The Lok Sabha is scheduled to take up the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2018 tomorrow.

Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad will move the Bill to protect the rights of married Muslim women and to prohibit divorce by pronouncing talaq by their husbands.

The Bill makes all declarations of instant triple talaq void and illegal. It seeks to make the practice a punishable offence with imprisonment of up to three years. The Bill will replace the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Ordinance-2018.

The BJP has issued a three-line whip asking all its MPs to be present in the Lok Sabha.

A cold wave swept through Delhi on Wednesday morning as the minimum temperature dropped to 3.6 degrees Celsius, the lowest this winter, the Met office said.

“The minimum temperature was recorded at 3.6 degree Celsius, four notches below the season’s average. It is the lowest temperature recorded so far this year,” it said.

Delhi has been reeling under a cold wave for the past a few days. On December 23, the minimum temperature was recorded at 3.7 degrees Celsius. It is expected to dip to 3.0 degrees Celsius after December 28.

The weatherman has predicted clear skies throughout the day on Wednesday and the maximum temperature is expected to hover around 20 degrees Celsius.

According to the Met department, humidity level recorded at 8.30 am was 97 per cent. On Tuesday, the minimum temperature had settled at 5.0 degrees Celsius.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.

Petronet LNG Ltd, India’s top gas importer, plans to invest ₹2,100 crore to expand its terminal capacity in Dahej, Gujarat, from 15 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) to 20MTPA in the next two or three years, said two officials close to the development. Of the total, ₹1,300 crore would be used to expand the Dahej terminal, while ₹800 crore will be spent on building LNG storage tanks, they said, requesting anonymity.

Petronet LNG, which built India’s first LNG receiving and regasification terminal at Dahej, operates another terminal in Kochi.

The Kochi terminal has a capacity of 5 MTPA. The company is in the process of building a third terminal, at Gangavaram, Andhra Pradesh.

An investment proposal for the expansion in Dahej has been recently submitted to the Gujarat Maritime Board—the regulator for all the non-major ports and maritime activities in Gujarat, confirmed a senior Gujarat government official, who did not wish to be named.

A Petronet LNG official declined to comment. A company official did not respond to an emailed query.

The new Congress governments in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh on Tuesday inducted 28 and nine ministers respectively in their first cabinet expansion, seeking to strike a fine balance with representations from different castes and communities, while covering the key regions.

Governor Anandiben Patel administered the oath of office in both states. In MP, chief minister Kamal Nath inducted at least two former state ministers, including Govind Singh and Vijay Laxmi Sadho. Former chief minister Digvijay Singh’s son Jaivardhan Singh, and former state unit chief Arun Yadav’s younger brother Sachin Yadav were also sworn in.

More than a dozen MLAs among those who took oath on Tuesday are first-time ministers, which includes MP’s working president of Congress Jitu Patwari. Two women ministers figured in Nath’s cabinet, Sadho and Imarti Devi. Independent MLA Pradeep Jaiswal, who was a party rebel, was also sworn in. In Chhattisgarh, with the induction of nine ministers, the cabinet led by chief minister Bhupesh Baghel now has 12 members, including senior party leaders T.S. Singh Deo and Tamradhwaj Sahu. Former state ministers Mohammad Akbar and Ravindra Choubey have also been sworn in.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday inaugurated the Bogibeel Bridge in Assam and dedicated it to the nation. Considered as India’s longest railroad bridge, the 4.94-km double-decker structure spans over the river Brahmaputra connecting Dibrugarh and Dhemaji districts of the state.

“Bogibeel Bridge is not just a bridge, it is a lifeline for crores of people in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh,” said Modi while addressing a massive public meeting in Kareng Chapori, on the northern bank of the river. The bridge comes as a Christmas gift for the over five million people living in the two states, as it reduces commuting time by four hours.

The bridge was a dream for generations, and is now a reality, said Modi. Besides providing rail connectivity, it will link two existing national highways—NH-37 on the south bank and NH-52 on the north bank. It will also enhance the national security of the eastern region of India by facilitating swift movement of military personnel and equipment.

Sadaiv Atal, a memorial of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, was dedicated to the nation Tuesday on his 94th birth anniversary.

President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were among the dignitaries who paid floral tributes to the former statesman at the memorial built near the Rashtriya Smriti Sthal, where his mortal remains were consigned to flames on August 17.

Vajpayee passed away on August 16 after a prolonged illness. He was cremated with full state honours.

Former prime minister Manmohan Singh and family members of Vajpayee also offered flowers at the lotus-shaped memorial. Sadaiv (always) Atal memorial will be managed by a trust headed by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan.

The 16th Mumbai Marathon will be held on January 20 next year and around 50,000 participants are expected to participate in the run, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said Monday. 

He chaired a meeting to review preparations for the 16th Tata Mumbai Marathon in Mumbai. Ministers Vinod Tawde, Jaykumar Raval, MLA Ashish Shelar were present.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has said that the perpetual challenge before the government is to strengthen the agricultural sector. 

In an exclusive interview to All India Radio on the state of Indian Economy, Mr Jaitely said, one of the mechanisms to address the challenge should be to introduce measures on enabling farmers to earn more, make more investments in rural infrastructure like irrigation and provide purchase or income support to them. 

On Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s 94th birth anniversary, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on Tuesday told reporters that his government will install a statue of the former prime minister in Patna. Though he did not offer details on what the height and cost of the statue are going to be, Nitish said a decision on its location will be taken soon.

Earlier today, Sadaiv Atal, a memorial of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, was dedicated to the nation. President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were among the dignitaries who paid floral tributes to the former statesman at the memorial built near the Rashtriya Smriti Sthal, where his mortal remains were consigned to flames on August 17.

Vajpayee passed away on August 16 after a prolonged illness. He was cremated with full state honours.

Former prime minister Manmohan Singh and family members of Vajpayee also offered flowers at the lotus-shaped memorial. Sadaiv (always) Atal memorial will be managed by a trust headed by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan. “Tributes to Atal Ji on his Jayanti. We reiterate our commitment towards creating the India he dreamt of,” Modi tweeted Tuesday.

Bharat Ratna and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's birthday is being celebrated as Good Governance Day across the country today. Several programmes are being organised to mark the occasion. 

The Samadhi of Bharat Ratna and Former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee - Sadaiv Atal was dedicated to the Nation today. President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid floral tributes at the Samadhi this morning. 

Former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, BJP veteran Lal Krishna Advani, BJP president Amit Shah, several Union Ministers, family members of the late Prime Minister also paid their homage. 

Emphasizing Unity in Diversity, stones from various parts of country have been used in the construction of Samadhi near Rajghat in New Delhi. The central Samadhi platform comprises of nine square blocks, capped with a Diya in the center. The number nine holds significance and represents the navarasas, navaratras and navagrahas. 

The placement of the nine square Samadhi is in a circular lotus shaped pattern. The Samadhi has been completed by CPWD at a cost of over ten crore rupees and the entire cost of construction has been borne by the Atal Smriti Nyas Society.