Will stand by decision on Art. 370, CAA: Modi
- Despite international pressure, the government will continue to stand by its decision to revoke Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and introduce the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted on Sunday.
- “Despite the various international pressures, we stand by these decisions and will continue to stand by them,” Mr. Modi said. The country was now taking decisions that were always left behind in the past, he added.
- In Varanasi, Mr. Modi launched projects worth ₹1,250 crore. He unveiled the statue of Deendayal Upadhyay, which, at 63 feet is the largest statue of the leader in the country, as per the government. The Prime Minister also dedicated to the nation the Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Memorial Centre.
Protesters’ march to Shah’s house stopped
- Anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act protesters, who have been on an indefinite sit-in at Shaheen Bagh, marched towards Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s residence on Sunday but returned after police denied them permission.
- “We have been protesting here peacefully and if we go there to meet him, we will go peacefully,” said Shakila, a protester, explaining why no altercation took place between them and the authorities
New species of urban lizard found in Guwahati
- The new species of lizard, zoologically named Cyrtodactylus urbanus, is markedly different in molecular structure, blotch and colour from the Cyrtodactylus guwahatiensis, or the Guwahati bent-toed gecko, that was discovered two years ago.
- “All benttoed geckos in Northeast India were thought to be a single species, the Cyrtodactylus khasiensisfound primarily in the Khasi Hills of Meghalaya. Photographs I had taken of the urban benttoed from the Basistha area of Guwahati in 2011, when compared with other species, made global experts realise it was a different species,” Mr. Purkayastha told The Hindu
- The bent-toed gecko, named Cyrtodactylus urbanus, was earlier thought to be same as the Khasi Hills lizard