The week that went by! Weekly News Page Feb 21st - Feb 28th Law, Policy and Governance

Daily snippets

1. Centre may rethink order on international seminars - The government would relook at the controversial order issued by the Ministry of Education in January that many scientists said curbs free scientific discussion at international fora, K. Vijay-Raghavan, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, said. - On January 15, the Ministry updated the guidelines governing online conferences, seminars and training programmes that required, among others, scientists at the highest grades of seniority to get a clearance from the Ministry of External Affairs.

2. ‘Right to peaceful protest is a nonnegotiable human right’ ​ ​ - Swedish teen climate activist Greta Thunberg has extended her support to Disha Ravi, the 22year old environmental activist who has been charged with sedition for allegedly editing an advocacy toolkit on the farmers’ protest, and sharing it with Ms. Thunberg. “Freedom of speech and the right to peaceful protest and ​ assembly are non-negotiable human rights. These must be a fundamental part of any democracy”. ​ ​ - The Poetic Justice Foundation (PJF), a Canada-based non profit, has been at the centre of a roving investigation ​ launched by Delhi Police regarding a social media campaign around the ongoing farmers agitation.

3. Child abuse is unpardonable, says HC - An offence involving abuse of a child victim is unpardonable, the Delhi High Court remarked while refusing to lower the sentence awarded to a teacher, who was convicted for sodomising a 7-year old boy. Justice Subramaniam Prasad said releasing such convicts “by reducing the sentence will send a wrong signal to the ​ society and will be against the purpose for which the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences ) Act was enacted”. ​

4. Give Rs1 lakh each to two custodial torture victims’

- The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has recommended that the Ministry of Home Affairs pay Rs1 lakh each to two victims of custodial torture at Delhi’s Adarsh Nagar police station in a 2019 case. - “The commission was convinced that from the material on record, prima facie it is established that the ​ complainant and his nephew were given third degree torture. They were assaulted by the police personnel, as named in the FIR, and are now facing trial before the court,...the commission held that since the police officers failed to act as responsible public servants, therefore, departmental proceedings against them should also be initiated, and they should be punished accordingly. The State is vicariously liable for the action of public servants/police officers and hence the victims are entitled for compensation.” ​

5. Schools told to sensitise students on cyber bullying - The Delhi government has issued a circular to all the heads of schools to educate students and their parents about the safe use of Internet and sensitise them about cyberbullying and online threats as they continue to ​ ​ attend classes online due to the pandemic. - The Directorate of Education (DoE) said a study has been conducted by India Child Protection Fund (ICPF) ​ regarding online exploitation of children and increase in activities related to child sexual abuse material, which ​ ​ indicates a sharp rise in demand for online child pornography during the lockdown. ​ ​

6. Delhi court grants bail to Disha - Terming the ‘toolkit’ shared by climate change activist Disha Ravi as “innocuous”, a Delhi court granted her bail. ​ ​ Additional sessions judge Dharmender Rana said, “The perusal of the said ‘toolkit’ reveals that any call for any ​ kind of violence is conspicuously absent.” ​ - Dealing with the interpretation of the word ‘sedition’, a charge slapped by the Delhi Police on the 22-year old activist, the judge said, “Law proscribes only such activities as would be intended, or have a tendency, to create ​ disorder or disturbance of public peace by resort to violence”. ​

7. Govt. Withdraws order on online science meets - The government has withdrawn a controversial order that required scientists and researchers, among others, participating in online international scientific seminars and conferences, to get prior clearance from the Ministry of External Affairs. The order, issued on January 31, had drawn severe backlash from scientists. - The restrictions, according to scientists, were too broad based and vague and would have made it impossible ​ ​ for many scientists to participate in online conferences without contravening the law.

8. Plea seeks simplification of child adoption process - Lengthy and cumbersome adoption procedures of the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) and the ​ ​ increasing number of childless couples have given rise to a “grey market” for adoption, an NGO told the Delhi ​ ​ High Court. - A Bench of Chief Justice D.N. Patel and Justice Jasmeet Singh issued notice to the Ministry of Women and Child ​ Development, Delhi government, National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) and CARA ​ ​ seeking their stand on the NGO’s plea seeking simplification of the adoption procedure. ​ ​

9. U.P. Assembly passes Bill on conversion amid protests - Amid protests by the Opposition, the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly passed by voice vote a Bill to curb ​ religious conversions carried out by fraudulent or any other undue means, including through marriage. ​

- The Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Bill, 2021, seeks to replace the ordinance ​ ​ promulgated in November last year that provides for imprisonment of up to 10 years and a maximum fine of ₹50,000 for violators. Opposing the legislation, parties said that marriage is a personal matter of an individual.

10. Govt. to monitor OTT content - For the first time, the government, under the ambit of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021, has brought in detailed guidelines for digital content on both digital ​ media and Over The Top (OTT) platforms, while giving itself overriding powers. The new rules lay down a three ​ tier grievance redressal mechanism. However, over and above this framework, the government has equipped itself with “emergency” powers to block public access of any information.

11. London court’s nod for Nirav Modi’s extradition - The Westminster Magistrates Court in London allowed India’s extradition request against businessman Nirav ​ Modi, who is wanted in connection with the 13,758 crore Punjab National Bank fraud, ruling that a prima facie ​ ​₹ ​ case had been made out. Notice of application for approval to appeal has to be sought within 14 days of extradition, or discharge, ordered by the Secretary of State.

12. Same-sex marriages will cause havoc, Central govt. tells HC - The Centre opposed any changes to the existing laws on marriage to recognise same-sex marriages, saying such ​ interference would cause “a complete havoc with the delicate balance of personal laws in the country”. Living ​ ​ ​ together as partners and having sexual relationship by same-sex individuals is not comparable with the Indian ​ family unit concept". - The Centre submitted that “registration of marriage of same-sex persons also results in violation of existing ​ ​ personal as well as codified law provisions".

13. President’s Rule in Puducherry notified - President’s Rule was imposed in the Union Territory of Puducherry and the Legislative Assembly was placed ​ ​ under suspended animation, according to a notification issued by the Union Home Ministry. Union Territories are administered in accordance with the provisions of Article 239 to 241 of the Constitution, and according to ​ ​ the Allocation of Business Rules, 1961, certain subjects pertaining to Union Territories, namely Legislative ​ ​ matters, Finance and Budget and Services, have been allocated to the Home Ministry. It comes after the fall of Congress govt.

14. SC exploring avenues to offer quick relief to accident victims - The Supreme Court is exploring the creation of a nationwide online mechanism to help road accident victims ​ ​ and their families get compensation within a short time of the accident. A Bench led by Justice S.K. Kaul is considering various avenues to speed up the compensation process, including the setting up of a national grid ​ ​ ​ to seamlessly disburse compensation across States to the online submission of police records and accident claim ​ documents in Motor Accidents Claims Tribunals - The court’s intervention came on a writ petition filed by one of India’s largest insurance firms, Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Company, on the plight of victims who have been waiting for years for compensation.

15. AG refuses consent for contempt proceedings against former CJI Gogoi ​ - Attorney General K.K.Venugopal has refused to give consent to an activist to initiate criminal contempt ​ ​ proceedings against former Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi for his comments about the Supreme Court. It

was reported that Justice Gogoi, now a Rajya Sabha member, had used terms such as “ram shackled” judiciary and so on.

16. ‘Provision to block content under IT rules not new’ ​ - The Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting clarified that no “new provision” had been added to the ​ ​ existing law, after the uproar over a provision of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and ​ Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, under which the Secretary of the Ministry can block public access to any ​ information in case of emergency. The I & B Ministry says it has existed for 11 years.

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National News/ Interventions

Daily snippets

1. Promote Indian languages: Venkaiah - Ahead of International Mother Language Day, Rajya Sabha Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu wrote to all members ​ ​ ​ ​ of the Upper House urging them to promote and preserve Indian languages. He lamented that regional ​ ​ languages were being given short shrift. Writing to each member in his or her own language, Mr. Naidu said India was home to 19,500 languages and dialects, of which 200 were facing the threat of immediate extinction. ​ ​ ​ ​

2. India and Maldives sign defence pact - India and the Maldives signed a defence Line of Credit agreement worth $50 million during the ongoing visit by ​ ​ External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. Both sides agreed to maintain peace and security in the Indian Ocean ​ Region. - “The defence Line of Credit will facilitate capability building in the maritime domain”, Mr. Jaishankar said in a ​ ​ social media message. The two sides agreed to strengthen coordination in enhancing regional maritime ​ security. Indicating deepening security cooperation, an agreement to develop, support and maintain a Maldives ​ ​ National Defence Force Coast Guard Harbour at Sifvaru was also signed. ​

3. PM urges states to ease path for businesses - States should work towards reducing compliance burden for citizens to ensure ease of living and to promote ​ ​ ​ ​ ease of doing business, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said speaking at the sixth meeting of the NITI Aayog ​ ​ ​ Governing Council, stressing the importance of a better coordination between the Centre and the States for the ​ ​ ​ development of the country. - Twenty six Chief Ministers, three Lieutenant Governors and two administrators attended the meeting, besides ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Union Ministers, special invitees and NITI Aayog officials. Most of the Chief Ministers emphasised on developmental agenda and timely completion of infrastructure projects. ​ ​ - NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant added that agriculture issues which were discussed included aligning the ​ cropping system to agro climatic conditions at district level for optimal resource utilisation, and promoting water ​ conservation. Mr. Modi asked the States to take advantage of Central schemes such as the production linked ​ ​ ​ incentive scheme to attract investments. He pointed out that States had a 40% share in the National ​ ​ ​ Infrastructure Pipeline and therefore, it was imperative that the States and the Centre synergise their budgets, ​ ​ make plans, and set priorities.

4. Punjab seeks center's help to ramp up health infrastructure - In his speech at the NITI Aayog meeting, the Chief Minister Amarinder Singh also urged the Central government to provide immediate financial assistance of at least ₹300 crore to upgrade health infrastructure, equipment and other healthcare needs (medicines and consumables etc.) in view of the pandemic. The Chief Minister also requested the Central government to release the pending amount of GST compensation to the State and sought ​ ​ ​ extension in the period of GST compensation beyond the current 5 years for States like Punjab. ​ ​ ​ - He reiterated his government’s stand that agriculture is a State subject and law-making on it should be left to ​ ​ ​ the States in the true spirit of “cooperative federalism” enshrined in the Constitution. ​ ​ ​

- Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal sought the Central government’s intervention in resolving the long pending ​ issue of the Sutlej Yamuna Link (SYL) and the Hansi-Butana Link Canals so that the State could get its legitimate ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ share of river water.

5. Xi may visit India for BRICS summit - China’s President Xi Jinping may visit India in the second half of this year to attend the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, ​ ​ India, China, South Africa) leaders’ meeting, if a physical summit is held as is increasingly expected. The visit will ​ come in the aftermath of the most serious border crisis between the neighbours in decades. China on Monday expressed its “support” for India hosting this year’s meeting, and said the meeting would not be impacted by the ​ ​ border crisis. - Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to make his first overseas trip after the pandemic to Bangladesh in ​ March and is also likely to attend the India-E.U. meet in Portugal in May and the G7 summit in the U.K., where ​ ​ ​ ​ India has been invited as a guest country, the following month. ​ - In 2017, Prime Minister Modi visited China to attend the BRICS summit five days after Indian and Chinese ​ ​ troops ended a 72-day standoff on the Doklam plateau. The timing of the summit, officials in India and China ​ ​ ​ ​ said at the time, pushed both sides to arrive at a deal. While disengagement is under way along the Line of ​ Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh, having been completed last week at Pangong Lake and now in progress in other ​ areas, de-escalation is yet to take place, with thousands of troops on both sides still present in depth areas beyond the LAC and yet to return to their peacetime positions.

6. ‘₹70,221 cr. reserved for domestic buying’ - About ₹70,000 crore of the capital allocation of ₹1.35 lakh crore in the defence budget would be reserved for domestic procurements and a second negative list of items that could be procured only locally by the Services ​ would be issued, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said. ​ ​ - In the budgetary allocation for 2021-22, the capital allocation for defence saw an increase of 21,326 crore or ​ ₹ 18.75% compared to Budget Estimates (BE) of last year. Last year, for the first time, the government introduced ​ a separate allocation for domestic procurement within the defence budget and reserved 52,000 crore for ​ ₹ 2020-21. Mr. Singh announced that to support start-ups, the Ministry planned to channelise about 1000 crore ​ ₹ during 2021-22 for procurement from start-ups under the Innovation for Defence Excellence (iDEX) initiative. ​ ​ ​ ​

7. Ministry disowns ‘cow science’ examination - With the Rashtriya Kamdhenu Aayog (RKA) having cancelled its “indigenous cow science” examination after ​ ​ ​ ​ widespread criticism about its promotion of fake claims and pseudoscience, the Animal Husbandry Department ​ said the two year old body had “no mandate” to conduct such an examination. Any future awareness ​ ​ programme would be conducted “on a scientific basis”, said a senior official overseeing the RKA. ​ ​ - Under the leadership of Vallabhbhai Kathiria, the body’s Chairman, the RKA had announced a national “Kamdhenu Gau Vigyan Prachar Prasar Exam'' to be held on February 25. Reference materials for the exam ​ ​ made a number of unscientific claims, including that the dung of indigenous cows protected against radioactivity, their milk had traces of gold, and that cow slaughter caused earthquakes. The RKA had the backing ​ of the University Grants Commission (UGC), which publicised the examination, causing widespread outrage. ​

8. Indradhanush 3.0 to fill gap in immunisation due to COVID - The States and Union Territories (UTs) have rolled out the Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI) 3.0 scheme to ​ ​ cover children and pregnant women who missed routine immunisation during the COVID-19 pandemic, the ​ Health Ministry said. More than 29,000 children and 5,000 pregnant women were covered on the first day, it added. The campaign is scheduled to have two rounds of immunisation lasting 15 days (excluding routine ​ ​ immunisation and holidays). It is being conducted in 250 pre-identified districts/urban areas across 29 States/UTs.

9. Animal Husbandry - The center announced the Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF) last year. As an allied ​ industry of agriculture, the animal husbandry and dairy sector collectively employs more than 100 million ​ people. Since the bulk of establishments in this sector is concentrated in rural India, the socio-economic ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ relevance of this sector cannot be overstated. - The AHIDF has been set up with an outlay of 15,000 crore. As per the provisions of AHIDF, a project will be ​ ₹ ​ eligible for a loan amount that covers up to 90% of the estimated cost - with an interest subvention of 3% for all eligible entities. This is the first major fund launched by the government that includes a diverse set of stakeholders such as FPOs, private dairy players, individual entrepreneurs, and non-profits within its ambit. ​ ​ - There is also considerable potential to increase the productivity of cattle, especially by enhancing the quality of ​ ​ animal feed. With this in mind, the AHIDF has been designed to support the establishment of animal feed plants ​ of varying capacities. The Ministry in collaboration with Invest India has invited ideas from domestic start-ups for ​ ​ the development of new varieties of green fodder and enriched animal feed. In a similar vein, there are not only ​ economic but nutritional benefits to boosting the poultry segment’s output, efficiency and quality. India is the ​ ​ fourth largest chicken meat producer and the second largest egg producer in the world. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ - Macro benefits regarding climate change and employment are linked to this sector. Enhanced infrastructure can ​ make processing units more energy efficient and help mitigate their carbon footprint. ​ ​

10. Railways stung by IT breaches - Following instances of cyber attacks during the ongoing pandemic across its network, the Ministry of Railways ​ ​ ​ has roped in the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC) to educate its officials on Internet ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ethics, cyber hygiene and best practices in the use of IT equipment, including mobile phones. This is a part of its ​ National Cyber Security Strategy. The Railway Board said a number of incidents had come to notice regarding ​ ​ ​ breaches in various IT applications as electronic working has further proliferated. A majority of them were ​ ​ applications related. Incidents occurred due to “improper handling of the IT assets by the personnel''. ​ ​

11. Mizoram group seeks asylum for coup-hit Myanmar villagers - Mizoram’s apex students’ body has asked the State government to provide asylum to some villagers in ​ ​ Myanmar affected by the military coup there. The State’s Mizo National Front (MNF) government, headed by ​ ​ Chief Minister Zoramthanga, said asylum would be considered if there was a formal request cleared by the ​ ​ Centre. - People belonging to Myanmar’s Chin community were seeking to migrate to Mizoram to escape a military ​ ​ ​ crackdown, primarily because of the Chin National Army (CNA), an extremist group seeking self-determination ​ ​ ​ ​ in Chin State across the border. The Chin community and the Mizos in India belong to the Zo ethnic group, ​ ​ ​ ​ which share the same ancestry. Claiming that the Chins have been affected by the civil unrest in Myanmar, the ​ ​ ​ Mizo Students’ Union appealed to the State government to play a proactive role and accept those affected as ​ ​ refugees.

12. Terrorism is a crime against humanity - Terrorism is a “crime against humanity”, said External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on. Addressing the High ​ ​ ​ ​ Level Segment of the 46th Session of Human Rights Council (HRC), he said India’s commitment to human rights ​ is seen in the way the government has handled the pandemic. Mr. Jaishankar said human rights agenda in the world is facing a major challenge from terrorism and expressed India’s desire to work with other members of ​ ​ the HRC. He highlighted the special importance of the rights that are enshrined in the Constitution as the ​ ​ ​ Fundamental Rights. ​

- The Minister’s comments came days after India reacted angrily to observations by the Special Rapporteurs on ​ ​ Minority Issues and Freedom of Religion or Belief on apparent erosion of rights in Kashmir and the rest of India. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ The Ministry had termed the observations as “deplorable”. ​ ​ - Mr. Jaishankar reached out to the HRC: “Our approach to the UN Human Rights Council is guided by our spirit of ​ ​ engagement, dialogue and consultation. We believe that equal emphasis should be placed on both promotion ​ and protection of human rights. Both are best pursued through dialogue, consultation and cooperation among States as well as technical assistance and capacity building.” He said the government provided “direct food ​ ​ ​ support to 800 million Indians and financial support to 400 million” to counter the impact of the pandemic. ​ ​ ​

13. Government will ensure healthcare for all : Prime Minister - Stating that the budget allocation for the health sector this financial year has been unprecedented, Prime ​ ​ ​ Minister Narendra Modi said this indicated his government’s commitment to providing healthcare to every ​ ​ ​ ​ citizen. The Prime Minister said this was the inspiration behind the PM AtmaNirbhar Swasth Bharat scheme. ​ ​ ​ - “The government is working with a four pronged strategy for a healthy India. The first is prevention of illness and ​ ​ ​ ​ promotion of wellness, including measures such as Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, yoga, timely care and treatment of ​ ​ pregnant women and children. The second is to provide cheap and effective treatment to the poorest of the poor. ​ The third is to increase the quality of health infrastructure and health care professionals, while the fourth is to ​ work on a mission mode to overcome obstacles,” he said. ​ ​ ​

14. Disengagement a win-win situation, says Army chief - The Chief of the Army Staff, General Manoj Naravane, said the disengagement in Pangong Tso (lake) was a ​ ​ ​ ​ ‘win-win’ situation for both India and China and it was still a long way toward de-escalation. ​ - China has been in the habit of making small incremental moves like in the South China Sea that were not challenged but the Ladakh standoff has shown that this strategy will not work with India and “every move will be ​ ​ met resolutely”, he said at a webinar organised by Vivekananda International Foundation. ​

15. India takes on Pak. at Human Rights Council - India hit out at Pakistan at the high-level segment of the 46th Session of the Human Rights Council and said the ​ ​ ​ recent release of Al-Qaeda terrorist Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh is a “clear example” of the connection between ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ the Pakistani state and terrorists. - Responding to the comments of Pakistan and Turkey on Kashmir and other issues, the Indian diplomatic team ​ ​ said the government of India is “fully cognizant” of its human rights obligations. “Pakistan has been the home ​ ​ ​ and patron to the largest number of internationally proscribed terrorist entities and individuals in the world,” ​ said diplomat Seema Pujani after the Pakistani delegation raised the Kashmir issue and described the situation ​ ​ in the Valley as “grave”. - India also hit out at Turkey and said the country had “trampled upon'' its own civil society. Turkey’s Foreign ​ ​ ​ Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu had raised the situation in Kashmir and called upon India to resolve the dispute as per the UNSC Resolutions.

16. India, Pakistan agree to adhere to 2003 ceasefire - In a first joint statement issued by the two sides in years, India and Pakistan on Thursday said they have agreed to a “strict observance of all agreements, understandings and cease firing along the Line of Control (LoC) and all ​ other sectors” with effect from the midnight of February 24-25. The decision was announced after discussions ​ ​ between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of both sides over the established hotline on ​ ​ February 22.

17. Labour rights activist released from jail

- Labour rights activist Naudeep Kaur was on Friday released from a Haryana jail after the Punjab and Haryana ​ ​ High Court granted her bail in a case in which faces charges of attempt to murder, rioting among others, in an ​ ​ incident at Haryana’s Kundli of Sonipat district. The 24-year old activist, who was in the Karnal jail, was released after the bail order.

18. 23.79 lakh register for free digital library service - The success of the government run digital library initiative, launched in Karnataka last year in February, weeks before the nationwide lockdown was imposed, has come as a surprise even to the authorities. In one year, over 23.79 lakh people signed up for services during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, a closer look at the data ​ ​ reveals that a majority of subscribers to the free service did not download a single ebook or video. According ​ ​ ​ to data provided by the Department of Public Libraries, around 10.9 lakh ebooks and 5.49 lakh videos have ​ ​ been accessed so far.

19. U.S. welcomes IndiaPak. ceasefire agreement ​ - The United States has welcomed the announcement by India and Pakistan that they would observe the 2003 ​ ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC). The White House called for the two countries to build upon this ​ progress and the State Department encouraged a reduction in tensions and violence along the LoC. ​ - Former U.S. President Donald Trump had ruffled feathers in New Delhi with repeated offers to mediate between India and Pakistan on Kashmir. Mr. Trump had announced in July 2019 that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked him to mediate on Kashmir with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar categorically assured Parliament that no such request was made. - “The Secretary-General is encouraged by the joint statement issued by the militaries of India and Pakistan on ​ ​ their agreement to observe the ceasefire at the Line of Control in Kashmir and engage through established mechanisms,” spokesperson for the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said. The European Union (EU) also ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ welcomed the ceasefire agreement.

20. Panel seeks more data to clear Sputnik V - A Subject Expert Committee (SEC) of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization has sought more data on ​ ​ ​ ​ Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine trials from Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories to accord emergency use authorization for the ​ COVID19 antidote. The SEC meeting asked Covaxin maker Bharat Biotech, which sought permission to conduct ​ ​ ​ phase III clinical trials of the vaccine candidate in children aged 5-18 years, to submit efficacy and safety data of ​ ​ ongoing Phase III clinical trials in adults along with the age subgroup analysis. ​ - On Friday, Bharat Biotech said it has signed an agreement with Brazil for supplying 20 million doses of ​ Covaxin. Under the deal worth 1.6 billion reals ($290 million), the vaccine will be delivered in the second and ​ third quarter of 2021

21. Vaccines for seniors and 45-plus with comorbidities from March - People above 60 years of age and those above 45 with comorbidities would be given COVID-19 vaccines from ​ ​ March 1, the Union government announced. Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar said ​ ​ ​ ​ that under the second phase of vaccination, shots would be given for free at 10,000 government run facilities ​ ​ ​ and for a charge at 20,000 private hospitals. Around 27 crore people are expected to be covered in the second phase. Of this group, around 10 crore people were over 60, he said. ​ - Detailed listing of the co morbidities and pre vaccination requirements would be issued, and strict surveillance ​ ​ ​ ​ and monitoring of those vaccinated would be done as part of the protocol.

22. Punjab to amend Prisons Act to boost jail security

- The Punjab government has decided to amend the Prisons Act of 1894 to strengthen security at prisons and ​ ​ ​ ​ curb criminal acts by inmates through more stringent punishment for major offences such as rioting, escape ​ ​ ​ from prison, and other violations of prison discipline and rules. ​ - The Council of Ministers approved a proposal mooted by the Jails department to add new penal provisions in the ​ Act to strengthen security arrangements and prevent the use of mobile phones by the inmates, riots inside the ​ jails, incidents of assault on the jail staff, damage to the jail property, incidents of absconding, possession of ​ ​ drugs inside the jails etc, said an official statement.

23. Winter pollution on the rise - The levels of PM 2.5, the most threatening of particulate matter, worsened in 43 of 99 cities whose winter air in ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 2020 and 2019 was compared by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a nongovernmental research ​ ​ ​ ​ organisation. In the aftermath of the lockdown, several cities reported improved pollution levels but by winter, when the restrictions were significantly eased, pollution levels had clawed back to pre COVID-19 levels, the CSE ​ ​ ​ notes, underlining the significant contribution of local and regional factors to a city’s pollution levels. ​ ​ - During winter, cool and calm weather traps and spikes daily pollution, particularly in north Indian cities located ​ in the Indo Gangetic Plain. This bouncing back of pollution post lockdown unmasks the high impacts of local and ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ regional pollution. This demands quicker regional reforms to curb pollution from vehicles, industry, power ​ ​ ​ plants and waste burning to curb the winter pollution and also sustain annual improvement at a regional scale ​ with speed. The study emphasises it was the smaller and upcoming cities that were emerging as pollution ​ hotspots.

24. INCOIS to go for aerial mapping of ocean floor - The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) is planning to take the help of the National ​ ​ ​ Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) for aerial mapping of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep to get ​ a better picture of the ocean floor, also called ‘bathymetric’ study. - “NRSC has already done a similar high resolution topographic Airborne Laser Terrain Mapping (ALTM) for the ​ ​ ​ ​ entire coastal areas of the country and we are in the process of integrating the da ta for a 3D multi hazard ​ ​ mapping of both the east and west coastline for a more precise picture of the ocean floor,” said director T Srinivasa Kumar. Such a study has become imperative in view of the recent tsunamis of the Indonesian coasts ​ where more than the quake related high waves, damage was due to landslides under the seabeds causing sudden wave surges leading to much damage without giving sufficient time to alert people, he pointed out.

25. Pandemic generation and the impacts - The country is all set to usher in a “pandemic generation”, with 375 million children (from new-borns to 14 year ​ ​ ​ ​ olds) likely to suffer long-lasting impacts. The challenges could range from being underweight, stunting and ​ increased child mortality, to losses in education and work productivity, according to the State of Environment ​ ​ ​ ​ Report, 2021, released by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) on Thursday. Over 500 million children ​ ​ have been forced out of school globally and India accounts for more than half of them. 115 million additional ​ ​ ​ ​ people might get pushed into extreme poverty by the pandemic — and most of them live in South Asia. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ - India ranked 117 among 192 nations in terms of sustainable development and was now behind all South Asian ​ ​ ​ nations, except Pakistan, according to the report. Of 88 major industrial clusters in the country, according to the Central Pollution Control Board, 35 showed overall environmental degradation, 33 pointed to worsening air ​ quality, 45 had more polluted water and in 17, land pollution became worse. Tarapur in Maharashtra emerged ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ as the most polluted cluster. When ranked on the basis of achieving Sustainable Development Goals, the best ​ ​ ​ performing States were Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Telangana. The worst ​ ​ performers were Bihar, Jharkhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya and Uttar Pradesh, the report stated. ​

26. Second wave of infections

- A recent surge in infections notwithstanding, India is unlikely to see a “second wave” in infections, says ​ Manindra Agrawal, Deputy Director, IIT, Kanpur, and one of India’s leading mathematicians who is involved with ​ the National ‘Super Model’ initiative led by the Department of Science and Technology. ​ ​ ​ - The current wave of infections - averaging 13,000 16,000 new confirmed infections a day since February 23 - was ​ ​ ​ primarily being led by Maharashtra and would not last beyond “two three weeks” in March, he said. The reason, ​ he said, is because around 60% of India’s population had already been exposed to the virus and the country ​ ​ ​ had reached herd immunity, or where the number of susceptible individuals were too few to allow the virus to ​ ​ exponentially grow. - Whether herd immunity levels have been reached is moot, because the Indian Council of Medical Research ​ (ICMR) reported that only 21% of Indians were estimated to have been infected, as per its third national ​ ​ serological survey conducted from December 17 to January 8, 2021. The Super Model’s estimate is about thrice ​ ​ that number. - Epidemiologists refer to the second wave as a resurgence of infection in an area where the transmission had ​ decreased to below the outbreak potential but is now continually increasing over a certain period. The pre ​ requisites for defining the second wave are that the first wave should have been contained - the reproduction ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ number or R0 is below 1.5 and low rate of infection has been sustained for at least one month. The cumulative ​ ​ ​ ​ test positivity rate below 5% is generally used as a criterion to decide the end of a wave. But all these ​ ​ assumptions would prove wrong if a new variant that shows greater transmissibility either arises in India or ​ ​ those circulating in other countries spreads here. Newer variants, especially those capable of immune escape, can change everything we know, and this is the only way to have a second wave more devastating than the first wave.

27. Karnataka to move SC against Tamil Nadu's project - Terming Tamil Nadu’s decision to utilise surplus water in the Cauvery basin ‘illegal’, Karnataka Home, Law and ​ ​ ​ Parliamentary Affairs Minister Basavaraj Bommai said the State would approach the Supreme Court for a legal ​ ​ recourse. The decision follows Tamil Nadu’s move to lay foundation to the Cauvery-Vellaru-Vaigai-Gundar link ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ scheme last Sunday. The link scheme proposes to utilise the surplus water in the Cauvery basin and transfer it to ​ its Southern region. - Mr. Bommai said: “It is not right on the part of Tamil Nadu to utilise surplus water before it is allocated. Under ​ ​ the provisions of The Inter State Water Disputes Act, it is illegal and cannot happen without proper allocation.” ​

28. Odisha's Puri Heritage corridor - The Naveen Patnaik government aggressively pushed the 3,200 crore heritage corridor project for Puri ​ ​₹ ​ Jagannath Temple. According to the State government, the heritage corridor would be divided into nine zones. ​ ​ ​ ​ Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said the mega project was conceptualised keeping three objectives such as the ​ security of the temple, safety of devotees and religious atmosphere for devotees in mind.

29. Tracking the elusive snow leopard in Himachal - Himachal Pradesh’s high altitude hilly terrain could be harbouring as many as 73 snow leopards (Panthera ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ uncia), says a recent study based on a scientific enumeration of the elusive animal. Snow leopards are one of the ​ ​ ​ most endangered wildlife species. The firstever such study on snow leopards, a top predator of the Indian ​ ​ ​ ​ Himalaya, was completed in January by the Himachal Pradesh Wildlife Department and the Mysore based ​ ​ ​ ​ Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF). ​ - In Himachal Pradesh, the snow leopard’s habitat covers a greater part of the districts of Lahaul-Spiti and Kinnaur. ​ ​ ​ Its potential habitat also extends into the upper regions of the districts of Shimla, Kullu, Chamba and Kangra. This project is the first systematic effort at a large regional scale that utilised a stratified sampling design to ​ ​ ​ ​ estimate the snow leopard population over an area of 26,112 sq. km. The region was first stratified into three categories - high, low or unknown snow leopard occurrence, based on questionnaire surveys of local ​ ​ ​ ​

communities residing in these areas. Camera trap surveys were then carried out in areas under each of the ​ ​ ​ categories. The studies found that the snow leopard density was positively correlated with the wild prey ​ ​ density, indicating that higher wild prey densities corresponded to higher snow leopard densities. The results ​ reiterate, the study said, that local communities are the strongest allies in conservation, if their concerns can ​ ​ ​ be factored into conservation planning.

30. PM calls for e-marketing of Channapatna toys - Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called upon Channapatna toymakers to explore the possibility of e-marketing ​ their traditional wares across the country and the world. Interacting with a group of artisans from Channapatna ​ while virtually inaugurating the India Toy Fair 2021 in New Delhi, Mr. Modi suggested that artisans make use of ​ ​ the advanced technology to popularise the toys across the world and use the information technology workforce in Bengaluru for the purpose. The artisans said about 2,000 of them engaged in the Channapatna toy industry, ​ which had a history of over 200 years old.

31. Onus on India for progress in relations, says Pak. PM - Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan welcomed the ceasefire agreement with India, but said the onus of ​ creating an “enabling environment” for further progress in bilateral relations rests with New Delhi. In his first ​ ​ comments since the militaries of India and Pakistan jointly announced on Thursday that they had agreed to strictly observe all agreements on the ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) and other sectors, Mr. Khan said ​ ​ Pakistan was ready to move forward to resolve “all outstanding issues'' with India through dialogue. ​ ​ ​

32. India, Bangladesh agree to speed up border fencing - The Home Secretaries of India and Bangladesh met virtually and discussed early completion of pending fencing ​ along the Indo-Bangladesh border as agreed to by the Prime Ministers of the two countries, a statement by the ​ ​ Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said. The 19th Home Secretary level talks between India and Bangladesh was ​ ​ held in the backdrop of ‘Mujib Barsho’ and 50 years since the Bangladesh Liberation War. The Indian delegation ​ ​ ​ ​ was led by Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla and Bangladesh was led by Mostafa Kamal Uddin, Senior Secretary, Public Security Division . - On February 10, Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai had informed the Rajya Sabha that the total ​ length of the Bangladesh border was 2,126 kilometre of which 319 km cannot be fenced due to topographical constraints. ​ - “The effective functioning of the Coordinated Border Management Plan (CBMP) to control the illegal cross ​ ​ border activities was appreciated by both sides. The holding of the inaugural Police Chiefs’ Dialogue in January, 2021, implementing the decision taken at the Home Minister Level Talks (HMLT) held in August, 2019, was ​ ​ noted with appreciation by both sides. Both sides agreed to further enhance the level of cooperation to prevent the smuggling of Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) and contraband,” the statement said. ​ ​ ​

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International NEWS/Events/ Personalities

Daily snippets

1. India backs the Maldives on UN role - India reiterated its support for a greater role for the Maldives in multilateral affairs. Speaking at a joint media event in the Maldives’ capital Male, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said Maldives’ Foreign Minister ​ ​ ​ Abdulla Shahid is “best equipped” to be the President of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly. ​ ​ - “I reiterate today India’s strong support to the candidature of Foreign Minister Abdullah Shahid for the President ​ of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly next year. Foreign Minister Shahid with his vast diplomatic experience and his leadership qualities is in our view the best equipped to preside over the General Assembly of ​ 193 nations of the world. We will work together to make this a reality. We would really like to work with you ​ during our membership of the UN Security Council for 2021-22,” said Dr. Jaishankar in his remarks. ​ ​

2. With media blitz, China crafts new narrative on border crisis - Chinese state media outlets highlighted the announcement of honours for five soldiers, four awarded posthumously. The names and images of the five were being shared widely on Chinese social media, along with their personal stories, all leading to an outpouring of sentiment. - The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) said the announcement, made eight months after the clash in which 20 ​ Indian soldiers lost their lives, was aimed at honouring the soldiers and “setting the record straight”, after it ​ ​ ​ accused India of “distorting the truth” and “slandering the Chinese border troops” ​ ​ ​ - The broader aim of the narrative appeared aimed at underlining the message that the Communist Party had defended China and to portray India as the aggressor - a message that was repeated in the official media. This is ​ ​ a narrative that turns on its head the genesis of last year’s border crisis, which began with a mass mobilisation ​ of PLA troops along the border following a military exercise that caught India by surprise, and multiple ​ transgressions across the Line of Actual Control (LAC) that led India to lose access to territory and multiple patrolling points, an unusual outcome for any supposed aggressor.

3. China’s Coast Guard law raises concern - The U.S. has voiced concern over China’s recently enacted Coast Guard law, which it said may escalate the ​ ​ ongoing disputes in the region and can be invoked to assert unlawful claims. China passed a law last month which explicitly allows its Coast Guard to fire on foreign vessels. “The U.S. joins the Philippines, Vietnam, ​ ​ ​ Indonesia, Japan and other countries in expressing concern with China’s Coast Guard law, which may escalate the territorial and maritime disputes,” State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said. ​

4. Moscow court upholds prison term for Navalny - A Moscow court upheld a ruling to jail the Kremlin’s most prominent opponent, Alexei Navalny, sealing his first ​ ​ lengthy prison sentence after a decade of legal battles with Russian authorities. Mr. Navalny was ordered on

February 2 to serve the time in a penal colony for breaching his parole terms while he was in Germany recovering from a nerve agent poisoning he blames on the Kremlin. ​ ​ - The anti-corruption campaigner appeared in court inside a glass cage for defendants, wearing a plaid shirt, ​ smiling and flashing the V for victory symbol. In a closing address that often broke from his usual sarcastic tone, Mr. Navalny referenced the Bible and said he had no doubts about his decision to return to Russia. “The Bible ​ says: ‘Blessed are those who hunger for righteousness, for they will be satisfied,’” he told the court. ​ - He described the legal process to jail him as “absurd” and called on Russians to take action to make the country ​ ​ a better place. Prosecutors lashed out at Mr. Navalny, saying he acted as if he was above the law and had “an ​ ​ ​ exclusive right to do as he pleases”. ​

5. China detains 3 bloggers for ‘insulting’ Galwan soldiers - Authorities in China have detained three people for “insulting” Chinese soldiers who died in the Galwan Valley ​ ​ ​ clash last year, a day after Beijing officially confirmed the deaths. ​ - Among the arrested was Qiu Ziming (38), an investigative journalist formerly with The Economic Observer. Mr. ​ ​ Qiu was arrested on Saturday in Nanjing, where he lives, after questioning China’s official account of the ​ Galwan clash. A second blogger was detained in Beijing on Sunday, for comments made during a group chat on ​ WeChat, the Chinese social media and messaging app. A third person, identified as a 25-year old surnamed Yang, was detained in southwestern Sichuan province, in the city of Mianyang, after he was reported by Internet users for posting “smears toward the PLA soldiers, who fought in the China-India border clash.” ​ ​ ​ - The Chinese military announced honours for five People’s Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers, including four who died and one regimental commander who was injured, in the clash on June 15, 2020, which marked the worst ​ violence on the India-China border since 1967. Twenty Indian soldiers lost their lives in the clash. ​ ​ - The announcement of the honours for the soldiers on Friday, coming eight months after the clash, was widely covered in the Chinese state media and has led to an outpouring of sentiment, with the topic among the most widely discussed on social media over the past three days. - State media reports have highlighted the valour of the soldiers, while also releasing new footage from the clash. The announcement and video release, eight months after the clash, came a week after India and China ​ ​ announced a plan to begin disengagement, which has been completed on the north and south banks of Pangong Lake while talks are ongoing to take the process forward in other areas along the Line of Actual Control. ​

6. Iran says talks with IAEA chief ‘fruitful’ - Iran said it had held “fruitful discussions'' with UN nuclear watchdog IAEA chief Rafael Grossi in Tehran, ahead ​ ​ ​ ​ of a deadline when it is set to restrict the agency’s inspections unless the United States lifts painful sanctions. Mr. Grossi’s visit comes amid stepped up efforts between the U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration, European powers and Iran to salvage the 2015 nuclear deal that has been on the brink of collapse since former ​ ​ President Donald Trump withdrew from it. - Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, before meeting Mr. Grossi, signalled that the Islamic republic ​ wants to avoid an “impasse”, but also warned it could step further away from its commitments if Washington ​ ​ does not lift the sanctions. - Iran’s conservative dominated Parliament months ago demanded that if the U.S. does not lift sanctions by this ​ Sunday, Iran will suspend some IAEA inspections from Tuesday. But Iran has stressed it will not cease working with the IAEA or expel its inspectors.

7. Australia won’t advertise COVID19 vaccine on Facebook ​

- Australia’s government pledged a publicity campaign for its rollout of COVID-19 vaccine on Sunday - but not in ​ Facebook advertisements, as a feud continues over the social media giant blocking news content from its platform in the country. Facebook Inc’s abrupt decision on Thursday to stop Australians from sharing news on ​ its platform and strip the pages of domestic and foreign media outlets also blacked out several state ​ government and emergency department accounts, drawing furious responses from lawmakers around the world. - Hours before Australia began inoculations with the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, Health Minister Greg Hunt said the ​ ​ government would embark on a wide ranging communication campaign, including online, to ensure vulnerable people turned up for a shot. But a ban on health department spending to advertise on Facebook would remain ​ ​ in place until the dispute between the BigTech company and Australia - over a new law to make Facebook pay ​ for news content - was resolved. ​ - Under the News Media and Digital Platforms Mandatory Bargaining Code Bill 2020, tech and social media ​ ​ ​ giants such as Facebook and Google will have to pay local news outlets for using their content. The move is being studied worldwide as it will set a precedent in the use of Web-based news and content that may ​ permanently impact the use of the Internet in Australia. ​

8. Iran, IAEA reach deal on inspections - The UN nuclear watchdog chief announced a “temporary solution” to allow Iranian facility inspections to ​ ​ continue after days of talks with officials, giving some much needed breathing space for diplomatic negotiations. However, IAEA Director General, Rafael Grossi, admitted that under the new three month arrangement, the ​ ​ International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) would not have the same level of access after a law comes into ​ force limiting some inspections. - Mr. Grossi’s visit to Iran came amid stepped up efforts between the U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration, ​ ​ European powers and Tehran to salvage the 2015 nuclear deal that has been on the brink of collapse since the ​ ​ ​ former U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from it and went on to impose sanctions on the nation. In December, Iran’s conservative-dominated Parliament passed the law demanding a suspension of some ​ ​ inspections if the U.S. failed to lift sanctions by this Sunday. ​ - However, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that the Islamic republic could boost uranium ​ ​ enrichment to 60% if needed, vowing to “not back down on the nuclear issue”. That would be far above the ​ ​ 3.67% limit Iran had accepted under the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, but still short of the around 90% ​ ​ required to make an atomic bomb.

9. Pandemic used as ‘pretext’ to crush dissent: UN chief - The UN on Monday slammed countries that are using the pandemic to justify cracking down on dissent and ​ ​ suppressing criticism. Speaking at the opening of the UN Human Rights Council’s main annual session, ​ ​ Secretary-General Antonio Guterres charged that authorities in a number of nations were using restrictions ​ ​ meant to halt the spread of COVID-19 to weaken opposition. ​ - In addition to inequalities within countries, the UN chief slammed inequalities between nations when it comes ​ to accessing the COVID-19 vaccines coming to market as a "moral outrage”. A full 75% of all vaccine doses have ​ ​ ​ ​ been administered in just 10 countries, he pointed out, while more than 130 countries have yet to receive a ​ single dose. ​

10. Maldives Parliament debates defence deal with India

- A day after Male and New Delhi signed an agreement to jointly develop the Maldives National Defence Force ​ Coast Guard Harbour, Maldives’s Parliament, ‘the People’s Majlis’, took up an emergency motion, demanding ​ ​ ​ greater transparency on the bilateral pact. - Concerns over “Indian military presence” were flagged in 2018 too, when the Yameen government asked India ​ ​ ​ to take back two helicopters it had gifted, with a crew and support staff, causing a major strain in bilateral ties. Following the September 2018 defeat of the Yameen administration, which was known for its China tilt, ​ ​ President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s government has been pursuing an “India first” policy. ​ ​ ​ - However, not all in the ruling coalition agree with the government’s current foreign policy. During Monday’s debate in Parliament, government MP Ali Hussain said Male should avoid seeking assistance on military matters from any big power. “Whether it is India, China or the U.S., their agreements here are bound to have conflicting ​ interests. We should not end up in a situation where we have to choose one partner over another, we should not become part of a proxy [geopolitical] war”. Last year, New Delhi welcomed the Maldives’s decision to sign a ​ military agreement with the U.S.

11. Facebook to end Australia news blackout - Facebook said it would lift a contentious ban on Australian news and pay local media companies for content, ​ ​ ​ after a lastgasp deal on pending landmark legislation. Australia’s Treasurer Josh Frydenberg announced a face ​ saving compromise that will see Google and Facebook plunge tens of millions of dollars into the struggling ​ local news sector. In return the U.S. digital firms will, for now, avoid being subjected to mandatory payments ​ that could cost them vastly more and create what they see as an alarming global precedent. - The social media firm sparked global outrage last week by blacking out news for its Australian users in protest against the proposed legislation, and inadvertently blocking a series of non-news Facebook pages linked to everything from cancer charities to emergency response services. - Prime Minister Scott Morrison angrily accused Facebook of making a decision to “unfriend” Australia. Google ​ ​ ​ ​ has already brokered deals worth millions of dollars with local media companies, including the two largest: Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp and Nine Entertainment.

12. Imran pitches economic corridor to Sri Lanka - Pitching the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as a connectivity booster, Pakistan’s Prime Minister ​ ​ ​ ​ Imran Khan, said Pakistan would find “ways and means to enhance trade and connectivity” with Sri Lanka. Mr. ​ ​ ​ Khan is the first head of government to visit Sri Lanka since the pandemic struck the world. He held a one-on-one bilateral meeting with counterpart Mahinda Rajapaksa, and is scheduled to meet President ​ ​ ​ Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Wednesday. ​ - Members of Sri Lanka’s minority Muslim community held a demonstration on Tuesday, urging the government to reverse its mandatory cremations policy for COVID-19 victims. The Sri Lankan government, which had earlier ​ ​ ​ said Mr. Khan would address Parliament, cancelled the programme closer to his arrival, citing “scheduling issues” and safety concerns linked to the pandemic.

13. Biden, Trudeau to lay out road map to rebuild ties - U.S President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will lay out a “road map” for rebuilding ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ U.S.-Canada relations during their first bilateral meeting, a senior official said, although the scrapped Keystone ​ ​ pipeline could present a hurdle. Mr. Biden and Mr. Trudeau will address several mutual priorities, including ​ tackling climate change, revving up the North American economy, the Arctic, and threats to democracy in ​ ​ Myanmar and Venezuela. ​

14. Afghanistan warring sides return to table - With violence spiking, Afghanistan’s warring sides have returned to the negotiation table, ending more than a ​ ​ month of delays amid hopes that the two sides can agree on a reduction of violence — and eventually, an outright ceasefire. Taliban spokesman Mohammad Naeem tweeted that talks had resumed in Qatar, where the ​ ​ ​ ​ insurgent movement maintains a political office. - When talks ended abruptly in January, just days after beginning, both sides submitted their wish lists for agendas. The task now is for the two sides to sift through the respective wish lists, agree on items to negotiate and the order in which they will be tackled. - The priority for the Afghan government, Washington and NATO is a serious reduction in violence leading to a ​ ​ ceasefire. The Taliban has said it is negotiable, but until now has resisted any immediate ceasefire. Washington is reviewing the February 2020 peace deal the previous Trump administration signed with the Taliban that calls for the final withdrawal of international forces by May 1. The Taliban has resisted suggestions of even a brief ​ ​ extension, but a consensus is mounting in Washington for a delay in the withdrawal deadline. There is even a suggestion of a smaller intelligence based force staying behind.

15. Hong Kong to disqualify officials, politicians ‘disloyal’ to China - Hong Kong announced plans to ramp up the ideological vetting of politicians and officials, with anyone seen to ​ be disloyal to China or a national security threat barred from office. The draft law will be sent next month to ​ the city’s legislature, a body now devoid of opposition after a number of figures were disqualified because their political views were deemed a security threat. - Officials have detailed a “negative list” of offences that could see their colleagues removed from office, including ​ ​ acts that endanger national security, advocating for independence or refusing to accept China’s sovereignty ​ ​ over Hong Kong. ​

16. U.S. will seek to rejoin UNHRC: Blinken - The U.S. will seek re-election to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), Secretary of State Antony ​ ​ Blinken announced, as he “humbly” asked for the support of UN member states. - This is the latest in a series of moves by the Biden administration to reverse a pattern of retreat from multilateralism that was characteristic of the Trump regime Former President Donald Trump had taken the U.S. ​ out of the Council in 2018, saying it was biased against Israel and had members who were human rights ​ ​ ​ abusers.

17. Imran announces $50 mn defence credit line for Lanka - Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan announced a $50 million defence credit line facility for Sri Lanka, even as ​ ​ ​ the two countries stressed the need for “stronger partnership” in security, combating terrorism, organised crime ​ ​ and drug and narcotic trafficking, and intelligence sharing. ​ - Mr. Khan’s visit to Sri Lanka is the first to be undertaken by a head of government, after the pandemic hit the world. It was the first visit by the Pakistani Prime Minister since the formation of the new governments in both the countries and marked Mr. Khan’s return since his cricketing tours to Sri Lanka in 1975 and 1986. Mr. Khan met with representatives of Sri Lanka’s sports fraternity, at an event where Sri Lanka’s Minister of Sports and Youth Namal Rajapaksa announced the commissioning of the ‘Imran Khan High Performance Sports Centre’ in ​ ​ Colombo.

18. ‘JapanU.S. treaty a product of Cold War’ ​

- China called the Japan-U.S. mutual security pact a product of the Cold War following U.S. criticism of the ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ presence of Chinese coast guard vessels in Japanese-claimed territorial waters over the weekend. Foreign ​ Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin also reasserted China’s claim to a string of tiny, uninhabited islands in the East China Sea controlled by Japan. - The verbal exchange followed reports that two Chinese coast guard ships on Sunday twice entered Japanese territorial waters surrounding the islands, known by Japan as Senkaku and by China as Diaoyu. Chief Pentagon ​ ​ spokesperson John Kirby said China had “continued to flout international rules” and the U.S. would work with its ​ ​ allies to address such challenges. - Wang did not directly address the criticism but said the islands were “China's inherent territory”. “The U.S. Japan ​ ​ ​ ​ security treaty is a product of the Cold War, which should not harm a third party's interest or endanger regional peace and stability," Wang said at a daily briefing. ​

19. Ghana first country to receive COVAX vaccines - Ghana received the world’s first delivery of coronavirus vaccines from the United Nations-backed COVAX ​ ​ ​ initiative - the long awaited start for a program that has thus far fallen short of hopes that it would ensure shots ​ were given quickly to the world’s most vulnerable people. - The arrival of 600,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine in the West African country marks the beginning of the ​ ​ largest vaccine procurement and supply operation in history, according to the World Health Organization and ​ UNICEF. However, the initiative has been hampered by the severely limited global supply of doses and ​ logistical problems. Although it aims to deliver 2 billion shots this year, it currently has agreements only for ​ ​ ​ several hundred million shots.

20. France slams ‘repression’ of Uighurs - French Foreign Minister Jean Yves Le Drian denounced what he called the “institutionalised repression” of ​ ​ ​ China’s Uighur minority. Speaking by video link at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Mr. Le Drian said ​ witness accounts from the Chinese region of Xinjiang pointed to “unjustifiable practices towards Uighurs, and a ​ system of large scale surveillance and institutionalised repression.” ​ - Rights groups believe that at least 1 million Uighurs and other Turkic-speaking Muslim minorities are ​ ​ incarcerated in camps in the western region of Xinjiang. Mr. Le Drian cited Xinjiang among several examples of “considerable regressions for human rights” in 2020. ​ ​

21. Biden revokes Trump’s immigrant visa ban - The Biden administration took another step to undo the previous government’s immigration policy legacy by revoking Donald Trump’s suspension of new immigrant visas, which had been in effect since late April last year. ​ The order had been extended through to March 31 by Mr. Trump. The revoked order (Proclamation 10014) had suspended the entry of certain immigrants and non-immigrants into the U.S. ostensibly on grounds of ​ ​ protecting the U.S. labour market in the wake of COVID-19. ​ ​ - The U.S. issues up to 55,000 immigrant visas (these become “Green Cards” after the recipient enters the U.S.) ​ ​ ​ ​ via its diversity lottery each year to encourage immigration from nationalities that are demographically ​ ​ underrepresented in the U.S - Mr. Biden, however, did not revoke a Trump administration pause on H1B (skilled worker), L (intra-company ​ ​ ​ ​ transfer) and several other work and exchange visitor visa categories ( and dependents of these visa holders) that went into effect on June 24 last year. H1B visas are predominantly granted to workers in the IT sector, and ​ ​ ​ most of these visas — over 70% — have gone to Indian citizens in recent years.

22. FB bans Myanmar military accounts - Facebook said it has banned all remaining accounts linked to the Myanmar military, citing the junta’s use of deadly force against anti-coup demonstrators. The move, which takes effect immediately, applies to the ​ military and entities controlled by the armed forces on both Facebook and Instagram. It also bans ​ “military-linked commercial entities” from advertising on the platforms. ​ ​ - The junta has steadily increased its use of force against a massive and largely peaceful civil disobedience campaign demanding Myanmar’s Army leaders relinquish power. Pages for government offices now run by the junta remain unaffected.

23. Pakistan will remain on FATF ‘greylist’ - The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) decided to retain Pakistan on the “greylist” till the next review of its ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ performance during the June plenary session. At a press briefing, FATF president Marcus Pleyer said although ​ ​ Pakistan had made significant progress, it was still to fully comply with three of the 27 point action plans it had ​ ​ ​ been presented with in June 2018 when it was first put on the “greylist”. He urged Pakistan to make fast progress on them. - The three points on which the FATF has sought urgent action by Pakistan pertain to effective steps, in terms of financial sanctions and penalties, against terror funding infrastructure and the entities involved. After assessing the measures taken during the June session, the FATF would verify the implementation and test the sustainability of reforms undertaken by Pakistan to this end. To a query on when Pakistan would be put on the ​ “blacklist”, the FATF chief said it would happen when the country shows progress; it was not the time for such ​ an action.

24. As reserves shrink, Sri Lanka seeks $2.2 billion from China - Sri Lanka is seeking $2.2 billion from Chinese banks, the government said on Thursday, in echoes of a ​ borrowing binge more than a decade ago that resulted in the country having to give up a strategic port to China. Money and Capital Markets Minister Nivard Cabraal said the government was hopeful of finalising a $1.5 billion ​ ​ swap facility with China’s central bank. - Official figures show Sri Lanka’s foreign reserves plummeted to $4.8 billion at the end of January, the lowest ​ ​ since September 2009 when they fell to $4.2 billion. Officials said the country was also in talks with China ​ Development Bank for a $700 million loan that would include the equivalent of $200 million being drawn in ​ ​ Chinese currency.

25. Armenian PM accuses military of coup attempt - Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan warned of an attempted military coup against him on Thursday, and ​ ​ ​ thousands took to the streets of the capital to support him after the Army demanded he and his government resign. Mr. Pashinyan, 45, has faced calls to quit since November after what critics said was his disastrous handling of a conflict between Azerbaijan and ethnic Armenian forces over the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave and ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ surrounding areas. Armenia ceded swathes of the territory to Azerbaijan after Mr. Pashinyan signed a peace ​ deal last November. ​

26. India cannot abandon us, says Sri Lanka - Seeking India’s “proactive” support at the UN Human Rights Council, where a resolution on Sri Lanka will be ​ ​ ​ ​ soon put to vote, the Secretary to Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, “India cannot abandon us”. “Sri ​ ​ ​ Lanka is in dire need of support from our friendly neighbours. And we are not asking anything extraordinary, we

are asking something based on your neighbourhood first policy, based on Security and Growth for All in the ​ ​ ​ Region (SAGAR).” ​ - His appeal comes at a time when Indo-Lanka bilateral ties have come under strain, following a series of decisions ​ taken by Colombo on development projects involving India and China. It remains to be seen how India might vote on the Sri Lanka resolution that draws from UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet’s damning report on Sri Lanka's “alarming path towards recurrence of grave human rights violations”, which ​ ​ Colombo has categorically rejected. On Pakistan PM Imran Khan’s recent visit to Colombo, he said it should not ​ ​ be seen as Sri Lanka attempting “to join a bloc” or country, against others. “It is a bilateral visit.” ​ ​ ​ ​

27. Sri Lanka to allow burial of virus victims - Sri Lanka on Friday cleared the burial of COVID-19 victims, reversing its nearly year long policy of mandatory ​ ​ cremations that the country’s Muslim community denounced. The change in the government’s position follows Pakistani PM Imran Khan’s recent visit, when he reportedly urged the Rajapaksa administration to respect ​ ​ Muslims’ burial rights. ​ - In April, a month after the pandemic struck Sri Lanka, the government banned burials of victims, based on ​ ​ unsubstantiated claims that the practice might contaminate groundwater, further spreading the virus. Despite senior virologists terming the claim baseless, and the World Health Organization permitting both burials and ​ cremation, the government stuck to its position. ​ - Several members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) had raised the issue, both in Sri Lanka and at ​ ​ global fora, including the 46th session of the UNHRC. As many as 15 OIC countries are among the 47 current members of the Council, and will soon get to vote on a contested resolution on Sri Lanka.

28. Gunmen abduct 317 Nigerian schoolgirls - Gunmen abducted 317 girls from a boarding school in northern Nigeria on Friday, police said, the latest in a series of mass kidnappings of students in the West African nation. Nigeria has seen several such attacks and ​ ​ kidnappings over the years, notably the mass abduction in April 2014 by jihadist group Boko Haram of 276 girls ​ ​ from the secondary school in Chibok in Borno State. More than a hundred of the girls are still missing. ​ ​

29. U.S. strikes on Iran-backed militias in Syria kill at least 22 - The U.S. military has struck Iran Backed militias in eastern Syria, killing at least 22 fighters, according to a war ​ ​ monitor. In its first military action against Iran Linked groups since Joe Biden became President five weeks ago, the Pentagon said it had carried out air strikes on Thursday at a Syria-Iraq border control point used by ​ ​ ​ Iran-backed groups, destroying “multiple facilities”, in retaliation for a spate of rocket attacks targeting its troops ​ ​ in Iraq.

30. Bangladeshis protest death of writer in jail - Protesters blocked a busy intersection in Bangladesh’s capital to protest the death in prison of a writer and commentator, who was arrested on charges of violating a sweeping digital security law that critics say stifles ​ freedom of expression. - Mushtaq Ahmed, 53, was arrested in Dhaka in May last year for making comments on social media that ​ ​ criticised Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic. He had been denied ​ bail at least six times. It was not immediately clear how Mr. Ahmed died on Thursday. Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said an investigation would follow.

31. MBS behind ‘capture or kill Khashoggi’ operation

- Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, commonly known as MBS, approved of an operation to capture or ​ ​ ​ kill dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi who was murdered in 2018, according to a declassified U.S. intelligence ​ ​ ​ assessment released in a manner choreographed to limit damage to the U.S.-Saudi ties. ​ ​ - Khashoggi, a U.S. resident who wrote columns for The Washington Post critical of the Crown Prince’s policies, ​ ​ ​ was killed and dismembered by a team of operatives linked to the Crown Prince in the kingdom’s Consulate in Istanbul. Riyadh has denied any involvement by the Crown Prince, Saudi Arabia’s de-facto ruler.

32. U.S. in delicate balancing act as Saudi Prince spared sanctions - U.S. President Joe Biden’s decision not to sanction Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince over journalist Jamal ​ Khashoggi’s murder has frustrated campaigners, underscoring Washington’s delicate balancing act as it seeks to ​ avoid a diplomatic rupture. Washington released a long delayed intelligence report that accused Crown Prince ​ Mohammed bin Salman of approving Khashoggi’s 2018 murder in Istanbul, drawing a rebuke from Riyadh, ​ ​ which strongly rejected the assessment. - The public censure of the Prince and a slew of U.S. sanctions on dozens of Saudi officials marks a sharp departure from the policy of former President Donald Trump, who sought to shield the kingdom’s de facto ​ ruler. But Washington did not slap any direct sanctions on Prince Mohammed, known by his initials MBS, with ​ Secretary of State Antony Blinken explaining that Mr. Biden wants to “recalibrate” but not “rupture” its ​ ​ ​ relations with Riyadh, a longstanding Middle East partner.

33. Biden’s $1.9 tn virus relief plan clears House, heads to Senate - The House approved a $1.9 trillion pandemic relief Bill in a win for President Joe Biden, even as top Democrats ​ ​ tried assuring agitated progressives that they’d revive their derailed drive to boost the minimum wage. The President’s vision for flushing cash to individuals, businesses, States and cities battered by COVID-19 passed in a ​ 219 to 212 vote, with not one Republican vote. That ships the massive measure to the Senate, where Democrats seem bent on resuscitating their minimum wage push and fights could erupt over state aid and other issues. ​ ​

34. U.S. airstrike in eastern Syria a warning to Iran, says Biden - President Joe Biden said that a U.S. airstrike against an Iranian-backed militia in eastern Syria, the first since he ​ ​ ​ took office, should be seen by Iran as a warning. Asked what the message was from the air strike, Mr. Biden said: “You can’t act with impunity.” “Be careful,” he added, speaking in Houston during a tour of relief efforts after a ​ huge winter storm in Texas. - Syria and Iran condemned the attack, with Damascus calling it a “bad sign” from the new Biden administration ​ ​ and Tehran saying it would further destabilise the region. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said two F15E “Strike ​ ​ Eagles” dropped seven precisionguided munitions on facilities in eastern Syria used by the militias believed to ​ ​ be behind a spate of rocket attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq. Syria condemned the strike as “cowardly American ​ aggression.” ​ ------

Opinions and Analysis

Story : Extinction Rebellion - Rebels with a green cause ​ Link to article 1. Background - When the Extinction Rebellion (XR) set out to literally block the path of the fossil fuel-powered economy in the ​ ​ ​ U.K., in the autumn of 2018, the core of its philosophy was that stopping public activity with even small actions would change politics. It would shock a status quoist, cynically manipulative system, and turn public attention ​ ​ ​ to the world’s biggest problems: climate change and biodiversity loss

2. Founders of XR - The vision of its small group of founders led by Roger Hallam, an organic farmer turned researcher of civil ​ ​ disobedience at King’s College, London, and Gail Bradbrook, a molecular biology scholar from Yorkshire who had ​ ​ launched her activism in the Occupy movement after the 2008 financial crisis, draws heavily from the U.S. civil ​ rights struggle and Gandhian civil disobedience.

3. Demands of XR - The movement has three primary demands : all governments ‘Tell the Truth’ about the climate crisis and the ​ ​ ​ ​ mass extinction of species, commit themselves to act on net zero carbon emissions by 2025, create citizens’ ​ ​ ​ assemblies that will advise them on a just transition. ​

4. The journey continues - XR moved to the mainstream as it linked up with activists such as Greta Thunberg and the Fridays for Future ​ campaign she inspired and acquired a wider base of supporters connected with the arts, sciences, law, and ​ finance. - With every new crisis - wildfires, failed agriculture, drought, flood, heat waves and cold waves - governments and corporations are apprehensive that XR’s idea of “collaborative rebellion” will challenge locked-in policies on ​ ​ fossil fuels. - Tool-kit arrests India: Disha Ravi, who organised Fridays for Future events in India, activists Nikita Jacob and ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Shantanu Muluk have provoked the government’s ire. The implications of growing environmental and climate ​ ​ ​ crises merging with other struggles, such as the farmers’ agitation, add to the establishment's worries. XR is constantly tweaking its toolkit for nonviolent direct action, attracting public attention and demanding ​ responsible replies from governments.

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Commentary : Time and perseverance ​

1. Background

- The recent NASA mission, Mars 2020, that was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida on June 30, 2020, landed ​ ​ on the Jezero Crater in Mars on February 18, to much celebration. Of special magnificence was the entry, ​ ​ descent and landing of the mission’s Perseverance rover, described as the ‘shortest and most intense part’. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Entering the Martian atmosphere at about 20,000 km per hour, the mission had to bring the Perseverance rover to a halt on the surface in just seven minutes.

2. Exploration of Mars - NASA’s exploration of Mars has focused on finding traces and trails of water that may have existed, and relate ​ ​ it to finding evidence of ancient life. Its earlier Mars expedition which carried the Curiosity rover, landed on ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ August 5, 2012. It identified regions that could have hosted life. ​ - Expected to last at least the duration of one Mars year, or about 687 earth days, the science goals this time are ​ to look for signs of ancient life and collect rock and soil samples. Perseverance will take the inquiry made by ​ ​ ​ ​ Curiosity to the next level and search for signs of past life by studying the Jezero Crater. The crater was chosen ​ ​ for study as based on an earlier aerial survey, it was found to be home to an ancient delta. - The rover also carries a helicopter named Ingenuity that is specially designed to fly in Mars’s thin atmosphere; ​ ​ ​ its sole purpose would be to demonstrate flight on Mars.

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Commentary : The fight for dignity in the feminist struggle ​

1. Background - It is heartening to note that journalist Priya Ramani, against whom a defamation charge was filed by former journalist and minister M.J. Akbar, has been acquitted by a Delhi court and her right to dignity has been upheld. Ms. Ramani fought for over two years, and those years must not have been easy ones. - The verdict for Ms. Ramani allows us to relish a moment of quiet satisfaction that in some contexts, at least the victim’s speech may be granted the legitimacy that is often denied.

2. Some related matters - First, one may face the trauma of repression and speaking out long after they have experienced harassment or ​ violence. - Second, sexual harassment exists as part of a wide spectrum of acts, which may range from casual demeaning ​ speech to sexual threats and actual acts of assault. We need a robust culture of open speech and the right to defend our claims to dignity and justice in public, without being threatened with defamation or more. - Third, the vulnerability of being sexually exploitable appears to be part of the working conditions that bind ​ women in all sectors, and more so in so called informal work. To date, neither the Vishaka judgment nor the Act ​ ​ for sexual harassment at workplaces has been helpful in any of these contexts. - It is important to build feminist jurisprudence on the subject and think about local support systems that can ​ ​ ​ ​ enable women to stand up for their rights. Lastly, there is the question of restorative justice that some are ​ ​ interested in, and how that might apply in matters where bodily integrity is at stake.

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Analysis : The road for reducing public sector role ​

1. Background - Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in her Budget speech for 202122, announced a new policy for central ​ public sector enterprises (CPSEs), “We have kept four areas that are strategic where bare minimum CPSEs will ​ ​ be maintained and rest privatised. In the remaining sectors, all CPSEs will be privatised,” the Minister said. ​ ​

2. What goes outside the government ambit - The strategic sectors are - atomic energy, space and defence, transport and telecommunications, power, petroleum, coal and other minerals, and banking, insurance and financial services. While the initial plan was to retain one to four public sector firms in these sectors, this has now been replaced by the phrase “bare minimum presence”. - For all firms in sectors considered non strategic, privatisation or closure are the only two options being ​ ​ considered. The policy’s objective is to minimise the public sector’s role and create new investment space for ​ ​ the private sector, in the hope that the infusion of private capital, technology and management practices will contribute to growth and new jobs. The proceeds from the sale of these firms would finance various ​ government run social sector and developmental programmes. ​ ​

3. How is it different from policies in the past - This is the first time since 2004 that India is working on a slew of privatisation deals. Earlier, the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government between 1999 and 2004 had managed to sell off majority stakes in a dozen odd public sector enterprises. The new policy goes beyond the Vajpayee era privatisation drive, which was limited to a ‘case ​ ​ by case’ sale of entities in nonstrategic sectors, by stressing that even strategic sectors will have a ‘bare ​ ​ minimum’ presence of government owned firms. ​

4. What is likely to be sold - The government hopes to conclude the sale of Air India, BPCL and some other entities. Ms. Sitharaman also promised the sale of two more public sector banks and a general insurance player in her Budget speech, along ​ ​ ​ ​ with plans to list the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India on the stock markets. The Union Budget has ​ ​ estimated 1.75 lakh crore as receipts from PSU stake sales in the year, compared to its target of 2.10 lakh ​₹ ​ ₹ crore for 2020-21. ​

5. Process for selecting the CPSE - The NITI Aayog has been entrusted with suggesting which public sector firms in strategic sectors should be ​ retained, considered for privatisation or merger or ‘subsidiarisation’ with another public sector firm, or simply closed. A core group of secretaries on disinvestment will consider the NITI Aayog’s suggestions and forward its ​ ​ views to a ministerial group. ​ ​ - After the ministerial group’s nod, the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management in the Finance ​ Ministry will move a proposal to the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs for an ‘in-principle’ nod to sell ​ ​ ​ ​ specific CPSEs. - Public sector firms and corporations engaged in activities allied to the farm sector will not be privatised. ​ ​ Similarly, the policy excludes departments with commercial operations like Railways and Posts, firms making ​ ​ appliances for the physically challenged, and those providing support to vulnerable groups, security printing ​ ​ ​ and minting companies, will also be retained in the public sector. ​

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Commentary : Dealing with the bigger neighbour, China ​

1. Background - Since 1993, India and China had reached a number of agreements to maintain peace and tranquillity and ​ ​ promote confidence building measures (CBMs) in the border areas. ​ ​

2. Key features of the agreements - The boundary question would be resolved peacefully; neither side would use or threaten to use force against the other “by any means”. - That the two sides would respect and observe the Line of Actual Control (LAC). ​ - That they would jointly check and determine the segments of the LAC where they had different views as to its ​ ​ alignment and further, speed up clarification and confirmation of the LAC since a common understanding of the Line was necessary. - That military forces (including field army, border defence forces, paramilitary forces) and major categories of armaments in mutually agreed geographical zones along the LAC would be kept to a minimum level compatible ​ with friendly and good neighbourly relations and the “requirements of mutual and equal security”. ​ ​ ​ - Military exercises would be undertaken only at specified levels with prior notification being given for such ​ ​ exercises near the LAC; prior notice would be given regarding flights of combat aircraft within 10 kilometres from the LAC. - If border personnel of the two sides came face-to-face due to differences in alignment of the LAC they would ​ ​ exercise self-restraint and avoid an escalation of the situation; channels of communication and border ​ ​ personnel meetings in case of contingencies were stipulated.

3. Where our experience with China on CBMs and tension reduction along the border differs from the experience of Russia - First, the five Agreements we signed between 1993 and 2013 were not nurtured in an environment of a steady ​ enhancement of mutual trust and political commitment for building a strong infrastructure of bilateral relations between India and China that promoted both bilateral and regional understanding and cooperative endeavour. - Second, unlike in the Russia-China case, no final boundary settlement accompanied these CBMs to sustain and ​ ​ strengthen their operation. Even a joint clarification of the LAC remained unattainable. - Third, China as the bigger power, unlike the Soviet Union under Gorbachev in its dealings with Beijing, has never ​ signalled willingness to make asymmetric or unilateral concessions to India or act in a manner, especially in our neighbourhood, that enhances India’s trust or confidence.

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Commentary : Tibetology ​

1. Background - A media report on January 28 said that officers would study “Tibetan history, culture, and language on both ​ sides of the Line of Actual Control” in order to “counter Chinese influence and propaganda”.Indeed, India-China ​ ​ ​ ​ relations cannot be approached through a strictly bilateral prism that excludes Tibet and the Himalaya.

2. Tibetian span

- According to the Proceedings of the Tenth Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies (2003), ​ ​ the region includes not just UTsang (present day Tibet Autonomous Region), Amdo, and Kham, but large areas ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ in the Himalaya, including parts of Nepal and Bhutan, Sikkim, Ladakh, and Tawang.

3. Tibet & British India - Colonial Britain recognised the importance of Sikkim and Bhutan in securing its interests in Tibet, and its ​ ​ Political Officer in Sikkim cultivated close relations with aristocratic families in the region. Simultaneously, from Warren Hastings in the 1770s to Francis Younghusband in 1903-04, an army of cartographers, mountaineers, ​ missionaries, linguists, and botanists worked to produce definitive knowledge about Tibet for British India.

4. Tibet’s importance in Independent India - Independent India recognised the economic and cultural ties that traversed the Himalayas and the role of ​ ​ Buddhism as the connecting tissue. Dedicated to Tibetan and Buddhist studies, the Central Institute for Buddhist ​ Studies and the Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies were established in Leh and Sarnath, Varanasi, ​ ​ ​ respectively, as was the Namgyal Institute of Tibetology in the erstwhile kingdom of Sikkim. ​ ​ - By understanding Tibet as a buffer zone in India-China relations, the former often leads to an ahistorical ​ ​ ​ narrative of India and Tibet as “natural allies”, eschewing the history of complex political engagements between ​ ​ ​ ​ successive administrations in Lhasa and India over issues ranging from frontiers to customary rights of grazing and trade. It does not account for the centrality of Tibet in India’s relationship with Bhutan and Sikkim (before ​ 1975). ​

5. Defining Tibetology - In defining Tibetology so narrowly, we miss an opportunity to understand contemporary India. The postcolonial ​ ​ Indian state was not forged in the centres of Delhi and Calcutta alone. Nor were its mountains and plains integrated into a single nation state uniformly. The Himalaya is home to interconnected yet diverse ecologies, societies, and polities that crisscross many contemporary borders. India hosts the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, the ​ ​ ​ Central Tibetan Administration, Tibetan refugee settlements and a plethora of Tibetan institutes.

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Commentary : Sedition lies in the effect, not in the content ​

1. Background - Recent charges of sedition against individuals have brought back focus to a law introduced in the Indian Penal ​ Code in 1870. In Kedar Nath Singh v. State of Bihar (1962), the Supreme Court upheld the constitutional validity ​ ​ ​ ​ of sedition and noted it as being a reasonable restriction on free speech as provided in Article 19(2) of the ​ ​ ​ Constitution. Following the Kedar Nath case, the Bombay High Court, in the case of cartoonist Aseem Trivedi, issued guidelines which the police must follow prior to invoking the provisions of sedition.

2. How the law stands - Courts have on numerous occasions cautioned law enforcement agencies not to misuse the provisions on sedition, and follow court directions, regrettably, they are grossly ignored. The problem therefore lies in the ​ ​ poor implementation of the law and guidelines. This is evident from recent reports, based on data from the ​ National Crime Records Bureau on cases of sedition. Notably, many charged were individuals protesting ​ ​ government action, which the Constitution Bench in KedarNath held falls outside the ambit of sedition. ​

- This data and the gross misuse of the legal provisions compel one to state that even though a Constitution Bench upheld the vires of the law of sedition, the circumstances now require a complete relook at the provision.

3. Need to relook - The U.K. repealed the offence of sedition in 2010 and India is holding onto a relic of the British Empire. It also ​ ​ sought consideration on whether keeping Section 124A would serve any purpose and whether reducing the rigour of the law of sedition would be detrimental or beneficial to the nation. - Courts must adopt what Western countries follow: an effect based test which examines the effects of the ​ ​ ​ seditious text rather than a content-based test which reviews the text alone. ​ - To conclude, the only ‘toolkit’ we all really need is our Constitution and the principles it enshrines to protect ​ citizen freedoms, life and liberty. It is not the alleged seditious acts that are creating fragments in our society; it ​ is in fact the persecution of individuals and labelling them that are really creating cracks in our socio-politico ecosystem.

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Commentary : Bail as right ​ 1. In granting bail for six months to poet Varvara Rao in the Bhima Koregoan case on medical grounds, the Bombay High Court has affirmed the principle that even the stringent provisions of an antiterrorism law are not ​ ​ invincible before a prisoner’s constitutional rights. ​ 2. The court overruled the National Investigation Agency’s objection that bail should not be granted on medical ​ ​ grounds once an undertrial prisoner’s bail application was rejected on merits under UAPA, as long as access to treatment in a government hospital was available. The court looked at Mr. Rao’s plight from the perspective of his right to life under Article 21. ​ 3. Bail is routinely denied in most cases under UAPA. It became a watertight embargo since the Supreme Court in 2019 gave a ruling that made it nearly impossible for anyone arrested under UAPA to be released on bail, ​ ​ unless the accused could demonstrate that the charges against them were prima facie untrue. However, a few recent judicial decisions have sought to carve out exceptions. The Supreme Court laid down recently that prolonged incarceration without any possibility of an early completion of trial could be a ground for granting ​ bail.

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Analysis : Inhibiting free speech ​ 1. Background - The Delhi Assembly summoned Facebook honcho Ajit Mohan to depose before its Peace and Harmony ​ ​ ​ Committee, it unwittingly provoked a litigation that may have far-reaching implications on federalism, the ​ separation of powers and fundamental rights in India.

2. What the principles says : Federalism vs Parliamentary privilege - Federalism imposes an insuperable challenge to the traditional broad reading of parliamentary privilege. The ​ ​ argument goes: Unlike the House of Commons, the powers of State Assemblies are more limited. If the State Assembly cannot pass a law on a subject, how can it claim a right to discuss it or call witnesses for it?

- Legislatures also have a separate non judicial power of inquiry which has been judicially regarded as being ​ ​ ​ inherent to the legislature, flowing perhaps from what Walter Bagehot would call the expressive and informative function of the House. - Second, the legislative lists frequently overlap and courts resolve any conflict by adopting a test of pith and ​ substance of the law in question. Third, we live in the era of cooperative federalism. Fourth, there is the delicate ​ ​ issue of whether the courts can or ought to sit in judgment on the proceedings of State Assemblies determining what can or cannot be discussed based on the courts’ view of the topic. The experiences of Canada and Australia, both common law federal jurisdictions, are also instructive.

------Analysis : IAEA The ‘imperfect’ fight against proliferation ​

1. IAEA Objectives - As the preeminent nuclear watchdog under the UN, the IAEA is entrusted with the task of upholding the principles of the Nuclear NonProliferation Treaty of 1970. Established as an autonomous organisation on July ​ ​ ​ 29, 1957, at the height of the Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, the IAEA claims that it “works ​ with its member states and multiple partners worldwide to promote the safe, secure and peaceful use of nuclear technologies”. Though established independently of the UN through its own international treaty, the agency ​ reports to both the UN General Assembly and the Security Council.

2. IAEA Report card - However, there have always been questions about the Agency’s ability to work independently, without being drawn into big power rivalries. Both Mohamed El Baradei (1997-2009) and Yukiya Amano (2009-19) were vocal ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ at difficult moments. Under pressure from George W. Bush administration to back the American claim that the ​ Saddam Hussein regime of Iraq was pursuing nuclear weapons, Mr. El Ba-radei maintained that he would not ​ rush into a judgement on this matter without incontrovertible evidence that could prove that Hussein had committed a gross violation of nonproliferation. ​ - While the agency played a key role in providing the platform for holding frank discussions about civil nuclear requirements for several countries, it proved to be ineffective to prevent power politics from influencing nuclear negotiations. This was particularly visible when Pakistan pursued a nuclear weapons programme in the 1980s ​ and despite overwhelming evidence in possession of the American authorities, they did not pursue the case effectively through the IAEA because of the cooperation between the U.S. and Pakistan on the Afghan front. - The IAEA was the first to announce that the North Korean nuclear programme was not peaceful. North Korea ​ ​ finally expelled IAEA observers and as a result, there are no on the ground international inspectors in North Korea. - The IAEA certified the nuclear power plant at Rawatbhata in Rajasthan in 2012, which drew criticism as the ​ ​ ​ power plant had two incidents of leakage of nuclear material earlier that year. - One major criticism of the IAEA is that it never challenges the nuclear dominance of the five permanent ​ members of the UNSC, who themselves hold some of the biggest nuclear arsenals of the world. ​

3. Iran Nuclear Deal outcome - The coming weeks will, however, test the 63-year old organisation as Iran remains suspicious of the exact ​ intentions of the U.S. under the Biden administration. The current episode, which involves regional political concerns like SaudiIran and IranIsrael rivalries as well as the American interests in the region, will certainly test ​ ​ the leadership of Rafael Mariano Grossi, the current Director General of the IAEA. ​

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Economics and Finance

Daily snippets

1. CSR shouldn't be mandated - Wipro founder and philanthropist Azim Premji said companies should not be legally mandated to engage in ​ ​ corporate social responsibility as contributions to society need to “come from within”. Mr. Premji, who ​ contributed 7,904 crore in donations last year, also highlighted that the COVID-19 crisis was a “wake up call” to ​ ₹ ​ ​ ​ look at fundamental issues like the need to improve public systems like health, and changing the structure of ​ ​ society to make it more equal and just.

2. India urges credit rating agencies to put more insight in its numbers - India is urging global credit rating agencies to look at its fiscal deficit and debt numbers in the context of the ​ stimulus spending requirements posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Stressing that the government’s infrastructure spending push would have an ‘immediate impact’ on core ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ sectors, opportunities for labour, and demand creation at the industry as well as consumer level, the Minister ​ said she expected the Indian economy to recover and record good, sustainable growth in the next decade. ​ ​ ​ - “We are spending but we are also very clearly telling even the credit rating agencies that every country is going ​ ​ ​ through the pandemic and every country has to spend to keep the stimulus going, so every country’s rating will have to be in relative terms, and not just into the silo of India, ‘x’ or ‘y’ country. So spending, borrowing are all ​ relative terms and we would want every institution to look at it with a sense of the relative understanding and context, ” she said. ​ - The Minister also said the government was privatising public sector units not for them to be closed down but for improving their operational efficiency with professional skills available outside the government. ​ ​

3. India Ratings raises banking sector outlook to stable - India Ratings and Research revised its outlook on the overall banking sector to ‘stable’ for FY22 from ‘negative’ ​ ​ even as it saw higher stress emerging in the retail loan segment. It estimated that overall stressed assets (gross ​ ​ non performing assets + restructured assets) could rise 30% for the banking system; the increase is almost 1.7 ​ ​ times in the retail segment in the second half of FY22. - The agency also revised credit growth estimates to 6.9% for FY21 from the earlier 1.8%, and forecast 8.9% for ​ FY22. It said that a lot of the retail stress was coming from unsecured advances and that it would be seen more ​ ​ ​ ​ in private banks because of their higher exposure to unsecured loans. The agency also expected deposit rates to ​ ​ ​ ​ rise as credit growth revives and capital market flows are enhanced.

4. Growth momentum needs to be strengthened - The growth momentum needs to be strengthened for a sustained revival of the economy and a quick return to ​ ​ the pre-COVID trajectory, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das said. “Growth, although uneven, is recovering and ​ ​ ​ ​ gathering momentum, and the outlook has improved significantly with the rollout of the vaccine programme in ​ the country. The growth momentum, however, needs to strengthen further for a sustained revival of the ​ ​ economy and for a quick return of the level of output to the pre-COVID trajectory,” he added. ​ ​ ​ - Given the sharp moderation in inflation along with a stable near-term outlook, he said, the monetary policy ​ ​ needed to continue with the accommodative stance to ensure that the recovery gained greater traction and ​ ​ became broad-based. Deputy Governor Michael Patra said overall, the near-term outlook for inflation appeared ​ ​ ​ ​ less risky than the near-term challenges for growth which warrant continuing policy support. ​ ​ - What is monetary policy? It is the macroeconomic policy laid down by the central bank. It involves management ​ ​ ​ ​ of money supply and interest rate and is the demand side economic policy used by the government of a country ​ ​ to achieve macroeconomic objectives like inflation, consumption, growth and liquidity.

5. Government to review anti-dumping duty on Chinese products - The Commerce Ministry’s investigation arm DGTR has initiated a probe to review the need for continuing ​ ​ imposition of antidumping duty on certain types of steel products - seamless tubes, pipes and hollow profiles ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ of iron, alloy or non alloy steel imported from China, following complaints from domestic industry, according to ​ ​ a notification. - The complaint alleges that dumping of these products from China have continued even after imposition of ​ ​ antidumping duty, and there has been a significant increase in the volume of imports. DGTR would review the ​ ​ need for continued imposition of the duties in force and examine whether the expiry of existing duties is likely ​ ​ ​ ​ to lead to continuation or recurrence of dumping and impact the domestic industry.

6. Pharma exports to Arab countries - India has urged Arab countries to make it easier to export pharmaceutical products to the region and asked ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ them to tap Indian farms to secure food supplies, as it seeks to diversify the $160 billion trade basket with the ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Arab bloc beyond hydrocarbons. India-Arab trade accounts for 20% of India’s overall trade, but is still ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ concentrated in hydrocarbons. ​

7. Modi on government assets - Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged foreign investors to tap investment opportunities thrown up by the ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ government’s decision to privatise most public sector entities and monetise ‘unutilised and underutilised assets’ ​ ​ ​ ​ such as airports that have an estimated investment potential of 2.5 lakh crore. The government’s mantra is ​ ₹ ‘Monetise or Modernise’, the PM said, stressing that the funds raised from the exercise will help empower ​ ​ ​ citizens by building homes for the poor and ensuring clean water reaches all. ​ - Mr. Modi said government officials in charge of PSUs are often scared of taking decisions and there is a tendency ​ ​ to maintain status quo. The private sector can not only bring capital but also introduce global best practices and ​ quality manpower and modernise enterprises, the PM pointed out.

8. Private banks can handle government business - Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that the embargo on private banks handling government ​ ​ business had been lifted, paving the way for such lenders to handle tax payments, pension payments and even ​ ​ small savings schemes. The government’s decision has been conveyed to the Reserve Bank of India, the Finance ​

Ministry said in a statement, as the central bank is entrusted with authorising private banks to undertake ​ ​ handling of government and its agencies’ business. ​

9. Cabinet approves PLI plan for pharma, IT hardware - The Union Cabinet approved the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for the pharmaceuticals and IT ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ hardware sectors, entailing an outlay of 15,000 crore and 7,350 crore, respectively. The PLI scheme for ​ ₹ ₹ pharmaceuticals, for nine years till 2028-29, will benefit domestic manufacturers, help create employment and is ​ ​ ​ expected to contribute to the availability of a wider range of affordable medicines for consumers, the government said. The scheme is expected to bring in investment of 15,000 crore in the pharmaceutical sector. ​ ₹ ​ ​ - The scheme also aims to create global champions from India that have the potential to grow in size and scale using cutting edge technology and thereby penetrate global value chains. The Cabinet also approved the PLI ​ ​ ​ ​ Scheme for IT hardware such as laptops, tablets, all in one PCs and servers. The scheme, under which an ​ ​ ​ incentive will be given on net incremental sales of goods manufactured in India for four years, will benefit five ​ ​ ​ ‘major global players’ and ten domestic ‘champions’ in IT hardware, the government said. ​

10. Proposed 'Bad Banks' move will not hit existing Asset reconstruction companies (ARC) - The ‘bad bank’ proposed in the Union Budget will not jeopardise the activity of existing asset reconstruction ​ ​ ​ companies (ARCs) , said Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das. Advocating a durable push for Indian ​ ​ ​ exports through free trade pacts with ‘strategically important economies,’ Mr. Das warned that the recovery in ​ ​ ​ global trade was uneven and sought urgent attention from global policymakers to rein in disruptions in global ​ supply chains caused by a steep surge in shipping costs and delivery times. ​ - “It’s not really a bad bank (but) an ARC type entity that will be set up to take over the stressed assets from the ​ ​ ​ books of public sector banks (PSBs) and try to resolve them like any other ARC. So that is targeting a specific set ​ of bad assets which certain groups of PSBs hold. In no way will it jeopardise the activity of existing ARCs.” On ​ free trade pacts, he said, “Key considerations should be to identify countries and regions that not only have the ​ ​ ​ potential as a market for domestic goods and services but also have the scope to enhance domestic ​ competitiveness.” ​

11. Current inflation target band apt for next five years, says RBI report - With the next review of the flexible inflation targeting (FIT) framework coming up soon, the Reserve Bank of ​ ​ ​ India, in the Report on Currency and Finance for FY21, said the current inflation target of 4% with a +/2% ​ ​ tolerance band is appropriate for the next five years. ​ - The report said the trend inflation had fallen from above 9% before FIT to a range of 3.84.3 % during FIT, ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ indicating that 4% is the appropriate level of the inflation target. The report said an inflation rate of 6% is the ​ ​ ​ appropriate upper tolerance limit for the target. A lower bound above 2% can lead to actual inflation frequently ​ dipping below the tolerance band while a lower bound below 2% will hamper growth, indicating that an inflation ​ rate of 2 % is the appropriate lower tolerance bound. ​ ​

12. India 'out of recession', GDP grows 0.4% - India’s economy resurfaced to growth territory in the third quarter of fiscal year (FY) 202021, clocking a 0.4% rise ​ in the gross domestic product (GDP), as per data from the National Statistical Office (NSO). GDP had shrunk in ​ ​ ​ the first two quarters by 24.4% and 7.3% as per revised data, amid the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns, ​ ​ ​ marking a technical recession. - The Finance Ministry termed the 0.4% real GDP growth in Q3 as a return to ‘the pre pandemic times of positive ​ growth rates’ and a reflection of a ‘further strengthening of V shaped recovery that began in Q2’. India’s farm ​ ​

sector remained resilient, clocking a 3.9% growth in Gross Value Added (GVA) to the economy in the ​ ​ October-to-December quarter, after recording a 3.3% and 3% rise in the first two quarters, respectively. In Q3, ​ ​ manufacturing, construction and financial, real estate and professional services staged a return to growth for the first time in the year after two bad quarters. ​ - The Finance Ministry said the resurgence in manufacturing and construction augured well for them to drive ​ ​ ​ ​ growth in FY22 and added that services, which account for more than 50% of India’s GVA and the biggest ​ ​ source for pushing consumption, had done remarkably better in Q3. - What is Gross Value Added? In economics, gross value added is the measure of the value of goods and services ​ produced in an area, industry or sector of an economy.

13. Coffee output may drop - Untimely rains and hail stones that lashed plantations in the last six days causing large scale berry dropping is ​ ​ ​ ​ expected to impact arabica and robusta coffee production by 30% for the 202021 crop year, as per estimates by ​ ​ ​ ​ planters. According to Coffee Board’s post monsoon estimates, during the crop year 2020-21, India was ​ ​ ​ ​ expecting an arabica production of 1.02 lakh metric tonnes (MT) and robusta production of 2.4 lakh MT. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

14. India's import guidelines review with China - The government has placed curbs on the procurement of finished goods from China by firms supplying goods ​ ​ and services under the public procurement system, while allowing the use of Chinese raw material or ​ ​ components without prior permission. “A bidder is permitted to procure raw material, components, ​ ​ ​ subassemblies, etc. from the vendors from such countries which shares a land border,” the Department of ​ ​ ​ Expenditure in the Finance Ministry has said in a memo, arguing that such procurement cannot be equated with ​ ​ subcontracting. ​ ​ - Vendors proposing to source finished goods from Chinese suppliers will need to seek registration with the committee. The development assumes significance at a time the government is considering rebooting approvals ​ ​ ​ for China-related investment proposals following the disengagement at the Indo-Chinese border after an ​ ​ ​ ​ extended period of tension. ​

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Sports

Daily snippets

1. Osaka, Djokovic reign at Melbourne - Japan's Naomi Osaka dismissed Jennifer Brady 6-4, 6-3 in front of thousands of fans to win the Australian Open ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ in style for her fourth Grand Slam title. The 23-year old, who becomes only the third player after Monica Seles ​ ​ and Roger Federer to win their first four Major finals, will now rise to second in the world rankings. - World No. 1 Novak Djokovic demolished Russia's Daniil Medvedev in straight sets to win his ninth Australian ​ Open title and extend his record breaking reign at Melbourne Park. Djokovic overpowered the fourth seed 7-5, ​ ​ ​ ​ 6-2, 6-2. In winning a third straight Australian Open for the second time, the Serb claimed his 18th Grand Slam ​ ​ ​ ​ title to move within two of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal who have 20 each. The win reinforced Djokovic's ​ ​ ​ ​ status as World No. 1, where he will mark his 311th week when the new rankings come out on Monday, ​ surpassing Federer's record of 310. ​

2. National TT championship - G. Sathiyan’s wait to lay his hands on the winner’s trophy of the National table tennis championship has finally ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ended. Playing his fourth final in seven years, Sathiyan ended the jinx by beating nine time winner Sharath ​ Kamal 11-6, 11-7, 10-12, 7-11, 11-8, 11-8 in under 50 minutes. Sathiyan received 2.50 lakh and a trophy while ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ₹ Sharath collected 1.65 lakh and the runner-up trophy. ​ ₹

3. Motera stadium named after PM Modi - The world’s largest cricket arena at Motera in Ahmedabad, the Sardar Patel Cricket Stadium, was renamed ​ ​ ​ Narendra Modi Stadium and was inaugurated on Wednesday by President Ram Nath Kovind. The rebuilt stadium ​ ​ is part of the proposed Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Sports Enclave to be spread over 220 acres on the Sabarmati ​ ​ ​ ​ river bank in the North East of Ahmedabad.It will comprise a natatorium, athletics track, football, hockey and ​ tennis stadia, velodrome/skating area among other facilities. - The refurbished venue is spread over 63 acres and has a seating capacity of 1.1 lakh, more than double the previous number of 49,000. The ground has been equipped with LED floodlights, a first for any Indian sports site. ​

4. Ankita Raina : The new Indian on the bloc - Last week, Ankita Raina became India’s first WTA champion since Sania Mirza, when she won the doubles title ​ ​ at Phillip Island Trophy in Melbourne. She became the third Indian woman after Sania Mirza and Shikha Uberoi ​ to enter the top100 in doubles while representing India. ​

5. PM Modi inaugurates Khelo India Winter Games - Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the second edition of the Khelo India Winter Games and said ​ ​ hosting such events will make J&K a sports hub. He said the second edition of the Winter Games at Gulmarg will ​ prepare sportsmen for bigger international platforms like the Olympics. Modi said the players participating in ​ ​ ​ ​

the event epitomises the ‘one India, one nation’ spirit. Around 1200 athletes and guests from across the ​ ​ ​ country will participate in multiple events, including snowshoe race, ice skating, ice hockey, skiing, Nordic ski, ​ snowboarding, ski mountaineering, ice stock, etc.

6. Bronze for Indian men's skeet team - Angad Vir Singh Bajwa, Mairaj Ahmad Khan and Gurjoat Khangura narrowly missed a chance to fight for the ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ gold, but clinched the skeet team bronze in the Shotgun World Cup being held in Cairo. The Indian team shot ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 146 out of 150 to reach a total of 491 and tied with Russia, while Czech Republic topped with 498. India beat ​ Kazakhstan 62 to win the bronze. ​ - The Indian women’s team of Parinaaz Dhaliwal, Ganemat Sekhon and Karttiki Singh Shaktawat lost the battle for ​ bronze 46 to Kazakhstan, while Russia beat Czech Republic 62 for the gold. ​ ​

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Suggested Readings

1. India's first Dictatorship : The emergency 1975-77, Link to article ​ ​ 2. Law students: Then and now, Link to article ​ ​ 3. Suspicion and proof, Link to article ​ ​ 4. WASH program across health facilities in India, Link to article ​ ​ 5. Statutory Provisions of arrest and remand, Link to article ​ ​ 6. Dissent is not sedition, Link to article ​ ​ 7. Appointment of the Chief Justice of India, Link to article ​ ​ 8. Suspecting the disquiet in democracy, Link to article ​ ​ 9. Excise duty-fiscal policy contradiction, Link to article ​ ​ 10. New social media rules, Link to article ​ ​ 11. The absurdity of the anti-defection law, Link to article ​ ​ 12. GOI limitations on International Webinars, Link to article ​ ​ 13. Making Indian Judiciary more economically responsible, Link to article ​ ​ 14. Federalism and India's human capital, Link to article ​ ​ 15. Explainer : Australian government vs Facebook, Link to article ​ ​ 16. Who is Nodeep Kaur and why she was arrested, Link to article ​ ​

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

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