Aadhar-linked pay becomes mandatory for MGNREGS workers
From the New Year, all wages under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme must be paid through an Aadhaar-based payment system (ABPS), which requires workers’ Aadhaar details to be seeded to their job cards. The fifth extension of the deadline to make the ABPS mandatory, giving State governments time to reconcile databases, ended on December 31, 2023.
4G mobile services for 1,117 border outposts in next six years: MHA
The Union government has approved 4G mobile services for more than 1,100 border outposts along India’s international borders, including the border with China border, at a cost of ₹1,545.66 crore, the year-end review of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said. The MHA said that a tripartite agreement has been signed among the Department of Telecommunications, the MHA, and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited to execute the project over the next six-and-a-half years.
Manipur violence: Fresh gunfights in Moreh, curfew reimposed
Curfew was reimposed on December 31 in restive Manipur’s Moreh, a town on the India-Myanmar border, following intermittent gunfights between armed miscreants and State police commandos since Saturday afternoon. Moreh is in Kuki-dominated Tengnoupal, one of the districts affected by the ethnic conflict between Kuki-Zo and Meitei communities that broke out in the State on May 3.
BJP chief Nadda attacks Congress over proposed Bharat Nyay Yatra
BJP president Jagat Prakash Nadda on Sunday targeted the Congress’s proposed Bharat Nyay Yatra and said those who left no stone unturned in doing injustice to the society were now thinking about holding a ‘Nyay Yatra’. He added that the Opposition Indian National Developmental, Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc was aiming to bring the country down while Prime Minister Narendra Modi was taking it forward.
Supreme Court in 2023: Constitution Benches galore, but judgments belie petitioners’ hopes
The year 2023 saw the Supreme Court form Constitution Benches almost back-to-back to hear long-pending and contentious cases like the abrogation of Article 370, same-sex marriage and demonetisation, but the results have left petitioners disappointed. The petitioners have either simply failed in court or the court’s directions were subverted by the government through amendments of laws or sheer delay in implementation.
Attacks on ships: Indian Navy enhances surveillance in Arabian Sea
Against the backdrop of the increasing attacks on commercial ships transiting the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Arabian Sea, the Indian Navy on December 31 said it had substantially enhanced maritime surveillance efforts in Central and North Arabian Sea and “augmented force levels”.
Russia launches fresh drone strikes on Ukraine after promising retaliation for Belgorod attack
Russia launched a fresh drone assault on Ukraine on Saturday night, after promising that strikes on the Russian border city of Belgorod earlier in the day “would not go unpunished”. The Ukrainian Air Force said on Sunday that it had shot down 21 of 49 drones launched by Russian forces overnight.
Israel ready to let ships bring aid to Gaza’s shores
Israel is prepared to let ships deliver aid to the war-ravaged Gaza Strip “immediately” as part of a proposed sea corridor from Cyprus, the Israeli Foreign Minister said on Sunday, naming four European countries as potential participants. Under the arrangement first suggested by Nicosia in November, cargo would undergo security inspection in the Cypriot port of Larnaca before being ferried to the Gaza coast, 370 km away, rather than through neighbouring Egypt or Israel.
Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi is declared winner of election that opposition wants redone
Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi won re-election with more than 70% of the vote, the country’s election commission said Sunday. The preliminary results of the Dec. 20 election were announced in the capital, Kinshasa, amid demands from the opposition and some civil society groups for the vote to be rerun due to massive logistical problems that put the validity of the outcome into question.
Murray reveals 2024 could be his last on Tour
Two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray said 2024 could be his final year before retirement after illness and injury hampered his preparation for the new season. Murray’s year will begin at the Brisbane International as he builds up for the Australian Open later in January. The 36-year-old is ranked 42nd in the world after a frustrating end to 2023, when he won just one match in his last four tournaments.
Shubman Gill is playing too aggressively in Test cricket: Gavaskar
Legendary Sunil Gavaskar has asked Shubman Gill to curb his aggressive intentions while batting in Tests after the young batsman failed to produce a substantial outing in the first Test against South Africa at Centurion. Gavaskar advised Gill to take in the different needs of Test cricket as compared to white ball formats.
A landmark year at the movies, as audiences came back to the theatres in droves, and Hollywood (read: Barbenheimer) set the box-office alight, despite reeling from the impact of the strikes. Some favourites such as All of Us Strangers, The Zone of Interestand The Boy and the Heron have been omitted from this list not having found a release in India yet.
