Important News to be read from "The Hindu 25-11-2019"

The Supreme Court on Sunday put on hold a plea for ordering a floor test in the Maharashtra Assembly till it examined records that may shed light on what led Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari to invite BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis to form the government and later swear him in as the Chief Minister on November 23.
A three-judge Bench, led by Justice N.V. Ramana, requested Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, in his capacity as the Centre’s law officer, to place on record before the court, by 10.30 a.m. on November 25, the letter of Mr. Fadnavis to the Governor staking claim to form the government.

The results of the survey, released on Saturday, showed that about 71% of rural households had access to toilets at a time when the Centre was claiming 95% had access. On October 2, 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared that the whole country was open defecation-free with complete access to toilets.
The survey was carried out between July and December 2018, with a reference date of October 1. Large States which had been declared open defecation-free — that is, 100% access to toilets and 100% usage — even before the survey began included Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Rajasthan. Others which were declared open defecation-free during the survey included Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
According to the National Statistical Office, almost 42% of the rural households in Jharkhand had no access to a toilet at that time. In Tamil Nadu, the gap was 37%, followed by 34% in Rajasthan.

More than 35% of the cases registered under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) were recorded in Manipur, show the National Crime Records Data (NCRB) provided by the Home Ministry in the Rajya Sabha last week.
With 156 cases, Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) recorded 17% of such cases, followed by Assam (133) which reported 14% of all cases registered under it in 2017 in the entire country. Uttar Pradesh (109 cases) recorded 12% and Bihar (52) accounted for 5%.
Under the UAPA, the investigating agency can file a chargesheet in maximum 180 days after the arrests and the duration can be extended further after intimating the court. The anti-terror Act has death penalty and life imprisonment as maximum punishment.

The 13th Film Bazaar, an annual four-day market organised by the National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC) on the sidelines of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), concluded on Sunday with Natesh Hegde’s Pedro and Ajitpal Singh’s Swizerland winning the Prasad Lab DI Award and Moviebuff Appreciation Award in the Work-in-Progress (WIP) lab section.
From the incomplete films in the Film Bazaar Recommends section, Prithvi Konanur’s Pinki Elli? won the Prasad Lab DI Award and Moviebuff Appreciation Award.
Pushpendra Singh’s Laila Aur Satt Geet won the VKAAO WIP Lab Award, which includes a certificate from VKAAO and a free theatrical distribution deal with PVR Cinemas.

Important News to be read from “The Hindu 25-11-2019”