Top news of the day: Centre announces caste enumeration to be part of next Census; India warns Pakistan against ceasefire violations, and more

Centre announces caste enumeration to be part of next Census; India warns Pakistan against ceasefire violations, and more in The Hindu’s Top News of the day on April 30, 2025

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday said that the Union Cabinet has decided to include caste enumeration as part of the next census. He was briefing the media regarding decisions of the Union Cabinet. “This demonstrates that our government is committed to the values and interests of our society and the country, like in the past, when our government had introduced 10% reservations for economically weaker sections of society,” says Mr. Vaishnaw.

The Director Generals of Military Operations of India and Pakistan talked over the hotline yesterday (April 29) to discuss the unprovoked ceasefire violations by Pakistan. According to defence sources, India warned Pakistan against the unprovoked violations by Pakistan Army along the Line of Control. 

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the development of a 166.80 km greenfield high-speed corridor from Mawlyngkhung in Meghalaya to Panchgram in Assam on hybrid annuity mode at a total cost of ₹22,864 crore. According to an official statement, the project length of 166.80 km (NH-6) lies in Meghalaya (144.80 km) and Assam (22 km). The proposed greenfield high-speed corridor will improve the service level for the traffic moving between Guwahati to Silchar, it noted.

The government has revamped the National Security Advisory Board (NSAB) — a move that came amid speculations about India’s possible retaliation to the Pahalgam terror attack in view of its cross-border linkages. It is learnt that former R&AW chief Alok Joshi has been appointed as NSAB chairman. The NSAB is an advisory body that provides inputs to the National Security Council Secretariat. The new members appointed to the NSAB are former Western Air Commander Air Marshal PM Sinha, former Southern Army Commander Lt Gen A K Singh and Rear Admiral (retd) Monty Khanna, people familiar with the matter said.

As many as 786 Pakistani nationals, including 55 diplomats, their dependents and support staff, besides eight Indians with Pakistani visa, have left India through the Attari-Wagah border crossing in the last six days following a Government Order in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, officials said on Wednesday. A total of 1,465 Indians, including 25 diplomats and officials, besides 151 Pakistani citizens with long-term Indian visas, have crossed over to India from Pakistan through the International Border crossing located in Punjab since April 24.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday held in a judgment that inclusive and meaningful digital access to e-governance and welfare delivery systems is a part of the fundamental right to life and liberty. A Bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan laid down that the State has an obligation to provide an inclusive digital ecosystem to the marginalised, underprivileged, vulnerable, disabled and historically-excluded sections of the society.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday decided to hear in July arguments over an order of the anti-corruption ombudsman, Lokpal, to examine complaints against sitting High Court judges. Justice B.R. Gavai, who was heading a special bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Abhay S. Oka, told assembled lawyers in the suo motu case dealing with the question whether Lokpal has jurisdiction to entertain corruption complaints against HC judges that the case has to be heard by another Bench.