In an interview with Newsweek magazine of the US, Modi said for India, the relationship with China is significant.
While that created a stir so did the decision on his penultimate day at work with the Supreme Court rechristening its summer vacation "partial court working days", an issue that has led to criticism that the apex court judges enjoyed long breaks.
'Fighting terrorists is one thing. Fighting insurgents is worse. Fighting a population is worst of all,' says Mihir S Sharma.
The HM apprised Modi about the ground situation of the state assessed by the all-party delegation which visited Srinagar and Jammu on Septr 4 and 5.
Before repeal of Article 370 and Article 35-A in August last year, non-residents could not buy any immovable property in Jammu and Kashmir. However, the fresh changes have paved the way for non-residents to buy land in the union territory.
CBI officer V K Shukla, who is probing the death of Jharkhand Judge Uttam Anand, is among 15 officers of the agency awarded the 'Union Home Minister's Medal for Excellence in Investigation' for the year 2021, officials said Thursday.
The meeting came in the backdrop of recent developments in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The Jammu and Kashmir government on Friday issued an advisory to Amarnath yatris and tourists asking them to curtail their stay in the Valley, citing security concerns after the Indian Army said that Pakistani terrorists are planning to disrupt the pilgrimage.
The Modi government finally dropped its big Kashmir bomb on Monday, with Home Minister Amit Shah moving to revoke two key constitutional provisions -- Article 370 and Article 35(A) -- that give Jammu and Kashmir a host of special rights. With the situation now on a knife's edge, here is what the momentous decision would mean for Jammu and Kashmir and for the country in general.
In the first visit by a foreign delegation, a team of 23 MEPs travelled to Kashmir in October on a two-day visit to have a first-hand assessment of the situation after the state's special status was revoked in August by abrogating Article 370.
In a series of tweets, Shah also questioned Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi whether they support the People's Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), a conglomerate of regional and national political parties in Jammu and Kashmir formed to demand the restoration of the Article 370, scrapped last year.
'Don't worry, will sort it out son'
As many as 37 central ministers visited Jammu and Kashmir to assess the ground situation and interact with people on various development schemes. Over 30 of them have submitted their reports to the Home Ministry and those were forwarded to the PMO recently, a government official said.
'If democracy does not exist, if there are no political spaces, there is no media, there is no civil society, what do we rejoice?'
The total number of states in the country will be now 28 while the total UTs will go up to seven.
Malik, who was then governor of Jammu and Kashmir, has recently alleged intelligence failures and that the central government denied aircraft for the movement of security personnel.
'He has divine power... For our future, safety is in the hands of Modi.'
"We have urged Indian authorities to respect human rights and restore full access to services, including internet and mobile networks," she said.
From the time he first rose to prominence during the movement against the then UPA government, Arvind Kejriwal has regularly grabbed headlines for his surprise moves and decisions. Here are 10 such instances.
Responding to a series of questions on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir during Question Hour, Shah also asserted that not a single person has died in police firing after August 5 when the special status accorded to Jammu and Kashmir was scrapped.
Climate activist Soman Wangchuk announced on Sunday that he will launch a 28-day fast on Independence Day if the government does not invite Ladakh authorities for talks on demands for statehood and constitutional protection for the union territory.
In the pre-scheduled meeting, the home minister reviewed the prevailing security situation in the Union Territory and steps taken to deal with the Pakistan-backed terrorists and maintain peace.
Addressing a public reception in Sikkim's Pelling, Singh accused Pakistan of trying to "destabilise" India by fomenting trouble in Kashmir. "But I want to tell all of you that our government will find a permanent solution to the Kashmir issue," he said, without elaborating.
People, who have been virtually been kept indoors because of heavy security deployment in the wake of removal of special status for Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcation of the state, were allowed to go to mosques in their localities without being asked any questions by security personnel.
Supreme Court judge Sanjay Kishan Kaul on Monday recommended setting up of an 'impartial truth and reconciliation commission' to probe and report on human rights violations by both state and non-state actors in Jammu and Kashmir since the 1980s, saying the 'wounds need healing'.
The two leaders discussed steps needed to bring peace back to the Valley, where student protests against police actions have been gaining ground in recent days.
The festering dispute over the accession of Jammu and Kashmir stands out as one of the world's most volatile fault lines that divides regions, countries, societies, communities and ethnic groups, notes Mohammad Sayeed Malik, the distinguished commentator on Kashmir affairs, on Sheikh Abdullah's 39th death anniversary.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh likely to visit Jammu and Kashmir tomorrow.
Six bills, including the one to amend the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, were introduced in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday amid protests by opposition members over the violence in Manipur.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday warned that Bihar's areas close to the borders (seemant) will become 'infested with infiltrators' if Prime Minister Narendra Modi was not voted back to power.
Asked if the mainstream politician would be released any time soon, the BJP leader said some leaders have been released.
However, it is immediately not clear whether the relaxation will be given fully or partially.
Those who believe in Kashmiriyat, insaniyat and jamhooriyat are welcome to talk, he said.
Though markets and commercial establishments remained shut and students stayed away from schools.
Pakistan stands alone in a corner over Kashmir issue, says Union home minister Amit Shah.
Classes were not held in most schools across Kashmir as students did not turn up due to the prevailing situation, they said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the passage of bills as a "momentous occasion" in parliamentary democracy and said a new dawn awaits the people there as they are now free from the "shackles" of vested interest groups.
Union Home Minister P Chidambaram arrived in Srinagar on Monday afternoon on a two-day visit to Kashmir Valley to review the overall security situation in the state and arrangements made for the annual Amarnath yatra.
The Centre had revoked the special status of the erstwhile state that was provided to it under Article 370 and bifurcated it into union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh in 2019.
IAS officer-turned-politician Shah Faesal and two Peoples Democratic Party members, including the maternal uncle of former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, who were released from detention under the Public Safety Act earlier this week have been "informally" told not to move out of their houses, informed sources said.
Singh appealed to the people of Jammu and Kashmir to come forward for bringing back peace in the state.
