India’s active covid cases dips to 85,680 - 0.20% of the total infections

New Delhi: The Janata Dal United (JDU) concluded its national executive meeting with a resolution demanding special state status for Bihar. The party, led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, emphasized the longstanding need for Bihar to be granted special status, highlighting economic and developmental disparities.

Addressing the media after the meeting, a senior JDU leader stated, "The demand for special state status for Bihar is not new. It is a crucial step towards accelerating Bihar's growth trajectory and addressing the state's unique challenges."

The resolution also underscored the necessity of safeguarding Bihar's reservation quota, which was recently increased to 65 percent. The JDU proposed that this quota be included in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution to shield it from judicial scrutiny, ensuring its uninterrupted implementation.

Regarding recent controversies, the party expressed deep concern over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination and called for a thorough investigation. "It is imperative to restore the credibility of such crucial examinations and uphold the trust of students and parents in the fairness of the process," the leader added.

Twelve former US officials have denounced President Joe Biden’s policies on Gaza as “a failure and a threat” to the country’s national security, calling on the government to overhaul them and use all "available leverage” to bring the ongoing war to an immediate end.

The 12 signatories who quit their posts over Biden’s controversial approach made the remarks in a joint public statement titled "Service in Dissent" which was released on Tuesday in conjunction with Independence Day, known colloquially as the Fourth of July.

“Each of us has sworn an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, and as our nation celebrates its Independence Day, each of us are reminded that we resigned from government not to terminate that oath but to continue to abide by it; not to end our commitment to service, but to extend it,” the former officials said.

“This failed policy has not achieved its stated objectives,” they said, noting that it has not brought safety to the Israeli regime and has rather been “devastating for the Palestinian people, ensuring a vicious cycle of poverty and hopelessness, with all the implications of that cycle, for generations to come.”

The signatories went on to say, “As a group of dedicated Americans in service of our country, we insist that there is another way,” outlining steps to ensure that a "catastrophic policy failure like this can never happen again."

The ex-officials also argued that the US policy toward Gaza has “been deeply damaging” not only for US relations in the region, but also for the country’s global credibility.

The former officials further noted that US’ continuous flow of arms to Israel has ensured the country’s “undeniable complicity in the killings and forced starvation of a besieged Palestinian population in Gaza.”

"This is not only morally reprehensible and in clear violation of international humanitarian law and US laws, but it has also put a target on America’s back," they added, arguing that it has put the lives of service members and diplomats at risk.

The signatories also called on Washington to use “all necessary and available leverage to bring the conflict to an immediate close”, ensure expansion of humanitarian aid to Gazans and support the self-determination of the Palestinian people.

“There is an urgent need for change in the organizational cultures and structures that have enabled the current US approach,” they stressed, calling on Washington to have transparency regarding arms transfers.

The signatories further stated they “stand united in a shared belief that it is our collective responsibility to speak up,” urging their colleagues to use their voice and not to be complicit.

Among the signatories are Josh Paul, who oversaw Congressional relations on weapons transfers, a former White House official, two former air force department personnel and a former army officer in the Defense Intelligence Agency.

Israel launched the devastating war on Gaza on October 7 after the territory’s Palestinian resistance groups carried out a surprise retaliatory attack, dubbed Operation Al-Aqsa Storm, against the occupying entity.

Since then, the United States has supplied the Tel Aviv regime with more than 10,000 tons of military equipment, and used its veto power against all United Nations Security Council resolutions that called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

The relentless Israeli military campaign against Gaza has so far killed nearly 38,000 people, most of them women and children.

New Delhi: The people of India have given a clear and stable mandate to the Modi government for a third time, President Droupadi Murmu said on Thursday as she addressed a joint sitting of Parliament.

The President also congratulated the people of Jammu and Kashmir for the high voter turnout recorded in the union territory in the recent Lok Sabha elections and lauded the Election Commission for holding the world's biggest democratic exercise.

Congratulating the new MPs in her first address to the joint sitting of Parliament after the constitution of the 18th Lok Sabha, Murmu said she hoped they would act as the medium for fulfilling the aspirations of the people of India.

"A very good outcome has emerged from Jammu and Kashmir in this election. Voting records of decades have been broken," she said.

"In the last four decades, we only saw low voter turnout in Kashmir amid strikes and shutdowns. Enemies of India used to project it as the opinion of Jammu and Kashmir on the global stage. This time, the people of Jammu and Kashmir gave a befitting reply to such forces," she said.

Murmu said the whole world is talking about the 2024 elections.

"The world can see Indians have for the third time formed a government with a stable and full mandate," she said.

"This has happened after six decades. People have shown trust in my government for the third time. People of India are confident that only my government can fulfil their aspirations," she said.

"This is a stamp of approval for the mission of service and good governance that my government has run for the last 10 years," the President said.

The President added that many historic and major economic decisions will be taken in the upcoming budget.

The budget that will be presented by the government in the next Parliament session will be a document of its futuristic vision, the President said in her first address to the joint sitting of Parliament after the constitution of the 18th Lok Sabha.

"The budget will have major economic and social decisions and many historic steps will be taken. The speed of reforms will be increased to fulfil the aspirations of people," she said.

She said her government believes there should be healthy competition between states for investment. "This is in the spirit of competitive-cooperative federalism," she added.

AAP boycotts President Murmu's address to Parliament over Arvind Kejriwal's arrest

Murmu further said, "India has become the world's fifth-largest economy. There has been an average 8 per cent growth in the last 10 years, even though these were not normal times."

"This growth rate has been achieved despite a global pandemic and conflicts in different parts of the world. This is the result of the reforms of the last 10 years. India alone is contributing 15 per cent to global growth. My government is working to make India the world's third-largest economy," she said.

Amid the NEET row, President Murmu assured during her address that the government is fully committed to investigating the recent incidents of paper leaks and ensure that the guilty are punished.

Addressing the 18th Lok Sabha for the first time, the president said her government is working to create an environment to enable youth of the country dream big and achieve them.

As she mentioned steps taken by the government on the education front, some opposition members were heard shouting "NEET".

"If due to any reason there is obstruction in examinations it is not appropriate. Sanctity, transparency are a must in government recruitments and examinations," she said.

"The government is committed to conduct fair investigation and ensure the most stringent punishment to those guilty in the recent incidents of paper leak," she said.

There were incidents of paper leaks in some states earlier as well, the president said, stressing that there is need to rise above partisan politics and take strong steps at the national level.

The president added that Parliament has also made a strong law against paper leaks.

She added that the government is working to bring reforms in the examination process.