School Assembly guide [12 July 2024]: Thought for the Day, news headlines and more

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant met with the Archbishop of Goa and Daman, Rev. Fr. Filipe Neri Cardinal Ferrao, on Thursday to discuss the upcoming preparations for the exposition of St. Francis Xavier’s relics, scheduled for later this year. This decennial event will take place over 45 days, starting from November 21.
The Supreme Court is set to hear a petition on Friday seeking an investigation into the recent Hathras stampede that resulted in 121 fatalities. The petition calls for the formation of a five-member expert committee, supervised by a retired Supreme Court judge, to investigate the July 2 stampede. According to the cause list for July 12 posted on the Supreme Court’s website, the petition will be heard by a bench consisting of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra. Filed by advocate Vishal Tiwari, the petition also requests that the Uttar Pradesh government submit a status report on the incident and take legal action against the authorities, officials, and others responsible for their negligence.
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar expressed regret on Thursday over the declining state of democratic politics in the country, urging all political parties to engage in introspection. Speaking at a joint session of both houses of the Maharashtra legislature during the centenary celebrations of the state legislative council, Dhankhar emphasized that democracy relies on debate and dialogue, which is currently lacking among political parties. “Democratic politics is reaching a new low, and this calls for introspection by all political parties,” the vice president remarked. “Parliamentary democracy is facing significant challenges. We are experiencing disruptions and a lack of dialogue between political parties,” he added.
With assembly elections approaching later this year, the Haryana Congress unveiled a ‘chargesheet’ against the BJP government on Thursday, criticising it for issues such as unemployment and law and order. The party announced it will launch the ‘Haryana Maange Hisab Abhiyan’ on July 15. The campaign aims to expose the state government’s failures to the public, according to state Congress chief Udai Bhan, who spoke at a press conference alongside former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. In presenting the ‘chargesheet’ against the BJP’s decade-long rule in Haryana, Bhan claimed the government has failed on multiple fronts, including job creation, law and order maintenance, and farmer protection, among other issues. “The ‘Haryana Maange Hisab Abhiyan,’ starting July 15, will highlight and expose this government’s shortcomings. Our leaders and workers will reach all 90 assembly constituencies,” stated the Haryana Congress chief.
On Thursday, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath conducted an aerial survey of the flood-affected areas in Shravasti and Balrampur, instructing officials to expedite flood relief efforts. The CM began by surveying all the villages in the flood-affected Ikauna tehsil of Shravasti and later, performed a ground inspection of the Laxmanpur Kothi Rapti Barrage and met with 11 individuals who had been rescued from the floods, according to a government spokesperson. Adityanath awarded Rekha Devi and six others, including five PAC jawans, with cash prizes for relaying information about the people swept away by the flood. He also handed over cheques of Rs 4 lakh each to the families of four individuals who lost their lives in the flood. The CM stated that around 18 lakh people in 633 villages (across 33 tehsils) in 12 districts of the state have been affected by the floods, with over 1.45 lakh hectares of agricultural land impacted.