India’s first water metro will be launched in Kerala’s Kochi, Kerala
- The first water metro will be launched in Kerala’s Kochi by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
- Manufactured by Cochin Shipyard Limited, the metro project will start with eight electric hybrid boats.
- The dream project is funded by the Government of Kerala and German firm KfW.
- Overall cost of the Kochi Water Metro project is ₹1,137 crore.
‘Sudan Crisis 2023’
- India and other countries have begun preparations for the evacuation of foreign nationals presently situated in different parts of Sudan which have seen intense fighting between the army and a paramilitary force.
‘Operation Kaveri’
- India has started Operation Kaveri to evacuate its nationals from conflict-torn Sudan
- Nearly 3,000 Indians are stuck in various parts of Sudan, including the national capital, Khartoum, and distant provinces such as Darfur.
- Operation Kaveri gets under way to bring back our citizens stranded in Sudan. About 500 Indians have reached Port Sudan.
- Sudan crisis is causing alarm among its neighbors and other nations, which ranges from worries about the shared Nile and oil pipelines to worries about the makeup of a future government and the potential for a fresh humanitarian disaster.
The Supreme Court has created a special webpage for the Kesavananda Bharati case
- The Supreme Court of India has dedicated a special web page containing details of arguments, written submissions, and the judgment in the Kesavananda Bharati case, which gave an important judgement regarding the ‘Basic Structure’ of the Constitution.
- “We have dedicated a web page with all written submissions and everything related to the Kesavananda case for all world researchers to look at.’’ said by Chief Justice of India (CJI) D.Y. Chandrachud
- The judgement was delivered on the same day 50 years ago on April 24, 1973,”
- The Kesavananda Bharati case reached its 50th anniversary on April 24, 2023.
Significance of Kesavananda Bharati Case:
- The judgement is said to be the second most important text after the Constitution of India.
- A 13-judge Bench was set up by the Supreme Court, the biggest so far, to hear the case.
- In Kesavananda Bharati case, relief was sought against the Kerala government vis-a-vis two state land reform laws (under 9th Schedule), which imposed restrictions on the management of the religious property.
- It held that Parliament could amend any part of the Constitution as long as it did not alter or amend the basic structure or essential features of the Constitution.
- It was claimed as the ‘God’s decision’ by the late Kesavananda Bharti: The seer lost the battle but won the war because the amending power was made subject to the basic structure.
