Pioneer in short

Nitin Nabin set for BJP top post

BJP national working president Nitin Nabin is likely to file next week his nomination for the party chief’s post. The five-time MLA from Bihar was appointed as the BJP national working president last year on December 14, signalling a generational shift in the ruling party. He is likely to be elected unopposed as there is least possibility of any other party leader joining the fray. “The nomination for the election will be filed on January 19,” a source in the BJP said. Election for the new BJP president to replace JP Nadda will be held at the party headquarters if needed, sources said. Nadda was also first appointed as the BJP’s national working president in June 2019 and then eventually became party’s national president succeeding Amit Shah after he was elected unopposed to the post on January 20, 2020. Nabin, 45, the son of late BJP veteran and former MLA Nabin Kishore Prasad Sinha, is seen within the party as a dynamic leader who is ideologically rooted and deeply committed to the organisation. He also comes from the RSS background. Nabin represents Bankipur assembly constituency in Bihar and has served twice as a minister in the Bihar Government.

SC orders rules for RTE quota

The Supreme Court on Tuesday said granting admissions to poor children in schools must become a “national mission” and directed authorities to frame rules to ensure effective implementation of the 25 per cent quota for economically and socially weaker sections (EWS) under the Right to Education (RTE) Act. A bench of Justices PM Narasimha and Atul S Chandurkar said admitting EWS children is an obligation of Governments and local authorities, and courts must ensure easy access and timely relief for parents facing denial of this right. The court was hearing a petition filed by a man whose children were denied admission to a neighbourhood school in 2016 despite vacant seats. The Bombay High Court had dismissed his plea, citing failure to follow the online application process. The Supreme Court noted that the case had remained pending for years but took it up to set a precedent.  

Cold wave tightens grip across States

Large parts of north and east India continued to reel under intense cold on Tuesday, with Delhi recording its coldest January morning in three years and Chandigarh its chilliest night in nine years. Delhi’s minimum temperature dropped to 3°C, 4.4 degrees below normal, prompting people to step out wrapped in heavy woollens and gather around bonfires. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said cold wave conditions prevail when minimum temperatures fall 4.5-6.4 degrees below normal. Adding to residents’ woes, Delhi’s air quality deteriorated to the ‘very poor’ category, with the AQI at 337. In Jammu and Kashmir, cold wave conditions intensified. Srinagar recorded a low of minus 4.9°C, while Sonamarg was the coldest at minus 7°C.