for the revision of their pensions. The veterans’ remarks came after reports said that the Centre had prepared a draft on the modalities of the scheme and was likely to announce it within two to three days. Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Joint General-Secretary Dattatreya Hosabele said that the draft represented the “best possible deal” the government was offering to the veterans.
RSS endorses Centre's engagement with Pakistan
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh on Friday endorsed the Narendra Modi-led Central government’s engagement with Pakistan and praised its “direction, intent and commitment” over the matter. At its coordination meeting with the Bharatiya Janata Party, the organisation said that there was a need to discuss how to improve relations with Islamabad. RSS Joint General-Secretary, Dattatreya Hosabele said India and Pakistan were brothers. He dismissed the opposition’s criticism of the RSS "coordination exercise" with the government, saying that the Hindutva organisation had “every right” to hold ministers accountable as they were “citizens of the country”.
Court allows permanent commissions for women in Navy
The Delhi High Court on Friday allowed women to be offered permanent commissions in the Navy following the completion of their short-service stints. A two-judge bench said that the court would “frown upon any endeavour” that tried to “restrain the progress” of women. It also criticised what it called the sexist bias of the Navy. The bench passed its judgement on the matter after hearing six separate please filed by 19 women officers. The officers approached the High Court after their counterparts in the Army and the Air Force were granted relief over the same issue in 2010.
Congress likely to extend Sonia’s presidential term
The Congress is likely to extend party president Sonia Gandhi’s term by another year when its Working Committee meets in New Delhi next week. Party officials said that Gandhi, whose term is expiring in December, would be re-elected as President as Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi was not ready to take charge of the party. The officials said that any change in the Congress’ leadership ahead of the upcoming assembly polls in Bihar could hurt the party's performance.
Supreme Court seeks report on black money
The Supreme Court on Thursday sought a progress report from the Centre on the measures taken to recover and curb the flow of unaccounted money. A bench of the court lead by Chief Justice of India HL Dattu asked Attorney-General Mukul Rohatgi to inform the court about the steps taken to implement the recommendations of the Special Investigation Team set up to investigate black money. While senior advocate Prashant Bhushan sought an order from the court to make the SIT’s reports on the matter public, the counsel for the SIT opposed the move, saying that the three reports contained “delicate information”.
