1. Jitan Ram Manjhi Vows to Quit Politics if April 20 Rally Flops
Former Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi has made a bold announcement. Manjhi is all set to gross in public support through a rally on April 20. There is one rider - should the turnout at the rally fall short of the five lakh mark, Manjhi has stated that he will quit politics.
By making the announcement that he would seek political ‘sanyas’ if the turnout at the proposed HAM rally at Patna Gandhi Maidan on April 20 is less than 5 lakh, ex-CM Jitan Ram Manjhi has put his future at stake.
The Times of India reports.
2. Could AAP Use its Constitution to Remove Lokpal Admiral Ramdas?
News of unrest within the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) became public knowledge after party lokpal Admiral Ramdas’s letter to the party was out for everyone to see. Though the party rubbishes claims of his ouster, there are rumblings that the Admiral is being shown the door.
DNA reports.
3. Law Not a Panacea for Poll Ills: CEC HS Brahma
Chief Election Commissioner H.S. Brahma, in an exclusive interview to The Hindu, discusses the electoral reforms needed for fair and transparent elections. While Brahma states that it is up to the voters to elect to power an upright candidate, things will further fall into place when duplications and bogus voters are removed from the electoral rolls.
4. Mangalyaan Will Continue Orbiting Mars for Six More Months
The Hindustan Times reports that even as the Mangalyaan - India’s first spacecraft to Mars - completes six months on March 24, it is to continue orbiting the red planet for another six months.
The spacecraft will remain operational even after that as there is no fuel constraint. This will help us delve deeper into the seasons and climate on Mars. We have been able to capture some beautiful images of Mars and have got ample data. Analysis of the data is being done and once this is final, it will be made public
– ISRO Chairman Dr Kiran Kumar, to HT
5. Sena Man Arrested for BJP Worker’s Murder
A Shiv Sena worker was arrested for allegedly murdering a 40-year-old BJP worker, at a dhaba on the Aurangabad- Pune highway, on Thursday night.
The police said the arrested accused, Dilip Singh Rajput (45), was a member of the Gangapur Panchayat Samiti. He has been working for the Shiv Sena for some time now. The main accused, Anjababu Asaram Shinde (50), is on the run.
The Times of India reports.
6. American Express Brings Pay with Points to India. Here is Everything You Need to Know
Shopping will soon become a more rewarding experience with American Express’s new initiative that enables customers to redeem points accrued on their cards, at the time of purchase.
The new ‘Pay with Points’ from American Express allows Cardmembers to enjoy real-time Membership Rewards redemption at the point of sale at over 750 leading retail and dining outlets. With merchant partners like Apple Premium Reseller stores, Bose, Croma, Reliance Digital, Shoppers’ Stop, Armani Jeans, Marks & Spencer, and several dining outlets.
The Financial Express reports.
7. Blue Chips Drag Sensex Down 208 Points; Realty, Power Stocks Trip
The Hindu Business Line reports that markets fell for the third consecutive session, on Friday.
The Sensex and the Nifty fell on Friday for a third consecutive session to a near 1-1/2 month closing low as blue chips such as ICICI Bank declined on worries that stocks have gone ahead of underlying anaemic earnings growth. The Sensex plunged 208.59 points or 0.73 per cent at 28,261.08 and the Nifty fell 63.75 points or 0.74 per cent at 8,570.90. The 30-shares index is down 0.52 per cent for the week, while the NSE index has so far marked a weekly decline of 0.64 per cent.
8. India’s Immunisation Programme Needs to Step Up its Game
Cricketer Yuvraj Singh writes in the Hindustan Times about how despite India’s achievements in sports, it needs to ‘step up the game’ in battling diseases.
Last year India was declared polio-free. Till 2009, India had more polio cases than the rest of the world combined. By overcoming polio, India announced itself as a public health champion. However, the battle is far from over. In 2013, India accounted for more than 20% of child deaths around the world. The biggest killers, pneumonia and diarrhoea, were jointly responsible for more than 300,000 deaths among the under-five population in the country. This is an alarming plight that needs to be addressed immediately.
9. Recalling the Political Gandhi
As the Mahatma’s friend’s son, Narayan Desai observed MK Gandhi closely enough to emerge as the best known chronicler of his life. Other than his four-volume biography of Gandhi, he took to performing ‘Gandhi Katha’ on stage.
He told this reporter that Gandhi Katha was his response to the anti-Muslim massacres that Gujarat witnessed in 2002. At 80, he said, he could not lead a political movement. I can only talk about an alternative world, he said. In a state riven by sectarian violence and administered by a callous government, could there have been a more political act than to repeatedly remind people that truth and non-violence were the essentials of Gandhian thought?
The Indian Express reports.
10. Trains Have Chugged a Long Way
The New Indian Express discusses how train journeys in India have evolved through the years.
Years ago, train journey was not a pleasant experience. Advance reservation wasn’t in vogue. Passenger trains had I, II and III class coaches. One had to shoulder one’s way into a III class compartment.
From The Quint
1. Wanted: A Doctor of Medicine, Not Economics, in Finance Ministry
Raghav Bahl discusses three reforms - in land, coal and foreign direct investments (FDI) - that the the Modi Government is addressing. The looming question however, is whether or not the Government’s incision into these reforms have been “deep, large and decisive.”
2. A Family Devastated; DK Ravi’s Aunt Dies, Video of His Body Leaked
IAS Officer DK Ravi’s death may have left unanswered questions in its wake. But, it has also left his family in shambles, with his aunt succumbing to a heart attack, his mother refusing to buy the ‘suicide’ theory and a disturbing video of his body being released from the noose doing the rounds.
3. Where’s the Outrage? Sadhvi Raped in West Bengal a Week Ago
The country has been consumed with outrage over the gang-rape of a 71-year-old nun in West Bengal’s Ranaghat. What has however, been brushed under the carpet is the gang-rape of a sadhvi from the Ramakrishna Mission in Malda district. Despite the enormity of the episode, the local police asked her to “settle” the matter.
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