CURRENT AFFAIRS
11 December 2020
NATIONAL NEWS:
A) Govt. urges farmers to consider its proposal; farmers demand ‘concrete solution’
Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar on Thursday made an appeal to farmer union leaders to consider the proposals sent by the Central government and continue the dialogue. He was holding a press briefing with the Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Piyush Goyal on the matter. Saying he was pained to see that farmers were not able to take decisions despite all their doubts being addressed by the government, Tomar said the government was ready to talk to them with an open mind. He added that farmers should soon decide on the next date of talks. Tomar said farmer unions should give up the path of agitation since it was not correct to intensify the stir when talks were on. On the possibility of repealing the three contentious laws, Tomar said that no law was completely bad. He reiterated that the government was ready to discuss with an open mind any provisions that the farmers felt were against them. Responding to the renewed appeal by the Union government to the farmer unions to consider their proposal for amendments in the three agriculture sector laws, the joint front of the farmer unions maintained that they too had not shut the doors for negotiations but the government must come up with a concrete solution to end the impasse. Reacting to the government’s appeal for talks, Bharatiya Kisan Union (R) president Balbir Singh Rajewal, in a press conference by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha leaders at Singhu border, the proposals sent by the government on Wednesday had been discussed for hours in several meetings and there was nothing new in them.
B) J.P. Nadda’s convoy attacked in West Bengal, Amit Shah orders probe.
The convoy of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president J.P. Nadda was attacked on Thursday when he, along with other senior party leaders, was on his way to Diamond Harbour in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district to participate in a party workers rally. Videos clips shared by BJP’s West Bengal unit showed that vehicles of several party leaders, including national general secretary Kaliash Vijayvargiya, vice-president Mukul Roy, and State BJP president Dilip Ghosh were damaged. The videos showed people standing on both sides of the road holding Trinamool Congress flags and posters against the BJP when suddenly stones start hitting the windscreen and windows of the vehicles. Several vehicles in which the BJP leaders were travelling were damaged. A few BJP leaders and their security personnel were injured in the attack. Vehicles in which mediapersons were travelling were also damaged. The convoy was stopped at various places because of roadblocks along the route. Speaking at the event in Diamond Harbour, Nadda said what he witnessed today had made it evident that the government of Mamata Banerjee had become synonymous with a state of lawlessness and intolerance. Home Minister Amit Shah has ordered an investigation into the attack and asked the Governor for a detailed report on law and order in the state.
C) PM lays foundation stone for new Parliament building.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the new Parliament building, for which the ground-breaking ceremony was held, would reflect the aspirations of 21st century India. The ceremony was attended by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha Harivansh, Union Minister Hardeep Puri and Pralhad Joshi, along with senior members of the Union Cabinet, diplomats, and Members of Parliament. The ceremony included an all-faith prayer as well, while priests from Karnataka’s Shringeri Math did the rituals. Our Constitution was framed and given to us in the current parliament building and it is the repository of much of our democratic legacy but it is important to be realistic as well. Over the last 100 years several modifications have been made to the current building to the point where even the building requires rest. Which is why the decision was taken to construct a new Parliament building, Modi said, explaining the decision. He also spoke of some of the features being added to the new building, including a place where constituents could meet their MPs, a facility missing in the current building.
D) India ‘totally’ responsible for LAC situation: China.
China on Thursday said that the responsibility totally lies with the Indian side for the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), responding to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s statement that China had violated border agreements by deploying a large number of soldiers along the border. Jaishankar had said that China had given India five differing explanations for its unprecedented deployment of forces on the LAC this summer, speaking at a virtual session with the Sydney-based Lowy Institute on Wednesday. They are today probably at the most difficult phase of our relationship with China, certainly in the last 30 to 40 years or you could argue even more, he had said. He added that the relationship this year has been very significantly damaged by China’s violation of border agreements under which both sides would not deploy large number of forces along the LAC. In Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying, responding to a question about Jaishankar’s statement, said the merits of the situation were very clear. The merits of the situation at the border area are very clear and the responsibility totally lies with the Indian side. China has been strictly observing the agreements signed between the two sides and committed to resolving the border issue through dialogue and we are committed to safeguarding regional peace and tranquillity at border areas… But like all sovereign states we are determined in safeguarding our territorial integrity. So on the Indian side, I think this is a serious question on which it should reflect upon, Hua said.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
A) U.S. govt, 48 states sue Facebook for ‘predatory’ conduct.
The U.S. government and 48 states and districts sued Facebook on Wednesday, accusing it of abusing its market power to crush smaller competitors and seeking remedies that could include a forced spin-off of the social network’s Instagram and WhatsApp messaging services. The landmark antitrust lawsuits, announced by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and New York Attorney General Letitia James, mark the second major government offensive this year against seemingly untouchable tech behemoths. The Justice Department sued Google in October for abusing its dominance in online search and advertising the government’s most significant attempt to buttress competition since its historic case against Microsoft two decades ago. Amazon and Apple have also been under investigation in Congress and by federal authorities for alleged anticompetitive conduct. James noted at a press conference that it’s really critically important that we block this predatory acquisition of companies and restore confidence to the market. The FTC said Facebook has engaged in a a systematic strategy to eliminate its competition, including by purchasing smaller up-and-coming rivals like Instagram in 2012 and WhatsApp in 2014. James echoed that in her press conference, saying Facebook used its monopoly power to crush smaller rivals and snuff out competition, all at the expense of everyday users.
B) India and Nepal launch air bubble to resume flights.
India and Nepal have decided to launch an air bubble arrangement for restarting commercial flights, after months of disruption caused by the pandemic. India had proposed the arrangement, which was cleared after the recent visit of Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla to Kathmandu, an informed source said on Thursday. Initially they are starting with one flight daily from each side between Delhi and Kathmandu. From the Indian side, it will be Air India which, in normal times, had a daily flight between Delhi and Kathmandu. We are starting with Indians, Nepalese, OCI/PIO cardholders of all nationalities and all valid Indian visa holders, said the source, adding that tourist visas would not be considered in the starting phase. The air bubble arrangement, the source said, would follow the usual medical protocols as mandatory in other cases, and include the need for RT PCR test report 72-hours prior to travelling.
