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Ahead of the opening of the Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala for a five-day monthly ritual starting 16 July, a longstanding controversy over the entry of women into its premises has been revived. In an unexpected move, the recently elected Left Democratic Front (LDF) government said before the Supreme Court on Monday that it would stand by the affidavit filed by its predecessor, the Congress-led United Democratic Front regime, to regulate entry of women into the temple.
A 17-year-old boy and a 26-year-old woman who met on Facebook accused each other of sexual assault. The case in Delhi came to light when the juvenile was booked for rape charge and the woman under POCSO Act. According to reports, they met on Monday and went to a hotel in Vasant Kunj area in Delhi. Later, the woman called the police and accused the boy of raping her.
A nurse employed with general specialty SMHS Hospital in Srinagar, reportedly walked 40 kilometres in strife-torn Kashmir, where over 300 people have died in protests, to get to work. SMHS hospital took the worst hit during the emergency with several people succumbing to their injuries in the crowded hospital, despite receiving treatment. Five critical surgeries were reportedly being conducted by the hospital simultaneously at any given time.
Main News
Over the last six years, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has witnessed a notable increase in the number of it's shakhas (branches) around the country. The BJP's ideological mentor has grown from 45,000 units in 2010 to over 57,000 till mid-2016. The RSS claim that this trend is reflective of the people's 'growing acceptance' of the Sangh parivar and its ideology.
Permanent Court of Arbitration on Tuesday said that China had no "historic rights" over resources in the South China Sea, ruling in favour of the Philippines. But China has said it won't accept the ruling. The landmark ruling threatens to sharpen the differences between the US and China, exposing a growing gulf between the world powers.
Jammu and Kashmir's former chief minister Omar Abdullah's estranged Payal Abdullah moved Delhi High Court challenging the Centre's move to evict her and their two children from their Akbar Road official residence. Justice Indermeet Kaur has granted a temporary stay to Payal's eviction order, and has asked her to explain how she needs that particular residence to protect the family β especially when they enjoy Z and Z-plus category security involving 94 highly-trained personnel.
Off The Front Page
A report published by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation recently found out that over 60 per cent of all single-member overnight trips in Telangana were by women. But the report maintains that Punjab was still the most favoured destination for women travelling alone, with data showing that 66 per cent of the solo trips were by women.
After Kerala government's 'healthy step' of introducing 14.5 per cent 'fat tax' on burgers, pizzas, doughnuts and sandwiches sold at quick delivery chains and branded restaurants, nutritionists and dieticians now want Karnataka to follow suit. Karnataka chapter of Indian Dietetic Association has recommended that the Indian food items such as vada, namkeen, bhaji, puri, should also come under the tax net.
Amidst a controversial legal battle between actor Hrithik Roshan and actress Kangana Ranaut, Roshan has said that he was not looking for support from Bollywood. He added that as the 'truth' was on his side, he didn't need any support from anyone else.
Opinion
Smriti Irani's detractors don't see the obvious β that the textiles sector can benefit enormously from her affinity for action, writes Jaya Jaitly for The Indian Express. "Uttar Pradesh, where the upcoming political bhumi lies ahead for Irani, is home to thousands of weavers and artisans who need attention and uplift, not based on subsidies, but based on improved capacity building. There is huge potential for creating sustainable employment in this sector and it will surely benefit from the new minister, that is if others do not try to constantly trip her up," she says.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti need to demonstrate that they are in sync with the pain of the bereaved and the anger in Kashmir, writes Radha Kumar in The Hindu. "Looking back, there are three major lessons to be learnt from the past 15 years. First, from Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, that empathy and symbolism are key to a breakthrough in Kashmir. Second, from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, that raising expectations for a peace process and then failing to follow through will further exacerbate the situation. And third, from the past two years, that neglect is never benign in situations like the one in J&K," she says.
The dismantling of the licence raj was supposed to unleash the industrial sector, but if anything, it has fallen just a bit, writes Ajit Ranade in Mint. "Just like our East Asian peers, we should have seen a jump in the share of manufacturing in national gross domestic product (GDP). Unfortunately this promise was never fulfilled. The share of manufacturing was 16.41% in 1989-90 and is 16.2% in 2015-16 (new GDP series)... This is a big puzzle. Additionally, even employment in the organised manufacturing sector, especially the public sector, has remained stagnant," he says.
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