Morning Digest: Stalin elevates his son Udhayanidhi as Deputy CM; new retention rules for IPL announced, and more

The Hindu Morning Digest gives a select list of stories to start the day. Read the top news today on September 29, 2024

DMK’s Youth Wing secretary, Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development and film actor, Udhayanidhi Stalin, has been elevated as Tamil Nadu’s Deputy Chief Minister by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin in the much-awaited Tamil Nadu Cabinet reshuffle here on Saturday (September 28, 2024). The swearing-in ceremony will be held at Raj Bhavan on Sunday (September 29, 2024) at 3.30 P.M. According to an official release from Raj Bhavan, Mr. Udhayanidhi will be ‘allotted the portfolio of Planning and Development, in addition to his existing portfolios’.

Each of the 10 Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises can retain up to five cricketers — with no restriction on nationality — pre-auction ahead of the 2025 edition. Besides, the Right to Match (RTM) card option has been reintroduced for the player auction to be held later in the year. The player retention rules were finalised by the IPL Governing Council during its meeting in Bengaluru on Saturday (September 28, 2024). Unlike in the past, though, the IPL authorities have devised “pay more to retain more” policy.

United Nations Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing Balakrishnan Rajagopal has told the Supreme Court that the State-driven, punitive and arbitrary demolition of homes and commercial establishments is an “aggravated form of human rights violation”. The Rapporteur, in an application on Friday (September 27, 2024), pointed to the danger of using punitive demolition by the State as a tool for land-grabbing. “All arbitrary demolitions are void ab initio in law, and no legal title or right may be changed on the site where a demolished structure stood. This is an important guarantee to ensure that in the guise of demolitions for technical breaches of the law, land grab from vulnerable individuals and communities is not condoned,” he pointed out.

Russia’s top diplomat warned Saturday (September 28, 2024) against “trying to fight to victory with a nuclear power,” delivering a U.N. General Assembly speech packed with condemnations of what Russia sees as Western machinations in Ukraine and elsewhere — including inside the United Nations itself. Three days after Russian President Vladimir Putin aired a shift in his country’s nuclear doctrine, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused the West of using Ukraine — which Russia invaded in February 2022 — as a tool to try “to defeat” Moscow strategically.

September 16 was a red-letter day for Jagshibhai Suthar, a resident of Gandhinagar in Gujarat. He had Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his rooftop admiring his newly installed solar installation. “We have installed 3.24 kW (kilowatt) solar panels on the terrace and now our [electricity] bill has been reduced to zero. Additionally, I have received a credit of ₹248 in the bill,” he told The Hindu. The PMSY scheme provides for a subsidy of 60% of the solar unit cost for systems up to 2 kW capacity and 40% of additional system costs for systems between 2 kW and 3 kW capacity. The subsidy has been capped at 3 kW capacity. At current benchmark prices, this means a ₹30,000 subsidy for a 1 kW system, ₹60,000 for 2 kW systems, and ₹78,000 for 3 kW systems or higher.

Leaders from various political parties, academics, intellectuals and people from all walks of life met at Talkatora Stadium in New Delhi on Saturday (September 28, 2024) to mourn the death of CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury. The condolence meeting, organised by the party, saw INDIA bloc leaders hailing the contributions of Mr. Yechury in building a formidable alliance against the ruling BJP-led NDA. In an emotional speech, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said Mr. Yechury was a friend who did not have the characteristic “traits of politicians”.

The Congress will restore Statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, party leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said on Saturday (September 28, 2024) while slamming the BJP for using the Union Territory as a pawn to “stir emotions” elsewhere in the country. Ms. Vadra, the Congress’ national general secretary, also criticised Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha saying the current administration was a “puppet” government being run with a remote control.