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Business News/ Politics / Policy/  Political wrap: Only Indian citizens allowed to have surrogate child
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Political wrap: Only Indian citizens allowed to have surrogate child

In other news, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi ratify GST bill; SC pulls up Jayalalithaa for misusing defamation law

External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj (right) and health minister J.P. Nadda addressing a press conference after the Union Cabinet gave its approval for introduction of Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill 2016, in New Delhi on Wednesday. Photo: PTIPremium
External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj (right) and health minister J.P. Nadda addressing a press conference after the Union Cabinet gave its approval for introduction of Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill 2016, in New Delhi on Wednesday. Photo: PTI

New Delhi: Mint brings to you your daily dose of political news reported by newsrooms across the country.

Modi govt moves to ban commercial surrogacy

The cabinet on Tuesday approved the introduction of a bill that seeks to ban commercial surrogacy—a practice known as ‘rent a womb’—and allow only infertile couples to bear a child using a surrogate mother.

If enacted, the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill 2016 will allow only Indian citizens to have a surrogate child in India. Non-resident Indians or People of Indian Origin card-holders will not be allowed to take recourse to a surrogate mother in India. Live-in couples, single parents and homosexuals will also be barred. Read more.

Madhya Pradesh and Delhi ratify GST Bill

Madhya Pradesh and Delhi on Wednesday became the seventh and eight states to ratify the constitutional amendment bill for the roll-out of the goods and services tax (GST). With eight states ratifying the landmark legislation, it has reached the halfway mark of the required number before it can be sent for presidential assent.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Delhi government became the third non-National Democratic Alliance (NDA)-led state government to ratify the bill. Read more.

SC pulls up Jayalalithaa for misusing defamation law

The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued notice to Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalithaa in an appeal against a criminal defamation case filed by the state government.

A bench comprising justices Dipak Misra and C. Nagappan criticized the chief minister for using criminal defamation as a tool to evade criticism.

“This is not how a healthy democracy functions. You must face criticism if you are a public figure," the court observed. Read more.

Cabinet clears railway projects worth over Rs24,000 crore

In an effort to ramp up capacity and decongest key routes for rail traffic, both freight and passenger, the Union cabinet on Wednesday approved nine projects estimated to cost 24,374 crore.

This is consistent with the message delivered by railway minister Suresh Prabhu in the budget he presented for 2016-17, which identified expansion of capacity—particularly on saturated networks—as a key priority over the medium term. Read more.

Mayawati eyes Muslim-Dalit combine to come back to power

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati, who launched the party’s campaign for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election in Agra on Sunday and is slated to hold three more rallies over a month, looks set to consolidate the Dalit vote by using a series of missteps by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). But implicit in her campaign is also an attempt to reach out to the Muslim community.

That she wants to use the Muslim-Dalit combination to come back to power was reflected in her choice of Agra, which has a sizeable population of both Muslims and Dalits, to launch the election campaign. Read more.

IITs dare to dream: Can India create 15 Stanfords?

On Tuesday, the Union government approved a new scheme to provide 1,000 research fellowships a year to B.Tech students of the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) to encourage them to opt for research in India instead of pursuing it abroad.

It is designed to address the weakest link in the IIT ecosystem, otherwise a premier domain of quality engineering education in the country. The fellowship, which would pay out 60,000 every month, is only a part of the story. Read more.

Rains to be normal, not excess, this monsoon

India will receive normal rainfall this monsoon season, not surplus as previously expected, Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing three senior officials at the weather department.

A forecast for above-average rain had stoked fears of crop damage during harvest, but with normal rainfall farmers can reap bumper crops, the report said. Read more.

Rahul Gandhi didn’t blame RSS for killing Mahatma Gandhi: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on Wednesday indicated that the criminal defamation case against Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi might not be sustainable for making remarks against Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

“We understand that the accused never blamed RSS as the killer of Gandhi," the court said after perusing a statement made by Rahul Gandhi before the Bombay high court. Read more.

Gadkari made Goa election in-charge

Union minister Nitin Gadkari was on Wednesday made BJP in-charge of the Goa Assembly election, which is due next year. The BJP is in power in the state, where the Congress is being considered its main rival with the Aam Aadmi Party also trying hard to set up a base. Read more.

Maharashtra likely to witness drop in cotton production

Cotton production in Maharashtra is likely to fall by 10-15% this year, the agriculture ministry has said. Farmers postponed the sowing of cotton because of a delayed monsoon, which can lead to a drop in output. The cotton-growing farmers in Marathwada and Vidarbha switched partly to soya bean, tur and other cereals.

However, the government believes the shortfall of cotton coupled with greater overall demand in the market will ensure higher returns to the farmers. Read more.

We won’t tolerate merger of Daman in Gujarat: Daman Congress

The Daman and Diu Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) president, Ketan Patel, has said that the people of the Union territory will not tolerate any move by the Centre to merge Daman and Diu into Gujarat through the appointment of former home minister of Gujarat, Praful Khodabhai Patel. Read more.

Abhiram Ghadyalpatil from Mumbai and Maulik Pathak from Ahmedabad contributed to this story.

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Published: 25 Aug 2016, 10:22 AM IST
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