The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has announced Rs 10 lakh reward each for information on 5 wanted Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) terrorists - Harwinder Singh Sandhu alias Rinda, Lakhbir Singh Sandhu alias Landa, Parminder Singh Kaira, Satnam Singh and Yadvinder Singh. They are accused of terror activities to disrupt Punjab's peace and raise funds through smuggling and extortion. NIA also released photos of 54 individuals wanted for probes into terror-gangster networks. The move highlights NIA's intensified crackdown on Khalistani terror elements threatening India's national security amid the ongoing confrontation with Canada on the issue of Khalistani activities.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invited US President Joe Biden to be the Chief Guest at India's Republic Day celebrations on January 26, 2023, revealed US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti. Meanwhile, the US is engaged with India to explore the production of military systems related to Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR), and ground-based conventional warfare,  per Siddharth Iyer, Pentagon's South Asia Director. Iyer stated accelerating India's defense modernization is a priority. The Republic Day invite underscores efforts to strengthen US-India ties amid discussions on deepening defense cooperation.

During a fiery parliamentary debate on the women's reservation bill, women MPs including Sonia Gandhi, Kanimozhi and Supriya Sule slammed the government for disrespecting women, while Smriti Irani declared the government had empowered women. Gandhi advocated quotas for OBC women within the larger women's quota. Kanimozhi demanded women be allowed to walk as equals, not just worshipped. Sule called out a BJP leader for telling her to "go home, cook food". The bill proposes 33% reservation for women in the legislature. The passionate debate highlighted concerns about women's representation.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan raised the issue of Kashmir during his address to the UN General Assembly, emphasizing the need for lasting peace in the region through dialogue between India and Pakistan. Erdogan expressed support for steps taken in this direction. He also advocated expanding the United Nations Security Council to include five permanent and 15 "temporary" members as permanent members, highlighting the importance of a more inclusive approach to global governance. This isn't the first time Erdogan has mentioned Kashmir at the UN, drawing attention to the longstanding issue between India and Pakistan.

President Droupadi Murmu praised the government's introduction of a bill providing 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, calling it a "transformative revolution in our times for gender justice." She made this statement during the inauguration of the biennial conference of the national human rights institutions (NHRIs) of the Asia Pacific region. The bill, introduced in the new Parliament building, aims to increase female representation in political bodies. The conference, organized by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in collaboration with the Asia Pacific Forum (APF), is set to address various human rights issues.

  Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi has called for the immediate enactment of the women's reservation bill in India's Lok Sabha, expressing her party's support for the legislation. She emphasized the importance of implementing the bill without further delay and also advocated for the inclusion of reservations for SC, ST, and OBC women, along with conducting a caste census. Sonia Gandhi highlighted the contributions of prominent Indian women in the independence movement and called for honoring their legacy through this legislation. The Union Cabinet has recently approved a Constitution amendment bill to provide women's reservation in national and state legislatures, a long-standing demand in India.

Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury expressed concern that the copies of the Constitution provided to lawmakers on the opening day of the new Parliament building did not include the words "secular" and "socialist" in its Preamble. He accused the government of making this change cleverly and questioned their intentions. Chowdhury wanted to raise the issue in Parliament but didn't get the opportunity. He emphasized the presence of these words while reading the Preamble in Parliament. MPs received various gifts on the new Parliament building's opening day, including a copy of the Constitution of India.

The Congress criticized the Women's Reservation Bill as an election gimmick that betrays women. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said linking implementation to the next Census makes it a hollow promise since the 2021 Census was not conducted. He accused the government of headline management without a timeline for actualizing reservations. Ramesh questioned if the required Census and delimitation will be completed before 2024 polls. Dismissing the bill as 'jumla', Congress alleged the government is only seeking votes in the name of women empowerment without genuine intent to enact reservations. The criticism exposes the political faultlines despite broad support for increased representation of women in legislatures.

The Women's Reservation Bill seeks to grant 33% reservation to women in Lok Sabha & Assemblies, excluding Rajya Sabha. It reserves 1/3rd SC/ST seats for women and rotates reserved seats between elections. However, it excludes OBC women and links implementation to delimitation. The bill is a step towards improving women's representation but critical provisions like OBC exclusion, Rajya Sabha exclusion and delimitation linkage need review. For more details on the key provisions of the Women's Reservation Bill

A local Congress leader, Baljinder Singh Balli, was shot dead outside his residence in Punjab's Moga on Monday. CCTV captured two bike-borne assailants firing at Balli before fleeing. Hours later, Canada-based Khalistani terrorist Arsh Dalla took responsibility in a Facebook post, alleging Balli ruined his future. Dalla, wanted by NIA and active in Punjab killings from Canada, said Balli caused his mother's custody. The audacious murder highlights Khalistani extremism threatening India from abroad. Police have launched an investigation into the Congress block president's killing claimed by the overseas terrorist.