News Summary · 4 minutes read
Mizoram’s first railway line (Bairabi–Sairang stretch) witnessing its first train on 13 September 2025. Photo: X/@sarbanandsonwal
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PM Modi launches Mizoram’s first railway line
- Bairabi-Sairang stretch is Mizoram’s first railway line → connects Mizoram’s capital, Aizawl, with the Indian Railways network for the first time.
- Aizawl is the 4th capital city in northeast India, after Guwahati, Agartala, and Itanagar, to be connected to the Indian Rail network.
- Recently, PM Modi flagged off the first train from the newly built Sairang Railway Station in Mizoram.
11th Conference of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) India Region
- Hosted by the Karnataka Legislative Assembly from 11–13 September 2025 in Bengaluru.
- Inaugurated by Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Om Birla, who is also the Chairperson of the CPA India Region.
- Agenda Topic was “Debates & Discussions in the Houses of Legislature: building people’s trust, meeting people’s aspirations.
- Adopted four resolutions:
- To eliminate deadlocks and disruptions inside the Houses
- To strengthen research and reference branches of state legislative institutions
- To ensure greater use of digital technologies
- To increase the participation of youth and women in democratic institutions
Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA)
- Founded as the Empire Parliamentary Association in 1911 → renamed as CPA in 1948.
- India was NOT its founding member.
- CPA Headquarters: London
- Supports good governance, democracy and human rights.
- Divided into nine regions, including the India region.
- CPA India Region: Comprises of a total of 31 Legislatures → After the Africa Region, India has the largest number of member Branches of the CPA.
Immigration and Foreigners Rules, 2025
- Notified by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on 1 September 2025 → operationalises the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025
- Key Highlights:
- The Bureau of Immigration (BOI) is legally designated to examine immigration fraud, coordinate with State governments on this matter, and maintain a centralized immigration database.
- Biometric information of all foreigners must be recorded, expanding earlier limited requirements.
- Educational institutions must report details of foreign students, including attendance and conduct, to the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO).
- “Illegal migrants” are added to categories permitting closure of premises frequented by such foreigners.
- Defines “immigration officers” as officers provided by the Intelligence Bureau with roles including monitoring immigration posts and guiding foreigners.
- These Rules strengthen coordination between immigration agencies, law enforcement, and state authorities.
Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025
- Enacted by Parliament in April 2025 to consolidate and modernise India’s immigration laws.
- Replaces four older laws:
- Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920
- Registration of Foreigners Act, 1939
- Foreigners Act, 1946
- Immigration (Carriers’ Liability) Act, 2000
- Key highlights:
- Empowers the Central Govt to regulate entry, stay, and departure of foreigners, requiring valid passports, visas, and travel documents.
- Provides legal backing for biometric and demographic data collection of foreigners.
- Sets up the Bureau of Immigration for visa issuance, regulating entry, transit, stay, and exit, under the supervision of a Commissioner.
- Foreigners must register with designated Registration Officers and comply with conditions related to their stay, movement, and reporting.
- Enables issue of restrictive measures on foreigners’ movement or presence as required for security or administrative purposes.
- Establishes legal frameworks to deport, detain, or restrict foreigners violating conditions or illegally staying in India.
56% of India’s outward FDI goes to ‘tax havens’
- Nearly 56% of outward investments by Indian companies in 2023-24 were in low tax jurisdictions (tax havens).
- Singapore, Mauritius, and the UAE collectively accounted for more than 40% of India’s outward FDI in 2023-24.
- Share of top 5 countries in India’s outward FDI (2023-24): Singapore (22.6%) > Mauritius (10.9%) > UAE (9.1%) > Netherlands (5.3%) > UK (4.7%) > Switzerland (2.2%)
Quick Picks
- Section 21(3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, allows the Election Commission to conduct a special revision of electoral rolls in a manner it thinks fit.
- Arakan Army: an ethnic armed insurgent group based in Rakhine State (also called Arakan) in western Myanmar.
- Charlie Kirk: The American right-wing activist → killed in Utah on September 10.
- Sushila Karki: former Chief Justice of Nepal → has become Nepal’s first woman PM.
- Sébastien Lecornu: new PM of France.
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