The Evening Wrap: Sonia Gandhi elected Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson

Congress leader Sonia Gandhi was unanimously elected as the chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) on June 8, party leaders said. At a meeting of the CPP, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge proposed Sonia Gandhi’s name for the post. It was seconded by Gaurav Gogoi, K Sudhakaran and Tariq Anwar. Gandhi, 77, was elected to the Rajya Sabha in February. Earlier in the day, the Congress Working Committee unanimously urged Rahul Gandhi to take on the mantle of the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and he told the party’s top brass that he will take a decision on it “very soon”. NEET Exam results: High-powered committee to analyse grievances of 1,600 students The National Testing Agency (NTA) has decided that a high-powered committee will analyse the grievances of 1,600 students who appeared for the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET) 2024 for admission into medical colleges. The results for the medical entrance exam NEET-UG were announced on June 4. Several aspirants have cited irregularities and are demanding a re-test. The issues that aspirants sought to address involved the alleged NEET paper leak incident in Bihar, alleged hidden grace marks, illogically high scores, an unexpected number of full scores, and very high cut-off scores. Addressing a press conference, the Director General of the NTA, Subodh Kumar Singh, said that no paper leak happened this time as “question papers were shared on social media around 4.30 pm, two hours after the exam had started. We denied reports on May 6 that paper has been leaked. Integrity of examination was not compromised at all.” “Only one question affected [the students] this time. So many questions are prepared, out of 1,563 students who were reassessed, 790 students qualified. 13 lakh students overall qualified. Those who have compensated with grace marks have not affected the overall percentage of marks.” Over 23 lakh students appeared for NEET this year. The NTA received 13,373 challenges to the provisional answer key of one question in Physics. “Owing to differences in the old and new editions of NCERT (National Council of Educational Research and Training) textbook, the subject experts held that two options be taken as correct in place of one option for the question,” the NTA has said. The issue is only of 1,600 students, out of 4,750 centres only six centres have an issue:, Mr. Singh added. According to Singh, the new committee under former Chairperson of the UPSC, will look into the issue of compensatory marks, and issues of candidates who have lost their time. The Committee will give recommendation and the NTA will come up with a report in limited time. The counselling and admission process will not be affected, he said. “We had registered FIRs across the country, we will cooperate with police,” said Singh. A petition urging for the re-examination, signed by over 2,000 students, had alleged that there has been an unexpected number of full scores and a very high cut-off. “A total of 67 students scored a perfect 720 out of 720, which is highly questionable and not digestible. This has never happened. Usually, only three to four students score perfect marks,” it said. On the issue of grace marks, the NTA Director General said “Grace marks formula is based on time loss, based on attempted questions. The maximum was 720, the lowest was -20, it depended on candidates.” The 1,600 students that have asked for retest and compensation of marks, their issues will be addressed, he added. BJP seeks special Assembly session to discuss Delhi ‘water crisis’, blames AAP government for ‘mismanagement’ The BJP on June 8 demanded that the Delhi Assembly Speaker call a special session of the House to discuss the prevailing “water crisis” in the city that it blamed on the AAP government’s “mismanagement”. BJP Chief Whip in the Delhi Assembly, Ajay Mahawar, in a letter to Speaker Ram Niwas Goel, said the whole of Delhi is struggling with a water shortage amid unprecedented heat and the people are devastated due to the government’s “water mismanagement”. “It is requested of you to immediately call a special session of the Delhi Assembly to discuss and find a solution to this crisis and provide relief to the people from this disaster caused by mismanagement of the Delhi government and the Delhi Jal Board,” Mahawar said in his letter. He claimed that some special sessions were held in the past to discuss “unnecessary” issues while pressing for calling a special session on the water shortage. BJP Delhi unit chief Virendra Sachdeva also demanded that the Speaker call a special session of the Assembly on the problems faced by people due to the water shortage. The national capital has been grappling with a water shortage, with Delhi Water Minister Atishi blaming Haryana for not releasing Yamuna water to the city. Bill to raise legal marriage age for women lapses as 17th Lok Sabha dissolves With the dissolution of the 17th Lok Sabha, a Bill that aimed to bring uniformity in the age of marriage for men and women has lapsed. The Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021 was introduced in the Lok Sabha in December 2021 and was referred to the Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports. The Standing Committee received multiple extensions over a period of time. Citing provisions of law and Constitution, former Lok Sabha Secretary-General and Constitution expert P. D. T. Acharya told PTI that with the dissolution of the 17th Lok Sabha, “the Bill has now lapsed”. The Bill aimed to amend the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 to increase the minimum age of marriage of females to 21 years. Further, the Bill would have overridden any other law, custom, or practice. Under the 2006 Act, a person married below the minimum age may apply for annulment within two years of attaining majority (i.e., before 20 years of age). The Bill increases this to five years (i.e., 23 years of age). The 17 Lok Sabha was dissolved after the members of the 18th Lok Sabha were elected in the general elections. Israel rescues 4 hostages kidnapped in October 7 Hamas attack; atleast 94 Palestinians are killed Israel on June 8 rescued four hostages who were kidnapped in the Hamas-led attack on October 7, the largest such recovery operation since the war began. At least 94 Palestinians including children were killed as heavy fighting continued around the sites in central Gaza, the Health Ministry said. Israel’s Army said it rescued Noa Argamani, 25; Almog Meir Jan, 21; Andrey Kozlov, 27; and Shlomi Ziv, 40, in a complex daytime operation in the heart of Nuseirat on Saturday morning, raiding two locations at once and under fire. All were well, the military said, and they were taken by helicopter for medical checks and reunions with loved ones after 246 days in captivity. The hostages were rescued in two separate locations in the heart of Nuseirat, it said. Netanyahu in a statement said that “Israel does not surrender to terrorism and acts with creativity and boldness that knows no bounds to bring home our abductees.” He vowed to continue the fighting until all are freed. The bodies of nearly 100 Palestinians killed were taken to Al-Aqsa Hospital, where Khalil Degran told The Associated Press more than 100 wounded also arrived. AP reporters also saw the dead brought to the hospital from the Nuseirat and Deir al-Balah areas, as smoke rose in the distance. Israel’s military said it attacked “threats to our forces in the area.” The military said one commando died from his wounds. The operation on June 8 is the largest recovery of alive hostages since the war erupted, bringing the total of rescued captives to seven. In Brief:N. Chandrababu Naidu to take oath as Andhra Pradesh CM on June 12 TDP national president N. Chandrababu Naidu will take oath as Andhra Pradesh CM on June 12 at 11.27 a.m. A place close to an IT park at Kesarapalle near Gannavaram airport has been zeroed in as the venue for the oath-taking ceremony. NDA’s Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, a few senior NDA leaders, and CMs of a few other States will attend the ceremony. Media baron Ramoji Rao passes away Media baron and founder of the Eenadu group, Ramoji Rao passed away early on June 8 morning at a private hospital in Hyderabad. He was admitted to a private hospital due to some age-related health issues on June 7 night. He passed away at 4.50 a.m., the Eenadu group said Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [logo] The Evening Wrap 08 June 2024 [The Hindu logo] Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. [View in browser]( [More newsletters]( Sonia Gandhi elected Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Congress leader [Sonia Gandhi was unanimously elected as the chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party]( (CPP) on June 8, party leaders said. At a meeting of the CPP, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge proposed Sonia Gandhi’s name for the post. It was seconded by Gaurav Gogoi, K Sudhakaran and Tariq Anwar. Gandhi, 77, was elected to the Rajya Sabha in February. Earlier in the day, the Congress Working Committee unanimously urged Rahul Gandhi to take on the mantle of the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and he told the party’s top brass that he will take a decision on it “very soon”. NEET Exam results: High-powered committee to analyse grievances of 1,600 students The National Testing Agency (NTA) has decided that a [high-powered committee will analyse the grievances]( of 1,600 students who appeared for the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET) 2024 for admission into medical colleges. The results for the medical entrance exam NEET-UG were announced on June 4. Several aspirants have cited irregularities and are demanding a re-test. The issues that aspirants sought to address involved the alleged NEET paper leak incident in Bihar, alleged hidden grace marks, illogically high scores, an unexpected number of full scores, and very high cut-off scores. Addressing a press conference, the Director General of the NTA, Subodh Kumar Singh, said that no paper leak happened this time as “question papers were shared on social media around 4.30 pm, two hours after the exam had started. We denied reports on May 6 that paper has been leaked. Integrity of examination was not compromised at all.” “Only one question affected [the students] this time. So many questions are prepared, out of 1,563 students who were reassessed, 790 students qualified. 13 lakh students overall qualified. Those who have compensated with grace marks have not affected the overall percentage of marks.” Over 23 lakh students appeared for NEET this year. The NTA received 13,373 challenges to the provisional answer key of one question in Physics. “Owing to differences in the old and new editions of NCERT (National Council of Educational Research and Training) textbook, the subject experts held that two options be taken as correct in place of one option for the question,” the NTA has said. The issue is only of 1,600 students, out of 4,750 centres only six centres have an issue:, Mr. Singh added. According to Singh, the new committee under former Chairperson of the UPSC, will look into the issue of compensatory marks, and issues of candidates who have lost their time. The Committee will give recommendation and the NTA will come up with a report in limited time. The counselling and admission process will not be affected, he said. “We had registered FIRs across the country, we will cooperate with police,” said Singh. A petition urging for the re-examination, signed by over 2,000 students, had alleged that there has been an unexpected number of full scores and a very high cut-off. “A total of 67 students scored a perfect 720 out of 720, which is highly questionable and not digestible. This has never happened. Usually, only three to four students score perfect marks,” it said. On the issue of grace marks, the NTA Director General said “Grace marks formula is based on time loss, based on attempted questions. The maximum was 720, the lowest was -20, it depended on candidates.” The 1,600 students that have asked for retest and compensation of marks, their issues will be addressed, he added. BJP seeks special Assembly session to discuss Delhi ‘water crisis’, blames AAP government for ‘mismanagement’ The BJP on June 8 demanded that the Delhi Assembly Speaker call a [special session of the House]( to discuss the prevailing “water crisis” in the city that it blamed on the AAP government’s “mismanagement”. BJP Chief Whip in the Delhi Assembly, Ajay Mahawar, in a letter to Speaker Ram Niwas Goel, said the whole of Delhi is struggling with a water shortage amid unprecedented heat and the people are devastated due to the government’s “water mismanagement”. “It is requested of you to immediately call a special session of the Delhi Assembly to discuss and find a solution to this crisis and provide relief to the people from this disaster caused by mismanagement of the Delhi government and the Delhi Jal Board,” Mahawar said in his letter. He claimed that some special sessions were held in the past to discuss “unnecessary” issues while pressing for calling a special session on the water shortage. BJP Delhi unit chief Virendra Sachdeva also demanded that the Speaker call a special session of the Assembly on the problems faced by people due to the water shortage. The national capital has been grappling with a water shortage, with Delhi Water Minister Atishi blaming Haryana for not releasing Yamuna water to the city. Bill to raise legal marriage age for women lapses as 17th Lok Sabha dissolves With the dissolution of the 17th Lok Sabha, a [Bill that aimed to bring uniformity in the age of marriage]( for men and women has lapsed. The Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021 was introduced in the Lok Sabha in December 2021 and was referred to the Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports. The Standing Committee received multiple extensions over a period of time. Citing provisions of law and Constitution, former Lok Sabha Secretary-General and Constitution expert P. D. T. Acharya told PTI that with the dissolution of the 17th Lok Sabha, “the Bill has now lapsed”. The Bill aimed to amend the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 to increase the minimum age of marriage of females to 21 years. Further, the Bill would have overridden any other law, custom, or practice. Under the 2006 Act, a person married below the minimum age may apply for annulment within two years of attaining majority (i.e., before 20 years of age). The Bill increases this to five years (i.e., 23 years of age). The 17 Lok Sabha was dissolved after the members of the 18th Lok Sabha were elected in the general elections. Israel rescues 4 hostages kidnapped in October 7 Hamas attack; atleast 94 Palestinians are killed Israel on June 8 [rescued four hostages who were kidnapped in the Hamas-led attack]( on October 7, the largest such recovery operation since the war began. At least 94 Palestinians including children were killed as heavy fighting continued around the sites in central Gaza, the Health Ministry said. Israel’s Army said it rescued Noa Argamani, 25; Almog Meir Jan, 21; Andrey Kozlov, 27; and Shlomi Ziv, 40, in a complex daytime operation in the heart of Nuseirat on Saturday morning, raiding two locations at once and under fire. All were well, the military said, and they were taken by helicopter for medical checks and reunions with loved ones after 246 days in captivity. The hostages were rescued in two separate locations in the heart of Nuseirat, it said. Netanyahu in a statement said that “Israel does not surrender to terrorism and acts with creativity and boldness that knows no bounds to bring home our abductees.” He vowed to continue the fighting until all are freed. The bodies of nearly 100 Palestinians killed were taken to Al-Aqsa Hospital, where Khalil Degran told The Associated Press more than 100 wounded also arrived. AP reporters also saw the dead brought to the hospital from the Nuseirat and Deir al-Balah areas, as smoke rose in the distance. Israel’s military said it attacked “threats to our forces in the area.” The military said one commando died from his wounds. The operation on June 8 is the largest recovery of alive hostages since the war erupted, bringing the total of rescued captives to seven. In Brief: N. Chandrababu Naidu to take oath as Andhra Pradesh CM on June 12 TDP national president N. [Chandrababu Naidu will take oath as Andhra Pradesh CM]( on June 12 at 11.27 a.m. A place close to an IT park at Kesarapalle near Gannavaram airport has been zeroed in as the venue for the oath-taking ceremony. NDA’s Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, a few senior NDA leaders, and CMs of a few other States will attend the ceremony. Media baron Ramoji Rao passes away Media baron and founder of the Eenadu group, [Ramoji Rao passed away]( early on June 8 morning at a private hospital in Hyderabad. He was admitted to a private hospital due to some age-related health issues on June 7 night. He passed away at 4.50 a.m., the Eenadu group said Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [Sign up for free]( Today’s Top Picks [[Had post-poll alliance speculations turned into reality, the Supreme Court may not have interfered] Had post-poll alliance speculations turned into reality, the Supreme Court may not have interfered]( [[So long, and no thanks for all the lack of fish (For e-paper, Monday for Tuesday)] So long, and no thanks for all the lack of fish (For e-paper, Monday for Tuesday)]( [[ISRO all set for third reusable launch vehicle landing experiment] ISRO all set for third reusable launch vehicle landing experiment]( [[Reader’s Digest: A favourite across generations of magazine lovers] Reader’s Digest: A favourite across generations of magazine lovers]( Copyright© 2024, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. If you are facing any trouble in viewing this newsletter, please [click here]( Manage your newsletter subscription preferences [here]( If you do not wish to receive such emails [go here](