NC Digest: The Stories That You Must Not Miss Today

• Two BJP State Governments Refuse To Implement Modi’s Health Scheme, Say They Already Have A Better One

In a setback to the Modi government’s ambitious Ayushman Bharat National Health Protection Scheme (AB-NHPS), two of the BJP-ruled states — Rajasthan and Maharashtra — have expressed “reluctance” to implement the programme. According to a government official, the Rajasthan and Maharashtra governments are reluctant in implementing the scheme, as similar projects catering to a much larger population are being run in the states. Read more here.

• Indefinite Fast On At Jadavpur University As Students Demand Entrance Exam; Partha Chatterjee Meets Governor

The indefinite fast by a few students at Jadavpur University (JU), protesting the varsity’s decision to scrap admission tests for undergraduate courses, continued for the third day today even as education minister Partha Chatterjee met Governor K N Tripathi to find a solution to the impasse. Governor House sources said that Chatterjee visited Tripathi this afternoon and held a long discussion with him over the issue. Read more here.

• Left Parties To Demonstrate Before Parliament On July 24: Yechury

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury today said the Left parties would demonstrate before Parliament on July 24 to protest the “murder of democracy” in Tripura and West Bengal. “After the BJP came to power in Tripura, four CPI(M) workers have been murdered and ransacking of party offices and harassment of party cadres by the BJP-RSS workers continue. All these show that law and order has collapsed in the state. It is a national issue, so we have decided to organise the protest,” he told a press conference here. Read more here.

• Tribal Girl Raped In Bengal Village, 5 Held

A 16-year-old tribal girl was allegedly gang-raped in a village in Birbhum district, police said today. The incident happened at Mahulara village under the jurisdiction of Panrui police station on Friday, when she was cycling home from a neighbouring village, the police said. Five persons were arrested in connection with the incident yesterday, a police officer said adding, they were remanded to judicial custody for a day by a special court today. Read more here.

• Rapes Will Continue No Matter What, Says BJP MLA

BJP MLA Surendra Singh, known for his penchant for making controversial remarks, has said that even Lord Rama cannot curb rapes, prompting Congress to dub him as “insane” and fit for a mental asylum. “Bhagwan Ram bhi aa jaayenge, tab bhi balaatkaar ki ghatna per niyantran nahi ho paayegaa (The incidents of rape cannot be curbed, even if Lord Ram descends on earth),” the BJP MLA from Bairia Singh told reporters in Ballia yesterday. Read more here.

• Uttar Pradesh: 3 Sanitation Workers Die Inside Sewage Pumping Station Due To Poisonous Gas

Three sanitation workers today suffocated to death inside a 40-feet deep main pumping station plant (MPS) they had climbed down in to for cleaning, police said. Loni Deputy Superintendent of Police Durgesh Kumar said the incident took place in the Dabur Talaab Colony of Loni where the MPS is located. The three fell unconscious after inhaling poisonous gas inside the facility and died later, he said. Read more here.

• SC Dismisses Review Pleas Of Three Convicts In Nirbhaya Gangrape Case

The Supreme Court today dismissed pleas filed by three out of the four convicts seeking review of its verdict upholding the death penalty awarded to them in the sensational December 16, 2012, Nirbhaya gangrape and murder case. A bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices R Banumathi and Ashok Bhushan rejected the review pleas filed by Mukesh (29), Pawan Gupta (22) and Vinay Sharma (23), saying no grounds have been made out by them for review of the verdict. Read more here.

• Watch: Navika Fails To Fool Scindia And Ends Up Looking Rather Foolish Herself

While interviewing Jyotiraditya Scindia on Sunday, Times Now anchor Navika Kumar tried to wrongly quote Salman Khurshid, an advocate and a senior Congress leader whom she had interviewed a few days ago. Quoting Khurshid, Kumar said that Sonia Gandhi will play a major role in attracting other political parties for an alliance, instead of Rahul Gandhi. However, Kumar then attributed her own thoughts to Khurshid – that Rahul Gandhi didn’t have the stature and victories to convince opposition parties. Read more here.

• Rajasthan: Asked To Answer Modi’s Questions ‘Positively’, A Woman Refused To Interact With Him

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a rally in Jaipur on Saturday where he interacted with the beneficiaries of central government schemes. Interestingly, one woman claimed that she was asked by the BJP members in the state to answer the prime minister’s questions in a “positive” manner, however, she refused to lie. The Vasundhara Raje government had reportedly trained these “beneficiaries” on how to answer Modi’s questions “positively”. Read more here.

• 90 Per Cent Of BJP Candidates Will Lose In Upcoming Elections: BJP MP

The BJP has neither “intent” nor the “right policies” and 90 per cent of the candidates who contest as its nominees in the upcoming Lok Sabha and Assembly polls will lose, Raj Kumar Saini, the saffron party’s MP from Kurukshetra claimed today. Saini, who has repeatedly criticised the BJP in recent times, was addressing a ‘Loktantra Bachao’ (Save Democracy) rally in the Tigaon village in this district. Read more here.