
Nair Service Society opposes Kerala caste census, plans to take legal action
The Centre had on June 4 announced that Population Census-2027 will be conducted in two phases along with the enumeration of castes. The first phase will begin on October 1, 2026, and the second on March 1, 2027. On Tuesday, the Karnataka government too announced a fresh caste survey.
The NSS' move is expected to create significant political challenge for the BJP, which has been making all-out efforts to widen its political base in Kerala ahead of the local body elections this year and the assembly elections in 2026.

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Hindustan Times
14 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
J&K bans 25 books for promoting ‘false narratives and terrorism', including one by Arundhati Roy
The Jammu and Kashmir government has ordered a ban on 25 books including those for allegedly propagating 'false narrative and secessionism' in the Union Territory. Arundhati Roy's 'Azadi'; constitutional expert AG Noorani's 'The Kashmir Dispute 1947–2012'; political scientist Sumantra Bose's 'Kashmir at the Crossroads' and 'Contested Lands' are among the 25 banned books. The government has ordered the forfeiture of 25 books, along with their copies and related documents.(Representative Image) A notification of the Home Department in Jammu and Kashmir issued on Tuesday (August 5), signed by Principal Secretary Chandraker Bharti, said credible evidence shows that false narratives and secessionist literature often disguised as historical or political commentary have played a key role 'behind youth participation violence and terrorism.' 'This literature would deeply impact the psyche of youth by promoting culture of grievance, victimhood and terrorist heroism. Some of the means by which this literature has contributed to the radicalization of youth in J&K include distortion of historical facts, glorification of terrorists, vilification of security forces, religious radicalization, promotion of alienation, pathway to violence and terrorism,' the notification reads. The government has declared 25 books by various publishing houses including Routledge, Stanford University Press, Oxford University Press as 'forfeited' under Section 98 of Bhartiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) 2023. The government said that these books have been 'found to excite secessionism and endangering sovereignty and integrity of India', thereby, attracting the provisions of sections 152, 196 & 197 of Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023. While section 98 of BNSS 2023 gives power to the government to declare certain publications forfeited, Sections 152, 196, and 197 of the BNS 2023 deal with assault without grave provocation, obstruction of public servants, and failure to assist them when legally bound, respectively. The government has ordered the forfeiture of 25 books, along with their copies and related documents. This has come at a time when the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Friday, August 8, an application seeking directions to the central government to restore the statehood of the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Incidentally, on August 5, 2019, the Centre scrapped Jammu and Kashmir's special status and bifurcated the state into two Union territories.


The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Brinda Karat voices concern against Chhattisgarh's approval for mining in Hasdeo region
In a letter to Union Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav, senior Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Brinda Karat has opposed a recent Chhattisgarh government's approval of diversion of a large forested land in the Hasdeo region of the State for mining purposes. In her letter, the former MP and Special Invitee, CPI(M) Central Committee, wrote there was no public interest involved in the project and it would only lead to exploitation of mineral resources for private gain. A recommendation letter dated June 26, in which the Forest department has approved the proposal for diversion of forest land for non-forestry purpose — coal excavation work in the Kete Extension Coal Block Open Mine Project of the Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam or RNUVL, surfaced online on August 4. In the letter uploaded on government's PARIVESH website, Forest department official from Surguja district Abhishek Jogawat has based the recommendation on a survey done by him. The approval has also faced criticism from the Opposition Congress and environmentalists in the State. Demanding its cancellation, they have accused the ruling BJP of sacrificing the interests of the people of State as well as ecological concerns for the benefit of their capitalist friends, specifically the Adani conglomerate that is the mine developer and operator for RVUNL. Echoing similar concerns, Ms. Karat in her August 6 letter sought Mr. Yadav's intervention to 'reverse the destructive decision of the Chhattisgarh Forest department to give the green signal for the operationalisation of the Kente Extension Coal Project which requires the destruction of 1,742 hectares of dense forest land.' The approval follows the so-called inspection of the site by the Surguja District Forest Officer in June this year, she added. Ms. Karat further wrote that these projects were being taken up ignoring the opinions of the gram sabhas involved and the provisions of the Constitution and legal frameworks that made consent of the gram sabhas mandatory. 'Open cast mining affects a very large geographical area beyond the actual project. So even though human habitation in this specific area is negligible, many villages outside the area will be deeply affected. Earlier, more than 1,500 written objections from local communities were given to the government. But these have been ignored,' she wrote.


Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
CM: TN has double digit growth of 11.19%
Chennai: Chief minister M K Stalin said TN has become the fastest growing state in the country overcoming multiple challenges. Citing a Union ministry of statistics report, Stalin said on Wednesday that TN's economic growth rate has touched 11.19%, surging past the previous estimate of 9.69%. State has achieved the double digit growth rate after 14 years, he said after distributing appointment orders to youth recruited by state municipal administration department. "We have reached the milestone after crossing multiple hurdles and slander," Stalin said. He said DMK would not remain content with this accomplishment, but would take efforts to reach higher up, through concerted efforts in Dravidian model govt 2.0. You Can Also Check: Chennai AQI | Weather in Chennai | Bank Holidays in Chennai | Public Holidays in Chennai "When we set the target of becoming a $1 trillion economy by 2030, many raised their eyebrows. It's too ambitious, they said. But with growth like this, what once seemed distant is now well within reach," he posted on X. State finance minister Thangam Thennarasu attributed the double-digit growth rate to financial prudence. "Double digit growth rate in real terms is yet another feather in the hat of Dravidian model govt. The growth was possible due to our financial prudence. We have not only boosted our GSDP but boosted the economy of the country as well," Thennarasu told reporters at Anna Arivalayam.