Latest News Updates
Delhi High Court Judge Faces Inquiry
The Delhi High Court has started an inquiry into Justice Yashwant Varma’s conduct following allegations of undisclosed cash found at his residence. The Supreme Court suggested transferring Varma to the Allahabad High Court, but clarified that the transfer talks were unrelated to the inquiry.
Cash Discovery Allegations
- Reports claimed that the cash was discovered during a fire incident at Varma’s official residence on March 14.
- However, the Delhi fire services chief denied that fire personnel found any cash during the operation.
- Varma has not commented on the matter so far.
Opposition to Transfer
The Allahabad High Court Bar Association opposed Varma’s repatriation to the Allahabad High Court, stating that it is not a “trash bin”.
Karnataka Speaker Suspends 18 BJP MLAs
The Karnataka speaker, UT Khader, suspended 18 Bharatiya Janata Party MLAs from the Assembly due to ruckus over allegations of honey trapping made by a Congress minister, KN Rajanna.
Demand for Judicial Inquiry
- BJP demanded a judicial inquiry into Rajanna’s claims and sought a response from Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
- Despite the chief minister promising a high-level investigation, BJP MLAs continued to protest seeking a judicial inquiry.
- Some BJP MLAs were seen throwing papers at the speaker’s chair, while some climbed the speaker’s dais.
Suspension of MLAs
Later, Speaker UT Khader suspended the 18 BJP MLAs, accusing them of indiscipline.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Foreign Trips
The Centre spent Rs 258.9 crore on 38 foreign trips made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi between May 2022 and December 2024, as per figures presented before the Rajya Sabha.
Expensive Trips
- The prime minister’s most expensive trip during this period was to the United States in June 2023, which cost more than Rs 22 crore.
- More than Rs 15 crore were spent on the prime minister’s September 2024 visit to the US.
Countries Visited
- In 2022, Modi visited Germany, Denmark, France, Nepal, the United Arab Emirates, Japan, Uzbekistan and Indonesia.
- In 2023, Papua New Guinea, Australia, Japan, the US, the UAE, Egypt, South Africa, Indonesia and Greece were among the countries visited by the prime minister.
- In 2024, the prime minister travelled to the UAE, Bhutan, Qatar, Italy, Austria, Russia, Poland, Ukraine, Brunei Darussalam, the US, Singapore, Laos, Brazil, Guyana and Kuwait.
Demand to Withdraw Union Government Advisory
A group of food and nutrition activists has demanded that a Union government advisory to reduce oil consumption in mid-day meals be withdrawn, describing it as unscientific. The collective, under the banner of the Right to Food Campaign, said that children need more, not less, healthy fats.
Barriers for Poorer Communities
- “In our experience, there are barriers for poorer communities to meet the recommended intake of fats and oils,” the activists said.
- They noted that the advisory came on the “heels of a statement by the Prime Minister [Narendra Modi] expressing ‘concern’ that childhood obesity is increasing among school children in India”.
Advisory to Reduce Oil Consumption
The Union Ministry of Education, through the advisory issued on March 15, urged state governments to reduce the usage of cooking oil by 10% in the mid-day meal programmes under the Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman scheme.
