Political and Social Issues

The Election Commission has banned Chief Ministers, Ministers and Central Ministers from making
any public speeches during the January 26 Republic day celebrations in States where elections/by-elections are being held.
- This will apply to the five States — Uttarakhand, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Manipur and Goa — where the model code of conduct is currently in force.
If the cash found was below Rs.2.5 lakh, with no links to any candidate or political party and arousing no suspicions of criminality, and the cash was being carried with proper documents as regards its source and/or end-use, then the cash would not be seized.If the cash found was above Rs.2.5 lakh with no links to any candidate or political party and aroused no suspicions of criminality, then the Income tax authorities should be involved before the release of any such cash.

The NHRC took suo motu cognisance of a media report alleging that official wrangles led to about a month's delay in the post mortem of the body and observed that delay in performing the last rites was a violation of the right to dignity of the deceased, and constituted a serious violation of human rights.

Cast your vote online in municipal elections, no matter which part of the globe you are in, is the government's message.
The Panchayati Raj Ministry has directed the State Election Commissions (SECs) to allow this facility at the earliest in a bid to encourage lax urban voters to exercise their franchise.
The pilot project in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, proved successful.
- Under the system, voters who have registered online will have a separate ID with a password.
- They will be recognised by their mobile phone numbers and told of their time of voting through an SMS.
- Each voter will be allotted just two minutes to cast his/her vote once the ballot paper pops up on the screen for the ward where the voter is enrolled.
- The time control is to avoid a mass attempt at electors casting their votes at one and the same time. For, multiple hits could jam the website.
Norwegian Minister for Local government and Regional Development Liv Signe Navarsete, now on a visit to India, on Friday expressed interest in the system developed as also in the autonomous bodies set up in the States to conduct elections to local bodies.
- Online voting has also caught the fancy of Norway, which has failed to come up with a well-tested system.
- The system of local governance in her country would complete 150 years this year but it did not have an independent institution to conduct the elections.

Special gram sabhas will be held in one panchayat each in all Assembly segments in the Kerala State for conserving the region's unique culture and tradition and creating public awareness.
The sabhas would be a meeting ground of all distinct features of the locale like the farming methods, elders who possess sound knowledge about culture and tradition, social and political leaders who have made significant contributions and sacrifices and such others.