Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy tabled the state’s caste survey in the Assembly, stating that the Congress had fulfilled its election promise to do so within a year. He said the data would guide socio-political changes and support policymaking.

This came soon after the Cabinet approved the survey report on Tuesday day. Conducted in November and December, the survey found that Backward Classes make up 56.3% of Telangana’s population, or 1.9 crore people. Scheduled Castes account for 17.4%, Scheduled Tribes 10.4%, and Other Castes 15.7%.

Muslims form 12.5% of the population, with 10.08% categorised as Backward Classes. Telangana is the third state to conduct such a survey after Bihar and Andhra Pradesh. Read on.

The Gujarat government has appointed a five-member committee to draft a Uniform Civil Code for the state. The panel, led by retired Supreme Court judge Ranjana Desai, will submit its report in 45 days.

A uniform civil code governs marriage, divorce, succession and adoption for all citizens, replacing community-specific laws derived from religious scriptures. The BJP has long advocated for its implementation, with several states ruled by the party taking steps towards it.

“Indianness is our religion, and the Constitution is our sacred text,” said Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel. “As we celebrate 75 years of the Constitution, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has decided to implement a uniform law across the country to ensure equal rights.”.

On January 27, Uttarakhand became the first state to implement a Uniform Civil Code. Legal experts have said the legislation largely draws from Hindu personal law and could erase the personal law practices of minority communities.

A common civil code has been in place in Goa since the Portuguese Civil Code was adopted in 1867. Read on.

A US military plane carrying undocumented Indian migrants has departed for India, an unidentified US official told Reuters on Monday. The C-17 aircraft left the US but would take at least 24 hours to reach India.

The Trump administration has used military resources to support its immigration policies, including deploying troops at the Mexico border, housing migrants on bases and using military planes for deportations. Such flights have repatriated migrants to Guatemala, Peru and Honduras.

On January 24, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said it was committed to repatriating Indian nationals residing abroad without proper documentation. This came after reports that India was working with the Trump administration to deport around 18,000 undocumented or visa-overstaying Indian nationals from the US.

A 2022 US Department of Homeland Security report estimated that 220,000 undocumented Indian immigrants were living in the US. While Indian nationals accounted for about 3% of all illegal crossings encountered by US border officials in the 2024 fiscal year, their numbers have been rising, particularly at the northern US-Canada border. Read on.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has accused Uttar Pradesh’s Bharatiya Janata Party government of concealing the real toll from the January 29 Maha Kumbh stampede in Prayagraj. While the authorities reported 30 deaths and 60 injuries, media reports suggested the toll could be significantly higher. The administration did not provide an official toll till nearly 15 hours after the accident.

In the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, Yadav demanded strict action against those responsible for the stampede and questioned why the correct figures were “suppressed, hidden and erased”. He called for transparency in the matter and asked about the medical care given to the injured.

Samajwadi Party leaders claimed that hundreds went missing after the stampede, with MP Ram Gopal alleging that 15,000 families had reported missing relatives. The stampede occurred between 1 am and 2 am as pilgrims gathered for Mauni Amavasya, a significant day in the Hindu calendar. The Maha Kumbh Mela began on January 13 and will run till February 26. Read on.

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