Good morning, dear reader! Here’s your morning news brief for today.

Around 8.5 Million Jobs Created Under Modi’s Employment Scheme

Under Modi government’s employment generation scheme, the Pradhan Mantri Rojgar Protsahan Yojana, at least 8.5 million people have got jobs, The Economic Times has reported. As part of the scheme, the report says, the government will pay in full the employer’s share of contributions to the Employee Provident Fund and the Employee Pension Scheme as an incentive for a period of three years. The pension contribution is likely to cost the government Rs 2,400 crore.

The government has set a target for 10 million jobs by March 2019 under the scheme. It hopes to achieve the target before the deadline if the scheme continues to make progress at the current pace. The scheme gained traction after the government increased its contribution to 12 per cent from 8.33 per cent earlier and extended the programme to all sectors. It has brought relief for the government, which has been under attack for its alleged failure in creating jobs.

SC’s ‘Cracker Order’ Defied Despite Arrests

The Supreme Court’s order limiting the duration of fireworks to two hours, between 8 and 10 pm on Diwali, has been defied throughout the country despite arrests and police action reported in different parts, including Gujarat and Delhi. Reports indicated that the sound of crackers could be heard from early in the day. Police said they will monitor CCTVs to catch offenders.

The ‘partial ban’ on crackers has upset many. If anything, arrests reported from different parts of the country have only added to the anger. People have argued that the apex court did not take into account the tradition of bursting crackers before and after the Lakshmi Pooja, the muhurat for which is 8.33 pm. Social media is flooded with memes and jokes about "improved" and "green" fireworks, which have been cleared for sale during Diwali. According to India Today, the sale of “hazardous firecrackers” continues despite the ban.

PM Modi To Visit Maldives For Solih’s Swearing-In

Prime Minister Modi will visit the Maldives for the swearing-in of the country’s newly-elected President, Ibrahim “Ibu” Solih, who had invited him to the ceremony. Officials have reached Male to begin preparations. This will be Modi’s first visit to the island nation, the only country in the neighbourhood that he has not visited since coming to power in 2014. His visit was cancelled in 2015 due to political instability in the country under Abdulla Yameen.

Yameen jailed opposition leaders, including former president Mohammed Nasheed, on trumped-up charges. When the Supreme Court of the country intervened and ordered the release of political prisoners, Yameen ordered the arrest of the judges and refused to comply with the ruling. Ignoring India’s security concerns, he steered the country closer to China and deeper into its debt trap. The ties between India and the Maldives had nosedived under the Yameen. He was defeated in a closely watched election by Sohil, who was fielded jointly by the opposition parties in the country.

India Exempted From Certain US Sanctions Over Chabahar Port In Iran

After exempting India from sanctions on the import of oil from Iran, the US has also made an exception for New Delhi to allow it to continue working on the Chabahar port with Tehran, along with the construction of the railway line connecting it with Afghanistan. The port will give India access to Afghanistan and central Asia, bypassing Pakistan, which refuses to give India land access.

India, Iran and Afghanistan had in 2016 inked a pact which entailed the establishment of Transit and Transport Corridor. In October last year, India sent its first shipment, a consignment of wheat for the people of Afghanistan on a grant basis. Last month, the three countries held their first trilateral meeting on the port project, during which they reviewed the progress in its implementation.

From Swarajya

How Ram’s Ayodhya Is Preparing For The Country’s Grandest Deepavali: Ayodhya is set for a Deepavali celebration unlike any other. A ground report.

How A Personal Dispute Led To Delhi Man Being Booked For Bursting Crackers: Bursting a cracker is an act of joy and celebration, but having turned it into a criminal act, the judiciary has opened a Pandora’s box, helping people settle personal scores using the law.

1737 CE-When Bhai Mani Singh Was Tortured To Death For Celebrating Deepavali: When the scholar-warrior Bhai Mani Singh chose sacrificing his life over turning away from Dharma.

The Seven Goddesses Lost To The World Are Celebrated In India On Deepavali: The motif of the seven goddesses was popular in the ancient world. Today, India is the only culture which still celebrates the seven mothers. And the big day of these celebrations, is Deepavali.

We hope you enjoyed reading our morning brief. Have a great day ahead!

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