The week that went by! Weekly News Page Feb 14th - Feb 20th Law, Policy and Governance

Daily snippets

1. SC refuses to review verdict on protesters - The Supreme Court has refused to reconsider its judgement that the Shaheen Bagh protests against the ​ Citizenship (Amendment) Act were inconvenient for commuters. The original judgment of October 7 last year ​ declared the demonstrations and road blockades in the Shaheen Bagh area of the national capital as “unacceptable”. The Review Bench, which comprised the same judges who delivered the original judgment, said it did not find any “error apparent warranting reconsideration” in the verdict. ​ ​

2. Lockdown: SC allows 100% fee collection by Rajasthan schools - The Supreme Court has stayed a Rajasthan High Court order to schools affiliated to Central and State secondary education boards to collect only 60% of the tuition fee for the lockdown period. Bench led by Justice A.M. Khanwilkar allowed schools to collect the entire arrears in six monthly instalments from March to August 2021. - In case parents have difficulty in paying the arrears, they should be allowed to approach the school authorities through individual representations. The management would consider them on a “case to case basis ​ sympathetically”, the apex court said. ​

3. 22-year-old activist sent to Delhi police custody - Disha Ravi, a 22year old climate activist, was remanded in custody of the Delhi police for five days after she was arrested from Bengaluru for allegedly sharing with Greta Thunberg a “toolkit” related to the farmers’ protests. The police said Ms. Ravi had edited the “toolkit” on February 3. According to the police, the activist is an editor ​ of the “Toolkit Google Doc” and was a key conspirator in the document’s formulation and dissemination. ​ ​ ​

4. Farm unions call Disha Ravi arrest an ‘intimidation tactic’ - Protesting farm unions condemned the arrest of Bengaluru based climate activist Disha Ravi, who has been ​ ​ charged in connection with a “toolkit” to coordinate support for their protest. Climate activist charged with sedition for supporting ‘toolkit’.

5. Indians concerned about privacy: CJI - Chief Justice of India Sharad A. Bobde said Indians have “grave apprehensions” about privacy from Facebook and ​ ​ WhatsApp. “We are telling you what we heard and read - people think that if A sends a WhatsApp message to B ​ and B to C, the circuit of messages is revealed to Facebook,” he addressed senior advocates Kapil Sibal and ​ Arvind Datar, for the companies. The hearing concerned the new privacy policy introduced by WhatsApp on January 4. The allegation is that it scraps users’ ‘opt-out policy’. SC issued notices to WhatsApp, Facebook ​ ​ ​

6. Lawyers flag violation of norms in Disha arrest - The Delhi police have claimed that all norms and procedures were followed when they arrested 22 year - old ​ climate activist Disha A. Ravi from her residence in Bengaluru. Several leading advocates and jurists have raised concerns over reported violations of norms and guidelines laid down by the Ministry of Home Affairs and multiple Delhi High Court and Supreme Court judgments.

7. ‘Sedition law can’t be used to quell disquiet: court - Charges of sedition “cannot be invoked to quieten the disquiet under the pretence of muzzling the miscreants”, a ​ ​ Delhi Court observed while granting bail to a 21-year old labourer. The youth was arrested for posting a fake ​ ​ video on Facebook about the Delhi police on the farmers’ agitation.

8. Kiran Bedi removed as Puducherry L-G - Kiran Bedi was removed as the Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry. Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundarajan ​ has been given additional charge of the Union Territory until regular arrangements are made. The statement did not specify any reason behind Ms. Bedi’s removal. In fact, she had put up a two minute video reviewing the reasons for the low rate of COVID-19 vaccination in the UT. ​

9. SC seeks Centre’s response on plea for safety system at airports - Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sharad A. Bobde visualized the horror and tragedy of an air crash while hearing a petition alleging “deliberate omission” on the part of the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to install a failsafe system to stop an aircraft from overshooting runways at vulnerable ​ ​ ​ ​ airports like Mangalore and Kozhikode. ​ - The court asked Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the government and agreeing with ​ ​ ​ the CJI’s oral observations, to file its response to the petition. - The writ petition filed by Delhi resident Rajen Mehta sought the installation of the Engineered Material ​ Arresting System (EMAS) in at risk airports across the country, more importantly at table-top airports in ​ ​ ​ Kozhikode and Mangalore. Mr. Mehta also sought an inquiry into the delay in installing EMAS despite specific knowledge about the vulnerability.

10. Toolkit content does not disclose sedition: ex-judge - Publicly available content of the toolkit, which led to the arrest of 22 year old climate activist Disha Ravi, does ​ not disclose sedition, the former Supreme Court judge Justice Deepak Gupta said. Justice Gupta said charges in the toolkit case show a “non-application of mind”. ​ ​ ​

11. Explain action taken on OTTs, SC tells govt. - The Supreme Court did not appear convinced with the government’s submission that it is “contemplating” regulations for OTT (over-the-top) platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime. The court issued notice on a

plea seeking a proper board/institution/association for monitoring and managing the content of different OTT/streaming and digital media platforms.

12. 2016 JNU sedition case: Delhi court summons Kanhaiya and nine others - A Delhi court has taken cognizance of a charge sheet filed by Delhi Police against former Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) president Kanhaiya Kumar and nine others in a 2016 sedition case. The court’s order came almost a year after the Delhi government gave its nod to police to prosecute Mr. Kumar and nine others for their involvement in a procession where they had allegedly supported seditious slogans raised on the varsity’s campus during an event on February 9, 2016. - The accused have been charged with offences under - Sections 124A (sedition), 323 (punishment for voluntarily ​ ​ ​ causing hurt), 471 (using as genuine a forged document or electronic record), 143 (punishment for being a ​ ​ ​ ​ member of an unlawful assembly), 149 (being a member of an unlawful assembly), 147 (punishment for rioting) ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code. ​ ​

13. Priya Ramani - MJ Akbar case - A Delhi court threw out a criminal defamation case filed by former Union Minister M.J. Akbar against journalist ​ ​ ​ Priya Ramani for her tweets accusing him of sexual harassment. “The woman has a right to put her grievance at ​ ​ any platform of her choice and even after decades,” said Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate. “Despite how ​ ​ well respected some persons are in society, they - in their personal lives - could show extreme cruelty to the females,” the court observed. ​ - Mr. Akbar had in his criminal defamation complaint claimed that Ms. Ramani’s tweet and her article accusing him of sexual harassment were defamatory and lowered his reputation. He also said that Ms. Ramani did not produce any evidence to prove her story. However, Ms. Ramani pleaded that truth was her defence in relation ​ ​ to the allegations of sexual harassment against Mr. Akbar. - Following a Delhi court’s verdict acquitting her in a defamation case filed by former Union Minister M.J. Akbar, journalist Priya Ramani said she felt vindicated on behalf of all women who have ever spoken up against sexual ​ ​ ​ harassment at the workplace. ​

14. No role in Tamil Nadu govt.’s quota decisions, Centre tells SC - The Centre has told the Supreme Court that it has no role in the choices made by the Tamil Nadu government with regard to the provision of reservation for specific castes or communities in State government jobs and ​ ​ admissions. The Centre was responding to a petition challenging the constitutionality of the Tamil Nadu ​ Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Act of 1993, which provides 69% reservation in the ​ State. - The case came up for hearing before a Bench, led by Justice A.M. Khanwilkar. Tamil Nadu sought time to file a response. The case has been adjourned to February 25.

15. Govt. denies link between Char Dham project, floods - The government denied in the Supreme Court any link between the Char Dham road widening project in ​ Uttarakhand and the recent flash floods in the Rishiganga valley. The denial, before a Bench led by Justice ​ Rohinton Nariman, came from Attorney General K.K. Venugopal, in response to a communication from a ​ high-powered committee (HPC) chairperson Ravi Chopra, connected the tragedy with the Char Dham project. The court asked the government to file a response in two weeks.

16. WhatsApp messaging users on privacy

- WhatsApp, which faced a severe backlash over the latest update to its privacy policy, will now leverage its own platform to reach out to users directly via the “status” feature, while also putting up banners on the application, to share detailed information on the proposed policy updates. - However, amid criticism and confusion over the updates resulting in sharing of users’ data with Facebook, the company had pushed back the rollout to May 15. It has since clarified that this update does not expand its ability ​ to share data with Facebook.

17. ‘Reply to appeals by Natasha, Devangana’ - The Delhi High Court sought response of Delhi Police on appeals by JNU students and Pinjra Tod members ​ Natasha Narwal and Devangana Kalita challenging the rejection of their bail pleas by a trial court. - A Bench of Justices Siddharth Mridul and A.J. Bhambhani also issued notice to the Delhi government and sought their stand by the next hearing. Both Ms. Narwal and Ms. Kalita are booked under the anti-terror law Unlawful ​ ​ Activities (Prevention) Act in north east Delhi riots case. ​

18. Contract workers must get maternity leave: HC - Coming down strongly on the Karnataka government for terminating the service of a woman employed on contract basis, merely because she had sought maternity leave, the Karnataka High Court observed that “it ​ would be power at wrong hands when men who man such offices become insensitive”. ​ - “The action of the DMA cannot be countenanced, as the Maternity Benefit Act, 1967, does not classify or qualify ​ a mother to be a government servant, temporary employee, employee on contract or an employee on daily wages,” the court held. ​ - The court also imposed a cost of ₹25,000 on the government while quashing the order of termination and directed the authorities to reinstate the petitioner with 50% back wages from the date of termination of her contract.

19. Banks cannot disclaim responsibility on lockers: SC - Banks cannot wash their hands of any liability if any harm is caused to their customers’ lockers or safe deposits in an era when miscreants can manipulate technology to gain access to electronically operated bank lockers, the Supreme Court observed in a judgment. - The court gave the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) six months to lay down “comprehensive directions mandating the ​ steps to be taken by banks with respect to locker facility/safe deposit facility management”. The judgment came ​ on an appeal filed against the Union Bank of India.

20. SC refuses petition against M.P. ordinance - The Supreme Court declined to entertain a petition challenging the validity of the controversial Madhya ​ Pradesh ordinance regulating religious conversions through inter faith marriages. The Bench headed by Chief ​ Justice of India (CJI) Sharad A. Bobde asked petitioner Vishal Thakre to approach the Madhya Pradesh High Court. - The plea said the law, which followed a similar ordinance made by Uttar Pradesh, infringed a person’s right to ​ privacy and freedom of choice, leading to violations of fundamental rights under Articles 14, 19(1)(a) and 21 of ​ ​ ​ the Constitution. ------

National News/ Interventions

Daily snippets

1. YouTubers back to tickle Valley’s funny bone - Kashmir’s comic YouTubers, who were rendered jobless and lost lakhs of followers after the August 5, 2019, ​ decision to snap high speed Internet in the Valley, are back with their humour and sense of fun. ​ - It has been a week since the J&K administration restored 4G mobile Internet after 18 months, and the buzz is ​ ​ back on Valley Based YouTube channels, including the popular ‘Kashmiri Kalkharabs’ (Kashmiri quirks) with 7.2 lakh subscribers. There are over 100 YouTubers in Kashmir, mainly from modest backgrounds, who earn a living ​ ​ by uploading comedic content.

2. West Bengal to host Sanskriti Mahotsav - The Union Culture Ministry’s flagship festival, the Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav (RSM), will be held in West ​ ​ Bengal this time, the Ministry said in a statement. Renowned artists, including local artistes, would participate in the festival of folk art forms, it said. The festival would give visitors a chance to reconnect with indigenous culture. The 10th edition of the festival was held in Madhya Pradesh in October 2019.

3. PM hands over Arjun Mk-1A tank to Army - Prime Minister Narendra Modi handed over the indigenous main battle tank Arjun Mk1A to the Army in a ​ ​ ​ function at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai. Chief of the Army Staff General Manoj Mukund ​ Naravane received the model of the tank, designed and developed by Chennaibased Combat Vehicles Research ​ ​ ​ & Development Establishment (CVRDE), a unit of the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO). ​ ​ ​ - “We will continue working to make our armed forces one of the most modern forces in the world. At the same ​ time, the focus on making India atma nirbhar (self reliant) in the defence sector moves with full speed,” the ​ Prime Minister said at the event. - The Arjun Mk1A has superior firepower, high mobility, excellent protection and crew comfort, with 14 major ​ ​ ​ upgrades from Arjun Mk1, according to the CVRDE. The indent for 118 of these tanks would be placed shortly ​ with the Heavy Vehicle Factory (HVF) at Avadi near Chennai.

4. ‘Inter-State boundary issue creating bad blood - A day after Andhra Pradesh held an election in a disputed region in Odisha’s Koraput district, Union Petroleum ​ ​ ​ Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said it was a matter of concern that a State had conducted panchayat elections ​ inside another State’s geographical boundary.

5. Farm income mission off target - In the last year of its mission to double farmers income, the Centre admits that no actual assessment of farm ​ ​ income has been carried out since 2013. Ashok Dalwai, head of the committee on doubling farmers income, ​ ​ ​ ​ said that only the implementation of strategies was being monitored, rather than actual outcomes. He ​ cautioned that the impact of the pandemic could have a dampening effect on reaching the income target. ​ - The government also did not provide any details on what the base year for this goal is or what the targeted ​ ​ income to be achieved by the 2022 deadline was, on questions raised in the Parliament. In response to a request ​ for State-wise, year-wise income data, and the annual growth percentage required to achieve the 2022 targets, ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ the Ministry responded that the National Sample Survey Office’s last survey on agricultural households was ​ ​ ​

conducted in 2013. Asked how the Centre intended to monitor progress without such surveys, it was told that ​ the “government has constituted an ‘Empowered Body’ to review and monitor the progress”. ​ ​ ​ - Seven strategies had been identified by the committee: improvement in crop and livestock productivity, savings ​ ​ ​ ​ in production cost through efficient use of resources, higher cropping intensity and diversification towards high ​ ​ ​ ​ value crops, better price realisation and a shift to nonfarm jobs. “We presume that if the State and the Central ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ governments are making progress on these strategies, then incomes also must be increasing,” Dr. Dalwai said. ​ ​ ​ - His committee had used the NSSO’s 2013 income data and extrapolated it for 2015-16, chosen as the base year. ​ ​ ​ The base income in that year was estimated at more than 97,000 per annum. “We estimated that the target ₹ ​ ​ income should be about 2 lakh per annum, from both farm and non farm income, by 2022,” he said. ₹ ​

6. UT status for J&K is temporary : Amit Shah - Home Minister Amit Shah told the Lok Sabha that the government would restore full statehood to Jammu and ​ Kashmir at an appropriate time. Mr. Shah was replying to a discussion on the Jammu and Kashmir ​ ​ Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2021, in the Lok Sabha. “This legislation has nothing to do with statehood, ​ ​ ​ and Jammu and Kashmir will be accorded the status at an appropriate time,“ Mr. Shah said. ​ - The J&K Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill seeks to merge the all-India services J&K cadre with the Arunachal ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram Union Territory (AGMUT) cadre. He said the region’s Union Territory status is temporary just like Article 370 itself granting special status to Jammu and Kashmir was supposed to be. Decentralisation ​ and devolution of power have taken place in the UT following the revocation of Article 370, Mr. Shah said, ​ ​ ​ noting that panchayat elections saw over 51% voting. - He assured the people of Jammu and Kashmir that “no one will lose their land”, adding that the government had ​ ​ sufficient land for development. Mr. Shah said the government expects around 25,000 government jobs to be ​ created by 2022.

7. Incentivize states for disinvestment in PSEs : Finance Commission Chairperson - The Centre should incentivise States to come clean on their fiscal deficit positions, bring off-Budget liabilities ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ above board and take up their own strategic disinvestment programmes for State-owned public sector ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ enterprises, Fifteenth Finance Commission Chairperson N.K. Singh mooted in an interview. ​ ​ ​ - Terming the Centre’s decision to “transparently” acknowledge a fiscal deficit of 9.5% of GDP this year as “a very ​ ​ ​ positive development”, Mr. Singh said that the Centre could incentivise the States to adopt a similar practice to ​ enhance the confidence of investors in India’s overall debt and fiscal deficit trajectory. ​ ​ ​ ​

8. Geospatial data policy liberalized - In sweeping changes to the country’s mapping policy, the government announced liberalisation of norms ​ ​ governing the acquisition and production of geospatial data, a move to help boost innovation in the sector and ​ ​ ​ create a level playing field for public and private entities. Under the new guidelines, the sector will be ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ deregulated and aspects such as prior approvals for surveying, mapping and building applications based on ​ ​ those have been done away with. - For Indian entities, there will be complete deregulation with no prior approvals, security clearances and ​ ​ ​ licences for the acquisition and production of geospatial data and geospatial data services, including maps. The Prime Minister said that "the reform will benefit the country’s farmers, start-ups, the private sector, the public ​ ​ ​ ​ sector, and research institutions to drive innovations and build scalable solutions leveraging the potential of ​ geospatial and remote sensing data". ​ ​ ​

9. Team to study J&K situation - European Union Ambassador Ugo Astuto is expected to lead a delegation of Ambassadors, including some from ​ ​ ​ European countries, to Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, beginning with Srinagar, in a visit expected to study the “situation on the ground” there ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Porto in May for the ​ ​ ​ ​

E.U.-India summit. In addition to Mr. Astuto, European Ambassadors from France, Portugal, Ireland, Sweden, ​ ​ Belgium, Estonia and Italy are expected to be part of the delegation, as well as envoys from other regions like ​ Bangladesh, Chile, Brazil and Ghana. - The J&K administration has extended invitations to Valley-based civil society groups, media persons and ​ grassroots representatives and DDC members, to meet the delegation.

10. India, China pull back troops from Pangong - With the withdrawal of tanks from the forward areas on the south bank of Pangong Tso (lake) completed, India ​ ​ and China have started pulling back troops in large numbers from the north and south banks and also restoring land that was dug up during the heavy buildup of defences last year. ​ - Videos released by the Army show the People’s Liberation Army troops dismantling tents and bunkers and moving equipment in vehicles. Infantry troops can be seen moving out on foot as well as long convoys of vehicles with stores and troops as part of the disengagement agreement. - The Chinese troops have started clearing out from the ridgelines of Finger 4, a major area of contention. On the ​ ​ north bank, the Chinese troops will withdraw to the east of Finger 8, while the Indian troops will move to the ​ ​ Dhan Singh Thapa post near Finger 3. ​

11. Oxford jab gets WHO green light - The World Health Organization (WHO) listed two versions of the AstraZeneca-Oxford COVID-19 vaccine for ​ ​ ​ ​ emergency use, giving the green light for them to be rolled out globally through COVAX. The vaccines are ​ produced by AstraZeneca-SKBio (Republic of Korea) and the Serum Institute of India (SII). The world body had ​ ​ also listed the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for emergency use on December 31. ​ ​

12. India to gift 2 lakh vaccine doses to UN peacekeepers - India announced a gift of 2,00,000 doses of vaccine to the UN Peacekeeping Forces. The announcement was made by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar during his remarks at a UN Security Council open debate on the ​ ​ implementation of resolution 2532 (2020), passed last year, noting the impact of COVID-19 globally and calling ​ ​ for the cessation of hostilities around the world to help combat the pandemic. The debate was attended by the Foreign Ministers of the UNSC member countries. The Minister said India had already sent vaccines to 25 ​ countries under its Vaccine Maitri programme and that 49 more countries would be supplied in the coming ​ days. - Mr. Jaishankar told his counterparts that COVAX (a global initiative to develop, purchase and deliver vaccines ​ ​ ​ worldwide) would need to be strengthened, to ensure equitable distribution of vaccines. However, the ​ government has been criticised for getting ahead of the science. Its approval of Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin ​ vaccine for emergency use authorisation in India before its efficacy was established via Phase-III trials had ​ created a stir last month. - Disparity in vaccine accessibility: Several rich countries have ordered more vaccine doses than required for their ​ population, depriving developing economies of access to these doses. Just its orders of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines alone are enough to cover all adults in the U.S. This still leaves its orders of AstraZeneca, Novavax and Johnson and Johnson vaccines, which add up to over 500 million more doses. “There currently exists a glaring ​ disparity in accessibility of vaccines globally. Equity in access to vaccines is important for mitigating the impact of pandemic,” Mr. Jaishankar said. ​

13. Sikh pilgrims denied permission to visit Pak. - The Union Home Ministry has denied permission to a Sikh jattha (group) of nearly 600 pilgrims to visit Pakistan ​ ​ for the 100th anniversary of the Saka Nankana Sahib. The group was expected to visit five gurdwaras in ​ ​ Pakistan from February 18 to 21. The Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC), an apex Sikh ​ ​ religious body, had sought permission from the Ministry.

- It added that the Ministry had not accorded permission to the group for crossing over to Pakistan, which was mandatory in the wake of the suspension of traffic between the two countries due to the pandemic. According to a 1974 bilateral protocol with Pakistan, four Sikh jatthas visit important gurdwaras in Pakistan every year. ​ ​ ​ ​

14. Leopard population tracking - Experts from three organisations, one of them Assam based Aaranyak, have come up with a system, SMR ​ ​ (Spatial Mark-Resight models), that helps in properly estimating the leopard population in areas sustaining a mix ​ ​ of rosette and melanistic individuals. - Rosettes are jagged black circular marks on the tawny coat of a leopard. Like the tiger’s stripes, the rosettes of ​ ​ each leopard are unique in shape and size, making the species identifiable individually. But melanistic leopards - ​ ​ ​ commonly called black leopards or black panthers or ghongs (Assamese) - have been difficult to estimate as their ​ rosettes are invisible. - “When a population has only rosette leopard, estimating their population size becomes easy because all the ​ ​ individuals can be identified. Unlike rosette leopards, a black leopard can often not be reliably identified ​ ​ ​ individually, although special cases exist. We are, therefore, unable to completely estimate population sizes of ​ leopards, a metric that is very critical for their conservation,” Dipankar Lahkar, a tiger biologist with Aaranyak, ​ said. - This problem is acute in the tropical and subtropical moist forests of South and Southeast Asia where the frequency of melanistic leopards is high and leopards also face the greatest threat. No precise estimates of ​ ​ leopard population could thus be done in protected areas and non protected areas in India except on some ​ occasions. ​

15. Biometric authentication to benefit farmers : Centre - In a bid to cut out the middleman and ensure greater transparency in the procurement of farm produce, the ​ ​ Centre is encouraging the States to deploy biometric authentication of farmers. The practice, already adopted in Uttar Pradesh and set to be rolled out in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Odisha this year, will aid in tracking ​ ​ the end use beneficiary, Food Minister Piyush Goyal said. ​ ​ ​ - "This initiative reduced the need for extensive paperwork, prevented leakages and speeded up the process of ​ procurement, with payment settlement being completed within 72 hours. The other advantage is that the farmer gets a receipt for his goods, showing the quantity and the MSP price, so nobody can cheat the farmer," said Mr. ​ Goyal.

16. Visible changes in J&K, says envoy - The 24 envoys, who toured Jammu on their second day visit to J&K, told Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha that the situation was “witnessing a visible change” in the Union Territory (UT). “Change is visible in J&K. The envoys’ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ visit to J&K is an eye opener and improved the understanding of important issues concerning J&K,” Eritrea ​ ​ Ambassador Alem Tsehaye Woldermariam said. - “Efforts of the Prime Minister have ushered the UT into a new era, bringing socio-economic development in the ​ ​ ​ ​ region and empowerment of people. We have developed an ecosystem of democratic values, welfare principles ​ ​ ​ and economic development in J&K,” the LG said. He apprised the envoys of investments made in infrastructure, ​ ​ ​ ​ industries, education, healthcare, skill development and sustainable livelihood. Around 26 people representing ​ ​ ​ civil society groups and elected members met the envoys too. - J&K Congress president G.A Mir termed the envoys’ meetings as “stage managed show”. National Conference ​ ​ ​ vice president Omar Abdullah said, “Thank you for visiting Kashmir. Now please send some real tourists from ​ ​ ​ ​ your countries to visit J&K.” ​

17. 25 cities in Nurturing Neighbourhoods contest

- The Urban Affairs Ministry announced the names of the 25 cities selected for the Nurturing Neighbourhoods ​ ​ ​ ​ Challenge under the Smart Cities Mission. The shortlisted cities would carry out projects for making early ​ childhood friendly neighbourhoods, the Ministry said. ​

18. Hyderabad wins global ‘Tree City’ status - Hyderabad has won a green contest among cities in India, and emerged one of the ‘Tree Cities of the World’. ​ ​ That title has been bestowed by the Arbor Day Foundation and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). ​ ​ Hyderabad has been selected for its commitment to growing and maintaining urban forestry, a statement ​ from the GHMC said on Thursday. - With the recognition, the city joins 120 others from 23 countries, including the U.S., the U.K., Canada, and Australia. The Municipal Administration and Urban Development Department applied for consideration, citing the State government’s Haritha Haram programme and its Urban Forest Parks plan, the statement said. ​ ​ ​ ​ - The city was evaluated on five metrics: ‘Establish Responsibility’, ‘Set the Rules’, ‘Know What You Have’, ​ ​ ‘Allocate the Resources’, and ‘Celebrate the Achievements’.

19. PM moots special visa scheme for medical staff in South Asia - Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at a workshop on “COVID-19 management: exchange of good practices in ​ ​ tackling pandemic and the way forward” with nine neighbouring countries, suggested that they consider ​ creating a special visa scheme for doctors and nurses so that they can travel quickly within the region during ​ health emergencies, on the request of the receiving country. - India is hosting a Secretary Level virtual meeting on COVID-19 management with the countries including ​ Pakistan. It is being chaired by Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan. The Prime Minister suggested that the Civil Aviation Ministries could coordinate a regional air ambulance agreement for contingencies, and countries could ​ ​ come together to create a regional platform for collating, compiling and studying data about the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines among our populations. Highlighting the work done during the pandemic, he said that when ​ it hit the world last year, many experts voiced special concern about our densely populated region.

20. Make private traders pay MSP: Kisan Sabha - Minimum support prices for farm produce should be paid by private traders, not just the government, the All ​ India Kisan Sabha said on Friday. The Left-affiliated farmers organisation, which is part of the ongoing farm ​ ​ protests, argued that its proposal for legally guaranteed MSPs would not place the entire additional burden on ​ ​ the government budget, or ultimately, the taxpayer. Instead, the large corporates who make large profits from agribusiness must be forced to share their surplus with the primary producers, AIKS general secretary Hannan Mollah told journalists.

21. Dr. Reddy’s to seek nod for use of Sputnik V - Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd. announced that it had initiated the process with the Drugs Controller General of ​ ​ India (DCGI) for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) of human adenoviral vector-based platform vaccine ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ candidate Sputnik V. ​ - G.V. Prasad, co-chairman and managing director of Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, said, “The efficacy of Sputnik V was ​ ​ reported to be 91.6 % by the Lancet. The initiation of the EUA process will be a critical step forward for us in ensuring speedy access to the Sputnik V vaccine in India.” Dr. Reddy’s has partnered with the Russian Direct ​ ​ Investment Fund (RDIF) to conduct the clinical trials. ​

22. New tourist points to be identified at the Sambhar Lake - New tourist points for witnessing the flora and fauna and having a glimpse of salt harvesting will be identified at ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ the world famous Sambhar Salt Lake, situated 80 km away from Jaipur. ​ ​ ​ ​

- The Sambhar Lake, which formed part of the desert circuit in the Centre’s Swadesh Darshan Scheme, had an ​ ​ immense potential for tourism. In addition to the migratory birds, the natural process of salt getting deposited in the lake could be displayed to the tourists. A constant monitoring for protection of migratory birds would be ​ ​ ​ ensured at the lake, where the mass death of birds had occurred in 2019 because of avian botulism. ​ ​ ​ ​

23. NEP is a milestone to self-reliant India : PM - Describing the new education policy as a major milestone in the making of a self reliant nation, Prime Minister ​ ​ ​ ​ Narendra Modi said Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore developed systems at Visva Bharati which were the medium ​ ​ ​ ​ of modernising Indian education and freeing it from the shackles of slavery. Mr. Modi, who was virtually ​ ​ addressing the convocation at Visva Bharati University, said the new education policy promoted ​ ​ ​ ​ entrepreneurship and self employment, research and innovation. ​ ​

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International NEWS/Events/ Personalities

Daily snippets

1. PLA paper offers clues to China’s moves - As India and China began the first steps of implementing a disengagement plan after more than nine months of a tense standoff at multiple points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the causes of last year’s border crisis ​ ​ still remain a mystery. ​ - A once-in-a-decade military strategy document released by the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) leading think ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ tank in 2013 offers some clues to China’s border moves, as it called for putting a stop to “nibbling” of territory as ​ ​ well as warned of India’s expanding maritime reach as it looked to stabilise its land borders, a development it viewed as a threat to China’s security interests. ‘The Science of Military Strategy’ released in 2013 by the ​ ​ Academy of Military Sciences was the third edition of the text, following previous versions in 1987 and 2001. - It outlined three stages of India’s military strategy since 1947: a limited offensive strategy until the early 1960s, ​ a period of “expansion on two fronts” from the 1960s to the early 1970s; a “maintain the land and control the ​ ​ ​ sea” until the late 1980s, and “a major adjustment” after the end of the Cold War from “regional offence” to ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ “regional deterrence” that stressed “the role of deterrence and not emphasising conquest and occupation of ​ ​ ​ territory”. ​ - In the view of the PLA think tank, India carried on with some aspects of what it inherited from British India’s military strategic thought, the core of which was “to treat Kashmir, Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan, and Assam as the ​ internal lines of India’s defence; to incorporate Tibet into its sphere of influence as a buffer state; and to treat the illegally concocted McMahon Line [which China doesn’t recognise, on the eastern sector] and the ​ ​ Ardagh-Johnson Line [in the western sector] as its security inner ring”. ​ ​ ​ - The text claimed that with the rise of India’s national power, the “offensive” elements “have been increasing” ​ ​ ​ ​ but “restricted to the South Asian subcontinent and the Indian Ocean situation”. For China, it noted that while ​ ​ “the possibility of a large scale land invasion war occurring is fairly low nonetheless some border demarcation ​ ​ ​ problems are hanging in the balance, and some border area nibbling and counter nibbling, and frictional and counter frictional struggles will be present for the long term”. ​ - China has unresolved land borders with India and Bhutan. The PLA strategy predicted that India would look to ​ ​ stabilise its land borders and pay more attention to the sea, a development it viewed as unfavourable for China’s interests. Written eight years ago, it foresaw deepening ties among the Quad – India, U.S., Japan and Australia ​ ​ – and noted “against this backdrop, Japan’s going southward and India’s advancing eastward might intersect in ​ the South China Sea, forming ‘dual arcs’ from the directions of two oceans, and Japan and Australia would constitute ‘dual anchors’ at the south and north ends of the Western Pacific” ​

2. Draghi sworn in as new PM as Italy hopes to turn the page - Former European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi was formally sworn in as Italy’s new Prime Minister, against ​ ​ ​ ​ the backdrop of the deadly coronavirus pandemic and a crippling recession. The appointment of the 73-year old

known as “Super Mario” capped weeks of political instability for the country still in the grips of the health crisis ​ ​ ​ ​ that has killed more than 93,000 people. - Mr. Draghi was parachuted in by Mr. Mattarella after the previous centre-left coalition under premier Giuseppe ​ Conte collapsed, leading Italy rudderless amid the worst recession since the Second World War. After ​ assembling a broad based coalition, on Friday night Mr. Draghi formally accepted the post of premier, publicly revealing the new Cabinet for the first time.

3. Biden wants to shut prison at Guantanamo - U.S. President Joe Biden wants to close the Guantanamo Bay prison for terror suspects before the end of his ​ ​ term, the White House said on Friday, echoing an unfulfilled campaign promise from Barack Obama’s administration. Asked at a press conference about a possible closure of the prison in Cuba during Mr. Biden’s tenure, spokeswoman Jen Psaki said, “That certainly is our goal and our intention.” ​ ​ - In his 2016 presidential campaign, Donald Trump expressed willingness to keep the Guantanamo prison open ​ and “fill it with bad guys”. The Republican retained this position once elected. However, some detainees were ​ ​ promised their release from Guantanamo under his Democratic predecessor Obama, but he never succeeded in working out a compromise with Congress.

4. Senate acquits Trump of incitement - Former U.S. President Donald Trump was acquitted by the U.S. Senate in the impeachment trial of inciting an ​ ​ insurrection with regard to the January 6 attack on the Capitol by a mob of his supporters seeking to stop the ​ ​ ​ certification of the Electoral College results. At the conclusion of proceedings that began last week, the Senate ​ voted 57-43 on Saturday to acquit Mr. Trump. ​ ​ - A majority of 67 votes would have been required for a conviction. Mr. Trump’s second impeachment trial was shorter than his first in 2020 and relied in large measure on video footage of the former President’s incendiary remarks and the Capitol attack. The defence argued that he did not incite “what was already going to happen'' ​ ​ on January 6 and that his comments were protected by his right to free speech by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

5. Russia’s Foreign Minister holds talks on climate with U.S. envoy - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov discussed climate change with U.S. envoy John Kerry and the two ​ ​ ​ agreed to cooperate further within the Arctic Council, the Russian Foreign Ministry said. “During the ​ conversation, questions were raised about the implementation of the Paris climate accord,” the Russian Foreign ​ ​ Ministry said in a statement released late on Saturday. - The Foreign Minister told Mr. Kerry, a former Secretary of State who is now the U.S. climate envoy, that he “welcomed” the decision by new U.S. President Joe Biden to rejoin the landmark Paris Agreement on curbing ​ ​ global emissions of greenhouse gases. Mr. Biden’s predecessor Donald Trump had pulled out of the 2015 accord. - The two men also “underlined the need for as wide a cooperation as possible” in the area of the environment. ​ ​ They also agreed to “develop cooperation” within the Arctic Council — a high-level intergovernmental forum ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ that addresses various issues, including sustainable development and environmental protection in the Arctic region. ​ - The conversation came at a time when already strained relations between Russia and the West have been further exacerbated by the arrest and imprisonment of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny and Moscow’s ​ ​ merciless crackdown on the ensuing protests. Earlier this month, Mr. Biden said the U.S. would no longer be “rolling over in the face of Russia’s aggressive actions'' and demanded Mr. Navalny’s release. ​ ​

6. Pakistan Army conducts exercises in Thar Desert - The Pakistan Army is holding a month-long exercise in the Thar Desert, located in the Sindh province, to prepare for conflict in extreme desert environments. The exercise, codenamed ‘JidarulHadeed’, began on January 28 and ​ ​ ​ ​ is scheduled to conclude on February 28. - The Army has a Desert Warfare School at Chhor, which is 165 km from Hyderabad, Sindh. The school was established in 1987 to promote desert warfare. The Thar Desert is an arid region that covers over 2,00,000 sq ​ ​ km. It forms a natural boundary along the border between India and Pakistan. Meanwhile, a multinational naval exercise hosted by Pakistan, Aman-2021, began in the Arabian Sea. It will conclude on February 16. As many as ​ ​ ​ ​ 45 countries, including the U.S., Russia, China and Turkey, will be participating in the exercise

7. UAE’s Hope Probe sends home first image of Mars - The UAE’s Hope Probe sent back its first image of Mars, the national space agency said Sunday, days after the ​ ​ spacecraft successfully entered the Red Planet’s orbit. The picture “captured the largest volcano in the solar ​ system, Olympus Mons, emerging into the early morning sunlight”, it said in a statement. The image was taken ​ from an altitude of 24,700 km above the Martian surface, a day after the probe entered Mars’ orbit, it said in a statement. - Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid AlMaktoum, UAE Prime Minister and Dubai’s ruler, shared the coloured image ​ ​ on Twitter. “The first picture of Mars captured by the first ever Arab probe in history,” he wrote. The mission is ​ ​ ​ designed to reveal the secrets of Martian weather, but the UAE also wants it to serve as an inspiration for the ​ region’s youth. - Hope became the first of three spacecraft to arrive at the Red Planet this month after China and the U.S. also ​ launched missions in July, taking advantage of a period when the Earth and Mars are nearest. The UAE’s venture is also timed to mark the 50th anniversary of the unification of the nation’s seven emirates. Hope will orbit the ​ ​ ​ Red Planet for at least one Martian year, or 687 days.

8. Russia’s increasing poverty rates fuel political discontent - The COVID-19 pandemic has delivered a new blow to Russia’s stagnating economy, which was already chafing ​ under Western sanctions, low oil prices and weak corporate investment. Observers say that rising poverty, ​ ​ falling incomes and lack of tangible government support during the pandemic are fuelling discontent with ​ President Vladimir Putin’s two decade rule and strengthening the opposition. ​ - Answering the jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny’s call, tens of thousands of people have protested across ​ ​ Russia over the past few weeks. Russians’ real disposable incomes have been falling for the past half decade, and contracted by 3.5% in 2020, while the cost of basic foodstuff has surged.

9. ‘Israeli missile strikes in Syria kill 9’ - Israeli missile strikes against several targets near Syria’s capital Damascus killed at least nine pro-regime militia ​ ​ ​ fighters. Since the outbreak of Syria’s civil war in 2011, Israel has routinely carried out raids in the country, ​ ​ mostly targeting Iranian forces and Lebanese Hezbollah fighters as well as government troops. Iran and ​ ​ Hezbollah have backed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime in the neardecadelong war. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

10. Nigeria’s OkonjoIweala appointed WTO head ​ - Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo Iweala was appointed as the first female and first African head of the beleaguered ​ ​ ​ ​ World Trade Organization (WTO), saying a stronger WTO would be vital for the global COVID-19 recovery. The ​ ​ WTO called a virtual special General Council meeting at which member states officially selected the former ​ Nigerian Finance Minister and World Bank veteran as the global trade body’s new Director-General. ​ ​

- She will take up her post on March 1 and her term, which is renewable, will run until August 31, 2025. The near paralysed institution desperately needs a kick start - something Ms. OkonjoIweala immediately addressed after ​ being confirmed in the job. “A strong WTO is vital if we are to recover fully and rapidly from the devastation ​ wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic,” the 66-yearold economist said in a statement. ​ ​ ​ ​

11. Bangladesh authorities send more Rohingya to island - Bangladesh authorities sent a fourth group of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar to a newly developed island in ​ ​ the Bay of Bengal despite calls by human rights groups for a halt to the process. The roughly 2,000 Rohingya, who had been living in the sprawling refugee camps of Cox’s Bazar, were sent to Bhasan Char, an island ​ ​ specifically developed to accommodate 1,00,000 of the 1 million Rohingya who have fled from neighbouring ​ Myanmar. - With Monday’s group, more than 7,000 refugees have moved to the island since the process started in December. While human rights groups have criticised the move and some are being forced to go against their will, the government has insisted that refugees moving to the island have done so voluntarily.

12. France passes Bill to battle extremism - Lawmakers overwhelmingly approved a Bill that would strengthen oversight of mosques, schools and sports clubs to safeguard France from radical Islamists and ensure respect for French values - one of President ​ Emmanuel Macron’s landmark projects. ​ - The vote in the lower house was the first critical hurdle for the legislation that has been long in the making after two weeks of intense debate. The Bill passed 347 to 151 with 65 abstentions. The Bill that covers most aspects ​ of French life has been hotly contested by Muslims, lawmakers and others, who fear the state is intruding on ​ essential freedoms and pointing a finger at Islam, the nation’s second major religion. ​ ​ ​ ​

13. Dhaka court sentences 5 to death for killing writer - Five Islamist extremists were sentenced to death over the brutal murder of a Bangladeshi-American writer and ​ rights activist Avijit Roy six years ago. Avijit Roy, a prolific blogger and the author of 10 books including the ​ ​ ​ bestselling Biswasher Virus (“Virus of Faith”), was hacked to death outside Bangladesh’s largest book fair by ​ ​ ​ ​ machete wielding extremists in February 2015. - The murder, part of a reign of terror by extremists at the time, enraged the Muslim-majority nation’s secular ​ activists who staged days of protests. Roy was born in Bangladesh in 1972 and moved to the U.S. in 2006 from where he continued to criticise the government for the jailing of atheist bloggers.

14. ‘North Korean hackers target vaccine tech’ - North Korean hackers attempted to steal information about coronavirus vaccines and treatments, South ​ ​ Korea’s intelligence service said, but it denied a lawmaker’s claim that vaccine maker Pfizer Inc. was targeted. Earlier on Tuesday, Ha Taekeung, a Member of Parliament’s intelligence committee, told reporters that the ​ National Intelligence Service told him and other lawmakers during a closed door briefing that North Korea ​ hacked Pfizer to obtain COVID-19 vaccine technology. ​ ​ - After Mr. Ha’s comments made headlines, the NIS said it didn’t mention any pharmaceutical company by name. Mr. Ha, however, stood by his claim when contacted by the Associated Press.

15. Sri Lanka considering India’s grant instead of China project

- In an apparent bid to displace a Chinese company that had won the contract to install renewable energy systems in three small islands off Jaffna Peninsula in northern Sri Lanka, India has offered a grant of $12 million to execute it. - Sri Lanka’s Minister of Power Dullas Alahapperuma has recently said that the government would consider ​ India’s proposal, and that he would present a Cabinet paper on the matter soon. Newspaper reports quoted him as saying that receiving a grant “is an advantage” that would ease the burden on the Treasury, as opposed to an ​ ​ Asian Development Bank (ADB) loan, as per the original project proposal, that would have to be repaid. ​ - The development comes less than a month after the Cabinet cleared a project to install hybrid renewable ​ energy systems in Nainativu, Delft or Neduntheevu, and Analaitivu, located in the Palk Bay, some 50 km off ​ ​ ​ ​ Tamil Nadu. - The Cabinet decisions taken on January 18, published officially, included a proposal to award the contract to Sinosoar Etechwin Joint Venture in China, with funding from the ADB. India’s swift offer comes in the wake of ​ ​ being ejected, along with Japan, out of the East Container Terminal (ECT) development project at the Colombo Port, following another Cabinet decision taken on February 1 this year. ​

16. ‘No immediate plan to end presence in Sahel’ - France has no immediate plans to adjust its military presence in Africa’s Sahel region, and any changes will ​ ​ depend on other countries contributing troops, President Emmanuel Macron told a news conference. Mr. ​ ​ Macron added there was an increased willingness from other European countries to take part in the Takuba ​ military force in Sahel. France is searching for an exit strategy after years of military intervention against Islamist ​ militants. - The Sahel is the ecoclimatic and biogeographic realm of transition in Africa between the Sahara to the north and ​ the Sudanian savanna to the south. - The Takuba Task Force is a European military task force led by France which will advise, assist and accompany ​ Malian Armed Forces, in coordination with G5-Sahel partners and other international actors on the ground. ​ ​ - G5-Sahel or G5S is an institutional framework for coordination of regional cooperation in development policies ​ and security matters in west Africa. It was formed on 16 February 2014 in Nouakchott, Mauritania, at a summit of five Sahel countries: Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger. ​ ​

17. ‘U.S. will pay over $200 million to WHO’ - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that his country would pay the World Health Organization ​ (WHO) $200 million by the end of this month. The announcement is significant as the former U.S. President Donald Trump had begun the process of withdrawing the U.S. from the WHO, a process stopped by his ​ ​ successor, President Joe Biden. - Mr. Blinken called for transparency on outbreak data, saying countries should participate in “transparent and ​ robust processes” in their prevention and response to health emergencies. The U.S. is the largest funder of the ​ ​ WHO, contributing more than 15% of its total funds. “We plan to provide significant financial support to COVAX ​ ​ through Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. And we’ll work to strengthen other multilateral initiatives involved in the global COVID-19 response — for example, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations and the Global ​ Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria,” Mr. Blinken said. ​

18. China blocked Ma’s IPO over ‘political links’ - China’s President Xi Jinping pushed for blocking what would have been a record breaking initial public offering ​ ​ (IPO) for billionaire Jack Ma’s Ant Group last year because of Communist Party linked “political families” who ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ stood to gain billions of dollars through opaque investment vehicles, according to a new report.

- Investment companies linked to the grandson of former President Jiang Zemin and the son in law of former Politburo Standing Committee member Jia Qinglin stood to profit from the IPO, the Wall Street Journal reported, ​ ​ with their ownership in the Ant Group, the financial payments arm of Mr. Ma’s Alibaba empire, held through ​ ​ “layers of opaque investment vehicles that own stakes in the firm”. ​ ​ - Among them is Boyu Capital, a private equity firm founded by Mr. Jiang’s grandson, Jiang Zhicheng. Another is Li ​ ​ ​ Botan, who controls the Beijing Zhaode Group, that has invested in Ant through three layers of investment ​ ​ ​ vehicles, the report said. Mr. Li is the son-in-law of Jia Qinglin, a senior leader who served on the top Politburo ​ ​ Standing Committee for ten years until 2012 and is close to Mr. Jiang. - The suspension of the $35 billion IPO of the Ant Group, which is Alibaba’s financial arm and behind Alipay, a ​ ​ digital payments company, triggered intense speculation about the fate of Mr. Ma, but subsequent reports have said he is working with regulators to address their concerns. - In December, the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) said it had launched a probe into ​ ​ Alibaba’s “suspected monopolistic acts'' including “forcing merchants to choose one platform between two ​ ​ ​ competitors”. Financial risks were cited as one concern, with the group emerging as a lender to millions of small ​ businesses, and operating, like other fintech companies, without some of the capital requirements that apply to banks. Ant’s access to troves of consumer credit data was also under the lens. ​ ​

19. ‘Pak. to remain in FATF grey list until June’ - Pakistan is unlikely to exit the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) ‘grey’ list until June, despite its efforts to ​ ​ garner support from the member nations ahead of the plenary meeting of the global terror financing and money laundering watchdog next week, according to a media report. - The FATF’s Plenary and Working Group meetings, scheduled to be held from February 21 to 26 in Paris, is all set ​ ​ to decide on Pakistan’s grey list status. Pakistan was placed on the ‘grey’ list in June 2018 and given a timeline ​ ​ to implement 27 action points. ​ ​

20. Sri Lanka cancels Pakistan PM’s address to Parliament - Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s coming visit to Sri Lanka, Colombo has cancelled his Parliament address ​ scheduled next week, sparking speculation in political and diplomatic circles in the capital. Government officials have cited “COVID-19 constraints” as reason for the decision, while a Parliament spokesman attributed it to ​ ​ ​ “scheduling issues”. ​ ​ - Colombo’s revision of the visiting leader’s itinerary has raised questions for obvious reasons. It comes barely a week before Sri Lanka faces a likely contested resolution at the United Nations Human Rights Council in ​ ​ Geneva, in which Pakistan is currently a member. - The cancellation is also being viewed in the context of Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa’s assurance to Parliament on February 10 that burial of COVID-19 victims would be allowed, amid a persisting campaign ​ from Sri Lanka’s Muslim community, seeking burial rights. But a week since, the government is yet to reverse ​ ​ its contested policy of enforcing cremations for COVID-19 victims, being followed despite the WHO clearing ​ ​ both burial and cremation.

21. Quad meet: India, U.S. call for rule of law in Myanmar - India joined Australia, Japan and the United States for a ministerial meeting under the quadrilateral grouping during which key issues, including Myanmar, came up for discussion. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and ​ ​ U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said the military takeover in Myanmar featured in the talks and ​ ​ ​ participants reiterated democratic values for the region.

- India also emphasised in its statement that the meeting expressed commitment to “upholding rules based ​ international order” and “peaceful resolution of disputes” ​ ​ - The leaders referred to the military crackdown in Myanmar, with the U.S. highlighting “the urgent need to ​ restore the democratically elected government in Burma, and the priority of strengthening democratic resilience in the broader region”. ​

22. FB blocks access to news in Australia - Facebook blocked Australians from sharing news stories, escalating a fight with the government over whether ​ powerful tech companies should have to pay news organisations for content. The digital platforms fear that ​ what is happening in Australia will become an expensive precedent for other countries. Facebook acted after the ​ ​ House of Representatives passed legislation that would make it and Google pay for Australian journalism, said Treasurer Josh Frydenberg. He said he was given no warning before Facebook acted. The legislation must be passed by the Senate to become law. - The move was swiftly criticised by news producers, politicians and human rights advocates, many of whom ​ ​ pointed out that official health and meteorology information had also been scrubbed during the coronavirus pandemic and at the height of Australia’s summer bushfire season. - Facebook’s drastic move represents a split from search giant Google after they initially joined together to campaign against the laws. Both had threatened to cancel services in Australia, but Google has instead sealed ​ deals with several outlets in recent days. ​ - Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp was the latest to announce a deal, in which it will receive “significant payments” ​ ​ from Google in return for providing content for the search engine’s News Showcase account. The Australian law ​ would require Facebook and Google to reach commercial deals with news outlets, whose links drive traffic to their platforms, or be subjected to forced arbitration to agree a price.

23. Texas shivers amid power outages, water shortages - Power was gradually being restored but hundreds of thousands of households remained without electricity on Thursday across Texas, the oil and gas capital of the U.S., with some facing water shortages as a deadly winter ​ ​ ​ cold spell that pummelled the southeastern part of the country headed east. ​ - The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a winter storm warning. It said the storm would bring ice, sleet and ​ ​ heavy snow to parts of Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi as it tracks to the northeast, causing power outages, tree damage and making driving hazardous. - Even though the Arctic air mass was beginning to lose its grip on an area of the country not used to such extreme cold, the frigid temperatures would continue, the NWS said. More than 30 storm related deaths have been reported.

24. Belarus jails journalists over protest coverage - A Belarus court sentenced a pair of television journalists to two years in prison for covering a protest last year, the first lengthy jail term in a legal crackdown on independent news media. Standing defiant in a cage, Katerina ​ ​ Bakhvalova, 27, and Daria Chultsova, 23, flashed “V” for victory signs. - The two women were detained in November while filming anti government rallies after strongman Alexander ​ Lukashenko claimed victory in an August election. ​

25. China steps up online control over bloggers - Beginning next week, the Cyberspace Administration of China will require bloggers and influencers to have a ​ government approved credential before they can publish on a wide range of subjects. Some fear that only state ​

media and official propaganda accounts will get permission. While permits have been needed since at least 2017 to write about topics such as political and military affairs, enforcement has not been widespread. The new rules expand that requirement to health, economics, education and judicial matters. The move is in line with restrictive regulations under President Xi Jinping that constrict an already narrow space for discourse. ​

26. Bhutan General, 2 judges held for ‘overthrow’ bid - Police in Bhutan have detained a top General and two judges over an alleged plot to overthrow the country’s top military officer and Chief Justice. Former Royal Bodyguard Commandant Brigadier Thinley Tobgay, Supreme ​ ​ Court judge Kuenley Tshering and top district court judge Yeshey Dorji appeared in court on Wednesday after ​ ​ ​ ​ being detained at their homes. The three have been accused of plotting to overthrow the country’s top military ​ officer, Lieutenant General Batoo Tshering, by implicating him in a corruption scandal. ​ - All were denied bail by the Thimphu district court and remanded in custody until a first formal hearing on February 27. According to reports, Brigadier Tobgay was alleged to have illegally obtained military documents on the procurement of vehicles from the United Nations. The Bhutanese newspaper said that while the tender was handled publicly and fairly, the documents were to be used to undermine the position of the military number one.

27. U.S. ready for talks on Iran deal - The Biden administration has said that it will participate in talks with Iran with a view to reinstate the Joint ​ Comprehensive Plan of Action ( JCPOA) or the ‘Iran nuclear deal’, which has been unravelling since the U.S.’s ​ ​ ​ departure from the deal in 2018. - In 2018, Mr. Trump pulled the U.S. out of the JCPOA, an agreement between Iran, the five permanent ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ members of the United Nations Security Council and Germany, which lifted long standing international ​ ​ ​ sanctions against Iran in exchange for Tehran scuttling its nuclear programme. The U.S. had reinstated ramped up sanctions against Iran as part of what it called a ‘maximum pressure campaign’, after leaving the deal. ​ ​ - Also on Thursday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told his counterparts from the U.K, France and Germany ​ ​ ​ (’the E3’) that the U.S. is prepared to talk to Iran and was prepared to re-enter the JCPOA if Iran also returned to ​ compliance with it. Iran has threatened to partially stop International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspections ​ ​ next week if other parties to the JCPOA do not meet their commitments under the deal - a move the West cautioned against.

28. Transatlantic alliance is back, says Biden - President Joe Biden declared the “transatlantic alliance is back” on Friday in a powerful speech seeking to ​ ​ ​ reestablish the U.S. as leader of the West against what he called a global assault on democracy. ​ - The address to the annual Munich Security Conference - held by video link - dovetailed with German Chancellor ​ ​ ​ Angela Merkel’s welcoming of a return to “multilateralism” after the confrontational years of Mr. Biden’s ​ ​ ​ ​ predecessor Donald Trump. Mr. Biden said he was not seeking a return to “the rigid blocs of the Cold War”, but ​ ​ warned about the threats posed by Russia and China. ​ - “The Kremlin attacks our democracies and weaponises corruption to try and undermine our system of ​ governance,” he said. Similarly, U.S. partners should stand together against “the Chinese government’s ​ ​ economic abuses and coercion that undercut the foundations of the international economic system,” he said. ​

29. Northern Tamils sceptical ahead of ‘another Geneva session - The 46th Regular Session of the Human Rights Council will take place from 22 February to 23 March 2021 in ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Geneva. Ahead of the session , the Sri Lankan government, Tamil polity, civil society, and diaspora groups are ​

frantically lobbying member countries, hoping for different outcomes. So far, none of the past UN resolutions or ​ governmental mechanisms has delivered a convincing outcome. ​ - Sri Lanka’s long civil war played out across the Tamil majority north and east, but Mullaitivu bore the brunt of ​ its gruesome end. According to UN estimates, some 40,000 civilians were trapped and killed in the final battle ​ between the armed forces and the separatist LTTE, at the Nandikadal lagoon in May 2009. ​ - The Rajapaksa administration in power then and now, except from 2015 to 2019, has repeatedly denied the number of civilian casualties, deeming it an “exaggeration”. The numbers may be contested, but survivors’ ​ ​ suffering is hard to miss, following death and destruction all around. - Districts in the former war zone are among the poorest in the country. Neither appropriate development, nor adequate jobs have come their way. Mullaitivu district remains militarised, with even traffic checkpoints run by ​ ​ armed military men. - Months after Gotabaya Rajapaksa was elected President in late 2019, Sri Lanka said it would withdraw from ​ ​ ​ the existing UN resolution on postwar accountability and reconciliation. It has instead proposed a domestic ​ mechanism that Tamils have even less faith in, compared to international ones. - It is in this climate that thousands of Tamilspeaking people recently took out a mass rally from Pothuvil in the ​ eastern Ampara district to Polihandy in Jaffna (titled ‘P2P’), demanding the rights of Tamil and Muslim ​ ​ ​ minorities. “Whether Geneva delivers or not, people are certain that this government will not. That is why we ​ ​ pursue international mechanisms despite all the limitations,” says Shanthi Sriskantharajah, a former MP from the ​ district

30. Uber drivers entitled to workers’ rights: U.K. SC - Britain’s top court ruled that ride hailing giant Uber’s drivers are entitled to workers’ rights, in a judgment with huge implications for the “gig economy”. The Supreme Court ruling that the drivers were employees followed a ​ ​ years long legal battle with the Silicon Valley taxi and delivery company. “This has been a gruelling four year ​ legal battle for our members - but it ended in a historic win,” said Mick Rix, from the GMB trade union. “The ​ ​ Supreme Court has upheld the decision of three previous courts, backing up what GMB has said all along; Uber drivers are workers and entitled to breaks, holiday pay and minimum wage,” he added. ​

31. U.S. reaffirms Saudi ‘defence partnership’ - Washington has reaffirmed its “strategic defence partnership” with Riyadh in the face of increased attacks by ​ ​ ​ Yemeni rebels. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin condemned the Houthi attacks in a telephone call with his Saudi ​ ​ counterpart, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. “The secretary has condemned the recent Houthi cross ​ ​ ​ border attacks,” the official Saudi Press Agency said ​

32. Indian-American behind NASA rover’s Mars landing - Indian-American scientist Swati Mohan, who leads the guidance, navigation, and control operations of NASA’s ​ ​ ​ Mars 2020 mission, played a pivotal role in landing the U.S. space agency’s historic Perseverance rover on the ​ ​ ​ Martian surface on Friday. Ms. Mohan was also the first to confirm that the rover had successfully touched down on the Martian surface after surviving a particularly tricky plunge through the atmosphere of the Red Planet. - Raised in the Northern VirginiaWashington DC metro area, she completed her bachelor’s degree from Cornell ​ University in Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, and her M.S. and Ph.D from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Aeronautics/Astronautics.

- Mars 2020 is a Mars rover mission by NASA's Mars Exploration Program that includes the rover Perseverance ​ and the small robotic helicopter Ingenuity. NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover will look for signs of past ​ ​ ​ microbial life, cache rock and soil samples, and prepare for future human exploration. ------

Opinions and Analysis

Analysis : Spotlight on dams after Chamoli disaster ​

1. The story so far - A snow avalanche triggered possibly by a landslide caused a flash flood in the Rishi Ganga river, a tributary of ​ ​ the Alaknanda in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, washing away a functional small hydroelectric project and destroying the under construction 520 MW Tapovan Vishnugad project of the NTPC on the Dhauli Ganga river. ​ ​ ​

2. Why did it happen? Union Home Minister Amit Shah told Parliament that satellite imagery from Planet Labs indicated that the landslide avalanche event at an altitude of 5,600 metres occurred in a glacier in the Rishi Ganga catchment, and ​ ​ ​ covered an area of 14 sq. km, causing the flood.

3. Why is the Chamoli incident of concern? - Uttarakhand, which gained a distinct identity in the year 2000 as a separate State carved out from Uttar Pradesh, is geologically unique. As a part of the lesser Himalaya, in the populated terrane - a region bounded by earth faults - it remains active in terms of deep movement of rock assemblages. - There are several researchers who refer to other characteristics that call into question the wisdom of ​ committing vast resources to large dam building in Uttarakhand. A key concern is the active nature of rock ​ ​ fractures, known as faults, which respond to earthquakes, creating enormous instability, especially along slopes. ​ - Moreover, the geology of mountains in many parts of Uttarakhand is such that the threat of landslides is high. Rocks here have been weakened by natural processes across time and are vulnerable to intense rainfall as well as human interference, in the form of house building and road construction. The careless disposal of enormous ​ debris from mining and construction projects has added to the problem, blocking flow paths and providing ​ additional debris.

4. Should Uttarakhand worry about the effects of climate change? - The IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate found that in the Himalayan ranges, there could be variations in overall water availability, but floods, avalanches and landslides were all forecast to increase. Changes in monsoonal precipitation could also bring more frequent disasters. In 2013, catastrophic loss of lives was seen in the floods that swept Kedarnath. ​ ​ They were triggered by heavy rainfall over a short period in June, first destroying a river training wall, and then triggering a landslide that led to the breaching of the Chorabari moraine dammed lake, devastating Kedarnath ​

town. What this means is that aberrations in the Indian summer monsoon caused by changes to long term climate could produce even greater damage, by bringing debris and silt down the river courses, destroying physical structures, reducing dam life, and causing enormous losses.

5. Are expensive hydroelectric projects worth the investment today? - The International Renewable Energy Agency estimated that in 2019, the average levelized cost of electricity in ​ India was $0.060 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) for small hydropower projects added over the last decade. In ​ ​ comparison, the global cost for solar power was $0.068 per kWh in 2019 for utility scale projects. Though ​ ​ hydropower has been reliable where suitable dam capacity exists, in places such as Uttarakhand, the net benefit of big dams is controversial because of the collateral and unquantified damage in terms of loss of lives, livelihoods and destruction of ecology. Chipko movement activist Sunderlal Bahuguna argued that large dams ​ ​ with an expected life of about 100 years, that involve deforestation and destruction, massively and permanently alter the character and health of the hills.

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Analysis : Endless war in Yemen ​

1. Background - The Biden administration’s decision to end U.S. support for Saudi Arabia’s Yemen war is a signal to Riyadh that ​ ​ the Trumpera open support it had enjoyed is a matter of the past. ​

2. Obama & Trump favoured Saudi-Arabia - The U.S. offered support to Saudi Arabia’s campaign against the Houthi rebels in Yemen when Barack Obama ​ ​ was the President. Donald Trump continued that policy, overlooking the disastrous effects of the war that has ​ turned Yemen, one of the poorest Arab countries, into a humanitarian catastrophe. ​ - In its last hours, the Trump State Department designated the Houthis, who are backed by Iran, as a terrorist organisation. Rights groups have condemned the move, saying that the designation would complicate aid efforts as the Houthis control a sizable part of Yemen, including the capital.

3. Biden’s withdrawal of support - Mr. Biden has now taken a different line, initiating steps to remove the Houthis from the terror list, among ​ ​ other actions. This is part of his larger attempts to rewrite the U.S.’s West Asia policy which, under Mr. Trump, ​ ​ was almost entirely focused on containing Iran. The administration’s message seems to have reached Riyadh.

4. Gain for Qatar - Saudi Arabia ended a nearly four year long blockade of Qatar, another American ally, after Mr. Biden was elected President. It has also signalled that it would carry out domestic reforms keeping human rights in focus. But it is yet to make any definite moves to wrap up the Yemen conflict.

5. Saudi-Arabia’s Role in Yemen - Yemen is a case study for a war that has gone wrong on all fronts. When the Saudis started bombing the country in March 2015, their plan was to oust the Houthis from Sana’a and restore a pro-Riyadh government. Despite ​ ​ ​ the Saudi-led attacks, the Houthis held on to the territories they captured, while the Saudi-backed government ​ ​

of President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi was teetering on the brink of collapse. Saudi Arabia has failed to oust the ​ Houthis from Sana’a and is now facing frequent rocket and drone attacks by the rebels.

6. Role of UAE in Yemen - After five years of fighting, the United Arab Emirates pulled out of the war last year. And the UAE-backed ​ ​ ​ Southern Transitional Council wants southern Yemen to be an independent entity. While these multiple factions ​ continued to fight, more than 10,000 people were killed in attacks and tens of thousands more died of preventable diseases. Yemen also stares at famine. It is a lose-lose war for everyone. The Houthis are living in ​ ​ permanent war, unable to provide even basic services to the people in the territories they control. ​ - Yemen’s internationally recognised government practically lacks any power and legitimacy at home as the war ​ ​ is being fought by other players. Ending the war is in the best interest of all parties. Mr. Biden should push Saudi Arabia and its allies to end their blockade of Yemen and initiate talks with the country’s multiple rebel factions.

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Commentary : Fuzzy law, unclear jurisprudence, trampled rights ​ ​

1. Background - On February 1, 2021, in the wake of the intensification of the farmers’ protests and reports of violent incidents on January 26 - a number of Twitter accounts became inaccessible in India. - As outrage mounted, the Government of India clarified that it had invoked Section 69A of the Information ​ Technology Act, and ordered Twitter to block access to these accounts. The reason, it appeared, was the use of ​ the hashtag #ModiPlanningFarmerGenocide, which was deemed a threat to public order. - Soon after, Twitter restored access to many of the withheld accounts. This prompted a sharp reaction from the government. Twitter’s employees would be prosecuted for violating Section 69A. The government’s own ​ ​ actions in directing it to withhold access to the accounts of journalists, activists, and politicians, violated Indian law, and the constitutional guarantee of the freedom of speech.

2. Analysis - These events of the last few days throw into sharp relief the unsatisfactory state of Indian law and how it is interpreted and applied by censorship happy governments. The root of the problem is Section 69A of the IT Act. ​ ​ - There are a number of problems with this legal structure. The first is that it makes censorship an easy and ​ ​ ​ almost completely costless option, for the government. Second, the confidentiality requirement means that the ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ user will not even know why their account has been blocked and, therefore, will be in no position to challenge it. Third, there are no procedural safeguards - no opportunity for a hearing to affected parties, and no need for ​ ​ ​ reasoned orders. - A combination of bad law and unclear jurisprudence has created a situation where Twitter or the intermediary ​ ​ that might be caught in the government’s crosshairs is the only entity that is in a position to defend the free speech rights of Indian citizens. There is, thus, an urgent need for both legal and jurisprudential reform. ​ ​

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What’s new : Clubhouse : The new kid in town ​

1. Background

- It is being touted as the next big thing in social media. It was launched last March and already has 2 million users ​ ​ and is reportedly worth $1 billion. It is funded by one of the most prominent venture capital firms in the world, ​ Andreessen Horowitz. Clubhouse, the app that describes itself as “a new type of network based on voice”, has ​ ​ ​ generated a lot of buzz in recent weeks.

2. The new concept - Clubhouse app is centred around people talking real time, no cameras on. “Voice is so universal but in the world ​ ​ of social networking, it’s relatively new,” Paul Davison, Clubhouse’s co-founder, said. ​ ​ - Once inside the app, what you see are ‘rooms’, lots and lots of them. Each ‘room’ is a space where a conversation is happening. You can enter one, listen in, even participate if allowed. It is much like having a wide ​ choice of radio channels but here you can take part too. Also, you can even start a ‘room’ of your own. - Coming into the scene much after the disruptive new conversational spaces brought forth by the first generation of social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, Clubhouse may not operate by the playbook of its predecessors. “The focus is on authentic human connection and dialogue rather than likes or followers”, ​ ​ ​ said Mr. Davison. There is also no record of Clubhouse conversations to come back to. If you miss them once, ​ you miss them forever. - Not everything is for everyone. It can be a private conversation that one has with one more person, much like a ​ phone conversation, or something that reaches many, many people. The decision about who should be let into a ​ ​ conversation rests with those who initiate the conversation. Clubhouse also can’t be immune to the issues of ​ ​ ​ hate speech and dis information faced by other platforms, and it insists systems to deal with them are in place. It ​ ​ wants to build monetisation strategies for its creators, so that they can make money from listeners via ​ ​ subscription and tickets.

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Commentary : Continuity, not change, is Biden’s plan for Palestine ​

1. Background - Will President Joe Biden change the U.S.’s policy towards the Palestinian issue? The short answer is no. There ​ ​ are many reasons for this gloomy prognosis.

2. Why the same line? - The most important is Mr. Biden’s track record on Israel and especially on its continued occupation of ​ ​ Palestinian territories. He has been a firm supporter of Israel for decades and relatively unsympathetic to the ​ ​ ​ Palestinian’s political concerns despite his support for a two-state solution. ​ ​ ​ ​ - The Biden administration is willing to live with the status quo that allows Israel to continue its harsh occupation, ​ ​ build settlements, cantonise the West Bank, and eventually foreclose the two-state option leaving the ​ Palestinians stateless in their own land. - Thanks to Israeli propaganda, the conventional wisdom in Washington, D.C. has been that Palestinians ``never ​ miss the opportunity to miss an opportunity”. The U.S. has stuck to this narrative despite evidence to the ​ contrary over decades that Israeli governments through the building of settlements and confiscation of Palestinian lands have negated the possibility of a viable Palestinian state emerging in the occupied territories. - Although the U.S.’s unquestioning support for Israel has complicated its relations with the Arab world for decades, the perception of Israel’s importance to American strategy in West Asia as the U.S.’s one stable ally ​

persists. Consequently, many in the region believe that American policy towards West Asia is made in Jerusalem ​ and not in Washington.

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Critical Analysis : Farm laws and 'taxation' of farmers ​

1. Background : Net Taxation - Over the past three decades, a major rationale offered in favour of liberalising Indian agriculture was that farmers were “net taxed”. It was argued that this “net taxation” existed because protectionist policies deprived ​ ​ ​ ​ farmers of higher international prices, and the administered price system deprived farmers of higher domestic ​ ​ market prices.

2. A case for farm laws - If there were more liberal domestic markets and freer global trade, prices received by farmers would rise. Farm laws are necessary to end the net taxation of agriculture. For this purpose, data on Producer Support Estimate ​ (PSE) are used. The farm laws would weaken restrictive trade and marketing policies in India and “get the ​ ​ ​ ​ markets right”. This, in turn, would eliminate negative support and raise farmers’ prices. ​ ​ ​

3. The case of milk - There is no Minimum Support Price (MSP) in milk, and a substantial share of milk sales takes place through the ​ ​ private sector, including multinationals like Nestle and Hatsun. Yet, India’s milk sector is growing faster than the ​ foodgrain sector. If the milk sector can grow without MSP and with private corporates, why cannot other ​ agricultural commodities.

4. How is the PSE estimated? - The PSE is estimated using a methodology advocated by the OECD. The PSE has two components - the first is market price support (MPS), the second is budgetary transfers (BOT). ​ ​ ​ - The OECD estimates of MPS and PSE to show the perils of restrictive markets. By the same logic then, if the increasing penetration of private companies and the absence of MSP in milk are positive features, we should expect positive and rising MPS and PSE for milk. - Milk had the highest negative MPS among India’s major agricultural commodities in 2019. The reason is that the OECD methodology, either for milk or for other commodities, does not offer any realistic assessment of the extent of taxation or subsidisation.

5. Building a logic - To conclude, In the debates, it is telling that these advocates (a) use the OECD estimates to highlight the overall negative MPS for agriculture as a problem; (b) but conveniently remain silent on the negative MPS for milk; and (c) yet, argue in the same breath that milk producers have benefited from the growth of private firms. The absence of logic in this line of argument is nothing but appalling. Link to article ​

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Story : Giant Leatherback turtle nesting sites and Andaman development project ​

1. Background - Proposals for tourism and port development in the Andaman and Nicobar (A&N) Islands have conservationists ​ ​ ​ worried over the fate of some of the most important nesting populations of the Giant Leatherback turtle in this ​ ​ part of the Indian Ocean.

2. About the Leatherback turtles - The largest of the seven species of sea turtles on the planet and also the most long ranging, Leatherbacks are ​ found in all oceans except the Arctic and the Antarctic. ​ ​ - Within the Indian Ocean, they nest only in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and are ​ ​ ​ ​ also listed in Schedule I of India’s Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, according it the highest legal protection. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ - There is concern now, however, that at least three key nesting beaches - two on Little Andaman Island and one ​ on Great Nicobar Island - are under threat due to mega “development” plans announced in recent months. ​

3. The development-conservation dichotomy - The Little Andaman plan, which proposes phased growth of tourism on this virtually untouched island, has ​ sought the de-reservation of over 200 sq km of pristine rainforest and also of about 140 sq km of the Onge ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Tribal Reserve. Two sites where key components of the tourism plan are to be implemented are both ​ Leatherback nesting sites - South Bay along the southern coast of the island and West Bay along its western ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ coast. The roughly 7-km long beach at West Bay has been the site of ongoing marine turtle research projects. ​ ​ - Not only are the numbers of females nesting here significant, satellite telemetry has revealed hitherto ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ unknown migration patterns. Satellite tagged female turtles have been tracked swimming up to 13,000 km after ​ nesting on West Bay, towards the western coast of Australia and southwest towards the eastern coast of Africa.

4. National Marine Turtle Action Plan - The A&N Islands are prominent in the National Marine Turtle Action Plan released on February 1, 2021, by the ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. West Bay on Little Andaman and Galathea on Great ​ Nicobar, along with other nesting beaches in the islands, find a specific mention here as “Important Marine ​ ​ ​ Turtle Habitats in India” and the largest Leatherback nesting grounds in India. ​ - The plan identifies coastal development, including construction of ports, jet ties, resorts and industries, as major ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ threats to turtle populations. It also asks for assessments of the environmental impact of marine and coastal ​ development that may affect marine turtle populations and their habitats.

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Commentary : A growing rights crisis in Lanka ​

1. Background - The human rights situation in Sri Lanka has worsened since Gotabaya Rajapaksa became President in 2019. At ​ ​ its next session starting February 22, the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) will face a crucial test in taking ​ ​ action for protecting vulnerable Sri Lankans and upholding international law. India, as a council member, will ​ ​ have a key role.

2. Rajapaska’s abuse of human rights: ​ - Rajapaksa was the defence secretary in the government led by his brother Mahinda from 2005 to 2015, a period marked by particularly egregious human rights abuses. Critics of the government were murdered, tortured, and ​ ​

forcibly made to disappear. Tens of thousands of civilians were killed in the civil war which ended in 2009 ​ ​ between government forces and the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), with both sides ​ ​ responsible for numerous war crimes. In the final months of the war, the armed forces indiscriminately shelled ​ civilians and summarily executed suspected LTTE fighters. - In January, the authorities bulldozed a memorial at Jaffna university that commemorated Tamil civilian victims ​ of the civil war.

3. The current situation - The Rajapaksa government, in 2020, renounced its commitments under the 2015 Human Rights Council ​ resolution and is threatening victims’ families and activists who supported it. ​ - The Rajapaksa government has shown outright disdain for accountability. Since 2012, the Human Rights ​ ​ Council has sought to work with Sri Lanka to promote reconciliation and accountability, efforts that India has backed. Sri Lanka is now rejecting that endeavour, instead proposing a new domestic commission that UN experts have dismissed as lacking credibility or independence. The UNHRC should recognise the government’s actions for what they are - an effort to impede justice.

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Analysis : Freedom and security ​

1. By calling on social media platforms operating in India to follow the law of the land, the government has not ​ ​ just stated the seemingly obvious but also delivered a warning to Twitter that it ought not to defy its orders again, the way it did in early February, when the government wanted certain handles blocked for spreading incendiary content. 2. The government wanted problematic hashtags blocked is understandable, given the tense situation on the ground on the day of the farmer protests, but what is difficult to appreciate is that it also wanted handles of ​ some journalists, activists and politicians to be blocked. ​ 3. If either one of the parties had decided to escalate the issue, the contentious law under which social media platforms are required to comply with blocking orders could come under legal scrutiny. The reference is to Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, under which the government can order a digital ​ intermediary to block any content on grounds including security of the state and public order. 4. It is, therefore, important that freedom of speech is not seen as the antithesis of security of the state, but as one of its key facilitators.

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Commentary : The pressing need to adjudicate, not mediate ​

1. Background - The recent judgment of the Supreme Court that refused to review its earlier verdict on the Shaheen Bagh ​ protest is inseparable from its political context. ​ - The verdict of October 7, 2020 declared that there is no absolute right to protest, and it could be subjected to ​ ​ the orders of the authority regarding the place and time

2. Analysis

- The top court could not exercise its constitutional role and ensure judicial scrutiny on an aggrandising executive ​ and an equally imposing Parliament by exercising its counter majoritarian function. Having failed to do so, the ​ ​ ​ kind of ‘balancing’ which the Court now tries to attain by way of the Shaheen Bagh orders will pose more questions than it answers. - In the original judgment on Shaheen Bagh, the Court attempted to “mediate” the issue and admitted in the ​ ​ judgment that it “did not produce any solution”. The Court’s duty during the testing times is to adjudicate, and ​ ​ not to mediate. A reconciliatory approach is not a substitute for juridical assertion. ​ ​ - When fear is the new normal for the average Indian, the court’s only role is to act as the guardian of the right to ​ dissent. ​ - In the review petition, the petitioners rightly apprehended that the observations in the earlier judgment against the indefinite occupation of public space “may prove to be a license in the hands of the police to commit ​ atrocities on legitimate voice of protest”. ​

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Study : Stress levels lower among yoga practitioners ​ - A study by IIT Delhi scientists has revealed that those who practised yoga during the pandemic induced ​ ​ lockdown had lower stress, anxiety and depression, higher wellbeing and more peace of mind as compared to nonpractitioners. The study was undertaken by National Resource Centre for Value Education in Engineering ​ ​ ​ (NRCVEE), an academic centre at IIT Delhi. ​ ​ ​ - The study was carried on a total of 668 adults during lockdown between April 26 and June 8, 2020. The ​ participants were grouped as yoga practitioners, other spiritual practitioners, and non practitioners. Yoga ​ ​ ​ practitioners were further examined based on the duration of practice as long term, midterm, and beginners. ​ ​ ​ ​ - “The long-term practitioners reported higher personal control and lower illness concern in contracting COVID-19 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ than the midterm or beginner group. The long term and midterm practitioners also reported perceiving lower ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ emotional impact of COVID-19 and lower risk in contracting the virus than the beginners,” the institute said. ​ ​ ​ ​ Further, the long-term practitioners were found to have the highest peace of mind, lowest depression and ​ anxiety with no significant difference in the midterm and the beginner group. The research pitches for the ​ inclusion of yoga as an alternate therapy for self management of stress-related problems during conditions like ​ ​ ​ ​ COVID-19 pandemic. ​ ​

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Economics and Finance

Daily snippets

1. States fiscal deficit to narrow to 4.3% of GDP in FY22 : Ind-Ra - The aggregate fiscal deficit of States is likely to be at 4.3% of the gross domestic product (GDP) in 2021-22 ​ ​ ​ compared with 4.6% in 2020-21, says a report by India Ratings and Research. The rating agency has revised the ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ outlook on State finances to stable for FY22 from stable to negative. ​ ​ - The agency estimates the nominal GDP to grow 14.5% in FY22, and believes a gradual pickup in revenue ​ ​ ​ collections could lead to an improvement in the capital expenditure from FY22. The report said due to the ​ ​ economic downturn, even the union government’s finances are under pressure, leading to a lower than ​ ​ ​ budgeted devolution of 5.50 lakh crore to States in FY21. ​ ​ ₹

2. Indian smartphone market fell 1.7% in 2020 - While the Indian smartphone market declined by 1.7% in 2020, it is expected to witness high single digit growth ​ ​ ​ in the current year, mainly driven by customers upgrading their devices, according to a report by the ​ ​ ​ International Data Corporation (IDC). The India smartphone market exited 2020 at 150 million units, a 1.7% ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ year-on-year decline. ​ ​

3. IT revenue to grow to $194 bn in FY21 : NASSCOM - Indian IT industry’s revenue is estimated to grow 2.3% year-on-year in FY21 to $194 billion on the back of a ​ ​ ​ ​ rapid acceleration in digital transformation and technology adoption, according to industry apex body ​ ​ NASSCOM. During the fiscal, software exports are expected to touch $150 billion, a 1.9% growth over the year ​ ​ ​ earlier period. ​ - India has a huge opportunity to become a talent nation for the entire world and investments will go where the ​ ​ talent is, said Debjani Ghosh, president, NASSCOM. The industry added more than 1.38 lakh to its head count ​ ​ ​ ​ in FY21, taking the total to 4.47 million, as per a NASSCOM survey. ​ ​ ​

4. Telcos ask government to defer net neutrality rules - The COAI has urged the government to bring over the top (OTT) service providers such as WhatsApp under the ​ ​ ​ ​ licensing regime and defer net neutrality rules on telecom operators till the time ‘same service, same rules’ are ​ ​ applied on the applications. “Till the time any decision is taken regarding licensing of OTT communication ​ ​ ​ ​ providers, the unequitability between TSPs (telecom service providers) and OTTs should not be increased further. ​ Till such time, no new licensing conditions, including that of traffic management practices for net neutrality etc., ​ ​ ​ should be imposed on TSPs,” Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) said. ​ ​ - Net neutrality principle - The net neutrality principles prohibit service providers from discriminating against ​ ​ ​ Internet content and services by blocking, throttling or according preferential higher speeds. ​ ​

5. Cairn files case in US against claims of $1.2 billion award from India

- Cairn Energy has filed a case in a U.S. district court to enforce a $1.2 billion arbitration award it won in a tax ​ ​ ​ ​ dispute against India. In December, an arbitration body awarded the British firm damages of more than $1.2 ​ ​ ​ ​ billion plus interest and costs. The tribunal ruled India breached an investment treaty with Britain and said New ​ ​ Delhi was liable to pay. - The case marked a first step in Cairn’s efforts towards recovering its dues, potentially by seizing Indian assets, if ​ the government did not pay. It was reported last month that Cairn was identifying India’s overseas assets, ​ ​ ​ including bank accounts and even Air India planes or Indian ships, that could be seized in the absence of a ​ settlement.

6. Cabinet approves PLI plan for telecom - The Union Cabinet approved the production linked incentive scheme for the telecom sector with an outlay of ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 12,195 crore over five years. The scheme, which aims to make India a global hub for manufacturing telecom ₹ ​ equipment, is expected to lead to an incremental production of about 2.4 lakh crore, with exports of about 2 ​ ₹ ₹ lakh crore over five years and bring in investments of more than ₹3,000 crore. - The scheme was also likely to generate 40,000 direct and indirect employment opportunities and generate tax ​ ​ revenue of 17,000 crore from telecom equipment manufacturing, including core transmission equipment, ​ ₹ ​ 4G/5G Next Generation Radio Access Network and wireless equipment, access and Customer Premises ​ Equipment (CPE), Internet of Things (IoT) access devices, other wireless equipment and enterprise equipment ​ such as switches and routers.

7. Start-ups must create world class products : PM - Start-ups in India should not focus only on valuations and exit strategies, but on creating institutions that will ​ ​ outlast this century and products that set the global benchmark on excellence, to help India become a global ​ ​ ​ leader in technology, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said speaking at the NASSCOM Technology and Leadership Forum (NTLF).

8. India's economic march in 2021 - S&P Global Ratings said India will be one of the fastest growing emerging market economies with a 10% growth ​ ​ ​ ​ in the next fiscal, and future sovereign rating action would hinge on lowering fiscal deficit and sustaining debt ​ ​ ​ ​ burden. ​ - The forecast for India in 2021 is on the stronger side and shows that a lot of economic activity, which was frozen last year, is coming back on line to normalisation, there by brightening the growth prospects. S&P said India’s ​ economy has stabilised over recent months, with progressively better manufacturing, services, labour market ​ and revenue data. ​

9. New PSE policy envisages at most 4 strategic-sector firms - The new public sector enterprises policy envisages that the strategic sectors have limited number of players ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ restricting it to maximum four public sector enterprises of a holding nature. The remaining enterprises would be ​ rationalised in terms of mergers, amalgamations and privatisation if feasible. ​ ​ - As part of the ‘Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced that there ​ ​ ​ ​ would be a maximum of four public sector companies in strategic sectors, and state-owned firms in other ​ ​ ​ ​ segments would eventually be privatised. ​ ​

10. Government likely to file appeal against Cairn arbitration award

- The Centre is likely to file an appeal against the $1.4 billion international arbitration award won by Cairn Energy ​ in a tax dispute. The government intends to defend its sovereign right in taxation and will file an appeal. ​ ​ - Cairn has indicated it could seize overseas assets such as aircraft and ships if New Delhi fails to comply with the ​ ​ arbitration award and return the value of the shares sold, dividend seized and tax refund withheld by the income tax department to recover part of the tax demand it had raised using retrospective legislation. Indian ​ government has kept open the possibility of a resolution within Indian laws. The options include Cairn opting ​ ​ for the Vivad se Vishwas scheme, which gives relief on interest and penalty if the principal tax demand is paid. ​ ​

11. Indian IT workers to benefit from US immigration bill - In a major move that will benefit thousands of Indian IT professionals in America, the Biden administration has ​ ​ ​ introduced an immigration bill in Congress, which, among other things, proposes to eliminate the per country ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ cap for employment based green cards. ​ ​ - The U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021 proposes a pathway to citizenship to 11 million undocumented workers, ​ ​ ​ elimination of per country quota for employment based green cards and work authorisation for dependents of ​ ​ ​ H1B foreign work. Authors of the bill, Senator Bob Menendez and Congresswoman Linda San chez, said the bill ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ establishes a vision of immigration reform that is expansive and inclusive. ​ ​ ​

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Sports

Daily snippets

1. Para Athletics : India claims four more gold medals - Indian men’s javelin throwers came up with a brilliant show as reigning World champion Sandeep Chaudhary ​ ​ ​ ​ (F44), Ajeet Singh (F46) and Navdeep (F41) won gold on the third day of the 12th Fazza International World ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Para Athletics Grand Prix on Friday. They were later joined by Pranav Prashant Desai in the men’s 200m F64, ​ ​ ​ while World champion javelin thrower Sundar Singh Gurjar (F46) finished with a bronze. Navdeep and Arvind ​ ​ ​ also secured quotas for the upcoming Tokyo Paralympics as India’s tally swelled to 17 medals, including nine ​ ​ ​ gold.

2. Player Profiles: - Achanta Sharath Kamal : He is a professional table tennis player from Tamil Nadu. He is the first Indian table ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ tennis player ever to become nine times Senior National Champion. Recently he received the fourth highest ​ ​ civilian award, Padma Shri. Sharath won the men's singles gold in the 16th Commonwealth table tennis ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ championship in 2004. He won the US Open Table Tennis Men's championships in July 2010. He also won the gold medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. He represented India in the 2004 Olympics in Athens ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ and is still the top Indian TT player. He also represented the country in the 2006 Asian Games at Qatar. ​ ​

3. Ankita Raina claims maiden WTA 250 doubles title - Ankita Raina, partnering Russia’s Kamilla Rakhimova, captured her maiden WTA 250 doubles title. The win is the ​ biggest of Ankita’s career, making her India’s first WTA champion since Sania Mirza.

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Suggested Readings

1. The wages of struggle : Putting Impunity First, Link to article ​ ​ 2. Wider access to legal resources, Link to article ​ ​ 3. India's web censorship regime, Link to article ​ ​ 4. Cruelty to animals, Link to article ​ ​ 5. Privacy of people : Supreme Court, Link to article ​ ​ 6. Remembering Justice P.B Sawant, Link to article ​ ​ 7. Disha Ravi case, Link to article ​ ​ 8. Priya Ramani - MJ Akbar case & the #Metoo movement, Link to article ​ ​ 9. Judiciary and its independence, Link to article ​ ​ 10. Supreme Court and farm laws, Link to article ​ ​ 11. Scaling up the Indian advantage in telehealth, Link to article ​ ​ 12. Transit anticipatory bail, Link to article ​ ​ 13. Nagaland's first solar electrified village, Link to article ​ ​ 14. Transit anticipatory bail, Link to article ​ ​ 15. Nagaland's first solar electrified village, Link to article ​ ​

------Sources referred to : The Hindu, The Indian Express, Live Law, Bar & Bench ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

END

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