Tag: railway

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.

CURRENT AFFAIRS
30 January 2021

NATIONAL NEWS:

 

A) India’s GDP to grow 11% in FY 2022, aided by V-shaped recovery: Economic Survey. 

India’s economic growth is likely to rebound with a 11% growth in the next financial year as it makes a ‘V-shaped’ recovery after suffering a pandemic-led carnage, according to the Pre-Budget Economic Survey, released on Friday. It needs to be kept in mind, however, that the GDP is projected to contract by a record 7.7% in the current fiscal ending March 31, 2021. This means that the 11% growth projection is on a much smaller base. India’s last annual contraction was in 1979-80, when the GDP shrank by 5.2%. The Economic Survey 2020-21 said the agriculture sector was the only silver lining while services, manufacturing and construction were most hit by the lockdown. After an estimated 7.7% pandemic-driven contraction in 2020-21, India’s real GDP is projected to record a growth of 11.0% in 2021-22 and nominal GDP by 15.4%. These conservative estimates reflect upside potential that can manifest due to the continued normalisation in economic activities as the rollout of Covid-19 vaccines gathers traction, the Survey said. The growth will be further supported by supply-side push from reforms and easing of regulations, push for infrastructural investments, boost to manufacturing sector through the Productivity Linked Incentive Schemes, recovery of pent-up demand for services, and increase in discretionary consumption subsequent to roll-out of the vaccine, it said. The survey, tabled in Parliament by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, said there was likely to be a fiscal slippage during the year based on the available trends for April to November 2020. India is expected to witness a current account surplus during the current financial year after a gap of 17 years, the report said.

B) Unrest at Singhu border as groups of violent men attack farmers. 

Days after the chaos witnessed in the national capital on Republic Day, violence again erupted as a group of men claiming to be ‘locals’ stormed the farmers’ protest site at Singhu border near Delhi, demanding that the area be vacated. They went on to pelt stones and vandalised the tents of the protesting farmers. It is worth noting that the farmers had been protesting peacefully at this site for nearly two months. Multiple videos shared by reporters and independent journalists on social media showed security personnel standing mute witnesses as the group of ‘locals’ marched freely through the heavily barricaded and guarded approach to the Singhu protest site and launched attacks on the farmers camped there. They could also be seen chanting ‘Goli Maaro’ [shoot them] slogans, which were last used in early 2020 by groups opposed to the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act. Unrest at Singhu border is not a case of locals clashing with agitating farmers, but a concerted effort by goons to attack the farmers protest, said activist Yogendra Yadav, one of the spokespersons of the protesting farmers. Meanwhile, following an emotional speech by Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait, triggered by a police attempt to forcibly evict farmers from the Ghazipur protest site on the night of January 28, thousands of more farmers were reportedly on their way to Ghazipur and Singhu protest sites in a show of solidarity with their fellow farmers. In a related development, Congress President Rahul Gandhi, in a press conference today warned the Narendra Modi government that if it doesn’t take steps to resolve the farmers’ unrest quickly, it could soon spread to other parts of the country. The only to way to resolve the issue, he said, was to repeal the three laws, and unless this demand is met, the farmers are not going to go home.

C) India could be reduced to ‘a country of incarcerated artists and flourishing lapdogs,’ Kunal Kamra tells SC. 

Stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra, facing contempt for scandalising the Supreme Court with his tweets, said the phenomenon of taking offence to comedy or satire has been elevated to the status of a much-loved indoor sport in a growing culture of intolerance. The suggestion that his tweets could shake the foundations of the most powerful court in the world is an over-estimation of his abilities.  Just as the Supreme Court values the faith public places in it, it should also trust the public not to form its opinions of the court on the basis of a few jokes on Twitter. His  tweets were not published with the intention of diminishing the faith of the people in the highest court, Kamra said in a six-page reply to the suo motu contempt notice against him. Taking offence was now seen as a fundamental right, Kamra said. Comedians like Munawar Faruqui are jailed for jokes they did not make. School students are interrogated for sedition, Kamra told the Supreme Court. Hope the court will demonstrate that free speech is a cardinal constitutional value. If the powerful are unable to tolerate rebuke and criticism, they will be reduced to a country of incarcerated artists and flourishing lapdogs, Kamra said. Jokes need no defence, he wrote, pointing out that they were based on a comedian’s perception. His job was to share his perception with his audience and make them laugh. Most people do not react to jokes that do not make them laugh. They ignore them like our political leaders ignore their critics. That is where the life of a joke must end, he told the Supreme Court.

D) Govt will abide by SC order to stay rollout of farm laws, says President; condemns Republic Day violence. 

The Union Government respects the Supreme Court and will abide by its decision to stay the implementation of the three farm laws, President Ram Nath Kovind told a joint sitting of Parliament on Friday, even as he strongly defended the new laws and asserted that 10 crore small farmers have benefited from them. Referring to the violence during the tractor parade and the chaos after groups of farmers stormed the Red Fort on January 26, the President said it was unfortunate that the national flag was disrespected on the occasion of Republic Day. The government has always respected freedom of expression and the holding of peaceful agitations in a democratic set-up. However, the recent acts of dishonouring the national flag and showing disrespect to the auspicious occasion of the Republic Day are unfortunate, Kovind said. While the Constitution gives us the right to freedom of expression, it is also expected that we abide by the laws and rules with equal sincerity, the President said. While the President’s address prepared by the Cabinet to showcase the achievements of the union government dwelt on agricultural reforms at length, it was boycotted by more than 20 Opposition parties, including the Congress.

E) Budget to be seen as building on ‘mini-budgets’: PM Modi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi termed the current Budget Session the first of this decade and an opportunity to fulfill the dreams of freedom fighters. 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 Modi, offering key hints on the Union budget to be presented on February 1. Modi added that the government would take every step to fulfill 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.

F) Dr Reddy’s eyes March launch of Sputnik V vaccine under Emergency Use Authorisation. 

Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, which is conducting phase-3 trials of Russia’s Covid-19 vaccine Sputnik V, believes the jab can be expected to be launched in India through Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA), a senior official of the city-based drug maker said on Friday. The phase-3 trial is currently ongoing. We are dosing patients and we expect to complete the dosing as part of the phase-3 trials by February. After that they expect to compile the data and submit for Emergency Use Authorisation, and make the request to the DCGI with our dossier, company’s CEO of APIs and Pharmaceutical Services Deepak Sapra said. In September last, Dr. Reddy’s partnered with Russia Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) to conduct the clinical trials of the Sputnik V vaccine and for its distribution rights in India. Based on the approval from the DCGI, we believe that we should be in a position to launch the vaccine through a EUA in the month of March 2021 (in India), Sapra said at a press conference in Hyderabad. Sputnik V, developed by the Gamaleya National Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, was registered by the Ministry of Health of Russia and became the world’s first registered vaccine against Covid-19 based on the established human adenoviral vector platform.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

A) U.S. is bombarding civilians in breach of Afghan deal: Taliban. 

The Taliban on Friday rejected Washington’s accusations that it had not lived up to its promises in Afghanistan, in turn claiming the U.S. was ‘bombarding civilians’. The U.S. signed a landmark deal with the insurgents last year, agreeing to withdraw its troops from the country in return for security guarantees after a stalemate on the battlefield. The other side have violated the agreement, almost every day they are violating it, Mohammad Naeem, a Taliban spokesman said. They are bombarding civilians, houses and villages, and we have informed them from time to time, these are not just violations of the agreement but violations of human rights. The U.S military has in recent months carried out air strikes against the Taliban fighters in defence of Afghan forces in some provinces. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid added on Twitter that the allegations against the group were unfounded and that it was fully committed to the agreement. John Kirby told reporters on Thursday that the Biden administration remains committed to the Taliban-U.S. deal and ending the war in a responsible way. However, he said, the Taliban are not meeting their commitments to reduce violence, and to renounce their ties to al-Qaeda. They are still involved in trying to get a negotiated settlement, he added. The agreement, signed in Doha last year, required the Taliban to halt attacks on U.S. forces, sharply decrease the level of violence in the country, and advance peace talks with the government in Kabul.

B) Biden taps nuclear deal veteran to resume negotiations with Iran. 

The new U.S. administration under Joe Biden has named Rob Malley, an architect of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, as its special envoy to resume talks with Tehran, defying pressure from hawks who accuse him of being too conciliatory toward the Islamic republic. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is building a dedicated team, drawing from clear-eyed experts with a diversity of views, State Department spokesman Ned Price said. Mr. Malley, a childhood friend of Mr. Blinken, has been serving as head of the International Crisis Group, an independent non-governmental organisation focused on conflict resolution. Before that, he was one of the chief negotiators on the 2015 nuclear deal reached by Iran and world powers, under which Tehran was promised economic relief for curbs in its contested nuclear programme. The deal was reached under Barack Obama.

C) Pfizer vaccine not linked to deaths: EU regulator.

The Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus jab has no link to reported post-vaccination deaths and no new side effects, the EU’s medicines regulator said on Friday based on the first data from the vaccine’s rollout. The update by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) followed reports that dozens of mainly elderly people had died in Norway and other European countries after receiving a first shot of the vaccine. The EMA said it had concluded that the data did not show a link to vaccination with Comirnaty (the name of the vaccine) and the cases do not raise a safety concern. The benefits of Comirnaty in preventing COVID-19 continue to outweigh any risks, and there are no recommended changes regarding the use of the vaccine, the EMA said. The EMA authorised AstraZeneca’s vaccine for use in adults throughout the EU on Friday, amid criticism the bloc is not moving fast enough to vaccinate its population. The regulator licensed the vaccine to be used in people 18 and over.