TODAY ON NOVEMBER 01, 2022
GK News Headlines

Morbi bridge tragedy: death toll rises to 140; nine arrested

A day after the Morbi bridge collapse in Gujarat, the police arrested nine persons, including the managers of private contractor Oreva Group and ticket clerks and security guards. The death toll in the bridge tragedy climbed to at least 140 on Monday. The PM is scheduled to visit the site and will likely meet the families of victims on Tuesday afternoon. Mr. Modi also held a review meeting at Raj Bhavan in Gandhinagar and directed officials that all possible assistance be provided to families affected by the tragedy.

MHA empowers two more Gujarat district collectors to grant citizenship certificates to six minority communities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan; notification not related to CAA

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) empowered the district collectors of two more districts in Gujarat — Mehsana and Anand — to grant citizenship certificates to the members of Hindu, Sikh, Parsi, Christian, Buddhist and Jain communities from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh. This is not the first-time the district magistrates or collectors have been delegated such powers by the MHA, similar orders were issued in 2016, 2018 and 2021. The notification is not related to the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), 2019 that is yet to come into effect.

Air quality turns ‘severe’ in Delhi

The air quality of the national capital on October 31, 2022 night deteriorated to the “severe” category, according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data. Delhi’s 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) was 403 at 10 p.m. on Monday. The air quality of Delhi is likely to remain largely in “severe” to “very poor” category for the next six days, according to the Central government’s Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi.

Decentralise MGNREGS for better implementation, says study

An internal study commissioned by the Ministry of Rural Development has argued for decentralisation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), allowing for more “flexibility” at the ground level. The internal study also flagged the frequent delay in fund disbursal, and to deal with it suggested “revolving fund that can be utilised whenever there is a delay in the Central funds”.

Delhi Police search houses of  The Wire editors

The Delhi Police on October 31, 2022 conducted searches at the residences of editors of the news portal The Wire in connection with a first information report (FIR) lodged against the organisation for “defaming” BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya through a series of now-retracted stories on Meta, the parent company of Facebook, officers said.The development comes a day after an FIR was lodged against the news portal on the basis of a complaint filed by Mr. Malviya, who alleged that the portal published a “fabricated” news story.

Twitter board dissolved, Elon Musk says he will be CEO

Billionaire Elon Musk said on Monday in a filing that he will be the chief executive officer of Twitter, the social media company he recently acquired for $44 billion. The move comes after Mr. Musk fired Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal and other top company officials last week. Responding to a news report of Mr. Musk becoming the sole director of Twitter, he tweeted “This is just temporary”.

Pelosi suspect wanted to hold House Speaker hostage

The man accused of attacking Paul Pelosi, the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, told police he wanted to hold the speaker hostage and “break her kneecaps," authorities said Monday. Federal prosecutors have filed two charges against DePape, days after police say he broke into the Pelosi's home and struck the Democratic leader’s 82-year-old husband in the head with a hammer.

Putin says power grid strikes were in response to Crimea drone attack

President Vladimir Putin said Russian strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure and a decision to freeze participation in a Black Sea grain export programme were responses to a drone attack on Moscow's fleet in Crimea that he blamed on Ukraine. Kyiv has not claimed responsibility for the attack. Russian forces shelled infrastructure in at least six Ukrainian regions on Monday, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said in a statement on Facebook.

Enemies trying to break India's unity, we need to stand firm against such attempts: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that enemies were trying to break India's unity and the country should stand firm against any such attempts. After paying tributes to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel at Kevadia in Gujarat on his birth anniversary, PM Modi remembered those who died in Sunday's Morbi bridge collapse incident and got emotional. PM Modi said for India, its unity has never been a necessity, but has been its uniqueness.

RBI Digital Rupee pilot for wholesale segment from November 1

The first pilot in the Digital Rupee, Wholesale segment (e₹-W) will commence on November 1, 2022, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said in a circular. Nine banks namely State Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, Union Bank of India, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Yes Bank, IDFC First Bank and HSBC have been identified for participation in the pilot.

SC to start hearing petitions challenging CAA on December 6

A three-judge Bench of the Supreme Court led by Chief Justice of India U.U. Lalit on Monday posted 232 petitions challenging the Citizenship Amendment Act on December 6, 2022, giving the parties, including the Centre, States of Assam and Tripura, and the petitioners a deadline to complete the paperwork in five weeks so that the hearing can start. During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, for the Centre, said the government has already filed its reply in court saying the CAA is a “benign piece of legislation”.

CM Himanta says Assam govt. considering withdrawing AFSPA from more areas

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday said his government is considering withdrawing AFSPA from two more locations in the State. The government had withdrawn the controversial law from West Karbi Anglong district as the situation "considerably improved" there. "Peace has returned to Assam and Northeast. Today, AFSPA is withdrawn from 65 per cent areas of the state. In the future, we are considering to withdraw it from Lakhipur of Cachar and the entire Karbi Anglong district," Mr. Sarma said.

India's April-Sept fiscal deficit touches ₹6.2 lakh crore, tax receipts rise

India's fiscal deficit in the first half of the financial year through September rose to ₹6.2 lakh crore from ₹5.27 lakh crore a year earlier, though rising tax collections helped offset a higher subsidy bill. The fiscal deficit for the April to September period touched 37.3% of annual estimates, official data showed on Monday, as the government spent more on fertiliser, food and fuel subsidies.

Order putting sedition law on hold to continue; SC grants time to Centre

An interim order putting on hold the contentious sedition law and the consequential registration of FIRs will continue as the Supreme Court granted additional time to the Centre on Monday to take "appropriate steps" with regard to the reviewing of the colonial-era provision. In the landmark order passed on May 11, the court had put the contentious law on hold till the Centre completed its promised review of the colonial relic and also asked the Union and state governments not to register any fresh case invoking the offence.

Hardik Pandya to lead in T20Is against New Zealand; Rohit, Rahul and Kohli rested

All-rounder Hardik Pandya was on October 31, 2022 named India’s captain for the three-match T20I series in New Zealand, starting November 18, while opener KL Rahul and keeper-batter Dinesh Karthik were rested as part of “workload management of players”. The T20 series will begin four days after the conclusion of the ongoing T20 World Cup on November 18 in Wellington.

Barrage of Russian strikes on key infrastructure in Ukraine

Ukrainian officials on October 31 morning reported a massive barrage of Russian strikes on critical infrastructure in Kyiv, Kharkiv and other cities. Officials also reported possible power outages in the cities of Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia resulting from the strikes that hit critical infrastructure there. Critical infrastructure objects were also hit in the Cherkasy region southeast of Kyiv and explosions were reported in other regions of Ukraine.

Congress pays tributes to Indira Gandhi on death anniversary

The Congress on Monday paid tributes to former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on her death anniversary. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, former party chief Sonia Gandhi and other senior party leaders offered floral tributes to Indira Gandhi at her Shakti Sthal memorial here.