The Hindu Morning digest: June 27, 2025

The Hindu

2 days ago

Issue birth certificate before discharge of baby, Registrar General of India tells States
The Registrar General of India (RGI) has asked all States to ensure that birth certificates are issued to mothers of new born children before they are discharged from hospitals, particularly government-run hospitals, which account for more than 50% of institutional births in the country. The RGI office said the registrar should give the birth certificate as soon as the registration of birth is completed 'but not later than seven days' in an electronic or other format. It said government hospitals, community health centers and primary health centres across the country are working as registration units and the registrars of such units should be sensitised to the importance of the immediate issue of birth certificates, as their utility has been recently increased manifold.
Zohran Mamdani's New York mayoral win draws flak from Kangana, Congress' Singhvi
Zohran Mamdani's win over former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary for the city's mayoral race has triggered criticism from political rivals in India, with Members of Parliament from both the Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) taking exception to the mayoral candidate's views. Rajya Sabha MP and senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi remarked that 'Pakistan's PR takes the day off' when Mr. Mamdani speaks, while BJP Lok Sabha MP Kangana Ranaut said the Indian-origin lawmaker 'sounds more Pakistani than Indian.' Ms. Ranaut, an MP from Mandi, echoed the sentiment, writing, 'His mother is Mira Nair, one of our best filmmakers, Padma Shri, a beloved and celebrated daughter born and raised in great Bharat based in New York. She married Mehmood Mamdani (Gujarati origin), a celebrated author, and obviously son is named Zohran — he sounds more Pakistani than Indian.'
Willing to discuss ongoing issues with Bangladesh: India
India is willing to discuss all issues with Bangladesh in a 'conducive' environment, said Randhir Jaiswal, official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, emphasising that established modalities exist between Dhaka and New Delhi that can deal with a full spectrum of bilateral relations. The remarks came as former diplomats and experts are set to address the Standing Committee on External Affairs to discuss the 'Future of the India-Bangladesh Relationship'. Sources told The Hindu that the experts are former National Security Advisor Shiv Shankar Menon, Lieutenant-General Ata Hasnain (retd), former High Commissioner to Bangladesh Riva Ganguly Das, and Jawaharlal Nehru University professor Amitabh Mattoo.
'Secularism' and 'socialism' not part of Preamble drafted by Ambedkar, must be reviewed: RSS
Noting that 'secularism' and 'socialism' were not part of the Preamble of the Constitution as drafted by B.R. Ambedkar, Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale on Thursday (June 26, 2025) called for the later inclusion of these terms to be reviewed. 'Freedom of judiciary was also curtailed... but one more thing. Two words — that is, 'secularism' and 'socialism' — were added in the Preamble of the Indian Constitution during the Emergency. These two words were not there in the Preamble before. Preamble is eternal to the nation, but are the views and values of socialism, in terms of ideology, eternal for India?' he asked. The word 'secularism' was not originally in the Indian Constitution, he emphasised. 'Yes, the ideas of secularism may have existed, they may have been part of governance and state policy — that's a different matter. But should these two words remain in the Preamble? This is something that deserves a review,' he said.
Staggered polls cannot be considered an immutable feature of Constitution: ex-CJI Chandrachud
Conducting free and fair elections is a basic feature of the Constitution, but the Constitution does not say that polls can be free and fair only if they are held non-simultaneously, former Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud has opined, according to sources, in his written submission to the Parliamentary Joint Committee reviewing the proposed legislations aiming to introduce simultaneous elections. Justice Chandrachud, as per sources, has dismissed the contention that holding simultaneous elections would blur the distinction between different tiers of government since voters may prioritise national issues over regional concerns if the election cycles are synchronised. He further contended in his written submission, as per sources, that 'staggered elections cannot be considered as a feature of the original Constitution, let alone an immutable feature.'
Schools can take time to use mother tongue as medium: CBSE officials
Schools in metropolitan regions, whose primary medium of instruction is English, may find it challenging to immediately transition to mother tongue as a medium of instruction due to the varied languages spoken by students in diverse communities, Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) officials said. CBSE Chairman Rahul Singh, speaking on the much-debated language implementation guidelines released by the board recently, said that the CBSE's goal is to ease the path of implementation of the National Education Policy-2020's requirement to teach students in their mother tongue until Class 5. 'We are not forcing any school to immediately adopt the language implementation guidelines. We are not penalising any school or stating that their affiliation will be cancelled if they don't immediately transition. We are organising a series of webinars and workshops for training purposes and hopefully we will be able to implement the policy,' Mr. Singh said.
Allahabad HC expresses anguish over burden of live-in relationship cases
Expressing anguish over the burden of live-in relationship cases, the Allahabad High Court recently said it was 'fed up' with such cases, especially after the Supreme Court had legalised the same. While hearing a bail application of a person accused of rape of a minor on the false promise of marriage, a Bench of Justice Siddharth observed that the concept of live-in relationships was against the 'settled law in the Indian middle-class society'. The court added that the concept of a live-in relationship went against the interest of a woman since a man can marry even after the live-in relationship but it is difficult for the woman to find a life partner after a breakup.
U.S. requires visa applicants to share social media used in 5 years: U.S. Embassy in India
Describing each visa adjudication as a 'national security decision', the U.S. has asked applicants to share their social media usernames or handles for each platform they have used in the last five years. The U.S. Embassy in India shared the information in a brief statement issued on Thursday (June 26, 2025), which also cautioned against 'omitting' social media information, as it could lead to 'visa denial and ineligibility for future visas.'
Heartbreaking to see people seeking humanitarian aid in Gaza risking their lives: U.N. human rights chief
Calling for a ceasefire, release of hostages, and an 'all-out effort' to get humanitarian assistance to Gaza, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on Thursday (June 26, 2025) said, 'it is heartbreaking' to know that people who need humanitarian assistance risk their lives to get food or material assistance. Mr. Türk made the remarks in a media conference in Colombo, where he delivered a statement at the conclusion of his mission to Sri Lanka from June 23 to 26. 'As of 25th of June, we have 598 reportedly killed in total as a result of them trying to access aid, at distribution points installed within Gaza. I have to say it is really, extremely distressing to see that militarised humanitarian assistance schemes have emerged, they are not a response,' he said.
North Korea may send more troops to Russia in July or August for Ukraine war, says Seoul
North Korea may deploy additional troops to Russia to fight in the war against Ukraine in July or August, and Pyongyang is continuing to supply arms to Russia, South Korean lawmakers said on Thursday (June 26, 2025), citing a briefing by the intelligence agency. The National Intelligence Service (NIS) believes Russia may be readying to mount a large-scale assault against Ukraine in July or August, South Korean member of parliament Lee Seong-kweun told reporters after the closed-door briefing. 'The timing of the additional deployment is that it could be as early as July or August,' Mr. Lee said, adding the agency cited a new round-up of troops for the dispatch by North Korea and a recent visit to Pyongyang by a top Russian presidential security official as grounds for its assessment.
Anna Wintour steps down as editor of U.S. Vogue after 37 years: U.S. media
Magazine legend Anna Wintour is stepping down as editor of fashion bible U.S. Vogue after 37 years in the post, U.S. media reported Thursday (June 26, 2025). British-born Wintour, 75, has been one of the most influential and formidable figures in fashion and magazine journalism for decades, famous for her ever-present sunglasses and unchanging bob haircut. Ms. Wintour, who took the helm at U.S. Vogue in 1988, announced her departure at a staff meeting, but she will stay on as group owner Conde Nast's global chief content officer and as editorial director at Vogue, People magazine reported.
Decision on India's 2036 Olympic Games bid set to take longer than expected
A decision on India's bid for the 2036 Olympics is set to take longer than expected as the International Olympic Committee's new President Kirsty Coventry, on Thursday (June 26, 2025), announced a 'pause' on the entire process and set up a working group to figure out the 'appropriate time' to identify a future host. In an online press conference after taking over as the first woman and the first African President of the IOC, the former Olympic champion swimmer said the consensus among the members was to reassess the process. Earlier, a decision on the bid was expected next year. A delegation from India, comprising high-ranking officials led by Sports Secretary Hari Ranjan Rao, is scheduled to be in Lausanne for informal talks on the issue next month.