The women's reservation bill, providing 33% reservation for women in Lok Sabha and State Assemblies, unanimously sailed through Rajya Sabha, making history after decades of roadblocks. It earlier cleared Lok Sabha with the support of 454 MPs vs. just 2 opposed. PM Modi, present for voting, hailed the "successful debates" and said the spirit will give birth to new self-esteem among Indians. Like in Lok Sabha, the big Rajya Sabha debate was over the timeline of implementation only after delimitation, delaying it by years. The INDIA bloc wants immediate rollout. With passage in both houses, the historic bill now awaits the President's signature to become law. [photo: @narendramodi on X]

The Indian Army has installed a 70-foot high national flag at the Ajote War Memorial near the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district. The flag was set up by the Army in collaboration with the Flag Foundation of India to honor the fallen heroes of Poonch. The tricolor was dedicated to the people by 93 Infantry Brigade Commander Brigadier Rajesh Bisht in the presence of senior officials including the Poonch DC, DDC Chairperson and SSP. The event at the memorial near the LoC saw the participation of many veterans and ex-servicemen. The 70-ft flag commemorates the sacrifices of soldiers in Poonch.

India's aviation regulator DGCA has suspended Air India's Chief of Flight Safety for one month due to lapses found in the airline's accident prevention measures. A DGCA inspection uncovered deficiencies in the carrier's safety work and availability of required technical staff. It also found some internal audits were carried out in a cursory manner. The DGCA has barred the particular auditor involved from conducting further regulatory compliance checks. The suspension comes after shortcomings were detected in Air India's systems for averting accidents, prompting the DGCA crackdown to improve flight safety standards.

The Women's Reservation Bill, seeking to reserve 33% of seats for women in the Indian Parliament and State Assemblies, was passed in the Lok Sabha with 454 votes in favour and 2 against. The landmark bill has been pending for over 25 years. While Sonia Gandhi supported the bill, she demanded quotas for OBC women. Opposition questioned the need for delimitation before implementation, which could delay the process. AIMIM's Asaduddin Owaisi opposed the bill, saying it only provides reservation to ‘savarna women’, not OBC and Muslim women. The fierce debate highlighted concerns about ensuring inclusive representation for all women.

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.