The Evening Wrap: Meeting takes place at Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president D.K. Shivakumar, who is aspiring to become the Chief Minister, on May 16 afternoon arrived in the national capital for holding discussions on the chief ministerial candidate and formation of the Congress Government, with central leaders of the party. Later on Tuesday evening, Shivakumar reached Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence in the national capital, where the two leaders are expected to hold talks. After Shivakumar’s arrival, sources also added that another CM aspirant Siddaramaiah also arrived at the Congress president’s residence to discuss the future course of action in Karnataka. Meanwhile, former party president Rahul Gandhi met Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and discussed government formation in the southern State. Gandhi held a closed-door meeting with the Congress chief for almost an hour and a half. Congress seneral secretary Randeep Surjewala, who is in charge of the party’s affairs in Karnataka, and AICC general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal were also present at the meeting. Shivakumar, before meeting Kharge, affirmed that he will not resign from the Congress party as the party is his “mother” and there is no question of him resigning from the organisation. Asking media channels to not make false claims over his resignation, he said, “If any channel is reporting that I am resigning from the post, I will file a defamation case against them...Some of them are reporting that I will resign...My mother is my party, I built this party. My high command, my MLAs, my party are there.” Earlier, while leaving for Delhi from Bengaluru on Tuesday morning, Shivakumar, in an apparent jibe at Siddaramaiah who reached Delhi on May 15 with his loyalists of newly elect-MLAs, said, “I am going alone to Delhi. The AICC general secretary called me to Delhi alone. I am going alone.” “The Congress is my home and temple. The Congress party is my strength. My health is good today,” he said. “I have done my duty. We have to collectively ensure peace and social harmony in the State,” Shivakumar said. Shivakumar is expected to hold talks with AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, former AICC presidents Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in Delhi. Siddaramaiah had reached Delhi on may 15 evening along with his loyalists such as K.J. George, M.B. Patil, Zameer Ahmed, Ashok Pattan, and Byrathi Suresh. Other MLAs H.K. Patil, Sharan Prakash Patil, and K.H. Muniyappa, and MLC B.K. Hariprasad too rushed to the national capital. While Shivakumar seems to have the blessings of the party high command for his organisational skills and emphatic victory in the polls, Siddaramaiah claims that he has the support of a majority of legislators. Siddaramaiah has previous administrative experience as the Chief Minister and Shivakumar has earned the name of being the party’s trouble-shooter, sources said. Speaking about the process of selection, senior party leader B.K. Hariprasad said the MLAs were asked for their open feedback on their choice of Chief Minister during their interaction with the three observers and a secret ballot was held. The observers have taken the ballot boxes to Delhi for counting of votes. Centre to recruit private sector specialists as joint secretaries, directors and deputy secretaries The Centre has decided to recruit private sector specialists as joint secretaries, directors and deputy secretaries on contract basis in its different departments, an official said on Tuesday. The Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) has asked the Union Public Service Commission to recruit such specialists through “lateral entry” mode in 12 government departments/ministries, he said. Lateral entry refers to appointment of private sector specialists in government departments. Usually the post of joint secretaries, directors and deputy secretaries are manned by officers of all-India and Group A services, among others. The proposed recruitment will be done for the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare under the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Department of Chemicals & Petrochemicals under Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Department of Food & Public Distribution in Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution and the Ministry of Heavy Industries. Select posts in the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Department of Legal Affairs under the Ministry of Law & Justice, Department of Promotion of Industry & Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Department of Pharmaceutical, Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers and Department of School Education & Literacy, Ministry of Education will also be filled through this lateral recruitment, the official said. “A detailed advertisement and instructions to candidates will be uploaded on the UPSC’s website on May 20,” he said, adding that interested candidates can apply from May 20 to June 19. “Candidates will be short-listed for interview on the basis of the information provided by them in their online application,” the official said, sharing an official communique in this regard. He said the number of vacancies, to be filled through this lateral recruitment, will be advertised on May 20. The Personnel Ministry had in June 2018 invited applications against 10 joint secretary-rank posts through lateral entry mode for the first time. The recruitment for these posts was done by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). The Commission had in October 2021, recommended 31 candidates for the appointment as joint secretaries (three), directors (19) and deputy secretaries (nine) in different central government departments. Now, the process for lateral entry recruitment for the third time by this government will be initiated from May 20 onward, the official added. Proposal to rename Forest Conservation Act reflects govt’s mindset of imposing ‘one language’: Jairam Ramesh Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday said one of the proposed amendments to the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, is to rename it ‘Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam’, alleging it reflects the Modi government’s mindset of “imposing one language”. In a tweet, the Congress general secretary said there are many things wrong with the amendments to the Act, now being studied by a Select Committee of Parliament. “One key change that has escaped attention is to rename the Act itself as Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam. This is unprecedented and reflects the mindset of the Modi govt that is hellbent on imposing through its brute majority one language,” the former Environment Minister said. He hoped many States and Chief Ministers will oppose this move at the very least, because it will open the doors to full-scale imposition. “This will be the destruction of our wonderful diversity that has kept us united,” he said. SC Collegium recommends AP Chief Justice, senior advocate Vishwanathan as apex court judges The Supreme Court Collegium on May 16 recommended senior advocate K.V. Vishwanathan to be appointed as judge of the apex court, highlighting his vast experience and profound knowledge in law as a “significant value addition” to the court. The five-member collegium also proposed to the government the appointment of Andhra Pradesh Chief Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra as a Supreme Court judge. Vishwanathan would be in line to be the 58th Chief Justice of India in August 2030, succeeding Justice JB Pardiwala as top judge, if his name is cleared by the government. He would also be only the ninth lawyer to be elevated directly to the Supreme Court Bench. “On the retirement of Justice Jamshed Burjor Pardiwala on August 11, 2030, Shri Viswanathan would be in line to assume office as the Chief Justice of India till his retirement on May 25, 2031,” the collegium resolution stated. The collegium said its decision to recommend a name from the Bar was taken after considering the fact that there was presently only one judge, Justice PS Narasimha, on the apex court Bench. “The appointment of Shri KV Viswanathan will enhance the representation to the Bar in the composition of the Supreme Court. Shri Viswanathan is a distinguished member of the Bar of the Supreme Court,” the collegium noted. Born on May 26, 1966, Vishwanathan completed the five-year integrated law degree from Coimbatore Law College, Bharathiyar University, and enrolled with the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu in 1988. He was designated as a senior advocate in 2009 after practising before the Supreme Court for over two decades. He has appeared in a wide range of cases on diverse subjects including constitutional, criminal, commercial, insolvency and arbitration laws. He has been the apex court’s amicus curiae in numerous cases. The collegium said it zeroed in on Justice Mishra after carefully evaluating the merit, integrity and competence of eligible Chief Justices and senior puisne Judges of the High Courts and also accommodating a plurality of considerations. Justice Mishra’s parent High Court is Chhattisgarh. The collegium noted that there is no representation of the State among the current Supreme Court judges. Justice Mishra is ranked 21 in the All-India High Court judges list. The collegium said that though Allahabad Chief Justice Pritinker Diwaker also comes from Chhattisgarh high Court and is senior to Justice Mishra, it found the latter “worthy” of appointment to the apex court. Justice Mishra was appointed as a judge of the Chhattisgarh High Court on December 10, 2009. He was appointed as the Chief Justice of the Andhra Pradesh High Court on October 13, 2021. The two recommendations precede a series of retirements in 2023. Justices KM Joseph, Ajay Rastogi, both members of the present collegium, retire in June along with Justice V. Ramasubramanian in June during the summer holidays. Justice S. Ravindra Bhat retires in October. Justice SK Kaul, the judge number two of the Supreme Court, retires in December this year. NHRC notice to States on increase in Child Sexual Abuse Material on social media The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu cognisance of a media report that cited a 250-300% increase in the circulation of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) on social media in India. NHRC said the content is of foreign origin, and Indian investigation agencies have not come across any Indian-made CSAM so far. The Commission observed that CSAM is a “violation of human rights relating to the life, liberty, and dignity of citizens” and stressed the protection of young children “from the danger of their sexual abuse on social media”. It maintained that it had been concerned with the ill-effects of online CSAM on human rights as it may cause irreparable psychological damage to children, impacting their growth and development. Accordingly, it has issued notices to the Commissioner of Police, Delhi; the Director-Generals of the Police of all the States/UTs; the Director, the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB); and the Secretary, the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), calling for a detailed report in the matter within six weeks on the steps taken to prevent such menace on social media. The NHRC statement said, quoting the media report, that “about 4,50,207 cases related to spread of child sexual abuse material have been reported in the year 2023, so far. Out of these, Delhi Police has taken action in 3,039 cases while 4,47,168 cases are currently being studied”. “In some cases, even photographs taken lovingly, of young children by respective fathers, brothers and sisters in India have been classified as child sexual abuse by an American NGO. There were 2,04,056 cases reported in the year 2022, 1,63,633 in the year 2021, and 17,390 in 2020,” the statement said. In Brief: The Indian Telecommunication Bill, a draft version of which was released earlier this year for public comment, should ideally take its final form by July, Minister of Railways, Communications, Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw told reporters on Tuesday. “We have consulted practically every possible stakeholder,” Vaishnaw said. “The primary focus [for the Bill] is that the telecom sector in India should be globally benchmarked, should be a sunrise sector, should have lot of scope for innovation, a simple regulatory framework, and … user protection has to be the prime focus,” Vaishnaw added. Lieutenant General Devendra Sharma on May 16 took over as the Chief of Staff of the Indian Army’s Western Command. On the occasion, Sharma laid a wreath at the ‘Veer Smriti’ war memorial and paid homage to the bravehearts of the Western Command, an official statement said. The Lieutenant General is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy and Indian Military Academy. In an illustrious career spanning over three decades, Sharma has held varied and significant appointments wherein he commanded an armoured regiment, an armoured brigade, an infantry division and a Corps, all in the Western sector, it said. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [logo] The Evening Wrap 16 May 2023 [The Hindu logo] Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. [[Arrow]Open in browser]( [[Mail icon]More newsletters]( Karnataka govt. formation: Meeting takes place at Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence [Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president D.K. Shivakumar]( who is aspiring to become the Chief Minister, on May 16 afternoon arrived in the national capital for holding discussions on the chief ministerial candidate and formation of the Congress Government, with central leaders of the party. Later on Tuesday evening, Shivakumar reached Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence in the national capital, where the two leaders are expected to hold talks. After Shivakumar’s arrival, sources also added that another CM aspirant Siddaramaiah also arrived at the Congress president’s residence to discuss the future course of action in Karnataka. Meanwhile, former party president Rahul Gandhi met Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and discussed government formation in the southern State. Gandhi held a closed-door meeting with the Congress chief for almost an hour and a half. Congress seneral secretary Randeep Surjewala, who is in charge of the party’s affairs in Karnataka, and AICC general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal were also present at the meeting. Shivakumar, before meeting Kharge, affirmed that he will not resign from the Congress party as the party is his “mother” and there is no question of him resigning from the organisation. Asking media channels to not make false claims over his resignation, he said, “If any channel is reporting that I am resigning from the post, I will file a defamation case against them...Some of them are reporting that I will resign...My mother is my party, I built this party. My high command, my MLAs, my party are there.” Earlier, while leaving for Delhi from Bengaluru on Tuesday morning, Shivakumar, in an apparent jibe at Siddaramaiah who reached Delhi on May 15 with his loyalists of newly elect-MLAs, said, “I am going alone to Delhi. The AICC general secretary called me to Delhi alone. I am going alone.” “The Congress is my home and temple. The Congress party is my strength. My health is good today,” he said. “I have done my duty. We have to collectively ensure peace and social harmony in the State,” Shivakumar said. Shivakumar is expected to hold talks with AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, former AICC presidents Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in Delhi. Siddaramaiah had reached Delhi on may 15 evening along with his loyalists such as K.J. George, M.B. Patil, Zameer Ahmed, Ashok Pattan, and Byrathi Suresh. Other MLAs H.K. Patil, Sharan Prakash Patil, and K.H. Muniyappa, and MLC B.K. Hariprasad too rushed to the national capital. While Shivakumar seems to have the blessings of the party high command for his organisational skills and emphatic victory in the polls, Siddaramaiah claims that he has the support of a majority of legislators. Siddaramaiah has previous administrative experience as the Chief Minister and Shivakumar has earned the name of being the party’s trouble-shooter, sources said. Speaking about the process of selection, senior party leader B.K. Hariprasad said the MLAs were asked for their open feedback on their choice of Chief Minister during their interaction with the three observers and a secret ballot was held. The observers have taken the ballot boxes to Delhi for counting of votes. Centre to recruit private sector specialists as joint secretaries, directors and deputy secretaries [The Centre has decided to recruit private sector specialists as joint secretaries]( directors and deputy secretaries on contract basis in its different departments, an official said on Tuesday. The Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) has asked the Union Public Service Commission to recruit such specialists through “lateral entry” mode in 12 government departments/ministries, he said. Lateral entry refers to appointment of private sector specialists in government departments. Usually the post of joint secretaries, directors and deputy secretaries are manned by officers of all-India and Group A services, among others. The proposed recruitment will be done for the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare under the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Department of Chemicals & Petrochemicals under Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Department of Food & Public Distribution in Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution and the Ministry of Heavy Industries. Select posts in the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Department of Legal Affairs under the Ministry of Law & Justice, Department of Promotion of Industry & Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Department of Pharmaceutical, Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers and Department of School Education & Literacy, Ministry of Education will also be filled through this lateral recruitment, the official said. “A detailed advertisement and instructions to candidates will be uploaded on the UPSC’s website on May 20,” he said, adding that interested candidates can apply from May 20 to June 19. “Candidates will be short-listed for interview on the basis of the information provided by them in their online application,” the official said, sharing an official communique in this regard. He said the number of vacancies, to be filled through this lateral recruitment, will be advertised on May 20. The Personnel Ministry had in June 2018 invited applications against 10 joint secretary-rank posts through lateral entry mode for the first time. The recruitment for these posts was done by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). The Commission had in October 2021, recommended 31 candidates for the appointment as joint secretaries (three), directors (19) and deputy secretaries (nine) in different central government departments. Now, the process for lateral entry recruitment for the third time by this government will be initiated from May 20 onward, the official added. Proposal to rename Forest Conservation Act reflects govt’s mindset of imposing ‘one language’: Jairam Ramesh [Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday said one of the proposed amendments to the Forest Conservation Act]( 1980, is to rename it ‘Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam’, alleging it reflects the Modi government’s mindset of “imposing one language”. In a tweet, the Congress general secretary said there are many things wrong with the amendments to the Act, now being studied by a Select Committee of Parliament. “One key change that has escaped attention is to rename the Act itself as Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam. This is unprecedented and reflects the mindset of the Modi govt that is hellbent on imposing through its brute majority one language,” the former Environment Minister said. He hoped many States and Chief Ministers will oppose this move at the very least, because it will open the doors to full-scale imposition. “This will be the destruction of our wonderful diversity that has kept us united,” he said. SC Collegium recommends AP Chief Justice, senior advocate Vishwanathan as apex court judges T[he Supreme Court Collegium on May 16 recommended senior advocate K.V. Vishwanathan]( to be appointed as judge of the apex court, highlighting his vast experience and profound knowledge in law as a “significant value addition” to the court. The five-member collegium also proposed to the government the appointment of Andhra Pradesh Chief Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra as a Supreme Court judge. Vishwanathan would be in line to be the 58th Chief Justice of India in August 2030, succeeding Justice JB Pardiwala as top judge, if his name is cleared by the government. He would also be only the ninth lawyer to be elevated directly to the Supreme Court Bench. “On the retirement of Justice Jamshed Burjor Pardiwala on August 11, 2030, Shri Viswanathan would be in line to assume office as the Chief Justice of India till his retirement on May 25, 2031,” the collegium resolution stated. The collegium said its decision to recommend a name from the Bar was taken after considering the fact that there was presently only one judge, Justice PS Narasimha, on the apex court Bench. “The appointment of Shri KV Viswanathan will enhance the representation to the Bar in the composition of the Supreme Court. Shri Viswanathan is a distinguished member of the Bar of the Supreme Court,” the collegium noted. Born on May 26, 1966, Vishwanathan completed the five-year integrated law degree from Coimbatore Law College, Bharathiyar University, and enrolled with the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu in 1988. He was designated as a senior advocate in 2009 after practising before the Supreme Court for over two decades. He has appeared in a wide range of cases on diverse subjects including constitutional, criminal, commercial, insolvency and arbitration laws. He has been the apex court’s amicus curiae in numerous cases. The collegium said it zeroed in on Justice Mishra after carefully evaluating the merit, integrity and competence of eligible Chief Justices and senior puisne Judges of the High Courts and also accommodating a plurality of considerations. Justice Mishra’s parent High Court is Chhattisgarh. The collegium noted that there is no representation of the State among the current Supreme Court judges. Justice Mishra is ranked 21 in the All-India High Court judges list. The collegium said that though Allahabad Chief Justice Pritinker Diwaker also comes from Chhattisgarh high Court and is senior to Justice Mishra, it found the latter “worthy” of appointment to the apex court. Justice Mishra was appointed as a judge of the Chhattisgarh High Court on December 10, 2009. He was appointed as the Chief Justice of the Andhra Pradesh High Court on October 13, 2021. The two recommendations precede a series of retirements in 2023. Justices KM Joseph, Ajay Rastogi, both members of the present collegium, retire in June along with Justice V. Ramasubramanian in June during the summer holidays. Justice S. Ravindra Bhat retires in October. Justice SK Kaul, the judge number two of the Supreme Court, retires in December this year. NHRC notice to States on increase in Child Sexual Abuse Material on social media The [National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu cognisance of a media report]( that cited a 250-300% increase in the circulation of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) on social media in India. NHRC said the content is of foreign origin, and Indian investigation agencies have not come across any Indian-made CSAM so far. The Commission observed that CSAM is a “violation of human rights relating to the life, liberty, and dignity of citizens” and stressed the protection of young children “from the danger of their sexual abuse on social media”. It maintained that it had been concerned with the ill-effects of online CSAM on human rights as it may cause irreparable psychological damage to children, impacting their growth and development. Accordingly, it has issued notices to the Commissioner of Police, Delhi; the Director-Generals of the Police of all the States/UTs; the Director, the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB); and the Secretary, the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), calling for a detailed report in the matter within six weeks on the steps taken to prevent such menace on social media. The NHRC statement said, quoting the media report, that “about 4,50,207 cases related to spread of child sexual abuse material have been reported in the year 2023, so far. Out of these, Delhi Police has taken action in 3,039 cases while 4,47,168 cases are currently being studied”. “In some cases, even photographs taken lovingly, of young children by respective fathers, brothers and sisters in India have been classified as child sexual abuse by an American NGO. There were 2,04,056 cases reported in the year 2022, 1,63,633 in the year 2021, and 17,390 in 2020,” the statement said. In Brief: [The Indian Telecommunication Bill, a draft version of which was released earlier this year for public comment]( should ideally take its final form by July, Minister of Railways, Communications, Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw told reporters on Tuesday. “We have consulted practically every possible stakeholder,” Vaishnaw said. “The primary focus [for the Bill] is that the telecom sector in India should be globally benchmarked, should be a sunrise sector, should have lot of scope for innovation, a simple regulatory framework, and … user protection has to be the prime focus,” Vaishnaw added. [Lieutenant General Devendra Sharma on May 16 took over as the Chief of Staff of the Indian Army’s Western Command](. On the occasion, Sharma laid a wreath at the ‘Veer Smriti’ war memorial and paid homage to the bravehearts of the Western Command, an official statement said. The Lieutenant General is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy and Indian Military Academy. In an illustrious career spanning over three decades, Sharma has held varied and significant appointments wherein he commanded an armoured regiment, an armoured brigade, an infantry division and a Corps, all in the Western sector, it said. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [Sign up for free]( Today’s Top Picks [[With militants changing tack, Rajouri-Poonch sector an uphill task for security agencies] With militants changing tack, Rajouri-Poonch sector an uphill task for security agencies]( [[Dengue vaccine: India moves closer to getting its first indigenous vaccine] Dengue vaccine: India moves closer to getting its first indigenous vaccine]( [[NHRC notice to States on increase in Child Sexual Abuse Material on social media] NHRC notice to States on increase in Child Sexual Abuse Material on social media]( [[M.S. 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