Morning Digest — March 31, 2023

A giant sign is seen displayed outside Manhattan Criminal Court after former U.S. President Donald Trump’s indictment by a Manhattan grand jury following a probe into hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels, in New York City, U.S. onMarch 30, 2023.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Donald Trump indicted; 1st ex-President charged with crime

Donald Trump has been indicted by a Manhattan grand jury, prosecutors and defence lawyers said on March 31, making him the first former U.S. President to face a criminal charge and jolting his bid to retake the White House next year.

Back to school: 22.7 lakh adults gained literacy and numeracy skills this year

A grandmother and her granddaughter; women behind veils in rural Rajasthan; a bridegroom in Madhya Pradesh; elderly couples heading to school together: these are among the 22.7 lakh unlikely students from ten States and Union Territories who became qualified as literate adults this year, passing the Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Assessment Test (FLNAT) for 2022-23. More than 40% of the successful candidates were from Madhya Pradesh alone.

Ahead of GST Appellate Tribunal’s launch, an SOP for investigations

With Parliament clearing the decks for the establishment of Goods and Services Tax Appellate Tribunal to resolve rising disputes under the nearly six-year-old indirect tax regime, the Revenue Department is in the process of finalising a standard operating procedure (SOP) for officers undertaking intelligence and investigation work.

China’s new Defence Minister likely to visit India for SCO meet

China’s newly appointed Defence Minister, General Li Shangfu, is set to make his first visit to India in April, which is also set to be the first high-level military visit from China since the Line of Actual Control (LAC) crisis began in April 2020. Separately, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, speaking at an event on Thursday, said that resolution of the stand-off in eastern Ladakh “is work in progress” and in the last three years, the combination of military and diplomacy working in lockstep has made progress in resolving it.

Fugitive Amritpal’s aide booked under Arms Act in J&K for procuring gun licence against fake documents

A case under the Arms Act was lodged against Varinder Singh, a close aide of fugitive separatist leader Amritpal Singh of ‘Waris Punjab De’, on Thursday in the Chenab Valley’s Kishtwar district.

Congress leader Digvijaya Singh’s tweet embarrasses his party, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju uses it to target Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member Digvijaya Singh’s tweet on Thursday to thank Germany for taking note of “how democracy is being compromised through persecution of Rahul Gandhi” has not only embarrassed his party but also given the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ammunition to target the Congress over “seeking foreign interference” in the country’s internal affairs.

PFI members used social media accounts to spread communal hatred, target govt. and higher judiciary: NIA

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has analysed more than 60 Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube accounts linked to the now-banned Popular Front of India (PFI), through which its functionaries and members were allegedly spreading communal hatred and targeting the Indian government and higher judiciary.

MoD signs contracts worth ₹22,986 crore for ships and equipment

The Defence Ministry on Thursday signed four contracts worth ₹22,986 crore for acquisition of 11 Next Generation Offshore Patrol Vessels (NG-OPVs) and six Next Generation Missile Vessels (NGMVs) for the Navy, as well as equipment and BrahMos supersonic missiles for coastal defence.

Now, ancestry records to be used in the telling of history 

Kapil Parasher’s 10×10 foot office room near Kusha ghat in Haridwar is lined with steel almirahs weighed down with rolls of leather-bound record books. He opens a cupboard, its glass frontage showing the many piles stacked within, and takes out a ledger. On the floor, sits a middle-aged couple waiting to find out about their ancestors. The 40-year-old Mr. Parasher, who wears a dhoti-kurta, opens the bahi (book), and leafs through what could be hundreds of pages.

2008 Jaipur blasts | Rights groups demand fresh probe after High Court verdict

Civil rights groups on Thursday demanded a fresh investigation into the 2008 Jaipur serial blasts, which claimed 71 lives, following the acquittal of four persons in the case by the Rajasthan High Court. They also sought immediate action against the police officers who had “fabricated the cases” against the innocent persons who spent 15 years behind bars.

Trade talks and diplomatic tensions ‘unconnected’, says U.K.

The U.K. government said on Thursday that the free trade agreement negotiations between New Delhi and London and the tensions in the bilateral relationship over India’s concerns around lax security at the Indian High Commission, London, were two distinct issues.