July 15, 1985, Forty Years Ago: Black box analyses
Pak For N-treaty
Pakistan is willing to sign a bilateral agreement with India renouncing nuclear weapons, according to a senior Pakistani official. Zain Noorani, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, told the upper house of Parliament that Islamabad is ready 'to join with India bilaterally, or with other non-nuclear states on a regional or a global basis, in a solemn treaty to renounce nuclear weapons'.
Tweaks To Schemes
Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi said the 20-point programme, put in place by Indira Gandhi during the Emergency, would be suitably modified to meet the developmental needs of the poorer sections of people in the villages. He singled out the implementation of the integrated Rural Development Programme in this context and said changes had to be made in the schemes under this programme to help weaker sections. Gandhi said much had been done for the tribals in Madhya Pradesh 'but a lot remained to be done'.
Assam talks
The fate of the Saikia ministry could become the deciding factor for the solution of the foreigners problem in Assam. One minor hurdle was crossed in the present round when Union Home Secretary R D Pradhan cleared the element of uncertainty over the resumption of talks. They will begin within 10 days.
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Hindustan Times
7 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Soon, SOPs to curb non-consensual content
BENGALURU The Union government has set up an expert committee to create a standard operating procedure for combating the spread of non-consensual intimate images (NCII), following directions from the Madras high court in a case involving a woman lawyer whose private images were leaked and repeatedly resurfaced online. Centre told the court that the committee, composed of six experts and representatives from the Union government, will come up with a framework to deal with all cases involving NCII content. (Getty Images/iStockphoto) Senior counsel Abudu Kumar Rajarathinam, who appeared for the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), told the court that the committee, composed of six experts and representatives from the Union government, will come up with a framework to deal with all cases involving NCII content. The government made the submission before a bench of justice Anand Venkatesh of the Madras high court that was hearing the woman advocate's petition against the continued circulation of her private photos and videos, which her former partner had recorded without her consent and shared online. Despite multiple takedowns, the images kept reappearing, prompting Venkatesh to intervene and demand urgent systemic solutions. The government informed the court that MeitY had constituted a committee with representatives from the ministries of home affairs, women and child development, communications (department of telecommunications), and MeitY itself. The joint secretary of MeitY will head the panel, which also includes cyber law experts and nodal officers from the participating ministries, it said. The committee will draft an SOP (standard operating procedure) that combines 'legal and technical strategies to immediately and effectively' tackle NCII content. It will also propose long-term solutions and outline clear steps that victims themselves can take when their private content is leaked online. The Centre told the court that sensitising government agencies to the issue will form another key part of the committee's mandate. The high court recorded the submissions and said the committee should treat the present case as a 'test case' to find a robust mechanism to block such content and prevent it from resurfacing. 'This is like Ravana's head. Each time you cut it, it grows back. Even when we block the video, it reappears. The real problem is relapse,' justice Venkatesh said, referring to the woman lawyer's videos and photos resurfacing online despite the government and police authorities repeatedly blocking them. The court then suggested that MeitY can take the same steps it took to block over 1,400 URLs, including international links, spreading anti-India propaganda during 'Operation Sindoor'. Justice Venkatesh said the same intensity and technological tools must apply when a 'citizen's dignity' is at stake. 'The nation is nothing but a conglomerate of its citizens. If we can take swift action to protect the country's image, we must do the same when one individual's fundamental right under Article 21, right to dignity, is under attack,' the judge said. The court noted that NCII content remains a pervasive and recurring issue, especially affecting women who face stigma, threats, and long-lasting trauma. 'This isn't just one woman's fight. It reveals systemic gaps that harm thousands of women across the country,' the judge said. The petitioner's counsel pointed out that while MeitY had previously blocked six URLs, the video had now resurfaced across 13 new links. Senior counsel Rajarathinam confirmed that the URLs were inaccessible in Delhi and Mumbai but still active in Tamil Nadu. He said this was probably because of coordination issues with local service providers and said the authorities will fix it. The court reiterated that the committee must take the present case as a blueprint and evolve a method that works, so it can be replicated in future cases. 'This court will not allow this to become just another committee with a report that gathers dust,' justice Venkatesh said. During a previous hearing last month, the court had directed MeitY to detect and remove all private content of the petitioner within 48 hours. The woman had filed a police complaint after discovering that her ex-partner had secretly filmed their private moments and shared the content online. Despite repeated takedown efforts, the videos continued to resurface on pornographic websites, messaging apps, and social media platforms.
Hindustan Times
7 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
‘Aur aage jaana hai': PM Modi says ‘just the beginning' as Amit Shah becomes longest-serving home minister
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday while acknowledging union minister Amit Shah as the country's longest serving home minister, said this was just 'the beginning' for him, setting off speculation in the Bharatiya Janata Party that the endorsement was not just appreciation but an indication of a bigger role for the 60-year-old lawmaker from Gujarat. Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, JP Nadda and others leaves after attending the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) parliamentary party meeting, in New Delhi. (PTI) Also read | Addressing MPs at the NDA parliamentary party meeting, Modi referred to Shah and said he had surpassed the tenure of LK Advani who was previously the longest-serving home minister. 'Yeh to abhi shuruwat hai…abhi aur aage jaana hai (this is just the beginning…he has a long way to go),' a person privy to the meeting quoted the PM as saying. While Advani served as home minister from March 1998 to May 2004, becoming the minister to hold the position for the longest continuous period, Shah who was appointed in May 2019 has surpassed his tenure. 'With 2,258 days in office, he has now surpassed Lal Krishna Advani's tenure of 2,256 days as Home Minister. Before them, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, India's first Home Minister, served for 1,218 days. Union Home Minister Amit Shah's tenure has been marked by bold, historic decisions - from the abrogation of Article 370 to a firm crackdown on terrorism and strengthening of internal security,' the BJP said in a post on 'X'. A senior BJP leader, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the PM's statement can be interpreted as a reinforcement of the close ties between the two and also suggests a clarity in party hierarchy. 'There is a section of people who have been speculating about some issues including the hierarchy …but the PM's statement seems to have put that perception to rest.' A long-time confidant of the PM, Shah worked closely with Modi in Gujarat; and ran the BJP's campaign in Uttar Pradesh in the 2014 general elections. The party won 71 of the 80 seats in the state, and Shah was widely feted for his social engineering skills; the same year he was appointed as the party chief , replacing Rajnath Singh, who was elevated as the union home minister. 'The PM's endorsement is a recognition of his (Shah's) capacity and capability. As home minister he is credited with reducing left wing extremism, clamping down on terror financing, and has been at the forefront of pushing for the ideological concerns such as the Abrogation of Article 370 (from Jammu and Kashmir), Unified Civil Code…he is rooted in the Sangh's ideology and pragmatic in his political decision making,' said a second senior party leader, speaking on condition of anonymity. Hailing Shah, the PM at the meeting said, he is confident that LWE would end by 2026. In 2017, Shah's organisational skills and adroit election planning saw the BJP come back to power in Uttar Pradesh after 14 years and the set stage of the party's expansion, both in terms of members as well as its presence across the country, winning in states such as Assam, Manipur, and Tripura, regions the party had previously been unable to breach. As home minister he has steered key bills, including the 2019 one that effectively abrogated Article 370, through Parliament. The PM's statement set off a flurry of congratulatory messages on social media from the party leaders. Union minister Kiren Rijiju in a post on 'X' said, 'Heartfelt congratulations to Shri @amitshah ji on becoming the longest-serving Union Home Minister in India's history. His unwavering resolve, from the abrogation of Article 370 to the firm stand against terrorism, continues to shape New India. Wishing him continued strength in building #viskitbharat.'
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Maratha map in NCERT text includes Raj, angers ex-royals; Maha historians cite treaty
Kolhapur: The depiction of Jaisalmer as part of the Maratha empire in a map featured in NCERT's Class 8 social science textbook has been criticised as historically misleading and wrong by Chaitanya Raj Singh, head of the former Jaisalmer royal family. He urged Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan on 'X' to "correct" the "erroneous, malicious, and agenda-driven content" without delay. However, Maratha historians from Pune and Kolhapur said the depiction was accurate and cited documentary evidence such as the 1752 pact between the Mughal Empire and the Marathas to buttress the claim. The objection raised by Rajasthan's ex-royals to the depiction of Jaisalmer as part of the Maratha empire pertains to the map on Page 71 of Unit 3 'Rise of Marathas' published in the textbook 'Exploring Society: India and Beyond.' Prior to Chaitanya Raj Singh's objection, Bhupesh Singh, head of the former royal family of Bundi, had on X contested the portrayal of Rajput princely states as part of the Maratha empire and gone as far as declaring the Maratha empire a fictitious entity. "In the context of the Jaisalmer princely state, no authentic historical sources mention any Maratha dominance, invasion, taxation, or authority. Our royal records clearly state the Marathas never had any interference in the Jaisalmer princely state," Singh wrote. You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai Rajsamand's BJP MP Mahima Kumari Mewar and her MLA husband V S Mewar, a descendent of Maharana Pratap, joined in, as did Congress's ex-Union minister Jitendra Singh, member of the erstwhile Alwar royal family. "First misrepresented as being under British, now as under Marathas –– who is going to educate the educationists in NCERT?! Are they capable of presenting the factual history of India; seriously doubt it," Kumari wrote on X. NCERT director Dinesh Prasad Sakhlani and Gouri Srivastava, head of department of education in social sciences at NCERT, hadn't responded to calls and texts from TOI till late on Tuesday. Historian Pandurang Balkawade from Pune countered these claims, citing pacts and documents that demonstrate Maratha dominance. He referenced the NCERT map, which illustrates the Maratha Empire, including tributary states denoted in a specific colour, and cities governed by Marathas and their allies. Although Jaisalmer is not explicitly mentioned, the map's expanse includes Rajput states, showing Maratha reach from Peshawar to Cuttack. Indrajit Sawant, a Kolhapur-based historian, said, "Rajputana came under influence of the Marathas after Marathas started domination over the Mughal Badshah. Marathas used to run the Mughal empire and the Rajput states came under it. The Rajputs were jagirdars of the Mughals. They were made to mandatorily pay taxes. Though the Marathas didn't have day-to-day control over the Rajput states, there were deployments to ensure the terms were followed." Balkawade pointed to the 'Ahadnama', a pact between Mughal Badshah Ahmad Shah Bahadur and Malharrao Holkar and Mahadji Shinde for Nanasaheb Peshwa in April 1752, as evidence of Maratha authority over Rajput states. "There are sources and documents that provide a description of 'Ahadnama', the pact signed between Safdar Jung on behalf of the Mughal emperor and Shinde-Holkar on behalf of the Peshwa at Kannauj. The wazir of the Badshah brought Badshah's message that Ahmed Shah Abdali was marching towards Delhi, and he wanted Marathas to protect his empire. As per the pact, Marathas had to protect the emperor from internal enemies like Pathans, Rajputs or other rebels and external foes like Abdali. Marathas were given Rs 50 lakh for this. The Peshwa was given the right to levy chauth from Punjab, Sindh, and Doab, and the Peshwa was also granted viceroyalty of Agra and Ajmer," Balkawade said. He said Peshwa records indicate regular collection of chauth from regions including Ajmer, with a document showing Rs 13 lakh collected as tax. Other chauth areas were Delhi, Agra, Ujjain (Malwa) and Odisha. Following Badshah's death, Shinde installed Shah Alam on the throne in 1771, becoming deputy regent of empire. He pointed to disputes in royal families of Jodhpur and Jaipur on succession. "Marathas adjudicated in both and both rulers joined Maratha empire. "
