Wed Apr 30 12:50:30 UTC 2025: **India’s Cabinet Approves Caste Census, High-Speed Rail Corridor Amidst Border Tensions**
NEW DELHI, INDIA (April 30, 2025) – The Indian Union Cabinet took significant steps this week, approving a caste enumeration for the next census and a new high-speed rail corridor, while also addressing escalating border tensions and national security concerns. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced the caste count inclusion, highlighting the government’s commitment to social equity. Simultaneously, a ₹22,864 crore greenfield high-speed rail project connecting Meghalaya and Assam received cabinet approval, aiming to improve transport between Guwahati and Silchar.
Amidst heightened tensions following a terror attack in Pahalgam, the government revamped the National Security Advisory Board (NSAB), appointing former R&AW chief Alok Joshi as chairman. This followed a hotline conversation between Indian and Pakistani Director Generals of Military Operations, where India warned Pakistan against ceasefire violations. In a related development, hundreds of Pakistani nationals left India via the Attari-Wagah border following a government order.
The Supreme Court delivered rulings on digital access rights, declaring inclusive digital governance a fundamental right, and deferred a decision on the Lokpal’s jurisdiction over High Court judges. Meanwhile, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will represent India at Moscow’s Victory Day celebrations, rather than Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Other news included: a wall collapse at a temple in Visakhapatnam resulting in seven deaths; a CBI operation dismantling an international online child sexual exploitation network; a deadly hotel fire in Kolkata; a decline in India’s gold demand; the release on bail of a Bangladeshi Hindu leader; Chinese President Xi Jinping’s call for adapting to international changes; Nepal’s planned Everest climbing restrictions; and a Delhi High Court hearing regarding a trademark dispute between children’s magazine Champak and the IPL.
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