NEWS

New Delhi: The White House said that United States President Donald Trump is unable to attend the Republic Day parade on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s invitation because of “scheduling constraints” but stressed the “strong personal rapport” shared by both the leaders.

The White House did not elaborate on the constraints but the Republic Day parade on January 26 is around the time when US presidents present their annual report to Congress, the State of the Union address, which is a statement of achievements of the last year and plans for the next.

Barack Obama, who became the first US president to attend the Republic Day parade as the chief guest in 2015, had moved his address up to January 20 from the usual end-of-month slot he favoured.

New Delhi: The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) will be opening 114 ASKs in 53 cities and towns in the first phase. The Aadhaar-issuing authority said it would be setting up Aadhaar Seva Kendras (ASK) to improve convenience for eligible residents and to allay fears of data security.

“With Aadhaar Seva Kendras, we are building hassle-free and resident-friendly enrolment and update facility infrastructure to ensure ease in Aadhaar related services to residents,” said Ajay Bhushan Pandey, chief executive officer, UIDAI in a statement. Residents will be provided an appointment to enroll or to update their Aadhaar details to minimize waiting time, or can choose to walk in. “ASKs will also serve the special needs of those residents who need to be allowed enrolment and update through exception process. For example, if you wish to update your name or date of birth more than once, then exception facility would be available at these ASKs.”

New Delhi: At least six caste groups held meetings or press conferences in Rajasthan this month to exercising their political muscle to seek their share of tickets commensurate with their numbers from the Congress and the BJP. As leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress work over their lists of candidates for the December 7 Rajasthan Assembly elections, caste groups in the state are demanding tickets from the two principal parties.

The Meenas, under the banner of the Akhil Bhartiya Meen Sangh, wrote to Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and BJP chief Amit Shah on October 19 to demand 15 tickets from each. The group claimed that Meenas comprised 7.5% of the state’s 13.5% scheduled tribe (ST) population. In Rajasthan, 25 seats in the 200-member assembly are reserved for STs.

New Delhi: Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar, who is battling pancreatic cancer, chaired a meeting of the Investment Promotion Board at his private residence. This was the first meeting he chaired since he was discharged from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi.

The chief minister has not been seen in public since he was discharged from AIIMS on October 14, sparking speculation about his health condition with the opposition Congress alleging that his signature was being forged on official files and demanding that the government release video proof of his health condition.

The move to host the meeting at his residence is seen as a bid to quell mounting speculation about the condition of his health. Speaking to reporters after emerging from the meeting, minister of information technology Rohan Khaunte said that the chief minister was ‘very good’.