President Kovind signs ordinance on Death Penalty for rape of children under 12

New Delhi: In the wake of the deadly terror strike in Pahalgam that claimed 26 lives, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday personally reached out to the Chief Ministers of all states, instructing them to take immediate action to identify and deport Pakistani nationals who are overstaying in India beyond the newly imposed visa deadlines, according to official sources.

During the calls, Shah emphasized the urgency of locating any Pakistani nationals still residing in their respective states and ensuring their departure in compliance with the fresh directives. He also made it clear that while overstayers must be deported, Hindu Pakistani nationals holding valid long-term visas are exempt from these measures and should not face any action.

This directive follows India’s sweeping decision to revoke all visas issued to Pakistani nationals from April 27 onwards. Medical visas, however, will remain valid only until April 29. The government has also urged all Indian citizens currently in Pakistan to return home at the earliest.

Furthermore, as part of its comprehensive response to the April 22 terror incident, India has withdrawn Pakistani access to the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES). Pakistani nationals currently in India under SVES were given a 48-hour deadline—until Friday—to leave the country.

The Home Minister had just returned from a two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir and attended a high-level Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting in Delhi, where key decisions were taken, including suspending the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan.

Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri briefed foreign envoys about the nature of the Pahalgam attack and the measures India is undertaking in its aftermath.

Addressing a public gathering in Bihar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the attack and asserted that India will "identify, track, and punish" every terrorist and their "backers," vowing to pursue the perpetrators to the "ends of the earth."

The government has also begun consultations with both ruling and opposition political parties, seeking unity on national security even as questions were raised regarding potential lapses that led to the attack.

The United States has reportedly approved a new shipment of thousands of powerful munitions to the Israeli regime, further reinforcing its military arsenal as Tel Aviv is said to be readying for “vigorous expansion” of its genocidal war on the Gaza Strip.

Citing unnamed Israeli officials, Hebrew-language outlet Ynetnews reported that the Israeli air force was set to receive more than 3,000 bombs from the US in the coming weeks.

According to the report, the munitions are to be delivered to “boost readiness” for a major offensive being planned by the Israeli army’s Southern Command.

Over 10,000 additional bombs are also expected to arrive in the near future, replenishing Tel Aviv’s stockpiles as it pushes forward with its regional military adventurism that has seen it escalate its deadly attacks on Lebanon and Syria, besides the war on Gaza.

The shipment is part of a broader arms package that includes MK-84 bombs, powerful 2,000-pound munitions that have already been linked to mass civilian casualties in Gaza.

A similar transfer, which was initially halted by the previous US administration, was unfrozen earlier this year under Donald Trump’s second tenure as president, enabling the Israeli regime to resume large-scale deployment of the destructive weapons.

Rafah encircled 

The regime’s minister for military affairs Israel Katz has announced that Tel Aviv was now preparing to “vigorously” broaden its assault on besieged Gaza.

As part of the escalation, Israeli forces have recently captured the so-called “Morag Corridor,” a strategic route connecting the southern Gaza cities of Rafah and Khan Younis.

Israeli military officials had declared on 12 April that Rafah, the last refuge for over a million displaced Palestinians, was now completely surrounded.

The Israeli army’s 36th Division, including the 188th Armored Brigade and Golani Infantry Brigade, reportedly advanced from both northwest and southeast axes towards the area.

Additionally, the army’s “Gaza Division” is operating along the Philadelphi Corridor, adjacent to the Gaza-Egypt border, amid the regime’s continued allegations that the stretch of land is used to transfer arms to Gaza’s Hamas resistance movement.

Death toll rises 

The intensified genocidal campaign has come at a staggering human cost. Since March 18, at least 1,630 Palestinians have been killed and more than 4,300 wounded across the Palestinian territory due to relentless Israeli bombardments and ground incursions.

Entire neighborhoods in Rafah and other southern areas have been flattened, with displaced civilians again forced to flee, this time with nowhere left to go.

Across the entire territory, essential infrastructure has been decimated, exacerbating the already dire conditions for over two million Palestinians trapped under blockade.

Bengaluru, Apr 11: In a significant development, the Karnataka Cabinet on Friday formally accepted the controversial Socio-Economic and Educational Survey, popularly known as the caste census, nearly a decade after it was conducted. The report will be taken up for detailed discussion in a special Cabinet meeting on April 17.

The survey was originally carried out in 2015 by the Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes under the chairmanship of H. Kantharaj, and finalised in February 2024 by his successor, K. Jayaprakash Hegde. The long-awaited report—comprising 50 volumes of detailed caste- and community-related data—was placed before the Cabinet in a sealed cover, which was opened during Friday’s meeting.

Backward Classes Welfare Minister Shivaraj Tangadagi, while briefing the media, said the report would now be distributed to all Cabinet ministers so they could examine its findings ahead of the April 17 meeting. Though the government did not disclose the contents of the report, it sought to validate the survey’s legitimacy by presenting statistical data.

“As per the 2011 Census, Karnataka’s population was 6.11 crore. By 2015, when the survey was conducted, it had grown to an estimated 6.35 crore. The survey covered 5.98 crore people—a coverage of 94.17 percent,” Tangadagi said.
He added that only 37 lakh people, or 5.83 percent, were left out of the enumeration process.

Highlighting the scale of the operation, the minister said 1.6 lakh government officials participated in the survey. An expert committee was constituted, which developed 54 criteria to guide the data collection. The state government also engaged Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) to manage the survey data under a ₹43 crore agreement, with the total expenditure reaching ₹165 crore.

Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H. K. Patil announced that a special Cabinet session will be held on April 17 to deliberate on the report's contents. When asked about concerns over the completeness of the data, Patil responded, “Even in the national Census, some people are left out. A 94 percent coverage is a very significant achievement.”

The caste census remains a politically sensitive issue in Karnataka. Dominant communities such as the Lingayats and Vokkaligas have questioned the methodology of the 2015 survey, alleging undercounting. In contrast, Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and SC/ST groups have welcomed the report, arguing that it sheds light on social realities long ignored.

The Congress party had pledged to act on the caste census in its manifestos for the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections and the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. National party leader Rahul Gandhi has also been advocating for a nationwide caste census.

The Cabinet’s acceptance of the report comes just days after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s meeting with Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi, and the Congress Working Committee’s session in Ahmedabad.

Six Ministers Skip Cabinet Meeting

At least six ministers were notably absent from Friday’s Cabinet meeting. These included:

    S. S. Mallikarjun and Laxmi Hebbalkar (both Lingayats)

    M. C. Sudhakar and K. Venkatesh (both Vokkaligas)

    R. B. Timmapur (SC)

    Madhu Bangarappa (Idiga community)

However, Minister Patil clarified that despite their absence, all ministers have endorsed the Cabinet’s collective decision, regardless of caste or community affiliations.