Headlines from today's papers.
Modi government to have smaller cabinet, merged ministries
A few hours before his swearing-in as prime minister, Narendra Modi released an official statement on his Twitter account on Sunday evening, confirming the Bharatiya Janata Party's commitment to "minimum government, maximum governance". Modi said that "various assembled ministries will be transformed into organic ministries for quicker pace of work and better coordination between departments". Modi is due to take the oath at a grand ceremony in the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday evening, along with around 40 ministers of the BJP and its allies.
Modi welcomes release of Indian prisoners by Pakistan, Sri Lanka
Prime minister-designate Narendra Modi welcomed the goodwill gestures by Sri Lanka and Pakistan in releasing Indian fishermen in captivity, ahead of his official swearing-in scheduled for Monday. Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa had ordered the release of all Indian fishermen in his country's custody, while Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif also had 150 Indian prisoners freed, following an invitation from Modi to attend his oath-taking ceremony. Modi thanked both countries in a tweet, while also welcoming "our fishermen brothers back home".
MBA student arrested for anti-Modi messages
A few days after a man from Goa was booked for posting anti-Narendra Modi content on social media site Facebook, the Bangalore crime branch on Sunday arrested a 24-year-old MBA student for sending offensive messages against the prime minister-designate on free online messaging service Whatsapp. The arrest was based on a complaint filed by RTI activist Jayant Mukund Tinaikar, who claimed to have received an offensive message against Modi earlier this month. The police traced the message back to an MBA student from Anjuman Institute of Management in Karnataka's Bhatkal district, who was working in Bangalore.
13-year-old from Andhra Pradesh youngest woman to scale Everest
Malawath Purna, a 13-year-old Class IX student hailing from the Nizamabad district in Andhra Pradesh, made history on Sunday by becoming the youngest woman in the world to scale Mount Everest. Purna was accompanied by her schoolmate from the Andhra Pradesh Social Welfare Residential Schools, Sadanapalli Anand, 17. The duo, who were handpicked from a group of 150 students and trained at the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute in Darjeeling, reached the peak of the Everest at 6 am on Sunday.
Two more Congress leaders join in on internal blame game
A day after Congress president Sonia Gandhi asked party leaders to not indulge in "public acrimony" following the election debacle, senior leaders Kishore Chandra Deo and Anil Shastri joined a host of former Congress MPs in admonishing the party leadership, the prime target being vice-president Rahul Gandhi. Deo, who lost in the election from Andhra Pradesh, laid the blame on “rootless wonders and spineless creepers“ and said if Rahul Gandhi had implemented half the promises he made when he was named vice-president, the party would have fared better. Shastri, meanwhile, took to Twitter to lash out against “inaccessible and arrogant“ ministers.
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Modi government to have smaller cabinet, merged ministries
A few hours before his swearing-in as prime minister, Narendra Modi released an official statement on his Twitter account on Sunday evening, confirming the Bharatiya Janata Party's commitment to "minimum government, maximum governance". Modi said that "various assembled ministries will be transformed into organic ministries for quicker pace of work and better coordination between departments". Modi is due to take the oath at a grand ceremony in the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday evening, along with around 40 ministers of the BJP and its allies.
Modi welcomes release of Indian prisoners by Pakistan, Sri Lanka
Prime minister-designate Narendra Modi welcomed the goodwill gestures by Sri Lanka and Pakistan in releasing Indian fishermen in captivity, ahead of his official swearing-in scheduled for Monday. Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa had ordered the release of all Indian fishermen in his country's custody, while Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif also had 150 Indian prisoners freed, following an invitation from Modi to attend his oath-taking ceremony. Modi thanked both countries in a tweet, while also welcoming "our fishermen brothers back home".
MBA student arrested for anti-Modi messages
A few days after a man from Goa was booked for posting anti-Narendra Modi content on social media site Facebook, the Bangalore crime branch on Sunday arrested a 24-year-old MBA student for sending offensive messages against the prime minister-designate on free online messaging service Whatsapp. The arrest was based on a complaint filed by RTI activist Jayant Mukund Tinaikar, who claimed to have received an offensive message against Modi earlier this month. The police traced the message back to an MBA student from Anjuman Institute of Management in Karnataka's Bhatkal district, who was working in Bangalore.
13-year-old from Andhra Pradesh youngest woman to scale Everest
Malawath Purna, a 13-year-old Class IX student hailing from the Nizamabad district in Andhra Pradesh, made history on Sunday by becoming the youngest woman in the world to scale Mount Everest. Purna was accompanied by her schoolmate from the Andhra Pradesh Social Welfare Residential Schools, Sadanapalli Anand, 17. The duo, who were handpicked from a group of 150 students and trained at the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute in Darjeeling, reached the peak of the Everest at 6 am on Sunday.
Two more Congress leaders join in on internal blame game
A day after Congress president Sonia Gandhi asked party leaders to not indulge in "public acrimony" following the election debacle, senior leaders Kishore Chandra Deo and Anil Shastri joined a host of former Congress MPs in admonishing the party leadership, the prime target being vice-president Rahul Gandhi. Deo, who lost in the election from Andhra Pradesh, laid the blame on “rootless wonders and spineless creepers“ and said if Rahul Gandhi had implemented half the promises he made when he was named vice-president, the party would have fared better. Shastri, meanwhile, took to Twitter to lash out against “inaccessible and arrogant“ ministers.
