News18.com Daybreak | Anticipating 'Good' Budget, No Orange Passport and Stories You May Have Missed

In case you missed it

Ahead of the Union Budget 2018-19, the Yogendra Yadav-led Swaraj Abhiyan  released a 31-page report titled ‘Kisan Green Paper 2018’. The subtitle of the report reads ‘4 years, 4 budgets: What has this Central Government delivered? The report slams the Narendra Modi government for letting down farmers in all its budgets.

Two days after NIA registered an FIR into the alleged case of sex slavery and selling of an Indian girl to IS in Syria, the agency has begun questioning two accused. Fawas Jamal and Mohammed Siyad are being questioned by NIA to get to the bottom of the alleged conspiracy. A 25-year-old woman has alleged that her husband, in conspiracy with Jamal, Siyad and others, had raped her, confined her in Saudi Arabia and attempted to sell her off to ISIS in Syria.

In India, a crime is committed against Dalits every 15 minutes. The NCRB data shows that Uttar Pradesh reported the highest number of atrocities against Dalits in 2016. In the sixth part of our series #BeingADalit, News18 partnered with Khabar Lahariya, a digital media organisation working out of Bundelkhand with an all-women network of reporters, most of whom are Dalit, to report on some horrific stories of Dalit atrocities in UP. And the one thing that we concluded— Everyday caste discrimination and violence in Uttar Pradesh's rural areas are far from over.

The Ministry of External Affairs has withdrawn its proposal to introduce orange colour passports for people belonging to ECR category, that is those who have not passed 10th grade at school and want to travel abroad for work, after facing flak for the "discriminatory" order. The decision comes just a day after the Kerala High Court has issued notices to the central government and the Passport Authority of India over the proposal to have two different colour passports.

With two months to go for Assembly elections, BJP's Cow Protection Cell has decided to organise a 'Cow Protection Ashtayama Yagna' in Bengaluru to create awareness about the importance of the cow and "the need to protect cattle population to strengthen rural economy." The 24-hour-long ceremony, to be held on February 2 in south Bengaluru, will be attended by the state BJP's top-brass, such as chief BS Yeddyurappa and Bengaluru South MP Ananth Kumar.​

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath broke his silence on Kasganj violence promising action against those involved even as politics brewed over the clashes with Union minister Giriraj Singh claiming that media would have chosen a "different" line if the killed youth was from the minority community.Dalit activists and Bhim Army members are now planning a ‘Jail Bharo’ movement in Saharanpur, with the demand of immediate release of their jailed founder and leader Chandrashekhar Azad. Their argument: If the Karni Sena members can run riot by attacking school buses and threatening of violence, how is it legitimate to hold Azad — who was a peaceful protester — in jail for the past eight months. Thirty-year-old leader Chandrashekhar Azad ‘Ravan’ may be in jail for allegedly inciting caste violence in Western Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur district, but the Bhim Army is in no mood to stop its protest.The ruling Congress has an Owaisi problem in poll-bound Karnataka. Top leaders of the party, including Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, are alleging that the BJP has a secret “deal" with the AIMIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi to defeat the Congress.

The BJP MLAs in both Gujarat and Himachal— the recently won states by the party— have topped the list of MLAs with highest election expenditure. Rajendrasinh Ranjitsinh Chavda (BJP) from Himatnagar has exceeded the expense limit by 121%, whereas Dindor Kuberbhai Manusukhbhai (BJP) from Santrampur constituency has exceeded the expense limit by 103%.

The figure of 100% enrollment in primary education is a sign of aspiration for India. But, funding that dream has become a national concern. Krishna Kumar, the former NCERT director and Delhi University professor, tells News18.com that policy paralysis coupled with lack of financial capital have spelled doom. According to Kumar, Union Budget 2018 should reverse the past practices of fund cut in the education sector.

A meeting between Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Delhi’s seven BJP MPs, led by Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari, ended in a fiasco. A video of the meeting has emerged on social media showing the exact moment the MPs chose to walk out. Kejriwal, who is seated at the head of a roundtable, can be seen pleading with the MPs to sit and discuss the problem. “Arrey, chai toh peelo baith ke, yaar!" the CM empathetically pleaded. 

How old are your favourite Bollywood actors? Take our quiz to find out.Agree or disagree?

As suspended BJD MP Baijayant 'Jay' Panda just found out, no one rubs V Karthikeyan Pandian, the private secretary to the CM Naveen Patnaik, the wrong way in the state.  Jay Panda's suspension proves that VK Pandian is the second-most powerful man in Odisha. IAS officer V Karthikeyan Pandian is unofficially running both the party and state administration, on his boss’ behalf. Officially, private secretary to the CM, the Tamilian seems to wield a lot of influence in the eastern state.

Karpoori Ji breathed his last in the lap of Lalu Prasad Yadav, so claimed Shivanand Tiwary, on the occasion of the birth anniversary of two-time Bihar Chief Minister and staunch socialist leader Karpoori Thakur. The statement shows the kind of desperation among the state’s political stalwarts that they are now identifying themselves as the true flag bearer of Karpoori Thakur’s ideology. Karpoori Thakur had always fought against corruption, criminal activities in politics and dynastic politics, which Lalu simply ignored in his mission to get political power and money. On the other hand, Nitish Kumar, has tried to implement and preserve the ideological quotient of Karpoori in true spirit.On reel

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