Live News July 30: Assam draft NRC published, M Karunanidhi stable

Deaf and mute students of a school staged a protest here today and accused the Rajasthan government of ignoring their needs. Students of the state-run Seth Anandilal Poddar Senior Secondary school demanded that their principal be replaced with one capable of understanding sign language. They said the new arrangement of two shifts in a single day was taxing and that it should be reverted back to the set up of a single shift per day. The students protested outside their school on JLN Road with placards reading 'we want those who understand our language'.

A parents' body of the students also submitted a letter in this regard to Rajasthan Education Minister Vasudev Devnani today. The demand for single shift classes and change of the incumbent principal was mentioned in the letter.

PTI quoting “government sources” said India requested authorities in Antigua and Barbuda to detain PNB scam fugitive Mehul Choksi after it received information about his presence in the Caribbean island. The sources said India was in touch with the island nation following reports of Choksi's presence there and requested the authorities there to restrict his movements by land, sea and air.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday said the draft National Register of Citizens for Assam is completely "impartial" and those whose names are not included shouldn't panic as they will get an opportunity to prove their Indian citizenship.

The home minister's reaction came after the draft NRC was published today with the names of about 40 lakh residents of the state not being included. "No coercive action will be taken against anyone. Hence, there is no need for anyone to panic," he told reporters in Delhi.

Opposition parties led by the TMC and the Samajwadi Party today created an uproar in the Rajya Sabha over the publication of Assam's National Register of Citizens, forcing adjournment of proceedings till noon.

No sooner had the House mourned the death of a former member and listed papers presented, TMC members led by their leader Derek O'Brien were up on their feet raising the issue.

SP members and some from the Congress too started raising the issue leading to a din.

Out of 3.29 crore applicants, 2.89 crore have been found eligible for inclusion in the complete draft of NRC, that was released in Guwahati this morning. This meant that the names of 40.07 lakh have been left out.

Rating agency Moody's on Mondau said the recent GST rate cuts on 88 items will weigh on government's revenue collection and is ‘credit negative' as it will put pressure on efforts of fiscal consolidation. The GST Council, chaired by Union Finance Minister, last week cut tax rates on white goods as well as various handicrafts items and paints. “We estimate revenue loss from the most recent tax cuts to be about 0.04-0.08% of GDP annually.

A Delhi court on Monday summoned RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav, his wife Rabri Devi and son Tejashwi Yadav and others as accused in the alleged Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation scam. Special Judge Arvind Kumar directed them to appear before the court on August 31 in a case related to alleged irregularities in granting operational contract of two IRCTC hotels to a private firm.

DMK president M Karunanidhi is stable and continues to be treated at the ICU of a hospital here for the third consecutive day as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami and his deputy O Panneerselvam visited the hospital to enquire about the leader's health.

Palaniswami after visiting Karunanidhi at Kauvery Hospital told reporters that the DMK chief's health condition is "stable...he is well...a medical team is attending on him... Me and deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam along with DMK party working president MK Stalin and Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi visited him in person." State ministers including Law minister C Ve Shanmugam accompanied the Chief Minister to the hospital.

Rajya Sabha: Bills for Consideration and Passing

• The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Amendment) Bill, 2018
• The National Council for Teacher Education (Amendment) Bill, 2018

Lok Sabha: Bills for Consideration and Passing

• The Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2018
• State Banks (Repeal and Amendment) Bill 2017
• The Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation) Bill, 2018
• The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Second Amendment) Bill 2018
• The Commercial Courts, Commercial Division and Commercial Appellate Division of High Courts (Amendment) Bill, 2018
• The Homeopathy Central Council (Amendment) Bill

DMK President M Karunanidhi on Sunday suffered a “transient setback” in his health but his vital signs are normalising, said the hospital where he has been admitted since Saturday after his BP dipped

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has urged people to refrain from making "inflammatory" remarks in the wake of publication of the final draft of National Register of Citizens (NRC), an official release said.

Dispelling fears of confinement, Sonowal said no one would be sent to any detention camp after the publication of the final draft, the release said. The government would not tolerate any "communal remarks" on the NRC and people must work jointly to thwart all "evil designs of divisive forces", he added

During an all-party meeting last night, the representatives of Congress, BJP, Asom Gana Parisad, CPI(M), CPI, AAP and representatives of Karbi Anglong and NC Hills Autonomous councils, the people were requested not to panic if their names did not appear on the list as "all genuine applicants would get ample time for claims and objections".

The much-anticipated second and final draft of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) was published today with 2.9 crore names out of the total 3.29 crore applicants in Assam, Registrar General of India Sailesh said in Guwahati on Monday.

The names of 40.07 lakh applicants did not find a place in the historic document, touted to be a proof of Assamese identity. The first draft of the NRC was published during the intervening night of December 31 and January 1 this year, containing 1.9 crore names. The NRC is intended to include the names of all Indian citizens who have been residing in Assam before March 25, 1971.

Follow National Herald’s live news blog to get all the news in one place as we follow events in Chennai where DMK President M Karunanidhi is reported to be stable; in Assam, the draft National Register of Citizens has been published, reportedly leaving out about 40 lakh people, and a stormy session is expected in the Upper House of Parliament, among other news