INDIA

Over the past few decades, India's economic environment has seen substantial changes. Despite global economic concerns, the country has experienced average economic growth of over 6%; yet, one of the main issues facing the nation is still unemployment. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has released its India Employment report 2024, which states that the country is experiencing a significant demographic shift. Notably, the percentage of the working-age population has increased from 59% in 2011 to 63% in 2021. Even while the proportion of young people in the population is trending downward, they still make up a sizable portion—83 percent of those without jobs. Despite a declining trend in the share of youths in the total population, they continue to represent a substantial...

In the town of Bijnor, located in Uttar Pradesh, a disturbing incident unfolded during Holi celebrations, as captured in a widely circulated video. The footage shows a group of individuals engaging harassing a Muslim man and two women, forcibly dousing them with water and applying colors despite their visible discomfort and protests. The video, lasting 1.22 minutes, portrayed the motorbike carrying the trio being abruptly halted by the celebrators, who proceeded to subject them to unwelcome actions. Amidst the distressing ordeal, one of the men in the group smeared dark color across the face of the man, while others vocally expressed their jubilation, extending Holi greetings. As the women voiced their objections, an individual in the group justified their actions by citing a p...

The government of India has announced its decision to restart the auction of lithium reserves located in Jammu Kashmir. Following an initial round that attracted only two bidders, a government source revealed on Friday that this move aims to address the scarcity of enthusiastic participants. In a statement earlier this month, the government confirmed that a total of seven critical mineral blocks would be offered for auction as a composite license in this third Tranche. This decision highlights the importance of lithium, a highly sought-after mineral crucial for the growing electric vehicle (EV) industry and renewable energy sector. With nations globally transitioning to sustainable energy solutions, the demand for lithium-ion batteries has surged, placing lithium in the spotlig...

A man collecting donations for a mosque was allegedly beaten up by a drunk man in Uttar Pradesh’s Noida on Tuesday, police said. While a crowd gathered at the incident spot in Salarpur village, under Sector 39 police station limits, around 12.20 pm, the local police and senior officials of Noida also reached the spot to defuse the tension, they said. Abdul Aziz from Bihar’s Kishanganj was beaten up by a local resident named Neeraj Bhatti at his village in Noida, police said. DCP (Noida) Vidya Sagar Mishra said, “A 35-year-old man, who had come to Salarpur from Bihar to collect donations, was assaulted by a 45-year-old local resident in the afternoon. The accused also made objectionable remarks towards the victim.” “On the basis of a complaint from the victim, the accused has be...

A major controversy has erupted in Dharchula, Uttarakhand, as 86 Muslim traders out of 91 have been asked to leave the town by the local traders’ association. This directive came in the aftermath of a Muslim barber’s arrest on charges of allegedly abducting two minor Hindu girls and taking them to Uttar Pradesh. The situation escalated when the local traders’ association not only asked the Muslim traders to leave but also cancelled the registration of their shops. The association accused them of being “outsiders” and engaging in “suspicious activities,” further adding fuel to the already tense situation. The trigger for this drastic action was the arrest of a Muslim barber who was accused of abducting two minor Hindu girls and transporting them to Uttar Pradesh. The incident...

An MP of BJP from Karnataka was arrested during a protest in Karnataka capital Bengaluru over an altercation between a shopkeeper and a group of men for allegedly playing the ‘Hanuman Chalisa’ during ‘Azaan’ time. According to Police MP Tejasvi Surya has been detained. He also participated in the protest and has been trying to give a communal angle to the altercation since yesterday. Earlier, a shopkeeper was beaten up by a group of men on Sunday for playing the Hindu devotional bhajan "at a high volume" during ‘Azaan’ time. The Bengaluru police have arrested three people in connection with the assault after which right wing hindu trolls started sharing video of the incident widely on social media. This triggered outrage among the public, which gathered in the city's Siddanna L...

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said  that out of the 19 lakh individuals excluded from the National Register of Citizens (NRC) for the state, seven lakh were Muslims. Additionally, five lakh Bengali Hindus, two lakh Assamese Hindu groups including Koch-Rajbongshi, Das, Kalita, Sarma (Assamese), and 1.5 lakh Gorkhas were also among those left out of the register. The NRC serves as a register to identify and potentially deport "illegal" immigrants. Published on August 31, 2019, residents were required to demonstrate that they or their ancestors had arrived in Assam before midnight on March 24, 1971, to be included in the list. A total of over 19 lakh individuals, constituting 5.77% of applicants, were omitted from the final list, according to the breakdown provided by t...

A group of foreign students was attacked by a Hindutva mob at the campus of Gujarat University while offering prayers at the campus in Ahmedabad. On the evening of March 16th, a group of Muslim students from various countries faced a harrowing assault by a mob influenced by Hindutva ideology, Maktoob reported. The students, hailing from various Asian and African countries, were targeted while they gathered to observe Taraweeh prayers in their hostel premises. Taraweeh is an additional offered during Ramadhan worldwide. Ahmad Waris Sakha, a student specializing in cyber security and acting as the representative for foreign students at the university said, "A mob, some of them wearing saffron scarves, came and started pushing us and asked questions like who allowed us to pray the...

The Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, on Tuesday declared Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (Mohd. Yasin Malik Faction) as an ‘unlawful association’ with immediate effect under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The Modi government has declared the 'Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (Mohd. Yasin Malik faction)' as an 'Unlawful Association' for a further period of five years Amit Shah wrote on X as per news agency Kashmir Scroll. "The banned outfit continues to engage in activities that foment terror and secessionism in Jammu and Kashmir. Anyone found challenging the security, sovereignty and integrity of the nation will face harsh legal consequences," Shah write. Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front was banned by the Home Ministry in 2019 following the attack in Pulwam...

The state government of Maharashtra has purchased land from the administration in Jammu Kashmir for constructing the Maharashtra Bhawan in the region. This deal was made during Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's visit to Jammu Kashmir in June 2023. The project gained momentum following discussions between Chief Minister Shinde and Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha, culminating in the decision to establish the Maharashtra Bhawan in Budgam district, central Kashmir. The Maharashtra Bhawan, envisioned as the Valley's inaugural state Bhawan, is poised to serve as a pivotal hub for accommodating and facilitating tourists exploring the scenic wonders of Jammu Kashmir. Strategically situated in Budgam, the Bhawan's location near Srinagar offers convenient accessibility for visitors arr...