oppn parties The Centre Must Intervene Urgently In Lakshadweep

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  • Neha Bora was subsequently released and Dipke is to appear before a magistrate today at noon
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  • The Reserve Bank of India is considering further monetary tightening to counter capital outflows and increase the cost of betting against the rupee, according to bankers and analysts cited by Reuters. The measures follow recent rate increases and steps to drain liquidity as pressure on the currency and inflation concerns persist
  • India directed oil marketing companies to stop diverting sugar-based feedstocks for ethanol production in the 2026–27 supply year, according to a new tender issued on Friday. The companies have invited bids for 11 billion litres of ethanol made from alternatives including corn and broken rice, amid concerns about domestic sugar supplies and prices
  • Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said India's trade imbalance with China was growing sharply and attributed the problem partly to restrictions on Indian goods and services entering the Chinese market. China subsequently said it was ready to work with India to address mutual economic and trade concerns; India's trade deficit with China reached $69 billion in the first half of FY2026–27, up 27% year-on-year
  • Indian equity benchmarks extended their recovery on Friday, with the Sensex rising 413.66 points to close at 74,729.27 and the Nifty 50 gaining 148.80 points to settle at 23,146.15. Information technology shares, including Tech Mahindra, Infosys and TCS, helped lift the indices
  • India defeated Zimbabwe by four wickets in the opening women's T20 International in Raipur, taking a 1–0 lead in the three-match series. Deepti Sharma and Niki Prasad combined in an 82-run stand after India's top order collapsed, helping the hosts chase down Zimbabwe's total of 114 for five
  • Indian wrestler Komal won bronze in the women's 59 kg category at the Under-23 World Wrestling Championships in Las Vegas, defeating Kazakhstan's Viktoriia Khusainova 7–2. Fellow Indian Amruta Pujari advanced to the women's 72 kg final after recording two pinfall victories
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  • The Supreme Court of India upheld the Bombay High Court's decision quashing the 2020 write-off of ₹8,415 crore in additional tier-1 bonds issued by Yes Bank (Yes Bank). The court ruled that the bank's administrator lacked the authority to extinguish the bonds under the final reconstruction scheme, strengthening bondholders' claims
  • The Supreme Court issued notices to the Election Commission of India, Delhi Police and opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav, in separate petitions concerning electoral-roll revision and protests held in Delhi on October 10–12. The court also directed the preservation of CCTV footage linked to allegations of police excesses
  • The Supreme Court ruled that a person converting from Hinduism to Islam cannot automatically claim backward-class reservation benefits in the new religious community solely on the basis of their previous caste status. The judgment upheld the Madras High Court's decision striking down a 2024 Tamil Nadu government order that permitted such certification for specified communities
  • The Election Commission of India ordered a Special Summary Revision of electoral rolls in 14 states and three Union Territories, using January 1, 2027, as the qualifying date for voter eligibility. The draft rolls are scheduled for publication on November 12, claims and objections will be accepted until December 11, and the final rolls are due on January 4, 2027
Delhi HC refuses to ban CJP's Tiranga rally at Central Park in Connaught Place today /////// Police says will control and regulate it /////// NDMC closes the park for the public on Friday and Saturday
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The Centre Must Intervene Urgently In Lakshadweep

By Sunil Garodia
First publised on 2021-06-06 14:05:31

About the Author

Sunil Garodia Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator. Author of Cyber Scams in India, Digital Arrest, The Money Trap and The Human Hack

93 retired top civil servants from across the country, emphasizing that they are not affiliated to any political party, have written to Prime Minister Modi about what they termed as "disturbing developments" in the tiny Union territory of Lakshadweep.

So why is Lakshadweep, having a population of under 65000, in the eye of a storm?

It is because the UT Administrator Praful Patel, handpicked for the job by the Prime Minister and seen to be close to both Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, has introduced several draft rules that have raised shackles in the archipelago. The islanders, led by MP Mohammed Faizal, have protested against these 'unilateral and undemocratic' measures some of which they say are not rooted in ground reality and others are against the cultural ethos of the UT or will disturb the ecological balance.  

Introducing the draft prevention of anti-social activities regulation (or the so-called Goonda Act) in an area that, as per data released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), has zero cases of murder, kidnapping, rape, robbery and dacoity, is incomprehensible. The said regulation would give sweeping powers to the administrator and the police to arrest anyone even on suspicion to prevent them 'from acting in any manner prejudicial to the maintenance of public order'. This is a draconian regulation that must not be made law.

Then, despite the fact that nearly 95% of the population of the UT comprises of Muslims, the administration has put in place a beef ban and has struck of non-vegetarian items off the menu of mid-day meals being provided in government schools.

The administration also proposes to enact a rule that will disqualify anyone having more than two children from being a member of any Panchayat committee.  Population data shows that the growth of population in Lakshadweep is below the national average. Then what is the need to introduce this restrictive rule?

Then, in the name of development, a draconian regulation, the Lakshadweep Development Authority Regulation 2021, is proposed that can take away the land of any islander if the administration wishes to carry out development work there, which includes mining or tourism. This does not give a thought to the property rights of the islanders or the ecology of the area.

The biggest charge against Patel is that he is carrying out all of this unilaterally without consulting with any representative body of the islanders, the local MP or even the panchayats. Patel says he wants to make Lakshadweep a global tourist attraction on the lines of Maldives. He also says he wants to improve the 'pitiful' state in which the islanders live. These are noble intentions but the manner in which he is trying to impose himself is not right. He should have a consultative process and follow democratic norms before introducing far-reaching changes. The Centre must intervene urgently to ensure that these draft regulations are junked. 

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