1 President releases three publications of the Supreme Court
President Smt. Draupadi Murmu released three publications of the Supreme Court of India at Rashtrapati Bhavan . The publications released were: (i) Justice for the Nation: Reflections on 75 Years of the Supreme Court of India ; (ii) Prisons in India: Mapping of Prison Manuals and Measures for Reform and Decongestion ; and (iii) Legal Aid through Law Schools: A Report on the Functioning of Legal Aid Cells in India . Speaking on the occasion, the President said that the Supreme Court of India has developed a jurisprudence that is rooted in Indian ethos and realities. He was happy to note that the book titled Justice for the Nation captures the highlights of the 75-year journey of the Supreme Court. It also describes the impact of the Supreme Court on various aspects of people’s lives.
2 His Excellency the President attended the First Asian Buddhist Summit
Her Excellency President Smt. Draupadi Murmu attended the First Asian Buddhist Summit organized by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India in collaboration with the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC) in New Delhi . The First Asian Buddhist Summit is being held in New Delhi on 5th and 6th November 2024. The theme of the First Asian Buddhist Summit is ‘ Role of Buddha Dhamma in Strengthening Asia ‘. The theme highlights the aim of the Summit to explore and find a common connection among the various Buddhist traditions, practices and beliefs prevalent in Asia. The Summit will also explore the role of Dhamma in strengthening and nurturing a new value-based society.
3 Supreme Court declared UP Madrasa Act 2004 as constitutional
The Supreme Court has given its verdict on the UP Madrasa Education Act, 2004 on November 5. The court has upheld the validity of this Act , that is, now madrasas will continue to run in Uttar Pradesh and 17 lakh students of 16000 madrasas will not be sent to government schools . The first petition against the Madrasa Act was filed in 2012 by Sirajul Haq, manager of Darul Uloom Wasia Madrasa. Then in 2014, Abdul Aziz, Secretary of UP Minority Welfare Department, Mohammad Javed of Lucknow in 2019, Rajul Mustafa in 2020 and then Anshuman Singh Rathore in 2023 filed petitions regarding the Act. The nature of all the petitions was the same. Therefore, the Allahabad High Court merged all the petitions. On March 22, 2024, the Lucknow Bench of the High Court gave an 86-page verdict. In this, the High Court said, ‘Children of different religions cannot be discriminated against. They cannot be provided different types of education on the basis of religion. If this is done, it will be a violation of secularism.’ Now the Supreme Court has said that the provisions of the UP Madrasa Act do not violate the fundamental rights or the basic structure of the Constitution. However, the Supreme Court has banned the provision of the Madrasa Act in which the men had the right to decide the syllabus of postgraduate and research, that is, now the Madrasa Board will not be able to decide the syllabus and books of higher education.
4 Supreme Court’s decision on acquisition of private property, government cannot take every private property
The Supreme Court has given a major decision on the acquisition of private property by the government . Actually, does the government have the right to acquire private property and redistribute it. On this question, a bench of 9 judges of the Supreme Court said with a majority of 8:1 that every private property cannot be acquired by calling it community property . The court said that it is necessary to consider questions like the condition of the property, its need in public interest and its lack. The Supreme Court rejected the previous decision of Justice Krishna Iyer by majority, in which all privately owned resources can be acquired by the state. Chief Justice DY Chandrachud said that all privately owned resources cannot be acquired by the state. Interpreting Article 39 (B) of the Constitution, the court said that the investigation about the resource coming under Article 39 (B) should be based on certain specific things. This may include factors like the nature of the resources, characteristics, the impact of the resource on the well-being of the community, lack of resources and the consequences of such resources being concentrated in private hands.
5 Centre releases 15th Finance Commission grants for Haryana, Tripura and Mizoram
On November 5, the Central Government released the 15th Finance Commission grants to the Rural Local Bodies (RLBs) of Haryana , Tripura and Mizoram . This grant is for the financial year 2024-25. In Haryana, rural local bodies received Rs 194.87 crore. At the same time, Tripura received Rs 78.5 crore. All three states have received tied and untied funds. Tied funds are spent on pre-determined items. At the same time, the state government can also spend the untied grant on other items as per its need. In the first installment, untied funds of Rs 194.8 crore were given to the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and Rural Local Bodies (RLBs) of Haryana. Under the first installment for rural local bodies in Tripura, an untied grant of Rs 31.4 crore and a tied grant of Rs 47.1 crore have been released. The grants released for Panchayati Raj Institutions and Rural Local Bodies of Mizoram include the first installment of untied grant of Rs 14.2 crore for 2022-23 and the second installment of tied grant of Rs 21.3 crore for 2022-23. Tied funds are spent by rural local bodies on items such as sanitation, maintaining open defecation free (ODF) status, drinking water supply, rainwater harvesting. Untied funds can be used by local bodies as per their needs. Such as health, education, repair of local roads, community services etc.
6 Union Minister Prahlad Joshi inaugurated the second phase of Bharat Brand Rice and Flour Scheme
Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Minister Prahlad Joshi inaugurated the second phase of Bharat Brand Rice and Atta Scheme in New Delhi on 5 November . Union Minister Prahlad Joshi flagged off the scheme. Bharat Brand Atta is available at Rs 30 per kg and Bharat Brand Rice at Rs 34 per kg . They will be sold in 5 and 10 kg packets through cooperative societies, National Cooperative Consumers Federation of India (NCCF), National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) and Kendriya Bhandar as well as e-commerce platforms. This time the rates of flour and rice have been increased compared to the first phase rates (Rs 27.5 and Rs 29 per kg respectively).
The birth centenary of four artists of Indian cinema will be celebrated in 7 film festivals
The 55th edition of the International Film Festival of India ( IFFI) will celebrate the birth centenary of four artists of Indian cinema . According to the announcement of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, this year IFFI will pay tribute to the legacy of Raj Kapoor, Tapan Sinha, Akkineni Nageswara Rao (ANR) and Mohammed Rafi. All these artists were born in 1924. Australia has been named as the ‘ Country of Focus ‘ in the 55th film festival. The ‘Country of Focus’ segment is the key feature of IFFI, in which the best contemporary films of a country are shown. The International Film Festival of India is organized every year in collaboration with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of the Government of India and the Entertainment Society of Goa of the Government of Goa . The film festival of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is operated through the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC).
8 Indo-Kazakh joint venture company signs agreement for TI slag production
IREL (India) Limited, a CPSU under the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), Government of India and Ust-Kamenogorsk Titanium & Magnesium Plant JSC, (UKTMP JSC) Kazakhstan have signed an agreement to establish Indo-Kazakh Joint Venture Company (JVC): IREUK Titanium Limited for production of Ti slag in India . This joint venture will act as a catalyst in developing titanium value chain in India by converting low grade ilmenite into high grade titanium feedstock and will also create employment opportunities in Odisha .
9 Central Government announced the launch of Tulip brand
The central government has announced the launch of the Tulip brand , which will include products made by marginalized people . Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Dr. Virendra Kumar said that these products will be sold on e-commerce platforms to empower and encourage the people involved in making the products. He said this during the inauguration of Shilp Samagan Mela-2024 at Delhi Haat.
10 World’s largest food and beverage industry event GulfHost 2024 starts at Dubai World Trade Centre
GulfHost 2024, the world’s largest food and beverage industry event, has kicked off at the Dubai World Trade Centre , with India’s participation reaching a new level. Nearly 3,000 exhibitors from over 100 countries will participate in the event, which will run till November 7. The exhibits will showcase cutting-edge processing, packaging, supply chain solutions and automation technologies across key industries. The Indian Pavilion at GulfHost 2024 has set a new record with the participation of 198 Indian companies . The Indian Pavilion was inaugurated by Shri Satish Kumar Sivan, Consul General of India in Dubai .
11 Famous folk singer Sharda Sinha dies at the age of 72
Renowned Bihari folk singer Sharda Sinha passed away on Tuesday. Sharda Sinha’s illustrious career since the 1970s brought national recognition to Bhojpuri, Maithili and Hindi folk music . Her musical legacy, deeply rooted in regional culture, earned her the Padma Bhushan in 2018 and the National Film Award for her contribution to regional cinema. Sharda Sinha was suffering from multiple myeloma since 2018. It is a type of blood cancer. In this, plasma cells in the bone marrow start growing in an uncontrolled manner.