Latest news with #MinistryofHomeAffairs'
Hans India
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Home Ministry notifies Dhankhar resignation
New Delhi: The Rajya Sabha on Tuesday was informed about the Ministry of Home Affairs' notification regarding the resignation of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, with immediate effect. Soon after the House met for the Question Hour at 12 noon, Ghanshyam Tiwari, who was in the Chair, informed members about the notification. "The Ministry of Home Affairs, vide notification dated July 22, 2025, has conveyed the resignation of Vice President of India Jagdeep Dhankhar under Article 67 (A) of the Constitution with immediate effect," Tiwari announced. Vice President of India is ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. Dhankhar had sent his resignation to President Droupadi Murmu on Monday evening. Soon after the House met in the morning, Deputy Chairman Harivansh said that further Constitutional process concerning vacancy in the Office of Vice President of India will be communicated as and when received.
The Hindu
a day ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Home Ministry notifies resignation of Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar: Rajya Sabha informed
The Rajya Sabha on Tuesday (July 22, 2025) was informed about the Ministry of Home Affairs' (MHA) notification regarding the resignation of Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar, with immediate effect. Parliament monsoon session Day 2 — July 22, 2025 highlights Soon after the House met for the Question Hour at 12 noon, Ghanshyam Tiwari, who was in the Chair, informed members about the notification. 'The Ministry of Home Affairs, vide notification dated July 22, 2025, has conveyed the resignation of Vice President of India Jagdeep Dhankhar under Article 67(a) of the Constitution with immediate effect,' Mr. Tiwari announced. Vice-President of India is ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha. Mr. Dhankhar had sent his resignation to President Droupadi Murmu on Monday (July 21) evening. 'To prioritise health care and abide by medical advice, I hereby resign as Vice-President of India, effective immediately, in accordance with Article 67(a) of the Constitution,' he said in his letter to the President. Mr. Dhankhar, 74, assumed office in August 2022. Soon after the House met in the morning, Deputy Chairman Harivansh said that further Constitutional process concerning vacancy in the Office of Vice President of India will be communicated as and when received.
News18
6 days ago
- Politics
- News18
Kanker: Witnessing Transformation In An Aspirational & LWE-Affected District
Last Updated: Kanker serves as a live laboratory of this transition—a testament to the impact of focused governance, community engagement, and persistent delivery Last fortnight, I visited Kanker in Chhattisgarh—one of the districts historically affected by Left-Wing Extremism (LWE), along with Bijapur, Sukma, and Narayanpur. Notably, Bastar and Kondagaon have recently been removed from the Ministry of Home Affairs' list of LWE-affected areas. Kanker is also among the 112 districts selected under the Government of India's Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP). These two aspects—LWE legacy and aspirational district status—motivated my visit, particularly in light of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent assertion that several aspirational districts are now doing better than their respective state averages. While searching for the local MLA, I came across a government-organised workshop attended by over 300 people at a local school. This was no ordinary event—it was a well-coordinated awareness and registration drive under the Dharti Aaba Janbhagidari Abhiyan, launched by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs on 15 June to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary year of Bhagwan Birsa Munda, revered as Dharti Aaba. Just two days later, on 17 June, this full-fledged programme was already underway in Kanker's remote tribal belts—a reflection of the speed and seriousness of the government's efforts. The campaign is grounded in a benefit saturation model, aiming to ensure that every tribal household not yet covered under any central welfare scheme is identified and brought into the fold. The workshop embodied the whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach—various departments had set up stalls for on-the-spot registration under flagship schemes. I was informed that officials would also visit villages to conduct door-to-door outreach, further ensuring last-mile delivery. An important partner at the state level is the Development Evaluation Society of India, tasked with identifying excluded tribal beneficiaries. At the Amoda village panchayat office, I met two of their field investigators—Parmeshwar Kashyap and Radhika Nayak—who are among 150 personnel currently collecting and forwarding data on tribal households not availing benefits under 36 key centrally-sponsored schemes. Their field reports suggest high outreach and coverage in schemes like PM Awas Yojana, Kisan Samman Nidhi, Ujjwala Yojana, pensions, and Swachh Bharat toilets. However, they highlighted certain delivery gaps, especially in the Har Ghar Jal (tap water) initiative. My village visits—to Amoda, Anjani, Bans Patthar, and Thega—revealed similar trends. In these areas, residents reported availing benefits from multiple schemes, including MGNREGA, PM Anna Kalyan Yojana, and others. Most villages had achieved ODF (Open Defecation Free) status, with toilets in every household. One recurring concern, however, was poor mobile connectivity, which sometimes hampers delivery of Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT)-linked schemes. Villagers requested improved mobile infrastructure to mitigate these issues. A local social activist pointed out an interesting sociopolitical observation: Scheduled Castes in the state have become more adept at leveraging welfare schemes due to increased political awareness, whereas Scheduled Tribes often remain underserved despite being the focus of targeted initiatives. This makes outreach efforts like the Dharti Aaba campaign even more critical. At the helm of these efforts is District Magistrate Nilesh Kumar Kshirsagar, whose proactive governance style stood out. He has repurposed an old building into a central library, which now serves as a vibrant knowledge hub for the youth especially who are preparing for the competitive exams. His emphasis on innovation and saturation delivery is yielding visible results. He confidently asserted that many schemes in Kanker are performing better than non-aspirational districts, validating the strategic intent behind the ADP framework. Rise of Neo-Middle Class What I witnessed in Kanker aligns with broader national narratives. The World Bank recently reported that 270 million Indians have moved out of extreme poverty in the past decade. Additionally, the International Labour Organisation claims that 64 per cent of India's population (approx. 94 crore people) now falls under some form of social security net, up from just 24 per cent in 2019. These numbers are not just statistics—they represent the rise of a neo-middle class in India: a segment that may not be wealthy but is no longer poor, and is filled with aspiration. Kanker serves as a live laboratory of this transition—a testament to the impact of focused governance, community engagement, and persistent delivery. The author teaches Political Science at Satyawati College, University of Delhi. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18's views. First Published: June 30, 2025, 15:49 IST
The Wire
10-07-2025
- Politics
- The Wire
Bihar SIR: Supreme Court Suggests Election Commission Accept Aadhaar, Voter ID, Ration Cards
The bench said that the EC had nothing to do with citizenship of a person and that it was the Ministry of Home Affairs' domain. New Delhi: The Supreme Court today (July 10) asked the Election Commission to consider accepting the Aadhaar card, voter ID card and ration cards for its rolls revision exercise in Bihar. The Election Commission had, earlier in the day, told the apex court that Aadhaar card is not a proof of citizenship as the apex court heard petitions challenging the special intensive revision of electoral rolls ahead of assembly polls in the state. "...[I]n our prima facie view, since the list is not exhaustive, in our opinion, it will be in the interest of justice, the ECI will also consider the Aadhaar card, Electoral Photo Identity Card issued by the Election Commission and the ration card," LiveLaw reported the apex court as having said. It clarified that the EC will enjoy discretion in accepting or rejecting names irrespective of whether it considers these documents. The bench questioned Senior Advocate Rakesh Dwivedi who was representing the EC on the exclusion of Aadhaar card and said, crucially, that the EC had nothing to do with citizenship of a person and it was the Ministry of Home Affairs' domain. "But citizenship is an issue to be determined not by the Election Commission of India, but by the MHA," Justice Dhulia said. When Dwivedi said, "We have powers under Article 326," the bench made an observation on the timing. "Your decision let us say to disenfranchise the person who is already there on the electoral roll of 2025 would compel this individual to appeal against decision and go through this entire rigmarole and thereby be denied of his right to vote in the ensuing election. There is nothing wrong in you purging electoral rolls through an intensive exercise in order to see that non-citizens don't remain on the role. But if you decide only a couple of months before a proposed election..." Justice Bagchi said. The court had allowed the urgent listing of several petitions today. More than 10 petitions are being heard at the apex court. The Association for Democratic Reforms, the NGO, is the lead petitioner. Most other petitioners are opposition leaders including Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Manoj Jha, Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, Congress leader K.C. Venugopal, Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) leader Supriya Sule, Communist Party of India leader D. Raja, Samajwadi Party leader Harinder Singh Malik, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Bal Thackeray) leader Arvind Sawant, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader Sarfraz Ahmed and Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation leader Dipankar Bhattacharya. A partial working days bench of Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia and Justice Joymalya Bagchi has asked the EC to respond by July 21 and will hear the petitions again on July 28. The court also noted that the petitions asked a question that went to the "very root of the functioning of the democracy in the country – the right to vote." The court said that three questions were involved. One, the EC's power and whether it could undertake the exercise, two, the procedure and the manner of the exercise of the power and three, its timing. On the third point, the court said that it was very short as the Bihar elections are due in November. To Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayan's detailed argument on the fact that the EC is attempting what is an extra-constitutional SIR – distinct from the an "intensive revision" and a "summary revision" – Justice Dhulia appeared to disagree. "They are doing what is provided in the constitution right? so you can't say that they are doing what they are not supposed to?" The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.
Deccan Herald
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Deccan Herald
SC says ECI's roll revision drive mandated in Constitution, but questions timing
A bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Joymalya Bagchi questioned Dwivedi over the exclusion of Aadhaar card in the SIR drive in Bihar and said the ECI had nothing to do with citizenship of a person and it was the Ministry of Home Affairs' domain.
