Tag: exam

CURRENT AFFAIRS
22 February 2021

NATIONAL NEWS:

 

A) Two more MLAs quit in Puducherry ahead of floor test. 

Two more MLAs of the Congress-DMK alliance in Puducherry resigned on Sunday, delivering yet another jolt to Chief Minister V Narayanasamy, a day before he is scheduled to face a floor test in the assembly to prove his majority. The resignation by Congress MLA K Lakshminarayanan and DMK legislator Venkatesan further reduced the strength of the ruling alliance to 11, while the opposition has 14 MLAs in the 33-member assembly, which has seven vacancies. Mr. Lakshminarayanan and Mr. Venkatesan submitted their resignation letters separately to Assembly Speaker V P Sivakolundhu at his residence in Puducherry, the both said. Speaking to reporters, Lakshminarayanan said that this government led by Narayanasamy has lost majority. He said he has also resigned from the party membership. Later, Venkatesan told the media that he had quit the post of MLA only and continued to be in the DMK. He was not able to meet the needs of the people in his constituency since there was no allocation of funds under the MLA Local Area Development fund, he said. Four Congress MLAs–including ex-ministers A Namassivayam (now in BJP) and Malladi Krishna Rao had quit, while another party legislator was earlier disqualified. Mr. Narayanasamy’s confidante A John Kumar had resigned this week. Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan, handed over additional charge of Puducherry, had on Thursday directed Narayanasamy to prove majority by ordering a floor test on February 22.

B) Sonia Gandhi likens high fuel prices to extortion. 

Congress president Sonia Gandhi in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday accused his government of profiteering from people’s miseries by called the excessively levying excise duty on petroleum products and called it nothing short of extortion to cover up economic mismanagement. In her three page letter, Ms. Gandhi mentioned that hardships faced by the middle class increased with the price of petrol crossing ₹100 per litre in several parts of India and the surging diesel prices have only added to the problems of the farmers. She asked the government to focus on solutions instead of looking for excuses as India deserves better. The Congress chief said that while India was witnessing erosion of jobs, wages and household incomes, problems for the middle class and marginal income groups have compounded by run away inflation and an unprecedented rise in price of almost all household items and essential commodities. Sadly, in these distressing times, the Government has chosen to profiteer off people’s misery and suffering, Ms. Gandhi wrote, adding that Governments are elected to ease the burden of our people and at the very least, not work directly contrary to their interests.

C) U.P. Police register FIR against 8 Twitter handles. 

The Unnao police on Sunday lodged an FIR under the charges of provoking rioting against eight Twitter users for spreading fake stories about the alleged poisoning of three Dalit girls in Asoha on February 17, which left two dead and one in hospital in critical condition. The police said the Twitter handles had spread false information that the girls had been raped, which was not found in the post-mortem report, and that the last rites of the two girls were done without the consent of their families, which also was denied by the police. An FIR was registered under Section 153 of the IPC and Section 66 of the Information Technology Act against @NilimDutta, @themojostory, @janjagranlive, @SurajKrBaudh, @VijayAmbedkarUP, @Abhaykumarazad97, @Rahuldiwkr and @BhimSenaChief. Unnao SP Anand Kulkarni said further action would be taken in the case and the FIR under the same Sections against Congress leader Udit Raj for a tweet, after the police take legal opinion. He said the tweets could have affected the law and order in the village.

D) Covid watch: Numbers and Developments. 

The number of reported coronavirus cases from India stands at 1,10,05,310 with the death toll at 1,57,796. The Centre has written to States  Kerala, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and J&K which are witnessing a daily surge in the number of daily Covid-19 cases directing an increase in proportion of RT-PCR tests while ensuring that those testing negative with Rapid Antigen be retested by RT-PCR. Centre has also asked states to look into strict, comprehensive surveillance and stringent containment to curb the spread of the virus. In its release issued on February 21 the Health Ministry said that more than 74% of the active COVID-19 cases of the country are in Kerala and Maharashtra and that a spike in cases has been seen in some States. India has been witnessing a rise in the active caseload over the past few days and its total active caseload is pegged at 1,45,634 currently, said the Ministry. It added that in the last four weeks in Kerala the average weekly cases have fluctuated between a high of 42,000 to a low of 34,800 and the weekly positivity here has ranged from 13.9% to 8.9%. In Maharashtra, in the last four weeks, the weekly cases have shown a rising trend and have increased from 18,200 to 21,300 and the areas of concern are the Mumbai Suburban areas where the weekly cases have risen by 19%. Data released by the Ministry said that Punjab too is rapidly assuming a critical dimension with COVID-19 infection registering a positivity rate from 1.4% to 1.6 % in the last four weeks.

E) WHO says no traditional medicine cleared for Covid-19 treatment. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) has in a tweet clarified that it has not certified any traditional medicine for the treatment of COVID-19. The statement comes after recent claims by Patanjali Ayurved on the certification of its product, Coronil, by the global health body. WHO has not reviewed or certified the effectiveness of any traditional medicine for the treatment COVID-19, the global health body said earlier this week. Coronil has received the Certificate of Pharmaceutical Product (CoPP) from the Ayush section of Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation as per the WHO certification scheme, a statement issued by Patanjali had said. The Ministry of Ayush had recommended additional therapies, including the Coronil tablet, as a supporting measure (immune booster) in Covid-19. Patanjali Ayurved had introduced Ayurveda-based Coronil on June 23, 2020.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) China detains three bloggers for ‘insulting’ PLA men who died in Galwan. 

Authorities in China have said they 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. On Friday, 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. In messages to his 2.5 million followers on Weibo, the Twitter-equivalent used in China, he suggested the fatalities would have been higher than four because as per the official account, some of the soldiers died coming to the aid of troops in difficulty, who, in his view, would have suffered losses as well. He also questioned why the announcement took eight months, while India had, in contrast, promptly recognised the 20 Indian soldiers who died. India’s prompt announcement, he wrote, suggested that in India’s view they won and paid a lesser price.  Police in Nanjing posted a message on Saturday saying he was arrested for releasing false information and smearing the four heroes who died and one who was wounded when dealing with the Indian military’s illegal trespassing. Mr. Qiu’s social media account was subsequently suspended. His arrest was among the most discussed topics online, receiving 730 million views as of Sunday evening.

B) Djokovic wins 9th Australian open title, third in a row. 

Novak Djokovic racked up yet another Australian Open title, making it nine championship wins from nine finals. The Serbian continues to gain ground on Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in the Grand Slam standings, now up to 18 overall, two away from the men’s record shared by his two rivals. Djokovic wore Medvedev down with a combination of superb serving and his usual relentless returning and baseline supremacy, grabbing 11 of 13 games in one stretch for a third trophy in a row at Melbourne Park. Some statistics from the Associated Press – The 33-year-old from Serbia improved to 18-0 combined in semifinals and finals on the hard courts of the Australian Open. Serbia’s Novak Djokovic parades with the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup after defeating Russia’s Daniil Medvedev in the men’s singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne on February 21, 2021. Looking at the bigger picture, Djokovic has won six of the last 10 major tournaments and is assured of remaining at No. 1 in the rankings at least through March 8. That will give him 311 weeks in the top spot, breaking a mark held by Federer. The No. 4-ranked Medvedev was appearing in his second Grand Slam final he was the runner-up to Nadal at the 2019 U.S. Open but is still left trying collect his first such championship. Djokovic ended the 25-year-old Russian’s 20-match winning streak. Medvedev also had won his previous 12 matches against Top 10 opponents.

CURRENT AFFAIRS
21 February 2021

NATIONAL NEWS:

 

A) ‘If highlighting farmers’ protest globally is sedition, I’m better in jail,’ Disha Ravi tells court. 

There is no evidence to show that the toolkit on farmers’ protest is responsible for the violence on January 26, activist Disha Ravi’s counsel told a Delhi court, which reserved for February 26 its order on her bail plea. If highlighting farmers’ protest globally is sedition, he is better in jail, Ravi said through her counsel today. Ravi’s counsel was submitting arguments after the Delhi Police opposed her bail plea, alleging she was preparing the toolkit with those advocating Khalistan and was part of a global conspiracy to defame India and create unrest in the country in the garb of farmers’ protest. This was not just a toolkit. The real plan was to defame India and create unrest here, the police said before Additional Sessions Judge Dharmender Rana. However, Ravi’s lawyer rejected the allegations. There is no evidence to link him with Sikhs For Justice, a banned organisation. And even if he (Ravi) meet someone, there is no symbol on him that he is a secessionist, the defence counsel said. The Delhi police gave permission for the farmers’ march, which they’re claiming that he (Ravi) asked people to join, so how did he become seditious, the lawyer said in court. Meanwhile, Swedish teen climate activist Greta Thunberg has extended her support to Ravi. 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, Thunberg tweeted on Friday, using the hashtag #StandWithDishaRavi. Her first public expression of support comes almost a week after Ravi’s arrest.

B) Unnao survivor taken off ventilator.

The teenager from an Unnao village, who was among three girls found unconscious in a field on Wednesday, was taken off ventilator support on Saturday, a statement from the Kanpur hospital treating her said. The girl was off ventilator and has spontaneous respiration three days after she was admitted to the hospital at 11 p.m. on Wednesday, a medical bulletin issued by Regency Hospital PRO Paramjeet Arora said. The girl was being treated in the pediatric intensive care unit and was under constant monitoring, the bulletin said. The three minor girls, all from the same Dalit family in a village in Asoha block, who had gone to fetch fodder, were found unconscious by family members on Wednesday evening. Two of the girls later died, allegedly due to poisoning. The Uttar Pradesh police on Friday arrested a youth, Vinay, and detained a juvenile from the neighbouring village for allegedly giving the girls water laced with insecticide. Meanwhile, the Unnao Police on Saturday registered an FIR against Congress leader Udit Raj over a tweet by him claiming that the victims’ family had alleged the girls were raped and that the last rites were performed without their consent. The FIR was filed under Section 153 of the Indian Penal Code (provocation to riot) and Section 66 of the Information Technology Act.

C) One more city renamed: Hoshangabad to become ‘Narmadapuram’

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has announced that Hoshangabad city in the state would be renamed as Narmadapuram and a proposal to that effect would be sent to the Centre, PTI reported. While addressing a gathering on the banks of Narmada, Chouhan asked whether the government should change the name of Hoshangabad, to which the people present there replied in the affirmative. What should be the new name? Chouhan asked, and the people replied, Narmadapuram! The chief minister then said that they are now sending a proposal to the Centre to change the name of Hoshangabad as Narmadapuram. BJP workers, led by protem Assembly Speaker Rameshwar Sharma, expressed happiness over Chouhan’s announcement and burst firecrackers. This is a historic moment. Narmada is the lifeline of Madhya Pradesh. Hoshangabad was so far named after an attacker Hoshang Shah, but will be known after the lifeline Maa Narmada, which is a matter of happiness, he said. However, state Congress spokesman Bhupendra Gupta termed the announcement as the ruling BJP’s ploy to divert the attention of people from important issues like inflation and rising prices of fuel. BJP only changed the names related to the Mughals, but not of those linked to the British rulers. Why the name of Minto Hall (old Vidhan Sabha building) has not been changed? This is just to divert the attention. Instead, it should focus on development and give relief to people, he said.

D) Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments. 

The number of coronavirus cases reported from India stood at 1,09,81,164 with the death toll at 1,57,625. There has been an upsurge in daily new Covid-19 cases in Kerala, Maharashtra, Punjab, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, according to the Union Health Ministry. In the past week, Maharashtra exhibited a spike in the number of daily new cases. In the last 24 hours, 6,112 daily new cases have been reported in the State. Chhattisgarh reported 259 cases, Punjab 383 and Madhya Pradesh 297, said the Ministry. It asserted that people should keep in mind the importance of adherence to Covid-19 appropriate behaviour. This is essential for breaking the chain of transmission of the virus and containment of spread of the disease, it stated. Eighteen States/UTs have not reported any Covid-19 deaths in the last 24 hours and these include Telangana, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Tripura, Assam, Chandigarh, Lakshadweep, Manipur, Meghalaya, Ladakh (UT), Mizoram, Sikkim, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

A) India, China begin 10th round of talks on next phase of disengagement.

India and China began the tenth round of Corps Commander talks on Saturday to work out an agreement on the next phase of disengagement. The talks began at Moldo on the Chinese side at 10 a.m., a defence official said. On Friday, the two sides completed disengagement and also restoration of the ground on the north and south banks of Pangong Tso, as per the agreement reached in the ninth round of talks. This undated handout photograph released by the Indian Army on February 16, 2021 shows People Liberation Army soldiers during military disengagement along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh. The other major friction points are Gogra, Hot Springs and Depsang Plains. The focus of this round of talks is expected to be on Gogra and Hot Springs, where partial disengagement was already done in June-July last year. For disengagement at Pangong Tso lake, both sides had worked out a step-by-step agreement. A second official said a similar agreement would be worked out for the subsequent rounds of disengagement and then de-escalation.

B) Google fires another leader of Ethical AI team. 

Alphabet Inc’s Google fired staff scientist Margaret Mitchell on Friday, they both said, a move that fanned company divisions on academic freedom and diversity that were on display since its December dismissal of AI ethics researcher Timnit Gebru, Reuters reported. Google said in a statement Mitchell violated the company’s code of conduct and security policies by moving electronic files outside the company. Mitchell, who announced her firing on Twitter, tweeting, he is fired. Well known transparency activist and whistleblower Chelsea E. Manning reacted to the firing by commenting, he guess this means there’s no such thing as ethical AI under capitalism. Google’s ethics in artificial intelligence work has been under scrutiny since the firing of Gebru, a scientist who gained prominence for exposing bias in facial analysis systems. The dismissal had prompted thousands of Google workers to protest. She and Mitchell had called for greater diversity and inclusion among Google’s research staff and expressed concern that the company was starting to censor papers critical of its products. Gebru had said Google fired her after she questioned an order not to publish a study saying AI that mimics language could hurt marginalised populations. Mitchell, a co-author of the paper, had publicly criticised the company for firing Gebru and undermining the credibility of her work. The pair for about two years had co-led the ethical AI team, started by Mitchell. Google AI research director Zoubin Ghahramani and a company lawyer informed Mitchell’s team of her firing on Friday in a meeting called at short notice, according to a person familiar with the matter. The person said little explanation was given for the dismissal.

CURRENT AFFAIRS
20 February 2021

NATIONAL NEWS:

 

A) Toolkit case: Disha Ravi sent to judicial custody for 3 days. 

A Delhi court Friday sent climate activist Disha Ravi, arrested for allegedly sharing a social media ‘toolkit’ related to the farmers’ protest, to three-day judicial custody. Her bail hearing is due tomorrow. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Akash Jain sent Ravi, 22, to jail after Delhi Police produced her before the court on expiry of her five-day custodial interrogation. Police said that her custodial interrogation was not required for the time being and the agency may seek her further interrogation once her co-accused Shantanu Mukul and Nikita Jacob join the interrogation. Police said Ravi was evasive during her previous interrogation and tried to shift blame on the co-accused. Mukul and Jacob have been asked to appear before the investigating agency on February 22, the agency told the court. The defence lawyer opposed the police plea and urged the court to release Ravi. He further said that there was an apprehension of tampering of the evidence by police as the case diary is not properly made and in volume form. There is no ground to keep her in any custody, police custody or judicial custody. Ravi ought to be released right now. The court was also informed that the accused has moved a bail application which will come up for hearing on Saturday. Last Sunday, the court had sent Ravi to five-day police custody after it said her custodial interrogation was required to probe an alleged larger conspiracy against the government of India and to ascertain her alleged role relating to the Khalistan movement. Meanwhile, The Delhi High Court Women Lawyers Forum has made a representation before the Supreme Court, urging it to revisit the Constitutional validity of Section 124A (Sedition) of the IPC, in the light of the alleged illegal arrest and detention of climate activist Disha Ravi in connection with the Greta Thunberg ‘toolkit’ case, Livelaw reported.

B) Union Culture Ministry tweets tribute to Hindutva ideologue M.S. Golwalkar. 

The Union Ministry of Culture, through its official Twitter handle today paid tribute to Hindutva ideologue and one time head of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) M.S. Golwalkar on his birth anniversary. Remembering a great thinker, scholar, and remarkable leader #MSGolwalkar on his birth anniversary. His thoughts will remain a source of inspiration & continue to guide generations, said the tweet. Reacting to the tribute, former Culture Secretary and former Prasar Bharati CEO Jawahar Sircar tweeted, As former Culture Secretary, he hang his head in shame to see RSS chief Golwalkar being falsely praised by @MinOfCultureGoI. Golwalkar & RSS opposed Gandhi’s Freedom Struggle. In his ‘Bunch of Thoughts’, Golwalkar opposed India’s tricolour too. Sardar Patel jailed him, banned RSS. In a recent column on Golwalkar, historian Ramachandra Guha had described him as a reactionary bigot, whose ideas and prejudices have no place in a modern, liberal democracy.

C) Bengal court summons Amit Shah in defamation case. 

A designated MP/MLA court in West Bengal issued summons to Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday to appear either personally or through a lawyer before it on February 22 in connection with a defamation case lodged against him by Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee. The special judge of MP/MLA court at Bidhannagar directed that Shah’s attendance either personally or through a lawyer is necessary to answer to a charge of defamation under section 500 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). In a press note, Abhishek Banerjee’s lawyer Sanjay Basu claimed that Shah had made certain defamatory statements against the Trinamool MP on August 11, 2018 at a rally of the BJP at Mayo Road in Kolkata.

D) BJP youth leader arrested with cocaine in Kolkata. 

BJP’s youth-wing leader Pamela Goswami was arrested with cocaine from south Kolkata’s upscale New Alipore area on Friday, PTI reported. Goswami, the state secretary of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), along with a friend identified as Prabir Kumar Dey, was in her car when both of them were nabbed, police said. Around 100 gm of cocaine was allegedly found in her handbag, and other parts of the car, police said. Acting on a tip-off, sleuths of the New Alipore police station made the arrests when she was parking the car, an officer said. She was involved in drug trafficking for quite some time. Today, they got information that she, along with her supplier Prabir was reaching the spot to hand over the drugs to the purchasers, the officer said. The BJP said that it suspects the police’s role in the drugs recovery but if Goswami was wrong, the law should take its course. They had earlier seen that the state police had named several BJP activists in arms cases. He do not have much information about this incident, so he will not be able to say more. Pamela is a young girl. If she has done anything wrong, the law will take its course, BJP MP Locket Chatterjee said.

E) Dr. Reddy’s initiates Emergency Use Authorisation process for Sputnik V. Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd. on Friday announced that it had initiated the process with the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) for Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) of human adenoviral vector-based platform vaccine candidate Sputnik V. As part of the review process, Dr. Reddy’s will present the safety profile of the phase-two study, and interim data of the phase-three study, which is expected to be complete by 21st February 2021, noted a release issued by the company. G V Prasad, Co-chairman and Managing Director of Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, said that the efficacy of Sputnik V was reported to be 91.6 % by The Lancet, which is an impressive development in the fight against COVID-19. The initiation of the EUA process will be a critical step forward for us in ensuring speedy access to the Sputnik V vaccine in India. Sputnik V was the world’s first registered vaccine against Covid-19 based on the human adenoviral vector platform.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

A) Uber drivers entitled to worker rights, U.K.’s top court rules. 

A group of Uber drivers are entitled to worker rights such as the minimum wage, Britain’s Supreme Court ruled on Friday in a blow to the ride-hailing service that has ramifications for millions of others in the gig economy. In a case led by two former Uber drivers, a London employment tribunal had ruled in 2016 that they were due entitlements that also included paid holidays and rest breaks. Uber drivers are currently treated as self-employed, meaning that by law they are only afforded minimal protections. The Supreme Court unanimously dismisses Uber’s appeal, judge George Leggatt said on Friday. The legislation is intended to give certain protections to vulnerable individuals who have little or no say over their pay and working conditions. A total of 25 drivers were part of the case and Uber said the verdict did not apply to all of its current 60,000 drivers in Britain, including 45,000 in London, one of its most important global markets. Uber shares fell 3.4% in pre-market trading following the court announcement. The gig economy, where people tend to work for one or more companies on a job-by-job basis, has faced criticism from trade unions who say it is exploitative, while businesses say many of those working in it enjoy the flexibility. Uber has faced opposition from unions and challenges to its business model in several countries as it disrupts the taxi market. In November, however, it saw off a challenge in its home market of California where voters backed a ballot proposal that cemented app-based food delivery and ride-hail drivers’ status as independent contractors, not employees.

B) China says four of its soldiers died in Galwan clash. 

China on Friday said for the first time that it had lost four soldiers, including a battalion commander, in the June 15 clash in the Galwan valley, breaking its silence over the number of casualties suffered by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). The PLA said the announcement, made eight months after the clash, 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. Twenty Indian soldiers died in the clash which marked the worst violence on the border since 1967. The official PLA Daily said five Chinese frontier officers and soldiers stationed in the Karakoram Mountains have been recognised by the Central Military Commission of China for defending national sovereignty and territorial integrity, one of whom was injured. The report, however, did not say how many injuries the PLA suffered in total. The PLA likely suffered a far higher number of injured, with Indian officials saying they counted around 60 Chinese soldiers being carried on stretchers after the clash.

CURRENT AFFAIRS
19 February 2021

NATIONAL NEWS:

 

A) Two minor Dalit girls die after being found unconscious in a field in Unnao; another in serious condition.

Two minor Dalit girls were declared brought dead to the hospital and another was in a serious condition after they were found in an unconscious state in a field in Unnao district in eastern Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday, police said. The three girls, aged 15, 14 and 16, were found tied in a field in Babuhara village in Asoha, around 36 km south of Lucknow, by villagers when they did not return after they left their house to take fodder for the cattle, police said. Director General of Police H.C. Awasthy said the post-mortem could not ascertain the cause of death and the viscera had been preserved for chemical examination. No injury mark was found on the body of the deceased in the autopsy, he stated. On the condition of the third girl, he said she had been referred to a Kanpur hospital for better treatment. According to the medical bulletin, it is a suspected case of poisoning and her condition is critical but stable. Six teams have been formed to investigate the case from all possible angles. Ramesh Chandra Prayalankar, Circle Officer, Purwa, said that on the complaint of the family members, an FIR had been registered against unidentified persons under sections 302 and 201 of the IPC. The girls were cousins. They were found in the wheat field of the family, he told. He denied reports that the victims’ family members were detained at the police station and not allowed to talk to the media. There is no such attempt. They were called to understand the sequence of events and now they have been sent home under police protection to conduct the last rites, he said. Chief Medical Superintendent of Unnao District Hospital Basant Bhatt said that when the girl was brought in, she was in a serious condition. Clinically, it appeared like a case of organo phosphorous poisoning. The chemical is used in insecticides. Froth was coming out of her mouth and she was gasping for breath. They have intubated her to take water out of lungs. The Opposition described it as yet another example of the deteriorating law and order situation in the State. A delegation of the Samajwadi Party met the family members of the victims. First a daughter in Hathras, then a mother in Budaun, and now sisters of Unnao – women are not safe in BJP rule, tweeted SP President Akhilesh Yadav in Hindi.

B) ‘Rail roko’ protest remains peaceful.

Farmers on Thursday gathered near railway tracks at many places in Punjab and Haryana for the ‘rail roko’ protest against the Centre’s new agri laws, with officials stopping trains at stations as a precautionary measure. The rail blockade did not have much impact in Uttar Pradesh, with farmers organising token protests near railway tracks and stations in the state. Around 25 trains have been regulated in the northern zone due to the ‘rail roko’ call by farmers protesting the three agri laws on Thursday, a zonal railway spokesperson said. Regulating trains means they have either been cancelled, short terminated or rerouted. Farmers protesting on railway track against the new farm laws at the Rail Roko agitation at Modinagar railway station in Ghazibad, Uttar Pradesh. Farmers protesting on railway track against the new farm laws at the Rail Roko agitation at Modinagar railway station in Ghazibad, Uttar Pradesh. The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of farmer unions which is spearheading the protest, last week had announced the nationwide rail blockade to press for its demand to repeal the legislations and had said that the agitation will be from 12 pm to 4 p.m.

C) Third Quad ministerial meeting to discuss regional, global issues.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will join his counterparts from the U.S., Japan and Australia on February 18 (later this evening) under the framework of the Quad coalition to deliberate on ways to enhance cooperation in the Indo-Pacific in the backdrop of growing Chinese assertiveness in the region. This is the first such meeting since the election of U.S. President Joe Biden. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the Ministers will exchange views on regional and global issues, especially practical areas of cooperation towards maintaining a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific region. The third India-Australia-Japan-USA ministerial meeting will be held on February 18 with participation of the respective Foreign Ministers, the MEA said in a brief statement. The evolving situation in the Indo-Pacific region in the wake of China’s increasing military muscle-flexing has become a major talking point among leading global powers. The U.S. has been favouring making Quad a security architecture to check China’s growing assertiveness. The MEA said the meeting will provide an opportunity to continue the useful exchange of views from their last meeting in Tokyo in October last.

D) LG asks Puducherry CM to prove majority in the Assembly on February 22.

The Congress government in Puducherry will face a test of strength on Monday, newly appointed Lieutenant Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan said, by citing the Opposition’s stand that the ruling party no longer enjoyed a majority. Just months before an election, the state government is believed to have lost its thin majority after four recent resignations, though Chief Minister V Narayanasamy denies this. He insists that two of those resignations are yet to be accepted. Soundararajan, who was sworn in as Lieutenant Governor on Thursday after Kiran Bedi’s sudden removal, said a floor test was needed to ascertain whether the Congress government enjoys a majority. The vote will take place by 5 pm on Monday. A statement said the Lieutenant Governor had conveyed to Narayanasamy that the assembly would meet for a single agenda, namely whether the government of the incumbent Chief Minister continues to enjoy the confidence of the House. Of the 30 elected MLAs in the assembly, the Congress had 15 members and, along with the DMK’s three and one independent member, was just past the majority mark of 16. After the resignations, the government and the opposition both are at 14. The Congress has 10 members, leaving the government one short of the majority mark, which has dropped to 15 with the assembly strength coming down to 28.

E) SC makes queries to govt on felling of trees of a certain species, age. 

Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sharad A. Bobde on Thursday asked the government whether measures could be taken to prevent the felling of trees of a certain species and age, after considering their contributions to ecology, even for infrastructure projects. Can something be done to see if trees of a certain age and type are never cut down, Chief Justice Bobde addressed the government, represented by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati. Chief Justice Bobde said certain species of trees could be identified and graded on the basis of their abilities to provide oxygen and to bind the soil. The remarks came even as a Supreme Court-appointed expert committee filed a report that said the felling of 300 heritage trees to construct five railway overbridges in West Bengal would cost India a staggering ₹2,23,50,00,000. The 10-digit figure was arrived at by the committee after calculating the products these trees would produce over the 100 years of their natural lifetime. These include oxygen, micro-nutrients, compost and bio-fertilizer, besides being valuable members of the natural environment. The committee had said an individual tree annually parts with products worth ₹74,500. Though the report was submitted a year ago, the figures of loss quoted in the report had managed to alarm Chief Justice Bobde’s Bench. The CJI had suggested framing a new protocol by which road and highway projects ought to be cleared only after checking the feasibility of other modes of transport such as waterways and railways.

F) ‘Metroman’ E. Sreedharan to join BJP. 

In a major boost for the party, E. Sreedharan, principal advisor to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and popularly known as Metroman, is all set to join the BJP. This was announced by the BJP Kerala unit president K. Surendran at a news conference here on Thursday. Sreedharan, 88, would officially join the party during the inauguration of the Statewide Vijaya Yatra led by Surendran from Kasaragod on February 21, ahead of the Assembly polls. Surendran claimed both the Congress-led United Democratic Front and the CPI (M)-led Left Democratic Front had opposed and humiliated Sreedharan on several occasions. He said that Sreedharan was an asset for the State. The BJP had already requested him to contest the polls, Surendran said.

G) PM moots special visa scheme for medical staff during Covid workshop with nine countries. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday suggested that neighbouring countries should consider creating a special visa scheme for doctors and nurses, so that they could travel quickly within the region during health emergencies, on the request of the receiving country. Modi was addressing a workshop on ‘COVID-19 Management: Experience, Good Practices and Way Forward’ with nine neighbouring nations, including Pakistan. India was hosting the secretary-level virtual meeting, chaired by Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan.The Prime Minister said that civil aviation ministries could coordinate a regional air ambulance agreement for medical contingencies and countries could come together to create a regional platform for collating, compiling and studying data about the effectiveness of Covid-19 vaccines among populations.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) Facebook news goes dark in Australia.

Australians woke to empty news feeds on their Facebook Inc pages on Thursday after the social media giant blocked all media content in a surprise and dramatic escalation of a dispute with the government over paying for content. The move was swiftly criticised by news producers, politicians and human rights advocates, many of whom pointed out that official health and meteorology information had also been scrubbed during the coronavirus pandemic and at the height of Australia’s summer bushfire season. Facebook was wrong, Facebook’s actions were unnecessary, they were heavyhanded, and they will damage its reputation here in Australia, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said. Mr. Frydenberg said facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg gave no warning of the news shutdown when the pair spoke over the weekend about looming laws that will force them to pay local publishers for content. The two had a subsequent conversation on Thursday morning which was constructive, Mr. Frydenberg said, adding they discussed what he called differing interpretations about how the new Media Bargaining Code would work.

B) Texas shivers amid power outages, water shortages. 

Power was gradually being restored but hundreds of thousands of households remained without electricity on Thursday across Texas, the oil and gas capital of the U.S., with some facing water shortages as a deadly winter cold spell that pummelled the southeastern part of the country headed east. The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a winter storm warning. It said the storm would bring ice, sleet and heavy snow to parts of Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi as it tracks to the northeast, causing power outages, tree damage and making driving hazardous. Even though the Arctic air mass was beginning to lose its grip on an area of the country not used to such extreme cold, the frigid temperatures would continue, the NWS said. More than 30 storm-related deaths have been reported.

CURRENT AFFAIRS
18 February 2021

NATIONAL NEWS:

 

A) Delhi court acquits Priya Ramani in M.J. Akbar’s defamation case; rejects argument that he was a man of ‘stellar reputation’

A Delhi court on Wednesday dismissed former Union Minister M.J. Akbar’s criminal defamation complaint against journalist Priya Ramani for her tweets accusing him of sexual harassment. Women have the right to put their grievances at any platform of their choice and even after decades, the court said while acquitting Ramani in the case. The court also rejected Akbar’s argument that he was a man of stellar reputation. At the height of the #MeToo movement in 2018, Ramani had accused Akbar of sexual harassment. Following Ramani’s accusation, about a dozen former colleagues of Akbar also came out with different allegations against him. In response, Akbar filed a criminal defamation case against Ramani in October 2018. Akbar claimed that Ramani’s tweet and her article accusing him of sexual harassment were defamatory, and lowered his reputation. He has also said that Ramani didn’t produce any evidence to prove her story. However, Ramani pleaded truth as her defence in relation to the allegations of sexual harassment against Akbar. She maintained that the criminal case was initiated to create a chilling effect against women who spoke out about their experience of sexual harassment at his hands..Following the verdict, Ramani said she felt vindicated on behalf of all the women who have ever spoken up against sexual harassment at the workplace. Speaking to The Hindu, Ramani said that this case was not about him, it was about what women face at the workplace. It feels amazing to have their truth validated in a court of law. His victory belongs to everyone who spoke up during the #MeToo movement.

B) Farmers call for rail roko protest from noon to 4 pm tomorrow.

Protesting farm unions have called for a nationwide rail roko protest on Thursday, between noon and 4 pm, which they hope will force the government to break the ongoing deadlock over three farm laws. However, the response to a similar highway protest earlier this month suggests that the mass impact of such blockades may be limited to a few states. The Railways has also focussed on the states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal in the deployment of 20,000 additional security personnel ahead of the protest. The protest call has been issued by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, an umbrella group of most of the unions participating in the agitation. From 12 noon to 4 pm, farmers will stop trains by going to their nearest railway station. They will welcome the trains with flower garlands and then communicate with railway passengers. Agitating farmers will also provide water, milk and tea to the passengers, said Bharatiya Kisan Union-Tikait leader Rakesh Tikait, on the eve of the protest. He appealed to farmers to remain peaceful during the protest, and to commuters to take time to listen to farmers’ demands. A successful rail roko protest across the country will force the government to break the deadlock, said Kul Hind Kisan Sabha leader Baldev Singh Nihalgarh.

C) Govt. denies link between Char Dham project and Uttarakhand disaster. 

The government on Wednesday denied in the Supreme Court any link between the Char Dham road-widening project in Uttarakhand and the recent flash floods in the Rishi Ganga valley, which claimed many lives and damaged the Tapovan hydro project. The denial, before a Bench led by Justice Rohinton Nariman, came from the government in response to a communication from the high powered committee (HPC) chairperson Ravi Chopra connecting the tragedy with the Char Dham project. The court asked the government to file a response in two weeks. The 899-km-long Char Dham highway project connects the four shrines of Gangotri, Yamunotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath in the Garhwal Himalayas. The project is under the Supreme Court’s scanner after an NGO, Citizens for Green Doon, raised environmental concerns over the cutting of trees and harm to the fragile Himalayan ecology caused by the widening of the existing mountain roads. The high-powered committee was formed to be the eyes and ears of the Supreme Court on the project. However, it had not been unanimous in its views. In January, the government had supported a majority view within the committee favouring the necessity of broadening the Himalayan feeder roads to the Indo-China border in order to facilitate troop movement. The Ministry of Defence, in an affidavit in court, had said it was unfortunate that three of the HPC members gave a minority view to reconsider a December 15, 2020 circular of the Ministry of Road and Transport and Highways, which fixed the carriageway width of the feeder roads at seven metres with a paved shoulder spanning 1.5 metres on either side. The minority view had said the December 15 circular needed a re-think considering its long-term impacts on the fragile Himalayan terrain and sensitive ecosystem.

D) Punjab urban local body election results: Congress wins 6 of 7 municipal corporations. 

The ruling Congress won six of the seven Municipal Corporations (MCs) in the civic polls in Punjab for which results were declared on February 17, officials said. The Congress won in Bathinda, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Abohar, Batala and Pathankot. The result for the seventh corporation was expected later in the day. The counting of votes for yet another corporation will take place on Feb. 18. Over 70% of voting was recorded in the Punjab civic body elections on February 14, 2021.Over 70% of voting was recorded in the Punjab civic body elections on February 14, 2021. The outcome of the elections, held against the backdrop of the farmers’ agitation against the BJP-led government at the Centre, has come as a boost for the Congress, which is also hoping to win the Assembly elections due early next year. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and the BJP failed to make a mark in the elections for the municipal corporations.

E) Have forgiven my father’s killers, says Rahul Gandhi. 

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said the killing of his father Rajiv Gandhi in 1991 brought him tremendous pain but he nursed no anger or hatred towards those responsible for it. During an interaction the Congress MP had with students of a State-run women’s college in Puducherry, he was asked, that his father was killed by the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam). What are his feelings about these people? and he answered by saying violence cannot take away anything. He don’t have anger or hatred towards anybody. Of course, he lost his father and for him it was a very difficult time, he said, adding, it was similar to having one’s heart severed. He felt tremendous pain, but he don’t feel any hatred or any anger. He forgive, he said to rounds of applause. Gandhi was interacting with students of Bharathidasan Government College for Women in Puducheery.

F) Petrol prices: PM Modi blames previous governments. 

On a day when the price of petrol crossed the ₹100 mark, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the middle-class would not have been burdened if the previous governments had focused on reducing India’s energy import dependence. Without referring to the relentless increase in fuel prices, which are linked to international rates, he said India imported over 85% of its oil needs in the 2019-20 financial year and 53% of its gas requirement. Can a diverse and talented nation like ours be so energy import dependent? he asked, addressing an online event to inaugurate oil and gas projects in poll-bound Tamil Nadu. He do not want to criticize anyone but he want to say (that) had they focused on this subject much earlier, their middle-class would not be burdened, he said. The price of petrol crossed the ₹100 per liter mark in Rajasthan after fuel rates were hiked for the ninth day in a row. Since India imports the bulk of the oil it needs, retail rates are benchmarked to international prices, which have risen in recent weeks. Opposition parties, including the Congress, have criticised the price hikes, blaming it on the Modi government raising taxes to scoop out the benefit that arose from international oil rates plunging to a two-decade low in April/May last year. While global rates have rebounded with pick-up in demand, the government has not reduced the taxes, which are at a record high. Central and state taxes make up for 60% of the retail selling price of petrol and account for over 54% of the diesel price.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

A) Amazon used a secret strategy to dodge Indian regulators, says Reuters report.

Amazon favoured big sellers on its India platform, and used them to manoeuvre around rules meant to protect the country’s small retailers from getting crushed by e-commerce giants, according to internal documents accessed by Reuters. The documents lay bare that for years, Amazon has been giving preferential treatment to a small group of sellers on its India platform, publicly misrepresented its ties with the sellers, and used them to circumvent increasingly tough regulatory restrictions in India, the Reuters report said. Indian traders, both brick-and-mortar and smaller online sellers, have long alleged that Amazon’s platform largely benefits a tiny number of big sellers and that the American giant engages in predatory pricing that has crushed legions of retailers. Amazon rejects this: It says it complies with Indian law, which stipulates that an e-commerce platform can only connect sellers to buyers for a fee, unlike in the United States, where Amazon can both act as middleman and sell goods directly to consumers. The company also says it runs a transparent online marketplace and treats all sellers equally. The internal Amazon documents contradict those claims, revealing how the e-commerce giant has helped a small number of sellers prosper, giving them discounted fees and helping one cut special deals with big tech manufacturers such as Apple Inc. The documents also show that the company has exercised significant control over the inventory of some of the biggest sellers on Amazon.in, even though it says publicly that all sellers operate independently on its platform. The documents reviewed by Reuters were dated between 2012 and 2019. They included drafts of meeting notes, PowerPoint slides, business reports and emails. One of the notes contains a frank appraisal of Modi’s straight forward style of thinking, sizing him up as not an intellectual.

B) Conservative U.S. radio host Limbaugh dies at 70. 

Provocative and polarising U.S. talk radio luminary Rush Limbaugh, a leading voice on the American political right since the 1980s who boosted and was honoured by former President Donald Trump, has died at age 70 after suffering from : lung cancer, Fox News reported on Wednesday. Mr. Limbaugh’s appeal and the success of his top-rated radio show arose from his brash and colourful style, his delight in baiting liberals and Democrats and his promotion of conservative and Republican causes and politicians. His radio show became nationally syndicated in 1988 and quickly built a large and committed following, making him wealthy in the process. Mr. Trump, a former reality TV personality with a showman’s instincts who pursued right-wing populism during four years in the White House, awarded Mr. Limbaugh the highest U.S. civilian honour the Presidential Medal of Freedom. First lady Melania Trump placed the medal around his neck after her husband lauded Mr. Limbaugh as a special man beloved by millions of Americans. 

C) ‘U.S. will pay over $200 million to WHO’

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that his country would pay the World Health Organization (WHO) $200 million by the end of this month. The announcement is significant as former U.S. President Donald Trump had begun the process of withdrawing the U.S. from the WHO, a process stopped by his successor President Joe Biden. He is pleased to confirm that by the end of the month, the United States intends to pay over 200 million in assessed and current obligations to the WHO. Mr. Blinken told Foreign Ministers of UN Security Council member countries, at an online meeting to discuss the to the pandemic. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar was also part of the meeting. This is a key step forward Antony Blinken in fulfilling our financial obligations as a WHO member and it reflects our renewed commitment to ensuring the WHO has the support it needs to lead the global response to the pandemic even as they work to reform it for the future, Mr. Blinken said. The U.S. is the largest funder of the WHO contributing more than 15% of its total funds. Mr. Trump had pulled the U.S. out of the WHO. which he had called a puppet of China. This process would have been complete in mid-2021, but Mr. Biden reversed it hours after assuming office last month.

CURRENT AFFAIRS
17 February 2021

NATIONAL NEWS:

 

A) 37 dead, many missing after bus falls into canal in M.P.’s Sidhi district. 

At least 37 people, including 16 women, died after the bus they were travelling in fell off a bridge into a canal near Patna village in Madhya Pradesh’s Sidhi district on February 16 morning, a senior official said, adding that search operations are still going on. After fishing out 18 bodies initially, rescuers have retrieved 19 more bodies until now, said Rewa Divisional Commissioner Rajesh Jain. A total of 37 bodies, including 16 women, 20 men and a child, have been fished out of the Bansagar canal until now, he said, adding that a magisterial probe has been ordered. Prima facie, 44 passengers were travelling on the bus at the time of the accident, which occurred around 8:30 a.m. Seven persons managed to swim to the banks of the canal after the incident and 37 bodies have been recovered. The 44 passengers have been identified, Jain added. Earlier in the morning, Inspector General (Rewa zone) Joga had confirmed the recovery of 18 bodies from the accident site. The bus landed in the canal near Patna village, around 80 km from the Sidhi district headquarter, around 8:30 a.m. The State government has cancelled the ‘grih pravesh’ or house-warming ceremony to be attended virtually by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in view of the bus accident. The cancellation of the event, which was scheduled to start at 11 a.m. at Minto Hall in Bhopal, was announced by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan after he reached the venue. Amit Shah was scheduled to take part via video conferencing in this programme for the beneficiaries of over one lakh houses constructed in Madhya Pradesh under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY).

B) Disha Ravi arrest: Court asks Delhi Police to share FIR copy; DCW issues notice. 

A court in Delhi on Tuesday directed the Delhi Police to hand over to 21-year-old climate activist Disha Ravi a copy of the FIR related to her arrest for allegedly sharing a social media ‘toolkit’ on the farmers’ protest, PTI reported. The court also allowed her to speak to her family. Besides the FIR, the court also directed the police to provide her the copies of the arrest memo and remand paper which was placed to seek her custodial interrogation. The court also permitted her to get warm clothes, masks and books. Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Pankaj Sharma allowed Ravi to speak with her family members over phone for 15 minutes a day and meet with her lawyer for 30 minutes a day, during the time she is in police custody. The court passed the order on an application filed by Ravi through her lawyer. The court had on Sunday sent Ravi to five day police custody after the agency said her custodial interrogation was required to probe an alleged larger conspiracy against the government of India and to ascertain her alleged role relating to the Khalistan movement. Meanwhile, the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) on Tuesday issued notice to the Delhi Police over Ravi’s arrest. Taking suo motu cognisance of the matter, the women’s panel in its letter to the police has sought reasons as to why a transit remand was not sought. Please provide reasons for allegedly not providing a lawyer of her choice when she was produced before the court in Delhi, the notice read. The DCW has also sought copies of the FIR and a detailed action taken report by February 19. DCW Chairperson Swati Maliwal said that as per media reports, Disha Ravi was not given a lawyer of her choice neither were rules followed during her arrest. Police should inquire into the matter. However, it is extremely sad and unfortunate if Disha has been arrested because of her support for the protesting farmers.

C) Toolkit case: Activist gets temporary pre-arrest bail. 

Environmental activist Shantanu Muluk, a suspect in a case registered by Delhi Police in connection with the toolkit shared by climate activist Greta Thunberg about the ongoing farmers’ protest, on Tuesday got temporary anticipatory bail from the Bombay High Court. The high court on Wednesday will pass its order on another accused, advocate Nikita Jacob’s similar plea. Justice Vibha Kankanwadi of the Aurangabad bench of the HC granted Muluk, resident of Beed in central Maharashtra, ten days’ transit anticipatory bail to enable him to apply for protection before the appropriate court in Delhi. Muluk and Jacob had on Monday approached the high court separately seeking transit anticipatory bail, after a Delhi court issued non-bailable warrants against them. According to Delhi Police, the duo were involved in preparing the toolkit document and were in direct touch with pro- Khalistani elements. Jacob’s plea for pre-arrest bail was heard by Justice P D Naik at the high court’s principal bench in Mumbai, which said it would pass the order on Wednesday. The case has been lodged under IPC sections 124(a) (sedition), 153 (a) (promoting enmity among different groups) and 120 (b) criminal conspiracy. Senior counsel Mihir Desai, appearing for Jacob, argued that the alleged toolkit was prepared by a number of people and only spoke of support to the protesting farmers. It does not talk about any violence or about the January 26 incident at the Red Fort (when a tractor rally by protesters led to violence), Desai argued. Advocate Venegavkar, however, claimed that the toolkit was created and authored by Disha Ravi and Jacob along with many others who were part of the Khalistan movement. He also contended that the HC does not have the powers to grant any relief when the matter pertains to another state. Meanwhile, sources in Delhi Police today said that US-based climate activist Greta Thunberg has been absolved of any criminality, as of now.

D) OTT platforms: Explain action taken, SC tells govt. 

The Supreme Court on Tuesday remained unimpressed with the government’s submission that it is contemplating regulations for OTT (over-the-top) platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime. Everybody in the world can contemplate. They put it out in an affidavit what they are doing, Chief Justice of India Sharad A. Bobde addressed Additional Solicitor General K.M. Nataraj, for the government. The court issued notice on a plea filed by advocates Shashank Shekhar Jha and Apurva Arhatia seeking a proper board/institution /association for monitoring and managing the content of different OTT/streaming and digital media platforms. Initially, during the hearing, the court had asked the petitioners to approach the government with their representation. However, the court, later on, decided that the government should better file a written reply to the petition. The plea contended that there was no law or autonomous body governing the digital content to monitor and manage the content of OTT platforms made available to the public at large without any filter or screening, it said. Lack of legislation governing OTT/streaming platforms is becoming evident with each passing day and every new case that is filed on these grounds. The government is facing heat to fill this lacuna with regulations from the public and the judiciary; still the relevant government departments have not done anything significant to regularise these OTT/Streaming Platforms, the plea said. None of the OTT/streaming platforms, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Zee5, and Hotstar, have signed the self-regulation code provided by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting since February 2020, it alleged. However, last week, the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) had said that 17 platforms, including Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar and Amazon Prime Video, have adopted a ‘toolkit’ for effective implementation of the self-regulation code introduced in February 2020. The industry body added that it will also set up an ‘IAMAI Secretariat for the Code’, comprising representatives from the signatories to the Code as well as IAMAI.

E) Withdraw ‘Modi tax’ on petroleum products immediately: Congress.

Continuing to exert pressure on the Narendra Modi government over high excise duty on petroleum products, the Congress on Tuesday referred to it as Modi tax and demanded the immediate withdrawal of additional excise duty. At a press conference at party headquarters, spokesperson Pawan Khera said the Modi government has collected more than ₹20 lakh crore from additional excise duty collection. They demand an immediate withdrawal of this additional ‘Modi Tax’ imposed over the last six years and eight months. This in itself will reduce petrol price to ₹61.92 per litre and diesel price to ₹47.51 per litre. Every common Indian deserves this relief immediately, Khera said. India deserves a government which works and thinks for every single Indian and not, to use the words of my leader Rahul Gandhi, just a government of ‘Hum do, Humare do’. He said when former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh demitted office in May 2014, international crude oil price was $108 per barrel yet petrol was sold at ₹71.51 per litre in Delhi and diesel at ₹57.28. As on February 1, 2021, international crude oil price was $54.41 per barrel, just half of May 2014, yet the price as of today of petrol is ₹89.29 per litre and diesel ₹79.70 per litre. The Congress alleged the BJP and its eco system always keeps citizens engaged on emotive issues that generate hatred, fear or anger to distract attention from its failure. 

F) Kiran Bedi removed as Puducherry L-G. 

Kiran Bedi was removed as the Lieutenant-Governor of Puducherry late on Tuesday evening. Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundarajan has been given additional charge of the Union Territory until regular arrangements are made. A communique from the Rashtrapati Bhavan said that the President has directed that Dr. Kiran Bedi shall cease to hold the office ofthe Lieutenant-Governor of Puducherry and has appointed Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan, Governor of Telangana, to discharge the functions of the Lieutenant-Governor of Puducherry, in addition to her own duties. The statement did not specify any reason behind Ms. Bedi’s removal. In fact, she had put up a two-minute video reviewing the reasons for the low rate of COVID-19 vaccination in the UT. The Congress had written to the President earlier to recall the L-G. The move came on a day the Congress government, headed by Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy, lost majority following the resignation of two MLAs in the past two days. The high profile exits come as an embarrassment for the party as former chief Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to kick off the party’s poll campaign on Wednesday.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) Rocket strike at U.S. base in Iraq kills contractor, injures 5. 

A rocket attack at a U.S.-led military base in Kurdish northern Iraq on Monday killed a civilian contractor and wounded five other people, including a U.S. service member, according to initial reports, the U.S. coalition in Iraq said. It was the most deadly attack to hit U.S.-led forces in almost a year in Iraq, where tensions have escalated between U.S. forces, their Iraqi and Kurdish allies on one side and Iran-aligned militias on the other. A coalition spokesman said on Twitter the attack hit coalition forces in the Kurdish regional capital of Erbil. Kurdish security sources said at least three rockets landed near Erbil International Airport in the autonomous region late at night. Reuters reporters heard several loud explosions and saw a fire break out near the airport. A group calling itself Saraya Awliya aldam claimed responsibility for the attack on the U.S.-led base, saying it targeted the American occupation in Iraq. It provided no evidence for its claim. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday the United States was outraged by the attack. In a statement, Mr. Blinken said he had reached out to Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani to discuss the incident and to pledge our support for all efforts to investigate and hold accountable those responsible. Groups that some Iraqi officials say have links with Iran have claimed a series of rocket and roadside bomb attacks against coalition forces, contractors working for the coalition and U.S. installations including the Embassy in Baghdad in recent months.

B) Sri Lanka considering India’s grant instead of China project. 

In an apparent bid to displace a Chinese company that had won the contract to install renewable energy SYStems in three small islands offJaffna Peninsula in northern Sri Lanka, India has offered a grant of $12 million to execute it, Colombo-based media reported. Sri Lanka’s Minister of Power Dullas Alahapperuma has recently said that the government would consider India’s proposal, and that he would present a Cabinet paper on the matter soon. Newspaper reports quoted him as saying that receiving a grant is an advantage that would ease the burden on the Treasury, as opposed to an Asian Development Bank (ADB) loan, as per the original project proposal, that would have to be repaid. The development comes less than a month after the Cabinet cleared a project to install hybrid renewable energy systems in Nainativu, Delft or Neduntheevu, and Analaitivu, located in the Palk Bay, some 50 km off Tamil Nadu. The Cabinet decisions taken on January 18, published officially, included a proposal to award the contract to Sinosoar-Etechwin Joint Venture in China, with funding from the ADB. Meanwhile, a group of northern Tamil political parties have voiced opposition to Chinese involvement in the project, citing security threats to Tamil people and India. They are not opposed to China but given that India has known security concerns in this regard, and also because the project is to come up very close to Tamil Nadu, they oppose Chinese involvement, Jaffna parliamentarian Dharmalingam Sithadthan told. The people of Tamil Nadu have been lending unconditional support to the Tamil cause, so their security, as well as that of India, is very important to us, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) legislator said, adding that India was a long-term friend of the Tamil people of Sri Lanka. It remains to be seen if India’s proposal gets official clearance, but India’s swift offer comes in the wake of being ejected along with Japan out of the East Container Terminal (ECT) development project at the Colombo Port, following another Cabinet decision taken on February 1 this year.