NATIONAL NEWS
Govt seeks Parliament nod for ₹62,000 crore infusion in Air India Assets Holding Company
The Government on Friday sought Parliament’s nod to infuse over ₹62,000 crore into the company that holds residual assets and liabilities of Air India after its privatisation, as part of over ₹3.73 lakh crore additional spending planned in the current financial year. The extra spending would include ₹58,430 crore by way of additional fertiliser subsidy, ₹53,123 crore towards payment of pending export incentives, and ₹22,039 crore to rural development ministry for transfer to National Rural Employment Guarantee Fund. Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary tabled the second batch of supplementary demands for grants tabled in Lok Sabha, envisaging a net cash outgo of over ₹2.99 lakh crore, and ₹74,517 crore extra expenditure would be matched by savings by different ministries. As per the document, ₹62,057 crore would be given to the Civil Aviation Ministry for equity infusion in Air India Assets Holding Company (AIAHL) for re-payment of past government guaranteed borrowing and past dues/liabilities of Air India. Besides, an additional ₹2,628 crore would be given towards loans and advances to Air India for recoupment of advance from Contingency Fund of India. The additional fertiliser subsidy include ₹43,430 crore on account of payment towards indigenous and imported Phosphatic and Potassic (P&K) Subsidy and ₹15,000 crore towards urea subsidy scheme. Besides, the Department of Food and Public Distribution would be given an additional ₹49,805 crore for meeting expenditure towards various schemes of food storage and warehousing. The 2021-22 Budget had projected government’s total expenditure at ₹34.83 lakh crore. But this is expected to overshoot considering the two batches of supplementary demands for grants presented by the government so far. The government had in August received Parliament nod for net additional spending ₹23,675 crore in the first batch of supplementary demands for grants.
No proposal for banning any group named ‘NSO Group’: Chandrasekhar
The government on Friday said there was no proposal to ban any group named ‘NSO Group’ and that it does not have any information on whether the US has blacklisted the group for providing Pegasus spyware. Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar was responding to a written question in Rajya Sabha on the banning of NSO Group. On whether the U.S. has blacklisted NSO Group and Candiru for providing Pegasus spyware that was allegedly used to maliciously target journalists, embassy workers and activists, he said, “No such information is available in this ministry”. To a question on whether the ministry has also banned the NSO Group in India, Chandrasekhar said, “There is no proposal for banning any group named ‘NSO Group.’” Earlier this year, a row erupted over Israeli spyware Pegasus allegedly being used for targeted surveillance in India. In October, the Supreme Court set up a three-member independent expert panel to probe the alleged use of the spyware for targeted surveillance in India. The apex court had also observed that the state cannot get a “free pass” every time the spectre of national security is raised and that its mere invocation cannot render the judiciary a “’mute spectator”.
Protests over BJP MP’s Bill to amend Preamble
A Bill to amend the Preamble to the Constitution to replace the word “socialist” with “equitable”, among other changes, being introduced by BJP MP K.J. Alphons led to protests by Opposition MPs on Friday. The Preamble plaque at the Vidhana Soudha. Alphons moved the motion to introduce the Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2021 in the Upper House to which Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Manoj Kumar Jha objected. “Amendment to the Preamble is an attack on the very edifice of the Constitution,” Prof. Jha said, adding that the Bill had not got the President’s prior consent. Deputy Chairman Harivansh, however, said the Bill did not require President’s consent to be introduced and that the House would decide on the matter. Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs V. Muraleedharan suggested that a ruling be given at a later date, leading Harivansh to say the decision had been “reserved”. Alphons’ Bill, which was among the many private member’s Bills listed for introduction on Friday afternoon, sought to change the words in the Preamble “EQUALITY of status and of opportunity” to “EQUALITY of status and of opportunity to be born, to be fed, to be educated, to get a job and to be treated with dignity”. The Bill also proposed adding “access to information technology” and “happiness” as objectives. Among the other private member’s Bills introduced in the House were the Women’s (Reservation in Workplace) Bill, 2021 by DMK MP Tiruchi Siva, K.T.S. Tulsi’s Bill to amend the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, setting a three-month limit on deciding matters of disqualification of members under the anti-defection law, and the Population Control Bill, 2021 by BJP MP Harnath Singh Yadav.
Bills seeking to extend tenures of ED, CBI chiefs introduced in Lok Sabha
The government introduced two Bills in the Lok Sabha on Friday that seek to extend the tenures of the directors of the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) up to a maximum of five years, amid protests from Opposition members, who said that the Bills were against the Supreme Court observations on the matter, and were being brought in to harass Opposition leaders from such agencies. Minister of State for Personnel and Training Dr. Jitendra Singh introduced The Central Vigilance Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2021 and the Delhi Special Police Establishment (Amendment) Bill, 2021 to replace ordinances that had been brought in the recess period. Congress’s Shashi Tharoor raised objections to the two Bills, stating that it completely disregarded the Supreme Court’s observations that were clear in the view that extensions of tenure to superannuated officials should only be done in rare cases. The government’s move was mala fide. Trinamool Congress member Saugata Roy opposed the move, contending that both the ED and CBI were used by the government to harass Opposition leaders. Congress members K. Suresh, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and RSP member N.K. Premachandran also opposed the introduction of the Bills. They said piecemeal extensions would lead to officers’ loyalty to the government. Dr. Jitendra Singh, however, said the Bills were being brought in, as earlier laws only fixed a minimum limit on the tenures of the Directors of the CBI and the ED. “The earlier laws never put any limit on the tenures, we are limiting it to five years,” he noted. The ordinances were necessitated as Parliament remained disrupted. Should the government stop working if the House didn’t work, he asked. The CBI and ED chiefs enjoy a fixed tenure of two years from the date of their appointment in the wake of the directives of the Supreme Court in the famous Vineet Narain case. The ED Director is appointed by the government on the recommendation of a committee chaired by the Central Vigilance Commissioner and members comprising Vigilance Commissioners, the Home Secretary, Secretary DoPT and the Revenue Secretary. The CBI Director is selected on the basis of the recommendation of a committee consisting of the Prime Minister, the Chief of Justice of India and the Leader of Opposition.
Implement panel’s anti-pollution measures, SC tells Centre, Delhi Govt.
The Supreme Court on Friday approved the measure taken by the Centre’s Air Quality Commission to create an ‘Enforcement Task Force’ and flying squads to prevent and penalise polluters in Delhi NCR. Appearing before a Bench led by Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, for the Centre, said the task force was formed on December 2. Mehta, reading out from an affidavit filed by the commission in court, informed the court that 17 flying squads were formed on Thursday and would be increased to 40 in the next 24 hours. The flying squads have already conducted 25 surprise checks since December 2. These squads would directly report to the task force. The court directed the Centre and the Delhi Government to implement the anti-pollution measures introduced by the commission. The affidavit said industrial operations in NCR where gas was not available and not running on PNG or clean fuel would be allowed to operate for eight hours during weekdays and remain closed in weekends. Senior advocate Vikas Singh, for petitioner, suggested harnessing solar or electrical energy to power the plants. When Uttar Pradesh objected to the eight-hour work day, saying the sugarcane farmers would be hit at the peak of the ongoing crushing season, the court asked the State to approach the commission. The court posted the case to December 10. “We will keep this matter pending,” Chief Justice Ramana said. The court, in a hearing on Thursday, had questioned the very purpose of having the Air Quality Commission with the pollution levels continuing to go up. It had given the Centre a 24-hour deadline to act.
Cyclone Jawad: Heavy rains expected in A.P., Odisha, West Bengal, Assam and Meghalaya from December 3 to 6
Mohapatra, Director General of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), at a press conference on Friday said that a storm in the Bay of Bengal has intensified into a cyclonic storm, Jawad, this afternoon. “The current wind speed is about 60-70 kmph and it’s now 420 km south east of Vishakapatnam, and 650 km south east of Paradip, Odisha,” said Mohapatra. The maximum impact is expected on North Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. Maximum predicted wind speed is 90 kmph by evening of December 4. Heavy rains are expected in AP, Odisha, West Bengal, Assam and Meghalaya from December 3 to 6. By noon of December 5, it will touch Puri coast and keep moving along the coast towards West Bengal. Squally winds hitting 40-50 kmph will be felt from December 3. It will temporarily be a ‘severe cyclone’. By December 5, wind speeds are expected to touch a max of 90 kmph in some districts of Odisha. Fishing operations must be completely suspended. Mohapatra said, “This cyclone is expected to be much less intense than recent ones such as Titli, and nowhere near extreme ones such as Failin, Fani, Hudhud.” Not all cyclones form an ‘eye’. Only severe and extreme ones do. Currently no eye has formed for Jawad, said IMD. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has earmarked 64 teams to tackle ‘Jawad’, which is expected to affect the states of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal, a senior officer said. NDRF Director General (DG) Atul Karwal told reporters during a briefing here that while 46 teams have been deployed or pre-positioned in the vulnerable states, 18 teams have been kept in reserve.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
18 countries to celebrate ‘Maitri Diwas’ to commemorate India-Bangladesh friendship
‘Maitri Diwas’ will be marking the day that India recognized Bangladesh 10 days before its Liberation in 1971. Maitri Diwas will be celebrated in 18 countries all over the world. India was also one of the first countries in establishing bilateral diplomatic relations with the newly independent Bangladesh in 1971.
Russian President Vladimir Putin to visit India on December 6; to attend 21st India-Russia Annual Summit
The President of Russia Vladimir Putin will visit India on December 6, 2021. He will be in the country to attend the 21st India-Russia Annual Summit as well as the series of meetings that will take place between the two nations. The Summit will take place in the afternoon of December 6.
ADB approves $500-million loan to improve quality of school education
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $500 million loan to the Government of India to help improve the quality of the country’s school education and mitigate the impact of the Covid-19) pandemic on students’ learning. The loan supports the Integrated Scheme for School Education (Samagra Shiksha) and the new Exemplar School Initiative of the Ministry of Education (MOE) to improve education quality by focussing on inclusive and equitable learning outcomes.
Federal Bank launches an exclusive feature-rich scheme for women
Private sector lender, Federal Bank has launched a feature-rich savings bank product for women. The savings scheme is called Mahila Mitra Plus and provides a curated set of features, designed to make financial planning and investments easy for women.
