Tag: ibps

CURRENT AFFAIRS
05 February 2021

NATIONAL NEWS:

 

A) Delhi Police to probe ‘international conspiracy’ to ‘defame’ India. 

The Delhi police cyber cell has registered an FIR to investigate an “international conspiracy” to defame the country, said a senior police officer on Thursday. He said that they registered an FIR into the matter after 18-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg shared a ‘toolkit’ on Twitter, which she subsequently deleted. Thunberg’s name is mentioned in the FIR, but apparently not as an accused. More clarity on this issue is awaited from Delhi police. Soon after the news of the FIR came out, Thunberg on Thursday tweeted: I still #StandWithFarmers and support their peaceful protest. No amount of hate, threats or violations of human rights will ever change that. #FarmersProtest. She also tweeted an updated ‘toolkit’ in place of the one she had deleted. Typically, such tool kits are widely used by activists, PR agencies, and social movements in outreach campaigns. They are a handy way to educate a targeted audience about an issue, present a point of view, and motivate lay persons and ‘influencers’ to participate in the campaign. However, Praveer Ranjan, Special Commissioner of Police said that an FIR has been registered under section 124A (Sedition), 153 (Wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot), 153 A (Promoting enmity between different groups) and 120 B (criminal conspiracy). Delhi Police is monitoring social media in connection with the Kisan agitation. In the process, Delhi police has identified more than 300 SM [social media] handles, which have been used for pushing hateful and malicious content. These handles are being used by some organisations/ individuals having vested interest and they are spreading disaffection against Govt. of India,  said Ranjan.

B) MPs stopped from meeting farmers. 

Former Union Minister and Shiromani Akali Dal MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal reached the Ghazipur border on Thursday to meet farmers protesting against the farm laws. She was accompanied by more than a dozen MPs from different parties. However, because of heavy barricading at the border, they could not meet the farmers. Badal told reporters that the Lok Sabha Speaker was not allowing a discussion on the farmers’ protest. The purpose of the visit, Badal said, was to inform the Speaker about the situation at the protest site. They are here so that we can discuss this issue in Parliament, she said. She took on the Delhi Police for heavily barricading the border that rendered any movement impossible. It is unprecedented. The fortification is like that at the Pakistan border, she said. Why they are being prevented from meeting their own people? They are treating farmers as foreigners. When they can’t go and meet them, how can they come to Delhi for dialogue? How will the ambulances and fire brigade move in case of an emergency? It seems the farmers have been left to die, she said. Badal was accompanied by NCP MP Supriya Sule, DMK MP K. Kanimozhi and TMC MP Sougata Roy, among others. She had resigned from the Union Cabinet in September against the government decision to implement the three farm laws.

C) AAP slams Bill that seeks to delineate powers of Delhi government and LG, calls it ‘unconstitutional’

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is all set to introduce a legislation in the Budget session of Parliament to amend a 1991 Act pertaining to the powers and functions of the Delhi government and the Lieutenant Governor (LG). The proposed legislation received the Union Cabinet’s approval on Wednesday. The Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2021 is among the 20 Bills proposed to be introduced in this Parliament session. The reason stated to move the legislation says, the Bill proposes to amend the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991, in the context of judgment dated 14.02.2019 of Hon’ble Supreme Court (Division Bench) in Civil Appeal No. 2357 of 2017 and other connected matters. According to changes proposed in the new Act, the LG could act in his discretion in any matter that is beyond the purview of the powers of the Assembly of Delhi in matters related to the All India (Civil) Services and the ACB. Delhi’s Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, in a press conference on 4 February, slammed the Bill as unconstitutional and as an attempt by the BJP to take over the governance of Delhi through the backdoor. He said that it undermined the legitimate powers of the democratically elected government of Delhi by giving more power than to the LG, who is a representative of the Union government.

D) Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments. 

The number of reported coronavirus cases from India stood at 1,08,02,571 with the death toll at 1,56,197. Over 21% of the population, aged 10 years and above, showed evidence of past exposure to Covid-19 in the Indian Council of Medical Research’s (ICMR) latest national serosurvey, the government said on Thursday, noting that a large proportion of people are still vulnerable to the infection. The ICMR’s third national serosurvey was conducted between December 7, 2020 and January 8, 2021. Presenting the survey findings, ICMR Director General Dr Balram Bhargava said 21.4% of the 28,589 people, aged 18 years and above, surveyed during the period showed evidence of past exposure to the coronavirus infection. Further, 25.3% of children aged 10 to 17 years from the same number of surveyed population have had the disease, he said. Urban slums (31.7%) and urban non-slums (26.2%) had a higher SARS-CoV-2 prevalence than rural areas (19.1%), Bhargava said, adding that 23.4% of individuals above 60 years of age had suffered from Covid-19. Blood samples of 7,171 healthcare workers were also collected during the same period and the seroprevalence was found to be 25.7%, the ICMR director general said. The survey was conducted in the same 700 villages or wards in 70 districts in 21 States selected during the first and second rounds of the national serosurvey.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

A) Farmers’ protest: U.S. calls for dialogue, recognises right to protest. 

Following expressions of support on social media to the farmers’ protest by several well-known personalities and celebrities, including pop icon Rihanna , climate activist Greta Thunberg and others, the U.S. government has also spoken, encouraging dialogue and supporting the right to peaceful protest. The U.S.’s reactions were recorded in a statement released by its Embassy in New Delhi and through a State Department statement released to a Wall Street Journal reporter on Thursday. Washington has also welcomed steps that would enhance the efficiency of India’s markets. They recognise that peaceful protests are a hallmark of any thriving democracy, and note that the Indian Supreme Court has stated the same. They encourage that any differences between the parties be resolved through dialogue. In general, the United States welcomes steps that would improve the efficiency of India’s markets and attract greater private sector investment, a statement from the U.S. Embassy said. Access to information was fundamental to democracy, the U.S. said, in reaction to the Haryana government temporarily shutting down mobile Internet services in several districts last week and earlier this week, stating law and order reasons. They recognize that unhindered access to information, including the Internet, is fundamental to the freedom of expression and a hallmark of a thriving democracy, the statement said. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) responded by saying that it has taken note of the U.S. statement. It is important to see such comments in their entirety. The U.S. has acknowledged steps taken by India in agricultural reform. India and the U.S. are both vibrant democracies, Ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said.

B) In first for Europe, Iran envoy sentenced to 20-year prison term over bomb plot. 

An Iranian diplomat accused of planning to bomb a meeting of an exiled opposition group was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Thursday in the first trial of an Iranian official for suspected terrorism in the European Union since Iran’s 1979 revolution. Belgian prosecution lawyers and civil parties to the prosecution said Vienna-based diplomat Assadolah Assadi was guilty of attempted terrorism after a plot to bomb a rally of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) near Paris in June 2018 was foiled by German, French and Belgian police. The ruling shows two things: A diplomat doesn’t have immunity for criminal acts and the responsibility of the Iranian state in what could have been carnage, Belgian prosecution lawyer Georges-Henri Beauthier told reporters outside the court in Antwerp. Three other Iranians were sentenced in the trial for their role as accomplices, with 15, 17 and 18-year sentences handed down respectively. It was established that the Iranian regime uses terrorism as statecraft and the highest levels of the Iranian regime are involved, Shahin Gobadi, a Paris-based spokesman for the opposition People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran, which is part of the NCRI, said outside the court.

CURRENT AFFAIRS
04 February 2021

NATIONAL NEWS:

A) No informal talks with farmer unions, says Agriculture Minister Tomar.

The Union government is not holding any informal talks with protesting farm unions, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar told The Hindu on the sidelines of a press conference on February 3. They will inform them when formal talks will be held, he said. Asked about the farm unions’ stance that they will not hold talks with the government until the barricades at the protest sites are removed and farmers in police custody released, the Minister said he did not want to comment on a law and order issue. That is not his job, he stated. He suggested that unions should talk to the Delhi Police Commissioner regarding such concerns instead. On February 1, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, a joint front of the farm unions, decided that talks will be held only after the unconditional release of the farmers who are in illegal police custody and police and administration harassment of different kinds against the farmers’ movement is immediately stopped. In the early days of the protest in November and December, several farm union heads engaged in informal, back channel conversations with multiple BJP leaders and Ministers, even before formal talks began. However, that pattern seems to have ended. Although the Prime Minister and the Agriculture Minister have both said the government’s previous offer still stood and the doors were open for resumption of dialogue, unions said they have not received any direct outreach from the government post Republic Day. Tomar confirmed this on Wednesday. Asked whether the government was informally engaging with the unions, he said, No. They will inform them when formal talks will be held.

B) Western celebrities’ comments on farmers’ protest not accurate: MEA. 

India on Wednesday said comments from Western celebrities in support of farmers’ protest was neither accurate nor responsible. The official statement was issued in response to a series of social media posts by singer Rihanna, activist Greta Thunberg, Meena Harris, niece of U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris, and other western social media influencers. Before rushing to comment on such matters, we would urge that the facts be ascertained, a proper understanding of the issues at hand be undertaken. The temptation of sensationalist social media hashtags and comments, especially when resorted to by celebrities and others, is neither accurate nor responsible, said the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in a detailed response. The response came hours after Rihanna said that why aren’t they talking about this [farmers protest]? Her tweet was followed by one from Swedish climate activist Thunberg. She said that they stand in solidarity with the farmers protest in India. Meena Harris commented, It’s no coincidence that the world’s oldest democracy was attacked not even a month ago, and as they speak, the most populous democracy is under assault. This is related. They all should be outraged by India’s internet shutdowns and paramilitary violence against farmer protesters. Meena Harris is the daughter of Maya Lakshmi Harris, sibling of Kamala Harris. The comments were followed by U.S. lawmaker Jim Costa of California. He described the developments around the farmers’ protest as troubling. In a social media post, he said, As a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, he is closely monitoring the situation. The right to peaceful protest must always be respected. The comments from the U.S. came days after Canadian and British lawmakers raised the issue of farmers’ rights in public outreach repeatedly. The new Biden-Harris administration has not yet issued any official statement on the ongoing protests.

C) Former Supreme Court judge Madan Lokur raises concerns over provisions of DNA Technology Bill.

Allowing investigating agencies to collect DNA samples from suspects as laid down in the DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill, 2019 will give them unbridled power that is easily capable of misuse and abuse and amount to a threat to the life, liberty, dignity and privacy of a person, retired Supreme Court judge Justice Madan Lokur has observed in a written submission to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology. The panel, headed by senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, tabled its report in Parliament on Wednesday. DNA testing is currently being done on an extremely limited scale in India, with approximately 30-40 DNA experts in 15-18 laboratories undertaking less than 3,000 cases a year. The standards of the laboratories are not monitored or regulated. The Bill aims to introduce the regulation of the entire process from collection to storage. The preamble of the Bill says that it aims to provide for the regulation of use and application of Deoxyribonucleic Acid [DNA] technology for the purposes of establishing the identity of certain categories of persons, including the victims, offenders, suspects, undertrials, missing persons and unknown deceased persons. Justice Lokur has questioned the need to collect DNA of a suspect. In his submission, he has argued that in a blind crime or a crime involving a large number of persons (such as a riot), everybody is suspect, without any real basis. This would mean that thousands of persons can be subjected to DNA profiling on a mere suspicion. Such an unbridled power is easily capable of misuse and abuse by targeting innocents, against whom there is not a shred of evidence. Such an unbridled police power ought not to be conferred on anybody or any agency as it would amount to a threat to the life, liberty, dignity and privacy of a person, he has said. Many members of the committee have also expressed concern over including suspects in this list, flagging that it could lead to misuse and targeting certain categories of people. In two dissent notes, AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi and CPI leader Binoy Viswam have said the Bill will lead to targeting of Muslims, Dalits and Adivasis. Justice Lokur has stated that the provisions of the bill can lead to targeting of select groupings, including social, linguistic, religious and other minorities on the ground of being suspects.

D) Government notice to Twitter for refusing to comply with order to block accounts. 

The Union government has issued a notice to Twitter to comply with its order of removal of content related to ‘farmer genocide’. The Centre alleged that the material was designed to spread misinformation to inflame passions and hatred and warned that refusal to do so may invite penal action. On Tuesday evening, Twitter restored over 250 accounts, hours after blocking them due to a legal demand. The platform, in a meeting with government officials, contested the order, arguing that these accounts were not in violation of Twitter policy, and declined to abide by the government order. A source in the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY), which has sent the notice to the U.S.-headquartered firm, said Twitter was an intermediary and was obliged to follow the directions of the government and refusal to do so may invite penal action.

 

E) India does not agree with USTR’s report on ecommerce tax: Commerce Secretary.

India does not agree with the United States Trade Representative (USTR) report that the country’s 2% equalisation levy on foreign e-commerce firms discriminates against American companies, Commerce Secretary Anup Wadhawan said on Wednesday. Last month, an USTR investigation concluded that India’s 2% digital services tax on e-commerce supply discriminates against U.S. companies and is inconsistent with international tax principles. They do not agree with that conclusion, Wadhawan told reporters when asked whether India has responded to the USTR report. Basically, if there is an economic benefit from a certain jurisdiction then there has to be some taxation in that jurisdiction. OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) is also moving in that direction that if you have an economic presence and economic gain, then you must have taxation in that jurisdiction. You have billions of dollars of revenue in a certain jurisdiction, you have to pay taxes, he said. Some countries are protesting because they have huge domination in that kind of activity whether it is Facebook, Google or Amazon, he added.

 

F) Defectors are corrupt, says Mamata. 

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday came down heavily on the leaders who have defected from her Trinamool Congress (TMC) to the BJP, saying they were corrupt and her government would start an investigation against such people. There are some people who are running from here to there. Those who are involved in corruption will run away. Let them run away. He know very well who is into what. After the Assembly polls, all their shops will be shut down, she said at a party workers’ convention at Alipurduar in north Bengal. Banerjee, who did not name any of the defectors, referred to alleged irregularities in certain appointments in the Forest Department. She had ordered an investigation, she said. Rajib Banerjee was the Forest Minister before resigning from the TMC and joining the BJP. There is one boy who is making tall claims after going to the BJP. He has run away to the BJP after being involved in corrupt practices. We are investigating irregularities in recruitment of ‘Bana Sahayak’ in the Forest Department, she said.

 

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) Myanmar police file charges against Aung San Suu Kyi after coup. 

Police have filed charges against ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi for illegally importing communications equipment. She will be detained until February 15 for investigations, according to a police document. Myanmar’s army seized power on Monday, detaining Nobel laureate Suu Kyi and cutting short a transition to democracy in a takeover that has drawn condemnation from the United States and other Western countries. A police request to a court detailing the accusations against the 75-year-old Nobel laureate said walkie-talkie radios had been found in a search of her home in the capital Naypyidaw. It said the radios were imported illegally and used without permission. The document reviewed on Wednesday requested Suu Kyi’s detention in order to question witnesses, request evidence and seek legal counsel after questioning the defendant. A separate document showed police filed charges against ousted President Win Myint for offences under the Disaster Management Law. Suu Kyi endured about 15 years of house arrest between 1989 and 2010 as she led the country’s democracy movement. She remains hugely popular at home despite damage to her international reputation over the flight of Muslim Rohingya refugees in 2017. Her National League for Democracy (NLD) party said earlier in a statement that its offices had been raided in several regions and urged authorities to stop what it called unlawful acts after its victory in a November 8 election. Army chief Min Aung Hlaing seized power on the grounds of fraud in the election, which the NLD won in a landslide. The electoral commission had said the vote was fair.

 

B) Joe Biden’s Homeland Security chief confirmed. 

Joe Biden’s immigration reform push received a boost on Tuesday when the Senate confirmed his pick to head the Department of Homeland Security, as the U.S. President seeks to roll back Donald Trump’s hardline policies. Cuban-born Alejandro Mayorkas, confirmed on a modestly bipartisan vote, becomes the first Latino and the first immigrant to head up DHS. His approval gives the expansive agency its first permanent leadership in nearly two years, and came ahead of Mr. Biden’s signing of three executive orders aimed at streamlining immigration. including an effort to reunite children separated from their parents at the border with Mexico. They are a follow-up to the executive orders that Mr. Biden signed on his first day in office as he takes aim at U.S. immigration policy after four years of Mr. Trump’s ‘America First’ approach. The new action by the Democratic President is aimed at streamlining the U.S. immigration process, officials said, with Mr. Biden to order a review of all the legal obstacles to immigration and integration put in place under Mr. Trump. The review will likely lead to dramatic changes in policies, according to a senior government official, who said the goal is to restore faith in our legal immigration system, and promote integration of Americans. President Trump was so focused on the (Mexico border) wall that he did nothing to address the root cause of why people are coming to our southern border, the official said. It was a limited, wasteful and naive strategy, and it failed.

 

C) U.S. extends New START nuclear treaty with Russia. 

U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration on Wednesday extended the New START nuclear treaty with Russia by five years, saying it hoped to prevent an arms race despite rising tensions with Moscow. One day before the treaty was set to expire, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States was extending New START by the maximum allowed time of five years. President Biden pledged to keep the American people safe from nuclear threats by restoring U.S. leadership on arms control and nonproliferation, Mr. Blinken said in a statement. The United States is committed to effective arms control that enhances stability, transparency and predictability while reducing the risks of costly, dangerous arms races. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed off on legislation extending the accord on Friday, meaning that the treaty signed by then-President Barack Obama in 2010 will run until February 5, 2026. The last remaining arms reduction pact between the former Cold War rivals, New START caps to 1,550 the number of nuclear warheads that can be deployed by Moscow and Washington. Former President Donald Trump’s administration tore up previous agreements with Moscow and unsuccessfully sought to expand New START to cover China. Mr. Blinken said the U.S. would use the coming five years to pursue diplomacy that addresses all of Russia’s nuclear weapons and to reduce the dangers from China’s modern and growing nuclear arsenal.

CURRENT AFFAIRS
03 February 2021

NATIONAL NEWS:

 

A) Police block journalists from reaching protest site at Singhu Border. 

On Tuesday, at the Singhu border, Delhi Police stopped the entry of journalists and others wanting to visit the protesting farmers. Earlier, those wanting to visit the protest site and the main stage could cross the barricades preventing farmers from entering the national capital and interact with the protestors. But now, even smaller lanes and other entry routes to the protest site have been cut off. On Friday, a group of ‘locals’ backed by the BJP had clashed with the farmers and tried to damage their tents and other utilities. Delhi Police resorted to tear gas and lathi charge before peace returned. Meanwhile, Congress leaders took to Twitter on Tuesday to target the Narendra Modi government over the arrangements made to stop protesting farmers from entering the city. Prime Minister sir, you are at war with our own farmers? asked party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who posted a video of the massive deployment of police and paramilitary forces at Delhi’s borders. Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi also shared photographs of barricades put up by the police. Four photos showed concertina and barbed wires, freshly laid concrete with spikes to puncture tyres, and different tiers of concrete and mobile iron barriers. GOI [Governmemt of India], Build bridges, not walls! tweeted Rahul Gandhi.

B) Parliament adjourned multiple times as Opposition demand discussion on farm laws. 

A day after the presentation of the Union Budget in the Lok Sabha, the Rajya Sabha, which was convened at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, saw multiple adjournments after Opposition parties demanded that the House take up a discussion on the farmers’ protest. Though Chairman Venkaiah Naidu said that time will be allotted for the same on Wednesday, the Opposition members refused to budge. They raised slogans inside the Upper House, resulting in the House being adjourned four times without conducting any business. A similar trend was observed in the Lok Sabha, which was adjourned thrice due to incessant protests from the Opposition benches. The House saw brief discussions on the motion of thanks on the President’s address and papers being laid on the table.

C) A win for Amazon as Delhi HC directs Future Retail to keep status quo on Reliance deal. 

In a significant win for Amazon, the Delhi High Court on Tuesday directed Future Retail Ltd (FRL) to maintain status quo in relation to its ₹24,713 crore deal with Reliance Retail, which has been objected to by the American e-commerce giant. Justice J.R. Midha said the court was satisfied that an immediate interim order was required to be passed to protect the rights of Amazon. Respondents (FRL) are directed to maintain status quo as on today at 4:49 p.m. till pronouncement of the reserved order, the Judge said. Amazon has approached the high court seeking direction to order enforcement of the award by Singapore’s Emergency Arbitrator (EA) restraining FRL from going ahead with its ₹24,713 crore deal with Reliance Retail. Amazon has sought to restrain the Kishore Biyani-led Future Group from taking any steps to complete the transaction with entities that are a part of the Mukesh Dhirubhai Ambani (MDA) Group.

D) SC agrees to examine plea challenging Tamil Nadu’s 69% reservation.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to examine a petition seeking an immediate stay on the implementation of a Tamil Nadu law that allows 69% quota in educational institutions and government jobs in the State. A three-judge Bench led by Justice Ashok Bhushan issued notice and gave the Tamil Nadu government two weeks to file its response to a writ petition filed by a student, C.V. Gayathri, through her father, S. Vaitheeswaran, challenging the constitutionality of the Tamil Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Reservation of seats in Educational Institutions and of appointments or posts in the Services under the State) Act of 1993. The law is protected under the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution from judicial review. Section 4 of the Act provides 30% reservation to the Backward Classes, 20% for Most Backward Classes and de-notified communities, 18% for Scheduled Castes, and 1% for Scheduled Tribes. Thus, a total of 69% reservation is provided. The petition said the Act was contrary to the principle laid down by a nine-judge Bench of the Supreme Court in the Indira Sawhney case, which had concluded that reservation of 50% shall be the rule; only in certain exceptional and extraordinary situations for bringing far-flung and remote areas population into mainstream, said 50% rule can be relaxed. 

E) CBSE Class 10, 12 exams from May 4; schedule has double shifts for first time. 

The CBSE Class 12 Board examinations will be conducted in two shifts for the first time in order to reduce the total duration of the examination. The examination schedule, which includes 111 subjects, will be completed in 39 days, less than the allotted 45 days in the 2020 schedule. The afternoon shift will be held on four days, with papers in subjects that are not offered in schools abroad being conducted, said a CBSE statement. Class 12 students will begin with the English paper on May 4 and finish on June 11, when a slew of elective subjects ranging from Agriculture to Beauty and Wellness have been scheduled. The Class 10 schedule begins with several regional language examinations on May 4, and ends on June 7, with the Computer Applications paper. In total, the Class 10 schedule includes 75 subjects. The examinations are being held later than usual this year, to account for the fact that schools have not been able to physically open their doors to students for most of the academic year due to the Covid-19 lockdown. It is only in the last two months that some students in Class 10 and 12 are returning to the physical classroom, after months of study at home with limited support via television and online resources.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine 91.6% effective: Lancet study. 

Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine is 91.6% effective against symptomatic Covid-19, according to results published in The Lancet on Tuesday that independent experts said allayed transparency concerns over the jab, which Moscow is already rolling out. Sputnik V named after the Soviet-era satellite was approved in Russia months before results from its final-stage clinical trials were published, leading to scepticism from experts. But the new analysis of data from 20,000 participants in Phase 3 trials suggests that the two-dose vaccination offers more than 90% efficacy against symptomatic Covid-19.

B) China calls for all parties to safeguard Myanmar’s stability. 

China on Tuesday called for all parties to help maintain stability in Myanmar, as it refrained from criticising the military leadership for seizing power in a coup and the international community to not interfere. Beijing said it was not in favour of external powers taking actions that would raise tensions, the Foreign Ministry said, with analysts in Beijing expressing concerns over possible sanctions from the U.S., which strongly criticised the military led coup that threatened to undo the transition to democracy that has been under way since 2011. China had on Monday said it hopes all parties in Myanmar can properly handle differences under the constitutional and legal framework and safeguard political and social stability, not mentioning the democratic transition, which, a number of countries, including India, had voiced support for in their statements following this week’s developments. Even prior to 2011, China maintained close relations with the Myanmar military leadership and often backed the country from the threat of sanctions as a permanent member of the UNSC. On Tuesday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said that the international community should not take any action that would raise tensions in Myanmar. They have maintained communication with all relevant parties with regard to the matters to be discussed at the UN Security Council, he said. Any action taken by the international community should be conducive to political and social stability in Myanmar and beneficial to a peaceful resolution, instead of worsening tension and further complicating the situation. China’s State media outlets have refrained from calling the seizing of power a coup. The official Xinhua news agency on Monday only reported the Myanmar military announced a major cabinet reshuffle hours after a state of emergency was declared. The Communist Party run Global Times quoted an unnamed expert in Beijing as saying the military’s actions can be viewed as an adjustment facing Myanmar’s imbalanced power structure, referring to the declining popularity of the military and the growing political power of Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NI.D).

CURRENT AFFAIRS
02 February 2021

NATIONAL NEWS:

 

A) Budget 2021: No change in IT slabs, new cess introduced. 

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman loosened the exchequer’s purse strings and presented an expansionary Budget for 2021-22 on Monday, with a push for infrastructure and health care spending even as she sought to reduce the fiscal deficit from an estimated 9.5% of GDP this year without ostensibly raising the tax burden. While there was little direct succour for sectors or sections worst-affected by the pandemic, the government is betting on a real GDP growth of 10%-10.5% in the coming year, riding on the multiplier effect of infrastructure spending which it hopes will also spur demand and job creation. Invoking Rabindranath Tagore’s aphorism, Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings when the dawn is still dark, Sitharaman compared the Budget to Team India’s successful comeback in the Test series against Australia and said it provides every opportunity for our economy to raise and capture the pace that it needs for sustainable growth. She announced some big-ticket reform signals for global investors, such as enhancing the FDI limit in the insurance sector from 49% to 74%, and an ambitious new strategic disinvestment policy which will kick off with the sale of two public sector banks and a general insurance company in 2021-22. The Budget proposes setting up a new development finance institution to fund infrastructure projects under the National Infrastructure Pipeline, and the creation of an asset reconstruction firm to take over public sector banks’ bad loans to cope with rising NPAs. However, just ₹20,000 crore has been earmarked for recapitalisation of banks, which lower than expectations given the festering stress on bank’s books in the aftermath of the pandemic. Setting aside ₹35,000 crore for the Covid-19 vaccination program, Sitharaman said more funds will be provided if the need arises. The overall Budget outlay for ‘Health and Wellbeing’, she said, was ₹2.23 lakh crore, marking a 137% rise over 2020-21. Proposing a capital expenditure of ₹5.54 lakh crore in the year, 34.5% higher than 2020-21, the finance minister has targeted a fiscal deficit of 6.8% of GDP, with gross market borrowings of about ₹12 lakh crores. Analysts said this the Budget’s fiscal arithmetic was perhaps the most credible in recent years, but achieving disinvestment and non-tax revenue targets will be critical to meet the 6.8% of GDP target.

B) Some of the Budget highlights:

• No change in personal income tax; new agri infra cess on select goods. 
• Highway and road works announced in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Assam (all four states go to polls this year).
• Vehicle scrapping policy to phase out old and unfit vehicles – all vehicles to undergo fitness test in automated fitness centres every 20 years (personal vehicles), every 15 years (commercial vehicles)
• A new scheme, titled PM Atma Nirbhar Swasthya Bharat Yojana, to be launched to develop primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare.
• No IT filing for people above 75 years who get pension and earn interest from deposits.
• Fiscal deficit stands at 9.5% of the GDP; estimated to be 6.8% in 2021-22.
• A Unified Securities Market Code to be created, consolidating provisions of the Sebi Act, Depositories Act, and two other laws.
• An IPO of LIC to debut this fiscal.
• Disinvestment target of ₹1.75 lakh crore; strategic sale of BPCL, IDBI Bank, Air India to be completed.
• Margin capital required for loans via Stand-up India scheme reduced from 25% to 15% for SCs, STs and women.
• Gas pipeline project to be set up in Jammu and Kashmir.
• Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (LPG scheme) to be extended to cover 1 crore more beneficiaries.

C) ‘Cruel blow to federalism, vengeful towards farmers,’ says P Chidambaram. 

Congress leader and former Union finance minister P. Chidambaram slammed the Union Budget, stating that on the 10-point test that they had suggested on 28th January, the Budget fails on most points. It barely passes on one point. The FM gave out a mind boggling figure of ₹223, 846 crore for Health, a breathtaking rise from the Budget Estimate of the current year of ₹94,452 crore. As he had warned, it was a conjurer’s trick. She added the one-time cost of vaccination (₹35,000 crore) and the Finance Commission grants amounting to ₹49,214 crore. She also included the allocations to the Department of Water and Sanitation. Shorn of these add-ons, the allocations for Health were ₹72,934 in 2020-21, and ₹79,602 crore in 2021-22. Chidamabaram also objected to the government using the Finance Bill provisions to make amendments to non-money bill issues and said it was being done to deny Rajya Sabha its right. The Finance Minister flattered him by quoting the same couplet from Tirukkural that he had recited in one of his early budget speeches, said P. Chidambaram. She flattered to deceive, he added. She deceived those who were listening to her speech, especially the MPs, who had no clue that she had imposed cesses on a large number of products, including petroleum and diesel: ₹2.50 on petrol per litre, and ₹ 4.00 on diesel per litre is a cruel blow to the average citizen, including the farmer, Chidambaram said, adding, it was a vengeful act against the thousands of farmers who took out the longest tractor rally in history. It was also a cruel blow to federalism because the States do not get a share of the revenue from cesses.

D) Twitter blocks several accounts posting messages in support of farmers’ stir, unblocks them after furore.

Microblogging site Twitter on Monday, citing legal demands, blocked several accounts, including that of the news magazine The Caravan, the actor Sushant Singh, and political activists and bloggers who were posting messages in support of the ongoing farmers’ agitation. One aberration was the account of Shashi Shekhar, CEO of Prasar Bharati, India’s public service broadcaster, which was also blocked. The blocking of The Caravan’s official handle marked the first time in India that a news media account has been blocked. The accounts were taken down after the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeITY), following a request by the Ministry of Home Affairs, asked Twitter to act against 250 tweets/Twitter handles. A MeITY statement said that it had directed Twitter to block around 250 Tweets/ Twitter accounts which, as per government allegations, were using #ModiPlanningFarmerGenocide hashtag and making fake, intimidatory and provocative Tweets on Saturday (January 30). Most of the blocked accounts had been unblocked at the time of publication of this newsletter.

E) Farmers plan ‘chakka jam’ on February 6; Govt goes for iron bars to create ‘wall’ at Singhu border.

Farmers’ unions have issued a call for a ‘chakka jam’ or road blockage across the country on February 6. Farmers are expected to block roads from 12 pm to 3pm in protest against the government’s refusal to heed their demand for the repeal of the three agri laws, against the internet ban around protest sites, against the arrest of several farmers, and attempts to evict them from protest sites by force. Meanwhile, workers under the watch of police personnel on Monday were seen hooking iron rods between two rows of cement barriers on a flank of the main highway at the Singhu border to further restrict the movement of the protesting farmers, PTI reported. Another portion of the highway at the Delhi-Haryana border is practically blocked now as a makeshift cement wall has come up there. A worker drilling rods in cross-formation between two rows of solid barriers said the other flank was done yesterday. Cement is to be poured in the space between the barriers on this flank to make a makeshift wall. The move comes days after violent clashes between some protesters and police on January 26 during the tractor parade by the agitating farmers. Security personnel from the paramilitary forces, RAF and CRPF, were seen in relatively less numbers compared to the past few days but a large number of police personnel manned the stretch spanning a mile from the protest site. Besides the makeshift wall on the highway, a small trench was also dug up earlier across an inner street a little off the highway, and cement barricades put up on both the sides. The protesting farmers and leaders at a tent, however, showed no signs of being cowed down and asserted that these barricades put up around us can’t cage our spirit.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) Aung San Suu Kyi, other leaders detained following military coup in Myanmar. 

Reports says a military coup has taken place in Myanmar and leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been detained under house arrest. Myanmar’s military staged a coup on Monday, detaining de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and declaring that it has taken control of the country for one year under a state of emergency. The intervention came after weeks of rising tensions between the military, which ruled the country for nearly five decades, and the civilian government, over allegations of fraud in November’s elections. The military last week signaled that it could seize power to settle its claims of irregularities in the polls, which Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) party won easily.Suu Kyi and President Win Myint were detained in the capital Naypyidaw before dawn on Monday, NLD spokesperson Myo Nyunt told AFP, just hours before Parliament was meant to resume for the first time since the elections. They heard they were taken by the military. With the situation they see happening now, they have to assume that the military is staging a coup, he said. The military then declared, via its own television channel, a one-year state of emergency. The developments triggered a quick response from the United States and Australia, with both calling for the release of detained NLD leaders and the restoration of democracy. India has expressed deep concern over the reports of an unfolding military coup in Myanmar. They have noted the developments in Myanmar with deep concern. India has always been steadfast in its support to the process of democratic transition in Myanmar. They believe that the rule of law and the democratic process must be upheld. They are monitoring the situation closely, a press statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs declared.

B) No Indian role in developing ECT in Colombo.

Reneging on a 2019 agreement with India and Japan, Sri Lanka has decided to develop the strategic East Container Terminal (ECT) at the Colombo Port on its own. The Sri Lankan government would instead offer the West Container Terminal to India for possible investments, a senior government source told. The decision was taken at Monday’s Cabinet meeting helmed by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, when members unanimously agreed to proposals submitted by the Minister of Ports and Shipping, the source said. It comes amid mounting pressure from Port union workers against any foreign role or investment in the ECT project, where nearly 70% of the transhipment business is linked to India. Asked about the development, a senior Indian source said that they would hope that Sri Lanka does not unilaterally decide on this matter, as there is a tripartite agreement on it. For New Delhi, the strategic ECT project in Colombo has been high on priority. It has figured in talks at the highest levels, including when External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar visited in January. A week after his visit, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa told agitating Port worker unions that the Adani Group Government of India’s nominee would invest in the terminal, and that the Terminal would not be sold or leased to any foreign entity, signalling that his govern. ment was taking forward the 2019 memorandum of cooperation (MOC). The Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) was to hold a 51% stake in the operations, while India and Japan together would hold 49%, as per the MOC, which was signed by the former Maithripala Sirisena.

CURRENT AFFAIRS
01 February 2021

NATIONAL NEWS:

 

A) Country very pained at dishonour to Tricolour on R-day: PM Modi. 

Breaking his silence over the vandalism at the Red Fort on Republic Day by a group of farmers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that the country was saddened to see the National Flag being insulted. In his first radio broadcast, Man Ki Baat, of 2021, Mr. Modi also said his government was committed to modernising agriculture and the efforts of the government will continue in that direction in the future as well. The Prime Minister also talked about the country’s fight against COVID-19 and how the Made in India vaccine has not only made India self-reliant (Atma Nirbhar) but has also become a moment of self-pride (Atma Gaurav). While recounting the developments in January this year including India’s remarkable come-back in the four match test series in Australia, Mr. Modi mentioned the violence on Republic Day. Amidst all this, the country was saddened by the insult to the Tricolour on January 26 in Delhi. Also, referring to India’s on-going vaccination exercise, Mr. Modi said that not only is the world largest vaccination drive is but also at the fastest rate. While India has vaccinated over 30 lakh front line corona warriors in 15 days, he said, the United States needed 18 days and the United Kingdom took 36 days to reach this figure. The Prime Minister pointed out that India’s decision to send vaccines to several countries has generated world wide appreciation and displayed its capabilities and self-reliance in the field of medicines.

B) Mamata will be left alone by the time of elections, says Amit Shah. 

Highlighting the series of defections in the Trinamool Congress in the past three months Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said that by the time polls are held in West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee will be left all alone. In the past three months so many leaders from the Trinamool Congress have joined BJP. Mamata Ji should contemplate why this is happening. By the time polls are held you ( Ms. Banerjee) will be standing all alone, Mr. Shah, said virtually addressing a public gathering at Howrah. The Home Minister also referred to another defection when several MLAs along with Suvendu Adhikari joined the BJP in December last year. He said that ten years ago when the Trinamool Congress government came to power on the slogan of ‘Maa Maati Maanush’ (Mother, Earth, Humanity) but the party has resorted to extortion, corruption and appeasment. During his address the Home Minister welcomed the Trinamool leaders including former Minister Rajib Banerjee who joined BJP yesterday and expressed hope that they will contribute to the BJP slogan of making Sonar Bangla (Golden Bengal). Mr. Shah said that Mamata Banerjee has taken the State to a far worse situation where it was ten years ago during the Left Front regime. The Home Minister raised the non-implementation of two central government schemes Ayushman Bharat and PM Kisan Samman Nidhi. The Trinamool Congress government is not implementing the schemes because of these are schemes are run by Centre and assured these schemes will be implemented from the first cabinet meeting of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Government in West Bengal.

C) V.K. Sasikala discharged from hospital.

Expelled AIADMK leader V.K. Sasikala, who was released from jail recently, was discharged from the Victoria Hospital where she had been admitted for treatment of COVID-19 at 12 p.m. on Sunday. Wearing mask and hand gloves, she was driven out of the hospital amidst heavy security. She is currently at Prestige Golfshire Club, where she will stay for a week and follow COVID-19 protocols, said sources. Her followers and supporters had gathered in large numbers near the hospital waiting for her discharge. Victoria Hospital Medical Superintendent Ramesh Krishna K. said she completed 10 days of treatment on Saturday and had been asymptomatic and maintaining saturation without oxygen support for three days. As per protocol, there is no need to test her before discharge, he said. She has been advised home quarantine for a week, he said.

D) FIR against journalist Siddharth Varadrajan for tweeting article on farmer’s death. 

The Rampur Police has registered an FIR against Siddharth Varadarajan, the founding Editor of The Wire, for posting a provocative tweet regarding the death of a Rampur farmer during the tractor rally in Delhi on Republic Day. Registered under Sections of 153 B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration) and 505 (2) (inciting any class or community for violence), the FIR said Mr. Varadarajan tweeted about a story in The Wire wherein the grandfather of the deceased farmer Navreet Singh is quoted as alleging that one of the doctors in the panel that conducted the postmortem told him on condition of anonymity that his grandson died of a bullet injury but his hands were tied. The FIR said that the report was deliberately presented in a fashion that created a false impression about the death of the farmer and led to tension in the area. It further said that the post-mortem report was submitted in a sealed cover to the Senior Superintendent of Police and the investigating officer. It alleged that through the tweet an attempt had been made to malign the image of medical officers, provoke the general public and disrupt the law and order situation which is a serious offence under Section 505 of the IPC. Describing it as malicious prosecution by Uttar Pradesh police, on Sunday, Mr. Varadarajan tweeted, In UP, it is a crime to report statements of relatives of a dead person if they question a post-mortem or police version of the cause of death.

E) Gandhian organisations call for farmers protests to be peaceful. 

A group of Gandhian organisations has called for the farmers’ movement to continue their protests against the Centre’s farm laws in a peaceful manner. In a statement issued on January 30, Gandhi Peace Foundation, Gandhi Smarak Nidhi, Sarva Seva Sangh and Rashtriya Yuva Santhan said the farmers’ movement over the months had shown restraint and peacefulness. The chaos that took place on January 26, in the name of the farmers movement, has deeply pained the democratic and peace loving citizens of the nation like us. It is not a question of supporting or opposing any movement, it is a question of respecting and following the Gandhian heritage and democratic values of the country, the statement said. The group said the country was going through a very delicate phase and that the government and society should respect the limits of the Constitution and a democracy. They said the farmers’ movement was one for justice.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

A) WHO team investigating origins of COVID-19 visits Wuhan. 

A World Health Organisation team looking into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic on Sunday visited the food market in the Chinese city of Wuhan that was linked to many early infections. The team members visited the Huanan Seafood Market for about an hour in the afternoon which was the site of a December 2019 outbreak of the virus. Scientists initially suspected the virus came from wild animals sold in the market. The market has since been largely ruled out but it could provide hints to how the virus spread so widely. Very important site visits today a wholesale market first & Huanan Seafood Market just now, Peter Daszak, a zoologist with the U.S. group EcoHealth Alliance and a member of the WHO team, said in a tweet. Very informative & critical for our joint teams to understand the epidemiology of COVID as it started to spread at the end of 2019. Earlier in the day, the team members were also seen walking through sections of the Baishazhou market one of the largest wet markets in Wuhan surrounded by a large entourage of Chinese officials and representatives. The market was the food distribution center for Wuhan during the city’s 76-day lockdown last year. The mission has become politically charged, as China seeks to avoid blame for alleged missteps in its early response to the outbreak. A single visit by scientists is unlikely to confirm the virus’s origins. Pinning down an outbreak’s animal reservoir is typically an exhaustive endeavor that takes years of research including taking animal samples, genetic analysis and epidemiological studies.

B) Britain opens visa scheme for millions in Hong Kong.

A new visa scheme offering millions of people in Hong Kong a pathway to British citizenship went live on Sunday as the city’s former colonial master opens its doors to those wanting to escape China’s crackdown on dissent. Anyone with a British National (Overseas) passport and their dependents can now apply online for a visa allowing them to live and work in the U.K. After five years, they can apply for citizenship. The immigration scheme is a response to Beijing’s decision last year to impose a sweeping national security law on Hong Kong to snuff out the huge and often violent democracy protests. Britain has accused China of tearing up its promise ahead of Hong Kong’s 1997 handover that the financial hub would maintain key liberties and autonomy for 50 years, and has argued it has a moral duty to protect its former subjects. They have honoured our profound ties of history and friendship with the people of Hong Kong, and we have stood up for freedom and autonomy, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said of the scheme this week. The website for visa applications went online at 5 p.m. in Hong Kong (0900 GMT). China has reacted with fury to the visa offer, announcing that it would no longer recognise the passports as a legitimate travel or ID document. The move was largely symbolic as residents tend to use their own passports or ID cards to leave the city. But Beijing said it was prepared to take further measures, raising fears authorities might us to stop people from Hong Kong from leaving for Britain. On Sunday, the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of China’s State Council said it strongly condemned the British violating its promise not to give BN(O) passport holders right of residence. This is a flagrant offence of China’s sovereignty, and we firmly oppose it, it said. In a commentary, China’s state-run Xinhua news agency accused Britain of having a colonial mentality.

CURRENT AFFAIRS
31 January 2021

NATIONAL NEWS:

 

A) India running world’s biggest COVID-19 vaccination programme: Modi on Mann ki Baat.

The country was very unhappy and disappointed to see the insult to the national flag, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his monthly radio programme, Mann ki Baat. Mr. Modi said Made-in-India vaccine has not only made India self-reliant (Atma Nirbhar) but also has filled us with self pride. He said that whenever he addressed the citizens via this programme, he felt like being present amidst the people, talking about little things in life. He spoke about Pongal, Bihu, Makar Sankranti, Republic Day celebrations, Padma Awards and good news from cricket. As he read messages from listeners in Uttar Pradesh and Madurai, Mr. Modi said that he gets messages from world leaders about India’s contribution. The stronger and more self sufficient India becomes, the more we can serve humanity, he said. The PM used the example of the message from the Brazilian President to illustrate how Ramayan has left a deep imprint in different parts of the world. The Prime Minister spoke about the initiative of ‘India 75’ for young writers. Details of this initiative will be on the Human Resource Ministry website. PM Modi also lauded an artiste from Midnapore and a young daughter from Odisha, Bhagyashree, for their innovative art and craft. He mentioned about a school in Jharkhand where the principal has converted walls of the school and villages as learning boards with paintings. He mentioned about how Chile, thousands of kms away, celebrates Indian tradition of yoga with over 30 institutes. Chile is celebrating November 4 as national Yoga Day. The PM spoke about a listener’s request about Road Safety week, mentioned interesting slogans used by Border Roads Organisation and asked people to send innovative slogans. Mr. Modi mentioned about the benefits of FasTag on highways. 

B) Govt. will take every step to fulfil people’s expectations, says PM. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi termed the current Budget Session the first of this decade and an opportunity to fulfil the dreams of freedom fighters, even as 18 political parties announced a boycott of President Ram Nath Kovind’s address to both Houses of Parliament on the contentious agriculture reforms laws. The last year was also a year which saw not one but several mini-budget-like packages announced as we dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic, and this budget is to be seen as part of that series of mini-budgets presented by the government last year, said Mr. Modi, offering key hints on the Union budget to be presented on February 1. Mr. Modi added that the government would take every step to fulfil the expectations of the people and hoped that all members of Parliament would direct their energy to this goal. The Budget Session of Parliament will be held between January 29 and April 8, with a recess from February 15 to March 7. The continued protest by farmer unions on the three agriculture-related laws cleared by Parliament in the last Monsoon Session is expected to make this a stormy session.

C) BJP chief says Tamil Nadu has benefited a lot under the Modi government. 

BJP national president J.P. Nadda on Saturday officially announced that the party would fight the ensuing Assembly election in Tamil Nadu with the ruling AIADMK. Kick-starting the party’s election campaign from Madurai, Mr. Nadda declared that the BJP had decided to go along with the AIADMK and other like-minded parties in the coming election. He said the AIADMK had regional aspirations, while also assimilating national ones. The Prime Minister has showed dynamic leadership quality in COVID-19 management, vaccination and security of the nation, he said. Stating that Tamil Nadu needed mainstreaming, he said it was possible only with the BJP. All issues faced by the State can be addressed by Mr. Modi. Mr. Nadda listed out various benefits Tamil Nadu enjoyed under the Modi government. With the right person in the right place, right decisions are being taken, he said. As against ₹94,540 crore given to Tamil Nadu by the UPA Government under the 13th Finance Commission, the Modi government gave ₹5.42 lakh crore for the development of the State under the 15th Finance Commission. The Centre has given funds for the development of the textile industry and the defence corridor, aimed at economic development. According to him, Tamil Nadu got a good share of funds under schemes like Swachh Bharat, Jan Dhan and PM’s Ujjwala scheme, meant to empower women and the common man. The needs of Tamil Nadu were taken care of through big projects like Metro rail, monorail, ₹20,000 crore investment in the Railways, 12 smart cities and AIIMS. Besides spending ₹1,200 crore on the AIIMS in Madurai, the Centre would be incurring a recurring annual expenditure of ₹2,000 crore on it, he said. A total of 100 medical students and 100 paramedical students will pass out every year from AIIMS, he said. The BJP leader said the DMK was against Tamil culture and was anti-national as it had rejected all national aspirations and did not support them.

D) China still ‘largest source of critical items’ for India.

China still remains the largest source of critical imports for India, from mobile phone components to pharmaceutical ingredients, and India is working on a multi-pronged strategy to reduce this reliance, which is a bigger concern than the imbalance in trade. The trade deficit is not in dollars, it is in overdependence, said Sanjay Chadha, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, speaking at the All India Conference of China Studies (AICCS), organised by the Institute of Chinese Studies (ICS) Delhi and Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M). A mobile phone requires 85% content coming from one country. If China were to stop the active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) for penicillin, we would not be able to produce it in this country. When somebody controls your production, that is a sentiment which raises concern. Mr. Chadha said that India was working on a multi-pronged strategy to reduce this dependence, ranging from the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme to boost domestic manufacturing, a global effort involving India’s foreign missions to find alternatives to China, and the use of free trade agreements (FTAs) with other trading partners. COVID-19 had helped accelerate this change. When production in China was hit early in 2020, although its economy would recover by the summer and become the only major economy to avoid contraction last year, India shared with its foreign missions lists of items critically dependent on China, following which the missions linked up with suppliers in their countries. Mr. Chadha, however, sounded a note of caution, suggesting this process was at the beginning, not the end. Mr. Chadha said this was not so much a China obsession as it is to try and make supply chains resilient, either by way of adding or diversify sources. China still remained the biggest source of India’s imports, but imports last year fell 10.8%, the lowest since 2016. Two-way trade in 2020 reached $87.6 billion, down by 5.6%, while the trade deficit declined to a five year-low of $45.8 billion.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

A) U.K. sees smooth vaccine supplies after EU addresses ‘mistake’

Gove said Johnson was very clear in the call to stress that the U.K. has contractual arrangements with pharmaceutical companies AstraZeneca and Pfizer. The British government said Saturday that it does not expect any disruptions to its orders for coronavirus vaccines after the European Union emphasized it would not trigger an emergency provision of the Brexit deal as part of its strategy to monitor export of doses produced in the EU. Cabinet Minister Michael Gove said the government expects the vaccines to be supplied as planned after the EU addressed the mistake in its proposal to tighten export rules for COVID-19 vaccines produced in the 27 member nations. The U.K. government complained late Friday that the bloc had invoked an emergency clause in its divorce deal with Britain to introduce controls on exports from EU member Ireland into Northern Ireland, which is part of the U.K. After a call between Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the EU’s executive commission, the EU said it was not invoking the article of the Brexit agreement allowing either side to override parts of the deal. Mr. Gove said Mr. Johnson was very clear in the call to stress that the U.K. has contractual arrangements with pharmaceutical companies AstraZeneca and Pfizer. President von der Leyen was clear that she understood exactly the U.K. government’s position, so we expect that those contracts will be honored, we expect that vaccines will continue to be supplied, he added. While the U.K. has made progress in its campaign to vaccinate the population against the coronavirus, the EU has faced complaints and criticism for its slow start. Concerns over the pace of the rollout across the EU’s 27 member nations grew over the last week after British-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca said it could not supply EU members with as many doses as originally anticipated because of production capacity limits. AstraZeneca Chief Executive Pascal Soriot has said that vaccine delivery figures in the contract with the EU were targets, not firm commitments, and the company was unable to meet them because plants in Europe had lower than expected yields from the biological process used to produce the vaccine. However, the European Commission suspected that doses meant for Europe might have been diverted from an AstraZeneca plant on the continent to the U.K., where two other company sites are located. The EU also wants doses at two sites in Britain to be made available to European citizens.

B) U.S. lobby group urges India not to tighten foreign e-commerce rules. 

A U.S. lobby group that represents firms including Amazon.com and Walmart has urged India not to tighten foreign investment rules for e-commerce companies again, according to a letter seen by Reuters. India is considering revising the rules after traders in the country accused Amazon’s Indian division and Walmart’s Flipkart of creating complex structures to bypass investment regulations, Reuters reported this month. The U.S. firms deny any wrongdoing. India allows foreign e-commerce players to operate as only a marketplace but local traders say the U.S. giants promote select sellers and offer deep discounts, which hurts business for smaller local retailers. In 2018, India changed its foreign direct investment rules to deter foreign firms offering products from sellers in which they have an equity stake. The Centre is now considering tightening those rules again to include sellers in which a foreign e-commerce firm holds indirect stake through its parent, Reuters reported. Citing the Reuters story in a January 28 letter, the U.S.-India Business Council, part of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, urged the Indian government not to make any more material restrictive changes to e-commerce investment rules. Any further changes in FDI rules would limit e-commerce firms from leveraging their scale, USIBC said in the letter seen by Reuters. USIBC also asked India’s Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) to engage in substantive consultation with companies on e-commerce regulation. USIBC and DPIIT did not respond to a request for comment. After the Reuters story was published last week, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), which represents millions of brick-and-mortar retailers, said it has received assurances from India’s commerce minister that policy changes were in the offing.