In Parliament: No data on triple talaq FIRs: Rijiju
Minister for Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju informed the Rajya Sabha on Monday that data on FIRs filed against individuals accused of giving triple talaq to Muslim women, as well as convictions under such cases, is not maintained centrally. Responding to a query by TMC MP Mohammed Nadimul Haque, Rijiju stated, “No such data is maintained centrally. Police and public order are state subjects under the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution. States are competent to handle offences under the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act, 2019.”
Pradhan evades query on central institute vacancies
Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan sidestepped a direct question in the Lok Sabha regarding the number of faculty positions sanctioned, filled and vacant in Central Universities, IITs, IIITs, NITs, IIMs and IISERs as of October 31, 2024. Responding to JMM MP Vijay Hansdak, Pradhan said, “As of October 29, 25,777 posts, including 15,139 faculty positions, have been filled across all Central higher educational institutions. Additionally, 25,257 vacancies have been filled collectively by CUs, IITs, IIITs, NITs, IIMs, IISERs and IISc Bengaluru,” he stated.
441 mineral blocks auctioned since 2015
Union Coal Minister Pralhad Joshi informed the Rajya Sabha that since the 2015 amendment to the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957, India has auctioned 441 mineral blocks across 15 states. Limestone blocks accounted for the most at 151, followed by iron ore (113), manganese (39) and gold (21).
5,998 veteran artistes on Central aid
Union Culture Minister Gajendra Shekhawat revealed that since 2019, 5,988 applications have been received under the Financial Assistance for Veteran Artists scheme. The programme provides Rs 6,000 monthly to artists aged 60 and above who have made significant contributions to art, culture or letters or are still contributing.
Over 2 crore females own MSMEs in India
India has 2.18 crore micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) owned by women. Maharashtra leads with over 25 lakh, followed by West Bengal at 24.83 lakh. Other states include Punjab (4.84 lakh), Haryana (3.86 lakh), Jammu & Kashmir (1.53 lakh), Himachal Pradesh (52,000) and Chandigarh (14,243).
Sanjauli heliport security manuals not approved
Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol said Rs 8 crore has been sanctioned for the Sanjauli heliport in Shimla under the UDAN scheme. However, the heliport’s operational licence is pending due to unapproved security manuals, including anti-hijacking and bomb threat contingency plans.
Budget for minorities has increased
Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju clarified that the ministry’s budget allocation has increased from Rs 3,097.6 crore in 2023-24 to Rs 3,183.24 crore in 2024-25. Rijiju was responding to Congress MP Imran Pratapgarhi in the Rajya Sabha.
(Compiled by Aditi Tandon)
