Government must clarify if it has accepted 3rd party mediation: Congress on ‘pause’
NEW DELHI: Congress on Sunday demanded that govt clarify its stand on whether it has accepted “third-party mediation” on Kashmir after the US made announcements on behalf of India and Pakistan on Saturday. The party also registered its strong objection to attempts to “internationalise” the Kashmir issue and “hyphenate” the two countries. It reiterated its demand for an all-party meeting “in the presence” of PM Narendra Modi and a special session of Parliament for a full discussion on the Pahalgam terror attack, Operation Sindoor and ‘ceasefire announcement’ made from the US first and then by govts of India and Pakistan. Leaders of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge respectively have written to the PM, reiterating the “unanimous request of the opposition” to convene a special session of Parliament immediately. “This will be an opportunity to demonstrate our collective resolve to meet the challenges ahead,” Rahul said. Congress general secretary Sachin Pilot called the “surprise” announcement of “ceasefire” by US President Donald Trump “unprecedented” and one which gives rise to many questions. P Chidambaram on X said the timeline of ‘events/announcements’ pertaining to the “ceasefire” was “intriguing”. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https://timesofindia.com/ and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.
Life expectancy in India drops for the first time in five decades; 2020-21 saw 2 million excess deaths
Birth rate registration also sees marginal drop Expectation of life at birth for India has dropped for the first time in 50 years, registering a decrease of 0.2 years in a year. Life expectancy at birth has been estimated at 69.8 years between 2017 and 2021, compared to 2016-2020. For rural and urban areas, life expectancy has declined by 0.1 years and 0.3 years respectively for the same time period. According to the Sample Registration System-based Abridged Life Tables 2017-21, “On an average, female life expectancy at birth is more than male life expectancy at birth by more than two years. Even at age 70 years, this difference is favourable towards females by about one year.” Life expectation at birth was registered highest in Delhi at 73 years for males and Kerala for females at 77.9 years. The lowest was noted in Chhattisgarh with 62.8 years for males and 66.4 years for females. “The maximum per annum average increase in life expectancy for males during the period 1970-75 to 2017-21 has been observed in Odisha and the minimum in Haryana. For females, the maximum annual increase has been recorded in Himachal Pradesh and Odisha and the minimum in Kerala,” the report stated. The report was published by Registrar General of India (RGI), under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. Three other reports — Vital Statistics of India Based on the Civil Registration System (CRS) 2021, the Sample Registration System (SRS) Statistical Report 2021 and the Report on the Medical Certification of Cause of Death (MCCD) 2021 — were also published on May 7. This decrease in life expectancy coincides with India registering an almost two million jump in deaths during the peak pandemic year 2021, government data has shown. According to the Vital Statistics of India Based on the Civil Registration System (CRS) 2021, the number of registered deaths increased from 8.1 million in 2020 to 10.2 million in 2021. But the government has linked nearly 0.6 million of these deaths to COVID-19 in its report. It stated, “In the age-group 25-34 years, the first two leading causes, Diseases of Circulatory System and Codes for Special Purposes: COVID 19 have contributed to 21.2 per cent and 15.6 per cent respectively.” While in the age-group 35-44 years, the same two leading causes, have shares of 25.9 per cent and 20.3 per cent respectively. The total registered deaths were estimated to increase by 26 per cent. Across 32 states and Union territories that reported higher deaths, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, West Bengal, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Punjab, Telangana, Jharkhand and Delhi have recorded significantly increased number of deaths registered in a year — from 2020 to 2021. The increase in deaths and drop in life expectancy coincide with the peak pandemic years and contrast with the declining death rate the country has been documenting in previous decades. However, the government report has attributed 17.3 per cent of these deaths (574,198) to COVID-19. Of these 160,618 deaths were reported in 2020 while 413,580 deaths occurred in 2021. Leaving COVID-19 deaths aside, there will still be about 1.4 million excess deaths, but not directly associated to COVID-19. Meanwhile, deaths owing to respiratory disease also spiked from 181,160 in 2020 to 305,191 in 2020 and 2021 respectively. Deaths due to diseases of the circulatory system also increased from 580,751 to 714,072 for the same timeframe. Symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical findings also increased marginally from 191,609 in 2020 to 232,430 in 2021. Life expectancy in India drops for the first time in five decades; 2020-21 saw 2 million excess deaths Multiple studies show that COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 conditions cause several health issues including lung and heart abnormalities, increasing risks to heart attacks and lung diseases. On the other hand, as per the SRS report, the death rate in the country increased from 6.0 in 2020 to 7.9 in 2021. This is contrary to the trend where the death rate in India has recorded dramatic decline from 14.9 in 1971 to 6 in 2020. Death rate offers the closest estimate of morality and is measured as the number of deaths per thousand population in a given region and time period. In 2021, the death rate in rural areas increased from 6.4 to 7.9, while in cities it increased from 5.1 to 6.6 between 2020 and 2021 respectively. The birth rate also saw a decline at the all India level, dropping from 36.9 in 1971 to 19.3 in 2021. The factor is a crude determinant of fertility of a population and crucial measure to understand population growth. Birth rate gives the number of live births per thousand population of a given region and year. The birth rate was recorded to have shrunk by 11 per cent in the past decade — from 21.6 documented in 2012 to 19.3 in 2021. The corresponding decline in rural areas (from 23.1 to 20.9) is higher than in urban areas (from 17.4 to 15.9) respectively. Meanwhile, the registered births have also reduced marginally by about 0.1 per cent — from 24.22 million to 24.2 million. Almost all states have seen a decline in registration of births but 12 states — Jharkhand, Karnataka, Assam, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Kerala, Odisha, and Tamil Nadu — have contributed highly to the decrease in registered births in 2021, compared to 2020. Three states — Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal — have shown an increase in birth registration during 2020-2021. Courtesy: Down to Earth Note: This news is originally published on https://www.downtoearth.org.in and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.
Daily weather tracker: Hot & humid weather likely over Assam & Meghalaya on May 10
Hot and humid weather is likely over Assam & Meghalaya on May 10, 2025, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in its daily bulletin. “Hot & humid weather is likely to prevail over Odisha during 10th-14th; Assam & Meghalaya on 10th; Tripura on 10th& 11th; Tamilnadu Puducherry & Karaikal during 10th-13th; Kerala & Mahe on 10th & 11th May,” the IMD said. It added that heat wave conditions are very likely in isolated pockets of West Uttar Pradesh on May 15 and 16; eastern Uttar Pradesh during May 14-16; Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim on May 10 and 11; Gangetic West Bengal during May 10-14 and Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha during May 11-14. According to the IMD, the southwest monsoon is very likely to advance into the South Andaman Sea, some parts of Southeast Bay of Bengal and Nicobar Islands around May 13, 2025. “It is likely to advance over some parts of south Arabian Sea, Maldives & Comorin area; some more parts of South Bay of Bengal, entire Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Andaman Sea; and some parts of central Bay of Bengal during subsequent 4-5 days,” the bulletin added. In the west, isolated light/moderate rainfall, accompanied with thunderstorm, lightning and gusty winds at speeds reaching 40-50 kmph and gusting to 60 kmph is likely over Gujarat on May 10, Madhya Maharashtra, Marathwada during May 10-14; with winds speed reaching 30-40 kmph and gusting to 50 kmph over Konkan & Goa on May 10; Gujarat on May 11 and 12. In eastern and central India, isolated to scattered light/moderate rainfall accompanied with thunderstorm, lightning and gusty winds at speeds reaching 40-50 kmph and gusting to 60 kmph is likely over Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha, Chhattisgarh, Sub Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim during May 10-14; Gangetic West Bengal during May 11-14 and Odisha on May 11 and 12; and with winds at speeds reaching 30-40 kmph gusting to 50 kmph over Jharkhand on May 11. Courtesy: Down to Earth Note: This news is originally published on https://www.downtoearth.org.in and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.
Plea to seize bail bond of Rahul Gandhi in defamation case
Pune: An application to seize the bail bond of Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, in the criminal defamation case was filed by Satyaki Savarkar, the grandnephew of Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, before a special magisterial court on Friday for not recording his plea to commence the trial. The court directed Gandhi’s lawyer, Milind Pawar, to file a written statement on Satyaki’s plea by May 28. Satyaki’s plea, filed through his lawyer Sangram Kolhatkar, stated that Gandhi wilfully abstained from recording the plea on multiple occasions since he was released on bail on January 10. It mentioned that the court considered Gandhi’s status as a Member of Parliament and Leader of Opposition, and permitted him to be present before the court through video conferencing and allowed him to be represented by his lawyer. The plea also stated that the court imposed the condition that Gandhi would not seek adjournment and his lawyer would be present on every date of the trial. Satyaki’s plea claimed that Gandhi deliberately avoided recording his plea and requested for coercive action against him to secure his presence for the trial. The magisterial court on January 10 granted bail to Gandhi in the case filed by Satyaki over alleged objectionable remarks made by the Congress leader against the Hindutva ideologue in his March 2023 speech in London. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https://timesofindia.com/ and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.
Savarkar kin says seize Rahul’s bail bond in criminal defamation case
An application to seize the bail bond of leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi in a criminal defamation case was filed by Satyaki Savarkar, grandnephew of Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, before a special magisterial court on Friday for not recording his plea to commence trial. The court directed Gandhi’s lawyer, Milind Pawar, to file a written statement on Satyaki’s plea by May 28. The case has to do with alleged objectionable remarks made by him against Savarkar in a March 2023 speech in London. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https://timesofindia.com/ and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.
Court junks complaint against Rahul for ‘PM not OBC by birth’ remark
JAIPUR: The court of judicial magistrate No. 11, Metropolitan-II, dismissed the complaint filed against former Congress president Rahul Gandhi for making allegedly casteist remarks against PM Narendra Modi. Presiding officer Diksha Sood stated in her order that the court neither has the jurisdiction to determine anyone’s caste and gotra nor is it the right forum for this, leading to the dismissal of the complaint. The complaint mentioned that the complainant read in a newspaper on Feb 9, 2024 that Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra had reached Chhattisgarh. During this event, Rahul had claimed that PM Modi was not from OBC category by birth, that Gujarat’s BJP govt had made Modi an OBC, and that he could not do justice to the rights and shares of backward classes. The complaint alleged that such a statement by Rahul Gandhi in public was intended to incite various sections and communities of Indian citizens to commit crimes. The complainant, Vijay Kalandar, also alleged that the statement created unrest in the country and endangered its security. He lodged a complaint with police regarding the matter, but the police did not take any action. Consequently, he filed for legal action. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https://timesofindia.com/ and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.
Operation Sindoor is going on… Attack on terror, ban on TRF… Who said what in the all-party meeting?
In the all-party meeting held on India’s Operation Sindoor in response to the Pahalgam attack, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh informed that the operation is going on. The opposition said that it will give full support to the government. New Delhi: India carried out Operation Sindoor in response to the Pahalgam attack. An all-party meeting was held on Thursday on this issue. This all-party meeting was held under the chairmanship of Defense Minister Rajnath Singh. After the meeting, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said that all the parties were informed about Operation Sindoor in the all-party meeting. In the meeting, the opposition unanimously said that they would support the government. The special thing about the meeting was that Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said that Operation Sindoor is going on. Kiren Rijiju said that all the leaders gave their suggestions in the meeting. All the leaders have shown maturity at a time when we are all working together. Everyone has praised and congratulated the armed forces for Operation Sindoor. Also said that we will support the government and the armed forces. We have also received some suggestions… The Defense Minister said that we do not form a government just to rule. Our country has taken a big action. It was carried out by our armed forces. We should inform all the parties about the situation, because it is the responsibility of the government and the Prime Minister has instructed us to do so. The whole country is with the armed forces. We are with the government: Rahul Congress leaders and Leader of Opposition showed solidarity with the government in this matter. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that we are with the government. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said that we are with the government in times of crisis. Kharge said, in the meeting we heard what they (Center) wanted to say. They also said that some confidential information cannot be shared outside. We told them that we are all with the government. Earlier, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said that the entire opposition is with the government in this matter. Ban on TRF After the all-party meeting, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said that I have praised our armed forces and the government for Operation Sindoor. I also suggested that we should launch a global campaign against the Resistance Front (TRF). I also suggested that the government should request the US to designate it (TRF) as a terrorist organization. We should also make efforts to gray-list Pakistan in FATF. The name of The Resistance Force (TRF) came up in the terrorist attack in Pahalgam. This terrorist organization took responsibility for it after the attack. TRF is a proxy organization of Lashkar. About the author Anil Kumar Anil has been active in the media industry for more than a decade. The journey started with reporting from Dainik Jagran Chandigarh in 2009, has reached NavbharatTimes.com via Dainik Bhaskar, Rajasthan Patrika, Amar Ujala, Jansatta.com. He is originally from Bihar but has studied from Delhi. Courtesy : Anil Kumar, : Hindi News
Rahul Gandhi sought Parliament session so that good message goes outside: Mallikarjun Kharge on all-party meet
The opposition expressed support for the government and the armed forces at the all-party meeting on ‘Operation Sindoor’, and Rahul Gandhi demanded a Parliament session to give a good message, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said on Thursday. Speaking with reporters after attending the meeting, Kharge also expressed disappointment that Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not attend it. “We wanted the PM to participate and briefly talk about the action against terrorism. We salute the jawans who have shown bravery. We wanted him to come and brief us but he did not. He had not even attended the last meeting,” Kharge said. All parties of the INDIA bloc and other parties as well spoke in one voice, and said, “you move ahead and we are with you in the decisions you take and are standing with the army”, the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha said. ‘As Defence Minister, I will give befitting reply’: Rajnath Singh vows action after Pahalgam attack ‘As Defence Minister, I will give befitting reply’: Rajnath Singh vows action after Pahalgam attack‘As Defence Minister, I will give befitting reply’: Rajnath Singh vows action after Pahalgam attack The PM has stated he has given full authority to the army to take whatever action it wants, Kharge said. “Defence Minister (Rajnath Singh) said this is a sensitive time and in the interest of the country, detailed questions are not to be asked that are defence secrets,” he said. Those present at the meeting also raised the issue of security of the people living in the border areas, he said. Those who have lost their lives in shelling in Jammu and Kashmir, their kin should be taken care of, Kharge added. “The government assured us that they would take all kinds of steps,” he said. Rahul Gandhi demanded that a Parliament session be called so that a good message goes outside, Kharge informed. “If a session is called, MPs can put forward their views and enhance the confidence of the people,” Kharge said, adding the government gave no assurance to that. The government briefed an all-party meeting on Thursday on the success of Operation Sindoor and its aftermath, as top government functionaries and opposition leaders met for a second time in a fortnight amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22. Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, S Jaishankar, J P Nadda and Nirmala Sitharaman represented the government, while Rahul Gandhi and Kharge from the Congress, Sandip Bandyopadhyay of the Trinamool Congress and DMK’s T R Baalu were among the leading opposition figures in the meeting. Courtesy : TET Note: This news is originally published on https://theeconomictimes.com/ and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.
‘Full Support To Govt’: Rahul Gandhi After All Party Meet On Operation Sindoor | India Pak Tensions
During the All party meeting, which was attended by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and others, Rajnath Singh said that the precision attacks carried out on nine terrorist hideouts killed 100 terrorists, although ‘the counting is still on.’ The central government had called an all-party meet to brief the leaders of the opposition about Operation Sindoor, which targeted terrorist camps in PoK and Pakistan. Courtesy : TOI Note: This news is originally published on https://timesofindia.com/ and is for use by the non-military/non-commercial community, especially those in the human rights sector.
TM Exclusive: Darkness under the lamp in MP Congress, caste balance missing in spokesperson list, tribals zero, Rahul Gandhi’s slogan ignored?
55% of 53 spokespersons get nominal representation from upper caste, backward and Dalit leaders BHOPAL. Madhya Pradesh Congress organization is continuously proving unsuccessful in following the political slogan given by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi “Jiski jitni sankta bhaari, uski utni share” (the number of people is more, the share is more). The latest example of this is the recently announced spokesperson list of the state Congress, in which the basic spirit of social justice and caste representation is not visible. On May 5, the list of 53 spokespersons was released by the head of the media department of Congress, Mukesh Nayak, on the instructions of the president Jitu Patwari. In this list, the dominance of upper castes can be clearly seen, while the backward classes (OBC), scheduled castes (SC), scheduled tribes (ST) and minority communities with large population have not got the expected representation. Dominance of general category According to the list, 18 Brahmins, 6 Thakurs, 6 other general category and 11 leaders from backward class have been appointed as spokespersons. That is, a total of 29 spokespersons belong to the upper caste, which is about 55% of the total list. On the other hand, only 9 leaders of the backward class, which is considered to have about 50% participation in the population of the state, have been given the responsibility of spokesperson. Only 7 representatives of the Scheduled Caste category are in this list and only 6 leaders from the minority category could become spokespersons. The most surprising thing is that the tribals have a participation of 21.10 percent in the state. Congress has not appointed any person from the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category as a spokesperson, while Madhya Pradesh is a tribal dominated state. Questions raised on lack of caste balance Congress has been demanding caste census for a long time and Rahul Gandhi has made it clear while advocating social justice from every platform that the party’s goal is to ensure participation in proportion to the number. But this list of Madhya Pradesh Congress has not only weakened this idea, but has also exposed the neglect of caste representation at the ground level. Opinion of political analysts Political analysts believe that when the Bahujan Samaj will not get proper representation in the organisational structure itself, then how will the public trust the policies of Congress and its slogan of social justice? In a conversation with The Mooknayak, senior journalist Ramesh Sharma said that even though the Congress party talks about giving representation under social justice, but its list does not show representation in proportion to the numbers. List of representatives according to social classes General Category (Total): 30 Thakurs: (6) Ajit Bhadoria, Avnish Bundela, Santosh Singh Parihar, Samar Singh, Himani Singh, Santosh Singh Gautam, Brahmins: (18) Aparajita Pandey, Ambika Sharma, Gunjan Shukla, Jitendra Mishra, Dharmendra Sharma, Neelabh Shukla, Pramod Dwivedi, Priyanka Sharma, Mrinal Pant, Ram Pandey, Sangeeta Sharma, Rahul Raj, Sandeep Sablok, Sunil Mishra, Swadesh Sharma, Vivek Tripathi, Vinod Sharma. Other General Categories: (6) Bhupendra Gupta, Vinay Saxena, Ravi Saxena, Anand Jain Kasiwal, Harsh Jain, Kundan Punjabi. Backward Classes: (Total 11) Abhinav Baroliya, Amit Chourasiya, Anand Jat, Jyoti Patel, Yogesh Yadav, Rajesh Chouksey, Roshni Yadav, Shailendra Patel, Sparsh Chaudhary, R.P. Singh, Samar Singh Scheduled Caste: (SC) (Total 7) Amit Tawde, Praveen Dholpure, Mithun Ahirwar, Mukesh Panthee, Ravi Verma, Vikram Chaudhary, Sitasharan Suryavanshi. Scheduled Tribe (ST): No spokesperson. Minority community: (Total 6) Abbas Hafiz, Noori Khan, Firoz Siddiqui, Shahryar Khan, Sabir Fitwal. When The Mooknayak tried to get a reaction from the newly appointed spokesperson Dr. Vikram Chaudhary on this issue, he refused to comment and was seen avoiding speaking on this subject. SC/ST did not get representation even in Youth Congress elections In this election of Youth Congress, out of a total of 59 posts, only 7 seats have been reserved for the youth of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe category. This number is very less compared to the share of these classes in the population of the state. The total population of Madhya Pradesh has reached about 3.29 crores, in which Dalit and tribal communities have a large participation, but their share in organizational representation does not seem satisfactory. It is clear that the reservation policy has become a mere formality here. Why is the reduction in representation an important issue? Giving proper representation to social groups in political organisations is not just a game of numbers, it is a matter related to the soul of democracy and constitutional values. Giving leadership opportunities to young leaders of SC/ST community is the basic condition of social justice. When Congress calls itself a supporter of social justice, it is expected that it implements that idea in its organisational structure as well! Courtesy : Ankit Pachauri, Hindi News