24 August 2021
National Asset Monetisation Pipeline: The Finance Minister has unveiled a four-year National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP) worth Rs 6 lakh crore; this will take existing infrastructure such as roads, rail, power, ports, telecom, airports, etc and invite the private sector to run them to raise financing for new infrastructure projects
Union minister stoking xenophobia: Fear of displacement and anger has gripped Chakmas living in Arunachal Pradesh after Chief Minister Pema Khandu and Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju recently announced that the Chakmas would be shifted out of the state for rehabilitation as they are “illegal immigrants”
Political reconfiguration in Kashmir: A discrepancy between the Union Government’s order setting up the Delimitation Commission and the J&K Reorganisation Act could cast a shadow over the redrawing of Assembly seats in the state, a key element in kickstarting the political process there
Madhya Pradesh Home Minister justifies beating of bangle seller: A group of people beat up a Muslim bangle seller for selling bangles in a Hindu-majority neighbourhood; later, FIRs were filed against the victim of the beatings, including being charged under POCSO, a law on the sexual assault of children; the Madhya Pradesh Home Minister later blamed the victim of the attack for hiding his real name and identity, stating that hiding one’s identity will lead to people getting angry; the victim maintains that both the names are his real names
Protecting a competitive marketplace: The Competition Commission of India (CCI) imposed a fine of Rs 200 crore on the country’s biggest carmaker Maruti Suzuki for anti-competitive practices related to how it forced dealers to discount cars