Morning Brief: Panel On Sub-Categorisation Of OBCs To Go Beyond Government’s Term; Church Warns Priest For Protest Against Rape-Accused Bishop; And More

Good morning, dear reader! Here’s your morning news brief for today.

Panel On Sub-Categorisation Of OBCs To Go Beyond Government’s Term

The term of the panel tasked with the sub-categorisation of Other Backward Classes (OBCs) has been extended for the fourth time, the Times of India has reported. This development indicates that the Narendra Modi government is unlikely to decide on this issue before the end of its current term ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The commission, headed by Justice G Rohini, was to submit its report by 30 November. However, it would now have time till 31 May.

The government has justified the move saying the panel needs more time to process the data it has collected and to hold consultations with states. According to the daily’s report, sub-division will antagonise stronger OBCs as it would shrink their share in the reservation pie to the benefit of weaker communities.

Church Warns Priest For Protest Against Rape-Accused Bishop

The Church has issued a warning to a priest in Kerala who had organised protests in the state after the alleged rape of a nun by a bishop. The priest, identified as Father Augstine Vattoly, is the convener of an outfit called “Save Our Sisters”. In a letter to the priest, Major Archepady of Ernakulam-Angamaly has said that “disobedience will incur ecclesiastical actions as per norms of Church law”. Some protests were witnessed in Kerala in September against Bishop Franco Mulakkal, accused of raping a nun. Four nuns had joined the silent protests despite their own congregation publically condemning them for standing up for a colleague.

Mulakkal, who was arrested in September and released three weeks later, had received a grand welcome from the Diocese of Jalandhar when he returned from Kerala after getting bail in a rape case. His supporters had showered flower petals on his vehicle and he was garlanded after alighting from it. He is accused of raping a nun 13 times between 2013 and 2016 at a convent in Kottayam.

India’s Employability Rises To 47 Per Cent, Says Report

Around 47 per cent of the country’s population is now employable, the India Skills Report, prepared by Wheebox, PeopleStrong and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), has revealed. Percentage of employable population in the country has registered an increase of almost 2 to 3 per cent since last year, with engineers being the most employable. The report says that around 57 per cent of the final-year engineering graduates were found to be employable.

However, the employability among masters of business administration graduates has come down by three per cent. Andhra Pradesh topped the list with the highest employability, followed by Rajasthan and Haryana.

UP Government Approves Rs 1,260 Crore For Jewar Airport Land Acquisition

Just days after starting land acquisition for the Bundelkhand Expressway, Uttar Pradesh government has granted approval to a fund of Rs 1,260 crore for acquisition of land for the proposed Jewar airport in Gautam Buddh Nagar. The construction of the greenfield international airport requires around 5,000 hectare land. For the first phase of the airport, which will be the second in the National Capital Region, 1,334 hectare land is required.

The state government had issued a notification for the acquisition of land for the greenfield project on 30 October. The district administration has identified the land required for the project in six villages.

Six Terrorists Killed In South Kashmir’s Bijbehara

Security forces have killed at least six terrorists in an encounter in south Kashmir, The Indian Express has reported. This development has been confirmed by the police and the army. The encounter broke out in Sekipora area of Bijbehara in Anantnag district when security forces launched a cordon and search operation in the area.

Earlier this week, four Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists were killed in Shopian district of the state. The Army had also lost a paratrooper in the encounter.

From Swarajya

Scrapping J&K Assembly Was Least-Bad Option; Courts Should Let It Pass: Courts would do India a disservice by throwing a spanner in the works. There is no need to emasculate and delegitimise the position of Governor further.

67 Years Later, Board Is Back In Control Of RBI: This would not be unprecedented. Nearly ever other regulator in the financial sector is board-driven.

Why Indonesia’s Proposal To Buy Raw Sugar From India May Not Work Out: Two reasons why Indonesia’s proposal is unlikely to take off any time soon.

We hope you enjoyed reading our morning brief. Have a great day ahead!

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