New Delhi/Thimphu: Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarks on a two-day visit on Sunday to the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, his first destination abroad after assuming office. The visit is a signal that the neighbourhood is a foreign policy priority of the new government. Modi will hold talks with his Bhutanese counterpart, Tshering Tobgay, and also call on the Bhutanese royal family. He is also likely to address the Bhutanese parliament. Modi is expected to hold talks on key bilateral and regional issues with the Bhutanese leadership.
Rohatgi named Attorney General
New Delhi: The Narendra Modi government yesterday appointed senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi as the new Attorney General of India. Rohatgi, who appeared for the Gujarat government in several 2002 post-Godhra riot-related cases, will serve as attorney general of India for a period of three years, a statement said. He succeeds G E Vahanvati who resigned following the rout of the Congress-led UPA in the 2014 general election. As the country’s first law officer, the attorney general is the only non-member of parliament who can come to parliament to give his opinion when it is sought. The official also advises the government on the legal issues surfacing from time to time in discharge of its legal and constitutional obligations. According to the constitution, the attorney general will be a person who is qualified to be appointed as an apex court judge.
1,122 candidates clear UPSC exams
New Delhi: The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) yesterday declared the final results of the 2013 civil services examination that 1,122 candidates have cleared. Of the 1,122, 861 are males and 261 females. Among the candidates, 30 are physically challenged. Gaurav Agarwal from Jaipur in Rajasthan topped the examination in his second attempt. The candidates who have cleared have been recommended for appointment to the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and other central services against 1,228 reported vacancies. The second ranker is Munish Sharma, who graduated with a B.Sc. degree from Delhi University’s Sri Venkateswara College. Of the top 25 candidates, 15 are males and 10 females. A total of 7,76,565 candidates applied for the examination, of which 3,23,949 appeared for the preliminary examination while 14,959 qualified for the main examination that was held in December, 2013. Based on the performance in the mains, 3,003 candidates were shortlisted for the personality test which was conducted during April-June.
Yadav elected to RS from Bihar
Patna: Ruling JD-U’s president Sharad Yadav was yesterday elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from Bihar, an official said. “Yadav has been declared elected after the deadline for the withdrawal of nomination papers ended at 3pm yesterday in the absence of any other candidate. There will be no formal election,” the official said. Sharad Yadav lost the Lok Sabha election from Madhepura constituency in Bihar last month. To ensure his presence in parliament so that he can play an active role in the national politics, the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) decided to send him to the Rajya Sabha, a party leader said.
IANS
