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Narendra Modi government will present the first budget of its third term on July 23 in the budget session from July 22 to August 12. The BJP-led government is widely expected to continue its policy direction claiming ‘reforms’. The dialectics of budgets and economic policies over last decade have only served to strengthen the already massive stranglehold of financial corporates on the Indian economy.

Some twenty years back a division bench of Patna High Court had bemoaned the absence of work culture in Bihar. The officials who have the authority to enforce the work ethics are reluctant to improve the governance and ensure that the subordinates perform. Division bench of Justice V N Sinha and Justice Prabhat Kumar Jha had directed the government to furnish a list of the officials who held the posts of chief secretary, principal secretary (health) and director-in-chief (health services) since 2002. It had also sought the information why its order to provide 500 beds at the mental asylum at Koelwar in Arrah was not complied with.

Europe has entered a dangerous period with all the potential of the 28 month old Ukraine war crossing the border into other parts of the continent. The summit of the 32 nation North Atlantic Treaty Organisation(NATO) held in Washington on July 9 to 11 has decided to pledge US $43 billion worth of military aid to Ukraine next year and what is more, has declared their intention to admit Ukraine to NATO as a full member. Ukraine President Zelensky attended the summit hosted by US President Joe Biden.

People of France have voted against the far-right in the parliamentary elections. Contrary to many opinion polls, the National Rally of Le Pen could win only 143 seats and stood third. The newly formed Left coalition, New Popular Front achieved a victory by emerging as the largest bloc with182 seats, while President Macron’s group Ensemble won 163 seats. As a result of this fractured mandate, no single party or Front secured an outright majority. For a majority, one needs to win 289 in the 577-seat National Assembly. The New Popular Front fell short of majority by over 100 seats. These elections were called by President Macron, after his Party received a setback in the elections to the European Union parliament held in June.

Given the huge shortage of healthcare professionals and hospital beds, lack of pre and post hospitalization medical facilities at affordable costs, inadequate funding, and non-release of promised budgeted funds even under the much-publicized government medical and health insurance schemes have emerged as serious concerns for the Union Ministry of Finance plaguing the preparation of Union Budget 2024-25.

Telangana resident Mohd. Abdul Samad can’t do much. He must be feeling exactly like how Shah Bano Begum felt in 1986. Then, too, the Supreme Court of India had skin in the game and had come to the rescue of divorced Muslim women, like it had all those years ago. But then, the SC was beaten by a brute majority.

For the last two years, India has been riding on two horses diplomatically: while befriending the West, particularly the USA, the Indian moves have also placated Russia in the face of its unilateral aggression against Ukraine in February 2022.

Crime itself is a morbid act and the three new criminal laws, effective from July 1, 2024, are threatening to throw the country’s criminal justice system into even greater confusion. Its criticism has been that strengthening police power would be instrumental in turning the country into a police state. It would also introduce offences like terrorism without proper safeguards. There are possibilities also about the potential misuse of these new provisions. Home minister Amit shah has said that there would be “justice” instead of “punishment”. He said, “About 77 years after independence, our criminal justice system is becoming completely indigenous and will run on Indian ethos.”

LONDON: Labour has spent its first week in power signalling a changed approach from the Tories — a national wealth fund for infrastructure projects, a reset to devolution with a new council of the regions.

The 22nd India-Russia Annual Summit held in Moscow on July 8-9 2024 will go a long way in re-embellishing one of the most enduring friendships in the geopolitical theatre. Moscow and New Delhi have seen many ups and downs together, no matter who has been in power in the Grand Kremlin Palace or in the Parliament House. Fortunately, India-Russia ties are still regime change-proof, and have withstood the serial ideological onslaughts from the United States-led ‘rules-based order’ of the West.