LEGAL NEWS
130th Amendment Bill Proposes Mandatory Removal of Jailed Ministers to Uphold Constitutional Integrity
• The Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill 2025 aims to ensure ministers facing serious criminal charges are removed if jailed for 30 consecutive days.
• Introduced in Parliament by Home Minister Amit Shah, the bill has triggered widespread debate and been referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee for detailed examination.
• It proposes changes to Articles 75, 164, and 239AA of Indian Constitution, covering Union, State, and Delhi ministers respectively.
• Under the new rule, any minister accused of offences punishable with five years or more in prison must step down after 30 days in custody.
• The removal process involves the President or Governor acting on the advice of the Prime Minister or Chief Minister.
• If no recommendation is made by day 31, the minister’s dismissal becomes automatic without any further action.
• The same rule applies to the Prime Minister and Chief Ministers if they are in custody for the specified period.
• The bill’s goal is to restore public faith in the political system, but it has raised concerns over due process and potential misuse.
• Critics argue it may undermine legal rights and democratic norms, especially if misapplied before conviction.
• As a constitutional amendment, it requires a two-thirds majority in both Houses of Parliament under Article 368 to become law.
IMPORTANT DAYS
India Marks Second National Space Day with Tribute to Lunar Success
• On August 23, 2025, India observed its second National Space Day to honour its growing achievements in space exploration.
• The year’s theme, “India's journey from Aryabhatta to Gaganyaan,” reflected the nation’s scientific evolution and its limitless future in space research.
• This date also marks two years since the Chandrayaan-3 mission landed successfully on the Moon on August 23, 2023.
• With this feat, India became the world’s fourth country to land on the Moon and the first to reach the lunar south pole.
• The Vikram lander’s soft touchdown was followed by the deployment of the Pragyan rover for scientific exploration.
• The landing site was named 'Shiva Shakti' point to symbolise power and knowledge.
• In recognition of this achievement, August 23 has been officially declared National Space Day across the country.
STATE NEWS
Kerala Becomes India’s First Fully Digitally Literate State Through Digi Kerala
• Kerala has become the first state in the country to achieve complete digital literacy under the Digi Kerala programme.
• In the initial phase, the project covered 1.5 crore people from over 83 lakh families across the state.
• Of the 21.88 lakh individuals identified as digitally illiterate, nearly all—99.98%—were successfully trained.
• The initiative saw participation from all age groups, including a remarkable 104-year-old from Ernakulam.
• Local self-governments led the training efforts, ensuring strong community involvement and easy access.
• With digital skills, citizens can now independently access government schemes such as PM-Kisan, Jan Dhan, and Ayushman Bharat.
SUMMIT AND CONFERENCES
Visakhapatnam to Host 28th National e-Governance Summit in September 2025
• The 28th National e-Governance Conference is set to take place in Visakhapatnam on September 22–23, 2025.
• The event is a collaborative effort by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances, MeitY, and the Andhra Pradesh Government.
• IIM Visakhapatnam has been selected as the official knowledge partner to contribute academic expertise to the sessions.
• The central theme, “Viksit Bharat: Civil Service and Digital Transformation,” highlights the push toward tech-driven governance.
• The conference schedule features six plenary sessions and six parallel breakouts, covering a wide range of topics.
• Leading government officials, scholars, innovators, and awardees will be among the key participants.
• Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu will inaugurate the event, and the National e-Governance Awards will be presented by Dr. Jitendra Singh on the opening day.
GST Council to Discuss Two-Tier Tax Plan in September Meet
• The 56th meeting of the GST Council will take place in New Delhi from September 3–4, 2025, as per the memo issued on August 22.
• A major agenda item is the proposal to restructure GST into a simplified two-rate system to enhance efficiency.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi described this reform as a “Deepavali gift” in his Independence Day address.
• The plan was first evaluated by a Group of Ministers (GoM), chaired by Bihar Deputy CM Samrat Chaudhary.
• Kerala’s Finance Minister, K.N. Balagopal, expressed concern about how such reforms might impact state revenues.
• The GoM has proposed including a safeguard mechanism to compensate states for any financial shortfall.
• Notably, this will be the Council’s first meeting in more than eight months, despite the rule mandating quarterly sessions.
SPORTS
India Bags Nine Medals at U-20 World Wrestling Championship in Bulgaria
• Haryana’s 17-year-old Kajal Dochak brought home gold in the women’s 72kg category after a tight 8-6 win over China’s Yuqi Liu.
• The U-20 World Wrestling Championship was hosted in Samokov, Bulgaria, with participants from across the globe.
• Kajal, already the U-20 Asian champion, added a world title to her growing list of achievements.
• In the women’s 53kg class, Saarika secured a bronze medal by defeating Ilona Valchuk from Poland.
• Another bronze was won by Shruti in the 50kg category after a dominant 6-0 victory over Germany’s Josephine Wrench.
• In the men’s Greco-Roman 60kg division, Suraj earned bronze after beating France’s Lucas Go Grasso.
• India’s total medal tally stands at nine—comprising two gold, four silver, and three bronze—marking a strong performance on the international stage.
