The Bihar assembly on Thursday approved a hike in quotas for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Extremely Backward Classes and Other Backward Classes from the existing 50 per cent to 65 per cent.
Rajeshwari Kumari showed why she is among the best in the country when she earned a seventh 2024 Paris Olympic quota place by finishing fifth in the ISSF World Championship in Baku.
Elon Musk-led Tesla Inc is yet to express interest in India's flagship scheme to attract global investment in electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing, said Union Minister for Heavy Industries H D Kumaraswamy on Monday. In contrast, multiple global automobile giants -- such as Mercedes-Benz, koda Auto Volkswagen, Hyundai Motor, and Kia Motors -- are keen to participate, the minister noted.
Finding solutions to address non-tariff barriers would be important for the proposed free trade agreement (FTA) between India and the European Union (EU) and both sides are actively working on resolving these issues, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Thursday. He said the two sides are "pretty" close to finalising the talks for the proposed free trade pact.
Quota activist Manoj Jarange has announced that he will start an indefinite hunger strike at Azad Maidan in Mumbai from January 20 to intensify his demand of reservation for the Maratha community.
The Bihar government has moved the Supreme Court challenging a Patna high court verdict that has set aside the amended reservation laws in the state, which enabled the Nitish Kumar government to increase the quotas for Dalits, tribals and backward classes from 50 per cent to 65 per cent.
Khedkar is accused of misrepresenting information in her application for the 2022 UPSC civil services examination for availing reservation benefits. She has refuted all the allegations against her.
A fresh political row has erupted in West Bengal after a person allegedly involved in Bangladesh's August 2024 student protests was found listed as a voter in Kakdwip, triggering sharp Bharatiya Janata Party-Trinamool Congress exchanges over alleged illegal infiltration and manipulation of the voter list in the state.
'The (Maratha) community people have understood that this is the same reservation that they were given earlier also (but was later struck down)'
'They have no chance of winning if free and fair polls are conducted.'
The Union Cabinet, at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, held a detailed discussion on the Supreme Court judgement on the sub-categorisation of reservation for SCs and STs as granted in the Constitution.
Aman Sehrawat is the first Indian male wrestler to secure berth for the Paris Olympic Games
The Supreme Court, examining whether states can sub-classify the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes for the grant of a quota within a quota, said on Thursday that the state governments cannot be selective in granting reservation benefits to backward classes as it will lead to a dangerous trend of appeasement.
Dhiraj Bommadevara clinched India's first Paris Olympics quota in archery when he bagged a silver at the Asian Continental Qualification Tournament in Bangkok on Saturday.
Karnataka has commenced a survey for the sub-classification of Scheduled Castes (SCs) in the state, which will continue until May 17. The exercise, led by a one-man commission headed by retired High Court Judge Justice H N Nagamohan Das, aims to gather empirical data on 101 castes within the SC list and provide clear recommendations on sub-quotas. The survey will be conducted in three phases, with designated camps for those who miss the first phase and online registration for those residing outside their towns. The Supreme Court's August 1, 2024, verdict upholding the constitutionality of sub-classification within SCs provided the legal basis for this initiative. The commission aims to address discrepancies in the status of certain SC castes and provide a comprehensive report within 60 days.
A group of Maratha reservation activists torched the first floor of the Majalgaon Municipal Council building and vandalised it in Maharashtra's Beed district, soon after setting on fire the residence of local NCP MLA Prakash Solanke on Monday, the police said.
A substantial number of castes and groups are already placed in the reserved category, getting about 52 per cent of reservations altogether. It would be completely inequitable to place the Maratha community in the Other Backward Class (OBC) category, it said.
The ministry said the Games Technical Conduct Committee, list of disciplines in the National Games, and eligibility criteria for participants should be communicated to it at least six months prior to the showpiece.
The BJP cannot afford to alienate the OBCs, who have explicitly voiced their opposition to the Maratha quota.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday accused the Congress of making attempts to snatch reservations meant for tribals and hand them over to its 'vote bank'.
A students' organization in Madhya Pradesh has demanded an inquiry after a woman, recently selected in the government service in the disabled quota, was seen dancing in a viral social media video. The woman, however, denied any irregularity in her appointment, claiming that she suffers from 45 percent disability due to bone-related problems. She stated that she is able to walk and even dance for short periods due to implants from surgery following a serious hip injury.
The situation is currently under control, Beed Superintendent of Police Nandkumar Thakur told PTI.
Indian shooters will get another chance to secure their quota places for the 2024 Paris Olympics as the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) on Saturday named its squad for the upcoming Asian Shooting Championships.
Activist Manoj Jarange on Monday said he will set out on a tour of Maharashtra after the Diwali festival to meet Marathas and make them aware about the issue of reservation for the community.
Leaders at an all-party meeting on Maratha quota chaired by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday passed a resolution asking activist Manoj Jarange to call off his indefinite fast.
Cricket will make a triumphant return to the Olympics at the 2028 Los Angeles Games after a 128-year absence, with six teams vying for top honors in both the men's and women's competitions. The sport was last featured in the 1900 Paris Olympics. The qualification process for the 2028 Games is yet to be confirmed, but the USA, as host nation, is likely to receive a direct spot, leaving five qualification places up for grabs.
Fasting quota activist Manoj Jarange on Monday sought reservation for the Maratha community in entire Maharashtra and not in specific regions and warned the ongoing agitation will be ratcheted up if the demand was not fulfilled by the state government.
India's Akhil Sheoran secured the country's fifth Paris Olympics quota in shooting after winning the bronze medal in men's rifle 3-position competition at the ISSF World Championships in Baku on Sunday.
Modi and the Crown Prince will co-chair the second meeting of the Strategic Partnership Council, established during the prime minister's 2019 visit to strengthen bilateral ties.
The 21-year-old from Karnal, who had 28 hits in the final, lost a shoot out to Japan's Dai Yoshioka, who won the silver medal.
The Supreme Court has directed the Maharashtra state election commission to notify local body elections in the state within four weeks. The court also ruled that the contentious issue of OBC reservation in local body polls will be as it existed prior to the 2022 Banthia Commission report. The court accepted the commission's report, which recommended a census to fix exact data on OBCs and reserve 27 per cent seats for the category in local body polls in Maharashtra. The bench on Tuesday fixed a timeline for concluding the local body polls and asked the state panel to conclude it in four months. The outcome of Maharashtra local body elections would be subject to decisions in pending petitions before the apex court.
The Karnataka government on Wednesday put the reservation bill for Kannadigas in private firms on hold amid fierce criticism from business leaders and tech tycoons.
In the IPL Eliminator against Gujarat Titans on Friday, May 30 2025, Mumbai Indians' seasoned campaigners Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah were the difference-makers, underlining the timeless adage that in cricket, it's the big players who deliver on the big occasions.
Several legislators cutting across party lines in Maharashtra on Thursday staged an agitation outside the Mantralaya, the state secretariat in south Mumbai, in support of the demand for reservation to the Maratha community.
Sachin Yadav, who will be competing in his first international competition in the Asian Championships, is considered the next big thing in men's javelin after Neeraj Chopra.
Earlier attempts by the state governments to introduce the reservation for Marathas have been struck down by courts.
India and the UK have respected each other's political sensitivities during the negotiations for free trade agreement, with New Delhi agreeing to drop its demand on post-study work visas for students in exchange for Britain withdrawing its request to open up legal services here, an official said on Wednesday.
India and the US are likely to agree on an interim trade agreement before July 8 with New Delhi pushing for full exemption from the 26 per cent reciprocal tariff on domestic goods, an official said. The US on April 2 imposed an additional 26 per cent reciprocal tariff on Indian goods but suspended it for 90 days till July 9.
The Los Angeles 2028 Olympics will feature an increase in women's soccer teams from 12 to 16, while the men's competition will be downsized from 16 to a dozen teams, the International Olympic Committee said on Wednesday.
The Maratha quota matter snowballed into a major challenge for the state government after the police earlier this month baton-charged a violent mob at Antarwali Sarati when protesters allegedly refused to let authorities shift Jarange to hospital.
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