CURRENT AFFAIRS
13 January 2021
NATIONAL NEWS:
A) Supreme Court suspends farm laws, forms committee despite farmers’ objections.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday suspended the implementation of three controversial farm laws, terming its order the victory of fair play. If there is a victory at all, it is the victory of fair play, Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sharad A. Bobde corrected senior advocate Harish Salve. The CJI was responding to an apprehension expressed by Salve that the stay on the implementation of the laws should not be misconstrued by some as a political victory of sorts. The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act shall be stayed until further notice, Chief Justice Bobde said at the end of an hour-long virtual court hearing. The stay on their implementation means the Centre cannot, for the time being, proceed with any executive actions on the basis of the three laws. The court formed an expert committee to hear the apprehensions raised by farmers against the laws. The committee is composed of Bhupinder Singh Mann, agriculture economist Ashok Gulati, Dr. Pramod Kumar Joshi (former director, National Academy of Agricultural Research Management) and Anil Ghanwat from Shetkari Sangathan. The committee will report back to the court. Interestingly, all the panel members have a track record of endorsing the farm laws a fact that has caused outrage among the agitating farmers.
B) Will continue protest, won’t appear before ‘pro-government’ panel, say farmers.
Farmer unions protesting against the new agriculture-marketing laws on Tuesday disapproved of the Supreme Court-appointed committee and said they will not appear before the panel. Addressing a press conference at the Singhu border near Delhi, union leaders asserted that the members of the committee formed by the top court are pro-government. The members of the SC-appointed committee are not dependable as they have been writing on how agri laws are pro-farmer. They will continue their agitation, farmer leader Balbeer Singh Rajewal told the press conference. Another farmer leader Darshan Pal Singh said they will not appear before any committee, and added that the Parliament should discuss and resolve this issue. They don’t want any external committee, he said. However, the farmer leaders said they would attend the January 15 meeting with the government. Before the Samyukt Kisan Morcha meeting, Singh, the Krantikari Kisan Union president said, all the members of the committee have already declared themselves in favour of the three laws, so what is the point of this fraud exercise? Bhupinder Singh Mann, he is from Punjab, and he has already met the Agriculture Minister and expressed support for the laws. Anil Ghanwat is from the Shetkari Sangathan, both do not speak for farmers interests. [Agricultural economist] Ashok Gulati is known to be a government man. Pramod Kumar Joshi, the fourth member of the panel, has also supported the farm sector reforms.
C) CJI not in favour of resuming physical. Chief Justice of India Sharad A. Bobde on Tuesday disagreed with the idea of resuming physical hearings in the Supreme Court, saying the court did not want to be the cause of fatalities due to the spread of coronavirus. They have been facing closedown of courts for nearly a year. It is dangerous to get a congregation of people in courts. They do not want the number of fatalities to increase due to the courts, Chief Justice Bobde said. They will take appropriate decision after consulting medical authorities, the CJI said. The three-judge Bench was hearing a suo motu case seeking financial aid to young lawyers struggling to make ends meet during the pandemic. One of the lawyers had sought a physical court hearing in the case. During the hearing, senior advocate P.S. Narasimha, as a senior member of the Bar, said Bar Councils were ready to stand guarantee for government loans of up to ₹3 lakh to young, struggling lawyers. But the Chief Justice said the Bar and affluent lawyers should contribute more than what they had already done. Ways to channelise funds from the Bar should be devised. The Bar has primary responsibility to these lawyers. The government has only a secondary responsibility, the Chief Justice said.
D) Carlsberg India probes find ‘potential improper payments’, child labour.
An investigation of alleged unlawful practices at Carlsberg India found potential improper payments to government officials and other regulatory lapses, its former auditor said in a document seen by Reuters. Reports by a different global consultancy, also seen by Reuters and previously unreported, disclosed other lapses at Carlsberg India Pvt Ltd in 2018, including child labour. The findings cast a fresh shadow on operations and compliance practices at the Indian joint venture of Danish brewer Carlsberg A/S, which has a 17% share of India’s $7 billion beer market. Carlsberg’s probes and a boardroom dispute come amid other challenges: an antitrust investigation last year concluded that Carlsberg India colluded for years on prices with rivals, though a final ruling is pending. An India affiliate of the Price waterhouse Coopers (PwC ) network recently resigned as Carlsberg India’s financial auditor after declining for two years in a row to give an opinion on the brewer’s financials, amid boardroom tussles and internal probes into local practices, Reuters reported in November. Since at least 2019, Carlsberg had been probing allegations levelled by some past and current employees around promotion of alcohol in prohibited areas, kickbacks, and bribery.
E) Will hold ground along LAC as long as it takes: Gen. Naravane.
Army Chief Gen. Manoj Naravane on Tuesday asserted that the Army was ready to hold territory as long as it took along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh to achieve the national objective, and noted that a collusive threat from China and Pakistan existed and India must be ready for it. Every summer, for training, a number of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) units come to Tibet and go back. These are, in terms of depth, anything from 500-1,500 km from the border. They should not lay too much significance on these comings and goings. But they keep an eye on them as they can be moved to the front in 24-48 hours, he said, at the Army’s annual press conference. There has been no reduction in the friction areas or where they are in eyeball to eyeball situations, he said, in response to questions on whether China has withdrawn some troops from the depth areas.
F) Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments.
The number of reported coronavirus cases from India stood at 1,04,91,964 with the death toll at 1,51,531. As part of the sequential rollout, the vaccination of about 1 crore health workers will begin on January 16, followed by two crore frontline workers, then of the nearly 27 crore people aged 50 years or older, and finally those below this age limit but with co-morbidities, Health Secretary Rajeev Bhushan said. The cost of vaccination of health care and frontline workers will be borne by the Central government. Vaccines will first reach four major stores in Karnal, Kolkata, Chennai and Mumbai. All States have at least one State-level regional vaccine store. 54.72 lakh doses have already been received till 4 p.m. today, and 100% of the doses will be received by January 14 in all States and Union Territories. In a related development, the Centre on Tuesday announced that it has agreed to procure 55 lakh doses of Bharat Biotech’s vaccine against the coronavirus. Of these, 38.5 lakh doses will be priced at ₹295 each. Earlier in the day, Serum Institute of India (SII) Chief Executive Officer Adar Poonawalla said the company has given a special price of ₹200 for the first 10 crore doses of the coronavirus vaccine only to India, in order to support the common man and the health workers.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
A) Worries rise over more violence in U. S.
U.S. Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf announced his resignation unexpectedly on Monday as worries rose over more violence during President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration next week. Mr. Wolf’s departure as head of the body in charge of security for the January 20 event came five days after President Donald Trump’s supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol, hoping to prevent Mr. Biden from replacing him. The Homeland Security Department oversees several law enforcement bodies, including the Secret Service, the point agency for security for the White House and the U.S. President. Mr. Wolf named Pete Gaynor to replace him. But the move did not end questions over whether the U.S. capital city would be adequately secure over the coming week. An internal FBI document warned of the possibility that armed Trump supporters could hold protests in all 50 States between the coming weekend and January 20, according to U.S. media. The White House issued a statement saying that Mr. Trump had declared that an emergency exists in the District of Columbia and ordered Federal assistance to supplement the District’s response efforts due to the emergency conditions resulting from the 59th Presidential Inauguration from January 11 to January 24, 2021.
B) Malaysia declares state of emergency over virus surge.
Malaysia’s king declared a nationwide state of emergency on Tuesday to fight a coronavirus surge and Parliament was suspended, with critics charging that it was a bid by the unstable government to cling to power. The surprise move came a day after the Prime Minister announced sweeping new curbs across much of the Southeast Asian nation, including the closure of most businesses, and warned the health system was at breaking point. Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah agreed to declare an emergency until August 1 following a request from Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, the national palace said in a statement. It is the first time Malaysia has declared a national state of emergency in over half a century and Mr. Muhyiddin, in a televised address, confirmed Parliament would be suspended and elections would not take place for the time being. Not a coup, says PM But the leader, whose 10 month-old administration is showing signs of falling apart, insisted that the civilian government will continue to function. The emergency declaration is not a military coup and a curfew will not be enforced, he said, insisting that he was committed to holding a general election once the outbreak is brought under control.
