Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday said that a date of hearing has been accorded to a PIL seeking probe into the Hathras stampede that left 121 dead.

“I have ordered listing of the plea yesterday itself,” Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud said when PIL petitioner and advocate Vishal Tiwari mentioned his petition for urgent hearing.

The PIL sought appointment of a five-member expert committee under the supervision of a retired apex court judge to probe the stampede.

It also sought a direction to the Uttar Pradesh government to submit a status report on the July 2 incident and to initiate legal action against the authorities, officials and others for their negligent conduct.

The stampede at a religious congregation in Hathras on Tuesday last left 121 people dead.

Over 2.5 lakh devotees had gathered in Hathras district’s Phulrai village for the ‘satsang’ conducted by Baba Narayan Hari, who is also known as Saakar Vishwahari Bhole Baba.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge (PTI)

New Delhi: The Modi government has only one mission and that is to “keep the youth jobless”, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge alleged on Tuesday in a scathing attack against the Centre on the issue of unemployment.

The Modi government may be refuting independent economic reports like the one by Citigroup on unemployment but how will it deny government data, Kharge asked in a lengthy post on X citing various reports.

“The truth is that Modi government is solely responsible for shattering the dreams of crores of youth in the last 10 years,” he alleged.

Kharge said the latest government data punctures the government’s claims.

According to NSSO’s (National Sample Survey Office) Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises, in the manufacturing sector, 54 lakh jobs were lost in unincorporated units in the seven years between 2015 and 2023, he said.

“In 2010-11, 10.8 crore employees were employed in unincorporated, non-agricultural enterprises across India, which has become 10.96 crore in 2022-23 – that is, a marginal increase of only 16 lakh in 12 years,” he said.

Kharge cited the latest Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), to state that the urban unemployment rate is at 6.7 per cent (Q4, FY24).

“Modi government beats the drum of employment generation in the Formal sector by showing EPFO data, but even if we assume that data to be true, it has seen a 10% decline in new jobs in 2023,” he said.

A report by IIM Lucknow, after analysing government data, shows that unemployment growth, high unemployment among the educated, low participation of women in the workforce are prevalent in the country, Kharge said.

He said the Modi government rejects independent economic reports because they expose their “shameless attempt to whitewash”.

According to the CMIE (Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy), the current unemployment rate in the country has reached 9.2 per cent, he said, adding that it is a whopping 18.5 per cent for women.

“According to the ILO report, 83% of the unemployed in the country are youth. According to the India Employment Report 2024, between 2012 and 2019, about 7 crore youth joined the labour force, but there was zero growth in employment – only 0.01%!” he added.

The Congress chief also referred to the 2023 report from Azim Premji University to say that 42.3 per cent of graduates under the age of 25 in the country are unemployed.

“According to the latest report of Citigroup, India needs 1.2 crore jobs annually, and even 7% GDP growth will not be able to create enough jobs for our youth. Under the Modi Govt, the country has achieved an average of only 5.8% as GDP growth,” he said.

“Be it government jobs, or private sector, self-employment or unorganised sector – Modi government has only one mission ‘Keep the youth jobless’,” Kharge said.

The Congress, which has been attacking the government over the issue of unemployment, on Sunday cited the Citigroup report to allege that the Modi government had accentuated India’s “unemployment crisis” with the decimation of job-creating MSMEs through the “Tughlakian demonetisation, a hastily rushed GST, and rising imports from China”.

New Delhi: Patanjali Ayurved Ltd on Tuesday informed the Supreme Court that it has stopped the sale of the 14 products whose manufacturing licences were suspended by the Uttarakhand State Licensing Authority in April.

The company told a bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Sandeep Mehta that it has issued instructions to 5,606 franchise stores to withdraw these products.

It said media platforms have also been instructed to withdraw advertisements of these 14 products in any form.

The bench directed Patanjali Ayurved Ltd to file an affidavit within two weeks stating whether the request made to social media intermediaries for the removal of advertisements has been acceded to and whether advertisements of these 14 products have been withdrawn.

The bench posted the matter for further hearing on July 30.

The top court is hearing a plea filed by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) alleging a smear campaign by Patanjali against the Covid vaccination drive and modern systems of medicine.

The Uttarakhand State Licensing Authority had earlier told the apex court that manufacturing licences of 14 products of Patanjali Ayurved Ltd and Divya Pharmacy have been “suspended with immediate effect”.

The apex court had on May 14 reserved its order on the contempt notice issued to yoga guru Ramdev, his aide Balkrishna and Patanjali Ayurved Ltd in the misleading advertisements case.

Mumbai: Mumbai police on Tuesday arrested Mihir Shah, two days after the 24-year-old allegedly rammed his BMW car into a two-wheeler, killing a woman and leaving her husband injured.

Mihir, whose father is a leader of the ruling Shiv Sena, had fled after the fatal crash. Mihir was arrested near Mumbai, a police official said.

Police said Mihir Shah’s father Rajesh Shah took an active part in ensuring his son’s escape and also had plans to tow away the offending vehicle.

Mihir Shah was allegedly driving the BMW car which fatally knocked down Kaveri Nakhwa (45) and injured her husband Pradeep while the couple was on their two-wheeler in Mumbai’s Worli area Sunday morning, police said.

Mumbai police had formed 11 teams and also roped in the Crime Branch to nab Mihir Shah. A Look Out Circular (LOC) had also been put out against him, the official said.

Rajesh Shah and the family’s driver Rajrishi Bidawat, who were arrested in the case earlier, were produced in a Mumbai court on Monday and remanded in 14-day judicial and one-day police custody, respectively. Rajesh Shah was, however, later granted bail by the court.

A local court on Tuesday extended Bidawat’s police custody till July 11.

Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena head Eknath Shinde had asserted no one would be spared in the case.

The Ministry of Education on Tuesday reviewed the NCERT guidelines for implementation of bagless days in schools and said they will be further fine-tuned, according to officials.

PSS Central Institute of Vocational Education (PSSCIVE), a unit of the National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT), had developed comprehensive guidelines for implementing bagless days and make learning in schools more joyful, experiential and stress-free for students.

“Various suggestions were discussed during the meeting, including sensitising students about the local ecology, teaching them to test water purity, recognising local flora and fauna, and visiting local monuments. Based on this review, PSSCIVE will further fine-tune and finalise its guidelines,” a senior MoE official said.

The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 had recommended that all students in grades 6-8 participate in a 10-day bagless period.

During this time, students will intern with local skill experts and engage in activities outside of traditional school settings. This initiative aims to help students develop an appreciation for the larger ecosystem in which their school is embedded, the policy had suggested.

“Bagless Days will be encouraged throughout the year, encompassing a variety of activities such as arts, quizzes, sports, and skill-based learning.

“Students will gain periodic exposure to activities outside the classroom, including visits to historical, cultural, and tourist sites, interactions with local artists and craftsmen, and visits to various educational institutions within their village, tehsil, district, or state, as mapped by local skilling needs,” the official added.

Visit and survey of vegetable market; charity visit; survey and report writing on pet care; doodling, kite making and flying; organising a book fair; sitting under Banyan tree; and visiting a biogas plant and solar energy park are among the recommended activities in the NCERT guidelines.