3 Reasons Why Bihar Roll Revision Can't Be Discussed In Parliament: Sources

There will be no discussion on Bihar voter list revision in Parliament despite the Opposition's demand, the government has indicated, underscoring a reason cited by former Speaker Balaram Jakhar, sources have said. 

The Opposition, which has been sticking to its demand for a discussion on Bihar's SIR, had raised the issue again today, and the row had delayed the discussion on Operation Sindoor.

The Opposition wanted a concrete assurance from the government that it would discuss the Special Intensive Revision of Bihar's electoral rolls immediately after the special discussion on Operation Sindoor ends. 

At the time, the government had accused the Opposition of cheating. 

Later, at 2 pm, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said if the rules allow and the Speaker is ready and it is decided in the Business Advisory Committee, the government was ready to discuss any topic. 

Because the government did not directly say it would discuss the issue of Bihar SIR, or refuse it, the Opposition found the assurance sufficient and the discussion on Operation Sindoor started in the Lok Sabha.

Government sources, however, made it clear that the voter list revision -- being run by the Election Commission in Bihar -- cannot be discussed in Parliament. 

About this, three arguments are being considered by the government, sources said.

The first is that the campaign being run by the Central Election Commission is not an election reform. Rather, it is an administrative step and the Election Commission has been taking such steps from time to time.

The second reason is that even if a discussion is held in both the houses of Parliament on the intensive revision of the voter list, there is no one to answer the questions that the Opposition could raise. 

The Election Commission cannot come to the House to present its side, sources pointed out. And although the Law Ministry is the nodal ministry for the Election Commission, it generally looks after only administrative work, and does not interfere in policy matters.

The third reason the government gave is that there are many such institutions which do not have a mechanism to present their side before the Parliament. In such situations, there cannot be a discussion about those institutions, sources said.

Government sources recounted an earlier instance when there had been a demand to discuss the functioning of the Election Commission. 

In 1986, then Speaker Balram Jakhar had said comprehensive election reforms can be discussed in Parliament, but it is not possible to discuss administrative processes and decisions.

The government is now of the view that the Bihar voter list revision cannot be discussed due to these reasons.

The Opposition, however, is very aggressive on this issue and wait is on for the government's formal arguments.

from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/vmWDUu8

All You Need To Know About UPI Changes Effective From August 1

The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) is set to implement a set of changes to the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) from August 1, 2025. The changes, including balance check and transaction status, are aimed at making the interface stable and efficient. In a circular dated April 26, 2025, NPCI stated that they are working to reduce the response time of UPI transactions to improve the performance. It added that the adjustments will benefit remitter banks, beneficiary banks and Payment Service Providers (PSPs), such as PhonePe, Google Pay and Paytm.

Later on May 21, 2025, NPCI noted: "PSP banks and/or acquiring banks shall ensure all the API requests (in terms of velocity and TPS - transactions per second limitations) sent to UPI are monitored and moderated in terms of appropriate usage (customer-initiated and PSP system-initiated)."

Also Read | How India's UPI Is Revolutionising Global Digital Payments, Explained Simply

Here are the key changes:

Daily Balance Check Limit: The users can check their account balance only 50 times a day per UPI app. If they use multiple apps, the limit applies to each app separately.

Transaction Status Check Limit: They can check the status of a pending transaction only three times, with a minimum gap of 90 seconds between each check.

AutoPay Timings: AutoPay transactions will be processed in specific time slots: Before 10 AM, Between 1 PM and 5 PM and After 9:30 PM.

Linked Bank Account View Limit: The users can view their linked bank accounts only 25 times a day.

Payment Reversal Cap: They can raise a maximum of 10 payment reversal requests in 30 days, with a cap of 5 per sender.

Beneficiary Name Display: The recipient's registered bank name will be visible before confirming payment, reducing errors and fraud.

Stricter Rules for Banks and UPI Apps: NPCI will monitor API usage, and non-compliant banks and apps may face penalties or restricted access.

"Members are requested to take note of this compliance requirement and communicate it to relevant stakeholders and their respective partners for implementation by 31st July 2025," the circular added.

Also Read | PayPal Partners With NPCI, Others to Build Cross-Border Payments Platform Focused on Interoperability

IMF praises India's UPI

Recently, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) praised India, saying that the nation makes faster payments than any other country with the quick growth of UPI. The usage of other instruments, including debit and credit cards, is on the decline.

"India now makes faster payments than any other country. At the same time, proxies for cash usage have fallen," the note said.

"Since its launch in 2016, UPI has grown quickly, while some proxies for cash usage have begun to decline. UPI now processes more than 18 billion transactions per month and dominates other electronic retail payments in India," the fintech note said.

from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/t7HUSrz

WCL Live: India Eye Solid Start After Bopara Helps Eng Set 224-Run Target

India Champions vs England Champions, WCL 2025 Live Updates: Desperate for a win, both India Champions and England Champions are playing against each other in the 13th game of World Championship of Legends in Leeds. India Champions captain Yuvraj Singh won the toss and opted to bowl first against England Champions. Varun Aaron dismissed Phil Mustard to provide India Champions an early wicket but Ian Bell and Ravi Bopara played solid knocks to put England in control. Bopara even went on to smash his century (110 in 55 balls), helping England post 223 for 3. India Champions eye a solid start in the chase of 224 runs. (Live Scorecard)

India Champions vs England Champions, World Championship of Legends match Live Updates -

from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/AUBu7qP

Ancient Humans Ate Children 850,000 Years Ago, New Discovery Reveals

In a remarkable scientific discovery, Spanish archaeologists have found evidence that human ancestors ate children, some 850,000 years ago. Digging at the Gran Dolina cave site in Atapuerca, northern Spain, the researchers discovered a human neck bone belonging to a child aged between two and four years old, with clear butchery marks, suggesting that the small children may have been devoured clean.

The team from the Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution (IPHES) stated that the site of the marks on the neck bone suggests the youngster was decapitated. Notably, the body parts of the child belong to Homo antecessor, believed to be the last common ancestor of both Homo sapiens and Neanderthals.

"This case is particularly striking, not only because of the child's age, but also due to the precision of the cut marks," said Dr Palmira Saladie, the co-director of the excavation.

"The vertebra presents clear incisions at key anatomical points for disarticulating the head. It is direct evidence that the child was processed like any other prey."

Although cannibalism is well documented in early humans, it is unusual to find evidence of a child being eaten. If the discovery stands verified, it could mark the earliest evidence of the practice found to date.

“What we are documenting now is the continuity of that behaviour: the treatment of the dead was not exceptional, but repeated,” said Ms Saladie.

Also Read | 'I Love India But...': American Woman Reveals Truth About Living In India

Stockier and shorter on average than modern humans, the Homo antecessor lived between 1.2 million and 800,000 years ago. Their brain size was roughly between 1,000 and 1,150 cubic centimetres, which is smaller than the average 1,350 cubic centimetres brain size of people today.

"The new find reinforces the hypothesis that these early humans exploited their congeners as a food resource," the researchers stated.

“Every year we uncover new evidence that forces us to rethink how our ancestors lived, how they died, and how the dead were treated nearly a million years ago.”

from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/HFOa3ts