‘Sri Lankan Tamil refugees not eligible for long-term visas’
Context: Undocumented Sri Lankan Tamil refugees who were exempted from penal provisions by a Union Home Ministry order last week are not eligible to apply for long-term visas (LTVs), a senior government.
- The official, however, did not elaborate on the reason for the ineligibility.
- Though the order removes the tag of an “illegal migrant” from registered Sri Lankan Tamil nationals who entered India before January 9, 2015, it willnot immediately help in the grant of Indian citizenship.
- The LTVs, a precursor to citizenship, are issued for a period of one to five years.
- The official said that Sri Lankan Tamils are not eligible to apply for LTVs but foreigners can apply for Indian citizenship under the Citizenship Act, 1955.
- On March 17, 2021, the Ministry informed the Rajya Sabha that “Any foreigner, including a Sri Lankan citizen, may acquire Indian citizenship by registration or naturalisation after fulfilling the eligibility criteria laid down in the Citizenship Act, 1955, and the rules made thereunder.”
- A 1986 letter by the Ministry to Chief Secretaries asks the States to not “entertain the applications of Sri Lanka refugees for the grant of Indian citizenship”. It states that the Government of India received enquiries regarding “national status of these Sri Lanka nationals who came to India as refugees”.
- “After careful consideration, the GoI have come to the conclusion that no Sri Lanka refugees who came to India in July 1983 or after should be naturalised/registered under the provisions of the Citizenship Act, 1955, and Citizenship Rules, 1956,” it says.
- The directions are still operational. On September 2, the MHA notified the Immigration and Foreigners (Exemption) Order under the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025 that was passed by the Parliament in April to repeal and replace four laws which governed the entry, stay, and exit of foreigners, and immigration and passport rules, including the Passport Act and Foreigners Act. The notified order exempted “registered Sri Lankan Tamil nationals who have taken shelter in India upto the 9th January, 2015” from the provisions of sub-sections (1), (2) and (3) of Section 3 (requirement of passport or other travel document or visa) of the 2025 Act.
- The September 2 notification also exempted undocumented members of six minority communities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan from penal provisions and possible deportation if they entered India without passports or visas, or with expired travel documents, before December 31, 2024.
- While the six communities will be able to apply for LTVs, making them eligible to apply for citizenship after at least 11 years of continuous stay in India, Sri Lankan Tamils will not be eligible for the same.
- Members of six minority communities — Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians — from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan, who enter India on valid travel documents “seeking permanent settlement in India with a view to acquire Indian citizenship” are eligible for LTVs.
- Antony Arulraj, an activist closely associated with issues faced by Sri Lankan Tamils since 1990, said that the MHA had been lenient in setting January 9, 2015 as the cut-off date, close to six years after the end of civil war in Sri Lanka.“The notification makes India a safe haven for Sri Lankan Tamils who took refuge before 2015. Those who wish to stay back can do so without fear of being branded as illegal immigrants,” he said.
- According to the MHA’s report of 2023-24, 3,04,269 Sri Lankan refugees entered India in various phases between July 1983 and August 2012.
IAA astronomers make breakthrough in understanding how cosmic dust grains line up
Context: A team of astronomers led by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) and their collaborators have made a breakthrough in understanding how cosmic dust grains line up with the galaxy’s magnetic field.
- Dust grains, typically a few micrometers in size and composed primarily of silicates and carbonaceous material, are found throughout the interstellar medium in the Milky Way and other galaxies.
These tiny particles play a crucial role in a wide range of astrophysical processes, including the formation of stars and planets.
- The Department of Science and Technology said that this breakthrough by the astronomers provides the strongest observational evidence yet for the long-theorised ways in which dust aligns itself with magnetic fields in our Galaxy.
- They focused on the massive star-forming infrared dark cloud G34.43+0.24, located around 12,000 light-years away in the Milky Way.
- Using the POL-2 polarimeter on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope in Hawaii, the researchers mapped how dust in this star-forming nursery aligned with magnetic fields.
Observational evidence
- The study found observational evidence for three different alignment mechanisms acting in a single cosmic cloud namely RAT-A, RAT-D and M-RAT.
- RAT-A, implies RAdiative Torque Alignment in which non-spherical grains exposed to anisotropic radiation fields experience RAdiative Torques—RATs, that cause them to spin up and align with the direction of the surrounding magnetic fields.
Polarisation fraction
- RAT-D is Radiative Torque Disruption in which large dust grains spin so rapidly under strong radiation from the massive and luminous protostars embedded inside the cores that they are disrupted into smaller fragments, reducing the grain alignment efficiency and thereby lowering the polarisation fraction.
- M-RAT implies Magnetically-enhanced RAdiative Torque alignment mechanism in which alignment efficiency of grains is enhanced by strong magnetic relaxation strength of grains, resulting in higher polarization percentages.
Environment
- “This shows that the grains respond differently depending on their environment—sometimes aligning perfectly, sometimes shattering under stress, and sometimes becoming super-efficient at tracing magnetic fields,” the department said.
- It added that by proving how these mechanisms play out in real space, astronomers now have stronger tools to map magnetic fields across the galaxy.
As per revised pact, future talks will focus on U.T. with legislature: Kuki-Zo groups
Context: The Kuki-Zo insurgent groups that signed a suspension of operations (SoO) pact with the Manipur government and the Union Home Ministry on September 2 accused the Press Information Bureau (PIB) of putting a spin on the signed official agreement, which has caused confusion among the people.
- It said that following the renewed SoO agreement, future talks between the SoO group and government’s representatives would focus on the demand for Union Territory (UT) with legislature for the Kuki-Zo areas in Manipur.
- The two groups — Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and United Peoples Front (UPF) — said in a statement on Sunday that the PIB’s aberration has seriously upset the Kuki-Zo sentiments to a point of affecting the mood over the much-awaited Prime Minister’s visit to Churachandpur on September 13.
- “The recently concluded MHA and SoO extension agreement for one year, effective from the date signed September 4, 2025, at New Delhi clearly states, ‘SoO Agreement shall be followed by tripartite dialogue with KNO and UPF to pave the way for a negotiated political settlement under the Constitution of India in a time bound manner.’ The PIB has put a spin on the signed official agreement as follows: “Among other provisions, the revised ground rules reiterated: Need for a negotiated solution to bring peace and stability to the State of Manipur.” This twist by the PIB does not figure anywhere in the SoO agreement signed between the Home Ministry and the SoO group, the statement by the groups said.
- The statement said that before May 3, 2023, when ethnic violence erupted in the State, the SoO group’s demand was local autonomy by way of Territorial Council within Manipur. Post-violence, the demand changed to UT with legislature, which was submitted at the SoO meeting on September 1, 2023.
Russia, India, China aware of mutual interests: Lavrov
Context: Russia, India and China are aware of their common interests in several sectors and there is an overt trend of developing mutual partnership, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
- Mr. Lavrov was referring to the recent bonhomie displayed by the leaders of the three countries at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin last week. Triple handshake and huddle of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the summit hogged headlines.
- It even prompted U.S. President Donald Trump, in a social media post, to lament the loss of India and Russia to “deepest and darkest” China.
- “It is a demonstration that three great powers, representing three great civilisations, are aware of their common interests in a number of areas,” Mr. Lavrov said.
- According to Mr. Lavrov, the common interests of the three countries lie in developing the economy, solving social problems, and improving the living standards of the population.
India and Bangladesh to hold talks on water sharing
Context: The India-Bangladesh Joint River Commission is set to meet in Delhi on Tuesday, sources said, amid ongoing tensions between the two countries. Dhaka plans to send a 10-member team to raise its concerns about water sharing of 14 cross-border rivers.
- Sources said that Bangladesh plans to use the discussion as a warm-up for talks on the Ganga Waters Agreement of 1996 that will come up for renewal next year, when Bangladesh will also hold its first election since the overthrow of the Sheikh Hasina government in August 2024.
- The treaty was signed during Ms. Hasina’s first term in power in 1996, when it was decided that the treaty would be considered for renewal 30 years later. It is understood that Bangladesh will now demand a longer time frame before the next renewal of the treaty. It is also seeking some changes in the use of the river’s water on the Indian side.
- Diplomatic sources said that Dhaka is expected to ask for a specialvehicle to manage the waters of 14 rivers, including the Muhuri, Khowai, Gomti, Dharla, and Doodhkumar.
- Bangladesh also wants India’s support to create a joint flood forecasting mechanism, sources said.
Anuparna Roy wins best director award at Venice festival
Context: Filmmaker Anuparna Roy, who made her debut with Songs of Forgotten Trees, has bagged the best director award at the Venice International Film Festival.
- Presented by filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, the film premiered in the festival’s prestigious Orizzonti Competition section, an international competition for films that highlight new trends, with a focus on debut works, young talent, indie features, and less-known cinema, on September 1.
- “This film is a tribute to every woman who’s ever been silenced, overlooked, or underestimated. May this win inspire more voices, more stories, and more power for women in cinema and beyond,” Ms. Roy said in a statement.
- Songs of Forgotten Trees follows the story of Thooya, a migrant and aspiring actor, who survives the city by leveraging beauty and wit, occasionally trading intimacy for opportunity.
Stand by Palestine
- During her acceptance speech, the filmmaker spoke on the ongoing Israel and Palestine conflict. “Every child deserves peace, freedom, liberation, and Palestinians are no exception… it’s a responsibility at the moment to stand by Palestine. I might upset my country but it doesn’t matter to me anymore,” she said, according to the entertainment news outlet Variety.
- Produced by Bibhanshu Rai, Romil Modi, and Ranjan Singh, the cast includes Bhushan Shimpi, Ravi Maan, Pritam Pilania, and Lovely Singh.
- The Venice International Film Festival concluded on Saturday.