Tag: CLAT

NATIONAL NEWS 

Treaty between India and Poland on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters approved

The Union Cabinet has approved a treaty between India and Poland on the Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters. The approved treaty between the two nations will further enhance the capability and effectiveness of both India and Poland in the investigation and prosecution of crimes, including the crimes that are related to terrorism. The treaty aims at enhancing the effectiveness of India and Poland in the investigation and prosecution of crimes, through mutual legal assistance and cooperation in criminal matters. The proposed treaty between India and Poland will provide a broad legal framework for the bilateral cooperation with Poland in prosecution and investigation of crime as well as in restraining, tracing and the confiscating of instruments of crime.

Government asks travellers coming from ‘at-risk’ countries to pre-book RT-PCR test

The Airport Authority of India has announced that all the international travellers who will be coming from ‘at-risk’ countries will be required to compulsorily pre-book the RTPCR test. The test of the travellers will be conducted as per the guidelines of the Health Ministry. The arrangement will start from December 20, 2021, at 6 airports of Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad. Air Suvidha Portal of the government will be modified to mandatorily pre-book the RT-PCR test, if the passengers are coming from at-risk countries or have visited the at-risk countries in the last 4 days. Link to the concerned airport website will also be provided in Air Suvidha Platform and will be displayed to passengers while filing the self-declaration forms.

Implementation of Pradhan Mantri Kriti Sinchayee Yojana approved for 2021-26

The Union Cabinet has given its approval to the implementation of Pradhan Mantri Kriti Sinchayee Yojana approved for 2021-26. The decision of implementing the scheme will also bring positive change to lakhs of families. It will benefit about 22 lakh farmers and over Rs. 93,000 crores will be spent. Out of Rs. 93,000 crores, Rs. 37,000 crores under the scheme will be central assistance to the states. The Central Funding of 90% of the water component for the two national projects has also been provisioned.

Indian-Origin Leena Nair is the new Ceprovisioned

Indian-origin Leena Nair has become the new CEO of Chanel, a French Luxury Brand. Leena Nair was the Chief Human Resources Officer of Unilever. She will step down from the position in January 2022 and will join the globally famous French-Luxury brand- Chanel. Nair commenced her career at Hindustan Unilever as a management trainee 30 years ago.

Group Captain Varun Singh, lone survivor of IAF chopper crash passes away

Group Captain Varun Singh, the only survivor of the Tamil Nadu Chopper Crash, succumbed to his injuries and passed away on December 15, 2021. Varun Singh was rescued after the IAF chopper crash in Tamil Nadu on December 8 that killed CDS Bipin Rawat along with 12 other officials including his wife Madhulika Rawat. Varun Singh was recently promoted to the Group Captain of the Indian Air Force. 

India’s Neena Gupta wins Ramanujan Prize 2021

Neena Gupta, an Indian Mathematician, has been awarded the 2021 Ramanujan Prize for Young Mathematicians from developing countries. Neena Gupta has become the fourth Indian mathematician and third woman to win the coveted award. She is a mathematician at the Indian Statistical Institute in Kolkata. 

President Ram Nath Kovind visits Bapandemic

President of India Ram Nath Kovind has embarked on his three-day state visit to Bangladesh. He will participate in Bangladesh’s 50th Victory Day celebrations in Dhaka. The President is on a two-day visit from December 15 to 17, 2021. This is also President Kovind’s first foreign trip since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

Nepal Prime Minister Deuba secures second tenure as party president

The Prime Minister of Nepal Sher Bahadur Deuba secured a majority for the post of party president for the second consecutive term. He secured the position after the second round of voting in the ongoing General Convention of ruling Nepali Congress. The 75-years old Deuba who has become the Prime Minister of Nepal five times was able to secure 2,733 votes. He left his contender, Dr Shekhar Koirala, behind with 1855 votes. In the elections in 1991, Sher Bahadur Deuba was elected to the House of Representatives from Dadeldhura. He was again elected from the same constituency in mid-term elections in 1994 and was elected as the Parliamentary party leader of the Nepali Congress. Deuba has been the President of the Nepali Congress since 2016 and he first became the Prime Minister of Nepal in 1995.

United Kingdom to remove all countries from COVID-19 red travel list

The United Kingdom will remove all the 11 countries from its COVID-19 travel red list from December 15, 2021, as there is now community transmission Omicron. The UK Government had added the Southern African countries to its travel red list in late November 2021. It meant that entry was only allowed to UK citizens or residents who were then required to quarantine in a hotel. As per the UK government, since there is now a community transmission of Omicron in the country and the new variant has spread across the world, the travel red list is now very less effective in slowing the spread. The 11 nations which will be removed from the UK’s travel red list are Botswana, Angola, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Malawi, Nigeria, Namibia, Zambia, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

NASA’s spacecraft touches solar atmosphere for the very first time

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe on April 28 successfully entered the Corona of the Sun. It is an extreme environment that’s roughly 2 million degrees Fahrenheit. The goal of the mission is to learn how the Sun works and as per the scientists it can be accomplished by flying into the solar atmosphere. Corona is the outermost layer of the Sun’s atmosphere.

NATIONAL NEWS 

Bill to ‘extend tenure of CBI director’ up to maximum of 5 years

Rajya Sabha has passed the bill to extend the tenure of the CBI director up to a maximum of 5 years from the present two years. The bill was moved in the Upper House by Union Minister Jitendra Singh who also said that it was necessary to curb corruption-based cases. The bill was passed in the upper house with a voice vote as the entire Opposition walked out of the House seeking revocation of the suspension of 12 suspended MPs. The bill was earlier passed in Lok Sabha on December 9, 2021. The Delhi Special Police Establishment (Amendment) Bill, 2021 aims for the amendment in the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946. The bill also further replaces the Delhi Special Police Establishment (Amendment) Ordinance, 2021 which was promulgated earlier on November 14, 2021.

4 new Omicron cases detected in New Delhi, the total number goes to 6

Satyendra Singh, Delhi Health Minister informed that 4 new cases of Omicron have been detected in the National Capital. The total number of Omicron cases in Delhi is now 6. While giving an update on the health of Omicron patients, the minister also stated that of the 6 cases, one patient has already been discharged from the hospital. The other 5 are still admitted and are stable. Currently, in Delhi, 35 Coronavirus positive patients and 3 suspected cases of COVID-19 have been admitted to the Lok Nayak Jan Prakash Hospital. As per the State Government, the Omicron situation in Delhi is under control. All the Omicron cases in Delhi are from the airport and none of them has come from the community so far.

COVID-19 vaccine for children in India in 6 months

The CEO of Serum Institute of India Adar Poonawalla informed that the institute plans on launching the NOVAVAX COVID-19 vaccine for children in India in the next 6 months. The NOVAVAX shots showed good results in the trials in children aged 3 years or older. Poonawalla also said that the vaccine is still under trial and has shown excellent data so far for the age group of 3. The monthly output of AstraZeneca by SII has nearly quadrupled since April 2021 to 250 million doses. The institute also recently announced to temporarily halve the production of vaccines due to weak demand.

Widening of Char Dham road permitted by Supremedemand

The Supreme Court of India has given approval to the Central Government for double lane widening of the roads for the Char Dham Project in light of the National security concerns. Char dham project in Uttarakhand aims at providing all weather-connectivity to four holy towns in the state- Gangotri, Yamunotri, Badrinath, and Kedarnath.

TOPS athletes list for Para Olympics 2024

The very first list of TOPS athletes for the Paris Olympics in 2024 was finalized during a meeting of the Mission Olympic Cell. The list by the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports includes 148 athletes including 20 new names from seven Olympic disciplines and six Paralympic disciplines. The meeting of the Mission Olympic Cell also marked the formal beginning of planning for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

Priyank Panchal replaces injured Rohit Sharma in India squad for SA series

Vice-captain Rohit Sharma has been replaced by Priyank Panchal in India’s Test squad for the South Africa tour. The replacement came in the light of Rohit Sharma’s left hamstring injury during his training session in Mumbai. Panchal is known as one of the best opening batsmen in domestic cricket and has played over 100 First-class cricket matches. He scored over 7000 runs, which includes 24 centuries and 25 fifties. 

Launch of second edition of water innovation chaskills

The second edition of water innovation challenges has been jointly launched by NITI Aayog, Atal Innovation Mission, and Denmark Royal Embassy in India. The initiative aims to identify innovative and next-gen solutions to solve proposed challenges in collaboration with corporate and public partners. It will also engage young talents from leading universities across the nation and will support them in building their skills.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

United Nations recognize new Arctic temperature record of 38 degrees

The United Nations has officially recognized 38 degrees Celsius as a new record high for the Arctic. The temperature was measured in Siberia in 2020. The move has come as an alarm over climate change. The World Meteorological Organisation said that the sweltering heat which is equivalent to 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit was seen in 2020 marking the highest temperature ever recorded above the Arctic Circle. This is also the first time that the World Meteorological organization has added the record heat in the Arctic to its archive of extreme weather reports. The lowest temperature that was ever measured above the Arctic Circle was -69.6C and it was recorded on December 22, 1991, on Greenland.

South Korea and Australia sign major defence deal

Australia and South Korea have signed a major defence deal of $720 million. The deal was signed as the President of South Korea Moon Jae-in became the first foreign leader to visit Australia since the pandemic started. The defence deal is also the largest defence contract that has been signed between Australia and Asian Nation. As per the deal, Australia will be provided with supply vehicles, artillery weapons and radars. The two leaders also agreed upon upgrading the formal ties between the two countries. They formed a consensus to work together on the development of clean energy technologies and facilitating the supply of critical materials. The defence deal between South Korea and Australia has come at a time of heightened tensions between China and Australia. Recently, Australia announced a deal to build nuclear-powered submarines with Britain and US.

UK High Court to hear Nirav Modi’s UK extradition appeal today

The UK High Court will hear fugitive economic offender Nirav Modi’s extradition appeal today, December 14th. Nirav Modi, who is currently lodged at Wandsworth Prison in south-west London since his arrest in March 2019, was given permission to appeal against the Westminster Magistrates’ Court extradition order on the grounds of mental health and human rights. Modi’s legal team had presented arguments concerning his severe depression and high risk of suicide. 

148 athletes including 20 new inducted in first list of TOPS athletes for 2024 Paris Olympics

A total of 148 athletes, including 20 new inductees in 7 Olympic disciplines and 6 Paralympic disciplines, have been included in the first list of Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) for 2024 Paris Olympics. This was decided at a meeting of the Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports on December 13, 2021. 

Earthquake in Indonesia

Indonesia was struck by an earthquake of magnitude 7.6 on the Richter scale. The country issued a Tsunami warning after the Earthquake. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center also gave the warning that hazardous waves are possible for the coasts located within 1000 km of the Earthquake epicenter.

NATIONAL NEWS 

Senior BJP leader and eight-time MLA Harbans Kapoor passes away in Uttarakhand.

The Senior leader of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Harbans Kapoor passed away on December 12, 2021, in Dehradun. He was a former Speaker of Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly and also an eight-time MLA. The Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed grief over Kapoor’s demise and wished strength for his family members. The Chief Minister also said that soft-spoken Harbans Kapoor always lives life with simplicity. The popularity of Harbans Kapoor was proved by his win of assembly polls eight times. He was also always vocal about the development of his constituency.

Digital platform for Management of Complaints inaugurated

The Chairperson of Lokpal Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose has launched a digital platform for the management of complaints. The portal is called ‘LokpalOnline’ and it can be accessed easily by all the citizens of the country. Complaints on the portal can also be filed from anywhere and at any time. LokpalOnline is a web-based facility that will facilitate in quick disposal of complaints in a transparent, accountable, and efficient manner with benefits to all the stakeholders. While speaking on the occasion, Justice Ghose said that corruption in the country is a key element in the underperformance of the economy. It also undermines rule of law and democracy.

Prime Minister Modi’s account briefly hacked

The Twitter handle of Prime Minister Modi was briefly hacked early on December 12, 2021. A post claiming that India has officially adopted bitcoin as legal tender was tweeted from PM’s account. While Twitter took necessary steps to secure PM Modi’s account, it also added that as per the investigations done by the company the hack was not due to a compromise of its systems or service. PM Modi’s account was also hacked earlier in March 2020 with hackers trying to attempt to solicit cryptocurrency from Prime Minister Modi’s Twitter followers. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has over 73.4 million followers on Twitter and he follows 2,367 accounts.

India’s Harnaaz Sandhu crowned Miss Universe 2021

India’s Harnaaz Sandhu brought home the Miss Universe crown after a gap of 21 years. Lara Dutta had won the prestigious beauty pageant back in 2000. The 21 years Sandhu is from Punjab, she represented India at the 70th Miss Universe 2021. Sushmita Sen had won the first Miss Universe crown for India in 1994.

Kashi Vishwanath Corridor inaugurated by Prime Minister Modi. 

Prime Minister Modi inaugurated phase 1 of Kashi Vishwanath Dham. Kashi Vishwanath Corridor has been constructed at a cost of around Rs 339 crores. PM Modi also earlier offered prayers to Lord Shiva at Kashi Vishwanath temple. The Corridor project connects the Kashi Vishwanath temple to the banks of River Ganga in Varanasi.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

G7 nations warn Russia to face consequences if Ukraine is invaded

The Group of 7 nations has warned Russia to face major consequences and pay costs of President of Russia Vladimir Putin decided to attack Ukraine. The meeting of G7 Foreign Ministers took place in Liverpool during which the delegates unitedly condemned Russia’s military build-up near Ukraine and called the country to de-escalate. The G7 ministers also reaffirmed their unwavering commitment to Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. According to US intelligence agencies, Russia can be planning a multi-front offensive on Ukraine early in 2022 and can involve up to 1 lakh 75 thousand troops in the operations. However, Russia has denied any plans to invade Ukraine.

Virtual meeting between Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping on December 15

The President of China Xi Jinping and President of Russia Vladimir Putin are scheduled to hold a virtual meeting on December 15, 2021. The news was shared by the Spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry. The Chinese diplomat did not provide any further details about the upcoming meeting between the two leaders. However, it will be significant as Russia and China will work to strengthen ties amid the escalating tensions with the West. On the foreign policy, both Russia and China share similar approaches to Syria, Iran, and Venezuela. They also recently revived a push to lift United Nations sanctions imposed on North Korea.

Dubai becomes first in the world to go 100% paperless

Dubai has become the world’s first government to turn 100% paperless. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Emirates, shared the news while also pointing at the savings of 1.3 million Dirham (USD 350 Million) and 14-million-man-hours. All forms of transactions and the procedures in the Dubai Government are now 100% digital.

Max Verstappen wins Formula One World Champion

Max Verstappen was crowned Formula One world champion. He overtook Lewis Hamilton who was heading for his 8th title, to win his first-ever Formula One title. Verstappen has become the first Dutch world champion. Hamilton’s Mercedes team protested against Verstappen’s win.

NATIONAL NEWS 

After 15 months, Farmers go home victorious 

Fifteen months after they arrived in large convoys of tractors to lodge a passive resistance against the passage of three contentious farm laws by the government, several protesting farmers who had picketed on the borders of the Capital and in their respective states, began returning to their home states triumphant. The farmers lifted blockades on highways at Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur borders and took out a ‘Victory March’ to celebrate the repeal of the three laws and other demands, including constituting a committee for legal guarantee on minimum support price (MSP) for crops. They had also demanded the withdrawal of cases registered against them.  Emotions ran high as the farmers set off for their homes in different States, including Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh, after a successful movement.  Farmers packing their belongings during the process of vacating the Ghazipur border on December 11   Tractors bedecked with colourful lights rolled out of the protest sites blaring songs of victory while the elderly flaunted their colourful turbans and danced with youngsters.  Thousands of farmers had been protesting at the borders of the national capital since November 26 last year to demand the repeal of the three farm laws.  On November 29, the Parliament passed the Bill to repeal the farm laws, one of the main demands of the farmers.However, the farmers refused to end their protest, demanding that the government fulfil their other demands that included legal guarantee on MSP and withdrawal of police cases against them.  As the Centre accepted the pending demands, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of 40 farm unions spearheading the stir, on December 9 decided to call off their agitation and announced that farmers will go back home on December 11 from the protest sites at Delhi borders.  Farmer leaders said that they will again meet on January 15 to see if the government has fulfilled their demands. To recap, Parliament passed a bill on November 29 to repeal the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers’ (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and the Farm Services Act, 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.   

India sends medicines to Afghanistan 

In a significant gesture, India on December 11, sent the first consignment of medicines as part of humanitarian assistance to help the Taliban-ruled Afghanistan deal with the deteriorating health situation in the country.  India has not recognised the Taliban administration in Afghanistan and has urged the international community to proceed cautiously in dealing with the Taliban in view of its rigid position on issues related to human rights.  The consignment was sent in a special Kam Air flight that brought 10 Indians and 94 Afghan minority community members here on  December 10, said the Ministry of External Affairs.  “The medicines will be handed over to the representatives of the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Kabul and will be administered at the Indira Gandhi Children’s Hospital, Kabul,” a statement from the Ministry added.  This is the first time India has sent humanitarian aid to Afghanistan after the Taliban took over Kabul in August by dislodging the government of President Ashraf Ghani.  It is an important development and is likely to be followed by large-scale humanitarian assistance from India to Afghanistan, which will be given through a transit facility in Pakistan.

PM inaugurates the Saryu canal project; lashes out at those who didn’t complete Pakistan

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated the Saryu Canal National Project which will provide assured water for irrigation to over 14 lakh hectares of land and benefit about 29 lakh farmers, mainly in eastern Uttar Pradesh and used the opportunity to criticise the “opposition” in the state for not working in farmers’ interest  in finishing the project earlier. Mr Modi’s political comments were made at a government event.  In an address laced with sarcasm, Mr Modi said some people only cut ribbons and then forget about completing the work.  With Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath by his side, the Prime Minister said, “When I started from Delhi, I was waiting since morning ki kab koi aayega aur kahega (when will somebody come and say) … we laid the foundation stone for this project. Some people do this out of habit, maybe they cut the ribbon for this project in their youth. Some people’s priority is ‘imagination’, our priority is execution.”  The project has been completed at a cost of over ₹9,800 crore, out of which more than ₹4,600 crore was provisioned in the last four years. Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Union Minister for Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya were among those present at the project inauguration programme.  The Saryu canal project also involves interlinking of five rivers — Ghaghara, Saryu, Rapti, Banganga and Rohini — to ensure optimum usage of water resources of the region.  Work on the project started in 1978 but due to lack of continuity of budgetary support, interdepartmental coordination and adequate monitoring, it got delayed and was not completed even after nearly four decades, according to an official statement.  Consequently in 2016, the project was brought under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana with the target to complete it in a time-bound manner. The renewed focus has resulted in the project being completed in only about four years, it said.  The project will provide assured water for irrigation to over 14 lakh hectares of land and benefit about 29 lakh farmers of more than 6,200 villages, the statement said. It will benefit nine districts of Eastern Uttar Pradesh, namely Bahraich, Shravasti, Balrampur, Gonda, Siddharthnagar, Basti, Sant Kabir Nagar, Gorakhpur and Maharajganj, it said.  The farmers of the region, who were the worst sufferers of the inordinate delay in the project, will now immensely benefit from the upgraded irrigation potential, the statement said. They will now be able to grow crops on a larger scale and maximize the agri-potential of the region, it said.   

Racial profiling in Arunachal 

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has registered a complaint filed by the Chakma Development Foundation of India (CDFI) on December 2 against racial profiling of Chakmas and Hajongs in Arunachal Pradesh through an exclusive census of both the communities from December 11-31.  The Deputy Commissioner of Arunachal Pradesh’s Changlang district had on November 26 notified the “census of Chakmas and Hajongs 2021”, which the CDFI said was in clear violation of their right to life, including the right to privacy and the right to equality. The Deputy Commissioner has denied such a notification. The PMO wrote to the State’s Chief Secretary on December 7 seeking appropriate action on the complaint and informing it on the matter.  There are about 65,000 Chakmas and Hajongs in the State; about 4,500 are migrants from 1964 to 1969. The rest are descendants and citizens by birth under Section 3 of the Citizenship Act of 1955, the CDFI said.  The migrants were primarily displaced by the Kaptai dam in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of present-day Bangladesh, then called East Pakistan.  The CDFI had termed the exclusive Chakma-Hajong census in the State as an act of racial profiling “because there is no census on the illegal immigrants from Myanmar and China, the illegal immigrants who had entered through Assam as well as thousands of people who had entered Arunachal Pradesh without inner line permit (ILP)”.  “On the contrary, the Chakmas and Hajongs were settled by the Union of India from 1964 to 1969 to permanently settle them in the State and they do not require ILP,” the CDFI said.  ILP is a temporary travel permit required for Indian citizens to enter Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland besides Arunachal Pradesh. The Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation of 1873 necessitates this permit.  Many indigenous groups see the Chakmas and Hajongs as outsiders and have been demanding their “deportation” besides denial of voting rights and access to government schemes.  

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

Powerful tornadoes kill at least 78 in five U.S. states.

Dozens of devastating tornadoes ripped through five US states overnight, leaving more than 70 people dead Saturday in Kentucky — many of the workers at a candle factory — and inflicting deadly damage at a sprawling Amazon warehouse in Illinois. The western Kentucky town of Mayfield was “ground zero” of the storm — a scene of “massive devastation,” one official said early Saturday.

Vizag-born professor named president of Penn State varsity.

A professor of Indian origin, Neeli Bendapudi, is the first woman and person of color to be named as president of America’s prestigious Pennsylvania State University. This was announced by the educational institution on Thursday. Ms. Bendapudi was born in Visakhapatnam and had gone to the U.S. in 1986 for pursuing her higher studies. She is at present serving as president and professor of marketing at the University of Louisville in Kentucky. “She has been unanimously named as Penn State’s next president by the Penn State Board of Trustees on December 9,” the university disclosed in a statement on its website. Ms. Bendapudi is the 18th president of the University of Louisville and is a recognized leader in higher education, who specializes in marketing and consumer behavior. In a career spanning nearly 30 years, she has taught marketing and has served in a variety of administrative roles, including provost and executive vice-chancellor at the University of Kansas, Dean of the School of Business at the University of Kansas, and founding-director of the Initiative for Managing Services at Ohio State University.

NATIONAL NEWS 

Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao: 80% of funds spent on media campaigns, says Parliamentary Committee 

The government spent a whopping 80% of funds under its flagship Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao (BBBP) scheme on media campaigns and must now revisit this strategy and invest in measurable outcomes in health and education for girls, noted the Parliamentary Committee on Empowerment of Women in its report tabled in Lok Sabha.  The Committee finds that out of a total of ₹446.72 crore released during the period 2016-2019, a whopping 78.91% was spent only on media advocacy, said the report. It adds, over the last six years, through focussed advocacy BBBP has been able to capture the attention of political leadership and national consciousness towards valuing the girl child. Now, it is time to focus on other verticals by making ample financial provisions to help achieve measurable outcomes related to education and health envisaged under the scheme. The Committee noted that the massive spend on advertisements was despite the clearly laid down formula for utilisation of funds – ₹50 lakh per year is earmarked for a district for utilisation under six different components. Of this, 16% of funds are for inter-sectoral consultation or capacity building, 50% for innovation or awareness generation activities, 6% for monitoring and evaluation, 10% for sectoral interventions in health, 10% for sectoral interventions in education and 8% as flexi funds.  The Committee is chaired by Heena Vijaykumar Gavit and the report is titled ‘Empowerment of Women through education with special reference to Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’. It was tabled in Lok Sabha on Thursday. The Beti Bachao scheme was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January 2015 with the aim to address sex selective abortion and the declining child sex ratio which was at 918 girls for every 1,000 boys in 2011. The programme is being implemented across 405 districts in the country.  The total utilisation under the scheme was also poor – the Committee found that since the inception of BBBP in 2014-15 till 2019-20, the total Budgetary allocation under the scheme was ₹848 crore, excluding the COVID-stricken financial year of 2020-21. During this period, an amount of ₹622.48 crore was released to the States but only 25.13% of the funds, i.e. ₹156.46 crore, have been spent by the States and Union Territories.  

Supreme Court directs Air Quality Commission to decide on relaxing curbs in Delhi

Noting that the air quality in Delhi had started improving, the Supreme Court on Friday asked the Centre’s Air Quality Commission to take a decision on relaxing restrictions imposed by the court on sources of pollution — including industries, constructions and factories — in the capital.  A Special Bench led by Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana asked the panel to look into the issue within a week.  The court had earlier ordered the regulation of construction and the operation of factories using unclean fuel. It had banned the entry of polluting trucks not carrying essential goods into Delhi. The Delhi government had also closed educational institutions.  The commission had, in a previous hearing, said that thermal plants within a 300-km radius of Delhi would continue to be regulated. Only five of 11 plants were functional. The rest would remain inoperative till December 15.  Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta, speaking for the commission, said long-term anti-pollution measures were already under contemplation.  During the last hearing on December 3, the commission informed the court about the creation of an ‘Enforcement Task Force’ and flying squads to prevent and penalise polluters in Delhi NCR. Mehta had, at the time, informed the court that 17 flying squads had been formed thus far and this number would be increased to 40 in the next 24 hours. The court, in a hearing on December 2, had questioned the very purpose of having the Air Quality Commission as pollution levels continued to rise unabated. It had given the Centre a 24-hour deadline to act.  The court mentioned orally that the commission was participating in the hearings and the Bench could not go into individual cases.  The court further directed Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan to pay wages to construction workers from the welfare cess. 

No proposal to scrap sedition law: Govt. 

Law Minister Kiren Rijiju on Friday told the Lok Sabha that the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has no proposal under consideration to scrap Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) that deals with sedition.  Rijiju also informed the House that the question of law regarding Section 124A is pending for adjudication before the Supreme Court.  The Ministry of Home Affairs has informed that there is no proposal under consideration to scrap Sec 124A of the Indian Penal Code, 1860. Further, the question of law regarding Section 124A is pending for adjudication before the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India, the Law Minister said in a written reply to a question that asked if the government was planning to strike it down.  Section 124A of the IPC says, Whoever by words, either spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representation, or otherwise, brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards, the Government established by law in [India], shall be punished with [imprisonment for life], to which fine may be added, or with imprisonment which may extend to three years, to which fine may be added, or with fine.  He was responding to a question from All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) member from Assam, Badruddin Ajmal, who asked whether the Supreme Court had recently termed the sedition law as colonial and made an observation that it is being misused and if the court has directed the Union Government to submit its response on the necessity and validity of this law.  No such observations have been found in any judgment or order delivered by the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India, the Law Minister said.  However, he said, in a writ petition, the top court has observed that the ambit and parameters of the provisions of Sections 124A, 153A and 505 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 would require interpretation, particularly in the context of the right of the electronic and print media to communicate news, information and the rights, even those that may be critical of the prevailing regime in any part of the nation.  The Law Minister said the top court, in a writ petition (criminal) issued notice to the Centre, said the petitioners have made a prayer before the Supreme Court for an appropriate writ, order or direction declaring Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 to be unconstitutional and void.  Upon hearing the matter, the Hon’ble Supreme Court vide order dated July 12, 2021 has granted time for filing written submissions and counter affidavit in the matter on behalf of the Union of India, he said.  The Writ petition (Civil) No. 682/2021 has been tagged with other matters wherein similar question of law has been raised and are pending for consideration before the Hon’ble Supreme Court, Mr. Rijiju’s reply noted. 

Man lynched in Bihar allegedly for stealing cattle 

Police have filed an FIR against unknown persons after a man was lynched by a mob allegedly for stealing cattle in Bihar’s Araria district on December 8.  According to the police, Mohd Siddiqui, 52, was lynched by a mob at Bhawanipur village under Fulkaha police station of Forbesganj sub-division in Araria district on Wednesday allegedly for stealing cattle. However, the incident came to light on December 10.  A villager raised an alarm after he spotted some men stealing buffaloes and bullocks owned by his co-villager Sanichar Bariyet and when they started chasing thieves, one of them fired a gunshot in the air to scare them away, but another of them Mohd Siddiqui was caught by the villagers while, others managed to escape. Mohd Siddiqui was beaten up with sticks and fists and he succumbed to his injuries, said Fulkaha police station Inspector Nagina Kumar.  He also said an FIR has been lodged against unknown persons. Villagers said cattle thieves often sell stolen cattle to slaughter houses in areas bordering Nepal. The victim Mohd Siddiqui was identified as resident of the neighbouring district of Supaul.  We’re questioning villagers to identify attackers as there were around 100 people gathered at the spot when the incident had happened, said the police officer while adding, no arrest has been made yet in the case.  We keep getting complaints of cattle theft regularly in the area but not of mob lynching. Arrests will be made soon in the case, a senior police official of the district said. 

Aryan Khan seeks relaxation in bail terms 

Aryan Khan, son of actor Shah Rukh Khan, moved the Bombay High Court seeking minor changes in the bail conditions imposed on him by the court in the drug racket case against him.  On October 29, a single bench of Justice Nitin Sambre granted bail to Khan, 23, and two others and directed that they be released from Arthur Road Jail after executing a cash bond of ₹1 lakh with one or more sureties.  Khan sought a relaxation in the conditions requiring him to appear at the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Mumbai office every Friday between 11a.m. to 2 p.m.  In the application filed on Thursday, Khan said the cruise ship drug heist case was now being drug probed by a special investigation team based in Delhi. He also urged the court that there should be police presence when he attended the NCB office because of the heavy media presence there.  The application is likely to be heard by the High Court next week, his lawyers said.  On October 2, the central agency seized 13 grams of cocaine, five grams of MD (mephedrone), 21 grams of charas, 22 pills of MDMA (ecstasy) and ₹1,33,000 cash at the International Cruise Terminal, Mumbai. Khan along with others were booked under several sections of the NDPS Act.  

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

U.K. court permits Assange extradition to U.S. on spying charges A British appellate court opened the door Friday for Julian Assange to be extradited to the United States by overturning a lower court ruling that found the WikiLeaks founder’s mental health was too fragile to withstand the American criminal justice system.  Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks. File   The High Court in London ruled that U.S. assurances were enough to guarantee Assange would be treated humanely and directed a lower court judge to send the extradition request to the home secretary for review. The home secretary, who oversees law enforcement in the U.K., will make the final decision on whether to extradite Assange.  However, the appellate court ruling handed down on Friday is likely to be appealed.  A lower court judge earlier this year had refused an American request to extradite Assange to the U.S. to face spying charges over WikiLeaks’ publication of secret military documents a decade ago. District Judge Vanessa Baraitser denied extradition on health grounds, saying Assange was likely to kill himself if held under harsh U.S. prison conditions.  The United States appealed, challenging the notion that Assange’s mental health made him too vulnerable to withstand the U.S. judicial system. Lawyer James Lewis said Assange has no history of serious and enduring mental illness and does not meet the threshold of being so ill that he cannot resist harming himself.  U.S. authorities have told British judges that if they agree to extradite Assange, he could serve any U.S. prison sentence he receives in his native Australia.  U.S. prosecutors have indicted Assange on 17 espionage charges and one charge of computer misuse over WikiLeaks’ publication of thousands of leaked military and diplomatic documents. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 175 years in prison, although Lewis said the longest sentence ever imposed for this offense is 63 months.  Assange, 50, is currently being held at London’s high-security Belmarsh Prison.  

India airlifts stranded Indians from Kabul, Afghanistan. 

A special flight arrived to India from Kabul in Afghanistan carrying 110 stranded people in the war-torn country. The flight bought 10 Indians and 94 Afghans including the members of the Afghan Hindu-Sikh minority community. Ancient Hindu scriptures and three holy Shree Guru Granth Sahib Ji were also brought back.

NATIONAL NEWS 

Tri-service inquiry ordered into IAF chopper crash, says Rajnath Singh 

A tri-service inquiry has been ordered by the IAF headed by Air Marshal Manvendra Singh, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Training Command, to investigate the Mi-17V5 helicopter crash that killed Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen. Bipin Rawat, his wife and 11 other military personnel, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said in a statement in Parliament on Thursday.  The Flight Data Recorder (FDR) of the crashed helicopter has been recovered from the wreckage, an IAF official said. It will be sent for analysis to find out what happened in the last moments before it went down in the jungle.  Giving out the details of the incident, Singh said Gen. Rawat was on a scheduled visit to the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, to interact with the student officers. The IAF Mi-17V5 helicopter took off from the Sulur Air Base at 11:48 a.m. on Wednesday and was expected to land at Wellington by 12:15 p.m. The Air Traffic Control at the Sulur Air Base lost contact with the helicopter at approximately 12:08 p.m.  Defence Minister Rajnath Singh briefs the Parliament on the Indian Air Force chopper crash in Tamil Nadu, on December 8, in the Lok Sabha during the Winter Session, in New Delhi, on December 9.   Subsequently, a few locals noticed a fire in the forest near Coonoor and rushed to the spot where they saw the wreckage of the military helicopter engulfed in flames, he said. Rescue teams from the local administration in the vicinity reached the site and attempted to recover the survivors from the crash site.  All those recovered from the wreckage were rushed to the Military Hospital, Wellington, and 13 of the 14 persons onboard the ill-fated helicopter have succumbed to their injuries. Group Captain Varun Singh is on life support in the Military Hospital at Wellington and all efforts are being made to save his life, Singh said, ending the statement by paying homage to the deceased persons and expressing condolences to the bereaved families.  

Farm agitation called off as SKM leaders accept Centre’s proposal 

Thousands of protesting farmers camped out on the borders of Delhi for 380 days are set to go home on Saturday, after marking a ‘vijay diwas’ to celebrate the achievement of most of their demands. On Thursday, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), a joint platform of protesting farm unions, announced that it had accepted the Central government’s proposal to resolve pending demands and called off the year-long agitation.  The unions will meet again on January 15 in the capital to monitor and review whether the government has kept its promises to unconditionally withdraw cases filed against protestors, provide compensation for the kin of farmers who died at the protests, and form a committee to ensure that all farmers can avail remunerative rates for their produce. A decision will also be taken at that time on whether to campaign against the BJP in the upcoming UP and Uttarakhand polls — an issue which different farmer factions have diverse views about.  This is a historic victory for Indian farmers after a historic movement both in terms of size as well as unity and peaceful nature of the protest, said All India Kisan Sabha leader Hannan Mollah.  Farmers waiting for the SKM meeting to begin on December 9, 2021 morning  The Centre’s formal proposal, which was signed by Agriculture Secretary Sanjay Agarwal despite the fact that farm leaders said most negotiations on the document were held with Home Ministry representatives, was received on Thursday morning. It included the same five points as in Wednesday’s draft, with major concessions on case withdrawal and compensation. On the issue of MSP, it said a promised committee would have a specific mandate to ensure all farmers get MSP and promised that SKM leaders would be among the representatives. After discussing the proposal in an hour-long meeting at the Singhu border protest site, SKM leaders emerged to announce their acceptance.   

Lok Sabha passes bills to extend CBI, ED directors’ tenures up to maximum of 5 years 

Two bills were passed by Lok Sabha on Thursday to extend the tenures of directors of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate up to a maximum of five years from the present two years.  The Central Vigilance Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2021 and the Delhi Special Police Establishment (Amendment) Bill, 2021 were passed separately by voice vote after the House rejected various amendments moved by Opposition members on the two bills.  Congress MPs walked out of the House, saying they were not satisfied with the reply of Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh.  These bills seek to replace two ordinances issued last month. The Opposition and the BJP sparred over the government’s move to extend the tenures of the directors of the CBI and the ED up to a maximum of five years, with the Opposition alleging that it would completely undermine the autonomy of these institutions, and the ruling party defending the step as being necessary to fight large scale corruption.   

Shah misled House on Mon incident, says Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary 

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary, leader of the Congress legislative party in the Lok Sabha, said on Thursday that Union Home Minister Amit Shah came out with a misleading statement in the Lok Sabha on Monday saying the victims of the firing in Mon district of Nagaland on December 4 had been shot after they continued to flee after being asked to stop by the armed forces.  Raising the issue at the start of the zero hour, Chowdhary stated that there were now statements by survivors of the incident that they had been directly shot.  Chowdhary noted that Congress president Sonia Gandhi had constituted a delegation comprising Lok Sabha members Gaurav Gogoi and Anto Antony to visit Mon village in Nagaland and share the grief of the locals whose family members were killed in the firing. But they are not being allowed to enter the State. Even after the Lakhimpur Kheri incident, our party leaders were prevented from providing sympathy to the families of the victims, he observed.  Responding to Chowdhary, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal said the issue raised by him pertained to the State government and not the Lok Sabha.  On Monday, the Home Minister expressed regret over the death of 14 civilians in three consecutive episodes of firing by security forces, the first of which was a case of mistaken identity. Narrating the sequence of events, Mr. Shah told the House that the Army had received information on movement of insurgents in Mon and ’21 Para Commando’ unit had laid an ambush.   

Bhima Koregaon case: Sudha Bharadwaj released from Byculla jail 

Human rights lawyer and trade unionist Sudha Bharadwaj was released on Thursday from Byculla jail after spending over three years there in connection with the Bhima Koregaon caste violence case of 2018.  The other co-accused Shoma Sen and Jyoti Jagtap are still in jail. Bharadwaj, 61, was arrested on August 28, 2018 from her residence in Faridabad where she lives with her daughter Maaysha, 24.  After repeatedly denying Bharadwaj default bail, medical bail and bail on merits, the Bombay High Court granted her bail on December 1.  The court held, On the touchstone of the guarantee of personal liberty under Article 21 (Right to Life) of the Constitution, in our view, to deprive Ms. Bharadwaj of the indefeasible right of bail would be taking a too technical and formalistic view of the matter. In our view, all the requisite conditions to release Ms. Bharadwaj on default bail stood fully satisfied.  Soon after this order, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) probing the case filed an appeal challenging the order of granting her bail. One of the grounds was that she has been charged with the draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. The Supreme Court, however, dismissed the plea and paved way for Bharadwaj’s release.  On December 8, the special NIA court laid the conditions for her bail and directed her to furnish a cash bond of ₹50,000 with one or two sureties.  In jail, she suffered from pre-existing medical conditions of diabetes, high blood pressure, hypertension and a history of pulmonary tuberculosis. She has also had an extremely painful swelling in her joints and a frozen shoulder that restricted her movement.   

WHO warns fears of omicron could spark new vaccine hoarding 

The World Health Organisation expressed concerns Thursday that rich countries spooked by the emergence of the omicron variant could step up the hoarding of COVID-19 vaccines and strain global supplies again, complicating efforts to stamp out the pandemic.  The UN health agency, after a meeting of its expert panel on vaccination, reiterated its advice to governments against the widespread use of boosters in their populations so that well-stocked countries instead can send doses to low-income countries that have largely lacked access to them.  What is going to shut down disease is for everybody who is especially at risk of disease to become vaccinated, said Dr. Kate O’Brien, head of WHO’s department of immunization, vaccines and biologicals.  We seem to be taking our eye off that ball in countries. Months of short supplies of COVID-19 vaccines have begun to ease over the last two months or so, and doses are finally getting to needier countries — such as through donations and the UN-backed COVAX programme — and WHO wants that to continue.  It has long decried vaccine inequity by which most doses have gone to people in rich countries, whose leaders locked down big stockpiles as a precautionary measure. Dr. O’Brien urged a rational, global perspective about what’s actually going to shut down this pandemic. We have the tools at hand, we have the choices we can make, and the next days and weeks are really going to determine what direction the world decides it’s going to go in, on omicron, she said. 

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

RSF report says China is world’s biggest captor of journalists

According to the report by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), China is the world’s biggest captor of journalists. Currently, 127 journalists have been detained. However, China has justified the arrests of citizens and journalists, and reporters by accusing them of provoking trouble. RSF report titled ‘The Great Leap Backwards of Journalism in China’ has revealed China’s violations against its own international commitment to freedom of expression and opinion. The report also demonstrates how Beijing has viewed journalism not as a tool of providing information to the public but as an instrument of state propaganda. Reporters Without Borders has ranked China 177th out of 180 in the World Press Freedom Index 2021 which is just two places above North Korea

US, India, Israel, UAE Quad meeting might happen in early 2022

The Ambassador of Israel to India, Naor Gilon informed that the Quad meeting between India-US-Israel-UAE can happen in early 2022 in Dubai. The Sherpas from the four nations identified for the meet will identify the fields of cooperation in infrastructure.

Observer Status granted to International Solar Alliance by UNGA

The United Nations General Assembly has granted an Observer Status to the International Solar Alliance. The news was shared by the Ambassador of India to UN TS Tirumurti. In a tweet, Tirumuti mentioned that ISA has become an example of positive global climate change action through partnerships.