Daily Briefing: Encounter in J&K; School scheme funds halted for 3 states; India’s next captain for T20s; and more

The Education Ministry has halted funds for the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), the primary school education programme, to Delhi, Punjab, and West Bengal, the Indian Express has learnt. This decision comes as these states have declined to participate in the Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India (PM-SHRI) scheme. 

Four army personnel, including a Major-rank officer, tragically succumbed to their injuries after an encounter on Monday night in the Desa forests of Doda district in Jammu and Kashmir. The encounter began when terrorists, hidden within the forests, suddenly opened fire on a security forces team conducting searches in the area

📰 From the front page:

The Election Commission’s protocol for the Supreme Court-mandated verification of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) used in the recent Lok Sabha polls is likely to include a mock poll, allowing candidates to cast up to 1,400 votes on selected machines, the Indian Express has learnt. Let’s delve into how this process unfolds.

The Assam government has directed the state’s border police not to refer citizenship cases directly to Foreigners Tribunals for “Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, or Christian” individuals who entered India before the end of 2014, instead encourage them to apply for citizenship under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA).

On the other hand, the Supreme Court last week declared Assam resident Md Rahim Ali a citizen of India, overturning a Foreigners’ Tribunal decision in the state. This landmark judgment has clarified the law regarding allegations of foreign nationality and the burden of proof, thereby humanising the citizenship law. Here’s how.

At the disputed Bhojshala temple-cum-Kamal Maula in MP’s Dhar district, Hindus perform puja on Tuesdays and Muslims offer namaz on Fridays. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), submitting its survey report to the Madhya Pradesh High Court on the site, stated that scientific investigation reveals the “existing complex was constructed using parts from earlier temples.” Read our report to know more about what the ASI said on the nature and character of this complex.

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Senior Maharashtra minister Chhagan Bhujbal caused a bit of a stir in the state’s power corridors as he met his former party leader and Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) chief Sharad Pawar. Was the meeting about the Maratha-OBC stalemate or something more? Read here.

In our Opinion section today, Ashutosh Varshney reflects on the fundamental issue dividing the United States in the wake of the assassination attempt on Donald Trump. “America’s gun-owning laws add a violent edge to the political struggle. Will an intra-party debate on limiting gun ownership be also initiated?”

Imran Khan’s party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) will be banned for allegedly trying to create unrest in the country, the Pakistani government announced on Monday. Here’s why.

🔴And finally: 

Hardik Pandya or Suryakumar Yadav? Within days of the T20 World Cup-winning captain Rohit Sharma retiring from the format, Indian cricket is faced with a dilemma. 

Delhi Confidential: A motivational talk on happiness was organised for the Department of Legal Affairs on Monday. Similar sessions would be held for the other two departments, legislative and justice, in the Law Ministry as well. Here’s what prompted them.

🎧In today’s episode of the ‘3 Things’ podcast, we talk about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Austria, the shooting in Delhi’s Burger King, and Pakistan’s decision to impose a ban on PTI.

Until next time,

Sonal Gupta and Aradhana Kalia

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