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Daily Briefing

- Daily Briefing: Modi and Zelenskyy’s conversation on war and peace; Angry Young Men review; and more

- Daily Briefing: When Modi meets Zelenskyy; Latest findings by Chandrayaan-3; Survivors speak on Hema Committee report

Daily Briefing: Modi and Zelenskyy’s conversation on war and peace; Angry Young Men review; and more

In today's edition: Modi and Zelenskyy’s conversation on war and peace; Kamala Harris's speech at the Democratic National Convention; Angry Young Men review; and more

Written by Aradhana Kalia

New Delhi | Updated: August 24, 2024 08:54 IST

Top news on August 24, 2024.

Good morning!

From Modi and Zelenskyy’s conversation on war and peace, to Kamala Harris’s speech at the Democratic National Convention, and a nostalgic look back at Bollywood’s Angry Young Man era of the 1970s—today’s newsletter covers it all.

Let’s begin..

🚨Big Story

➡️ It took a tragic and globally disruptive war to bring Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Kyiv, marking the first visit by an Indian leader since Ukraine regained independence with the Soviet Union’s dissolution in 1991. By lending a shoulder to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy India has signaled three key shifts: integrating India into Europe’s peace efforts, expanding Delhi’s strategic options amid global geopolitical changes, and restoring post-Soviet ties with Kyiv.

➡️ Modi’s visit to Moscow on July 8-9 and subsequent trip to Kyiv six weeks later places him uniquely to facilitate direct communication between the leaders of the warring sides. As India distances itself from the US-led sanctions on Russia and refrains from participating in the conflict, the Indian Express analyses the country’s commitment to a “dialogue and diplomacy” approach.

➡️ Since Russia’s invasion in February 2022, Ukrainian airspace has been closed, making trains essential for moving people and aid across the country. World leaders like US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, and recently Prime Minister Modi have all traveled to Ukraine by train. We take a closer look at how Rail Force One has been instrumental in getting these leaders to the war-torn nation.

📰 Express Opinion

In our Opinion section, we review Kamala Harris’s speech at the Democratic National Convention, where she was nominated for President. Though she promised to put the country before party, her strong focus on Donald Trump, whom she called an “unserious man,” and her warnings about his potential return could have unintended consequences. By criticizing Trump so harshly, she risks turning away his supporters—whom she needs to win over.

⚡Must Read

Could this be the turning point for football in Manipur? Two rival clubs, relegated by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) for their poor performance in the 2023-24 season, have taken their case to the Delhi High Court. They argue that ongoing ethnic strife, which started on May 3, 2023, led to curfews and disrupted their season with canceled practices and logistical issues. Will the court reverse the AIFF’s decision, or will the clubs face the consequences of a season marred by chaos?

👉 Big Picture

When a temple pavilion in Hampi collapsed amid the rains, it sparked concerns about the potential neglect of one of India’s largest World Heritage Sites. Known for its grandeur as the Vijayanagara Empire’s capital, Hampi was once praised by foreign travelers as “as large and beautiful as Rome.” Indian Express’ Adrija Roychowdhury dives into the story of Hampi, exploring its rediscovery and the implications of its World Heritage status. Could this prestigious tag be both a blessing and a burden for the site’s preservation?

🍿 Web Series Review

‘Kitnay aadmi thay? Sirf do’.

This week, Indian Express’ Shubra Gupta reviews Amazon Prime’s latest release, Angry Young Men, a compelling exploration of the era defined by the legendary writing duo Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar. The documentary delves into their early struggles and the creation of the iconic hero Vijay- personified by Amitabh Bachchan – whose burning rage and no-holds-barred response to oppression transformed Hindi cinema and left an indelible mark.

Until next time,

Aradhana Kalia

Business As Usual by Unny

Daily Briefing: When Modi meets Zelenskyy; Latest findings by Chandrayaan-3; Survivors speak on Hema Committee report

In today's edition: The missing angry women of Hindi cinema; Neeraj Chopra stuns again; the making of a new star; and more

Written by Ayesha Jain , Sonal Gupta

Updated: August 23, 2024 09:18 IST

Top news on August 23, 2024

Good morning,

While you were sleeping, Olympic silver medal-winning athlete Neeraj Chopra continued on his path of consistency and brilliance, finishing second in Lausanne Diamond League with his season best throw of 89.49m. With this, Chopra has finished in the top two of every competition he’s participated in since 2022. Now that’s a habit!

Let’s get to the news. In today’s edition:

- Modi’s Kyiv visit

- Latest findings by Chandrayaan-3

- Survivors speak on Hema Committee report

Big Story

After concluding his trip to Warsaw, Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in war-torn Kyiv last night, in what is being touted as a ‘landmark and historic’ visit by India’s Ministry of External Affairs. Modi is scheduled to meet Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy today.

A call for peace: Ahead of the visit, Modi expressed “deep concern” over the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and stressed India was ready to extend “all possible cooperation” to restore peace and stability through “dialogue and diplomacy”.

A big deal: Modi will be the first Indian prime minister to visit Ukraine after the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1992, signaling a departure from India’s traditional foreign policy stance on Ukraine. Contributing Editor C Raja Mohan delves further into the reasons why New Delhi has taken a break from its foreign policy stance so far.

“Modi’s visit to Ukraine is an opportunity to swing back to balance, to restore India’s reputation as a peaceable yet principled global player, and to reassure Euro-American allies…”

From our Opinion pages: Anastasia Piliavsky, teacher of anthropology at King’s College London, writes on the confluence of Modi and Zelenskyy, and why both leaders will have to let go of past hurts to move forward, as a historic opportunity awaits them.

Only in Express

For all the protestations by the Congress over the lateral entry advertisement issued, and then swiftly withdrawn, by the NDA government, one fact went unnoticed. Acting on a recommendation of the sixth Central Pay Commission, the Manmohan Singh PMO, in January 2011, had proposed to open up to 10% of posts at the Joint Secretary level for “lateral induction from private sector/academics etc,” show records reviewed by The Indian Express.

“Even if there had been no sign of change, we would have continued to fight, and we will continue to fight.”

As findings of the Justice Hema Committee, revealing pervasive sexual harassment and gender bias in the Kerala film industry, ignite widespread outrage, Parvathy Thiruvothu, a leading Malayalam actor, speaks to Arun Janardhan about the state of the industry, expectations from the government, and the aftermath of these revelations.

Thiruvothu is founding member of the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), a group of women who came together in the aftermath of the rape of a leading woman actor in Kochi in 2017. For the WCC, the release of the Hema Committee report comes at the end of a long and difficult journey, during which they had their careers on the line.

As it stands: Till now, a version of the report with several pages redacted has been made public. On Thursday, the Kerala High Court directed the government to furnish before it in a sealed cover the full, unredacted report, noting that they are unable to proceed in this matter since no complaint regarding any of the incidents mentioned in the report has been filed so far.

From the Front Page

Remember the government’s promise around internships in the Union Budget 2024? Well, something’s moving there. A new portal is in the works to enable youth to apply for internships directly with the country’s top 500 companies.

‘On track’: The Congress and National Conference have discussed an alliance for 90 seats in the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir Assembly polls. That said, it’s not going all smooth. Both parties are eyeing crucial seats in the Valley.

Must Read

Over the moon: We know more about the moon now, thanks to Chandrayaan-3. The latest findings give insights into the moon’s topsoil and add weight to the lunar magma ocean (LMO) hypothesis (ie. the moon was once made up of an ocean of magma).

It’s not usual for the CBI to conduct a psychological profile of an accused. But in the case of the rape and murder of a Kolkata doctor, the exercise will prove useful. Investigators aim to understand not just the mental state of the accused, but also ascertain his motives.

🎧 For the latest on the case, tune in to the ‘3 Things’ podcast.

A star in the making: Having returned from the Paris Olympics without a medal, Vinesh Phogat hoped more women wrestlers from her village would follow in her footsteps. She didn’t have to wait long. On Thursday, Neha Sangwan was crowned the world’s newest Under-17 champion in the 57 kg category.

And Finally…

Food for thought: We all grew up listening to our parents speak of the rise of Amitabh Bachchan. He was the quintessential “angry young man”. Prime Video’s latest, Angry Young Men, is an ode to Salim-Javed, the duo behind these angry, disgruntled male protagonists. The series begs the question: Where are Hindi cinema’s angry young women?

Delhi Confidential: Allegations of “Swiss bank accounts” were thrown around in the Supreme Court during the hearing of matters related to the Kolkata rape and murder case. Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal said that rumours are doing the rounds that the counsel appearing for the Bengal government has a Swiss bank account. His opponent, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, was quick to throw the ball back in his court with a sharp response.

Until next time,

Ayesha Jain and Sonal Gupta

Ayesha Jain

Ayesha works as a Senior Sub Editor at indianexpress.com news desk. She is interested in current affairs, climate change, politics and artistic expression of all kinds. She did a Bachelor's in Liberal Arts, with a major in English and a minor in Politics, from King's College London. At Express, she writes for the morning newsletter, The Daily Briefing, and a weekly climate newsletter, The Icebreaker. Previously, she worked at The Quint. You can reach out to her at ayesha.jain@indianexpress.com.   ... Read More

Sonal Gupta

Sonal Gupta is a senior sub-editor on the news desk. She runs The Indian Express's weekly climate newsletter, Icebreaker. Apart from this, her interests range from politics and world affairs to art and culture and AI. She also curates the Morning Expresso, a daily briefing of top stories of the day, which won gold in the ‘best newsletter’ category at the WAN-IFRA South Asian Digital Media Awards 2023.   ... Read More

Front Page

- CBI gets Delhi L-G’s sanction to prosecute Kejriwal in excise case

- Sit with Putin to find way out of crisis, India ready to help: Modi to Zelenskyy

- Bus falls into river in Nepal, 27 pilgrims from Maharashtra die

- India, US sign key defence supply pact as Rajnath Singh begins 4-day visit

- SEBI imposes Rs 25 cr penalty on Anil Ambani, bans him from market for 5 yrs

- Apologise to AltNews co-founder for comment, Delhi HC tells X user

- Internship portal in the works, will match skill sets with opportunity

- PM Modi in Kyiv today: Deep concern, offer all cooperation in returning peace via talks

- Brij Bhushan case: Women wrestlers say police cover withdrawn, court steps in

- In its last lap, UPA II proposed lateral entry at Joint Secretary level through UPSC

- NC, Congress seal alliance, but a few seats in Kashmir still a hurdle

CBI gets Delhi L-G’s sanction to prosecute Kejriwal in excise case

The probe agency submitted the prosecution sanction Friday in the Rouse Avenue court of Special Judge Kaveri Baweja where the matter will be heard next on August 27.

Written by Nirbhay Thakur

New Delhi | Updated: August 24, 2024 05:48 IST

Kejriwal has got bail in ED case, not in CBI case

The CBI has obtained sanction from Delhi Lt Governor V K Saxena for the prosecution of Chief Minister and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal in an alleged case of corruption related to the Delhi excise policy.

The probe agency submitted the prosecution sanction Friday in the Rouse Avenue court of Special Judge Kaveri Baweja where the matter will be heard next on August 27.

Once the court takes cognizance of the CBI’s supplementary chargesheet that names him as an accused, charges will be framed against Kejriwal. He has been in judicial custody ever since March after his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in an alleged money laundering case linked to the excise policy.

On June 26, the CBI placed him under “formal” arrest in the corruption case it is probing separately. On Friday, the Supreme Court adjourned the hearing on Kejriwal’s bail plea and gave the CBI a week to respond.

Official sources said the CBI had approached the Lt Governor’s Secretariat on July 28  for sanction to prosecute the Chief Minister under Section 19 of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The sanction was granted this month.

Kejriwal has been named as an accused in chargesheets filed by both CBI and ED in cases related to the excise policy which has since been scrapped.

The probe agencies have claimed that the CM was “directly involved in the formulation” of the excise policy which was drafted “considering the favours to be granted to the ‘South Group’ which secured uninhibited access, undue favours, attained stakes in established wholesale businesses, and multiple retail zones (over and above what was allowed in the policy)”.

While Kejriwal was granted bail by the Supreme Court in the ED’s alleged money laundering case, he remains in judicial custody in the CBI case.

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Sit with Putin to find way out of crisis, India ready to help: Modi to Zelenskyy

Modi, who reached the war-torn Ukrainian capital on an overnight train from Warsaw in Poland, said he told Putin last month that “solutions can’t be found on the battlefield”.

Written by Shubhajit Roy

New Delhi | Updated: August 24, 2024 07:31 IST

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy welcomes India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Reuters)

Marking a historic milestone in India’s diplomacy in Europe which has been roiled by the Russia-Ukraine war, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv Friday and asked him to sit with Russian President Vladimir Putin to find a way out of the crisis.

Modi, who reached the war-torn Ukrainian capital on an overnight train from Warsaw in Poland, said he told Putin last month that “solutions can’t be found on the battlefield”.

He told Zelenskyy at the Mariinsky Palace that “the road to resolution can only be found through dialogue and diplomacy” and “we should move in that direction without wasting any time”.

“Both sides should sit together to find a way out of this crisis,” Modi said, assuring the President that India, and he personally, are willing to contribute in all possible ways to facilitate early return of peace.

“We have stayed away from the war, but we are not neutral, we are in favour of peace. We come from the land of Buddha and (Mahatma) Gandhi with a message of peace. I had told President Putin on his face that this is not the era of war. I told him last month that solutions can’t be found on the battlefield.”

“I want to assure you that India is ready to play an active role in any effort towards peace. If I can play any role in this personally, I will do that. I want to assure you as a friend,” he said, adding that he hoped to see the “rising sun of peace”.

In a post later, Zelenskyy said, “Today, history was made. The Prime Minister of India @narendramodi made his first visit to Ukraine since our country’s independence, on the eve of our Independence Day.”

“India supports Ukraine’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity. And this is critical because everyone in the world must equally respect the UN Charter,” he said.

A joint statement, in a section titled ‘Ensuring a Comprehensive, Just, and Lasting Peace’, said Modi and Zelenskyy “reiterated their readiness for further cooperation in upholding principles of international law, including the UN Charter, such as respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty of states. They agreed on the desirability of closer bilateral dialogue in this regard.”

It said “Prime Minister Modi reiterated the need for sincere and practical engagement between all stakeholders to develop innovative solutions that will have broad acceptability and contribute towards early restoration of peace. He reiterated India’s willingness to contribute in all possible ways to facilitate an early return of peace”.

Accompanied by Zelenskyy, Modi visited the multimedia Martyrologist Exposition on children at the National Museum of History of Ukraine in Kyiv.

Modi said it was “heartbreaking” to see that “innocent children are the first casualty in a war”. He said “such incidents cannot be acceptable to any person who believes in human values and in any civilised society”.

A statement from the Ministry of External Affairs said that the Prime Minister was “deeply touched by the poignant exposition set up in memory of children who have lost their lives in the conflict. He expressed his sorrow at the tragic loss of young lives and as a mark of respect placed a toy in their memory”.

Zelenskyy said, Modi and he “honoured the memory of the children whose lives were taken by Russian aggression. Children in every country deserve to live in safety. We must make this possible.”

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who briefed on the discussions between the two leaders, said that much of the conversation was about the conflict.

Calling it a “perfectly convivial conversation” and “constructive”, Jaishankar said, “I think there was a lot that we said which he (Zelenskyy) heard with a great deal of attention. He knows that we mean well by Ukraine. He knows that we are very keen that this conflict should come to an end. And essentially, what the message from our side to him is that if there is anything that we can do in any way, in sort of upfront or behind or supporting somebody… It’s the objective that we are interested in, rather than the process. We are willing to do whatever we can, because we do think that the continuation of this conflict is terrible for Ukraine itself and for the world as well.”

Calling it a “fairly long and very detailed” discussion, Jaishankar said Modi sought Zelenskyy’s assessment of both the ground situation and the diplomatic scenario. In this context, without mentioning inroads by the Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region of Russia, he said that the “recent developments” were discussed.

He said the discussions revolved around “the military situation”, “concerns like food and energy” and and most of all, on “conceivable pathways to peace and conflict resolution”.

Jaishankar said the Ukrainian side also clearly wants “continued involvement of India with the global peace summit… There was also a discussion about what could be effective ways of taking these discussions forward, not necessarily within the format of the summit. There are obviously multiple possibilities here, and multiple views about those possibilities.”

“I want to emphasise that the Prime Minister and the President reiterated the readiness to further cooperation in upholding principles of international law, such as respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty of states,” he said.

On India’s energy trade with Russia, he said it came up during the discussions and it was explained to the Ukrainian side about the “tight energy market”.

“India is a big oil consumer. It’s a big oil importer because we don’t produce oil. So, it’s not like there is a political strategy to buy oil. There is an oil strategy to buy oil. There’s a market strategy to buy oil… The fact that the market is tight, that today big suppliers like Iran and Venezuela, who used to supply India, are constrained from operating freely in the markets… This factor needs to be taken into account,” he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy pay their respects to the children killed amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, at Martyrologist Exposition in Kyiv. (Reuters)

Responding to a question on Modi’s embrace of Putin last month in Moscow, Jaishankar said, “In our part of the world, when people meet people, they are given to embracing each other. It may not be part of your culture, but I assure you, it’s part of ours. So in fact, today, I think I saw the Prime Minister also embrace President Zelenskyy, and I have seen him do it with a number of other leaders in a number of other places. So I think perhaps we have a slight cultural gap here in terms of what these courtesies mean.”

According to the joint statement, “The Indian side reiterated its principled position and focus on peaceful resolution through dialogue and diplomacy, as a part of which, India has attended the Summit on Peace in Ukraine, held in Burgenstock, Switzerland, in June 2024. The Ukrainian side welcomed such participation by India and highlighted the importance of high-level Indian participation in the next Peace Summit.”

“The Ukrainian side conveyed that the Joint Communiqué on a Peace Framework, adopted at the Summit on Peace in Ukraine, could serve as a basis for further efforts to promote just peace based on dialogue, diplomacy, and international law.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during presentation of BHISHM cube to Ukraine, in Kyiv. (PTI Photo)

It said that the leaders appreciated various efforts to ensure global food security, including the Ukrainian humanitarian grain initiative. The importance of uninterrupted and unhindered supply of agricultural products to global markets, especially in Asia and Africa, was emphasised.

After the bilateral talks, Modi presented four BHISHM (Bharat Health Initiative for Sahyog Hita & Maitri) Cubes to the Government of Ukraine. Zelenskyy thanked the Prime Minister for the humanitarian assistance.

“The Cubes will help in expeditious treatment of the injured and contribute to saving precious lives. Each BHISHM Cube consists of medicines and equipment for the first line of care for all kinds of injuries and medical situations. It also includes surgical equipment for a basic Operation Room that can manage 10-15 basic surgeries per day.

The Cube has the capacity to handle about 200 cases of diverse nature in emergency situations such as trauma, bleeding, burns, fractures, etc. It can also generate its own power and oxygen in limited amounts. A team of experts from India has been deployed to provide initial training to the Ukrainian side to operate the Cube,” the statement said.

Zelenskyy, in a post, said, “Today, we reached an agreement on four documents between Ukraine and India, covering the medical field, agricultural cooperation, humanitarian relations, and culture. Following the visit, we also agreed on a joint statement focusing on the development of a strategic partnership, bilateral trade, and continued military-technical cooperation.”

The two leaders witnessed the signing of four agreements. These include agreement on Cooperation in the field of Agriculture and Food Industry; MoU on Cooperation in the field of Medical Products Regulation; MoU on Indian Humanitarian Grant Assistance for Implementation of High Impact Community Development Projects; and Programme for Cultural Cooperation for 2024-2028.

Modi also invited Zelenskyy to visit India as per his convenience.

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Bus falls into river in Nepal, 27 pilgrims from Maharashtra die

The Nepal Police said they have obtained the names of the tourists from hotel records, adding they are verifying them.

Written by Yubaraj Ghimire , Vallabh Ozarkar

Kathmandu | Updated: August 24, 2024 01:08 IST

The bus had 40 passengers in it, (Reuters photo)

AT LEAST 27 pilgrims from Maharashtra were killed and more than a dozen injured when the bus in which they were travelling skidded off the road and fell 250 metres into the swollen Marsyangdi River in Tanahun district of Nepal, around 115 km from Kathmandu, on Friday.

The bus, which had an Uttar Pradesh registration number, was heading towards Kathmandu from the resort town of Pokhara, carrying 43 people, including the driver.

Confirming the 27 deaths, the Indian embassy in Kathmandu in a post on X said: “Remaining 16 passengers have been airlifted to Kathmandu for further treatment at TU (Tribhuvan University) Teaching Hospital. Embassy mourns the loss of lives & prays for early recovery of the injured.”

Security force personnel rescue an injured passenger. (Reuters photo)

Security personnel engaged in the search and rescue operation said that 19 people died on the spot. Three more were declared dead in a nearby hospital. Two bodies were extricated by divers from inside the bus.

The passengers were from Bhusawal tehsil of Maharashtra’s Jalgaon district. They were among 80 people from four villages — Varangaon, Talvel, Aachegaon and Pimpalgaon – who had left on a pilgrimage to Ayodhya, Prayagraj and Nepal on August 16 and were scheduled to return on August 28.

Sunil Kale, a villager from Varangaon, told The Indian Express, “A total of 80 people from these villages had gone on a pilgrimage in two different buses. There were 41 people in the bus that met with the accident.”

Sources said the pilgrims reached Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh from where they hired two buses to reach Pokhara on Wednesday. After two days’ stay in the resort town, they left for Kathmandu, around 200 km away, Friday morning. On the way, around noon, one of the buses met with the accident.

Samadhan Chaudhary, another villager, said that among the dead were two former corporators of Varangaon — Sudhakar Gawade and his wife Rohini – and five of their relatives.

“I spoke to Sudhakar on Thursday. They told me that it was raining heavily in Nepal. He had called to wish me on my birthday and they all were very happy. And suddenly we got to know about this news. It is shocking for all of us,” said Chaudhary.

Saddened by the loss of lives due to a road mishap in Tanahun district, Nepal. Condolences to the bereaved families. May the injured recover at the earliest. The Indian Embassy is providing all possible assistance to those affected.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 23, 2024

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis expressed condolences over the incident.

Shinde spoke to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and senior officials about bringing home the bodies of the dead. According to a statement released by the CMO, Shah told Shinde that a special officer has been appointed for coordination and a special IAF aircraft will be provided to bring the bodies back.

“The bodies will be brought from Nepal to Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh. From there they will be brought to Nashik by Air Force aircraft. After that, the bodies will be handed over to the families,” the statement said.

“We are also coordinating with the Uttar Pradesh government and Nepalese authorities to repatriate the bodies of the deceased back to Maharashtra,” Fadnavis said in a post on X.

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India, US sign key defence supply pact as Rajnath Singh begins 4-day visit

India is the eighteenth SOSA partner of the US; the SOSA will mandate the 2 countries to provide reciprocal priority support for goods and services that promote national defence.

Written by Amrita Nayak Dutta

New Delhi | Updated: August 24, 2024 07:30 IST

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh with US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin in Washington on Friday. (PTI)

As Defence Minister Rajnath Singh reached Washington DC on a four-day official visit, India and US on Thursday signed two key pacts — a non-binding Security of Supply Arrangement (SOSA) and a Memorandum of Agreement regarding Assignment of Liaison Officers.

The SOSA will mandate the US and India to provide reciprocal priority support for goods and services that promote national defence.

“The arrangement will enable both countries to acquire the industrial resources they need from one another to resolve unanticipated supply chain disruptions to meet national security needs,” said a statement issued by the US Department of Defence.

The two pacts were signed ahead of Singh’s meeting with US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin in the Pentagon on Friday. At the meeting, both sides expressed satisfaction over the conclusion of the SOSA between India and the US, a Defence Ministry statement said Friday night. “The SOSA signed yesterday in Washington DC encourages the defence industrial ecosystems of both countries to work together, and enhances the supply chain resilience,” it said.

India is the 18th SOSA partner of the US after Australia, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, and the UK.

According to the US Department of Defence statement, the SOSA was signed between Dr Vic Ramdass, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence for Industrial Base Policy, on behalf of the US, and Samir Kumar Sinha, Additional Secretary and Director General (Acquisitions), from India.

It quoted Dr Ramdass as stating that the SOSA represents a pivotal moment in the US-India major defence partner relationship and will be a key factor in strengthening the Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) between the two countries.

“I look forward to OUSD (A&S) hosting the next DTTI meeting this fall to deepen cooperation between our respective defense industrial bases and pursue bilateral co-development, co-production, and co-sustainment initiatives,” he said.

Under the Arrangement, the US and India have committed to support one another’s priority delivery requests for procurement of critical national defence resources, the statement said.

It said the US will provide India assurances under the US Defense Priorities and Allocations System (DPAS), with programme determinations by DoD and rating authorisation by the Department of Commerce (DoC).

India will in turn establish a government-industry Code of Conduct with its industrial base, where Indian firms will voluntarily agree to make every reasonable effort to provide the US priority support.

The statement said that with an expanding global supply chain for DoD, SOSAs are an important mechanism to strengthen interoperability with US defence trade partners. “The Arrangements institute working groups, establish communication mechanisms, streamline DoD processes, and proactively act to allay anticipated supply chain issues in peacetime, emergency, and armed conflict,” it said, adding that they are also a useful tool in developing investment strategies to ensure redundancy and security.

The US industrial base policy states that the SOSA is conducted under overarching Declarations of Principles for Enhanced Cooperation in matters of defence equipment and industry that have been signed with select nations. It says that SOSA implements the “Meeting National Defence Requirements” section of these documents, which recognises the potential for a certain degree of mutual interdependence of supplies needed for national security, and calls for the parties to explore solutions for achieving assurance of supply.

Dr Swasti Rao, Associate Fellow, Europe and Eurasia Centre, MP-IDSA told The Indian Express that India and the US defence cooperation has been achieving new heights since 2016 with the signing of the foundational agreements and SOSA is the latest in that order.

“SOSA is not a game-changer by itself but is an important element of the defence ecosystem that India has developed with the US,” she said.

“SOSA will make it easier for Indian companies to get priority supplies from the US and revitalise the defence industry cooperation between the two countries, especially at a time the US has emerged to be one of the biggest procurers of India’s growing defence exports,” she said.

However, she clarified that SOSA, despite being an important agreement, is not legally binding and is not sanction proofed. “Once the Reciprocal Defence Procurement Agreement (RDP) which is the second level is signed, it will be legally binding and, in my opinion, that would also be signed soon,” she said.

Defence Minister Singh during his meeting with Austin also highlighted the various co-development and co-production opportunities in India in areas identified in the India-US Defence Industrial Cooperation Roadmap, adopted last year, the defence ministry said in its statement. Both leaders held wide-ranging discussions on bilateral defence cooperation, industrial collaboration, regional security and other international issues, it said.

They also appreciated the progress made in operationalising the Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness, a Quad initiative, and praised the ongoing efforts by India to enhance the Maritime Domain Awareness for the partners in the Indian Ocean Region.

The statement said Singh and Austin also welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement between India and US regarding the deployment of Liaison Officers.

The Memorandum of Agreement regarding the Assignment of Liaison Officers progresses on an earlier decision between the two sides to increase sharing of information between India and the US and will entail posting of Indian armed forces officers in key strategic US Commands. India would deploy the first Liaison Officer to the Headquarters Special Operations Command in Florida, US.

In a post on X, Singh termed the signing of the two agreements as “pathbreaking developments”, and added that he and Austin reviewed the existing defence cooperation activities and discussed ways to deepen it further at their meeting.

Earlier in the day, Singh participated in a wreath laying ceremony at the Arlington National Cemetery. He also interacted with the Indian diaspora in Washington where he said India and US together are a formidable force which can ensure peace, prosperity and stability in the world.

During his stay, Singh is slated to meet US Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs Jake Sullivan. In addition, he will chair a round-table meeting with the US defence industry on the ongoing and future defence collaborations.

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SEBI imposes Rs 25 cr penalty on Anil Ambani, bans him from market for 5 yrs

Sebi has imposed a penalty of Rs 25 crore on Ambani and restrained him from being associated with the securities market including as a director or Key Managerial Personnel (KMP) in any listed company

By: ENS Economic Bureau

Mumbai | Updated: August 24, 2024 01:20 IST

Sebi said its findings have established the "existence of a fraudulent scheme, orchestrated by Noticee No. 2 (Anil Ambani) to siphon off funds from the public listed company (RHFL)." (Express File Photo by Sankhadeep Banerjee)

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has barred industrialist Anil Ambani and 24 other entities, including former key officials of Reliance Home Finance Ltd (RHFL), from the securities market for five years for diversion of funds from the company.

Further, the regulator has imposed a penalty of Rs 25 crore on Ambani and restrained him from being associated with the securities market including as a director or Key Managerial Personnel (KMP) in any listed company, or any intermediary registered with it, for five years.

The total penalty on Ambani and other 24 entities works out to over Rs 625 crore.

Shares of Anil Ambani group companies plunged on the stock exchanges after the SEBI order. Reliance Power fell 5 per cent, Reliance Infra 10.4 per cent and  RHFL 4.90 per cent.

The regulator’s investigation uncovered that significant funds were misused under the leadership of Anil Ambani and other key figures associated with the company. It concluded that these entities were involved in siphoning off money, leading to a violation of the securities laws and a breach of investor trust.

“Investigation in the matter has concluded that the Noticees were involved in perpetrating a fraudulent scheme by disbursing general purpose working capital (GPC) loans resulting in erosion of the company’s finances due to such loans eventually being declared NPA,” the order signed by SEBI Whole Time Member Ananth Narayan G said.

According to the Sebi, the findings have established the existence of a fraudulent scheme, orchestrated by Noticee No. 2 (Anil Ambani) and administered by the KMPs of RHFL, to siphon off funds from the public listed company (RHFL) by structuring them as ‘loans’ to credit unworthy conduit borrowers, and in turn, to onward borrowers, all of whom have been found to be ‘promoter linked entities’ — entities associated or linked with Noticee 2 (Anil Ambani).

In a detailed order, SEBI outlined the involvement of each entity and the specific roles they played in the diversion of funds.

According to SEBI’s investigation, the scheme was administered by Key Managerial Personnel (KMPs) of RHFL, who structured loans to credit unworthy conduits and onward borrowers. These borrowers were closely linked to the promoters, raising serious concerns about the misuse of company funds.

The fraudulent loans, which were disbursed as general-purpose working capital loans, led to a significant erosion of RHFL’s finances, Sebi said. “Most of the GPCL borrowers’ accounts turned into NPAs and as a consequence of the same, RHFL defaulted in its payment obligations towards its lenders which has culminated in its Resolution under RBI Framework.  As a result, the company’s public shareholders have been left high and dry,” the order said.

“It is apparent that noticees 3 to 5, KMPs of the company, played an active role in perpetrating the fraudulent scheme,” the order said.  While Noticee No. 2 was not a director in RHFL, he has used his position as ‘Chairperson of the ADA group’ and his significant indirect shareholding in the holding company of RHFL to orchestrate the fraud thereby not just adversely affecting RHFL’s stakeholders but also the confidence in the integrity of governance structures in regulated financial sector entities, the order said.

“As per material available on record, subsequently, the entire outstanding of the GPCL lending of INR 6931.31 crore as on September 30, 2021 has been classified as NPA. RHFL has disclosed that GPCLs were secured against tangible and intangible assets,” Sebi said.

“However, as observed earlier… dealing with diversion of funds, the said GPC Loans were secured against current assets of borrowers which were negligible. It transpires now that all the GPC Loan borrowers covered in this order, and the entities they appeared to transfer or forward the funds to, were all connected to the promoter group in some form or another,” it said.

Apologise to AltNews co-founder for comment, Delhi HC tells X user

The court instructed that the apology post be put up within a week and be retained on his handle for another two months, to which the man agreed.

By: Express News Service

New Delhi | Updated: August 23, 2024 18:45 IST

In January 2023, police informed the court that they had not found Zubair committing any criminal act upon the completion of the investigation, and so, his name was not included in their chargesheet.

Dealing with a plea by AltNews co-founder Mohammad Zubair seeking quashing of an FIR registered against him under charges of the POCSO Act, the Delhi High Court Thursday directed an X (formerly Twitter) user to put out an apology on the social media platform, where he had called Zubair a ‘jihadi’.

Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani orally remarked, “We want people to be temperate on social media and if you get carried away, then the first thing you have to do is at least apologise… When you make a mistake on a platform, you apologise on the platform.”

The court instructed that the apology post be put up within a week and be retained on his handle for another two months, to which the man agreed.

In 2020, the Delhi Police had registered an FIR against Zubair for allegedly threatening a minor girl on the social media platform after he responded to the Twitter user, who was using a picture with his minor daughter as a display picture on the platform.

The FIR was lodged based on a complaint filed by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR).

In January 2023, police informed the court that they had not found Zubair committing any criminal act upon the completion of the investigation, and so, his name was not included in their chargesheet.

The NCPCR in its affidavit, had, however, opposed the police’s stand and said that it “indicates the casual attitude of police” in this case.

In April 2024, police told the High Court that it had not registered any case against the man accused of allegedly posting “offensive tweets” against Zubair.

Police mentioned in their status report that they had examined the accused to inquire about his intention and purpose of commenting “Once a jihadi is always jihadi” on Zubair’s tweet.

On recording his statement, “nothing incriminating” came up for further proceedings in the matter, states the report.

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Internship portal in the works, will match skill sets with opportunity

The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) will announce the guidelines for the internship scheme over the next two weeks, following which the portal will be made active for the prospective applicants, officials involved in the exercise said.

Written by Aanchal Magazine

New Delhi | Updated: August 23, 2024 07:27 IST

The portal will facilitate matching of skill sets of the applicants with the type of internship opportunities provided by the companies. (File Photo)

A new portal is in the works to enable youth to apply for internships directly with the country’s top 500 companies under a special package announced in the Budget. The portal will facilitate matching of skill sets of the applicants with the type of internship opportunities provided by the companies.

The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) will announce the guidelines for the internship scheme over the next two weeks, following which the portal will be made active for the prospective applicants, officials involved in the exercise said.

“The idea is not to upload any existing database of the country’s youth on the portal, because some may not want to opt for this internship scheme. Instead, the companies will list out their internship opportunities and these will get matched with the information provided by the applicants, enabling a free flow of information on the portal,” a senior government official told The Indian Express.

The portal is expected to be functional after the guidelines for the scheme are finalised by the MCA. The ministry is in discussion with the companies, the official said.

In the Union Budget for 2024-25 presented by the NDA government on July 23, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced the Prime Minister’s Package for Employment and Skilling with an overall outlay of Rs 2 lakh crore. The government is keen to ensure that those at the margins, especially those less skilled and less employable, are able to make the most of this internship scheme.

As part of the package announced in the Budget, internships are to be provided to 1 crore youth by India’s top 500 companies over the next five years. “They will gain exposure for 12 months to real-life business environments, varied professions and employment opportunities. An internship allowance of Rs 5,000 per month along with a one-time assistance of Rs 6,000 will be provided. Companies will be expected to bear the training cost and 10 per cent of the internship cost from their CSR funds,” Sitharaman had said.

In July, then Finance Secretary TV Somanathan, who is now Cabinet Secretary, had told The Indian Express that the government plans to talk to the top 500 companies and mutually agree on a “voluntary quota system” for taking on board interns under the employment package announced in the Budget 2024-25. The “quota system” would be based on the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) expenditure of these companies.

“We won’t be giving them (companies) the type of people they would normally recruit because we don’t want to give them a subsidy for people they would have hired anyway. We will have a negative list also: Say, nobody from IITs, IIMs, chartered accountants, cost accountants, nobody who is paying income tax, nobody whose parent is a government servant, etc. We want it for the people who are left out of the normal channels of recruitment,” Somanathan had said.

Aanchal Magazine

Aanchal Magazine is Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express and reports on the macro economy and fiscal policy, with a special focus on economic science, labour trends, taxation and revenue metrics. With over 12 years of newsroom experience, she has also reported in detail on macroeconomic data such as trends and policy actions related to inflation, GDP growth and fiscal arithmetic. Interested in the history of her homeland, Kashmir, she likes to read about its culture and tradition in her spare time, along with trying to map the journeys of displacement from there.   ... Read More

PM Modi in Kyiv today: Deep concern, offer all cooperation in returning peace via talks

Polish PM Donald Tusk: India can play constructive role in resolving Russia-Ukraine war.

Written by Divya A

New Delhi | Updated: August 23, 2024 09:27 IST

PM Narendra Modi with Polish counterpart Donald Tusk in Warsaw on Thursday. (Reuters)

Ahead of his visit to Kyiv, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday expressed “deep concern” over the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and said India was ready to extend “all possible cooperation” to restore peace and stability through “dialogue and diplomacy”.

Modi made the remarks after his meeting with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Warsaw, where India and Poland upgraded their ties to a “strategic partnership” and agreed on a social security agreement to promote the mobility of skilled workers.

After concluding his visit to Warsaw, Modi travelled to Kyiv on Thursday night; he is scheduled to meet Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday.

“The ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and West Asia are a matter of deep concern for all of us. India firmly believes that no problem can be solved on the battlefield. The loss of innocent lives in any crisis has become the biggest challenge for the entire humanity. We support dialogue and diplomacy for the early restoration of peace and stability. For this, India is ready to provide all possible cooperation along with its friendly countries,” Modi said in Warsaw.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi being greeted by children upon his arrival at a hotel in Warsaw on Wednesday. (PTI)

Tusk underlined that India can play an “essential and very constructive role”. “We began with a clarification on very emotional issues. PM Modi confirmed his willingness that he is ready for a peaceful, rightful and immediate end to war. We believe that India can play an essential and very constructive role. So, this announcement is very important for us,” Tusk said. “Prime Minister, in 10 hours you will visit Ukraine. We believe that your visit to Ukraine will be historic,” he added.

Modi’s visit to Kyiv comes a month-and-a-half after his trip to Moscow where he met Russian President Vladimir Putin, which was criticised by Zelenskyy.

In a joint statement, Modi and Tusk reiterated the need for a comprehensive, just and lasting peace, in line with international law, consistent with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, including respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty. They also noted the negative impacts of the war in Ukraine with regard to global food and energy security, especially for the Global South, and shared the view that the use, or threat of use, of nuclear weapons was unacceptable.

Both sides stressed the need for firm implementation of relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council, the UN General Assembly, as well as the implementation of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.

Announcing a strategic partnership between India and Poland, Tusk said: “Today, we have decided to take our relations to the level of strategic partnership. This is not just a definition, not mere words. There is our resolution for mutual cooperation in various areas behind this.”

The two sides also announced a social security agreement for the welfare of the skilled workforce and to promote their mobility. They resolved to expand cooperation in key sectors of defence, trade, renewable energy, pharmaceuticals, urban infrastructure, food processing, artificial intelligence and space.

Tusk said close cooperation in defence was a symbol of deep mutual trust between the two countries, and Poland was ready to take part in India’s defence modernisation. “Mutual cooperation in this area will be made a priority. Innovation and talent are the identity of the youth power of both our countries,” he said.

“There is no dispute, no struggle between our countries. We understand each other well, despite our geographical differences, different traditions and histories. But history has taught both our countries to respect principles, borders, regional integrity, sovereignty, law of the land,” Tusk said.

The two leaders also reaffirmed their “close coordination on the international platform”. “We both agree that reforms in the United Nations and international institutions are the need of the hour to face global challenges,” Modi said, adding that climate change was a common priority for both the countries.

Modi landed in Warsaw on Wednesday, in the first leg of his two-nation visit to Central Europe. Noting that Poland would assume the presidency of the European Union in January 2025, he said: “I am confident that your support will strengthen the relations between India and the EU.”

“Relations between India and Poland are based on shared values like democracy and rule of law,” Modi said, adding that they had identified several initiatives to give new direction to the ties. “As two democratic countries, the exchange of views between our Parliaments should be encouraged,” he said.

Modi also thanked Tusk for helping in the evacuation of Indian medical students from Ukraine when the war broke out. “You have been a friend of India for a long time and you have made a huge contribution to enhancing the relationship between India and Poland… People of India can never forget the help you have extended in rescuing Indian students during the Ukraine conflict in 2022,” he said.

In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said: “The leaders exchanged views on reform of United Nations and other international institutions, climate change action and threats posed by terrorism.”

Before meeting Tusk, Modi received a ceremonial welcome at the Chancellery in Warsaw. He also met Polish President Andrzej Duda. “Happy to have met President @AndrzejDuda in Warsaw. We had an excellent discussion on ways to deepen India-Poland ties. India greatly values the warm relations with Poland. We look forward to boosting commercial and cultural linkages between our nations in the times to come,” he said on X.

Modi also paid tribute at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and met business leaders and Polish influencers in Warsaw.

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Divya A

Divya A reports on travel, tourism, culture and social issues - not necessarily in that order - for The Indian Express. She's been a journalist for over a decade now, working with Khaleej Times and The Times of India, before settling down at Express. Besides writing/ editing news reports, she indulges her pen to write short stories. As Sanskriti Prabha Dutt Fellow for Excellence in Journalism, she is researching on the lives of the children of sex workers in India. ... Read More

Brij Bhushan case: Women wrestlers say police cover withdrawn, court steps in

The trial in the case began in July, over a year after a chargesheet was filed against Brij Bhushan.

Written by Nirbhay Thakur

New Delhi | Updated: August 23, 2024 08:28 IST

The Rouse Avenue court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Priyanka Rajpoot directed DCP, New Delhi to take interim measures to ensure the wrestler’s safety.

Women wrestlers who have alleged sexual assault by Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, then a BJP MP and chief of the Wrestling Federation of India, approached a Delhi court Thursday, saying their police security cover had been withdrawn a day before one of them was to testify against Singh in the trial court.

The Rouse Avenue court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Priyanka Rajpoot directed DCP, New Delhi to take interim measures to ensure the wrestler’s safety. It directed the DCP to file a detailed report regarding the reasons for the withdrawal of security of the wrestlers on the next date of hearing (Friday).

“In the meantime, as an interim measure to ensure the safety of complainant/victim no. 4 (as per list of witnesses), the DCP concerned is directed to make immediate and appropriate arrangements for her security until her deposition is complete and until further orders from this Court,” it said.

In a post on X, the DCP, New Delhi, said, “The security provided to the wrestlers hasn’t been withdrawn; it was decided to request Haryana Police to take over the responsibility in future, since the protectees normally reside there. The assigned Delhi Police PSOs misunderstood this decision and got delayed in reporting today. The situation has been rectified. Security cover continues.”

The trial in the case began in July, over a year after a chargesheet was filed against Singh. In May this year, the court had framed charges against him under IPC sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 354A (sexual harassment).

Singh had pleaded not guilty. “Koi sawaal hi nahi hai. Galati kiye hi nahi to maanenge kyun (There is no question. When I did not make a mistake, why would I admit to it?),” he had said before the court.

The 1,500-page chargesheet against Singh, for alleged sexual harassment, assault and stalking of six women wrestlers, mentioned statements of at least 22 witnesses from across four states, including wrestlers, a referee, a coach and a physiotherapist, who corroborated the allegations.

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In its last lap, UPA II proposed lateral entry at Joint Secretary level through UPSC

NDA floated selection panels outside UPSC, did rethink after DoPT note

Written by Jay Mazoomdaar

New Delhi | Updated: August 23, 2024 20:19 IST

The sixth Pay Commission had recommended the identification of some posts requiring technical or specialised knowledge not “encadred” in any of government services to be filled with suitable candidates on contract.

For all the protestations by the Congress over the lateral entry advertisement issued by the NDA government, and now withdrawn, one fact went unnoticed. Acting on a recommendation of the sixth Central Pay Commission (CPC), the Manmohan Singh PMO, in January 2011, had proposed to open up to 10% of posts at the Joint Secretary level for “lateral induction from private sector/academics etc,” show records reviewed by The Indian Express.

To that effect, a note by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) said that the lateral entrants “would be selected by UPSC based on their CVs and an interview/limited competitive test,” records show.

The sixth Pay Commission had recommended the identification of some posts requiring technical or specialised knowledge not “encadred” in any of government services to be filled with suitable candidates on contract.

More than two years later, in June 2013, records show, the  Pay Commission’s recommendation was examined by DoPT, the Department of Expenditure, and the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). The UPSC agreed “to make selection according to its mandate.”

The selection methodology, DoPT records show, would be “worked out as and when the complete proposal… was made available to them.”

Subsequently, a concept note on the lateral entry proposal was circulated and various ministries and departments were asked to identify posts requiring specialised knowledge.

The 2013 concept note was recirculated in June 2014 but, according to official records, “very few” responses were received and the proposal didn’t take off.

Cut to NDA in April 2017.

Official records reviewed by The Indian Express show that a PMO meeting on April 28, 2017, discussed the lateral entry scheme.

The initial decision was to keep it outside the UPSC’s ambit and conduct the lateral recruitment process — from finalising the advertisement to recommending candidates to the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) — under two selection committees made of Secretaries and external experts.

A selection committee, headed by the Cabinet Secretary, was supposed to pick the Joint Secretaries for lateral entry; the panel for Deputy Secretaries/Directors was to be headed by the senior most of three secretaries in charge of Home, Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) and Finance.

However, on May 11, 2018, a DoPT official flagged that the UPSC (Exemption from Consultation) Regulation would have to be amended if these posts were to be filled through this route.

The file note explained that the posts of JS, Director and DS are filled under the Central Staffing Scheme (CSS) with officers of All India Services and Central Group ‘A’ service on deputation. As the members of these services are initially recruited by UPSC, the Commission is not consulted while picking such officers on deputation.

But under the lateral entry scheme, the official said, the field of selection is wide open to external candidates and since “these posts will have the character of other Group ‘A’ posts of Central Government…consultation of UPSC is mandatory.”

So within a year, there was a rethink and the government decided to hand over the lateral entry recruitment to the UPSC.

On November 1, 2018, the UPSC said it would recommend one candidate at a time and keep two other names on the reserve list for each post. It further clarified: “This process of selection is being considered as a one-time affair and not a routine process to be continued every year.”

The Indian Express asked UPSC and DoPT for comments on this process. They were unavailable for comment.

The involvement of the UPSC in the lateral entry scheme was discussed at length within the government in 2018. The sequence of events, as per official records:

March 21, 2018: An official in the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions noted that “…we are advertising for the recruitment without consulting UPSC” and that “exemption from UPSC consultation needs to be accorded by DoPT for all 50 posts.”

April 16, 2018: The DoPT asked UPSC if posts under the lateral entry scheme were exempt from consultation with UPSC. If not, DoPT wrote, then UPSC’s approval “on exemption may be obtained.”

April 25, 2018: UPSC said that “the Commission has no comments to offer” on lateral entry.

May 11, 2018: A DoPT official flagged that the UPSC (Exemption from Consultation) Regulation 1958 would have to be amended if these posts were to be filled by a Selection Committee headed by the Cabinet Secretary, as proposed by the PMO.

July 3, 2018: The Secretary (Personnel) met UPSC chairman who “expressed his willingness to provide adequate number of interview Boards” for the final selection of lateral entry candidates.

July 17, 2018: An amended recruitment procedure — where the selection panel would shortlist 10 candidates for each of the 10 posts to the UPSC to recommend two candidates per post to the ACC — was placed for the Cabinet Secretary’s approval.

July 23, 2018: A meeting chaired by the Cabinet Secretary asked DoPT to explore the possibility of engaging the UPSC in screening and shortlisting of candidates.

July 31, 2018: The UPSC declined to engage in the shortlisting exercise without the provision for a written examination as per its mandate.

October 13, 2018: In “partial modification of the earlier decision,” the PM “approved entrusting the entire responsibility of conducting the examination and declaration of successful candidates (panel of two for each post) to the UPSC.”

November 1, 2018: The UPSC said it would recommend only one candidate at a time and keep two other names on the reserve list for each post.

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Jay Mazoomdaar

Jay Mazoomdaar is an investigative reporter focused on offshore finance, equitable growth, natural resources management and biodiversity conservation. Over two decades, his work has been recognised by the International Press Institute, the Ramnath Goenka Foundation, the Commonwealth Press Union, the Prem Bhatia Memorial Trust, the Asian College of Journalism etc. Mazoomdaar’s major investigations include the extirpation of tigers in Sariska, global offshore probes such as Panama Papers, Robert Vadra’s land deals in Rajasthan, India’s dubious forest cover data, Vyapam deaths in Madhya Pradesh, mega projects flouting clearance conditions, Nitin Gadkari’s link to e-rickshaws, India shifting stand on ivory ban to fly in African cheetahs, the loss of indigenous cow breeds, the hydel rush in Arunachal Pradesh, land mafias inside Corbett, the JDY financial inclusion scheme, an iron ore heist in Odisha, highways expansion through the Kanha-Pench landscape etc. ... Read More

NC, Congress seal alliance, but a few seats in Kashmir still a hurdle

Rahul calls on Abdullahs, tells workers “won’t compromise on their respect”. But NC wants ally to not insist on some constituencies, take the bigger Jammu share

Written by Naveed Iqbal

Srinagar | Updated: August 23, 2024 18:40 IST

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi meets J&K National Conference President Farooq Abdullah, in Srinagar. (PTI Photo)

The Congress and National Conference (NC) Thursday announced an alliance for all 90 seats in Jammu and Kashmir for the coming Assembly elections. The announcement by NC president Farooq Abdullah came after Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge called on the NC leadership at Farooq’s residence in Srinagar, where they held a meeting lasting over an hour.

“Our alliance is on track. We have discussed seats as well, it is final. By evening, we will sign this, and it is for all 90 seats,” Farooq said, adding that the common programme of the two parties was “to fight elections to defeat the divisive forces that exist in the country”.

The NC chief also expressed the hope that statehood would be restored soon to J&K, headed by a government that holds all the required powers.

Earlier in the day, Gandhi said the alliance would be formed “while maintaining the respect of Congress party workers”. Addressing a workers’ meeting in Srinagar alongside Kharge, Gandhi said Congress workers had “dedicated their whole lives to protecting the Congress ideology and carrying forward the party’s line of thinking. I am aware of the difficulties you have dealt with.”

Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi with National Conference leaders Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah in Srinagar on Thursday. (PTI)

He said the party leadership had told PCC president Tariq Hameed Karra that the alliance would not compromise on respect towards party leaders and workers.

This is significant as the seat-sharing talks between the two parties are not expected to be easy, with a final agreement stuck over a few constituencies in the Valley.

The NC remains the stronger partner in the Valley, the Congress can claim likewise in Jammu, while both parties have their eyes on the Pir Panjal region in between.

Sources in both parties said that Congress leaders from Kashmir have sought those seats in the Valley for themselves or the party that they have previously contested from. But NC leaders are pushing back saying that the party is “far ahead” in its ground work in these constituencies.

The NC is also resisting conceding the seats where it feels the Congress hopes of winning are “unrealistic”.

Sources said that the Assembly seats the Congress is seeking include five of the eight in Srinagar district. This includes Hazratbal, where the NC has shortlisted a candidate. The other seats the Congress wants which the NC is hesitant to concede are in Pulwama and Anantnag.

Some of these seats such as Dooru, Shangus and Rajpora, all in Kashmir, are among the 16 voting in the first phase, on September 18.

The NC’s argument is that it is willing to let the Congress have the upper hand in Jammu. A source said: “In Jammu district itself, out of 11 seats, we are willing to give nine… They are realistic enough to know they have a better presence in Jammu.”

NC leaders pointed out that in seats where the party is strong, even if the leadership agrees, and “no matter how many rallies the partners hold together”, “the cadre won’t transfer their vote”.

Party leaders said that they don’t want to compromise on any seat to avoid any chance of a fractured mandate. A senior NC leader: “To the extent possible, we will accommodate their demands in Kashmir and allow them their claims in Jammu.”

A senior NC leader said that despite these niggles, a chunk of the work – covering “about 75% of the seats” – is nearly done, and that both sides are up for negotiations on the others. Sources said Kharge had also suggested that in seats where the two parties can’t reach an agreement, the two “can agree to disagree and fight separately” in a friendly arrangement.

Thursday’s developments suggest that the doors for a Congress agreement with the PDP, which is also a part of the INDIA bloc, are shut. The PDP had earlier said that it was open to an alliance with the Congress, but that the latter would have to make the move.

Addressing party workers earlier in the day, Rahul Gandhi said that J&K faces many of the problems that youths in the rest of the country face, such as unemployment, and that the Congress had effectively tapped into these concerns in the Lok Sabha polls.

“We dealt a blow to Narendra Modi’s confidence… It was the ideology of the Congress and INDIA alliance that made this happen,” he said.

Though Gandhi went on to seek restoration of statehood to J&K at the earliest, he refrained from mentioning the abrogated Article 370 – a point the BJP underlined. It asked the Congress to clarify whether it backed ally NC’s promise to pass a resolution in the Assembly against the abrogation if voted to power.

Flanked by Kharge and senior leader K C Venugopal, Gandhi said the party would “help” the people of J&K however they could. “We understand that you are going through a very difficult period… We want to remove violence,” he said.

Kharge said: “We are here to seek the views of local leaders and workers for the elections and an alliance. Rahul ji is interested in taking everyone along.”

Kharge said that apart from statehood, the Congress’s other promises were jobs, investment, and protection for “jal, jungle, zameen” of the people of J&K. “They are trying to snatch these from you,” the Congress chief said, raising an evocative issue for Kashmir.

Before he wrapped up his two-day visit to Kashmir and left for Jammu, Gandhi met student representatives, who sought his support in ensuring the “safety” of Kashmiri students in the rest of the country. Gandhi assured them his full support and said he would raise their concerns in Parliament.

In the 2014 Assembly elections, the last state polls held in J&K, the PDP had won the highest number of seats, at 28, followed by the BJP at 25. The BJP’s vote share at 22.98% was slightly higher than PDP’s at 22.67%. After the elections, the PDP and BJP had come together to form a government, which fell in 2018.

The NC had secured 15 seats, with a vote share of 20.77%, while the Congress had to settle for 12 seats across the erstwhile state, including Ladakh, with a vote share of 18.01%.

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Assam minor gangrape case: Accused dies in police custody, cops say he tried to escape

The police claimed that he had been taken to the crime scene late in the night when he attempted to escape and jump into a lake in the area.

Written by Sukrita Baruah

Guwahati | Updated: August 24, 2024 09:02 IST

Locals protest against the alleged gangrape of a 14-year-old, in Nagaon district on Friday. (Photo: PTI)

The accused in the alleged gangrape of a minor in Assam’s Nagaon district died in police custody on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday after he reportedly “tried to escape by jumping into a pond”.

Tafazul Islam (24) was one of three accused in the alleged gangrape of a 14-year-old in Nagaon district’s Dhing area. He was the only one of the three arrested so far and was charged under sections of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and the POCSO Act.

The police claimed that he had been taken to the crime scene late in the night when he attempted to escape and jump into a lake in the area.

“After he was interrogated, he was taken to the crime scene. It is there that he tried to escape and jumped into a lake. We cordoned the area immediately and called the SDRF. After the SDRF searched, they recovered the dead body. Our constable, who was holding his handcuffs, has got some injury in his hand and has been sent for treatment,” Nagaon SP said.

The incident had sparked outrage and triggered large protests in Dhing with hundreds of locals, including women and members of local organizations, coming out on the streets demanding punishment against the perpetrators. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had declared that the government would “not spare anyone” involved in the case.

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As MP govt directs Janmashtami celebrations in schools and colleges, Congress, BJP in war of words

Congress MLA Arif Masood asserted that centres of learning should remain "only for studies", and asked "why this government is engaged in ruining educational institutions".

Written by Anand Mohan J

Bhopal | Updated: August 24, 2024 07:45 IST

"The friendship of Krishna and Sudama at Narayan Dham symbolises the bond between the rich and the poor. What is wrong with promoting the place that represents Lord Krishna's bravery?" Yadav said.

The BJP government’s directive to schools and colleges in Madhya Pradesh to celebrate Janmashtami has led to a war of words between the party and the Congress.

Congress MLA Arif Masood asserted that centres of learning should remain “only for studies”, and asked “why this government is engaged in ruining educational institutions”.

Chief Minister Mohan Yadav dismissed the objection, declaring that the state had been blessed by Lord Krishna and emphasising the historical and cultural significance of the festival.

MLA Masood had told the media, “I am unable to understand why this government is engaged in ruining educational institutions. Educational institutions are only for studies and for a good atmosphere. There is a holiday for religious events, which Hindus and Muslims celebrate in whatever way they want. Recently, we celebrated Rakhi, and we also attend many events of Janmashtami, but you make it (Janmashtami celebrations) compulsory for educational institutions and on the other hand you point fingers at Madrasas. What do you want?”

Issued on Wednesday, the state government’s order directs district officials to ensure temples dedicated to Krishna are cleaned, and “cultural programs” are hosted. It adds that lectures through scholars on various topics based on Lord Krishna’s education, friendship and philosophy as well as cultural programs should be organised in government, non-government schools and colleges.

The CM said, “Lord Krishna highlighted the importance of education 5,000 years ago. He came to Ujjain from Mathura to receive education. What could be a more auspicious time to celebrate his teachings?”

He also pointed to popular tourist sites in Madhya Pradesh, including Narayan, Amjhera, and Janapav Dham, that are associated with Lord Krishna, and announced plans to develop these areas as pilgrimage destinations.

“The friendship of Krishna and Sudama at Narayan Dham symbolises the bond between the rich and the poor. What is wrong with promoting the place that represents Lord Krishna’s bravery?” Yadav said.

He also pointed out that other cities associated with Krishna also celebrate the day, and asked, “If we do not remember places associated with Lord Krishna on Janmashtami, then why remember Mathura? If Janmashtami is celebrated in Mathura, will Congress stop visiting?”

“This is nothing but disrespectful and nonsensical talk,” he said.

BJP state president V D Sharma said, “Will the Congress party not celebrate Janmashtami? Let them declare.”

– With PTI inputs

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Two IPS officers face action for ‘interfering’ in elections, Odisha govt gives them a month to respond

Both have been posted as officers on special duty in the home department

Written by Sujit Bisoyi

Bhubaneswar | Updated: August 24, 2024 07:42 IST

The two officers were believed to be close to former chief minister Naveen Patnaik’s private secretary V K Pandian. (File photo)

Two months after it swept to power, Odisha’s Mohan Majhi government has initiated action against two senior IPS officers for allegedly “unduly interfering” in the election process.

The Odisha home department’s action was initiated against 1997-batch IPS officer DS Kutey, a former special secretary Chief Minister’s Office, and 2004-batch officer Ashish Singh, who was serving as Inspector General (CM’s security), with the sanction of the Election Commission of India.

The two officers were believed to be close to former chief minister Naveen Patnaik’s private secretary V K Pandian.

Both have been posted as officers on special duty (OSD) in the home department.

In its charges, the state government claims that Kutey, whom the EC had suspended in May over alleged “election interference”, had directed the Khurda district collector to arrest a candidate — BJP’s Prasanta Jagadev — on the day of polling on May 25.

The statement also accuses him of making calls to the additional chief election officer and chairman of the Media Certification and Monitoring Committee (MCMC) over a political advertisement from a party.

“On late evening of May 24, Kutey made repeated calls to the Additional CEO and Chairman of the MCMC, expressing his displeasure over approval of the advertisement. He also asked the Additional CEO to withdraw the approval immediately, so that the advertisement could not get published in newspapers on May 25 (poll day),” the charges read.

This type of interference in the election machinery “violates Rule-5 (4) of the All-India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968 as well as the Model Code of Conduct issued for smooth conduct of election in a free and fair manner,” it states.

“Such action is unbecoming of a member of the All-India Service of his rank and seniority. Therefore, the aforementioned conduct of Kutey constitutes gross misconduct which violates Rule-3 and Rule-5 (4) of the All-India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968,” it states.

Singh, who had served in key positions during Patnaik’s rule, too came under the ECI scanner for going on “medical leave” from May 4, even though a medical board from the AIIMS, Bhubaneswar, had eventually declared him “mentally and physically fit”. Based on this, the poll panel had found that it was a case of “misrepresentation of facts”, the charges against him state.

The state government has given both officers 30 days to submit their response, asking them to specifically “admit” or “deny” each charge.

“An inquiry will be held only in respect of those article of charge as are not admitted,” the state government’s notice said.

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Police prepare to thwart BJP rally in Jharkhand

Leader of Opposition Amar Bauri said Friday’s rally was to protest the government’s broken promises, especially regarding 5 lakh jobs to youth, unemployment allowance, and exam rigging, among others.

By: Express News Service

Ranchi | August 24, 2024 04:25 IST

In action against the protesters on Friday, police had resorted to firing teargas and water cannons. (File Photo/Representative)

As the Jharkhand BJP on Friday geared up for a massive protest rally against the JMM-led government in the state, police barricaded the venue for the protests – the Morabadi ground in Ranchi – and did not allow protesters to march to the Chief Minister’s residence.

In response to this, the state’s Opposition party has decided to burn effigies of the state government in front of police stations and SP offices in all 24 districts of Jharkhand.

Leader of Opposition Amar Bauri said Friday’s rally was to protest the government’s broken promises, especially regarding 5 lakh jobs to youth, unemployment allowance, and exam rigging, among others.

In action against the protesters on Friday, police had resorted to firing teargas and water cannons. “In a democratic country, it is the job of a conscious Opposition to bring before the public the failures of the government through agitation and demonstration… Workers coming from all the districts of the state, including Pakur, Sahebganj, Godda, Deoghar, Palamu, Giridih, Singhbhum, were stopped on the way…,” Bauri said.

“A siege was made around Morabadi ground with barbed wire. This would never have been seen before in Jharkhand during any peaceful demonstration by unarmed people…,” he said.

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BJP respects backward communities, Opp only makes claims: Shivraj Chouhan

The minister was addressing a BJP backward caste morcha event in Patna, organised in the memory of freedom fighter Ramphal Mandal, a Dhanuk from Sitamarhi, who was executed for killing four officials during the Quit India Movement.

By: Express News Service

New Delhi | Updated: August 24, 2024 06:25 IST

Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan with Bihar Deputy Chief Ministers Samrat Choudhary, Vijay Kumar Sinha and BJP state president Dilip Jaiswal in Patna, Friday. (PTI Photo)

Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday praised the Narendra Modi government for its efforts to uplift the backward classes and accused the Congress-led opposition of merely offering “lip service” to the cause.

“Our opponents just make tall claims. They have never respected the backward castes. If anyone has actually respected the backward castes, it is the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Modi ji gave constitutional status to the OBC Commission… Be it the Kendriya Vidyalayas or other institutions, it is the Modi government that took steps to ensure that backward children study there,” said the senior BJP leader who belongs to the OBC Kirar caste.

Chouhan’s remarks come at a time when the BJP is facing pointed attacks from the Congress and the social justice parties of north India over the matter of reservation for backward classes.

The minister was addressing a BJP backward caste morcha event in Patna, organised in the memory of freedom fighter Ramphal Mandal, a Dhanuk from Sitamarhi, who was executed for killing four officials during the Quit India Movement.

Chouhan is a popular OBC face of the BJP whose address is being seen as a signal to the OBCs and EBCs, who, but for the Yadavs, were with the BJP in a significant manner over the last few years, but seem to have got electorally scattered in the recent LS polls.

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Kolkata rape-murder case: Court allows polygraph test on arrested accused

Police found some injuries on his left cheek, an abrasion in his left hand between his left and ring finger, and an abrasion over the back of his left thigh among others.

By: Express News Service

Kolkata | Updated: August 24, 2024 06:03 IST

Sanjay Roy was arrested by the Kolkata police on August 10, a day after the 31-year-old doctor was found raped and murdered at R G Kar Hospital (Express Photo by Partha Paul) (Express Photo by Partha Paul)

A SPECIAL court in Kolkata on Friday allowed a polygraph test to be conducted on Sanjay Roy, the accused in the rape and killing of a trainee doctor at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, officials said. The court remanded the accused to judicial custody for 14 days.

The Kolkata Police arrested Roy on August 10, day after the 31-year-old doctor was found raped and murdered at R G Kar hospital, after prolonged interrogation. Police found some injuries on his left cheek, an abrasion in his left hand between his left and ring finger, and an abrasion over the back of his left thigh among others.

Later, the CBI took him into custody after a court order and questioned for days. A psychological test was conducted on Roy.

Meanwhile, the court has already given its nod to conduct a polygraph test on Sandip Ghosh, the former principal of the medical college and four other doctors who were on duty at the hospital in the intervening night of August 8-9, they said. Ghosh has been questioned for over 88 hours in the past week, in the case.

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ISRO: Chandrayaan-4 design final, samples from Moon by 2027

The Chandrayaan-4 spacecraft will have five separate modules, officials said. The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft, which made a historic landing near the South Pole of the Moon, had three modules — the propulsion module (or the engine), a lander and a rover.

Written by Anonna Dutt

New Delhi | Updated: August 24, 2024 07:32 IST

President Droupadi Murmu with ISRO Chairman S Somanath at the National Space Day event, Friday. (ANI Photo)

The designs of India’s next mission to the Moon, Chandrayaan-4 — which will bring rock and soil samples back to the Earth — has been finalised, and will most likely happen in 2027, said ISRO chairman S Somanath said on Friday on the occasion of National Space Day.

The Chandrayaan-4 spacecraft will have five separate modules, officials said. The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft, which made a historic landing near the South Pole of the Moon, had three modules — the propulsion module (or the engine), a lander and a rover.

The Chandrayaan-4 sample return mission would be a complex mission involving several stages. After getting into lunar orbit, two of the modules will detach from the main spacecraft and make a landing on the Moon. They will help each other in collecting samples from the lunar surface. One of the modules will launch itself from the Moon’s surface and travel back to the main spacecraft in the lunar orbit. The samples will be transferred, and then flown back to an Earth re-entry vehicle that will be launched separately from the ground. The samples will be transferred again, and it is this re-entry vehicle that will bring them back to the Earth.

Somanath said designs for this mission have been finalised, and the project was awaiting the final government approval. ISRO has also finalised designs for the next Moon mission, Chandrayaan-5, but did not specify the objective or timeline of the mission, he said.

Chandrayaan-4 would involve docking of space modules twice during the Mission — when the modules fly back from the Moon to unite with the main spacecraft, and when the samples are transferred to the re-entry vehicle. ISRO has never docked spacecraft earlier. This capability will be demonstrated for the first time later this year, with the Spadex mission. Docking is a process where two spacecraft moving at extremely high speeds are aligned in a precise orbit and joined together.

According to senior ISRO scientists, two key capabilities required for the Chandrayaan-4 success had been demonstrated during the Chandrayaan-3 mission. “The hop experiment that was performed on the last day of Chandrayaan-3 mission (lander of Chandrayaan-3 was made to jump about 40 cm from the lunar surface and land 30-40 cm away) was done to understand whether we can lift off from the lunar soil. There were concerns about the legs of the lander getting deep inside the lunar surface, which would have made the ‘hop’ difficult to execute. But Chandrayaan-3 did that exceedingly well. There were no problems, and the results were according to our expectations,” one of the scientists said.

“The other capability was to get the spacecraft from the orbit of the Moon to the Earth’s. The Chandrayaan-3 propulsion module, which had carried the lander-rover to the Moon, was brought back to the Earth’s orbit to demonstrate this,” the scientist added.

While instruments from the Chandrayaan-3 studied soil and rock on the Moon’s surface, bringing back samples will allow scientists to study the samples with more complex and sensitive instruments. The senior scientist further said that all the samples brought back by the mission will be shared across different scientific laboratories in the country.

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Anonna Dutt

Anonna Dutt is a Principal Correspondent who writes primarily on health at the Indian Express. She reports on myriad topics ranging from the growing burden of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension to the problems with pervasive infectious conditions. She reported on the government’s management of the Covid-19 pandemic and closely followed the vaccination programme. Her stories have resulted in the city government investing in high-end tests for the poor and acknowledging errors in their official reports. Dutt also takes a keen interest in the country’s space programme and has written on key missions like Chandrayaan 2 and 3, Aditya L1, and Gaganyaan. She was among the first batch of eleven media fellows with RBM Partnership to End Malaria. She was also selected to participate in the short-term programme on early childhood reporting at Columbia University’s Dart Centre. Dutt has a Bachelor’s Degree from the Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Pune and a PG Diploma from the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. She started her reporting career with the Hindustan Times. When not at work, she tries to appease the Duolingo owl with her French skills and sometimes takes to the dance floor. ... Read More

With silent prayer, PM places a toy at children’s memorial

UNICEF recently said nearly 2,000 children killed since Russia started war

By: PTI

Kyiv | August 24, 2024 03:18 IST

PM Modi at the Martyrologist Exposition in Kyiv. (PTI Photo)

A warm hug, a silent prayer with folded hands and a small toy. That was how Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday honoured the memories of children who have lost their lives in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Soon after reaching the Ukrainian capital here from Poland, Modi was greeted by Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the multimedia Martyrologist Exposition on children at the National Museum of History of Ukraine here.

After a handshake, Modi gave a warm hug to Zelenskyy and as the two leaders walked towards the multimedia Exposition, slid a hand on his shoulder symbolising support for the leader of the war-torn nation.

After watching the multimedia presentations — that gave information about scores of children who died during the conflict — as part of the Exposition, Modi and Zelenskyy both stood in front of a wall-like structure, which already had a lot of toys placed in the memory of the children and honoured the memory of the fallen young Ukrainians with a moment of silence.

With folded hands, Modi offered a silent prayer before placing a small toy (a doll) at the memorial as the Ukrainian President placed a teddy bear.

According to a statement issued by Zelenskyy’s office, Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin briefed Modi and Zelenskyy about the history of the exhibition and the Russian attacks on places where children are present, including the missile strike on the largest children’s hospital ‘Okhmatdyt.’ “President @ZelenskyyUa and I paid homage at the Martyrologist Exposition in Kyiv. Conflict is particularly devastating for young children. My heart goes out to the families of children who lost their lives, and I pray that they find the strength to endure their grief,” Modi posted on X after the visit.

Zelenskyy posted a video showing Modi hugging him on his Telegram channel. “Prime Minister was deeply touched by the poignant exposition set up in memory of children who have lost their lives in the conflict. He expressed his sorrow at the tragic loss of young lives and as a mark of respect placed a toy in their memory,” said a statement from the Ministry of External Affairs later.

The multimedia project ‘Children’ was created in June 2022 on the Day of Remembrance of Children Killed by Russia’s Armed Aggression

Against Ukraine, the statement from Zelenskyy’s office said.

In May 2024, UNICEF said that nearly 2,000 children have been killed since the beginning of the Ukraine-Russia war.

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Centre asks medical colleges to have local attire for convocations

The instruction will be applicable to all the Central government-run medical colleges, the All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) across the country, and institutes of national importance such as the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research-Chandigarh (PGIMER).

Written by Anonna Dutt

New Delhi | Updated: August 24, 2024 07:31 IST

A few years ago, the country’s apex medical education regulator, the National Medical Commission, was embroiled in controversy after it suggested that medical colleges adopt the Charak Shapath instead of the Physician’s pledge.

Calling black robes and cloaks worn at convocations “a colonial legacy”, the Union Health Ministry on Friday asked all the medical colleges under it to design a dress code based on local traditions.

The instruction will be applicable to all the Central government-run medical colleges, the All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) across the country, and institutes of national importance such as the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research-Chandigarh (PGIMER).

“It is observed that currently as a matter of practice black robe and cap is being used during convocation by various Institutes of the Ministry. This attire originated in the Middle Ages in Europe and was introduced by the British in all their colonies. The above tradition is a colonial legacy which needs to be changed,” said the Ministry’s letter.

It said that all the Central institutes should design a dress code for convocation ceremonies that is based on the local traditions of the states in which the institute is located. The institutes should submit proposals for approval by the Secretary, Health, the letter added.

The Health Ministry’s missive is in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘panch pran‘ or five resolutions to help India become a developed nation in the next 25 years. These include “100 per cent freedom from slavery (100% Azadi from Ghulami)” and taking pride in Indian heritage.

A few years ago, the country’s apex medical education regulator, the National Medical Commission, was embroiled in controversy after it suggested that medical colleges adopt the Charak Shapath instead of the Physician’s pledge.

Click here to join The Indian Express on WhatsApp and get latest news and updates

Anonna Dutt

Anonna Dutt is a Principal Correspondent who writes primarily on health at the Indian Express. She reports on myriad topics ranging from the growing burden of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension to the problems with pervasive infectious conditions. She reported on the government’s management of the Covid-19 pandemic and closely followed the vaccination programme. Her stories have resulted in the city government investing in high-end tests for the poor and acknowledging errors in their official reports. Dutt also takes a keen interest in the country’s space programme and has written on key missions like Chandrayaan 2 and 3, Aditya L1, and Gaganyaan. She was among the first batch of eleven media fellows with RBM Partnership to End Malaria. She was also selected to participate in the short-term programme on early childhood reporting at Columbia University’s Dart Centre. Dutt has a Bachelor’s Degree from the Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Pune and a PG Diploma from the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. She started her reporting career with the Hindustan Times. When not at work, she tries to appease the Duolingo owl with her French skills and sometimes takes to the dance floor. ... Read More

India takes up issue of seized copies of Sikh scripture with Qatar

The two copies were taken by Qatar authorities from two individuals, accused of running a religious establishment without approval of the government.

By: Express News Service

Updated: August 24, 2024 07:29 IST

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal (File Photo)

India has taken up the issue of reported seizure of the two Swaroops (copies) of Holy Guru Granth Sahib with Qatar on high priority, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Friday.

The two copies were taken by Qatar authorities from two individuals, accused of running a religious establishment without approval of the government.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “We have seen reports regarding the Guru Granth Sahib seized by the Qatari authorities and the demand for their release by the Sikh community. The government has already taken up the matter with the Qatar side and our Embassy in Doha has kept the Sikh community abreast of developments in this regard.”

“Our Embassy rendered all possible assistance within the ambit of local laws and regulations,” Jaiswal said, adding, “One of them was returned by Qatari authorities and it was assured that the other Swaroop is also kept with respect.”

The controversy arose when Qatari authorities confiscated two copies of the Holy Book from individuals accused of operating a religious establishment without their approval, as per the local laws and regulations. The incident, which happened in December 2023, came to light recently, causing concern among Sikh leaders.

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Subhadra Yojana: Rs 10k per annum for 5 years to 1 cr women in Odisha

According to BJP insiders, women’s support helped the party to increase vote share from 32.8% in 2019 to 40.07% in the latest Assembly polls.

Written by Sujit Bisoyi

Bhubaneswar | August 24, 2024 03:05 IST

Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi (File Photo)

Over 1 crore women, aged between 21 and 60 years, in Odisha will receive Rs 10,000 annually under the Subhadra Yojana of the BJP-led government in the state.

Calling it a “path breaking” initiative for women empowerment in Odisha, CM Mohan Charan Majhi on Friday announced the standard operating procedure (SOP) for the scheme, which is set to be launched on the occasion of PM Modi’s birthday — on September 17.

According to BJP insiders, women’s support helped the party to increase vote share from 32.8% in 2019 to 40.07% in the latest Assembly polls.

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First-time offenders to get retrospective benefit of BNSS Section 479

The order came from a bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Sandeep Mehta while hearing a PIL regarding overcrowding of prisons in the country.

By: Express News Service

New Delhi | August 24, 2024 02:56 IST

As per BNSS, undertrials would be entitled to bail if they have completed half of the maximum sentence — prescribed for the offence they are charged with — in detention either during the period of investigation, inquiry or trial. (Representative Image)

The Supreme Court Friday said that first-time offenders who have completed one-third or more of their maximum possible sentence as undertrials shall be entitled to bail under Section 479 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).

While BNSS, which replaced the Criminal Procedure Code, took effect on July 1, 2024, Friday’s order would mean that the benefit of Section 470 would apply to cases even prior to that date.

The Centre has also backed the retrospective application. The order came from a bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Sandeep Mehta while hearing a PIL regarding overcrowding of prisons in the country.

The bench asked jail superintendents to process applications of those eligible through courts at the earliest, preferably within three months. As per BNSS, undertrials would be entitled to bail if they have completed half of the maximum sentence — prescribed for the offence they are charged with — in detention either during the period of investigation, inquiry or trial.

For first time offenders, it says that those who have completed one-third of the maximum sentence prescribed under the law for the offence, can be released on bail. The beneficial provision does not apply to offences where the punishment is life imprisonment or death.

Senior Advocate Gaurav Aggarwal who was amicus curiae in the case had suggested that applying the provision retrospectively will go a long way in addressing overcrowding in prisons.

Accordingly, the bench sought the Centre’s view.

Stating the Centre’s position on Friday, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati said, “I am happy to report that Union of India is also of the view that the provisions has to be given full effect to…It has to apply to any undertrial who has completed up to one-third of the imprisonment and must be considered accordingly.”

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Pasmanda Muslim groups seek inclusion among SCs

The representatives from various groups met the Justice (Retired) KG Balakrishnan Committee that has been examining the inclusion of several castes from various religions among Scheduled Castes on the basis of their social, economic and educational conditions.

Written by Santosh Singh

Patna | Updated: August 24, 2024 06:15 IST

Anwar told The Indian Express: "There are about 20 castes among Muslims, whose economic condition is much worse than several Hindu Scheduled Castes as per Bihar caste based survey 2022-23".

While there is a debate over Supreme Court’s recent verdict on sub-classification of Scheduled Castes, the All India Pasmanda Muslim Mehaz (AIPMM) and other Muslim groups Friday demanded inclusion of at least 12 Muslim castes among scheduled castes.

The representatives from various groups met the Justice (Retired) KG Balakrishnan Committee that has been examining the inclusion of several castes from various religions among Scheduled Castes on the basis of their social, economic and educational conditions.

Former MP Ali Anwar, who heads AIMPM demanded inclusion of at least 12 Muslim castes among Scheduled Castes with the plea that their condition had been much “worse than several Hindu scheduled castes” and had been “also treated as untouchables” by their own community.

Anwar told The Indian Express: “There are about 20 castes among Muslims, whose economic condition is much worse than several Hindu Scheduled Castes as per Bihar caste based survey 2022-23”. These castes are about 6.62 per cent of Muslims and 1.16 per cent of the state population.

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CAG report subject to Parliament scrutiny, says Supreme Court

Quashes charges against firms accused of illegal sale of coal rejects

Written by Ananthakrishnan G

New Delhi | Updated: August 24, 2024 07:37 IST

It noted that “merely because the CAG is an independent constitutional functionary does not mean that after receiving a report from it and on the PAC scrutinising the same and submitting its report, Parliament will automatically accept the said report. Parliament may agree or disagree with the report. It may accept it as it is or in part”.

Reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) are “subject to scrutiny by Parliament and the Government can always offer its views on the said report”, the Supreme Court said on Friday while setting aside a Delhi court order framing charges against a Karnataka-based private firm accused of facilitating illegal sale of coal rejects. The court said the CBI embarked on a “roving and fishing inquiry” based on a CAG report, which had not received parliamentary approval and as such had not attained finality.

“…We are of the opinion that the respondent – CBI — embarked on a roving and fishing inquiry on the strength of the audit report of the CAG and then started working backwards to sniff out criminal intent against the appellants. The underpinnings of what was a civil dispute premised on a contract between the parties, breach whereof could at best lead to determination of the contract or even the underlying lease deed, has been painted with the brush of criminality without any justification. This criminal intent has been threaded into the dispute by the respondent — CBI — by misinterpreting the clauses of the agreements governing the parties and by heavily banking on the observations made in the audit report of the CAG that has not attained finality till date,” said a bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Ahsanuddin Amanullah.

The court referred to Article 151(1), which says that the reports of the CAG are required to be submitted to the President, who shall cause them to be laid before each House of Parliament, and Article 151(2), which says that in the case of states, the reports are submitted to the Governor, who shall cause them to be laid before the legislature of the state. “When reports are received in Parliament, they are scrutinised by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC),” it said.

The SC said “the recommendations of the PAC are premised on the response that is received from the ministries concerned and the action taken reports, which include the replies furnished by the Government and the comments of the PAC to the said replies. Finally, it is for Parliament to comment on the CAG’s report after it receives the report of the PAC”.

It noted that “merely because the CAG is an independent constitutional functionary does not mean that after receiving a report from it and on the PAC scrutinising the same and submitting its report, Parliament will automatically accept the said report. Parliament may agree or disagree with the report. It may accept it as it is or in part”.

The SC said that “it is not in dispute” in the instant case “that the audit report of the CAG has not been tabled before Parliament for soliciting any comments from the PAC or the respective ministries. Therefore, the views taken by the CAG to the effect that tremendous loss had been caused to the public exchequer on account of the coal rejects being disposed of by KPCL (Karnataka Power Corporation Limited) and KECML (Karnataka Emta Coal Mines Limited) remains a view point but cannot be accepted as decisive”.

In the instant case, a Joint Venture Agreement was executed between KPCL and Eastern Mineral and Trading Agency (EMTA) on September 13, 2002 for the development of captive coal mines and supply of coal to the Bellary Thermal Power Station (BTPS) operated by KPCL.

KPCL was allocated three coal blocks by the Government under the Western Coalfield Limited command area situated in Maharashtra for the development/operation of coal mines dedicated to feeding BTPS. The JVA gave birth to the Joint Venture Company KECML.

As per the requirements of the JVA, KECML entered into an MoU with Gupta Coalfields and Washeries Limited (GCWL) for washing of the mined coal, transportation of raw coal, transportation of washed coal from the washery to Majri Railway siding of KECML and loading into the railway wagons for onward despatch to BTPS.

Due to disputes that arose between KECML and GCWL, washing of coal was stopped at the washery of GCWL with effect from May 22, 2012.

An audit report said KECML had executed the MoU with GCWL to dispose of the rejects without the concurrence of KPCL and KPCL did not demand the washery rejects from KECML either for its captive consumption or for its disposal. Further, it was stated that no coal could be sold/delivered/disposed of except for captive mining purpose, i.e., power generation and with the previous written approval of the Central Government.

The CAG did not accept the explanation offered by KPCL and instead observed in its audit report for March 2013 that coal rejects worth ₹ 52.37 crore had been misappropriated by KECML and GCWL on account of the inaction on the part of the KPCL.

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Ananthakrishnan G

Ananthakrishnan G. is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express. He has been in the field for over 23 years, kicking off his journalism career as a freelancer in the late nineties with bylines in The Hindu. A graduate in law, he practised in the District judiciary in Kerala for about two years before switching to journalism. His first permanent assignment was with The Press Trust of India in Delhi where he was assigned to cover the lower courts and various commissions of inquiry. He reported from the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court of India during his first stint with The Indian Express in 2005-2006. Currently, in his second stint with The Indian Express, he reports from the Supreme Court and writes on topics related to law and the administration of justice. Legal reporting is his forte though he has extensive experience in political and community reporting too, having spent a decade as Kerala state correspondent, The Times of India and The Telegraph. He is a stickler for facts and has several impactful stories to his credit. ... Read More

Brij Bhushan case: Miscommunication, says police after female wrestlers allege security cover withdrawn

The trial in the case began in July, over a year after a chargesheet was filed against Singh.

Written by Nirbhay Thakur

New Delhi | August 23, 2024 22:35 IST

Former BJP MP and Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh (File Photo)

A day after women wrestlers who have alleged sexual assault by Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, former BJP MP and ex-chief of the Wrestling Federation of India, told a Delhi court that their security was withdrawn, police on Friday said it was a “miscommunication that has now been rectified”.

As the woman wrestlers told the court that one of the complainants was set to testify against Singh in the trial court the next day (Friday), the Rouse Avenue court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Priyanka Rajpoot on Thursday directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police, New Delhi, to take interim measures to ensure the wrestler’s safety. It directed the DCP to file a detailed report regarding the reasons for the withdrawal of the security cover.

Earlier, in a post on X (Twitter), the DCP, New Delhi, on Thursday said that the security hadn’t been withdrawn, and the Haryana Police had been requested to take over the responsibility as the wrestlers stay in Haryana.

Meanwhile, the wrestler on Friday deposed before the court in a vulnerable witness deposition room. This was followed by a thirty-minute exchange between advocate Rajiv Mohan, appearing for Bhushan, assisted by advocates Rishabh Bhati and Rehan Khan, and the counsel of the wrestlers. Mohan said that he wished to do the cross-examination of the wrestler (complainant number 4) in person and not through video conferencing.

The Judge finally said that the wrestler would be heard in the vulnerable witness deposition room and the face of the accused wouldn’t be visible to her. Currently, the chief examination (examination of the wrestler by the public prosecutor) is being done in the vulnerable witness deposition room.

The trial in the case began in July, over a year after a chargesheet was filed against Singh. Charges have been framed against Bhushan under IPC sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 354A (sexual harassment).

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‘You can stop Putin, put him in his place’: Zelenskyy tells India after meeting PM Modi in Kyiv

"...this is real war of one man and his name is Putin, against a whole country whose name is Ukraine," says Zelenskyy

By: Express Web Desk

New Delhi | Updated: August 23, 2024 21:46 IST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. (Photo: PTI)

After meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Kyiv on Friday, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday said India had the capability to stop Russian President Vladimir Putin and put him “in his place.”

“You are a big country. You have influence. You can stop Putin, halt his economy, and put him in his place…,” Zelenskyy told news agency ANI.

After speaking to the PM, he said India had begun to recognise that this is not just a conflict. “…this is real war of one man and his name is Putin, against a whole country whose name is Ukraine,” the Ukrainian President said.

Earlier in the day, PM Modi had reiterated that India has never been neutral and was in favour of peace.

“We come from the land of Buddha and (Mahatma) Gandhi with a message of peace. I had told President Putin to his face that this is not the era of war. I told him last month that solutions cannot be found on the battlefield,” Modi said, assuring  Zelenskyy that he, along with the rest of the country, were willing to contribute to facilitate the early return of peace in the region.

Modi’s visit to Ukraine marks a historic milestone in Indian diplomacy in Europe, which has been roiled by the Russia-Ukraine war.

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PM Modi departs after a whirlwind 7-hour visit to Ukraine

Modi's maiden trip to Kyiv amid Ukraine's fresh military offensive into Russian territory was the first-ever visit to Ukraine by an Indian prime minister since Ukraine became independent in 1991.

By: PTI

Kyiv | Updated: August 24, 2024 01:52 IST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. (Photo: PTI)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday departed after a whirlwind visit to the Ukrainian capital here as he held “productive talks” with President Volodymr Zelenskyy with an assurance of contributing personally to ending its raging war with Russia.

“My visit to Ukraine was historic. I came to this great nation with the aim of deepening India-Ukraine friendship. I had productive talks with President @ZelenskyyUa. India firmly believes that peace must always prevail. I thank the Government and people of Ukraine for their hospitality,” Modi posted on X after a busy day full of meetings and other events.

Modi’s maiden trip to Kyiv amid Ukraine’s fresh military offensive into Russian territory was the first-ever visit to Ukraine by an Indian prime minister since Ukraine became independent in 1991.

During his bilateral meeting, Prime Minister Modi told President Zelenskyy that both Ukraine and Russia should sit together without wasting time to find ways to end the ongoing war and that India was on the side of peace since the beginning of the conflict.

In his talks with Zelenskyy in Kyiv that took place under the shadow of the raging war, Modi said India is ever ready to play an “active role” in every effort to restore peace in Ukraine and he would even like to contribute personally in ending the conflict.

During separate events, Modi presented four BHISHM (Bharat Health Initiative for Sahyog Hita and Maitri) Cubes to the Ukrainian government; visited the multimedia Martyrologist Exposition on children at the National Museum of History of Ukraine here to pay his respects, and paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at his statue in the ‘Oasis of Peace’ park.

Modi also interacted with Ukrainian students who are learning the Hindi language at the School of Oriental Studies in Kyiv. He appreciated the scholarship of the students and their contribution to promoting mutual understanding between the people of the two countries. Modi also commended their efforts to bring Indian culture and history closer to the Ukrainian people.

Earlier, when Modi arrived here from Poland onboard a ‘Rail Force One’ under tight security, in the second and final leg of his two-nation trip, the Indian community in Ukraine accorded him a warm welcome.

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As rainfall reduces, preliminary estimates show Tripura has already faced losses worth Rs 5,000 crore due to massive floods

The death toll due to flood related reasons has risen to 24 in Tripura while two others are severely injured and two others are still missing.

Written by Debraj Deb

Agartala | August 23, 2024 21:07 IST

As an immediate measure, the Central Government has released a Rs 40-crore package to carry out rescue, relief and rehabilitation operations in the flood-hit regions. (File Photo)

With the amount of rainfall reducing over the last 24 hours in Tripura, people of Tripura affected by massive floods finally have some reason to feel relieved. According to the latest inputs on Friday, water is now flowing below the danger level in all rivers except the Gomati at Sonamura in Sepahijala district.

However, the death toll due to flood related reasons has risen to 24 while two others are severely injured and two others are still missing.

The government has estimated the overall loss to be around Rs 5,000 crore across the state though the final figures are yet to be compiled.

Amid incessant rainfall, that started on August 19, Tripura received the highest of 288.8 mm of rainfall in a single day in the South Tripura district. Khowai, West Tripura, Gomati and South Tripura districts are the worst hit in the flood situation.

Speaking to reporters at a media briefing on Friday, Revenue Secretary Brijesh Pandey said the situation is being closely monitored by Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha, who conducted an aerial survey and physically visited several flood-affected areas and has already announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh for each of the deceased persons.

As an immediate measure, the Central Government has released a Rs 40-crore package to carry out rescue, relief and rehabilitation operations in the flood-hit regions.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah took to social media on Friday to announce the immediate relief package for Tripura. “Given the flood situation in Tripura, the central govt, under the leadership of Modi Ji, has approved the release of Rs 40 crore in advance, as the Central share from SDRF, to provide relief to the affected people. The 11 NDRF teams, 3 columns of the Army, and 4 helicopters of the Air Force deployed by the Centre are already assisting the state govt. in relief and rescue operations. No matter what, our sisters and brothers in Tripura will find the Modi govt standing shoulder-to-shoulder with them to battle these difficult times,” he wrote on X.

Speaking about ongoing rescue and relief operations, Pandey said 558 relief camps have been opened since August 19 to accommodate roughly 1.28 lakh people affected by the floods. They are being provided food, drinking water, medical help etc, he added.

Pandey also said, “Preliminary reports suggest extensive damages to physical infrastructure like roads, power, buildings, agricultural crops, houses, fishery, ponds, livestock etc. The actual figures will be known only after the field assessment is completed. Many areas are yet to be visited for preliminary damage estimates, as the focus has been on relief and rescue operations.”

Meanwhile, rescue operations are continuing in Gomati and South Tripura districts. As of now, six teams of the National Disaster Response Force and six of the State Disaster Response Force are conducting rescue operations.

“Helicopters have conducted sorties for relief operations in marooned vulnerable locations. Over 11,000 food packets have been dispatched for distribution. The distribution process is on at all the affected areas. It will continue tomorrow (Saturday) as well,” Pandey informed.

Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted light to moderate rainfall on Saturday in many parts of the state. Due to improvement in the weather, the situation is improving slowly but the administration has advised people to take precautions as heavy rainfall is still predicted in many parts of the state for the next few days.

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Insult an offence under SC/ST Act only if based on caste: Supreme Court

A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra made the observation while granting anticipatory bail to YouTuber Shajan Skaria, who runs the "Marunadan Malayali" channel on the video-streaming platform.

By: Express News Service

New Delhi | Updated: August 24, 2024 01:51 IST

The top court said not every intentional insult or intimidation of a member of a SC or ST community will result in a feeling of caste-based humiliation. (File Photo)

The Supreme Court on Friday reiterated that “insults or intimidations” of a member of Scheduled Castes (SC) or Scheduled Tribes (ST) are not an offence under the SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, unless it is on the ground that the victim belongs to an SC or ST.

In its ruling, a bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra also said that Section 18 of the Act does not impose an absolute fetter on the power of the courts to examine whether a prima facie case attracting the provisions of the 1989 Act is made out or not.

“The courts should not shy away from conducting a preliminary inquiry to determine if the narration of facts in the complaint/FIR in fact discloses the essential ingredients required to constitute an offence under the Act, 1989,” the bench said.

The court’s ruling came as it granted anticipatory bail to Shajan Skaria, the editor of the Malayalam YouTube news channel ‘Marunadan Malayalee’ who was booked by Kerala Police for making alleged derogatory remarks against CPI(M) MLA PV Sreenijan.

Skaria had approached the SC after the Kerala High Court upheld the order of the Special Judge for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, Ernakulam Division declining to grant anticipatory bail to him. The MLA had accused Skaria of uploading a video critical of him on his news channel “with the intention to humiliate and ridicule him among the general public with the knowledge that the complainant is a member of the Pulaya community, which is a Scheduled Caste”.

The court said that the phrase “intent to humiliate” under the Act’s Section 3(1)(r) (intentional insult or intimidation with intent to humiliate a member of a SC/ST within public view) is “closely linked to the caste identity of the person subjected to intentional insult or intimidation”.

“It is not the purport of the Act, 1989 that every act of intentional insult or intimidation meted by a person who is not a member of a SC or ST to a person who belongs to a SC or ST would attract Section 3(1)(r) of the Act, 1989 merely because it is committed against a person who happens to be a member of a SC or ST. On the contrary, Section 3(1)(r) of the Act, 1989 is attracted where the reason for the intentional insult or intimidation is that the person who is subjected to it belongs to a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe,” the court said.

On Skaria’s video referred to by MLA Sreenijan, the court said “there is nothing in the transcript of the uploaded video to indicate even prime facie that those allegations were made by the appellant only on account of the fact that the complainant belongs to a Scheduled Caste”.

Meanwhile, writing for the bench, Justice Pardiwala said that “Section 18 of the Act, 1989, stipulates that in any case which involves the arrest of any person on the accusation of having committed an offence under the Act, the benefit of anticipatory bail under Section 438 of CrPC would not be available to the accused”. “We have deliberated on the significance of the expression ‘arrest of any person’ appearing in the text of Section 18…and are of the view that it bars the remedy of anticipatory bail only in those cases where a valid arrest of the accused person can be made as per Section 41 read with Section 60A of CrPC,” the court said. Section 60A of CrPC provides that no arrest shall be made except in accordance with the provisions of CrPC or any other law for the time being in force and providing for arrest. Section 41 of CrPC confers upon the police the power to arrest without warrant in certain situations as specified therein.

However, the judgement said, “if the necessary ingredients to constitute the offence under the Act, 1989 are not disclosed on the prima facie reading of the allegations levelled in the complaint or FIR, then in such circumstances, as per the consistent exposition by various decisions of this court, the bar of Section 18 would not apply and the courts would not be absolutely precluded from granting pre-arrest bail to the accused persons”.

“The duty to determine prima facie existence of the case is cast upon the courts with a view to ensure that no unnecessary humiliation is caused to the accused,” it added.

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As teenage girl’s rape causes outrage in Assam district, CM Himanta Biswa Sarma says ‘indigenous people living in fear’

On Friday, Nagaon police arrested Tafazul Islam and identified him as one of the three accused.

Written by Sukrita Baruah

Guwahati | Updated: August 24, 2024 09:11 IST

Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma. (Express file photo)

A 24-year old man was arrested on Friday in connection with the alleged gangrape of a 14-year-old girl in Assam’s Nagaon district when she was returning home from tuition classes on Thursday evening. The incident triggered protests and outrage in the state, and evoked a sharp reaction from Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

According to Nagaon Superintendent of Police Swapnaneel Deka, the minor was found in a semi-conscious state by the side of the road at around 6:30 pm on Thursday, roughly 1.5 kilometres from her home. He said that she had been found by two boys from her village, who alerted her family and locals.

Following this, she was taken to the Nagaon Medical College and Hospital for medical treatment and examination. SP Deka said that in her police statement on Thursday night, she said that she had been raped by the three men.

On Friday, Nagaon police arrested Tafazul Islam and identified him as one of the three accused.

“He is an unemployed youth from another village and is not known to the victim. She would travel to a village around 6 kilometres from her own, for which she would cross the accused’s village. The other two accused are absconding and the investigation to locate them is ongoing,” said SP Deka.

The incident set off massive protests in her town, with hundreds of locals demanding punishment for the perpetrators. The town was at a standstill through the day, with all establishments closed.

Chief Minister Sarma, who is in the Barak Valley to attend various government and political programmes, called the incident a “crime against humanity.” While speaking to reporters in Hailakandi about the incident, he said, “I always say that in places like Lower Assam, Central Assam and Barak, our indigenous people live in fear. The more the people of Assam understand these things, the better it will be for us. The process of law will be done but the more sensitive we become of how our people live in these places, in what kind of difficulties. The more sensitive we become, the more secure our people will become… This is not the first time that such incidents are happening in Dhing. All the places in which indigenous people are in the minority, in those areas, our people are always living with troubles,” he said.

Assam Director General of Police G P Singh and Cabinet Minister Pijush Hazarika visited the area on Friday. Singh said that he has issued instructions for security plans in areas where people of different communities live together, specifically mentioning belts of Nagaon, where Bengali Muslims are in majority.

“I visited the crime scene and after that, I went to the girl’s home too and spoke to her family members. I have spoken to the police officials too… So far they have brought one suspect against whom we have a lot of evidence, and instructions have been issued for further corroboration… I think the investigation is moving in the correct direction and we will get all the details soon. I have also spoken to the IG (Central Range), SP Nagaon and the Nagaon DC that in the Samaguri, Rupohihat, Juria, Dhing and Lahorighat region, in all the areas where we have inter-community interface and people of different communities live together, they should do a geo-tagging of the village, so that we can then make an area security plan so that such incidents don’t happen again. Apart from that, in the evenings and at night, we have decided to have strong patrolling, especially where girls’ schools and tuition centres are,” he said.

Hazarika called the incident “an attack on the indigenous” during his visit to Dhing on Friday, while Dhing MLA Aminul Islam from the AIUDF said the incident should not be given a communal colour. “Everybody should stand against this act. Questions of religion, indigenous should not come here… No one can create a communal environment here and no one has been able to so far. Every single person in Dhing is standing against this crime… A criminal is a criminal. There should be strict punishment against whoever the perpetrator is,” he said.

Sibamoni Bora, the Congress MLA from Batadrava constituency, which also falls in Nagaon, attacked Sarma, who is also the Home Minister. “He should give it (the portfolio) to someone else so that our women can be safe and the law and order situation can be improved,” she said.

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Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi visits Manipur, meets CM Biren Singh

Sources said Army Chief Dwivedi will visit Churachandpur, Kangpokpi, and Moreh on Saturday

By: Express News Service

Imphal | Updated: August 23, 2024 21:55 IST

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Upendra Dwivedi. (Express)

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Upendra Dwivedi on Friday visited strife-torn Manipur to review the security situation in the northeastern state.

The Army Chief landed at Imphal Airport around 10 am, from where he was directly flown in a military chopper to the headquarters of the Inspector General of Assam Rifles (IGAR-South) at Mantripukhri, Imphal. Later in the evening around 5 pm, the Army Chief called on Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh at his official residence.

“Had a productive meeting with General Upendra Dwivedi, Chief of Army Staff, along with Lieutenant General RC Tiwari, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Lieutenant General Abhijit S Pendharkar, General Officer Commanding 3 Corps, and Major General Ravroop Singh, Inspector General Assam Rifles (South) at my Secretariat.

I deeply appreciate General Dwivedi’s visit to Manipur. Deliberated on critical issues concerning the current situation of our state. We reaffirmed the cooperation between the state government and the security forces in effectively responding to the challenges we face, maintain peace and harmony in the state,” posted CM Singh on his X account.

Sources said the Army Chief will visit Churachandpur, Kangpokpi, and Moreh on Saturday. This is Dwivedi’s maiden visit to the state since taking over as the COAS in June 2024.

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Mini-UAV inadvertently drifts into PoK, Indian Army seeks its return

The UAV, which was on a test training sortie in the hinterland in Bhimber Gali area, developed some snag and lost control with the operator, officials said.

By: PTI

Jammu | August 23, 2024 19:31 IST

The Army has sought the return of the UAV with their Pakistani counter parts, the officials said. (Representational photo/ file)

A mini-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) of the Indian Army inadvertently drifted into Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district, officials said.

The UAV, which was on a test training sortie in the hinterland in Bhimber Gali area, developed some snag and lost control with the operator, thereby drifting into other side of the LoC, they said.

It is believed to have fallen into the Nikial belt on the other side of the LoC and recovered by troops there.

The Army has sought the return of the UAV with their Pakistani counter parts, the officials said.

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‘Stray incidents… no power group’: Malayalam actors’ body AMMA defends film industry, but cracks emerge after Hema panel report

In the wake of the Hema panel report, AMMA general secy Siddique said the entire Malayalam film industry should not be blamed. But its vice-president Jagadish said violence against women should not be trivialised, and called for the perpetrators to be punished

Written by Shaju Philip

Thiruvananthapuram | Updated: August 23, 2024 19:40 IST

(L-R) Actor Siddique, AMMA general secretary and actor Jagadish, AMMA vice-president. (Photos: Siddique/ Facebook; Wikimedia Commons)

Actor Siddique, the general secretary of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA), on Friday said the entire Malayalam film industry should not be blamed for “stray incidents” of harassment that came out with the release of the Justice Hema Committee report on the issues faced by women working in the field.

However, AMMA vice-president Jagadish said violence against women in the film industry should not be trivialised by referring to them as “stray incidents”.

Giving AMMA’s official reaction to the report, released earlier this week, Siddique said the actors’ body welcomed it. But he also said there was no power group controlling the industry as suggested by the report.

“In my film career, I have not heard about such a power group. There is no mafia either. The report is not against the association, and we welcome the report. The committee had not found fault with AMMA. Actors Mammootty and Mohanlal had deposed before the committee three or four times. We were told that the committee mainly spoke to them about remuneration,” he said.

Jomol, a member of the association’s executive committee, said that she had not faced any instances, such as drunk men knocking on the doors of hotel rooms where women professionals stayed, that were mentioned in the Hema Committee report.

On the demand that cases should be registered on the basis of witness statements given to the Hema panel, Siddique said AMMA would take a stand on it after deliberations.

However, Jagadish called for strong action on the basis of the report. He also raised questions over why the report was published only after the names of those against whom the witnesses deposed were removed.

Saying that violence against women in the film industry should not be trivialised by dismissing them as stray incidents, Jagadish said: “Those who are in the dock should face a probe and the guilty should be punished. Their names should be brought out. The committee did not ask for the removal of the names of the perpetrators of crimes, only those of the victims.”

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Delhi Confidential

- Delhi confidential: Kannada Confidence

Delhi confidential: Kannada Confidence

Randeep Surjewala immediately said he too is fluent in Kannada and can answer their questions in the language.

By: Express News Service

New Delhi | August 24, 2024 05:45 IST

Randeep Surjewala

Congress general secretary in-charge for Karnataka Randeep Surjewala shared a light-hearted moment with journalists after a press briefing at the AICC headquarters on Friday. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar were also present at the briefing and some journalists from the state insisted that they address the media in Kannada after their statements in English.

Surjewala immediately said he too is fluent in Kannada and can answer their questions in the language. He even challenged a journalist to ask a question in Kannada, leaving the crowd in splits. Whether Surjewala, who hails from Haryana, knows the language or not remains a mystery.

Missing In Action

Congress’s parliamentary party chairperson Sonia Gandhi did not attend the party’s Central Election Committee meeting on Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections on Friday. Some leaders at the party headquarters said this was perhaps the first time she didn’t attend the CEC meeting in a long time. A source said the party has finalised four names for the elections and is likely to make the announcement soon.

Special Screening

In a unique initiative, the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities organised a special screening of actor Rajkummar Rao-starrer Srikanth in sign language at a theatre in Delhi. The screening was attended by students with hearing impairments, officials from the department and the film’s director, Tushar Hiranandani. The movie is based on Srikanth Bolla, a visually impaired industrialist.

Opinion

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- In Kamala Harris’ speech, an American story — and a missing link

- Application for cancellation of former CM A R Antulay’s bail rejected

- I adopted my daughter. Recent changes in law could help others get the same happiness

- My house is a Starbucks

- Kamala Harris reaches out across the aisle — but points a finger at Trump voter

- August 23, 1984, Forty Years Ago: Opposition Rally

- Express View on Tripura floods: Don’t leave it all to the states

- Express View: Lovebomber baby vs Taylor Swift

- How to ensure dignity for the terminally-ill

- Express View on ‘predatory pricing’: Market facts and spectres

- Sanjaya Baru writes: Bangladesh crisis underlines the necessity of political risk management

- Centre’s lateral entry policy corrects a historical wrong

Why RBI’s attempts to control the Rupee can have adverse consequences

Changing rules of the game can have a damaging effect on the cost of doing business

Written by Rajeswari Sengupta , Bhargavi Zaveri Shah

August 24, 2024 07:45 IST

Notwithstanding the debate on the costs and benefits of a “managed” currency for an emerging economy like India, the RBI must not seek to manage the rupee’s volatility through an indiscriminate expansion of its regulatory powers.

The Indian rupee follows a managed floating exchange rate regime. This means that the central bank intervenes in the foreign exchange market to buy or sell dollars in order to stabilise the value of the rupee. In recent times, however, the RBI seems to be using its regulatory powers to gain greater control over the rupee. We argue that currency management must not entail the use of regulations. The purpose of regulations is to address market failures. Currency volatility is not a market failure — it is the fluctuation of the currency in response to demand and supply forces. The use of regulatory powers for currency management introduces uncertainty in the central bank’s currency policy, and also increases the cost of doing business in RBI-regulated sectors. We discuss three such regulatory measures and the problems associated with them.

First, prohibiting speculative trades on exchanges. This exacerbates the difficulties of taking rupee exposure in India. In 2008, the RBI allowed Indian exchanges to launch a currency derivatives segment. At that time, the RBI’s guidelines on currency Futures and Options allowed Indian residents to participate in this market “to hedge an exposure to foreign exchange rate risk or otherwise”. While the RBI continued to prescribe the product design, position limits, and trading hours, the general trend was towards opening up this market. The idea was that as India became more globally integrated, the demand for such instruments and for liquidity in the derivatives market would increase. At some point, the 2008 guidelines were overtaken by several circulars, with the last version issued in 2016 having been amended at least 11 times. These regulations explicitly allowed taking positions in rupee-linked currency derivatives up to $100 million across all exchanges, “without having to establish existence of underlying exposure”.

Earlier this year, however, the RBI explicitly mandated exchanges to inform users that they “should be in a position to establish the existence of a valid underlying contracted exposure, if required”. This warning compelled the bulk of retail traders to wind up their positions as a result of which trading volumes collapsed by about 80 per cent across all exchanges. This regulatory measure essentially restricts speculators from trading in the onshore rupee market. It overlooks the fact that a liquid market requires all kinds of traders, including speculators, who act as de facto market makers. This move is an irreversible blow to a reasonably liquid market, which allowed hedgers to take positions on the rupee at low costs. It is likely to drive away volumes to the offshore currency derivatives market.

Second, regulating offshore trading platforms. The RBI proposed to regulate offshore electronic trading platforms (ETPs), which facilitate rupee-linked derivative transactions. Published on its website in April 2024, this proposal seeks to empower the RBI to oversee the offshore currency forwards market, commonly called the non-deliverable forwards (NDF) market. The NDF market allows people to trade in the rupee without undertaking any physical delivery of the currency, thereby reducing the cost of trading. In the last few years, the rupee NDF market has grown substantially in size, and is now reported to be almost thrice as large as the onshore market. This has led to concerns in the RBI that the offshore market, over which it has no direct oversight or control, could be playing a significant role in determining the rupee’s value. The recent regulatory proposal requires ETPs to register themselves with the RBI, and confers fairly extensive powers on the central bank, such as the power to refuse registration, seek information, specify “eligible instruments” that Indian residents may trade in, and impose additional terms and conditions.

Legally, the RBI can restrict Indian entities’ rights to deal with non-residents or to transact in foreign currencies, but it is a jurisdictional leap to regulate offshore platforms on which Indian residents trade. This is akin to Sebi asking the New York Stock Exchange to register with itself, simply because Indian residents trade at these venues. Instead of expanding its regulatory powers, the RBI must make it easier for people to trade the rupee in India. This will help bring back rupee linked trading volumes and allied businesses onshore.

Third, the RBI’s instructions to banks. Earlier this month, when the rupee-dollar exchange rate depreciated close to the 84 mark in the spot market, the RBI is reported to have orally instructed some large commercial banks to not add to their existing trading positions against the rupee. This step seems to have been taken to stem further rupee depreciation. On August 16, the RBI similarly instructed banks that handle trade with the United Arab Emirates to partially settle their trade payments using rupee instead of the dollar. This means that banks should directly convert rupees into dirhams and vice versa without first converting them into dollars. One objective of this move seems to be to reduce dollar dependence in international trade. But settling trade in rupee also helps insulate the currency from the impact of dollar outflows, that is, lower the extent of rupee depreciation against the dollar. In other words, this is yet another regulatory measure that helps to manage the currency.

Notwithstanding the debate on the costs and benefits of a “managed” currency for an emerging economy like India, the RBI must not seek to manage the rupee’s volatility through an indiscriminate expansion of its regulatory powers. Regulations are the rules of the game. Unlike market operations that involve central banks buying or selling the currency in the foreign exchange markets, changes to the rules of the game can have a more permanent, damaging effect on the incentives and the costs of doing business in the country.

Sengupta is associate professor of Economics, IGIDR and Shah is a doctoral researcher at the National University of Singapore

Why J&K assembly elections could end the domination of family-run parties

The polls will continue PM Modi’s vision of freeing the people from family politics and ushering in true democracy. It was this vision that resulted in the Kashmir Valley sending a Sunni, a Shia and a Gujjar to Parliament for the first time

Written by Ram Madhav

August 24, 2024 07:30 IST

The elections will continue Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of freeing the people from family politics and ushering in true democracy through free and fair elections.

It is going to be a battle royale in Jammu and Kashmir. The Union Territory, carved out from the erstwhile state of J&K in 2019, will be holding its first-ever elections in September. The Election Commission has announced polling in three phases to the 90 assembly segments of the UT legislature.

After the abrogation of Article 370 and the creation of J&K as a UT, certain administrative measures were to be completed before starting the electoral process. While the J&K region in the erstwhile state had 83 assembly segments, that number has been increased to 90 under the reorganisation act, thus necessitating a delimitation exercise. The delimitation commission was established in March 2020 under Justice Ranjana Desai, a former Supreme Court judge. The Commission completed the process by the middle of 2022, despite regional political parties like the National Conference, PDP and People’s Conference coming together to form a short-lived alliance, the “Gupkar Alliance”, and challenging the exercise in courts.

The main players in the elections will be national parties like the BJP and Congress and regional parties like the NC and PDP. There will be several other smaller parties that have emerged in the Kashmir Valley, like the People’s Conference led by Sajjad Lone and JK Apni Party led by Altaf Bukhari. A new surprise in the Valley politics is the rise of a pro-separatist outfit called the Awami Ittehad Party (AIP), led by a mercurial separatist leader Sheik Abdul Rashid, popularly known as Engineer Rashid. Rashid shocked observers of J&K politics earlier this year by winning the North Kashmir Lok Sabha seat of Baramulla, defeating Omar Abdullah, the NC strongman and a towering leader in the Valley’s politics. Since then, speculation is rife that Rashid’s party would emerge as a strong force in the Valley politics through the legislative elections, not good news for the region and the nation.

The BJP, with its stronghold over the Jammu region, will continue to be a formidable force. It has a strong organisational and political presence in almost all the 43 assembly segments in the Jammu region, including Muslim-dominated areas like the Pir Panjal and Chenab Valley. Several prominent Muslim leaders have joined the party in the last few months enhancing its winning chances in 10-odd seats in the region, even in areas where the Muslim votes matter.

The NC is hoping to make a comeback by winning a majority of the seats in the Kashmir Valley. But the party’s ambition was dampened by the defeat of its leader Omar Abdullah in the Lok Sabha elections from a constituency that sends 16 legislators to the assembly. In a desperate bid, the Abdullahs decided to join hands with the Congress, hoping that the INDI Alliance would help them stem the BJP’s surge in Jammu. However, after the departure of Ghulam Nabi Azad in August 2022, the Congress Party has been a lacklustre force in the region. Several of its other leaders have migrated to parties like the BJP.

Far from benefiting by joining hands with the NC, the Congress will have to face the wrath of the people of Jammu and the nationalist elements in Kashmir, besides the people of the country, for this opportunistic alliance. Just a few days before the election, the NC came out with its election manifesto which categorically stated that the party’s first demand would be for the restoration of Articles 370 and 35 A in the Indian Constitution. “The first order of business of the elected assembly should be to make it known not just to the rest of India but to the world at large that the people of J&K don’t agree with what happened to us on August 5, 2019. Then we start undoing what was done to us”, Omar Abdullah said a week ago.

The party’s manifesto smacks of a soft separatist mindset, Kashmiri domination and scant respect for the people of Jammu, especially the SCs and STs. Sheikh Abdullah, its founder, was the champion of the idea of “autonomy” of Kashmir, a dangerous slogan that forced Jawaharlal Nehru to send him to jail in 1953. Again, it was Farooq Abdullah’s government in J&K, that brought the infamous “autonomy resolution” in 2000, trying to stoke separatism in the state.

The Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government in Delhi had snubbed Farooq Abdullah by rejecting the resolution in Parliament. It is saddening that after two decades the NC manifesto once again talks about autonomy and Article 370. The manifesto also talks about releasing prisoners who were jailed for pro-terrorist and anti-national activities and refers to the famous Shankaracharya Hill in Srinagar as Takht-i-Sulaiman and the adjoining Hari Parvat Fort as Koh-e-Maran.

The Modi government has introduced Scheduled Tribe reservation in the state to provide social justice to Gujjars, Pahadis and other tribes. The NC manifesto wants to “review” all the reservation in the state. It betrays NC’s anti-Jammu streak and throws a challenge at the marginalised sections of the Jammu society like Hindu SCs and Pahadis and Muslim Gujjars and Bakarwals. The Congress Party leadership has to answer if it shares the NC’s soft-separatist and anti-SC/ST political agenda.

The elections will continue Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of freeing the people from family politics and ushering in true democracy through free and fair elections. It was this vision that resulted in the Kashmir Valley sending a Sunni, a Shia and a Gujjar to Parliament for the first time from its three seats, truly representing the rich diversity of the Valley and rejecting the politics of scions. With the BJP continuing to be a strong force in the UT, this election will witness historic results and free people from the stranglehold of Gupkaris.

The writer, president, India Foundation, is with the BJP. Views are personal

How not to tax multi-national corporations

The UN is poised to assume prominence in international tax negotiations. However, two critical aspects will determine its fate

Written by Suranjali Tandon

August 24, 2024 07:10 IST

Questions were raised about where large tech companies should be paying taxes — the country of residence (predominantly US) or markets such as India? To forge consensus, the OECD kept going back to the drawing board to only come up with more complex solutions.

The inexplicably low rates of tax paid by multinationals stirred a row after the global financial crisis. In response, the G20 mobilised the OECD’s technical wherewithal to address some of the concerns. The last decade was dedicated to the cause and the OECD anchored the work of creating a profit-shifting programme. Fifteen action points to ensure transparency in cross-border income reporting and anti-avoidance measures were recommended. The organisation opened its gates to low-income countries to participate on an “equal footing” with its developed peers at the Inclusive Framework (IF). The seat at the table was made available not only because the world was changing and markets mattered, but also because tax competition among developed countries had intensified. They competed to offer low tax hubs while bilaterally negotiating treaties with preferential terms with developing countries.

The bonhomie lasted until countries ran into a messier terrain of redistribution of taxing rights. Questions were raised about where large tech companies should be paying taxes — the country of residence (predominantly US) or markets such as India? To forge consensus, the OECD kept going back to the drawing board to only come up with more complex solutions. More efforts were made to live up to the ideal of inclusivity, officials from developing countries such as Jamaica co-chaired the IF and many, including from India, voiced their concerns. Yet, this anonymised process of consensus building began to tire members. Disillusioned countries and regional groups demanded a shift. They proposed it was time for an intergovernmental tax body at the UN.

In a momentous move, 125 countries, including India, voted in favour of a UN global tax convention in 2023. However, 48 countries, including the UK and US, rejected the proposal. Despite resistance from developed countries, the UN proceeded to work on the terms of reference. The final version, released on August 15, was rejected by only eight countries but still included the US and UK. EU countries that initially opposed and remained divided on the agenda, abstained from voting on the final draft of terms of reference.

There is no doubt that the UN is poised to assume prominence in international tax negotiations. However, two aspects will determine its fate. First, time and money have been invested in building institutional frameworks at the OECD that have ensured exchange of information, quick adoption of anti-abuse measures in treaties and cross-country information sharing. Would it be wise to duplicate this work unless the current system is riddled with flaws — an issue that EU countries have raised? The convention also acknowledges this overlap and recommends that the committee consider synergies. It remains to be seen how this is managed. Second, economic interests between and within groups of countries will continue to diverge. Forging consensus on cross-border matters can be difficult, especially if the sovereignty of countries in tax policy-making is to be preserved. The iterative revisions to the UN tax convention are material for scope. For example, the language was revised in specific aspects — a shift of focus to tax avoidance and evasion by high-net-worth individuals. It also emphasises sovereignty, while committing to fair allocation of taxing rights and meeting SDGs. The recognition of fair allocation of taxing rights is a shift in international tax thinking, although the concept of fairness remains undefined.

The UN breaks away from the practice at IF by establishing formal processes including that of election of members of the negotiating committee on an equitable basis. Public information on country votes also lends transparency. It allows experts and civil society to identify and engage with the naysayers. A pragmatic approach will include cross border services including digital services and illicit financial flows. The challenge will be to get acceptance from countries such as the US and UK. It is doubtful that they would adopt the protocols  especially since countries will have the flexibility to sign.

The writer is associate professor, NIPFP

Time to reset the GST system

Simplification of the current slabs will also promote economic activity, particularly consumption, that would ultimately lead to higher tax revenues

By: Editorial

August 24, 2024 07:07 IST

Most states may be averse to rate rationalisation, fearing loss of revenue. But a simplification of the current slabs will also promote economic activity, particularly consumption, that would ultimately lead to higher tax revenues.

Most states don’t seem to be in favour of changes to the existing five main goods and services tax (GST) rate slabs: 0, 5, 12, 18 and 28 per cent. The general argument being advanced is that since gross GST revenues have been growing — from a monthly average of Rs 94,734 crore in 2020-21 to Rs 1,23,608 crore in 2021-22, Rs 1,50,640 crore in 2022-23, Rs 1,68,187 crore in 2023-24 and Rs 1,84,724 crore in April-July 2024-25 — and the rate structure has “stabilised”, why disturb it? It should actually be the other way round. When GST collections are robust, thanks to improved compliance and plugging leakages through measures such as making e-invoicing mandatory for firms with turnover exceeding Rs 5 crore and use of artificial intelligence and machine learning, that is precisely the time for embarking on rate rationalisation. That includes both reducing the number of slabs from five to not more than three, and also reviewing the list of items under each slab.

The incongruity and, probably unfairness, of the GST rates applicable on several items are well known. Why should GST on cement, a basic construction material, be 28 per cent? The same goes for the 18 per cent GST payable on medical and life insurance policy premium, which, in Union Minister Nitin Gadkari’s own words, amounts to taxing individuals seeking to purchase cover against “life’s uncertainties”. There’s similarly no logic to milk not attracting any GST, but skimmed milk powder being taxed at 5 per cent and butter and ghee at 12 per cent. So while dairies pay no tax on milk procured from farmers, they have to shell out GST on both powder and fat used for reconstitution into milk. A 12 per cent GST on milk fat is also an anomaly when vegetable fat (edible oil) is taxed at 5 per cent. Multiple slabs are clearly a recipe for confusion, adding to the complexity of doing business.

Most states may be averse to rate rationalisation, fearing loss of revenue. But a simplification of the current slabs will also promote economic activity, particularly consumption, that would ultimately lead to higher tax revenues. States should, moreover, explore raising more non-tax revenues through revision of user charges on water, electricity and other utility services, besides resetting stamp duty rates and registration fees along with guidance values on property for better compliance. The Indian economy today needs a fiscal stimulus, in the form of lower indirect taxes, rather than higher government spending.

Lateral entry scheme puts competence above quota politics

For India to overcome developmental challenges, efficient, responsive and results-oriented governance is crucial. Which caste or religion public servants belong to is immaterial

Written by Sudheendra Kulkarni

Updated: August 24, 2024 07:50 IST

Challenges in development and governance are becoming highly complex in the modern world. Therefore, higher echelons of administration require professionals with deep domain knowledge and expertise, rather than generalists like most job-secure IAS officers who hop from one domain to another in relatively short stints with little people-monitored accountability.

A confused BJP that lacks a majority in Parliament, a weakened Prime Minister who lacks the courage of conviction, and a Congress-led Opposition that lacks a long-term plan for India’s inclusive development but only seeks short-term electoral gains have combined to kill a key administrative reform. The lateral entry scheme meant to revitalise a moribund babudom is dead. It will be long before a strong and visionary PM arrives on the scene with a resolve to infuse life into it.

Privately, many forward-looking leaders across party lines admit that the country’s administrative machinery needs radical reforms, and that the lateral entry scheme is one of them. They will also tell you that to be meaningful, the scheme should be free from the provision of quotas. But the election-winning priorities of parties are so heavily influenced by the warped debate on “social justice” that there are hardly any prominent voices defending a scheme the Modi government introduced only to withdraw it at lightning speed.

The sorry predicament of Modi 3.0 is obvious even before it has completed 100 days. The feeblest dissent from coalition partners is enough for it to reverse its steps. The Congress’s hypocrisy is also out in the open. In its eagerness to embrace caste politics and a caste-based development model, and a hurried bid to recover lost support base, especially in north India, it is trying to outdo even Kanshi Ram and Chandrashekhar Azad (Raavan). See how stiffly it opposed the lateral entry scheme. Rahul Gandhi slammed it by calling it “privatisation of IAS”, forgetting that his own father, grandmother and great-grandfather also invited external non-IAS, non-quota talent into their governments. Bizarrely, his party supported the Bharat Bandh on August 21, which denounced the recent Supreme Court verdict on sub-categorisation of SC/ST quotas. His colleague Siddaramaiah, Karnataka chief minister, has welcomed the verdict as “historic”.

Why does India need a certain number of external professionals to join the administration, especially at the middle and senior levels? And why is it necessary to exempt such lateral entry from the provision of reservation? The answer is obvious to all who know the glaring shortcomings in our system of governance at the Centre and in states and municipal corporations. For India to overcome the gigantic challenges in development and meet the rising aspirations of its 1.45 billion people, especially those belonging to poor and neglected communities, nothing is more crucial than efficient, responsive and results-oriented governance. Which caste or religion public servants belong to is immaterial. What should matter is whether they are competent, pro-people and can deliver outcomes that benefit the nation as a whole and, particularly, the disadvantaged citizenry.

For example, officers in education, healthcare or any of the employment-promoting departments, regardless of their caste or community identity, will contribute more to the cause of social and economic justice if they are highly competent and dedicated. Competence and commitment, which are caste-agnostic, are also imperative in other fields of governance — from justice delivery to scientific research, from rural development to women’s empowerment — since everything cumulatively promotes or hinders the holistic development of society, especially those left behind.

There is also a second compelling reason. Challenges in development and governance are becoming highly complex in the modern world. Therefore, higher echelons of administration require professionals with deep domain knowledge and expertise, rather than generalists like most job-secure IAS officers who hop from one domain to another in relatively short stints with little people-monitored accountability. The traditional public service system does not produce enough of such specialists. In contrast, India’s burgeoning private sector companies, top-notch universities, research laboratories, think tanks, cultural industries, media and other civil society institutions have many professionals both competent and eager to offer their services to nation-building. Why should the nation be deprived of this precious resource? Why should public service remain a monopoly of IAS or IFS officers, who, quite often, become an elite “caste” unto themselves and fiercely resist the entry of external talent?

Some may argue: Let there be lateral entry, but with strict adherence to reservations for SCs, STs and OBCs. This defeats the very raison d’être of the reform. Rahul Gandhi recently posed the wrong question in Parliament by wanting to know how many officers from quota categories were among secretaries to the Government of India. The question to be debated is different. What contributes more to social and economic justice for SCs, STs, OBCs and other marginalised communities? Is it a small number of elite quota beneficiaries in the higher levels of government service or competent, efficient, accountable and high-quality governance that can benefit millions of people from the very same communities? Sadly, the debate on the lateral entry scheme has been hijacked by quota “Brahmins” at the expense of multitudes who remain victims of poor governance. Their opposition to the creamy-layer concept also shows their exclusionary touch-me-not mindset.

Another question: Should India remain blind to international experience? All rich countries, and many developing countries, offer public service opportunities to highly competent and interested professionals. In the US and China, it is routine for specialists in universities and private sector companies to be called upon to work in government departments, including in foreign service.

No sane person who is wedded to social justice, economic democracy and other constitutional values can be indifferent to the need to ensure a fair reflection of diversity in India’s governance structure. But indifference bordering on disrespect for competence and commitment in public service is detrimental to the realisation of these very lofty values.

How can we make lateral entry socially representative without mandatory quotas? We must accelerate efforts to build needed competencies in professionals from less represented sections of society. This requires major and long-neglected reforms in government-run universities, whose low standards are hurting the poor among SCs, STs, OBCs and all other communities. Private sector companies too must come forward to provide ample growth opportunities to talented human resources in these communities.

Above all, government service demands a paramount virtue from all who wish to enter its portals through regular or lateral channels. At work, they must “annihilate” their own caste and religious identities, and embrace only one “jaati” — of public servants — and only one dharma (duty): Service of India and all Indians without any discrimination.

The writer was a close aide to former

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee

What a penguin’s death tells us about love and loss

At Sydney’s Sea Life Aquarium, when Magic, Sphen’s younger partner, was brought to say his final goodbye, he sang his grief

By: Editorial

Updated: August 24, 2024 07:32 IST

Dealing with the shock of the untimely death of her father, writer and naturalist Helen McDonald channels her anger and hurt into becoming a falconer.

In The Year of Magical Thinking’ (2005), Joan Didion writes of the year loss came home to her with the deaths of her husband and daughter: “Grief turns out to be a place none of us know until we reach it.” In the gut wrench of bereavement, she tells herself how wild things do not suffer such heartbreaks and seeks comfort in that. Only, it turns out, that they do. At Sydney’s Sea Life Aquarium, when Sphen, the gentoo penguin known for his devotion to his same-sex partner, died last week, grief became a song. When Magic, Sphen’s younger partner, with whom he had raised two chicks, was brought to say his final goodbye, he broke out in what could only be described as a dirge.

Sphen and Magic had spent six years together but grief seems to be an emotion that transcends sentience. Elephants have been known to grieve the loss of their partners, parents and cubs; bald eagles and black vultures mate for life; dogs remain emblematic of a rare kind of fealty to their owners — for nine years until his own death, Hachiko, a Japanese Akita dog, waited at a railway station every evening for his master to return from work. He had never gotten over the loss of his owner, an academic at Tokyo Imperial University. But if grief is pervasive across species, there are also lessons in resilience from the animal kingdom.

Dealing with the shock of the untimely death of her father, writer and naturalist Helen McDonald channels her anger and hurt into becoming a falconer. In H is for Hawk (2014), she writes of the lesson that the fierce and unyielding goshawk teaches her that grief would not allow her to see: “You see that life will become a thing made of holes. Absences. Losses. Things that were there and are no longer. And you realise, too, that you have to grow around and between the gaps, though you can put your hand out to where things were and feel that tense, shining dullness of the space where the memories are.”

In Kamala Harris’ speech, an American story — and a missing link

With her personal story and arc, Democratic presidential nominee has enthused party, energised base. She needs to reach out, and across, more and take a leaf out of running mate Tim Walz’s playbook

By: Editorial

Updated: August 24, 2024 06:53 IST

Harris’s Indian-Jamaican-American story will compete with Trump’s, whose pitch has been protectionist globally and revanchist in terms of diversity and immigration.

It’s a distinctly American story.” Maya Harris’s words captured a multi-generational journey that culminated on August 22 with her sister becoming only the second woman presidential candidate in the US, and the first person of Indian origin to rise to that level. As she accepted the nomination and spoke on the final day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, Kamala Harris spoke of her mother Shyamala Gopalan Harris, of how, as a 19-year-old Indian student, she came to America, married Kamala’s Jamaican father and instilled in her daughter the values that have marked an incredibly successful — and for many, inspirational — career in public life. Through her story, Vice President Harris framed that elusive notion that draws so many to the US — the American dream. She sought to frame her background and her identity in a way that reflects a diverse nation. Her achievement is certainly a milestone for the Indian diaspora — when Harris was coming of age, a half-Indian woman president would have been difficult to imagine. She spoke of choosing unity over divisiveness and sought to reach out to the White working middle-class — a chunk of this vote is now thought to be rallying behind Donald Trump: “I want you to know, I promise to be a president for all Americans. You can always trust me to put country above party and self.”

There is little doubt that Harris has enthused the Democratic party, and energised its base, more deeply perhaps than at any time since Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns. Only five weeks ago, when President Joe Biden was the presumptive nominee, it seemed that the Democrats were flailing as they tried to present an ageing incumbent as a serious challenger to Trump. Opinion polls now have Harris and Trump neck-and-neck, with some giving a slight edge to the VP. Harris’s attacks on Trump at the DNC, however, undercut her attempts to reach across the aisle. The well-rehearsed demonising of Trump with familiar rhetoric was predictably well-received among Democrats. But for those who voted for him and those who still support him, there was little that was persuasive, with one exception: On reproductive rights, Harris was clear about the dangers posed to women — physical, emotional and mental — by the overturning of Roe v Wade. It is an issue that affects voters across class divides, race and even politics. The Republicans’ and US Supreme Court’s curbing of women’s bodily autonomy is widely seen as one of the major reasons for the Republicans’ poor performance in the mid-terms.

Kamala Harris has a little over two months to convince “undecided” Americans. Her campaign will now enter what her running mate Tim Walz — a former American football high school coach and public school teacher — called the “fourth quarter… with the ball in our hand on offence”. Harris’s Indian-Jamaican-American story will compete with Trump’s, whose pitch has been protectionist globally and revanchist in terms of diversity and immigration. But Trump, too, appeals to those who feel left behind. Walz, in his speech, sought to reach out to a larger audience by framing freedom as standing together as citizens, even with those you disagree with. Going forward, Harris will need to build on his theme.

Application for cancellation of former CM A R Antulay’s bail rejected

The prosecution application for cancellation of the former Maharashtra chief minister, A R Antulay’s bail was rejected by Justice S N Khatri at the Bombay High Court.

By: Editorial

Updated: August 24, 2024 07:16 IST

Giving his ruling, Justice Khatri said it could not be conclusively said that the accused had indulged in tampering with the government files relating to cement transactions during his tenure as chief minister.

Provincial Councils

The government was willing to consider provincial councils as units of devolution for the entire country, Sri Lankan President Jayewardene said. The district councils in existence will remain intact, but soon, provincial councils will be conceived. The President saw the formation of provincial councils as an organic part of the second chamber concept spelt out by him to the all-party conference called to consider the problem of Sri Lanka Tamils.

Cong Poll Planning

About half a dozen cabinet ministers of Bihar will be told to quit for taking up oganisational work as part of the Congress (I) high command’s plans to strengthen the party before the forthcoming elections. This became obvious after Bihar Chief Minister Chandra Shekhar Singh and his predecessor, Jagannath Mishra, had talks with the central leaders.

Antulay’s Bail Plea

The prosecution application for cancellation of the former Maharashtra chief minister, A R Antulay’s bail was rejected by Justice S N Khatri at the Bombay High Court. Giving his ruling, Justice Khatri said it could not be conclusively said that the accused had indulged in tampering with the government files relating to cement transactions during his tenure as chief minister.

NTR’s Disillusionment

The battle of Andhra Pradesh must be won before any further talks of opposition party unity at the national level N T Rama Rao, the Telugu Desam party leader told ENS just before emplaning for Hyderabad. Rama Rao’s health seems to have improved much since his arrival in Delhi. He, however, appeared to be disillusioned about the Centre and did not expect either the recall of the Governor or the dismissal of the Bhaskara Rao Ministry.

I adopted my daughter. Recent changes in law could help others get the same happiness

I feel a deep respect for biological moms. But I am also relieved to have not gone through the trials and tribulations of one

August 23, 2024 17:42 IST

With recent changes to India’s adoption laws that have expanded eligibility to fostering as a gateway to adoption, I hope many prospective parents find adoption an increasingly viable and appealing option. (Representative/ Express file photo by Tashi Tobgyal)

Written by Smita Kothari

It’s 9:48 pm. As I put my eight-month-old to bed, my lower back and frozen shoulders sigh: One more day down. I wonder why everyone says, “They grow up too fast!”.

I go over my mental to-do list for the day to gauge how I fared with the baby:

Protein: Check

Fruits and vegetables: Check

Supplements: Check

Learning and development through toys and activities: Check

Exposure to nature and socialising through stroller walk: Check

Exposure to music by playing baby Mozart and Indian devotional songs: Check

Diaper-free time: Check

However, there’s always room to learn, and do more and better when it comes to a baby. So, I open a moms’ group on WhatsApp meant for discussions about newborn to about six-month-old babies. On this group, I have found recommendations for the best wet wipe, inquired about others’ experiences in dealing with their children’s constipation, got educated about products like steriliser bags which I didn’t know about, and more. This group (and others on social media) consists of moms. Period. They could be mothers through the biological route or adoption or surrogacy. There is no mention as to which mom is an adoptive parent and hence no way to know otherwise. Moms are moms. Except that I learnt our trials and tribulations are very different.

I underwent IVF cycles which were torturous on my mind and body both. My friends and relatives who have carried babies in their womb tell me that the dreamy baby-bump photoshoots are a fraud. The reality is nausea, back pain, and an unwieldy body.

In the adoptive-parent community, we guesstimate when our bundle will arrive based on when our peers with similar dates of registration and choices, like the age bracket of the child, received theirs. My “pregnancy” was so smooth that I didn’t even realise when I was in my first trimester, second trimester, third trimester or had already popped the baby as the child matched with us could be of any age within the chosen two-year bracket.

If the birthing complications, labour pain, and physical recovery from a C-section were not enough, I learnt from the Whatsapp group about the complications in breastfeeding. On one hand were the full-spectrum issues on the demand (baby) side from hard latch to breast refusal whereas on the supply side were problems ranging from low to excess milk production (leading to a serious medical condition called mastitis). And then there was the pumping and correct storing of milk to match the demand and supply. I was happy I didn’t have to put my mind into buying the right breast-pump or consulting a lactation expert. I would gleefully skim through the majority of the messages, mentally checking them off as non-applicable. However, I wondered if our greatest pain-point in life was justified: Getting up once in the middle of the night, reaching for the Dr Brown’s bottle on the bedside table, pouring lukewarm water in it from a thermos, downing pre-measured formula into it, shaking the bottle, and dunking it in the baby’s mouth.

One avenue for respite for the mother could be savouring food and beverages that she enjoys but apparently the baby’s colic doesn’t like the exact same menu. A breastfeeding mom shared on the group that she detected that wheat and coffee made her baby cry incessantly and so she had to eliminate those from her diet. Interestingly, colic bids farewell at about three months of age and that is the earliest that a child becomes legally free for adoption: It takes a couple of months for the child to be registered in the adoption system after ensuring there is no claim from his/her family. We were blessed with our daughter when she was a quarter of a year old and we both have lived happily ever after: She is relishing her formula milk and I have enjoyed not having to follow any formula. I continue to devour my papdi chaat (a tangy and spicy snack) and masala chai guilt-free. To each her own (gas).

Adoption may entail a long wait to get the baby in your arms, but I thought it’s a shortcut to all of the above. So whenever I feel like I’m dealing with a lot, I surf the Whatsapp group and sleep peacefully: Feeling a deep respect for biological moms and gratitude that I’m not one.

With recent changes to India’s adoption laws that have expanded eligibility to fostering as a gateway to adoption, I hope many prospective parents find adoption an increasingly viable and appealing option.

Kothari is a writer and communications manager

My house is a Starbucks

I feel a nervous energy in me whenever I see it. My hands want to push the door open. My feet want to barge inside. But I no longer belong there

Written by Vaishali Shroff

Updated: August 23, 2024 16:44 IST

Change can be hard to accept. Especially a change in things we hold dearest to our heart. (Express illustration by C R Sasikumar)

I’m the third generation of my family that was born and raised in Bombay (Mumbai much later). My children are the fourth generation. There’s a Mumbai we all know that’s unique only to us. Whether it’s the houses, the schools, the colleges, hospitals, shops, or the local paanwala. Whether it’s the trees and the beach and the streets. Or some heritage structures we may not even notice as we go about our lives.

In the last few decades, the city around us has changed in a thousand different ways. So much so, it’s hard to recognise certain nooks and corners if we have been away for a while. Yet, the smells, the sounds, the vibe, don’t change.

Our home, though old, is more precious than anything else because that’s where we have grown to understand the world around us. But what happens when this home changes beyond recognition?

I’ve never felt so strange walking into any Starbucks anywhere in this world but this one. I feel a nervous energy inside me whenever I see it. I almost don’t like it at all. The modern glass façade, the shiny white window frames, the crowd, the chatter, the faint music wafting from the door every time it opens, all seem so unnecessary to me. So odd and unfair in a way.

My hands want to push the door open, for this door never remained closed. My feet want to barge inside, to simply run around like they used to on the mosaic tiles where they first learnt to crawl, stand, walk, and run.

But now the doors are shut. They swing open every now and then when people walk in and out of it. The floor now belongs to the hundreds of strangers who walk all over it daily.

The house where I grew up is now a brand-new Starbucks. The giant gulmohar and peepal trees right outside the house have now been replaced by concrete pillars for a Metro station, which we will hopefully see in this lifetime. I am unable to get past the fact that the house where my grandparents moved in after having their first born over half a century ago, the house where my parents met and got married, where my sisters, my cousins, and I were born, is an unrecognisable concrete tower with a Starbucks exactly where I lived!

I feel lost. My brain is incapable of connecting with the place. As I enter this Starbucks, I am unable to see it for what it is. The menu stuck behind the counter used to be a wood-carving painting of a shikara my grandfather bought in Kashmir. The chairs and tables to the left used to be our dining table — where we ate, studied, and even played ping pong using steel glasses and a long broom for a net. The green Starbucks mermaid perches herself on the glass window where I used to sit with my legs dangling outside the window — sometimes throwing paper boats in puddles, sometimes shooing crows, and sometimes just watching the world go by.

I have vivid memories of the neighbours who walked into our house like it was their own, the vendors who would drop by to say saheb ji to my Baa sitting on the sofa overlooking the road — her only window to the outside world.

But this is perhaps just my world. The memories I have built and stored into the deep recesses of my mind. I may forget what I had for breakfast today but not the sounds of playing lagori and saakli and luka-chhuppi with my friends; of neighbours walking in with freshly cooked meals and walking back with goodies from our kitchen; of climbing trees and walls to cross over to the neighbour’s house, still echo around the glass façade of this swanky new Starbucks that has replaced it.

When I tell my children how much I miss the old house, they agree that I must feel strange. They have accompanied me to my childhood home many times. They have heard stories about how we could see the coastline from the house. Of how my dad, their Nanu, used to play cricket with his friends on the main road. But the coastline seems distant now, thanks to the rampant construction in the area. And the roads are no longer safe to play cricket on. It’s when my first born tells me, “Just imagine how your Baa and Dadaji must have felt when they saw buildings where there were only open spaces before. Or how Nanu must have felt seeing there’s barely any space to walk on, let alone play cricket on,” that it really hit home.

Change can be hard to accept. Especially a change in things we hold dearest to our heart. This change could mean significant alterations to the way we have to lead the rest of our lives. Sometimes, we’re not ready to accept them. Sometimes, we have no choice but to move on.

The Metro construction in our neighbourhood has been going on for nearly a decade. An entire generation of children has been born and raised watching the construction of humongous pillars that resemble rockets. Sometimes I’m glad they don’t know any better. At least they won’t keep comparing the old times and the new.

Will I ever get a “chai latte” from this Starbucks? I don’t know. Maybe I should — just sit there with a cuppa and look at everything more closely. Feel closer to those days and times.

The rest of my family don’t think too much about it. But it has affected me at a deeper level. Is home just an idea? A figment of our imagination? Is it, after all, just an emotion, which moves with us wherever we settle with our loved ones?

If walls and floors and ceilings could think and talk, these ones would be telling me stories of the past that now only live in my memory.

I’m walking in.

Shroff is a children’s writer and script-writer

Kamala Harris reaches out across the aisle — but points a finger at Trump voter

She called for an end to bitterness and divisiveness and promised to be a leader for all Americans. But by demonising the former President, she runs the danger of demonising his supporters who she was reaching out to.

Written by Vamsee Juluri

New Delhi | Updated: August 24, 2024 07:46 IST

Democratic presidential nominee and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, her husband Doug Emhoff, Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, and his wife Gwen stand onstage on Day 4 of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., August 22, 2024. (REUTERS)

Kamala Harris’s selection as the Democratic candidate for US President has brought joy to a part of America that deserves it. For four long years, many Americans have lived through the self-contradictory strain of saying things are great under President Joe Biden while also saying things are not great at all because former President Trump is still around. They waited patiently for President Biden to rise to the occasion again, but then decided finally that it would be better to thank him for his service and confront their fearsome nemesis with a new arsenal instead.

And what spectacular energy has ensued from that arsenal since the Democratic National Convention (DNC) began!

Harris has been consistently described as an amazingly competent and compassionate human being by colleagues, family, and friends for the past few days. Personal testimonies have poured forth from people who knew her from the beginnings of her public life as San Francisco District Attorney, California Attorney General, Senator, and recently, as the US Vice President. It would not be out of place to describe the mood at the DNC as one of religious fervour, and of course, faith, in a much-needed saviour.

Texas Representative Jasmine Crockett’s speech summed up this mood perfectly. When she met VP Harris, she was very emotional, she said, and then, “the most powerful woman in the world wiped my tears and listened to me.” Confronted with tales of such empathy, what else can human beings do but believe?

Even the hip cartoonists at the New Yorker couldn’t resist representing the metaphysics of hope emanating from Chicago. One cartoon shows passengers in a plane shaking in their seats while the captain warns them of “moderate turbulence” from the “energy field pulsing up from the Democratic National Convention.”

Naturally, this mystical energy field has pulsed its way all the way up to an ecstatic climax with the breathlessly awaited appearance of the final speaker at the DNC – Harris herself. To start with, her speech was consistent with the description of her as someone capable of wiping away tears from the face of suffering Americans. She called for an end to bitterness and divisiveness. She noted that people with all political views were watching, and promised to be a leader for all Americans — “country over party,” as the saying goes. That was a much-needed gesture. Whatever the differences in positions and proposed policies of the two parties, the fact that she did so when no one expected her opponent to make generous “reaching across the aisle” moves was indeed welcome. But then, that promise was ephemeral.

Democratic presidential nominee and US Vice President Kamala Harris waves after speaking on Day 4 of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., August 22, 2024. (REUTERS)

Her attention then turned promptly to Donald Trump, whom she called an “unserious man”. She turned to issue grave warnings about what his return might do to America. It was an unexpected grasp at a gratuitous rhetorical crutch after all the lofty presidential image-building exercises at the convention. The “bogeyman” trope about Trump was perhaps par for the course when other speakers used it (“vindictive, vile, villain” was one of the more colourful phrases), but a step backwards when heard from someone working diligently towards greater gravitas in a darkly cacophonous time of political history. When you demonise an opponent who is still incredibly popular with many Americans, you run the risk of being seen as demonising those Americans you just promised to be a President for as well. On that count, despite all his obvious communication tics, tick-offs, and tactics (including his latest physical gag of mocking his advisers who tell him to talk about policies and avoid personal attacks on opponents), Trump still has some references to a familiar everyday American reality in his rhetorical arsenal that the Democratic campaign has failed to offer a persuasive alternative to.

The Democrats may chant “USA!” like Trump fans, but then the sight of American flags and monuments being desecrated in protests and riots these past few years under Democrats — slogans such as White Supremacy and Palestine — will not be forgotten by many people, across race, religions, and cultures, for whom “country” still symbolises an honourable form of association and identity. More importantly, it is quite apparent that the Democrats are also attempting to turn some of the unignorable social concerns highlighted by Trump such as crime and safety, and prices, into wins for them by highlighting Harris’s prosecutorial record, and the Republicans’ proximity to wealth, respectively. There are empty spaces in both houses.

The convention has come to an end, and so has an incredible experience in the meaning of politics to some in this, supposedly post-religious, age. “After the ecstasy”, as the title of a famous book goes, is the laundry. That it will get dirty is obvious. But much more than we know will be at stake if we are unable to avert our eyes from the spin and see it all for what it is.

The writer is professor of Media Studies, University of San Francisco

August 23, 1984, Forty Years Ago: Opposition Rally

August 23, 1984, Forty Years Ago: This is the front page of The Indian Express published on August 23, 1984, Forty Years Ago.

By: Editorial

August 23, 2024 08:31 IST

August 23, 1984, Forty Years Ago: This is the front page of The Indian Express published on August 23, 1984, Forty Years Ago.

Opposition party leaders at a public meeting at the Delhi Ramlila grounds unitedly pledged to fight the Congress onslaught on the Constitution and the erosion of democratic norms. Organised to protest against the “butchering” of democracy in Andhra Pradesh, the massive rally was addressed by major opposition party leaders.

Bhaskara’s 95

Thirty-six Andhra Pradesh MLAs who were claimed by Chief Minister Bhaskara Rao as having gone with him to Governor Ram Lal in Hyderabad were in New Delhi at that time. This is conclusively proved by a group photograph of 35 of them with N T Rama Rao taken at a hotel in New Delhi where NTR supporters were put up. Who then are the 95 supporters which Bhaskara Rao has claimed to have presented to the Governor?

Venkataraman Is VP

Congress (I) nominee R Venkataraman was elected the eighth Vice President of India when he defeated the combined Opposition candidate B C Kamble by a comfortable margin. Of the 745 votes polled, Venkataraman bagged 508 against 207 secured by Kamble. There were 30 invalid votes, an unusually high number considering that the electoral college consists of members of the two Houses of Parliament.

Centre’s Proposals

To deflate the Andhra Pradesh crisis, the Centre is considering proposals short of conceding to the demands of the Telugu Desam Party. One of the proposals is to transfer the state Governor, Ramlal. There were indications that some announcement concerning the developments in Andhra Pradesh would be made soon after the Prime Minister’s meeting the President. But it has been delayed.

Express View on Tripura floods: Don’t leave it all to the states

Reports indicate that the flash floods and landslides experienced by Tripura in the past three days have distinct similarities to the extreme weather-induced calamities in several parts of the country this season. Centre will have to hand-hold states in building resilience against climate change

By: Editorial

August 23, 2024 07:35 IST

Scientists in different parts of the country are working on mechanisms to alert people about landslides.

At least 10 people have lost their lives in Agartala after unrelenting rainfall for four days caused floods in large parts of Tripura’s capital. Rivers running in spate have caused devastation in other parts of the state, especially its southern districts, and the authorities fear the toll could be higher. It’s clear that “unprecedented rainfall” caught the state administration off-guard. Given that the IMD predicts that the downpour will continue for the next two days, the state government has done the right thing in according priority to “public safety” and “mitigating the impact of flooding”. More than 50,000 people have been shifted to relief camps. The Centre has promised Tripura “all help” in dealing with the emergency. But Tripura, like most states, needs more central support in combating the vagaries of the elements. Reports indicate that the flash floods and landslides experienced by the northeastern state in the past three days have distinct similarities to the extreme weather-induced calamities in several parts of the country this season. The Centre will have to hand-hold states in building resilience against climate change.

Scientists in different parts of the country are working on mechanisms to alert people about landslides. IIT Mandi, for instance, has installed sensors to measure rainfall, soil moisture and humidity in Kinnaur and Kangra districts of Himachal Pradesh. The data collected by these devices can help forecast landslides about three hours in advance. Administrators will need to sync this research with the observations of the weather bureau and coordinate with telecom operators to provide timely SMS warnings to people. But if the climate action plans of most state governments are any indication of ecological awareness, local agencies cannot be left to their own devices. Tripura’s climate action plan, for instance, has only a few sentences on floods and landslides. It does refer to the imperative of desilting rivers and upscaling urban drainage systems. The destruction caused by the latest floods is proof that such measures have remained on paper.

The raging waters have submerged the fields of Tripura’s paddy and jute farmers, most of whom are small agriculturists. The state’s farm sector is yet to recover from the damage caused by Cyclone Remal in May and another round of floods a month later. The Tripura government had then announced a financial assistance scheme for agriculturists. But as with early warning systems or urban infrastructure, governments will need to find ways to shield the fields from the ravages of floods. These tasks cannot be postponed for long.

Express View: Lovebomber baby vs Taylor Swift

The heartbreak anthem of 2024 offers hope: One need not be Taylor Swift to make viral art out of a failed romance

By: Editorial

August 23, 2024 07:33 IST

The consumption of “cringe” content — loosely defined as that which causes the viewer to feel embarrassed on behalf of the creator/performer — is a hallmark from the early years of social media.

Give due credit to the internet: Without the virality algorithm that determines how most people discover new art and artists these days, the story of Gagni Porwal’s broken heart would have remained a personal wound. Instead, ‘Lovebomber baby’, recorded by the computer engineer as an attempt to get over the man who “lovebombed” and then “ghosted” her, has become the heartbreak anthem of 2024. Featuring a video with unabashed DIY aesthetics, in which Porwal can be seen dancing to her own choreography, what the song lacks in polish, it makes up for in sheer vim. It has shot the singer to global fame.

The consumption of “cringe” content — loosely defined as that which causes the viewer to feel embarrassed on behalf of the creator/performer — is a hallmark from the early years of social media. This was when the novelty of platforms like YouTube, combined with the rapidly expanding reach of the internet to populations that were not necessarily digital natives, resulted in a proliferation of raw, unfiltered content. Some of these attained viral fame of the so-bad-it’s-good variety. Music, specifically, saw the birth of what became known as “cringe pop”, beginning with the infamous Rebecca Black song ‘Friday’ in 2011.

What is remarkable about Porwal’s fame, however, is that the undertone of cruelty — delighting in the awkwardness of another human being — that marked the virality of Black’s fame or that of Pakistani singer Taher Shah, is largely missing from people’s embrace of ‘Lovebomber baby’. The universality of her story may have something to do with it: Who, after all, hasn’t wondered why the object of their affections has stopped texting them? Or it could be that she embodies an altogether different emotion: Hope. She has, after all, shown that one need not be a Taylor Swift to make viral art out of a failed romance.

How to ensure dignity for the terminally-ill

It is high time there is legal clarity on the difference between euthanasia and the withdrawal of futile life-sustaining interventions

Written by Parth Sharma, Smriti Rana

Updated: August 23, 2024 14:02 IST

Aruna Shanbaug’s room at KEM Hospital in Mumbai. The judgment in her case legalised passive euthanasia. (Express photo by Vasant Prabhu)

A recent Supreme Court judgment reveals the legal and ethical confusion surrounding euthanasia in India. A Ryles tube is a device through which food can be passed through the nose into the stomach. Permission to remove the tube was denied to parents of Harish Rana, a 32-year-old who has been in a vegetative state for the past 11 years with no chance of recovery. While withdrawal of life-support in cases deemed terminal is allowed in India as per the SC’s 2018 judgment, a bench headed by CJI DY Chandrachud observed on August 20, “Ryles tube is not a life support system.”

The term “passive euthanasia’, adopted by the Supreme Court in 2018, refers to allowing natural death by withholding or withdrawing life-prolonging measures in patients with terminal illnesses. This term is not ideal. Withholding of futile life-sustaining measures, or withdrawing them allows for natural death, while euthanasia implies an intent to kill.

Ventilators, drugs that force the heart to beat, and dialysis machines, indisputably come under the category of life-prolonging measures. However, clinically assisted nutrition and hydration — a term used to describe artificial feeding by any route other than the mouth, including the Ryles tube — is also a life support measure that can be withdrawn in the terminally ill. Besides the judgment’s medical validity, it is also crucial to question its ethical basis. Medical ethics has four broad pillars. First, “beneficence”, which makes it moral incumbent on the physician — or the bench, in this case — to act in the patient’s benefit. Second, “non-maleficence” makes it obligatory on the decision-maker to not harm the patient. Third, “justice” demands that the rights of the patient should not be exploited. Fourth, “autonomy” gives the patient the right to choose.

To prolong Harish’s life effectively does nothing but add to his suffering. His aging parents are financially destroyed and left without agency. It is hard to imagine what it must have taken them to arrive at this point when they moved court. It is hard to imagine what it must have taken his ageing parents to move court. The ethics of beneficence and nonmaleficence are evidently jeopardised. In addition, the right to a dignified life and dignified death has also been denied. The verdict, along with a similar judgment passed by the Delhi High Court in Harish’s case, raises serious concerns. Why are judges extending themselves to make medical decisions that they are not trained for? Why were palliative care physicians not consulted before arriving at this judgment? Why did the family have to go to court? Could the early involvement of palliative care physicians prevented their suffering?

The SC decision also reflects the general fear and negative impression of death and dying in our culture. Death from “passive euthanasia” in cases like these is interpreted as murder rather than liberation from prolonged suffering. As in many cultures, the act of feeding is not merely a function of survival but is conflated with care giving, hospitality, and love. Denying this is taboo at a social and existential level. Let’s try and understand the reality here, though. Living with a Ryles tube is painful. It is distressing to have it inserted, and then it must be changed every two to three weeks. Multiply this by 11 years. Imagine the state of the elderly parents who haven’t known where to draw the line between hope and wishful thinking.

The Honourable Court parenthesised the denial of permission to remove the Ryles tube with the idea that it would lead to death by starvation. We don’t know for sure if a person in a vegetative state would feel hunger in ways fully conscious people do, but we do know that extending life that is of such poor quality for both the patient and his caregivers is a travesty of medical ethics. Discussions around death and dying need to happen not just with people when they are unwell, but also within families during times of good health.

It is high time to bring legal clarity to the difference between euthanasia and the withdrawal of futile life-sustaining interventions in India by involving medical and ethical experts. Till such systemic gaps are addressed, it is important to educate ourselves about our rights and the options available to us by means such as Advance Care Planning and Advance Medical Directives which enable us to gain control over our last day. A good quality of life and death are everyone’s rights.

Sharma is a community physician and a public health researcher. Rana heads the WHO Collaborating Centre for Training and Policy on Access to Pain Relief. Both authors are members of The Advance Care Planning Task Force under the Indian Association for Palliative Care

Express View on ‘predatory pricing’: Market facts and spectres

Claims of predatory pricing must be examined carefully. Policy needs to ensure fair competition for both e-commerce players and small retailers

By: Editorial

August 23, 2024 07:17 IST

Predatory pricing involves selling goods or services at a price lower than their cost of production.

On Wednesday, Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal raised the issue of “predatory pricing” by e-commerce platforms and the possibility of “social disruption” as their rapid growth could adversely impact millions of small retailers across the country. E-commerce platforms in India have been in the regulatory glare for some time now. In 2020, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) had initiated an investigation against Amazon and Flipkart over allegations of deep discounting and the practice of preferred sellers. Allegations of predatory pricing were also levied against e-commerce firm Shopee and taxi aggregator Ola, subsequently dismissed by the Competition Commission.

Predatory pricing involves selling goods or services at a price lower than their cost of production. This is an anti-competitive practice that works to the disadvantage of the firm’s existing competitors and also dissuades prospective new entrants in the market segment. Driving out competitors could result in the creation of a monopoly-like market structure. While consumers benefit in the short-term via lower prices, the long-term consequences are less market competition, less choice for buyers, and the possibility of the dominant firm later raising prices to the detriment of consumers. However, considering the dynamics of online pricing, the cost structures of these platforms and the advantages that economies of scale tend to offer, determining if a firm has engaged in predatory pricing is not a straightforward exercise. Moreover, even brick and mortar stores often offer huge discounts to clear their stock. The report by the Pahle India Foundation, at the launch of which Goyal made the comments, presents data that counters some of the charges that have been levied against such platforms. As per the report, while e-commerce is indeed growing at a fast pace, it comprised only 7.8 per cent of total retail sales in 2022. The report estimates that around 1.76 million retail enterprises take part in e-commerce activity in India, with the online vendors generating 15.8 million jobs, including 3.5 million for women. A significant share of e-commerce vendors surveyed in the report said that their sales and profits have increased after they started selling online. Integration with such platforms has, in fact, delivered benefits to vendors in smaller cities. Contrary to oft-repeated claims, the report finds that the growth of this segment is “not at the cost” of the traditional brick and mortar stores. Not only do consumers feel they have more choice, but they also feel that pricing is in their favour.

The e-commerce market in India is a fast growing segment. With more and more consumers and businesses onboarding such platforms, the Competition Commission should ensure that firms do not indulge in unfair practices, that there is fair play and a level playing field. There should be greater transparency in pricing and lesser information asymmetry. Policy should be guided by the objective of safeguarding competition.

Sanjaya Baru writes: Bangladesh crisis underlines the necessity of political risk management

To insulate overseas investment, expertise in internal politics and policy of countries of interest is needed

Written by Sanjaya Baru

Updated: August 23, 2024 18:33 IST

Smoke rising from Ganabhaban, the PM’s residence, which was stormed by public shortly after Hasina’s resignation. (Reuters)

The political crisis in Bangladesh and a renewed wave of anti-India sentiment sweeping across the neighbouring country have once again prompted analysts to examine the nature of political risk Indian companies face when they invest abroad. It is useful to remember that it is not so much in distant lands but, in fact, closer home in South Asia that Indian businesses have had more run-ins with political risk.

In 2004, a Tata group proposal to invest up to $3 billion in Bangladesh’s energy sector ran into political rough weather and was eventually abandoned. In 2009, products of the Dabur group came under what was perceived to be a politically-motivated consumer attack in Nepal. In 2013, a newly-elected government in the Maldives terminated an airport construction project awarded to the GMR group by a previous government. More recently, the Adani group has faced rough weather in Sri Lanka when functionaries of the government in Colombo alleged political pressure from India in the award of a contract.

It has been reported that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been encouraging Indian companies to invest overseas and emerge as global corporations. Even before securing any such official support, several major firms have been investing overseas partly to secure access to global markets and partly to de-risk the Indian environment. Few, however, have made any significant investment in assessing political risk, beyond hoping the home government would bail them out in difficult times.

Such dependence on the home government for dealing with overseas political risk itself constitutes a political risk. What happens when the political leader in government who guarantees protection overseas is himself replaced or no longer able to keep his word? Does a company board evaluate this risk when approving a proposal to venture out under such domestic political protection?

When a global company operating in India found itself exposed to a change in domestic laws, it chose to go to court. Some people advised the company’s global boss to approach the newly-appointed minister responsible for the change of policy. Having that kind of information and knowing how to get to the person is also risk management. This, too, requires feet on the ground and eyes and ears where possible.

Those investing in developed economies depend on the latter’s more predictable policy environment, not worrying too much about political risk. Though, even there, Indian businesses have had to grapple with domestic politics. Lakshmi Mittal, for example, had to deal with European politics in his bid to take over the cement MNC Arcelor. Infosys has had to convince American politicians that it is creating wealth and employment even in the US and not just in India.

Political risk management by Indian firms has ranged from “playing golf” with “persons that matter” in the overseas investment destination, to securing “political protection” in that country or “consulting the Indian ambassador”. Indian business leaders are quite adept at securing political protection overseas given the long years of experience at home. Diplomats have found an avenue for post-retirement employment, working for companies that have investments in countries where they have been posted. The lack of adequate demand for political risk insurance has not encouraged and developed this line of consulting adequately at home.

In creating the geo-economics and strategy programme at the International Institute of Strategic Studies a decade ago, I tried to explore the Indian corporate market for overseas political risk assessment and discovered that most business leaders were satisfied investing in building personal relations with “those who matter” in the relevant country. Over the past decade, many Indian business groups have funded research institutions and think tanks that study the global economy and politics. However, their focus is mostly on national security, foreign policy and bilateral relations rather than country-specific economic and political risk.

They have much to say in their working papers and newspaper columns on what governments say and do, on what they should or should not do and very little on offer for CEOs and board rooms on country-specific risks to Indian business. The irony is that both in government and business, most believe they have little use for such “academic” research. There have been intermittent efforts at promoting area studies and country-specific expertise but few undertake country political risk.

An important institution that has often filled the information gap for corporates between what may be regarded as purely “academic” research and “agenda-based” advice from governmental functionaries has been the media. Foreign correspondents are an excellent source of information that could feed into political risk assessment. There is, in fact, a long history of such a role being played by foreign correspondents with many distinguishing themselves as experts in area studies. This important source of overseas risk assessment is hardly available in India since few media companies invest in foreign correspondents.

In the past, when a few newspapers did appoint correspondents in neighbouring countries, some of the journalists became important sources of information on that country. What they could not or would not put on paper they would convey to diplomats and spooks. This has happened the world over, which is why foreign correspondents are sometimes viewed as quasi-spooks. No government likes such quasi-spooks but every government makes use of them.

Foreign governments and businesses dependent on mainstream Indian media’s coverage of the general elections in India were less prepared for the final result than those who paid attention to what some foreign correspondents were writing. Here, too, the Union government’s treatment of “difficult” foreign correspondents put many others on alert, limiting the freedom with which they could express their views on domestic politics, further contributing to the “surprise” downsizing of the BJP.

Given that both the government and individual firms are serious about overseas investment, they must facilitate the growth of area studies and expertise in the internal politics and policy of countries of interest and importance. It is not enough for think tanks to focus only on the foreign policy of other countries. They must also invest in developing local expertise in the domestic politics of countries where they intend to place their shareholders’ money.

If the kind of reporting that has been done out of Dhaka over the past fortnight by Indian media was done in the fortnight preceding Sheikh Hasina’s exit, many Indian firms, as well as the government in Delhi, would have been better prepared to deal with the sudden turn of events.

The writer was Member, National Security Advisory Board of India, 1999-2001 and media advisor to Prime Minister of India, 2004-08

Centre’s lateral entry policy corrects a historical wrong

As they did on several other issues in the past, the Congress wants to use lateral entries as a tool to generate political momentum ahead of the upcoming elections, following their third-consecutive defeat in the Lok Sabha

Written by Hitesh Jain

Updated: August 23, 2024 12:06 IST

The Modi government institutionalised the process of lateral entries in 2018. The PM cited the intricacies of an evolving economy and the requirement of specialists from industry in the bureaucracy. (Express Archives)

A series of motivated and spurious arguments have been advanced in various forums alleging that the Modi government in 2018 aimed to institutionalise lateral entries to undermine reservations in appointments. These assertions misrepresent the true intent of lateral entry and conveniently ignore the ad-hoc appointments made during the Congress regime, as well as how the institutionalisation of lateral appointments was a crucial step in addressing historical discrimination.

Continuing its disruptive agenda, the Congress party has now launched another campaign against lateral entries, rife with misinformation and falsified rhetoric. With many of its leaders claiming that a Bangladesh-like situation could arise in India against the Prime Minister, the Congress’s intent is highly questionable.

The Modi government institutionalised the process of lateral entries in 2018. The PM cited the intricacies of an evolving economy and the requirement of specialists from industry in the bureaucracy. In principle, the government has not gone back on its promise of allowing lateral entrants into the executive. However, it wants to ensure that the principles of social justice are adhered to and historical wrongs are corrected. It is in this context that one must analyse the directive from the PM to the Department of Personnel and Training. Interpreting the directive on social principles as a reversal on lateral entries is not only incorrect but also overlooks the problematic arrangements that have persisted since independence, beginning with an ambassador who was also the sister of India’s first Prime Minister.

In reality, the Congress campaign against lateral entries is a shallow attempt to cover up its faults from the past, where lateral entries had more to do with the whims of the party or a family, and not the needs of the government or bureaucracy. Interestingly, India’s former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh started out as a lateral entrant, the Chief Economic Advisor in 1972. He then moved on to the position of Secretary in the Finance Ministry in 1976, and 14 years later, was at the helm during the Balance of Payment crisis. Montek Singh Ahluwalia, a key figure during the UPA government, started out as special secretary to the Prime Minister in 1988, moving on to the position of Commerce Secretary in 1990. Other names include Vijay L Kelkar, who joined as a Secretary in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas in 1994; Bimal Jalan who joined as the Chief Economic Advisor in 1981, Prakash Tandon, who was the Head of State Trading Corporation, KPP Nambiar, Secretary in the Department of Electronics, Suman Dubey, Press advisor in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

Dr. Shankar Acharya, the Chief Economic Advisor appointed in 1993, was a lateral entrant too. Kaushik Basu, an economist, was another lateral entrant during the UPA era. Raghuram Rajan, before he became the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, joined the Ministry of Finance as the Chief Economic Advisor.

In 2009, the Congress shut down the Multipurpose National Identity Card (MNIC) programme, which had failed to make an impact. This led to the birth of UIDAI (Unique Identification Authority of India), which started the Aadhaar programme. Nandan Nilekani, heading UIDAI, was a lateral entrant to the system in 2009. Even after his appointment, the Aadhaar programme was mired in bureaucratic hurdles until 2014.

People close to the first family of the Congress were also awarded lateral entry positions. Sam Pitroda was the Chairman of the Telecom Commission in 1989 and again appointed as the advisor to the Prime Minister in 2009. Less than three years later, he was infamously moved out of the commission.

This ad-hoc generosity was also visible in the appointments to the National Advisory Council during the UPA. All appointments to the NAC, which actively interfered with the business of the legislature, were done on an ad-hoc basis and without consistency with the principles of social justice.

Congress’s history of discrimination against the SCs, STs, and OBCs is not restricted to lateral entry alone. The letter from Nehru to his Chief Ministers, stating his views on reservation, is well known. Terming the inclusion of the backward castes as encouraging the second-rate, Nehru stood firmly against the principles of social justice in the 1950s.

The Congress continued its discriminatory policies against the SCs, STs, and OBCs by designating many government-aided institutions, like the Jamia Millia Islamia and the Aligarh Muslim University, as minority institutions. By giving minority status to Jamia Millia Islamia in 2011, under UPA rule, the Congress deprived thousands of deserving backward students of their constitutional rights. Yet, the same Congress had no qualms about pursuing religion-based reservations in the final years of the UPA.

In Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, Congress has pursued religion-based reservations by diluting the rights of OBCs. The entire opposition alliance, led by the Congress, practices prejudice against the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Quick to hand over the rights of the marginalised groups to other religious communities, the alliance has staked the interests of the backward groups at the altar of appeasement politics. The affidavit submitted by the West Bengal government, currently facing criticism for the reported arbitrary inclusion of 77 castes, 75 of which are Muslim, in the OBC list, has also raised eyebrows.

Rahul Gandhi, in his capacity as the Leader of the Opposition, was corrected by the Defence Minister in the Lok Sabha after his incorrect statements on Agniveers. Regarding NEET, the Supreme Court has clearly directed against re-examination, much to the dismay of the Congress.

Dubious activists and short-seller misadventures have found no takers in the Indian markets, thus leaving many wondering if the subject of lateral entries is the new hope for the grand old party to latch on to. This is certainly not the first time that this has happened, and it won’t be the last either, where Rahul Gandhi and his party have never been able to walk the talk. This is where the approach of the Modi government significantly differs from the Congress-led UPA.

Today, when the institutionalisation of lateral entry is imminent, a historical wrong is being reversed for good. While adhering to the cause of social justice, the government is ensuring people with the right expertise and experience contribute to the cause of nation-building.

As they did on several other issues in the past, the Congress wants to use lateral entries as a tool to generate political momentum ahead of the upcoming elections, following their third consecutive defeat in the Lok Sabha polls. Therefore, Rahul Gandhi, who advocated for the idea of lateral entries in 2019, is now using the subject as another launchpad for his divisive pitch. However, today’s theatrics do not erase the mistakes of the past.

The writer is an advocate and Vice President, Mumbai BJP

UPSC-CSE Key

- UPSC Key | India-Ukraine, Internship scheme, Tripura floods and more

- International Day for Remembrance of the Slave Trade and Abolition: The memory of Indian indentured labourers

- UPSC Essentials | Daily subject-wise quiz : International Relations MCQs on Nord Stream, Tower of Hercules and more (Week 72)

- UPSC Essentials | Mains answer practice — GS 1 : Questions on Indian freedom struggle and waterspouts (Week 65)

- National Space Day: All you need to know for UPSC Prelims and Mains

- Conflicts in West Asia: Israel-Iran war of abrasion

- UPSC Issue at a Glance | Mpox and Public Health Emergency: 5 Key Questions You Must Know for Prelims and Mains

- UPSC Current Affairs Pointers of the past week | August 12 to August 18, 2024

UPSC Key | India-Ukraine, Internship scheme, Tripura floods and more

Exclusive for Subscribers Daily: How are Chandrayaan 3 and Euthanasia relevant to the UPSC Exam? What significance do topics like India-Ukraine relationship and Tripura floods have for your preliminary and main exams? You can learn more by reading the Indian Express UPSC Key for August 23rd, 2024.

Written by Khushboo Kumari

New Delhi | Updated: August 23, 2024 20:09 IST

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy welcomes India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine August 23, 2024. Know more in our UPSC Key. (Reuters)

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Front

PM Modi in Kyiv today: Deep concern, offer all cooperation in returning peace via talks

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: GS-II: International Relations

What’s the ongoing story-  Ahead of his visit to Kyiv, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday expressed “deep concern” over the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and said India was ready to extend “all possible cooperation” to restore peace and stability through “dialogue and diplomacy”… After concluding his visit to Warsaw, Modi travelled to Kyiv on Thursday night; he is scheduled to meet Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday.

Prerequisites:

— What is the importance of diaspora for India?

— Read about the UN Security Council, the UN General Assembly, the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, the European Union, the Non-Alignment Movement (NAM)

Key takeaways:

— Modi landed in Warsaw on Wednesday, in the first leg of his two-nation visit to Central Europe. Noting that Poland would assume the presidency of the European Union in January 2025, he said: “I am confident that your support will strengthen the relations between India and the EU.”

— Explained: Why Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Kyiv is significant

—  C. Raja Mohan writes: “Modi will be the first Indian prime minister to visit Ukraine after diplomatic relations were established in 1992. On July 6, Modi met Russia’s President Vladimir Putin in Moscow — a visit that both Zelenskyy and the United States had criticised.”

— Does Prime Minister Modi’s visit signal a break from India’s traditional foreign policy stance on Ukraine? “This is certainly not a continuation of India’s traditional foreign policy stance… India’s affection for the Soviet Union, and later Russia, did not extend to Ukraine…. But after the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact, and with Poland moving away from post-Soviet Russia and closer to the West, India has not found much time for the country. Both Poland and Ukraine are important countries in Europe, but India’s bias towards Russia, in retrospect, likely prevented New Delhi from going full steam on its engagement with central and eastern Europe.”

— What has led India to depart from its older foreign policy stance towards Ukraine? “The possibility of post-war reconstruction in Ukraine offers various opportunities for India. More immediately, there is room for defence industrial cooperation. Ukraine’s strength as one of the world’s agrarian powers will add to its strategic salience in the years ahead. Pre-war Ukraine was among the biggest sources of sunflower oil for India.”

— Could Modi’s visit to Ukraine impact India’s relations with Russia in any way? “There is no reason for that to happen. India-Russia relations are in no way linked to India’s engagement with Ukraine…”

— What is the significance of the PM’s ongoing visit? “For decades after Independence, Europe remained a relatively low priority for Indian foreign policy beyond the narrow focus on relations with Europe’s big four — Russia, Germany, France, and Britain. This has changed under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi over the last decade. His visit to Ukraine (and Poland) is part of India’s larger Europe push.”

— “This push to become “Vishwabandhu” includes a recognition of the opportunity that lies in forging deeper ties in central and eastern Europe, and disentangling New Delhi’s engagement with the region from its relationship with Russia.”

For Your Information:

— The Ideas Page: When Modi meets Zelenskyy

— Anastasia Piliavsky writes “Modi’s recent sojourn to Moscow left India’s Western allies unimpressed, and Ukrainians deeply hurt…”

— “Modi’s visit to Ukraine, following a day in Poland, Kyiv’s key ally, is an opportunity to swing back to balance, to restore India’s reputation as a peaceable yet principled global player, and to reassure Euro-American allies, who are by far its most important economic and strategic partners.”

— “In Kyiv, Modi will be pursuing other aims. For India, the visit presents an opportunity to review and re-launch its relations with Europe’s largest, resource-rich state.”

— “To move forward with these, India and Ukraine will have to let go of past hurts. Yes, 26 years ago, a newly independent Ukraine… criticised India’s nuclear tests… It also opposed nuclear tests in Pakistan. Ukraine has been critical of India’s Kashmir policy…Fewer still know that the slogan Hindi-Rusi bhai-bhai was coined by USSR’s Ukrainian leader, Nikita Khrushchev, who did the most to advance Indo-Soviet relations.”

— “The real skeleton in history’s closet here is Russia’s. Since the embargo on arms sales to Pakistan was lifted 10 years ago, Russia rushed to military cooperation with Islamabad, helping it to acquire large Mi-26 transport helicopters, precision-guided munitions, artillery, air defence, and long-range missiles.”

— “Ukrainian Zorya gas turbines do not only propel Indian battleships and submarines, they also enabled the Chandrayaan moon landing. On the eve of Russia’s full-scale invasion, India signed a 100-million-dollar deal with Ukraine’s Zorya-Mashproekt to develop gas turbine power plants…”

— “Ukraine’s maritime victory against Russia’s vastly superior Black Sea Fleet, which was achieved with innovative waterborne drone technology, has placed Ukraine at the vanguard of modern, low-cost defence developments.”

— “Weapons will not be the only matters in focus. While Ukraine’s future reconstruction will offer huge opportunities for India’s strained labour market, both countries are leaders in digital statehood, a key site of potential cooperation.”

Points to Ponder:

— What are the challenges in the India-Ukraine relationship?

— What are the areas of cooperation between India and Ukraine relationship?

— What is the significance of Central Europe for India?

Post Read Question:

(1) Consider the following pairs:

India’s Operations

Purpose

1. Operation Ganga

: evacuation mission from war-torn Ukraine

2. Operation Raahat

: evacuate Indian citizens and foreign nationals from Yemen

3. Operation Safe Homecoming

: evacuate Indian citizens who were fleeing from the Libyan Civil War

How many of the pairs are correctly matched?

(a) One only

(b) Two only

(c) All three

(d) None

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

PM Modi arrives in Ukraine, set to meet President Zelenskyy today

Internship portal in the works, will match skill sets with opportunity

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: GS-II, III: Government policies and interventions, Economy

What’s the ongoing story- A new portal is in the works to enable youth to apply for internships directly with the country’s top 500 companies under a special package announced in the Budget. The portal will facilitate matching of skill sets of the applicants with the type of internship opportunities provided by the companies.

Prerequisites:

— What is the significance of skill enhancement?

— What internship scheme was announced in the budget?

— What is the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)?

Key takeaways:

— The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) will announce the guidelines for the internship scheme over the next two weeks, following which the portal will be made active for the prospective applicants, officials involved in the exercise said.

— In the Union Budget for 2024-25 presented by the NDA government on July 23, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced the Prime Minister’s Package for Employment and Skilling with an overall outlay of Rs 2 lakh crore. The government is keen to ensure that those at the margins, especially those less skilled and less employable, are able to make the most of this internship scheme.

— “They will gain exposure for 12 months to real-life business environments, varied professions and employment opportunities. An internship allowance of Rs 5,000 per month along with a one-time assistance of Rs 6,000 will be provided. Companies will be expected to bear the training cost and 10 per cent of the internship cost from their CSR funds,” Sitharaman had said.

For Your Information:

— The new apprentice scheme seeks to provide internships to 1 crore youth over the next five years. The government is keen to ensure that those at the margins, especially those less skilled and less employable, are able to make the most of this internship scheme.

— The scheme is part of the central government’s larger focus in the Union Budget 2024 on creating employment avenues for the country’s youth, and comes after the issue became a hot button during the Lok Sabha polls held earlier this year.

Points to Ponder:

— What are the challenges of India’s manufacturing sector?

— What is the significance of employment-linked incentives?

— How Union Budget has addressed the problem of unemployment in India?

Post Read Question:

(2) Increase in absolute and per capita real GNP do not connote a higher level of economic development, if (UPSC CSE 2018)

(a) industrial output fails to keep pace with agricultural output.

(b) agricultural output fails to keep pace with industrial output.

(c) poverty and unemployment increase.

(d) imports grow faster than exports.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

Employment linked incentives, tweaks to component import duties, easy loans to MSMEs, part of Budget’s manufacturing push

Budget 2024: Internship for 1 crore youth, industry seeks clarity

Express Network

Tripura floods: Death toll rises to 20 as 7 people get buried under landslides

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: GS-I, III: Geography, Disaster Management

What’s the ongoing story- The flood situation remains grim in Tripura with the death toll rising to 20 in rain-related incidents.

Prerequisites:

— What is the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF)?

— What is a landslide?

— What are the reasons for floods?

— Map work: Gumti river, Dumbur dam, Haora river

Key takeaways:

— Eleven National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have been dispatched from Arunachal Pradesh to aid in the state government’s search and rescue operations.

— Terming the prevailing condition as an “unprecedented situation”, the government has said it is closely monitoring the unfolding flood condition at the highest level.

For Your Information:

— It’s clear that “unprecedented rainfall” caught the state administration off-guard. Given that the IMD predicts that the downpour will continue for the next two days, the state government has done the right thing in according priority to “public safety” and “mitigating the impact of flooding”

— Reports indicate that the flash floods and landslides experienced by the northeastern state in the past three days have distinct similarities to the extreme weather-induced calamities in several parts of the country this season. The Centre will have to hand-hold states in building resilience against climate change.

— Tripura’s climate action plan, for instance, has only a few sentences on floods and landslides. It does refer to the imperative of desilting rivers and upscaling urban drainage systems. The destruction caused by the latest floods is proof that such measures have remained on paper.

— The raging waters have submerged the fields of Tripura’s paddy and jute farmers, most of whom are small agriculturists… But as with early warning systems or urban infrastructure, governments will need to find ways to shield the fields from the ravages of floods. These tasks cannot be postponed for long.

Points to Ponder:

— What are the steps taken to mitigate the impact of flooding?

— What is India’s preparedness for handling extreme weather events?

— What are the reasons for the extreme weather events?

Post Read Question:

The frequency of urban floods due to high intensity rainfall is increasing over the years. Discussing the reasons for urban floods, highlight the mechanisms for preparedness to reduce the risk during such events. (UPSC CSE 2016)

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

Bangladesh floods not due to release of water from Tripura dam, says MEA

Explained

Chandrayaan 3: the first findings

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: GS-III: Science and technology

What’s the ongoing story- Almost a year after Chandrayaan 3 landed on the Moon, scientists in India have released the findings of studies carried out by one of the instruments on the rover module. The findings comprise the first analysis of the composition of the topsoil in the Moon’s southern latitudes, and support the widely-accepted hypothesis that the lunar surface in the immediate aftermath of the Moon’s formation was covered by a sea of molten material.

Prerequisites:

— What was Chandrayaan 3 mission?

— What is the lunar magma ocean (LMO) hypothesis?

Key takeaways:

— The data collected by the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) also contain new information about the elemental composition of the lunar surface that can help to better understand the evolution of the Moon.

— Findings of APXS: The terrain around Chandrayaan 3’s landing sight is fairly uniform;

* The Moon’s crust was formed layer by layer, which adds weight to the lunar magma ocean (LMO) hypothesis; and

* The topsoil around the lunar south pole has a greater-than-expected sprinkling of minerals which compose the lower layers of the lunar crust.

— The Moon is thought to have been formed after a large asteroid collided with Earth some 4.5 billion years ago. Scientists hypothesise that in its early life, the Moon’s surface was made up entirely of an ocean of magma…The findings of Chandrayaan 3’s APXS take this hypothesis a step further.

— The third APXS finding is a new discovery — and suggests that some “mixing” of the various clevels of the lunar crust might have taken place. The researchers have proposed that this “mixing” could have been caused by the asteroid impact that led to the formation of the South Pole Aitken (SPA) Basin, the largest and oldest basin on the Moon.

— Scientists believe that the APXS measurements will serve as the “first ground truth in the south polar highlands and probably play a key role in the overall understanding of the origin and evolution of the Moon”.

For Your Information:

— Today, India celebrates its first National Space Day, marking the successful landing of the Vikram Lander from the Chandrayaan-3 mission.

— The Chandrayaan-3 mission, launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, achieved a safe and soft landing of the Vikram Lander on the Moon’s surface.

— This achievement signifies a historic milestone for the nation, as India became only the fourth country globally to successfully land a rover on the Moon and the first to do so in the southern polar region.

— The theme for National Space Day 2024 is “Touching Lives while Touching the Moon: India’s Space Saga,” highlighting the broader impact of space exploration on society and emphasising how advancements in space technology can enhance the quality of life on Earth.

Points to Ponder:

— What is the significance of the Chandrayaan 3 mission for India?

— What are the other lunar missions of ISRO?

Post Read Question:

Prelims

(3) Consider the following statements: (UPSC CSE 2016)

The Mangalyaan launched by ISRO

1. is also called the Mars Orbiter Mission

2. made India the second country to have a spacecraft orbit the Mars after USA

3. made India the only country to be successful in making its spacecraft orbit the Mars in its very first attempt

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Mains

What is the main task of India’s third moon mission which could not be achieved in its earlier mission? List the countries that have achieved this task. Introduce the subsystems in the spacecraft launched and explain the role of the “Virtual Launch Control Centre’ at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre which contributed to the successful launch from Sriharikota. (UPSC CSE 2023)

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

National Space Day: All you need to know for UPSC Prelims and Mains

National Space Day 2024: Theme, origin, significance—all you need to know about ISRO Chandrayaan 3 Mission

Economy

Not against e-commerce, but seeking fair play, says Piyush Goyal

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: GS-III: Economy

What’s the ongoing story- A day after expressing concern over the use of predatory pricing strategies by e-commerce players in the country, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday stated that the government has no intention of halting online commerce but desires fair play so that small retailers can survive and coexist.

Prerequisites:

— What are predatory pricing strategies?

— What is the business-to-business model?

— What is foreign direct investment (FDI)?

Key takeaways:

— The minister reiterated the example of the impact of the e-commerce industry in the US, saying that the rise of e-commerce led to the disappearance of “mom and pop” stores in the country, and that India’s efforts should focus on providing equal opportunities to an estimated 10 crore small retailers as India’s per capita income is not at par with Western countries.

— “Are predatory pricing policies good for the country? When Amazon says they are going to invest a billion dollars in India, we all celebrate. We forget the underlying story— that billion dollars is not being invested in any great service or in any significant way to support the Indian economy. They posted a billion-dollar loss in their balance sheet that year,” Goyal had said on Wednesday.

For Your Information:

— E-commerce platforms in India have been in the regulatory glare for some time now. In 2020, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) had initiated an investigation against Amazon and Flipkart over allegations of deep discounting and the practice of preferred sellers…

— Predatory pricing involves selling goods or services at a price lower than their cost of production. This is an anti-competitive practice that works to the disadvantage of the firm’s existing competitors and also dissuades prospective new entrants in the market segment. Driving out competitors could result in the creation of a monopoly-like market structure.

—  As per the report, while e-commerce is indeed growing at a fast pace, it comprised only 7.8 per cent of total retail sales in 2022. The report estimates that around 1.76 million retail enterprises take part in e-commerce activity in India, with the online vendors generating 15.8 million jobs, including 3.5 million for women.

— A significant share of e-commerce vendors surveyed in the report said that their sales and profits have increased after they started selling online. Integration with such platforms has, in fact, delivered benefits to vendors in smaller cities.

— Contrary to oft-repeated claims, the report finds that the growth of this segment is “not at the cost” of the traditional brick and mortar stores. Not only do consumers feel they have more choice, but they also feel that pricing is in their favour.

— The e-commerce market in India is a fast growing segment. With more and more consumers and businesses onboarding such platforms, the Competition Commission should ensure that firms do not indulge in unfair practices, that there is fair play and a level playing field. There should be greater transparency in pricing and lesser information asymmetry.

Points to Ponder:

— How are e-commerce platforms regulated in India?

— What is the role of the Competition Commission of India (CCI)?

— What are the government initiatives to promote e-commerce in India?

Post Read Question:

(4) With reference to foreign-owned e-commerce firms, operating in India, which of the following statements is/are correct? (UPSC CSE 2022)

1. They can sell their own goods in addition to offering their platforms as market-places.

2. The degree to which they can own big sellers on their platforms is limited.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

Express View on ‘predatory pricing’: Market facts and spectres

Editorial

For dignity in the end

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: GS-II: Government policies and interventions

What’s the ongoing story- Parth Sharma and Smriti Rana write: A recent Supreme Court judgment reveals the legal and ethical confusion surrounding euthanasia in India… While withdrawal of life-support in cases deemed terminal is allowed in India as per the SC’s 2018 judgment, a bench headed by CJI DY Chandrachud observed on August 20, “Ryles tube is not a life support system.”

Prerequisites:

— What is passive euthanasia?

— What is Ryles tube?

— What is the legal provision for euthanasia in India?

Key takeaways:

— A Ryles tube is a device through which food can be passed through the nose into the stomach. Permission to remove the tube was denied to parents of Harish Rana, a 32-year-old who has been in a vegetative state for the past 11 years with no chance of recovery.

— The term “passive euthanasia’, adopted by the Supreme Court in 2018, refers to allowing natural death by withholding or withdrawing life-prolonging measures in patients with terminal illnesses. This term is not ideal. Withholding of futile life-sustaining measures, or withdrawing them allows for natural death, while euthanasia implies an intent to kill.

— Ventilators, drugs that force the heart to beat, and dialysis machines, indisputably come under the category of life-prolonging measures. However, clinically assisted nutrition and hydration… including the Ryles tube — is also a life support measure that can be withdrawn in the terminally ill.

— Medical ethics has four broad pillars. First, “beneficence”, which makes it moral incumbent on the physician — or the bench, in this case — to act in the patient’s benefit. Second, “non-maleficence” makes it obligatory on the decision-maker to not harm the patient. Third, “justice” demands that the rights of the patient should not be exploited. Fourth, “autonomy” gives the patient the right to choose.

— Why are judges extending themselves to make medical decisions that they are not trained for? Why were palliative care physicians not consulted before arriving at this judgment? Why did the family have to go to court? Could the early involvement of palliative care physicians prevented their suffering?

— The SC decision also reflects the general fear and negative impression of death and dying in our culture… As in many cultures, the act of feeding is not merely a function of survival but is conflated with care giving, hospitality, and love. Denying this is taboo at a social and existential level.

— The Honourable Court parenthesised the denial of permission to remove the Ryles tube with the idea that it would lead to death by starvation… but we do know that extending life that is of such poor quality for both the patient and his caregivers is a travesty of medical ethics. Discussions around death and dying need to happen not just with people when they are unwell, but also within families during times of good health.

— It is high time to bring legal clarity to the difference between euthanasia and the withdrawal of futile life-sustaining interventions in India by involving medical and ethical experts… A good quality of life and death are everyone’s rights.

For Your Information:

— The Supreme Court allowed passive euthanasia while recognising the living wills of terminally-ill patients who could go into a permanent vegetative state, and issued guidelines regulating this procedure.

— A five-judge Constitution Bench headed by then Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra said that the guidelines would be in force until Parliament passed legislation on this. However, this has not happened, and the absence of a law on this subject has rendered the 2018 judgment the last conclusive set of directions on euthanasia

Points to Ponder:

— What are living wills?

— Evolution of the concept of living will in India

— What are the ethical issues concerning euthanasia?

— What is the difference between active and passive euthanasia?

Post Read Question:

What does living will entail? What are the challenges associated with its implementation?

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

What is a living will, and the new Supreme Court order for simplifying passive euthanasia procedure?

Managing political risk

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: GS-II: International relations

What’s the ongoing story- Sanjaya Baru writes: The political crisis in Bangladesh and a renewed wave of anti-India sentiment sweeping across the neighbouring country have once again prompted analysts to examine the nature of political risk Indian companies face when they invest abroad. It is useful to remember that it is not so much in distant lands but, in fact, closer home in South Asia that Indian businesses have had more run-ins with political risk.

Prerequisites:

— What is Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)?

— Difference between FDI and FPI

Key takeaways:

— In 2004, a Tata group proposal to invest up to $3 billion in Bangladesh’s energy sector ran into political rough weather and was eventually abandoned.

— In 2009, products of the Dabur group came under what was perceived to be a politically-motivated consumer attack in Nepal.

— In 2013, a newly-elected government in the Maldives terminated an airport construction project awarded to the GMR group by a previous government.

— More recently, the Adani group has faced rough weather in Sri Lanka when functionaries of the government in Colombo alleged political pressure from India in the award of a contract.

— What happens when the political leader in government who guarantees protection overseas is himself replaced or no longer able to keep his word? Does a company board evaluate this risk when approving a proposal to venture out under such domestic political protection?

— Those investing in developed economies depend on the latter’s more predictable policy environment, not worrying too much about political risk.

Points to Ponder:

— What is the scope of the Indian corporate market overseas?

— What are India’s challenges in the international arena?

— How does domestic politics impact foreign direct investment in other countries?

Post Read Question:

‘India is an age-old friend of Sri Lanka.’ Discuss India’s role in the recent crisis in Sri Lanka in the light of the preceding statement. (UPSC CSE 2022)

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

India shouldn’t be defensive about its domestic politics: Jaishankar

PRELIMS ANSWER KEY

1. (c)  2. (c)  3. (c)  4. (d)

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International Day for Remembrance of the Slave Trade and Abolition: The memory of Indian indentured labourers

Movements to end slavery around the world led to a surge in demand for labourers in plantation economies. Why and how did India and other south Asian colonies fill this gap by supplying a new version of ‘indentured labourers’ around the world?

New Delhi | August 23, 2024 17:39 IST

Girmitiyas in Trinidad. (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

— Aakanksha Jha

(The Indian Express has launched a new series of articles for UPSC aspirants written by seasoned writers and erudite scholars on issues and concepts spanning History, Polity, International Relations, Art, Culture and Heritage, Environment, Geography, Science and Technology, and so on. Read and reflect with subject experts and boost your chance of cracking the much-coveted UPSC CSE. In the following article, Aakanksha Jha recalls the history of slavery and Indian indentured labourers.)

Ever since the first sails were lifted on Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria (Ships of Christopher Columbus) in the last decade of the 15th century, the political map of the world underwent significant changes. Conquistadors and explorers like Ferdinand Magellan, Bartolomeu Diaz, Christopher Columbus, Vasco da Gama showed to their Portuguese and Spanish masters that the world was much more than the continent of Europe.

Routes to the ‘Orient’ (Eastern) world were searched with the clarion call of ‘God, Gold and Glory’. Within the next century, European colonisers occupied and divided the landmasses of newly discovered America, Caribbeans, Africa and Spice islands in South Asia.

This period in the 15th century was called the Age of Discovery, and slavery was a direct result of the same. A huge number of native men and women in the colonised and ‘discovered’ land were employed to do the plantation job of the colonisers. Thousands of hectares of native lands of the American mainland and the Caribbean were used for the plantation of sugar, cotton and tobacco.

Slavery and the plantation economy

This needed cheap labour round the clock. The colonisers used brute force to enslave the native unsuspecting population of Africa to fuel this plantation economy thereby giving birth to transatlantic slave trade. According to the Heritage collections of the UK Parliament, roughly 12 million slaves were shipped between 1500-1800, with Britishers alone accounting for 3 million.

Any version of modern American history cannot be written without mentioning slavery and the subsequent struggle for the emancipation of slaves. It was the Haitian Revolution of 1791- 1804 that led to the first struggle of slaves against their colonisers. Haiti was colonised after its discovery by Columbus in 1492. He called it La Isla Española. The Spanish colonisers literally mined gold from the Caribbean Island and after exhaustion passed it onto the French. It was from here that French colonisers took the reins of Saint-Domingue and Port de Paix (new trading stations in Haiti).

At the time of the French Revolution in 1789, the population of Saint Domingue was 5,56,000 with 5,00,000 slaves of African origin, 32,000 European colonisers and 24,000 affranchis (people of mixed European and African descent). Revolt started during the night of August 22-23, 1791 in Saint Domingue which lasted till 1804.

It was the joint revolution of affranchis and slaves working in the Haitian plantation economy that resulted in the birth of the first slavery free country in the world.

By 1804, the world had its first slavery-free country, i.e. Haiti (a native origin Arawak name) under Jean Jacques Dessalines, a former slave of African origin.

Therefore, August 23 is commemorated as the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave trade and its Abolition.

Abolitionist movements

The saga of slave emancipation did not end here but next unfolded in the isles of British dominions. In the 1830s, the abolitionists started gaining weight in British politics. These were the group of politicians and merchants in Britain who wanted to end the slave-led plantation economy in the American and tropical British colonies. This was very unusual on the surface but if looked deeper within, had reasons in decolonisation politics.

Ever since the birth of the USA in 1776, Britain lost a big colony and its slave led plantation economy. It was not on amicable terms with the independent US and hence wanted to end the monopoly of big plantation economies like the US. British politicians with their new age Victorian liberalism and protestant ethics started talking against forced labour and instead supported ‘Laissez Faire’ or free trade policy.

This was coupled with abolition movements like ‘Baptist War’ in Jamaica in 1831 and anti-slavery movements in Upper Canada. All these led to the passing of the Slavery Abolition Act in 1833 by the British Parliament freeing roughly 8,00,000 slaves in Caribbean, South Africa and Canada. It received royal assent on August 1, 1834.

The American civil war

The biggest saga of slave emancipation was however starting to take shape in the courtroom of St Louis Circuit Court, Wisconsin in the US. A person named Dread Scott and his wife Harriet pleaded to the court to grant them freedom from bondage and servitude because they now lived in a ‘free state’ Wisconsin in 1846. Back then the US was divided in free and non-free states (slave state) as far as slave trade was concerned. Slavery was largely prevalent in the South American plantation economy.

The Supreme Court finally in the judgement to Scott vs. Sandford in 1857, opined that slaves were not part of the citizenry of the US and hence could not get protection of civil liberty from the Federal Government. This led to deep anguish and fissures in the political and social circles of the US. Abolition question in the US also snowballed into a constitutional crisis. Slavery and plantation fuelled southern states under Jefferson Davis started talking about the right to secede from the Union.

All these developments led to the American Civil War starting in 1861. The 13th and 14th Amendments to the US constitution argued for giving equal citizenship rights to all the men and women born on American soil thereby ending slavery and the overturning of the Scott judgement. President Abraham Lincoln emerged as the leader and biggest advocate of the abolition movement around the world.

In December 1865, slavery was abolished in the US. However, as the former slaves in the US and Caribbean began to breathe in free air, the air started choking for the cheap labour available in countries like India, Burma, Malaysia, Indonesia etc. Abolition movements around the world led to sudden huge demand for labourers in plantation economies around the world. India and other south Asian colonies filled this gap by supplying a new version of ‘indentured labourers’ around the world.

Indian ‘indentured labourers’

These labourers originating from mostly northern India, coastal Burma and South East Asia were made to sign an agreement by their employers. The agreement stipulated the wages for the period of employment, which ran into several years. The wage was not enough to secure a good earning, not the least for their return journey to their native land. The labourers who signed these agreements were new age slaves – bound by economic hardship in an alien land. Today as we see Indian origin diaspora in the Caribbeans or in Mauritius – they all bear an imprint of the indentured labour system.

Historian Brij Lal in his seminal book, Chalo Jahaji: On a Journey through Indenture in Fiji (2012), talks about his personal and community history of 60,000 Indians who travelled to Fiji during this time period. It is worth noting how these indentured labourers used to call themselves as ‘girmitiyas’ – the one who has signed the agreement or Girmit. The National Archives of India holds these agreements which sent Indians to places like Mauritius, British Guiana, Ceylon, Cape Colony, St Kitts, Windward Islands, Grenada, Kenya, Uganda, Trinidad and Jamaica – roughly accounting for 1.6 million labourers.

The National Archives summary notes that most of these labourers were mostly young, active, able-bodied people. They demanded agricultural jobs but were often ignorant of the places they agreed to go to or the challenges they were going to face. Before 1840, a large proportion of the labourers were so-called ‘Hill coolies’, aboriginal people from the plains of the Ganga. Later many others signed indentured labour contracts, including Hindus, Brahmins, high castes, agriculturists, artisans, Muslims, low castes (untouchables) and Christians.

Over 41,000 Bengali labourers were sent to Mauritius in 1834, but the Indian government banned ‘coolie’ shipments in 1838 because there were reports of repression and abuse. In 1842 the British Prime Minister Robert Peel directed the Indian government to re-open these lines of emigration under proper safeguards. A Protector of Emigrants was appointed to ensure that the labourers had adequate space, food, water and ventilation on the journey.

Emigration to Jamaica, British Guiana and Trinidad was legalised in 1844. Emigration to Grenada and St Lucia was legalised in 1856 and 1858 respectively. The last indentured labourers went to the West Indies in 1916. Repatriation continued for many years after the time limit. The last ship carrying returning emigrants left the West Indies for India in 1954.

Breaking silence on the history of slavery

In 1994, the UNESCO “Routes of Enslaved Peoples: Resistance, Liberty and Heritage” Project contributed to the production of innovative knowledge, the development of high-level scientific networks and the support of memory initiatives on the theme of slavery, its abolition and the resistance it generated. At the international level, the project has thus played a major role in “breaking” the silence surrounding the history of slavery and placing this tragedy that has shaped the modern world in the universal memory.

But for India, the memory of indentured labourers and emigration pain came alive when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau apologised in Canadian Parliament for the Komagata Maru incident in May of 2016. Komagata Maru was a Japanese ship carrying Indian emigrants to Canada in April of 1913. The Canadian authorities denied entry of the ship in Canada, starving the passengers of food and water, involved them in litigations and ultimately forced the ship to return to India by Sept of 1914.

This created a huge uproar in the Budge Budge port of Calcutta (Kolkata), leading to firing and death of 16 passengers. Incidents like these led to the Ghadar Movement in India against British imperialism. On the one hand, the Indian cheap labourers were sent to plantation colonies for rigorous work, on the other hand, educated Indians were never encouraged to travel to and work in other prosperous British dominions. Thus, the hypocrisy of British emancipation was long exposed and emigration became an important issue in Indian nationalism.

In recent years, memorials such as the Apravasi Ghat in Mauritius unveiled by the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2005, the Kolkata Memorial inaugurated in 2011 at the Kidderpore Depot and the Mai-Baap Memorial at the Suriname Ghat unveiled by former External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in 2015 symbolise the tragedies of indentured slavery and the resilience of human spirit. They celebrate the momentous contributions of the diaspora originating from the indentured system in their adopted countries as well as the Indian spirit that these communities have kept alive all these years.

Post Read Question

Why is the International Day for the Remembrance of Slave Trade and its Abolition celebrated on August 23 every year?

Why were indentured labourers taken by the British from India to their colonies? Have they been able to preserve their cultural identity over there?

Discuss the role of Mahatma Gandhi in the abolition of Indentured servitude from India.

(Aakanksha Jha teaches at the Delhi University.)

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UPSC Essentials | Daily subject-wise quiz : International Relations MCQs on Nord Stream, Tower of Hercules and more (Week 72)

Are you preparing for UPSC CSE Prelims 2025? Check your progress and revise your topics through this quiz on International Relations.

Written by Nitendra Pal Singh

New Delhi | August 23, 2024 16:18 IST

At least 150 civilians from Rohingya minority may have been killed this week in an artillery and drone attack in the western state of Rakhine that is being blamed on the Arakan Army, a major force in the resistance to military rule. Find a question on Rakhine State in today's quiz. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

UPSC Essentials brings to you its initiative of subject-wise quizzes. These quizzes are designed to help you revise some of the most important topics from the static part of the syllabus. Attempt today’s subject quiz on the International Relations Quiz to check your progress. Come back tomorrow to solve the MCQs on Weekly Current Affairs.

🚨 The Indian Express UPSC Essentials brings to you the August edition of its monthly magazine. Click Here to read. Share your views and suggestions in the comment box or at manas.srivastava@indianexpress.com🚨

QUESTION 1

The Nord Stream route passes through:

1. Sweden

2. Russia

3. Netherlands

4. Germany

5. Norway

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

(a) 1, 2, 3 and 5 only

(b) 3, 4 and 5 only

(c) 2, 3, 4 and 5 only

(d) 1, 2 and 4 only

Explanation

— Almost two years after the September 2022 bombing of the Nord Stream pipelines under the Baltic Sea, it is still unknown who damaged the pipes. The devastation of pipelines carrying natural gas from Russia to Germany aggravated Europe’s energy crisis following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

— The Nord Stream twin pipeline system spans the Baltic Sea, connecting Vyborg, Russia, to Lubmin near Greifswald, Germany.

— The Nord Stream route crosses Russia, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, and Germany’s Exclusive Economic Zones, as well as the territorial waters of Russia, Denmark, and Germany.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 2

The Tower of Hercules has recently been added to the UNESCO World Heritage Site list. It is situated in:

(a) Austria

(b) Germany

(c) Spain

(d) France

Explanation

— During the 46th session, the World Heritage Committee (WHC) decided to add the Tower of Hercules to the UNESCO World Heritage Site list.

— The Tower of Hercules (Spain) has been a lighthouse and landmark at the entrance of La Coruña harbour in north-western Spain since the late 1st century A.D.

— It is divided into three smaller levels, with the first corresponding to the lighthouse’s Roman structure. A modest rectangular Roman structure stands just adjacent to the Tower’s base. The property also includes a sculpture park, Iron Age rock engravings called Monte dos Bicos, and a Muslim cemetery.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

(Source: whc.unesco.org)

QUESTION 3

Consider the following pairs:

Place in News

Description

Botswana

World’s second largest diamond with 2,492-carat discovered

Abu Dhabi

90-foot tall bronze statue of Lord Hanuman

Malaysia

First Mpox case reported in Asian country

How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?

(a) Only one pair

(b) Only two pairs

(c) All three pairs

(d) None of the above pairs

Explanation

Place in News

Description

Botswana

World’s second largest diamond with 2,492-carat discovered

Texas (U.S.)

90-foot tall bronze statue of Lord Hanuman

Thailand

First Mpox case reported in Asian country

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 4

Rakhine State was in the news due to civil war among various religious groups. It is located in:

(a) Bangladesh

(b) Thailand

(c) Myanmar

(d) Sri Lanka

Explanation

— Many religious groups in Myanmar are caught between opposing forces who want to use ethnic tensions for their own purposes as the country’s civil war becomes increasingly complicated.

— This is the case in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, where fighting has been ongoing for months, centred on the townships of Maungdaw and Buthidaung. The majority of the population in the townships is Muslim, primarily Rohingya, however Buddhist Rakhine also dwell there.

— The Arakan Army (AA) is a rebel army that opposes Myanmar’s ruling military junta. It is the military wing of the United League of Arakan (ULA), the political organisation of the Buddhist Rakhine people.

— Human Rights Watch has published a comprehensive analysis detailing how Rohingya networks forcefully recruited up to 1,800 Rohingya in Bangladesh refugee camps and transported them into Myanmar to fight for the State Administrative Council (SAC) against the Arakan Army.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 5

Which of the following countries are part of the Southern African Development Community (SADC)?

1. Malawi

2. Mozambique

3. Niger

4. Mali

5. Seychelles

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2, 3 and 4 only

(c) 1, 2, 4 and 5 only

(d) 1, 2 and 5 only

Explanation

— African leaders met in Zimbabwe for a scheduled meeting of the 16-nation Southern African Development Community to examine the continent’s escalating mpox outbreaks, but it is unlikely that it would address international worries about its host’s human rights record.

— The Southern African Development Community (SADC) is a Regional Economic Community made up of 16 member countries: Angola, Botswana, the Comoros, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zimbabwe, and Zambia.

— SADC’s mission is to promote sustainable and equitable economic growth and socioeconomic development through efficient, productive systems, deeper cooperation and integration, good governance, and long-term peace and security, thereby positioning the region as a competitive and effective player in international relations and the global economy.

— Congo accounts for more than 90% of all mpox cases in the SADC area.

— Only a few cases have been reported in South Africa and other southern African countries, but the Democratic Alliance said Congo’s massive outbreak “shows just how fast the situation can change”.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

(Other Source: http://www.sadc.int)

Previous Daily Subject-Wise-Quiz

Daily subject-wise quiz — Polity and Governance (Week 72)

Daily Subject-wise quiz — History, Culture, and Social Issues (Week 72)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Environment, Geography, Science and Technology (Week 72)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Economy (Week 72)

Daily subject-wise quiz – International Relations (Week 71)

Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter and stay updated with the news cues from the past week.

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UPSC Essentials | Mains answer practice — GS 1 : Questions on Indian freedom struggle and waterspouts (Week 65)

Are you preparing for UPSC CSE 2024 or CSE 2025? Here are questions from GS paper 1 for this week with essential points as the fodder for your answers. Do not miss points to ponder and answer in the comment box below. Try them out!

Written by Nitendra Pal Singh

New Delhi | August 23, 2024 13:41 IST

Freedom like a whiff of fresh air engulfs the Raisina Hill. Men, women and children try to absorb the long awaited moment. Attempt a question on how Calcutta became a significant centre for revolutionary activities during the Indian freedom struggle. (Image Source: PIB)

UPSC Essentials brings to you its initiative for the practice of Mains answer writing. It covers essential topics of static and dynamic parts of the UPSC Civil Services syllabus covered under various GS papers. This answer-writing practice is designed to help you as a value addition to your UPSC CSE Mains. Attempt today’s answer writing on questions related to topics of GS-1 to check your progress.

🚨 The Indian Express UPSC Essentials brings to you the August edition of its monthly magazine. Click Here to read. Share your views and suggestions in the comment box or at manas.srivastava@indianexpress.com🚨

QUESTION 1

Discuss the factors that contributed to Calcutta (now Kolkata) becoming a significant centre for revolutionary activities during the Indian freedom struggle.

QUESTION 2

Discuss the phenomenon of waterspouts, including their formation, characteristics, and potential impacts.

General points on the structure of the answers

Introduction

— The introduction of the answer is essential and should be restricted to 3-5 lines. Remember, a one-liner is not a standard introduction.

— It may consist of basic information by giving some definitions from the trusted source and authentic facts.

Body

— It is the central part of the answer and one should understand the demand of the question to provide rich content.

— The answer must be preferably written as a mix of points and short paragraphs rather than using long paragraphs or just points.

— Using facts from authentic government sources makes your answer more comprehensive. Analysis is important based on the demand of the question, but do not over analyse.

QUESTION 1: Discuss the factors that contributed to Calcutta (now Kolkata) becoming a significant centre for revolutionary activities during the Indian freedom struggle.

Note: This is not a model answer. It only provides you with thought process which you may incorporate into the answers.

Introduction:

— In 1690, Job Charnock arrived at the Hooghly River, which is a branch of the Ganges. He leased three sizable settlements along the river’s east bank: Sutanuti, Govindapur, and Kolikata (Calcutta), serving as a trading post for the British East India Company.

— By the end of the 1800s, India’s political climate was changing quickly. A section of the Indian National Congress turned radical after becoming disenchanted with the moderates’ slow progress and with Lord Curzon’s increasingly dictatorial authority.

— The 1905 Partition of Bengal, which aimed to weaken Bengali nationalism, fuelled the emergence of radical tactics headed by figures such as Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Bipin Chandra Pal. Secret organisations such as the Atmonnati Samiti and Anushilan Samiti paved the way for more radical resistance to colonial control.

Body:

You may incorporate some of the following points in the body of your answer:

Factors that contributed to Calcutta (now Kolkata) becoming a significant centre for revolutionary activities

Eden Hindu Hostel, Lower Circular Road

— Presidency College, located in the centre of Kolkata, was founded in 1817 as Hindoo College and rapidly became a centre of student agitation, with students extending their screams for independence from the campus to Eden Hindu Hostel on Lower Circular Road. The hostel served as a fortress of resistance, with students storing stolen British weapons and ammunition in a steel trunk.

Laboratory of Acharya Ray, Upper Circular Road

— Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray, a prominent chemist and industrialist, had a particularly impressive laboratory. Its humble appearance belied the reality that it was a hub of revolutionary activity. Sister Nivedita, an Irishwoman who rose to prominence in the Indian independence struggle, frequently helped young revolutionaries gain entry to this den.

Saraswati Press, 32 Upper Circular Road

— The location, with its wrought iron gate and garage tucked away in the courtyard, is depicted by Bhattacharyya. Prominent individuals such as Jayaprakash Narayan, Subhas Chandra Bose, and Ram Manohar Lohia were frequent attendees at this press, producing publications and top-secret secrets. The Saraswati Library was located next door, and although it appeared to be a typical bookshop, it was actually a secret meeting place for rebels.

Paramount Sherbet, College Square

— It was founded in 1918 by Nihar Ranjan Majumder of Barisal (now Bangladesh). Inside the shop, there are black-and-white pictures of Bengal’s luminaries, including Rabindranath Tagore and Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray, who were previously regulars.

Parks

— Among them were Greer Park on Upper Circular Road, St. James Square at the intersection of Upper and Lower Circular Roads, and Sradhananda Park on Hedua Road. The parks, which once resonated with the passionate speeches of revolutionaries such as Barin Ghosh, have now become historical phantoms, barely discernible in Kolkata’s shifting tangle of street names and numbers since independence.

Conclusion:

— Calcutta became the epicentre of all cultural and political movements throughout India. This metropolis paved the way for India’s 19th-century Renaissance and Reformation. Raja Rammohan Roy, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa, Swami Vivekananda, Rabindra Nath Tagore, Jagadish Chandra Bose, Satyendra Nath Bose (co-author of the Bose-Einstein Theory), and many more prominent figures contributed to Calcutta’s cultural history.

— Despite the growing popularity and passionate engagement of women in revolutionary activities, mobilising the masses proved difficult. With growing police crackdowns and the capital moving to Delhi, Bengali influence in national politics began to dwindle.

(Source: How Calcutta became a hotbed for revolutionary activities during the freedom movement by Nikita Mohta)

Points to Ponder

When was the capital shifted to Delhi?

Role of important leaders in freedom struggle

Important historical events related to Calcutta

Related Previous Year Questions

To what extent did the role of the moderates prepare a base for the wider freedom movement? Comment. (2021)

Examine critically the various facets of economic policies of the British in India from mid-eighteenth century till independence. (2014)

QUESTION 2: Discuss the phenomenon of waterspouts, including their formation, characteristics, and potential impacts.

Note: This is not a model answer. It only provides you with thought process which you may incorporate into the answers.

Introduction:

— A waterspout is a massive column of air and mist that rotates above a body of water. It is a smaller cousin of tornadoes and normally lasts about five minutes, though it can sometimes last up to ten.

— The average waterspout has a diameter of about 165 feet and winds of 100 miles per hour.

— Although waterspouts are more common in tropical environments, they can occur worldwide. They form when there is a high level of humidity and relatively warm water temperatures compared to the surrounding air.

Body:

You may incorporate some of the following points in the body of your answer:

Waterspout formation

— According to the National Weather Service, Dr. Joseph Golden distinguishes five stages of waterspout formation:

— Dark spot: A distinct round, light-coloured disc forms on the water’s surface, surrounded by a bigger dark region with unclear shape and diffused borders.

— Spiral pattern: A pattern of light and dark-coloured surface bands spiralling out from a black spot that forms on the water surface.

— Spray ring: A dense spinning annulus (ring) of sea spray, known as a cascade, forms around the black area, which resembles a hurricane’s eye.

— Mature vortex: The waterspout, which is now visible from the water’s surface to the cloud mass above, reaches peak organisation and intensity. Its funnel frequently seems hollow, surrounded by a swirling condensate shell. The spray vortex can reach a height of several hundred feet or more and frequently generates a visible wake and associated wave train as it advances.

— Decay: The funnel and spray vortex begin to disappear as the intake of warm air into the vortex decreases.

Impact of waterspout

— According to experts, the frequency of waterspouts is increasing as ocean temperatures rise.

— They are capable of overturning boats, damaging huge ships, and endangering workers at offshore wind farms.

— Waterspouts can cause strong winds, hail, and deadly lightning.

— Waterspouts can be life-threatening if they catch individuals off guard, such as employees at offshore wind turbines or passengers on a yacht.

Conclusion:

— Dr. Peter Inness, a meteorologist at the University of Reading, stated in an interview, “A research by scientists from the University of Barcelona, looking at waterspouts in the Balearic Islands, discovered that they are more common when the sea surface is quite warm. Currently, the sea surface in Sicily is 2.5 to 3 degrees Celsius warmer than the 1990-2020 average.

— However, waterspouts that make landfall are often weaker than tornadoes and dissipate fast, causing little to no harm. In these circumstances, they rarely travel far inland and pose little risk to life or property.

(Source: What is a waterspout, which may have sunk the luxury yacht off Sicily?, oceanservice.noaa.gov)

Points to Ponder

What is the difference between Tornadic waterspouts and Fair-weather waterspouts

What is the link between waterspouts and rise in ocean temperatures?

Related Previous Year Questions

How are the fjords formed? Why do they constitute some of the most picturesque areas of the world? (2023)

Discuss the meaning of colour-coded weather warnings for cyclone prone areas given by India Meteorological Department. (2022)

Previous Mains Answer Practice

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 63)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 64)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 64)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 65)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 65)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 64)

Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter and stay updated with the news cues from the past week.

Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – IndianExpress UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X.

National Space Day: All you need to know for UPSC Prelims and Mains

What is the significance of the Chandrayaan-3 Mission? After a successful moonshot, what are the other important space missions of ISRO?

Written by Roshni Yadav

New Delhi | Updated: August 23, 2024 20:07 IST

India's first National Space Day theme is "Touching Lives while Touching the Moon: India's Space Saga." (Source: ISRO/X)

Today, India is celebrating its first National Space Day. This day commemorates the groundbreaking success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission, which achieved the safe landing of the Vikram Lander on the lunar surface on August 23, 2023. With this achievement, India proudly became the fourth country to successfully land on the moon, making history as the first to land near the southern polar region.

India’s first National Space Day theme is “Touching Lives while Touching the Moon: India’s Space Saga.”

(Source: ISRO)

National Science Day

On February 28th every year, we celebrate National Science Day to honour the remarkable discovery of the “Raman Effect” by Bharat Ratna Dr. C.V. Raman in 1928. On this day, Dr C V Raman announced the discovery of the ‘Raman Effect’ for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in physics in 1930.

Chandrayaan-3 Mission

The Chandrayaan-3 mission was India’s third lunar mission and second attempt to make a soft landing on the surface of the Moon. It was launched by Launch Vehicle Mark-III (LVM3).

The propulsion module carried the lander and rover configuration to a 100 km lunar orbit. The propulsion module had a Spectro-polarimetry of Habitable Planet Earth (SHAPE) payload to study the spectral and Polari metric measurements of Earth from the lunar orbit.

Launch Vehicle Mark-III (LVM3)

LVM3 is India’s heaviest rocket, with a gross lift-off weight of 640 tonnes, an overall length of 43.5m and 5m-diameter payload fairing (nose-shaped equipment to protect the rocket from aerodynamic forces). The launch vehicle can carry up to 8 tonnes of payload to the lower earth orbit (LEO), which is about 200 km from the Earth’s surface. But when it comes to the geostationary transfer orbits (GTO), which lie much further ahead, up to about 35,000 km from the Earth, it can carry much less, only about four tonnes. LVM3 made its first journey into space in 2014 and also carried the Chandrayaan-2 in 2019.

According to Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the Chandrayaan-3 mission’s three objectives were to demonstrate a safe and soft landing on the lunar surface, to demonstrate a Rover roving on the Moon and to conduct in-situ scientific experiments.

Characteristics of Chandrayaan-3

Chandrayaan-3 consisted of an Indigenous Lander module (LM), Propulsion module (PM) and a Rover to develop and demonstrate new technologies required for Interplanetary missions.

Payloads of Chandrayaan-3 and their objectives

Lander Payloads

1. Chandra’s Surface Thermophysical Experiment (ChaSTE): To measure the thermal properties of lunar surface near polar region.

2. Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA): For measuring the seismicity around the landing site and delineating the structure of the lunar crust and mantle.

3. Radio Anatomy of Moon Bound Hypersensitive ionosphere and Atmosphere (RAMBHA): To estimate the plasma density and its variations.

4. Laser Retroreflector Array (LRA): A passive experiment to understand the dynamics of Moon system.

Rover Payloads

1. Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS): To determine the elemental composition of Lunar soil and rocks around the lunar landing site.

2. Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS): For deriving the elemental composition in the vicinity of the landing site.

Propulsion Module Payload

Spectro-polarimetry of HAbitable Planet Earth (SHAPE): Future discoveries of smaller planets in reflected light would allow us to probe into a variety of Exo-planets that would qualify for habitability (or for presence of life).

What makes the Moon’s Polar Regions Special?

The polar regions of the Moon are distinct, as they are completely dark without sunlight, and temperatures can drop below 230 degrees Celsius, making equipment operation challenging. As a result, the Moon’s polar regions have remained untouched. Notably, the Chandrayaan-2 mission of India intended to land in this region in 2019, but it was unable to achieve a smooth landing and lost contact after impacting the surface.

Significance of Chandrayaan-3 Mission

The success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission is of great significance to India, as it established India’s reputation as a serious player in planetary exploration. It consolidated India’s position as a space power.

Compared to other countries, India has a comparatively low-budget aero-space programme. But the efficiency and cost-effectiveness with which ISRO carries out its projects have helped in building a formidable brand name for the space agency. Chandrayaan-3 was accomplished at a cost of Rs 615 crore (a fraction of the cost of an Airbus).

Amitabh Sinha writes—

“It is a landmark event, no doubt. But if you look beyond the event, it gives us a very important capability. It gives us physical access to another planetary body. The fact that we are only among a handful of countries with this capability means we are at the forefront of this technology. And therefore, we will be part of all decision-making related to future planetary explorations and even extraction of resources from space. We are naturally part of the club that formulates these policies.

Space capabilities will occupy a central place in deciding the equations between countries in the 21st century, and the influence they have in the international community. The important thing is that we should be able to participate and contribute on equal terms. And we should be able to play a more decisive role in space-related international decision-making processes. Chandrayaan-3 gives us that confidence and capability.”

Findings of Chandrayaan-3 Mission

After one year since Chandrayaan-3 landed on the lunar surface, Indian scientists have revealed the findings from studies carried out by one of the rover module’s instruments.

Sohini Ghosh writes—

“The findings comprise the first analysis of the composition of the topsoil in the Moon’s southern latitudes, and support the widely-accepted hypothesis that the lunar surface in the immediate aftermath of the Moon’s formation was covered by a sea of molten material.

The data collected by the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) also contain new information about the elemental composition of the lunar surface that can help to better understand the evolution of the Moon. The findings were published in the journal Nature on Wednesday. Scientists have reported three key findings.

1. The terrain around Chandrayaan 3’s landing sight is fairly uniform;

2. The Moon’s crust was formed layer by layer, which adds weight to the lunar magma ocean (LMO) hypothesis; and

3. The topsoil around the lunar south pole has a greater-than-expected sprinkling of minerals which compose the lower layers of the lunar crust.”

Artemis Accords

India is now a signatory to the Artemis Accords, an agreement with the other leading Space Agencies of the world – NASA (US), ESA (Europe), JAXA (Japan) and the CSA (Canada) — for moon exploration.

What are the Chandrayaan missions?

India’s Chandrayaan missions are aimed at lunar exploration.

Chandrayaan-1

Launched on October 22, 2008, Chandrayaan-1 was India’s first Lunar mission that took off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. The Chandrayaan-1 gave a major fillip to the Indian space program as it was the country’s indigenously developed technology to explore the Moon.

A huge victory was achieved on November 14, 2008, when the MIP (Moon Impact Probe) was separated and it struck the lunar South Pole in a controlled manner. And with that, India became the fourth country in the world to hoist its national flag on the lunar surface. Chandrayaan-1’s biggest discovery was to find traces of water on the Moon, which was in itself a path-breaking achievement in international space science. This discovery gave the ISRO renewed interest in pursuing the Chandrayaan-2 for the mission to Moon. Besides this, the spacecraft also found water ice in the North polar region of the Moon as well as detected Magnesium, Aluminium and Silicon on its surface.

Why don’t some parts of the lunar polar regions receive any sunlight?

Unlike the Earth, whose spin axis is tilted with respect to the plane of the Earth’s solar orbit by 23.5 degrees, the Moon’s axis tilts only 1.5 degrees. Because of this unique geometry, sunlight never shines on the floors of a number of craters near the lunar north and south poles. These areas are known as Permanently Shadowed Regions, or PSRs.

Chandrayaan-2

Chandrayaan-2 consisted of an Orbiter (to orbit the planetary body), a Lander (intended to land on the Moon’s surface), and a Rover (designed to move on the Moon’s surface). The mission aimed to explore the south pole of the Moon. Launched in July 2019, the mission was only partially successful, as its lander, Vikram, and rover, Pragyaan, crashed on the Moon’s surface on September 7 of the same year.

After a successful moonshot, ISRO aimed for the Sun Through Aditya-L1

It was launched with the mission of observing and helping us better understand the Sun. Aditya-L1 is placed outside of the Earth’s atmosphere, and its instruments can study ultraviolet radiation from the corona, allowing scientists to better understand how it works.  Aditya-L1 consists of seven instruments to observe all radiation and charged particles. Its location is 1.5 million kilometres away from Earth, towards the Sun.

ISRO’s Next Goal: Gaganyaan

Announced in 2018, Gaganyaan is one of India’s most ambitious space programmes. Gaganyaan project aims to demonstrate human spaceflight capability by sending a crew of 3 members to a 400 km orbit for a 3-day mission and safely returning them to Earth by landing in the Indian sea waters. Just three countries – the United States, Russia and China – have executed human spaceflight missions till now.

The task of sending humans into the vast unknown and bringing them back safely is more expensive and challenging than the Mars and Moon missions. A successful execution would put India in the company of the US, Russia and China.

As stated on the ISRO website, the short-term goal of Gaganyaan is to demonstrate human spaceflight to Low Earth Orbit, while the long-term goal is to lay the foundation for a “sustained Indian human space exploration programme”. Success in its ultimate objective — proving that India is capable of indigenously developing this complex technology — would be a huge boost for ISRO.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi hands over wings to astronauts-designate Shubanshu Shukla, Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair, Angad Prathap and Ajit Krishnan who have been selected to be the astronauts on India’s first crewed mission to space ‘Gaganyaan Mission’, at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), in Thiruvananthapuram. (PTI Photo)

The names of the four Air Force officers selected for the Gaganyaan Mission were revealed in March. ISRO has targeted to launch the first mission of the ambitious Gaganyaan project by December, a top official said.

POST READ QUESTIONS

(1) With reference to the following lines, answer the question below:

It is India’s heaviest rocket, with a gross lift-off weight of 640 tonnes, an overall length of 43.5m and 5m-diameter payload fairing (nose-shaped equipment to protect the rocket from aerodynamic forces). It made its first journey into space in 2014 and also carried the Chandrayaan-2 in 2019. Most recently, in March this year, it placed 36 OneWeb satellites, weighing about 6,000kg, in LEO, showing its capabilities to deliver multiple satellites into space. This was the second time that it made a commercial launch — the first one came in October 2022 when it delivered the OneWeb India-1 mission.

It refers to:

(a) LVM3

(b) GSLV

(c) PSLV

(d) None of the above

(2) With reference to the LVM-3, consider the following statements:

1. It is capable of placing the 4 tonne class satellites of the GSAT series into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbits.

2. It is a two stage launch vehicle.

3. It uses only solid propellant.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

Mains

What is the significance of the Gaganyaan Mission? Discuss about the Test Vehicle Abort Mission-1 (TV-D1).

Prelims Answer Key

1. (a)   2. (a)

(Sources: isro.gov.in, Chandrayaan-1, What Chandrayaan-3 means for India as a space exploration player,  Chandrayaan-3 Mission , What the first findings from ISRO’s Chandrayaan 3 mission tell us about the Moon,Important Space Mission)

For your queries and suggestions write at roshni.yadav@indianexpress.com

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Conflicts in West Asia: Israel-Iran war of abrasion

Besides the historical developments since 1948, the religious and ideological differences between Iran and Israel are deep-rooted. Amidst the fear of escalation in violence after the killing of a Hamas leader, what are the prospects of Iran’s retaliation? How would it impact India’s interests in the region?

New Delhi | Updated: August 23, 2024 11:22 IST

An anti-missile system operates after Iran launched drones and missiles towards Israel, as seen from Ashkelon, Israel April 14, 2024. (Reuters)

— Md. Muddassir Quamar

(There are areas in the world that remain beset by conflicts. West Asia is one such region that has been in the grip of conflicts at least since the mid-20th century. The escalation after the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war further upended the political landscape of the region. What are the prospects for containing the conflicts? How does regional instability affect India’s interests? We feature a series of articles on major conflicts in West Asia, exploring the root cause of the conflicts, the reasons behind the recent escalation, and its effect on India’s interests. In the following article, Md. Muddassir Quamar explores the Israel-Iran ties in broad strokes to help understand the ongoing tensions.)

On 31 July 2024, the chief of Hamas’s political bureau, Ismael Haniyeh, was assassinated in Tehran shortly after attending the swearing-in ceremony of the newly-elected President of Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian. Hamas, as well as Iran, blamed Israel for the killing and pledged a response.

Referring to the Israeli involvement in Haniyeh’s killing, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said that by killing “our guest”, the Zionist state has “paved the way” for a “harsh punishment”. The incident heightened the tensions in the Middle East with fears of expansion of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

Although Iran has so far not retaliated and is under international pressure to show restraint for the sake of a ceasefire in Gaza, the chances of Iran not responding at all are slim. In all likelihood, a symbolic response is expected to set the record straight and reinstate deterrence after the high-profile security breach in the heart of the Iranian capital. Hamas has also been prepping for a response, although it has not taken any major action.

The Haniyeh episode is the second major conflagration between Israel and Iran since October 2023. In April 2024, Israel and Iran had reached the cusp of a direct war after an Israeli strike in the Iranian embassy complex in Damascus led to the killing of Mohammed Reza Zahedi, a commander of the Quds Force, the overseas arm of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). In response, Iran launched hundreds of coordinated rockets, missiles and drones inside Israel that, although they did not lead to any serious casualties, showed Iran’s military capability to target Israel.

The question that arises is why are Israel and Iran fighting. Why cannot the two Middle Eastern states resolve their difference through diplomacy? What makes them the sworn enemies? These are difficult questions, and there are no easy answers. The Israel-Iran conflict emerges from a combination of historical, religious, ideological and geopolitical factors.

Map showing the Middle East. (Google Maps)

Israel and Iran, 1948-1979

The formation of Israel in 1948 was a watershed moment in the history of the Middle East. It triggered an Arab-Israeli war and the long Israeli-Arab and Israeli-Palestinian conflicts. Iran, although opposed to the formation of Israel and voted against the Partition Plan (1947) and Israel’s admission into the United Nations (1949), was the second Muslim-majority country after Türkiye to recognize Israel in 1950. During the Pahlavi regime, Iran and Israel shared friendly relations with notable economic and military ties.

The friendly relations between the two states were not always reflected among the wider population in Iran, as a section of the clergy and intelligentsia were sympathetic to the plight of the Palestinians and their struggle for a state.

As Iran experienced domestic turbulence that eventually led to the overthrow of the Shah and ended the Pahlavi rule in 1979, Israel-Iran relations deteriorated with both considering each other enemy states.

The 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran

The Islamic Republic of Iran cut off all official and diplomatic relations with Israel. Ayatollah Khomeini called Israel “Little Satan”, while the United States was declared the “Great Satan”. Iran and Israel also ceased all economic activities, and Israel refused to pay Iranian dues it had incurred for oil supplies and operation of the Asia-Europe oil pipeline that passed through Israel. Despite these problems, strategic considerations during the Iraq-Iran war (1980-88) led Tehran to develop clandestine relations with Tel Aviv.

Iran reportedly received weapon and military supplies worth US$500 million during the 1980s from Israel, and the majority of the cost was paid in the form of oil supplies to Israel. The secretive ties between Israel and Iran were not entirely unknown. They had the sanctions of the Reagan administration in the US that was following a policy of dual containment against Ba’athist Iraq and Revolutionary Iran.

Religious and Ideological problems

Besides the historical developments since 1948, the religious and ideological differences between Iran and Israel are deep-rooted. Although it was the Sunni-Arab republics that took the mantle of fighting Israel after 1948, the Shia theologians opposed the formation of Israel as the mandate Palestine and especially the Old City of Jerusalem was considered holy for Muslims as the first Qibla (the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, to which Muslims turn at prayer) and the location of Prophet Muhammed’s ascendance to heaven during Mera’aj. The holy places are considered waqf property, and Shia clergy in Iran are opposed to it coming under Israeli control.

After the revolution, the Islamic Republic supported the idea of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, terming Israel an “illegal” Zionist entity that needs to be obliterated. Hence, Israel considered Iran an existential threat. The ideological basis of Iranian opposition to Israel emanates from anti-imperialist and anti-Americanism rooted in the 1979 revolution. Besides Islam, these form the most important component of the revolutionary zeal of Khomeini, who considered Israel as an American and imperial outpost in the Middle East.

Geopolitical tensions

Since the revolution, Iran has called for the expulsion of all external forces from the region and to form a regional security architecture through collaboration among the regional states. Iran, therefore, is considered a revisionist power that wants to replace the US-led regional order with an Iran-led order. Understandably, other regional countries, including the Arab monarchies in the Gulf, Egypt, Israel and Türkiye, view this as a threat to their interest and ambitions. While the Iranian relations with Egypt and Türkiye have remained ambivalent, countries such as Israel and Saudi Arabia have been emphatic in denouncing Iran’s “hegemonic” ambitions.

Iran’s regional activities of creating, arming and supporting non-state actors, especially in the vicinity of Israel and its pursuit of nuclear energy, are viewed in Israel with suspicion. Israeli leaders and experts consider these a part of the Iranian plan to encircle Israel militarily and a preparation for a future war against Israel. Moreover, Iran’s ability to develop strategic depth in Lebanon (Hezbollah), Iraq (Hash al-Shabbi [Popular Mobilisation Forces or PMF]) and Syria (Fatemiyoun and Zaynebiyoun brigades) and the deployment and presence of the Quds Forces in the three countries is considered a serious military threat in Tel Aviv.

Iran is also a major regional supporter of Hamas and Islamic Jihad and has been suspected of arming and training them as part of its ideological and geopolitical commitment to support Palestine and contain Israel. Hence, Israel considered Iran responsible for the October 7 attacks, even though any direct Iranian involvement has not been proven.

The Ongoing tensions

Before the current state of affairs, Iran and Israel had been, for most of the 2010s, engaged in a proxy war but had avoided attacking each other directly. Israel targeted Iranian nuclear scientists to reduce and delay Tehran’s ambition of attaining nuclear weapons capability. On several occasions, it targeted weapon depots, transport lines and infrastructure in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon to destroy Iranian supply lines to its regional proxies. On the other hand, the Iranian proxies, namely Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, PMF and Houthis, have often targeted or threatened Israel.

The Israel-Hamas war has, however, started a new phase in the Israel-Iran war, with the two gradually moving to a direct confrontation. The Israeli attack on the Iranian diplomatic complex in Syria and killing of IRGC commanders and officers, its constant targeting of Hezbollah commanders in Lebanon and the killing of Haniyeh in Tehran are part of the pattern that underlines that Israel is taking on not only Hamas and Hezbollah but is testing the Iranian will and capacity to respond.

Iran, too, is no longer satisfied with showing restraint and issuing verbal threats, as was visible during the 13 April rocket, missile and drone attacks. Tehran has used its proxies to target Israel and its interests constantly. For example, the Houthis in Yemen have been targeting Israeli and international shipping to and from Israel passing through the Red Sea to increase the cost of the Israeli war against Hamas. They have continued with their activities despite the US-UK air strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen.

For Iran, the killing of Haniyeh was a serious provocation as it was a direct challenge to Iranian sovereignty and also to its military capacity and deterrence. The thought process in Tehran is that the killing cannot go unanswered as this will be construed as a weakness and leave Iranian deterrence exposed. Tehran nonetheless faces the dilemma because any reckless action can lead to an all-out war and might force the US to join Israel, which Iran would like to avoid at this point. Hence, it is likely that the Iranian response will be measured, coordinated, and symbolic, which can reinstate deterrence without necessarily leading to major conflagration.

Implications for India

The situation in the Middle East remains tense, and any serious escalation in violence in the region would adversely impact Indian interests. Notwithstanding the fear of serious disruption in hydrocarbon supplies and price rise, India’s growing diplomatic, strategic and geoeconomic investments in the Gulf and Middle East would be seriously tested.

New Delhi would also like to avoid a situation wherein two of its close friends enter into a direct war, forcing it to choose sides, which it has carefully avoided. Indian strategic thinking favours a peaceful Middle East, with diplomacy taking precedence over conflict. However, in the divisive Middle East, confronted with multiple and escalating war fronts, peace remains an elusive commodity, thus posing serious questions for India’s strategic choices.

Post Read Question

How did the Iran-Israel ties turn from friendly relations to sworn enemies?

How have India’s relations with Iran and Israel evolved?

How would the escalation in violence in the Middle East impact India’s stake in the region?

(The author is an Associate Professor of Middle East studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Views are personal. @MuddassirQuamar)

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UPSC Issue at a Glance | Mpox and Public Health Emergency: 5 Key Questions You Must Know for Prelims and Mains

Recently, the World Health Organization declared Mpox a global health emergency. With the increasing cases of various viral diseases, it becomes crucial to understand Mpox and the significance of WHO’s declaration of a public health emergency.

Written by Roshni Yadav

New Delhi | Updated: August 23, 2024 20:12 IST

A nurse tends to a child suspected of having contracted mpox in DRC. (Reuters)

UPSC Issue at a Glance is a new initiative of UPSC Essentials to focus your prelims and mains exam preparation on an issue that has been in the news. Every Thursday, cover a new topic in Q&A format and don’t miss MCQs, Points to Ponder and key takeaways. Also, don’t forget to check the answers of MCQs towards the end of the article. This week’s topic is Mpox and Public Health Emergency. Let’s get started!

If you missed the UPSC Issue at a Glance | Bangladesh Crisis and India: 4 Key Questions You Must Know for Prelims and Mains from the Indian Express, read it here.

What is the issue?

The World Health Organization (WHO) has once again classified Mpox as a global public health emergency, following a surge in cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the spread of the virus to neighboring countries. With the growing cases of viral diseases and the threats presented by them to mankind, it becomes crucial to understand Mpox and the significance of a public health emergency from a broader perspective.

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance; General Science

Mains Examination: GS-II, GS-III: Government policies and interventions, Health, Science and Technology

Other areas of relevance:  UPSC Aspirants will find it useful in Essays, and Current affairs for their Personality tests.

What will you learn from this article?

1. What is Mpox and how is it transmitted?

2. What is the history of Mpox outbreaks?

3. How is Mpox different from COVID-19?

4. What does the WHO’s declaration of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) mean?

5. Which diseases have been declared PHEICS by WHO?

Question 1: What is Mpox and how is it transmitted?

Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, is a self-limiting viral infection caused by mpox virus (MPXV). The most common symptoms of mpox include fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy, and swollen lymph nodes, along with pox-like rashes that last for two to three weeks. It is a self-limiting disease but can lead to death, especially among children and those with weak immune systems.

Mpox is caused by the monkeypox virus, a species of the genus Orthopoxvirus. Two different clades exist: clade I and clade II. (Source: WHO)

What are the different virus clades of Mpox and how do they differ in impact?

According to WHO, there are two broad clades of the Mpox virus: clade I and II. Clade I leads to more severe disease and death than clade II in the populations where it is endemic. Clade II was behind the global mpox outbreak that began in 2022. At least 99,176 cases and 208 deaths due to monkeypox have been reported from 116 countries since 2022, according to WHO data.

In 2022–2023 a global outbreak of mpox was caused by a strain known as clade IIb. (Source: WHO)

A new offshoot of clade I virus, called clade Ib, was first reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2023, and has been spreading through sex and other types of close contact.

How mpox is transmitted?

From person to person: Mpox spreads from person to person mainly through close contact with someone who has mpox. Close contact includes skin-to-skin and mouth-to-mouth, or mouth-to-skin contact, and can also include being face-to-face with someone who has mpox (such as talking or breathing close to one another, which can generate infectious respiratory particles).

It is also possible for the virus to persist for some time on clothing, bedding, towels, objects, electronics and surfaces that a person with mpox has touched. Someone else who touches these items may become infected. The virus can also spread during pregnancy to the fetus, during or after birth through skin-to-skin contact, or from a parent with mpox to an infant or child during close contact.

From animals to humans: Someone who comes into physical contact with an animal that carries the virus, such as some species of monkeys or a terrestrial rodent (such as the tree squirrel) may also develop mpox.

From humans to animal: According to WHO, Since many species of animals are known to be susceptible to the virus, there is the potential for spillback of the virus from humans to animals in different settings. People who have confirmed or suspected mpox should avoid close physical contact with animals, including pets (such as cats, dogs, hamsters, gerbils), livestock and wildlife.

Symptoms of mpox

Points to Ponder:

— Why does stigma related to Mpox matter?

Question 2:  What is the history of Mpox outbreaks?

On 14th August WHO declared Mpox as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern but this is not the first time we have seen the mpox outbreak. The history of mpox outbreaks dates back to the 1970s.

According to the WHO,

Caused by an Orthopoxvirus, mpox was first detected in humans in 1970, in the DRC. The disease is considered endemic to countries in central and west Africa.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that mpox has occurred sporadically in Central and East Africa (clade I) and West Africa (clade II) since 1970. In 2003, an outbreak in the United States of America was linked to imported wild animals (clade II). Since 2005, thousands of suspected cases have been reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) every year.

In 2017, mpox re-emerged in Nigeria and has since spread within the country and to other destinations. In May 2022, an outbreak of mpox appeared suddenly and rapidly spread across Europe, the Americas, and then all six WHO regions. In 2022, outbreaks of mpox due to Clade I MPXV occurred in refugee camps in the Republic of the Sudan. A zoonotic origin has not been found.

Do you know?

This is the second time that mpox has been declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). The global outbreak of mpox was first declared a PHEIC on July 23, 2022. However, the current threat is more severe. The number of cases has skyrocketed this year, with the Democratic Republic of Congo alone reporting over 14,000 mpox cases and 524 deaths.

Question 3: How is Mpox different from COVID-19?

With the WHO declaration of Mpox as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), concerns have emerged regarding the severity of the disease. In this context, understanding the differences between Mpox and COVID-19 is crucial for better preparedness in controlling the viral infection.

Maria Cheng writes—

“Mpox spreads very slowly unlike the coronavirus. Shortly after the coronavirus was identified in China, the number of cases jumped exponentially from several hundred to several thousand; in a single week in January, the case count increased more than tenfold.

By March 2020, when WHO described COVID-19 as a pandemic, there were more than 126,000 infections and 4,600 deaths — about three months after the coronavirus was first identified.

In contrast, it’s taken since 2022 for mpox cases to hit nearly 100,000 infections globally, with about 200 deaths, according to WHO.

Are there vaccines for Mpox?

There are at least two vaccines currently in use for mpox, which have been recommended by the WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization.
Last week, an Emergency Use Listing for mpox vaccines was triggered by the WHO, which will accelerate vaccine access for lower-income countries which have not yet issued their own national regulatory approval. This listing also enables bodies such as GAVI and UNICEF to procure vaccines for distribution in these countries.

There are vaccines and treatments available for mpox unlike in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. “We have what we need to stop mpox,” said Dr. Chris Beyrer, director of Duke University’s Global Health Institute. “This is not the same situation we faced during COVID when there was no vaccine and no antivirals.”

Points to Ponder:

— What is the difference between Pandemic, Epidemic, and Endemic?

Question 4: What does the WHO’s declaration of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) mean?

The WHO’s declaration of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) is its highest level of alert. A PHEIC is defined in the  International Health Regulations(IHR) (2005) as, “an extraordinary event which is determined to constitute a public health risk to other States through the international spread of disease and to potentially require a coordinated international response”. This definition implies a situation that is serious, sudden, unusual or unexpected; carries implications for public health beyond the affected State’s national border; and may require immediate international action.

Under the IHR — a legally-binding agreement that commits governments to certain actions when responding to the international spread of disease — the declaration of a PHEIC permits the WHO to issue temporary recommendations to national governments to support a coordinated and effective global response to such events.

By designating a disease outbreak as a PHEIC, the WHO can expedite research, funding, and global public health efforts to control and contain the disease.

Points to Ponder:

— Is PHEIC only confined to infectious diseases and may it cover events caused by chemical agents or radioactive materials?

— What are the criteria for declaring PHEIC?

Question 5: Which diseases have been declared PHEICS by WHO?

Since the IHR took effect in 2007, the following diseases have been declared PHEICS:  H1N1,  Ebola, Polio,  a second Ebola outbreak, Zika,  COVID-19, Mpox (Declared PHEICS twice . i.e., 2022 and 2024)

1. H1N1 Influenza: According to WHO, before the H1N1 pandemic in 2009, the influenza A(H1N1) virus had never been identified as a cause of infections in people. Genetic analyses of this virus have shown that it originated from animal influenza viruses and is unrelated to the human seasonal H1N1 viruses that have been in general circulation among people since 1977. The H1N1 (2009) virus continues to circulate as a seasonal virus and is included in the vaccines against seasonal influenza.

2. Ebola: It is a virus that can spread quickly and can be fatal in up to 90% of cases. Symptoms include fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, muscle pain and at times internal and external bleeding and can start to occur between two and 21 days from infection, according to WHO.  The virus is most often spread by close contact with bodily fluids of people exhibiting symptoms and with contaminated objects such as sheets.

3. Polio: According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Polio is a crippling and potentially deadly disease that affects the nervous system… Because the virus lives in the faeces (poop) of an infected person, people infected with the disease can spread it to others when they do not wash their hands well after defecating (pooping). People can also be infected if they drink water or eat food contaminated with infected feces.

The virus multiplies in the intestine, from where it can invade the nervous system and can cause paralysis. Once that happens, the patient is crippled for life because there is no treatment for the affliction. Polio infection, however, can be easily prevented by a vaccine.

4. Zika: A mosquito-borne disease—Zika virus—has gained global attention in recent years due to its potential to cause serious health complications, particularly in pregnant women and their unborn children. It mainly occurs in tropical and subtropical areas of Africa, the Americas, Southern Asia, and the Western Pacific.

It is infected by Aedes species mosquitoes, which are the same ones that spread dengue and chikungunya viruses, and bite during the first week of infection. It is primarily transmitted through mosquito bites, sex, and breastfeeding.

5. COVID-19: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever chills, sore throat.

POST READ QUESTIONS

Prelims

(1) With reference to the Mpox, consider the following statements:

1. It was first discovered in humans in Nigeria.

2. It is not transmitted from animals to humans.

3. The vaccines developed for smallpox are up to 80% effective against mpox.

4. The World Health Organization (WHO) classified mpox as a global public health emergency.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) Only three

(d) All four

(2) Among the following, which were frequently mentioned in the news for the outbreak of Ebola virus recently? (UPSC CSE 2015)

(a) Syria and Jordan

(b) Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia

(c) Philippines and Papua New Guinea

(d) Jamaica, Haiti and Surinam

(3) H1N1 virus is sometimes mentioned in the news with reference to which one of the following diseases? (UPSC CSE 2015)

(a) AIDS

(b) Bird flu

(c) Dengue

(d) Swine flu

Mains

(1) COVID-19 pandemic accelerated class inequalities and poverty in India. Comment. (UPSC CSE 2020)

PRELIMS ANSWER KEY

1. (b)   2. (b)   3. (d)

(Source: http://www.who.int, Why WHO has called the latest mpox outbreak an ‘emergency of international concern’,  WHO declares Mpox a global health emergency again, Mpox declared a global health emergency: will it trigger another pandemic?)

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UPSC Current Affairs Pointers of the past week | August 12 to August 18, 2024

Three New Ramsar Sites, MPoX, NIRF ranking, 70th National Film Awards and more — Here are some must read current affairs tidbits for your prelims and mains preparation that you shouldn't miss for UPSC, state PSCs, and other competitive examinations. You can also test your knowledge by solving the MCQs.

Written by Khushboo Kumari

New Delhi | Updated: August 23, 2024 11:25 IST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the nation from the Red Fort on 78th Independence Day, in New Delhi, Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024. (PTI Photo)

UPSC Current Affairs Pointers is an initiative of UPSC Essentials to consolidate your prelims exam prep. Every Monday, take a quick look at last week’s current affairs tidbits curated specially for those preparing for UPSC, State PSC, and various other competitive examinations.

If you missed the UPSC Current Affairs Pointers of the past week | August 5 to August 11, 2024, from the Indian Express, read it here.

🚨 The Indian Express UPSC Essentials brings to you the August edition of its monthly magazine. Click Here to read. Share your views and suggestions in the comment box or at manas.srivastava@indianexpress.com🚨

Polity

- Independence Day celebration

— The theme for this year’s celebrations is “Viksit Bharat,” which translates to “Developed India,” which aligns with the Indian government’s vision to transform the nation into a developed country by 2047, coinciding with the centenary (100 years) of independence.

— The government encouraged public participation through initiatives like the Har Ghar Tiranga movement, urging citizens to hoist the national flag at their homes and business.

— PM Narendra Modi delivered his 11th consecutive speech on this occasion at Red Fort.

Environment

- Three New Ramsar sites added

—  Nanjarayan Bird Sanctuary and Kazhuveli Bird Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu and Tawa Reservoir of Madhya Pradesh have been added to the list of India’s Ramsar sites. The total number of Ramsar sites in India is now 85.

— The Ramsar Convention, which came into existence in 1971, is an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.

(Source: PIB)

Science and Technology

ISRO’s Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) is a three-stage Launch Vehicle configured with three Solid Propulsion Stages. (Via Youtube/ISRO)

- SSLV (Small Satellite Launch Vehicle)

— On 16th August ISRO has successfully launched SSLV which placed the EOS-08 and SR-0 satellites into a precise 475-km circular orbit.

— SSLV is a three-stage Launch Vehicle configured with three Solid Propulsion Stages. It has a liquid propulsion-based Velocity Trimming Module (VTM) as a terminal stage, which can help adjust the velocity as it prepares to place the satellite.

— EOS-08, the primary payload on the mission, is a 175-kg experimental satellite carrying three new technologies on board – EOIR, GNSS-R, and SiC UV Dosimeter.

— The Electro-Optical Infrared Payload (EOIR) is designed to capture images in mid-wave and long-wave infra-red during the day and night.

— The Global Navigation Satellite System-Reflectometry (GNSS-R) payload demonstrates how reflected signals from satellite-based navigation systems like GPS can be used for applications including ocean wind analysis, soil moisture assessment, and monitoring inland water bodies.

— The third payload SiC UV Dosimeter will be used to study the amount of UV radiation that will hit the viewport of the crew module in preparation for the Gaganyaan mission.

- Krishi-Decision Support System (K-DSS)

— Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare has launched the digital geo-spatial platform, Krishi-Decision Support System.

— It is a first-of-its-kind geospatial platform specifically designed for Indian agriculture. The platform provides seamless access to comprehensive data including satellite images, weather information, reservoir storage, groundwater levels and soil health information, which can be easily accessed from anywhere at any time.

- DDoS Attack

— Elon Mask and Donald Trump live audio interview was witnessed several glitches, due to what appeared to be a “massive DDoS attack on X”.

— Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) is a type of cyberattack where multiple compromised devices are used to flood a target server, network, or website with an overwhelming amount of traffic, causing it to slow down or become completely inaccessible to legitimate users.

An unmanned cargo aircraft developed by Sichuan Tengden Sci-tech Innovation Co. takes part in a maiden flight at an airport in Zigong, Sichuan province, China August 11, 2024. (REUTERS Photo)

- China Tests Largest Unmanned Cargo Drone for Civilian Use

— China has successfully flown its largest unmanned cargo drone, designed for civilian use, as part of efforts to expand its drone industry.

— State-funded Sichuan Tengden Sci-tech Innovation Co has developed this twin-engine cargo drone of China.

Diseases

A nurse tends to a child suspected of having contracted mpox in DRC. (Reuters)

- Mpox

— Recently, the World Health Organisation has declared mpox as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.

— Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, is a self-limiting viral infection caused by mpox virus (MPXV).

— According to WHO, there are two broad clades of the Mpox virus: clade I and II. Clade I leads to more severe disease and death than clade II in the populations where it is endemic.

— Mpox is classified as a zoonosis, meaning it transmits from infected animals to humans.

— The symptoms of Mpox are fever, headache, muscle aches, backache, and fatigue. It is a self-limiting disease but can lead to death, especially among children and those with weak immune systems.

(Just FYI: UPSC has consistently included questions on health and diseases in its examinations over the years. For instance, in 2014, a question about the Ebola virus appeared in the Prelims, and in 2017, a question about the Zika virus was featured. Therefore, it is crucial to stay updated on diseases that are currently in the news.)

Persons in News

- K Natwar Singh

— Veteran Congress leader and former External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh passed away on 10th August at the age of 93.

— He has served as the External Affairs Minister from 2004-05. He had held multiple ministries as well.

— He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan after he served as the head of the preparatory committee of the Non-Alignment Summit in New Delhi in 1983.

- Rahul Navin

— The acting Director of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has been appointed as full time chief of the ED for two years.

- Srettha Thavisin

— Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin of Thailand has been removed by Thailand’s Constitutional Court for appointing a former lawyer who served jail time to his Cabinet.

— He has become the fourth Thai premier in 16 years to be removed by verdicts by the same court.

Paetongtarn entered politics in 2022, being elected as ‘Head of the Pheu Thai Family’ which made her a leading prime minister-candidate for the Pheu Thai Party. (X/@ingshin)

- Paetongtarn Shinawatra

— Paetongtarn Shinawatra has become the new Prime Minister of Thailand.

— At the age of 37, she became the youngest PM of the country.

(Just FYI: Noting historical personalities’ anniversaries aids UPSC prep. UPSC often includes such personalities in questions, so revisiting their lives refreshes your static syllabus.)

Places in News

- Tungabhadra dam

— A flood alert has been issued in Karnataka’s Koppal district after one of the 33 crest gates of the Tungabhadra dam was washed away.

— The dam is located across the Tungabhadra river, which is formed by the confluence of the Tunga and Bhadra rivers near Shimoga in the Western Ghats.

— The Tungabhadra river, flowing into the Krishna river at Sangamaleshwaram in Andhra Pradesh, has a catchment area of nearly 70,000 sq km.

- Kursk region

— Ukrainian troops have advanced 30 km into Russia’s Kursk region, marking Kyiv’s largest incursion into Russian territory since the war began in 2022.

— Russian forces are currently engaged with Ukrainian troops near the villages of Tolpino and Obshchy Kolodez — which are about 25 km and 30 km from the Russia-Ukraine border.

Sudzha, located near Russia’s border with Ukraine.

- Nankai Trough

— Japan’s government has issued a warning against the country’s first-ever “megaquake advisory” on August 8, hours after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck off southwestern Japan.

— The Nankai Trough is an underwater subduction zone (nearly 900 km long) where the Eurasian Plate collides with the Philippine Sea Plate, pushing the latter under the former and into the Earth’s mantle.

- St Martin’s Island

— The recent ousting of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has brought St Martin’s Island under the spotlight.

— The island is located in the northeastern region of the Bay of Bengal, close to the border between Bangladesh and Myanmar. It is nine kilometres away from the southern tip of Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar-Teknaf peninsula.

(Just FYI: The location of the place is important, considering that UPSC has asked several questions about places that were in the news, such as Aleppo and Kirkuk, in the 2018 UPSC Prelims. The best way to remember them is to plot them on a world map.)

Reports and Rankings

- Women and Men in India 2023

— The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has released the 25th issue of its publication titled “Women and Men in India 2023”.

— It provides data on a wide range of topics such as Population, Education, Health, Participation in Economy, Participation in Decision making etc. among others.

— By 2036, the population of India is expected to reach 152.2 Crore, with a slightly improved female percentage of 48.8% as compared to 48.5 percent in 2011.

— India’s population in 2036 is expected to be more feminine compared to the 2011 population, as reflected in the sex ratio which is projected to increase from 943 in 2011 to 952 by 2036, highlighting a positive trend in gender equality.

(Source: PIB)

- NIRF Ranking 2024

— The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2024 has been announced by the Ministry of Education.

— This is the ninth consecutive edition of the India Rankings for higher education institutions. Three new categories namely Open Universities, State Public Universities, and Skill Universities were added this year, making a total of 16 categories.

Top-ranked Institutions in various categories and subject domains

Categories

First Rank

Second Rank

Third Rank

Overall

Indian Institute of Technology Madras

Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru

Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay

Universities

Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru

Jawaharlal Nehru University

Jamia Millia Islamia

State Public Universities

Anna University, Tamil Nadu

Jadavpur University, West Bengal

Savitribai Phule Pune University, Maharashtra

Open Universities

Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), Delhi

Netaji Subhash Open University, West Bengal

Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Open University, Gujarat

Skill Universities

Symbiosis Skills and Professional University, Maharashtra

Shri Vishwakarma Skill University, Haryana

Bhartiya Skill Development University, Rajasthan

Colleges

Hindu College, Delhi

Miranda House, Delhi

St. Stephens’s College, Delhi

Innovation Institutions

Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay

Indian Institute of Technology Madras

Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad

Engineering

Indian Institute of Technology Madras

Indian Institute of Technology Delhi

Indian Institute of Technology Bombay

Awards

- 70th National Film Awards

— The 70th National Film Awards for the calendar year 2022 was announced on Friday.

— The National Film Awards were first given out in 1954, at that time it was called ‘state awards’. Nargis won the inaugural Award for Best Actress, for her performance as a schizophrenia patient in ‘Raat Aur Din’, while Uttam Kumar won the Best Actor award for both ‘Antony Firingee’ and ‘Chiriyakhana’.

— The first-ever Best Feature Film winner was the Marathi movie Shyamchi Aai. The most awarded film in the history of the awards remains Ashutosh Gowariker’s Lagaan, which received eight honours in 2002.

Winners of the 70th National Film Awards

Best Feature Film

Aattam

Best Feature Actor

Rishab Shetty, Kantara

Best Feature Actress

Nithya Menen in Tiruchitrabalam, and Manasi Parekh in Kutch Express

Best Feature Director

Sooraj Barjatya, Uunchai

Best Hindi Film

Gulmohar

Best Critic

Deepak Dua

Best Book on Cinema

Kishore Kumar: The Ultimate Biography

Best Non-Feature Film

Ayena

Terms making buzz

— Drug Captagon: It is commonly known as “poor man’s cocaine.” It was originally manufactured in Germany in the 1960s and 1970s where it was intended to treat attention deficit disorders.

Test Your Knowledge

(Note: The best way to remember facts for UPSC and other competitive exams is to recall them through MCQs. Try to solve the following questions on your own.)

(A) With reference to India’s satellite launch vehicles, consider the following statements: (UPSC CSE 2018)

1. PSLVs launch the satellites useful for Earth resources monitoring whereas GSLVs are designed mainly to launch communication satellites.

2. Satellites launched by PSLV appear to remain permanently fixed in the same position in the sky, as viewed from a particular location on Earth.

3. GSLV Mk III is a four-staged launch vehicle with the first and third stages using solid rocket motors; and the second and fourth stages using liquid rocket engines.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 and 3

(c) 1 and 2

(d) 3 only

B. Kursk region which was recently in the news is located in which of the following countries?

(a) Syria

(b) Angola

(c) Russia

(d) Iraq

C. NIRF ranking is released by which of the following?

(a) NITI Aayog

(b) Ministry of Education

(c) MoSPI

(d) Ministry of Health

Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter and stay updated with the news cues from the past week.

Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – IndianExpress UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X.

For your answers, queries and suggestions write at khushboo.kumari@indianexpress.com

Explained

- Mandatory reporting under POCSO Act: Why FIR has named Badlapur school under Section 21 of the law to protect children

- How polio vaccine triggered the infection in a child in Meghalaya

- Assessing Ukraine’s deep incursion into Russia’s Kursk oblast: why, what happens now

- Were Bangladesh floods caused by India releasing water from dam? GoI says no

- What US Fed Chief’s speech in Jackson Hole symposium signals

- Getting India into power play, Modi tries to bring Kyiv, Moscow to table

- Why Modi’s visit to Ukraine marks three new roads: India in Europe, diplomatic space, and Delhi-Kyiv revival

- Polaris Dawn: Another small step to Mars?

- Explained: Story of Chicken a la Kiev, the dish that rose to global popularity

- What is ‘Rail Force One’, the train PM Modi took from Poland to Ukraine?

- 3 key takeaways from Kamala Harris’ speech at the Democratic Convention

- An Expert Explains: Why Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Ukraine is significant

- What the first findings from ISRO’s Chandrayaan 3 mission tell us about the Moon

- Kolkata Junior Doctor rape-murder: Why is CBI psychologically assessing the accused?

- Does your LMV licence allow you to drive a tractor as well? Supreme Court will decide

- Hillary Clinton says Kamala Harris could break the ‘glass ceiling’ with her nomination. What does it mean?

- How soon could Antarctica’s ice sheet break away and disappear?

- Could Karnataka Governor have given sanction to prosecute CM Siddaramaiah? The issues before High Court

- What Justice Hema Committee report says, why its release was delayed

- What Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has been accused of in the alleged MUDA scam

Mandatory reporting under POCSO Act: Why FIR has named Badlapur school under Section 21 of the law to protect children

The police added Section 21 of the POCSO Act in the FIR against school authorities for failing to report the alleged sexual assault. Here is how this works

Written by Sadaf Modak

Mumbai | August 24, 2024 09:11 IST

The incident took place in a private school in Badlapur in the in Badlapur in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. (File)

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the alleged sexual assault on two four-year-olds in a private school in Badlapur in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region has named the school management in the first information report (FIR) for not reporting the incident, which is required under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012.

The two children were assaulted on August 12 and 13, allegedly by a member of the cleaning staff of the school. According to police, the father of one of the children informed school authorities after the child confided in her parents, but the school did not tell police.

The FIR was registered only on August 16, and the accused was arrested on August 17.

The Bombay High Court, which took suo motu cognizance of news reports, noted that a perusal of the FIR shows that the school authorities were aware of the incident but had failed to report it to police.

Based on these facts, police added Section 21 of the POCSO Act in the FIR against school authorities for failing to report the alleged sexual assault.

The Act and Section

The POCSO Act was enacted as a special legislation to address incidents of sexual abuse of children. The Act enhanced the scope of what constitutes abuse beyond the provisions available under criminal law, which was the same for adults and children. In its language and in the substance of its provisions, the Act gives the well-being of the child paramount importance at every stage.

The Act has a section on the procedure for reporting of cases. Anyone who has an apprehension that an offence has been committed against a child is required to provide information to the Special Juvenile Police Unit or the local police.

Section 21(1) states that “any person who fails to report the commission of an offence” or who “fails to record such offence…shall be punished with imprisonment of either description which may extend to six months or with fine or with both”.

Section 21(2) prescribes a punishment of up to one year in jail, with fine, for “any person, being in-charge of any company or an institution (by whatever name called) who fails to report the commission of an offence…in respect of a subordinate under his control”.

It is a bailable offence.

Debate over provision

In many instances, children face abuse by persons known to them, in domestic spaces, their schools, or neighbourhoods. In many cases, children may be unable to protect themselves or to inform anyone if a close family member is involved, and the abuse may continue unnoticed. The Act, therefore, makes it obligatory for anyone who has an apprehension that a child is being abused, to report the matter to the authorities.

During the discussion on the mandatory reporting provision, child rights activists had expressed concern that it could lead to hesitation among parents and children about seeking medical assistance or counselling, fearing stigma. The Report of the Standing Committee on the POCSO Bill in 2011 had suggested that mandatory reporting could be confined to designated authorities such as a child care custodian. The Act, however, retained the provision and the punishment.

This provision has been invoked in the past against in-charges of educational institutions or parents who failed to report sexual abuse by a family member. Many court orders have taken a stern view of the failure to report such offences.

In 2022, an issue regarding the balance between mandatory reporting under the POCSO Act and the confidentiality provision under the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971, (MTP Act) came up before the Supreme Court.

The court said that for the limited purposes of medical termination of pregnancy under the MTP Act, the registered medical practitioner, only on the request of the minor and guardians, can be exempt from disclosing the minor’s identity and personal details.

How polio vaccine triggered the infection in a child in Meghalaya

While the last case of wild polio was reported in 2015, India has periodically reported cases of vaccine-derived polio. Here is what causes it, and how it can be prevented.

Written by Anonna Dutt

New Delhi | August 24, 2024 08:00 IST

A health worker administers polio vaccine drops to a child in a hospital during a special vaccination drive, called "POLIO SUNDAY" at Agartala. (Express photo by Abhisek Saha/File)

A two-year-old child from Meghalaya’s West Garo Hills district reportedly tested positive for polio — a highly infectious, debilitating, and possibly fatal viral disease that once afflicted millions but now has largely been consigned to the history books due to the development of an effective vaccine.

Officials from the Union health ministry said that the case was “vaccine-derived”, and does not jeopardise India’s polio free status. Nonetheless, officials are on high alert to ensure that the infection does not spread.

What is a vaccine-derived polio infection?

A vaccine-derived poliovirus is a strain related to the weakened version of the live poliovirus contained in the oral polio vaccine (OPV). ‘Polio drops’ are by and large safe — they have led to the successful eradication of the infection in most countries — but on rare occasions can trigger the disease in children with weak immune systems.

Dr T Jacob John, former professor of virology at the Christian Medical College Vellore said that the OPV can lead to vaccine-derived infections in one of two ways.

- In some cases, the weakened virus can continue circulating from child to child, gaining back its ability to transmit quickly, and then cause severe infection every time it spreads.

- The virus in the vaccine can also cause chronic infection in children with weakened immune systems, replicating in their gut for years and slowly gaining its ability to cause severe infection. This is what seems to have happened in the Meghalaya case.

“It is easier to control further spread of such vaccine derived variants because the other children in the area are likely fully immunised,” Dr John said, adding that “one in every 150,000 children given the OPV in India is infected by it”. Even if children in an area where such a case is reported are completely vaccinated, health workers have to immunise them once again as a preventive measure, he said.

Have vaccine-derived polio cases been detected in India?

India’s last reported case of wild poliovirus (i.e. the infection caused by the naturally occurring version of the virus) was detected in West Bengal’s Howrah district in 2011. India was declared polio-free in 2014 after successfully preventing any wild polio infections for three years.

However, during this period vaccine derived polio cases have continued to be reported. An eleven-month old immunodeficient child from Maharashtra’s Beed district succumbed to vaccine derived polio in 2013. Multiple other cases of vaccine-derived polio have been reported from across the country, with the most recent case (prior to the one in Meghalaya) being reported in Kerala last month.

These cases do not affect India’s polio-free status — only the detection of the wild poliovirus will change that.

How can vaccine-derived polio be prevented?

The OPV is extremely effective in preventing the spread of poliovirus from one individual to another. Moreover, the ease of administering the oral drops, led to the OPV becoming the mainstay of the global polio eradication programme. That said, one of its drawbacks is that in rare cases it can not only trigger the infection, but can also lead to its spread to others.

This is why some experts have recommended switching to the injectable polio vaccine (IPV). But this too comes with its drawbacks. Not only does the IPV require trained personnel to administer the shot, which may adversely impact immunisation rates, it can also not prevent the spread of the infection from one person to the other. To prevent future outbreaks, high levels of immunisation must be maintained. Moreover, the IPV can only extend the protection to the immunised individual, and since it does not contain any live virus, there is no possibility of vaccine-derived polio.

Countries like Canada and the US have already switched completely to the IPV. India still uses both — IPV is administered to children during routine immunisation while oral polio vaccine is given to children up to the age of five years during Pulse Polio Days, the mainstay of the government’s universal polio vaccination campaign.

According to Dr John, India is currently using IPVs “sub-optimally”, giving only one IPV shot, as against three shots and one booster in countries that have switched completely to the injectable vaccine. This is why, “we still continue to give the oral vaccine multiple times to the children to maintain the immunity level,” Dr John said.

Anonna Dutt

Anonna Dutt is a Principal Correspondent who writes primarily on health at the Indian Express. She reports on myriad topics ranging from the growing burden of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension to the problems with pervasive infectious conditions. She reported on the government’s management of the Covid-19 pandemic and closely followed the vaccination programme. Her stories have resulted in the city government investing in high-end tests for the poor and acknowledging errors in their official reports. Dutt also takes a keen interest in the country’s space programme and has written on key missions like Chandrayaan 2 and 3, Aditya L1, and Gaganyaan. She was among the first batch of eleven media fellows with RBM Partnership to End Malaria. She was also selected to participate in the short-term programme on early childhood reporting at Columbia University’s Dart Centre. Dutt has a Bachelor’s Degree from the Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Pune and a PG Diploma from the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. She started her reporting career with the Hindustan Times. When not at work, she tries to appease the Duolingo owl with her French skills and sometimes takes to the dance floor. ... Read More

Assessing Ukraine’s deep incursion into Russia’s Kursk oblast: why, what happens now

Russia on its part said that it had foiled a Ukrainian attempt to seize land in the neighbouring Bryansk Oblast, about 240 km away from the site of the incursion into Kursk.

Written by Alind Chauhan

New Delhi | August 24, 2024 07:45 IST

Ukraine’s attack in Kursk, which began early on August 6, came after months of steady gains by Russia on the battlefield. (AP Photo)

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday said Ukrainian troops continue to capture territory and Russian soldiers in Russia’s Kursk Oblast since the launch of Ukraine’s surprise incursion into the region more than two weeks ago.

Russia on its part said that it had foiled a Ukrainian attempt to seize land in the neighbouring Bryansk Oblast, about 240 km away from the site of the incursion into Kursk.

Ukraine’s attack in Kursk, which began early on August 6, came after months of steady gains by Russia on the battlefield. Many experts see the incursion as a major moment in the war that is now in its third year — a success that has helped Kyiv change the narrative that had taken root following its losses and setbacks suffered elsewhere.

The Ukrainian objective

President Zelenskyy and the commander-in-chief of Ukrainian forces Col Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi have not explained their reasons for going deep inside Russia. However, observers have listed three probable objectives of the incursion.

A BARGAINING CHIP: Ukraine wants to use the captured territory as a bargaining chip for any future negotiation with Russia. If Donald Trump returns to the White House early next year, he could force Kyiv to negotiate by withdrawing American military-technical assistance.

“The Ukrainian government wants to make sure that if it has to enter that process, it has things that Russia wants to trade for concessions,” Jack Watling, a senior research fellow for Land Warfare at the Royal United Services Institute, London, wrote in The Guardian.

TO BOOST MORALE: It has been suggested that Ukraine wanted to boost the morale of its people and troops after failing to stop the Russian advance in the east. The operation was intended to signal that even with its dwindling resources, the Ukrainian military can carry out a successful offensive. Ukraine also wanted to display to the West that helping it with arms and funds is not yet a lost cause.

BATTLEFIELD TACTIC: The incursion could be a tactic to force Russia to divert its forces from the hottest battlefields in eastern Ukraine, where they are coming close to fulfilling their goal of capturing all of the Donetsk region.

Michael Kofman, a senior fellow in the Russia and Eurasia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told Foreign Policy, “Ukraine likely holds that, at a bare minimum, this operation will force the Russian military to deploy a much larger force to counter their offensive, thereby sapping their operations in Donetsk.”

Status of the incursion

The attack, which has resulted in one of the biggest exchanges of territory since the first month of the war in 2022, caught President Vladimir Putin off-guard. On August 20, Col Gen Syrskyi claimed that Ukraine has taken control of almost 1,300 sq km of Russian territory. If accurate, this would mean Ukraine has already captured more land since the beginning of the attack on August 6 than Russia has captured in Ukraine over the last eight months.

The operation has forced Russia to evacuate nearly 200,000 people from the region. Ukraine has reportedly captured hundreds of Russian conscripts, and has destroyed several bridges over the Seym river, cutting off a key Russian logistics base in Glushkovo from the frontline forces.

Lt Gen Ben Hodges, who led US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, told Britain’s Times Radio that Ukraine’s ability to “neutralise Russian drones by creating…some sort of a counter-drone bubble” had helped.

What happens now

It is too early to predict if Ukraine will be able to hold on its gains. The Ukrainian army is suffering from a shortage of manpower, and it pulled reserve troops from other battle frontlines such as in Donetsk and Kharkiv to commit them to the new axis. In the coming weeks, its troops in Kursk could find themselves overextended, and be forced to retreat.

Also, Russia has not so far diverted its forces from the Donetsk region. On August 19, Russian forces captured nearly all of the town of Niu-York, entered nearby Toretsk, and encroached on the logistics hub of Pokrovsk, according to a report by the Financial Times.

Konrad Muzyka, director of Rochan Consulting, a Poland-based group that tracks the war, told the Financial Times that with most of its reserve forces committed to Kursk, Ukraine would struggle to fill defensive gaps and counter various Russian threats.

An Indian strategic affairs expert on Russia told The Indian Express that Ukraine may have made a mistake in going deep into Kursk. If Russia does not come to the negotiation table soon, and if Western allies fail to supply more arms and ammunition to Ukraine, the incursion could turn out to be “military suicide”, the expert said.

Were Bangladesh floods caused by India releasing water from dam? GoI says no

Nearly 18 lakh people belonging to 1.9 lakh families were marooned in 43 upazilas of the districts of Comilla, Feni, Chattogram, Khagrachhari, Noakhali, and Moulvibazar

Written by Debraj Deb

Agartala | August 24, 2024 07:20 IST

At least 24 people are feared dead in the rain and floods. Some 1.28 lakh people have been sheltered in 558 relief camps since August 19. (PTI Photo)

The Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday clarified that the floods that have hit several districts in eastern Bangladesh were not triggered by release of water from Dumbur dam in Tripura, as has been claimed by some social media accounts.

Nearly 18 lakh people belonging to 1.9 lakh families were marooned in 43 upazilas of the districts of Comilla, Feni, Chattogram, Khagrachhari, Noakhali, and Moulvibazar, according to the Department of Disaster Management and Relief of Bangladesh, The Daily Star reported. Five of these districts share borders with Tripura.

Rumour and denial

Following heavy rain in Tripura from August 19 onward, unsubstantiated claims appeared on social media about the opening of the Gumti hydro-electric project floodgates. Some Bangladeshi handles alleged without evidence an Indian “conspiracy” to “punish” the country’s post-Hasina rulers.

Tripura Power Minister Ratan Lal Nath clarified on Wednesday that no flood gates had been opened; instead, excess water from the Gumti reservoir had automatically escaped through the spillway after crossing the 94-m mark, which is the reservoir’s full capacity.

On Thursday, the MEA reiterated that claims about the “opening of the Dumbur dam upstream of the Gumti River in Tripura” were “factually not correct”. The statement explained that “the catchment areas of Gumti river that flows through India and Bangladesh have witnessed heaviest rains of this year over the last few days” and “the flood in Bangladesh is primarily due to waters from these large catchments downstream of the dam”.

The MEA also explained that Dumbur is a low dam (about 30 m) that is located more than 120 km upstream of the border, and generates power that feeds into a grid from which Bangladesh draws 40 MW. Also on Thursday, India’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh called on the Chief Adviser to the Interim Government Dr Muhammad Yunus, and reiterated New Delhi’s commitment to work with Dhaka.

Rivers and the dam

Rivers like Manu in Dhalai district; Deo at Kumarghat; Kakri and Juri in North Tripura; Feni, which is spanned by the Indo-Bangla Maitri Setu in South Tripura; Muhuri, Lawgang, and Khowai; Gomati in Udaipur of Gomati district; Howrah in Agartala, all rose unnaturally following heavy rain earlier this week. The Gomati continues to flow above the danger mark.

The Gumti project, which was commissioned in 1976 and has an installed capacity of 15 MW, is the only hydroelectric power project in the state. The river on which the Dumbur dam stands is formed at the confluence of the smaller Raima and Sarma rivers, and is Tripura’s most significant river. After flowing into Bangladesh, the river merges with the Meghna.

Rainfall in Tripura

On August 19, South Tripura district received 288.8 mm of rain in a single day. The capital, Agartala city, recorded 233 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours from Wednesday morning to Thursday morning. The heavy rain, among the highest the state has ever received, has had the worst impact in Khowai, West Tripura, Sepahijala, Gomati, and South Tripura.

At least 24 people are feared dead in the rain and floods. Some 1.28 lakh people have been sheltered in 558 relief camps since August 19.

What US Fed Chief’s speech in Jackson Hole symposium signals

At the annual Jackson Hole symposium, Jerome Powell said the ‘time has come’ to lower interest rates. While he did not furnish further details, the impacts of Powell’s observations will be felt the world over

Written by Udit Misra

Updated: August 24, 2024 07:44 IST

The impacts of Powell’s observation will not be limited to the US alone, and it can be expected that stock markets around the world will jump when they open next. (Reuters photo)

Jerome Powell, the head of the US central bank, on Friday said that “the time has come for [monetary] policy to adjust”, setting the stage for interest rate cuts in the near future.

In his keynote address at the annual Economic Policy Symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Powell said “the direction of travel is clear,…timing and pace of rate cuts will depend on incoming data, the evolving outlook, and the balance of risks”. The Federal Reserve does not “seek or welcome further cooling in labour market conditions”, he said.

Despite Powell not furnishing further details, these are significant observations. Almost immediately, bond yields of all tenures — 2-year, 10-year and 30 year — fell sharply, even as the US dollar weakened and stock market indices — S&P 500, Nasdaq 100, Russell 2000 — registered sharp gains.

The impacts of Powell’s observation will not be limited to the US alone, and it can be expected that stock markets around the world will jump when they open next.

What is the Jackson Hole symposium?

Every year since 1978, the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City has sponsored a symposium to discuss a particular issue faced by the US and world economies.

Central bankers, finance ministers, academics, and financial market participants from around the world participate in the symposium to discuss the economic issues, implications, and policy options pertaining to the theme of that year. Symposium proceedings include papers, commentary, and discussions.

Since 1982, the symposium has been hosted at the Jackson Lake Lodge at Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.

Why does the symposium matter?

The symposium, and especially the comment by the head of the Federal Reserve, are watched by policymakers and market participants globally because they provide clues to what is happening in the world economy, and where things may go.

For instance, in 2007, just before the world plunged into the Global Financial Crisis after the US housing market unravelled, the theme at Jackson Hole was “Housing, Housing Finance, and Monetary Policy”. In 2021, as the world had started to make sense of the effects of the global pandemic that had literally shut down all economies, the theme was “Macroeconomic Policy in an Uneven Economy”.

This year’s theme is “Reassessing the Effectiveness and Transmission of Monetary Policy”. According to the official website: “This year’s theme will explore lessons learned from the response of monetary policy to both the pandemic and the subsequent surge in inflation.”

What does monetary policy refer to? Why is it important?

At the heart of the discussions in Jackson Hole is monetary policy, which is essentially about tweaking the availability of money for loans and the price at which these loans are given in any economy (the ‘interest rate’).

Typically, the main responsibility of all central banks is to maintain price stability in the economy. This means ensuring that money maintains its value over time — or the same quantity of money buys roughly the same amount of goods and services tomorrow as it does today.

Often, like in the US, there is a dual mandate — the central bank has to ensure price stability while maintaining low levels of unemployment. The key challenge before a central bank is inflation, or the rate at which prices rise from one year to another. When inflation rises, central banks raise interest rates so as to depress economic activity, and thus bring down prices of goods and services. But as soon as they succeed in this goal, they are faced with the problem of slower growth and rising unemployment as a result of economic activity faltering.

A central bank is judged for the timing of its policy actions — both in containing rising inflation as well as preventing a sharp rise in unemployment or a sharp fall in economic growth. Timing of monetary policy action is a tricky subject because it often takes time for the monetary policy decisions of the central bank to affect the economy. This is the “transmission” that this year’s theme refers to.

The theme also refers to “effectiveness” i.e., whether or how far monetary policy has been successful in containing inflation. If inflation has spiked purely because of sudden supply constraints — for instance, lower levels of food items being produced because of deficient rainfall — then higher interest rates may not be effective in bringing down prices.

Over the past five years, central banks have been buffeted by macroeconomic shocks that have pulled policy in different directions. The pandemic lockdowns destroyed economic activity and led to a sharp rise in unemployment. In response, all central banks resorted to easy monetary policy — even as the governments resorted to expansive fiscal policies (pumping money into the economy). The net result of these two factors as well as supply disruptions was a rise in inflation. This happened all over the world but more so in the US. The Russia-Ukraine war made matters worse, and sent inflation rates skyrocketing to historic highs.

As a result, central banks around the world had to sharply raise interest rates.

As things stand now, most developed economies have lost momentum as a result of the “tight” monetary policies of central banks. There are perpetual worries about recession.

Why is Powell’s statement significant?

For some time now, stock markets and global investors have been waiting for a clear signal about the Fed’s policy cycle. Powell saying that “the time has come for policy to adjust” essentially means that the Fed is now more bothered about containing the unemployment rate than the inflation rate. Put differently, it means there will be no more hikes of interest rates — in fact, signals are that a rate-cutting cycle is about to start.

Lower interest rates imply a boost to economic activity because it will become cheaper to borrow money, whether it is to buy a car or invest in building a new factory. That is why stock markets are rising — market participants see a period of economic activity sustained by progressively lower interest rates.

Does the statement find an echo in RBI?

There are several points of divergence between the US Fed and RBI. First, the target inflation rate is 2% for the US and 4% for India. Second, in the last few years, the quantum of increase in the policy interest rate in the US has been almost double that of India, partly because US interest rates were close to zero before the rate cycle. Third, in terms of percentage points, inflation has fallen more in the US than in India.

Powell’s signal towards the start of the interest rate-cutting cycle is something that finds resonance in many countries. The European Central Bank has already cut its deposit rate once (by 25 basis points) in June.

The RBI hasn’t cut rates yet but as the minutes of the latest Monetary Policy Committee show, there is a growing sense among members that interest rates may be too high. At least two out of the six members of the MPC voted for a cut. The dominant RBI view, however, is still to be watchful of inflation.

RBI’s reluctance to cut also has to do with the fact that, unlike the US (where recession fears abound), India is clocking world-beating GDP growth rates at the moment. As such, there is less pressure on RBI to cut rates and more pressure to ensure inflation doesn’t resurface again.

Udit Misra

Udit Misra is Deputy Associate Editor. Follow him on Twitter @ieuditmisra ... Read More

Getting India into power play, Modi tries to bring Kyiv, Moscow to table

On a seven-hour historic visit to war-torn Ukraine before its Independence Day, Prime Minister Modi discusses ground situation with President Zelenskyy, pays tribute to children killed in the war with Russia, meets the Indian diaspora

Written by Shubhajit Roy

New Delhi | Updated: August 24, 2024 07:40 IST

The fact that Modi visited Moscow on July 8-9 to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin and followed it up six weeks later with a visit to Kyiv to meet President Volodymyr Zelenskyy — puts him in an unique position of developing direct contact between the leaders of the two warring sides. (Photo: X/Narendra Modi)

EXACTLY TWO-AND-A-HALF years into the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, India on Friday took a remarkable step to proactively offer New Delhi’s help — at the highest level by Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself — to any “active role” that will help end the Russia-Ukraine war.

This is the most clear and categorical statement that has come from New Delhi, in the first ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Ukraine since it became independent in December 1991, and diplomatic ties were established between the two countries in January 1992.

The fact that Modi visited Moscow on July 8-9 to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin and followed it up six weeks later with a visit to Kyiv to meet President Volodymyr Zelenskyy — puts him in an unique position of developing direct contact between the leaders of the two warring sides.

India chose to distance itself from the US-led Western bloc’s position of imposing sanctions on Russia, but it also expressed “heartbreaking” concern at the killing of innocent children. Modi conveyed to the Russian President Putin that “this is not the era of war”. This signalled that New Delhi doesn’t turn a blind eye to Russian actions and that didn’t go unnoticed by the Western bloc.

New Delhi has stayed away from contributing to the war efforts on both sides directly, and instead, sent humanitarian assistance to Ukraine;17 consignments so far, and another consignment of medical devices on Friday, highlighting Delhi’s humanitarian-focused and people-centric approach towards the situation.

The Indian position of abstaining from the UN resolutions over the past two-and-half years, and making it clear that “dialogue and diplomacy” is the way forward projects Delhi as a player working towards peace.

And finally, the important element of India asking Putin and Zelenskyy to sit together — means that Delhi is ready to nudge both to have a direct conversation, instead of peace summits which are unrepresented by one side — Russia was not part of the Ukraine summit in Switzerland’s Burgenstock in June this year.

India has been part of several multilateral summits, starting from Copenhagen, Jeddah, Riyadh, Davos and Burgenstock, which have talked about the process to resolve the conflict, but there has not been any headway so far.

Delhi firmly believes Moscow and Kyiv need to talk to each other, and not talk at each other — to put an end to the war. That’s easier said than done, especially with Russia having the upper hand all these months, since end 2023; the two sides are not yet ready to blink even in the backdrop of the Kursk push by Ukraine, which some view as a game-changer.

And, with the US elections due in November, the Joe Biden administration is too distracted towards its domestic political front. In this context, besides China, India is another player to play a role in the global geopolitics power play.

It may not be enough, but New Delhi believes it has more leverage with the Western bloc, than Beijing. Ultimately, the war will be resolved once the US, Europe and Russia come together, but a conversation between Ukraine and Russia can be a start. PM Modi’s visit is part of India’s effort to bring the two warring sides to the table directly, and Delhi can be the facilitator.

Why Modi’s visit to Ukraine marks three new roads: India in Europe, diplomatic space, and Delhi-Kyiv revival

By showing up in Ukraine and lending a shoulder to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has initiated three important processes. Here is a look at them

Written by C. Raja Mohan

New Delhi | Updated: August 24, 2024 07:26 IST

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy meets with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Kyiv, Ukraine August 23, 2024. (Photo: Reuters)

It took the tragic and a globally disruptive war to bring Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Kyiv, the first such visit since Ukraine re-established itself as an independent nation amid the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991.

But by showing up in Ukraine and lending a shoulder to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is leading a badly battered nation to defend its territorial integrity and sovereignty, Modi has initiated three important processes: insert India into Europe’s quest for peace; expand Delhi’s room for manoeuvre in the global geopolitical churn triggered by the Russian invasion of Ukraine; and reclaim Delhi’s lost bonds with Kyiv in the post-Soviet era.

1. 01
India in Europe

First, on the question of ending the war in Ukraine, Modi had no spectacular peace plan to unveil. That Modi took a long train ride from Warsaw to Ukraine to engage Zelenskyy in a long and intense conversation on war and peace was an important moment in itself.

What Kyiv needed was not yet another peace plan but Modi’s understanding of Ukraine’s concerns about survival as a nation that did not get sufficient resonance in India and the so-called Global South.

Zelenskyy hopes that Modi’s willingness to hear Ukraine’s case and contribute to the peace efforts will help turn the political tide in the Global South that has stood apart from the war, despite its massive economic consequences.

2. 02
Diplomatic space

Second, as the geopolitical consequences of the war in Ukraine unfold, Modi’s visit to Kyiv is a signal that Delhi will no longer be a passive by-stander in a conflict that is reshaping the world. For five centuries, India was an adjunct to European wars. Modi’s visit to Ukraine underlines India’s determination to actively shape the major European and global war of the times.

India is not the only Asian power trying to alter the European balance of power. That the Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang was winding up his visit in Moscow when Modi was travelling from Warsaw to Kyiv is a reminder of China’s growing role in shaping the contours of the war in Ukraine. Ukraine is not only about renewed contest between Russia and the West but also about the role of Delhi and Beijing in Europe.

As Modi arrived in Kyiv, Kamala Harris, in a thundering speech accepting the nomination of the Democratic Party to be the next President of the United States, declared her deep commitment to defend Ukraine and strengthen NATO.

The enthusiastic reception to Harris’s candidacy and her strong stance on Ukraine will test the widespread assessment that the US is a “weary titan” waiting to retreat from Europe. The Republican idea of pivoting away from Europe is now being challenged by Democrats. The outcome of that debate will have major consequences for India’s security policy.

If the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in Washington this week underlines India’s expanding strategic ties with the US, Modi’s engagement with President Vladimir Putin and Zelenskyy in quick succession underline India’s determination to protect its interests amidst the tremors from the reordering of great power relations.

3. 03
Delhi-Kyiv revival

Finally, Modi’s visit is also about re-establishing the lost bonds between India and Ukraine. Although India had privileged access to Ukraine in the Soviet era, Kyiv did not inherit its share of India’s political affections for the USSR.

The extraordinary goodwill for India in Ukraine was reflected in the warm welcome extended to Modi in Kyiv. The commitment by Modi and Zelensky to elevate their relationship into a “strategic partnership”, reboot their economic and defence ties, and revitalise their cultural ties marks the end of the prolonged neglect of India’s ties with Ukraine.

Above all, Modi's visit should help bring greater nuance and sophistication to India's debate on the war in Ukraine that has been subject too long to political prejudice and ignorance about Central European history.

(C. Raja Mohan is a visiting research professor at the Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore and a contributing editor on international affairs for The Indian Express)

Polaris Dawn: Another small step to Mars?

A private venture aims to break a record for the highest orbit and do a spacewalk in the hazardous Van Allen Belts. Scheduled launch: August 26.

By: Deutsche Welle

New Delhi | August 23, 2024 19:33 IST

Two giant swaths of radiation, known as the Van Allen Belts, surrounding Earth were discovered in 1958. (Wikimedia Commons)

If it succeeds, Polaris Dawn will be the first non-government mission to perform a spacewalk. But not only that — it’ll do that about 700 kilometers (435 miles) above Earth. The highest ever.

To compare: the International Space Station (ISS) orbits Earth at about 400 kilometers, where the radiation is less intense.

It will also orbit Earth through regions of a highly-charged belt of radiation. There are two of these “Van Allen Belts”, an inner and an outer one.

Astronauts tend to avoid the hazardous Van Allen Belts, but they will have to travel through them if humans want to fly to Mars and survive. This privately-funded mission could be a first step toward that goal.

The four astronauts on the Polaris Dawn mission will test new spacesuits, designed by Elon Musk’s company, SpaceX, to see how well they protect them against the Van Allen Belt radiation.

SpaceX is also providing the spacecraft — a Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule for the crew — to reach an altitude beyond the current record of 1,373 kilometers, set by NASA’s Gemini 11 mission in 1966.

Who is the Polaris Dawn crew?

- Jared Isaacman, Mission Commander

- Scott Poteet, Mission Pilot

- Sarah Gillis, Mission Specialist

- Anna Menon, Mission Specialist and Medical Officer

- Polaris Dawn, the first of a three-part program, is Isaacman’s idea.

Isaacman is a billionaire entrepreneur, who made his money in digital payments and military defense. He previously financed and flew on SpaceX’s Inspiration4 mission, the first civilian mission to orbit Earth.

Why are the Van Allen Belts dangerous for humans?

The Van Allen Belts consist of charged particles locked in place by Earth’s magnetosphere, which includes its magnetic field.

Earth’s magnetosphere traps high-energy radiation particles and protects our planet from solar storms and other threats to daily life from space.

While the outer belt holds high-energy particles from the sun, the inner belt is formed by cosmic rays that interact with Earth’s atmosphere.

They were discovered by American physicist James Van Allen in 1958.

The Van Allen Belts range from about 680 kilometers above Earth’s surface to what some estimates suggest is about 40,000 kilometers from the surface of the planet. And there’s a gap between the first and second belt.

The inner “proton” zone is centered at about 3,000 kilometers from Earth’s surface and the outer “electron” zone is centered about 15-20,000 kilometers from Earth’s surface.

The Polaris Dawn spacewalk will expose the crew to higher levels of radiation than on the ISS. They hope to collect data on the effects of that radiation as a key scientific experiment.

In 2025, NASA plans to send astronauts beyond the Van Allen Belts to land on the south pole of the moon, and eventually on to Mars. Any data provided by Polaris Dawn will feed into those future missions.

Planned health research on Polaris Dawn

Polaris intends to use data from the mission to create research Biobanks to study the effects of space travel on human biology.

It will investigate the effects of space travel on eyesight and brain structure — a major health risk in space, known as Spaceflight Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome (SANS).

The team also hopes to contribute to studies into decompression sickness (DCS), another health risk during spaceflight. DCS occurs when nitrogen gas bubbles (or gas emboli) damage human tissue.

First test of laser communications in space

The crew will test laser communications provided by SpaceX’s Starlink satellite network. Starlink is large satellite constellation, eventually consisting of about 12,000 satellites for communication on Earth and in space. It was used early in the Russia-Ukraine war.

Polaris hopes its communications tests will provide “valuable data for future space communications systems necessary for missions to the Moon, Mars and beyond.”

What’s planned for future Polaris missions?

Isaacman has committed to three missions in collaboration with SpaceX. This first mission is scheduled to last five days.

The second mission will, they say, “expand the boundaries of future human spaceflight missions, in-space communications, and scientific research.”

And the third mission will be the first crewed test of SpaceX’s reusable Starship spacecraft.

As with any space mission, the Polaris Dawn launch on August 26, 2024, may be delayed due to extreme weather conditions or technical issues.

Explained: Story of Chicken a la Kiev, the dish that rose to global popularity

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi lands in Kyiv (formerly Kiev), here is a look at the culinary favourite that might be many Indians’ first introduction to Ukraine

Written by Arjun Sengupta

New Delhi | August 23, 2024 18:58 IST

Chicken a la Kiev is a classic in Anglo Indian restaurants. (Wikimedia Commons)

It might not actually be Ukrainian, but for many Indians, Chicken a la Kiev (or simply Chicken Kiev) used to be the very first window into the eastern European country. A staple of the so-called ‘continental’ cuisine, Chicken Kiev was among the classic dishes to give Indians a taste of Europe in an era when most Indians had limited avenues to learn about, let alone experience, the world.

Contested origins

Like many culinary classics, the origins of Chicken Kiev are contested. According to Russians Chicken Kiev originated in the Muscovy region of the old Russian Empire. Its modern-day name came from the recipe being perfected in the 19th century by a Ukrainian chef.

Till date, Ukrainian chefs claim to have the only authentic recipe for the dish — a chicken breast rolled around a butter sauce, covered in breadcrumbs, and fried/baked. Nonetheless, the dish may have actually originated in France, as a cousin to the French classic Cordon Bleu — breaded, fried meat rolled around a cheese sauce.

Viacheslav Gribov, then the head chef at Kyiv’s Hotel Dnipro, told NPR in 2013 that during the late 1840s, Russian royalty sent chefs to Paris to learn from the best. They returned with a dish they called Mikhailovska cutlet, which today goes by the name Chicken Kiev.

“The dish was made in Paris with veal… but in Moscow, it was made with chicken. At that time, chicken was more expensive and considered more of a delicacy,” Gribov said. Soon it became popular among Russian high society.

Global popularity

Chicken Kiev was likely introduced to Europe and the United States in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution in 1917 by aristocrats and anti-communists who fled to the West. The dish began appearing in the menus of posh New York and London restaurants in the 1920s, and gained popularity in the late 1940s, with chefs looking to lure the ever-growing population of Russian migrants in the West.

However, by most accounts, the dish was not all that popular in the Soviet Union. It was in the 1950s and 1960s, when tourists to Kiev began to ask for the eponymous dish, that it rose to the status in Ukraine that it enjoys today. In fact, some say that it was the dish which attracted tourists to the city. “Chicken Kiev made Kiev famous,” Gribov said.

In 1979, the dish jumped from being a staple in fancy restaurants to becoming a global sensation as a ready-to-eat dinner, first marketed by British supermarket chain Marks & Spencers. Such was the dish’s popularity that in the early 1980s, the British Office of National Statistics used it to measure inflation. “Affordable yet suffused with continental glamour, it came to stand for the increasing aspiration and affluence of the lower-middle classes – an idealised vision of Thatcher’s Britain,” an article in The Economist, published in 2019, said.

Today, there are many variations of the dish, some with more seasoning, others with cheese in addition to the butter. In India, where the dish remains a staple in the soon-vanishing breed of Anglo restaurants, the dish remains a nostalgic reminder of a bygone era when eating out was a rare luxury, and fried chicken with some butter sauce was as luxurious a dish there could be.

What is ‘Rail Force One’, the train PM Modi took from Poland to Ukraine?

The Ukrainian airspace has been closed ever since Russia launched its invasion in February 2022. World leaders, such as US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron, have since used trains to visit the country.

Written by Rishika Singh

New Delhi | Updated: August 23, 2024 20:50 IST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi being welcomed as he arrives at the Kyiv Central Railway Station from Poland to begin his one-day visit to Ukraine on Friday. (ANI Photo)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv from neighbouring Poland by train on Friday (August 23), an unusual mode of transport for a head of government, but one that has been used earlier by other global leaders as well.

Foreign dignitaries visiting Kyiv have been taking the train ever since Ukraine’s airspace was closed following the Russian invasion in February 2022. After Joe Biden rolled into Kyiv last year instead of flying in on Air Force One, the US President’s iconic Boeing 747 aircraft, the train was dubbed “Rail Force One”. Here’s what to know about it.

For the first time in history, the Prime Minister of India visited Ukraine personally. Before arriving to Kyiv by our train, @narendramodi called India a “friend&partner” of Ukraine, hoping for a “restoration of peace” and “strengthening of IND-UA friendship.”#IronDiplomacy🇺🇦🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/EFBzoFeCH9

— Ukrainian railways || Укрзалізниця (@Ukrzaliznytsia) August 23, 2024

The train has luxury compartments

The train, which is run by the state-owned Ukrainian Railways or Ukrzaliznytsia, is painted blue and yellow, the colours of Ukraine’s flag.

The train has several luxury compartments, one of which was likely built just before Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, and was previously used to ferry wealthy tourists to the peninsula on the Black Sea, according to a report by the US government-funded Radio Free Europe.

Pictures from trips taken by foreign dignitaries show wooden panels, cream and blue curtains, leather sofas, king-size beds, wall-mounted flatscreen TVs and other modern amenities on the train.

The train’s 10-hour, 700-odd-km journey begins at Przemyśl Główny station in Poland, located around 400 km southeast of Warsaw, close to the country’s border with Ukraine, and ends at Kyiv.

The first foreign dignitaries to travel to Kyiv by the train were the prime ministers of Poland, Slovenia, and the Czech Republic, who visited in 2022.

Thereafter, the train was used by the former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada, besides Biden and now Modi.

A symbol of ‘Iron diplomacy’

Alexander Kamyshin, Ukraine’s Strategic Industries Minister who is in charge of Ukrzaliznytsia, has often used the hashtag #IronDiplomacy to refer to the world leaders’ train trips.

In 2023, Kamyshin posted on X about President Biden’s 20 hours on the train and just four in Kyiv, and apologised to the public when Biden’s travel led to some other trains on the network being delayed.

“We had to delay some of our trains to give a way to #RailForceOne. It was painful for me and my team, but I had to do that. So only 90% of our trains arrived on time yesterday. I apologize,” he wrote.

Why trains matter to Ukraine

This train, and other trains in the Ukrainian railway network, have played an important role in the war effort, including helping transport aid across the country, and Kamyshin has spoken repeatedly about the importance of the railways to his country.

As the war broke out, many Ukrainians rushed to train stations in an attempt to escape to safer places, or to leave the country. “When allowed to board, they folded their bodies into the compartments: luxury sleeper carriages made for 18 would hold 150, a second-class carriage, made for 54, would carry 500,” The New York Times reported on the rush.

“For a country that has skillfully mastered the Western media narrative…the railways’ triumph quickly became another public relations boon and a morale booster,” the report said.

Ukraine’s widespread railway network has always been popular, and domestic travellers often favour trains over planes. Ukrzaliznytsia is the sixth-largest railway passenger transporter in the world, and seventh for freight, according to a CNN report.

3 key takeaways from Kamala Harris’ speech at the Democratic Convention

With Vice President Kamala Harris accepting the Democratic presidential nomination, here are three key takeaways from her speech.

Written by Arjun Sengupta

New Delhi | August 23, 2024 16:11 IST

Democratic presidential nominee and US Vice President Kamala Harris waves from the stage on Day 4 of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. (REUTERS/Kevin Wurm)

Kamala Harris, in her closing remarks at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday, mounted a stinging attack on Donald Trump, dichotomising her “new way forward” with Trump’s “make America great again”.

“Our nation, with this election, has a precious, fleeting opportunity to move past the bitterness, cynicism and divisive battles of the past — a chance to chart a new way forward. Not as members of any one party or faction, but as Americans,” Harris said.

Here are 3 key takeaways from Kamala Harris’ speech.

1. 01
Painting a contrast to Donald Trump

A large portion of Kamala Harris’ 40-odd minute speech laid out the dangers that Trump will pose if he were to be elected again. “Consider his explicit intent to set free violent extremists who assaulted those law enforcement officers at the Capitol, his explicit intent to jail journalists, political opponents and anyone he sees as the enemy, his explicit intent to deploy our active duty military against our own citizens,” she said.

Harris argued that the recent Supreme Court decision that said Trump had immunity for his actions as president would make things even worse. “Just imagine Donald Trump with no guardrails. How he would use the immense powers of the presidency of the United States... to serve the only client he has ever had: himself,” she said.

She particularly emphasised the impact that a Trump presidency would have on reproductive rights, saying that he would pass a nationwide abortion ban and restrict access to birth control. “Simply put, they are out of their minds,” Harris said, adding that she would “proudly” sign legislation protecting abortion rights into law — something Biden promised but failed to deliver on during his tenure.

Among other things, Harris also said that Trump would cut Medicare and Social Security, eliminate the Department of Education, and repeal the Affordable Care Act, citing the policy blueprint laid out in Project 2025 as the playbook for Trump 2.0. Trump has thus far denied any links to Project 2025 and the Heritage Foundation which drafted it, but many people close to Trump have been involved in the project.

Harris also painted a contrast with Trump when it came to foreign policy, positioning herself as a defender of democracy against the “autocrat” Trump. “I will not cozy up to tyrants and dictators like Kim Jong Un who are rooting for Trump,” she said. “They know he is easy to manipulate with flattery and favours. They know Trump won’t hold autocrats accountable because he wants to be an autocrat himself.”

Harris said that unlike Trump, she would “never waver in defence of America’s security and ideals”. She said: “Because, in the enduring struggle between democracy and tyranny, I know where I stand — and where the United States of America belongs.” She vowed to “ensure America always has the strongest, most lethal fighting force in the world”.

2. 02
Continuing Biden’s ‘balancing act’ on Israel

With regards to Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza, Kamala Harris continued Biden’s balancing act. She said that she “will always stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself” and will ensure that Israel has “the ability to defend itself because because the people of Israel must never again face the horror that a terrorist organization called Hamas caused on October 7, including unspeakable sexual violence and the massacre of young people at a music festival”.

At the same time, Harris also said that “the scale of suffering” in Gaza was “heartbreaking”, and that Biden and she were working on a peace deal so that “Palestinian people can realise their right to dignity, security, freedom and self determination”.

Harris’ speech went further than most Democrats in recognising not only the suffering of Palestinians but also their rights, drawing rapturous applause. But many anti-Israel activists remain unconvinced about the “balancing act”.

“Leading with Israel’s right to defend itself in the wake of 40,000 massacred Palestinians is absolutely tone deaf,” Hatem Abudayyeh, spokesperson for the Coalition to March on the DNC and National Chair of the US Palestinian Community Network told Reuters. “Harris said nothing new… We continue to demand that the U.S. and Harris implement an arms embargo and stop sending weapons and all other aid to Israel,” he said.

For Harris, it is crucial to strike the right cords when it comes to the conflict in Palestine, albeit she alienates left-leaning, younger, and Muslim voters. These voters are likely to play an important role in swing states such as Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Arizona.

Abbas Alawieh, co-founder of the Uncommitted National Movement that mobilised more than 750,000 voters to protest US policy on Israel, said Harris missed an opportunity to win over those people, many of whom live in battleground states. “What’s needed in this moment is courageous leadership that breaks from the current approach," Alawieh told Reuters.

Notably, the DNC rejected protestors’ requests to have a Palestinian speaker, despite platforming an Israeli speaker.

3. 03
Doubling down on her middle class roots

With inflation and high interest rates continuing to drill a hole in American wallets, many polls have shown that the economy continues to be at the top of voters’ minds. This issue is likely to be among the biggest challenges for Kamala Harris who, in the minds of the people, represents the Biden administration which many hold responsible for the United States’ economic troubles.

In the lead up to her DNC speech, Harris has mentioned multiple, isolated policy proposals including mortgage assistance for first-time homebuyers, a tax credit for parents of newborns, and bans on price gouging at the grocery store to help target inflation.

That said, she has not put out a comprehensive plan to tackle the economy, that would paint a contrast not only to her opponent Donald Trump, but also current president Joe Biden. Moreover, critics say that Harris’ proposals are impractical, expensive, and perhaps even just election-driven talking points.

Her speech at the convention did not address these criticisms nor come with anything more concrete. Rather, she went the route of focusing on her own background and contrasting it to that of billionaire Trump as a means to convince voters that she understands their concerns, and will do what is needed to “strengthen the middle class”.

“This is personal for me. The middle class is where I come from,” Harris said. “As president, I will bring together labour and workers, small business owners and entrepreneurs, and American companies to create jobs, grow our economy and lower the cost of everyday needs like healthcare, housing and groceries,” she said.

This was as opposed to Trump, who Harris said “fights for himself and his billionaire friends”. She claimed that Trump “will give them [billionaires] another round of tax breaks that will add up to $5 trillion to the national debt, and all the while he intends to enact what, in effect, is a national sales tax — call it, a Trump tax”.

An Expert Explains: Why Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Ukraine is significant

New Delhi has framed Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Kyiv as a part of a progression of improving relations.

Written by C. Raja Mohan

New Delhi | Updated: August 23, 2024 20:36 IST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in Kyiv, Ukraine on August 23 (Screenshot/ANI)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold talks with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Friday (August 23). Modi will be the first Indian prime minister to visit Ukraine after diplomatic relations were established in 1992. On July 6, Modi met Russia’s President Vladimir Putin in Moscow — a visit that both Zelenskyy and the United States had criticised.

Does Prime Minister Modi’s visit signal a break from India’s traditional foreign policy stance on Ukraine?

This is certainly not a continuation of India’s traditional foreign policy stance. India was close to the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Ukraine was born after the fall of the USSR in 1991, but India’s affection for the Soviet Union, and later Russia, did not extend to Ukraine.

This is not dissimilar to India’s relations with Poland, the country the prime minister visited on Wednesday and Thursday. During the Cold War, when Poland was a Warsaw Pact member, three Indian PMs visited the country — Jawaharlal Nehru in 1955, Indira Gandhi in 1967, and Morarji Desai in 1979. But after the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact, and with Poland moving away from post-Soviet Russia and closer to the West, India has not found much time for the country.

Both Poland and Ukraine are important countries in Europe, but India’s bias towards Russia, in retrospect, likely prevented New Delhi from going full steam on its engagement with central and eastern Europe. This is why the prime minister’s ongoing visit marks a significant departure.

PM Narendra Modi with Polish counterpart Donald Tusk in Warsaw on Thursday. (Reuters)

What has led India to depart from its older foreign policy stance towards Ukraine?

Bilateral relations took a hit after the Russia-Ukraine war began in February 2022 — the volume of India-Ukraine trade dropped from $3.39 billion in 2021-22 to $0.78 billion and $0.71 billion in 2022-23 and 2023-24 respectively, according to Ministry of Commerce data.

But the war has also created a new opportunity for New Delhi to engage with Kyiv. While India has maintained a strategic balance on the conflict itself, over the past two years, the highest levels of the Indian leadership have engaged directly with Ukraine.

Modi has met and spoken with Zelenskyy at several multilateral forums, including the G-7 summit held in Italy year. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval have been in touch with their counterparts in Ukraine. Indian officials have participated in various peace meetings.

On March 29, Jaishankar hosted Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in New Delhi. The two ministers agreed to restore bilateral cooperation to the level that had existed before the war.

New Delhi has framed Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Kyiv as a part of a progression of improving relations. The possibility of post-war reconstruction in Ukraine offers various opportunities for India. More immediately, there is room for defence industrial cooperation. Ukraine’s strength as one of the world’s agrarian powers will add to its strategic salience in the years ahead. Pre-war Ukraine was among the biggest sources of sunflower oil for India.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi being greeted by children upon his arrival at a hotel in Warsaw on Wednesday. (PTI)

Could Modi’s visit to Ukraine impact India’s relations with Russia in any way?

There is no reason for that to happen. India-Russia relations are in no way linked to India’s engagement with Ukraine. The discourse both in India and in the West that forces this connection does not take into account the fact that India is a confident, powerful nation with significant capacity to act on its own in the international sphere. Framing the prime minister’s visit either in terms of India “abandoning Russia” or as Modi’s “redemption tour” following his visit to Moscow, is blind to India’s agency.

This is not how international politics works. For instance, Russia and India continue to share a strong relationship, India has been key to keeping Russia’s economy afloat by helping it bypass Western sanctions, and India continues to use Russian military hardware in addition to cooperating on a range of other issues — however, all this does not stop Russia from engaging with China, which is India’s biggest geopolitical rival, on the basis of the common interests of those two countries.

At the end of the day, common interests are the driving force in international relations. As Russia’s engagement with China does not impact its relationship with India, Indian engagement with Ukraine will not change its equations with Russia.

Moreover, if New Delhi wants to play peacemaker — PM Modi said in Warsaw on Thursday that India supports “dialogue and diplomacy for the early restoration of peace and stability” and “is ready to provide all possible support” to this end — it has to engage with the “other side”.

In sum, what is the significance of the PM’s ongoing visit?

For decades after Independence, Europe remained a relatively low priority for Indian foreign policy beyond the narrow focus on relations with Europe’s big four — Russia, Germany, France, and Britain. This has changed under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi over the last decade. His visit to Ukraine (and Poland) is part of India’s larger Europe push.

Referring to India’s policy of Non-Alignment on Wednesday, PM Modi said: “For decades, India’s policy was to maintain equal distance from all countries… Today, India’s policy is to maintain close ties with all countries.”

This push to become “Vishwabandhu” includes a recognition of the opportunity that lies in forging deeper ties in central and eastern Europe, and disentangling New Delhi’s engagement with the region from its relationship with Russia.

C Raja Mohan is visiting professor at the Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore and contributing editor on international affairs for The Indian Express. He spoke to Arjun Sengupta

What the first findings from ISRO’s Chandrayaan 3 mission tell us about the Moon

Findings from one of Chandrayaan 3’s scientific instruments support the hypothesis of a magma ocean on the Moon in its earliest phase. They also suggest a churn of lunar crust, probably caused by an asteroid hit.

Written by Sohini Ghosh

New Delhi | Updated: August 23, 2024 20:36 IST

The data collected by the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) also contain new information about the elemental composition of the lunar surface that can help to better understand the evolution of the Moon. (ISRO via X.com)

Almost a year after Chandrayaan 3 landed on the Moon, scientists in India have released the findings of studies carried out by one of the instruments on the rover module.

The findings comprise the first analysis of the composition of the topsoil in the Moon’s southern latitudes, and support the widely-accepted hypothesis that the lunar surface in the immediate aftermath of the Moon’s formation was covered by a sea of molten material.

The data collected by the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) also contain new information about the elemental composition of the lunar surface that can help to better understand the evolution of the Moon.

The findings were published in the journal Nature on Wednesday.

What has the APXS found?

Scientists have reported three key findings.

* The terrain around Chandrayaan 3’s landing sight is fairly uniform;

* The Moon’s crust was formed layer by layer, which adds weight to the lunar magma ocean (LMO) hypothesis; and

* The topsoil around the lunar south pole has a greater-than-expected sprinkling of minerals which compose the lower layers of the lunar crust.

How does APXS work?

Taking forward LMO hypothesis

The Moon is thought to have been formed after a large asteroid collided with Earth some 4.5 billion years ago. Scientists hypothesise that in its early life, the Moon’s surface was made up entirely of an ocean of magma.

As this ocean cooled over millions of years, heavier silicon- and magnesium-rich minerals such as olivine and pyroxene sank to the lower levels of the lunar crust and its upper mantle (which is generally the largest layer inside a planetary body, bounded by the planet’s core on the inside and the crust on the outside). Lighter minerals, composed of calcium- and sodium-based compounds, floated to the top and formed the upper crust.

The findings of Chandrayaan 3’s APXS take this hypothesis a step further. They support a class of models under the umbrella of the LMO hypothesis which theorises a stratified lunar crust — where 80-90% of the upper crust is believed to be composed of iron, magnesium, and sodium-rich rocks, and the lower crust of magnesium-rich rocks.

“Among the different possible scenarios of lunar crust formation within the premise of LMO, the APXS measurements support the models indicating stratified crust formation,” the study says.

‘Mixing’ of crust’s lower levels

The third APXS finding is a new discovery — and suggests that some “mixing” of the various levels of the lunar crust might have taken place. The researchers have proposed that this “mixing” could have been caused by the asteroid impact that led to the formation of the South Pole Aitken (SPA) Basin, the largest and oldest basin on the Moon.

The SPA basin has a diameter of approximately 2,500 km — equivalent to the distance between Delhi and Kochi — and a depth of 6.2-8.2 km. It is believed to have been formed 4.2-4.3 billion years ago, when the asteroid hit near the lunar south pole.

The researchers theorise that this asteroid impact resulted in the excavation of magnesium-rich material from deeper layers of the Moon, out to the surface of the surrounding areas as ejecta. The Chandrayaan 3 landing site was just 350 km from the rim of the SPA basin.

Significance of the findings

While these findings more or less support what is already known via modelling, imaging, and various hypotheses, they are novel nonetheless. This is primarily because Chandrayaan 3 landed near the Moon’s south pole, a first in lunar exploration.

While the composition of lunar topsoil near the equatorial and mid-latitude regions have previously been studied by earlier Moon missions sent by other countries, this is the first time that such measurements have been carried out near the Moon’s poles. This makes Chandrayaan 3 the first to carry out in situ experiments of any kind at the poles.

The rover moved within a 50-metre radius of the landing site, and took readings on different kinds of surfaces, from relatively smooth ones to near the rims of small craters. The overall finding, which suggests that the topsoil near the landing site is fairly uniform, is novel. Notably, the uniformity of the surface is unlike that of Earth, where tectonic plate movements led to the creation of undulating surfaces.

With measurements taken at 23 spots along the rover’s path, this is the first time that soil measurements on lunar highlands (light coloured, elevated basins on the Moon standing above dark-coloured basins known as maria) have been taken with such high frequency. Other missions — such as the US’s Apollo 16, Russia’s Luna 20, and China’s Chang’e 4 — too have sampled the lunar highlands, but sparsely. The total observation duration for the APXS measurements was about 31 hours, which were spread out over the mission period of 10 days.

Impact on future missions

If the mixing of the various layers of the lunar crust was propelled by the impact on the SPA basin and by further impacts subsequently in and around the basin, scientists believe that the APXS measurements will serve as the “first ground truth in the south polar highlands and probably play a key role in the overall understanding of the origin and evolution of the Moon”.

The uniform surface also implies that the region can be used as a calibration point for remote sensing operations, and can thus be used for planning future missions.

Future missions near the south pole can also evaluate for source-crater pairing of lunar meteorites. Lunar meteorites are meteors that originate from the Moon, ejected upon impact from an asteroid or comet. Caught in the Earth’s gravitational field, the lunar meteorites eventually end up on Earth.

Kolkata Junior Doctor rape-murder: Why is CBI psychologically assessing the accused?

A psychological profile is a character assessment of the accused, which can be produced in a court of law. The exercise helps understand the psyche of criminals to prevent serious crimes in the future, said the sources.

Written by Nikhila Henry

New Delhi | Updated: August 23, 2024 12:57 IST

The CBI has not released any statement on its findings so far, though it has re-registered the FIR after taking over the case.

The CBI is doing a psychological profile of the accused in the  Kolkata junior doctor’s rape and murder case.

The exercise, rarely conducted by the agency, is aimed at ascertaining not just the mental state of the accused but also trace what prompted him to allegedly indulge in the violence against the deceased trainee doctor, The Indian Express has learnt from CBI sources.

A psychological profile is a character assessment of the accused, which can be produced in a court of law. The exercise helps understand the psyche of criminals to prevent serious crimes in the future, said the sources.

The profile of the accused, Sanjay Roy, will help the investigators understand the root cause of his violent behaviour. It will also reveal whether the accused had planned the act or if he had the support of co-conspirators or other accused, CBI sources said.

The profiling is being undertaken by a team led by psychological and behavioural experts of Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL), Delhi. The CFSL team, which reached Kolkata a few days ago, first collected evidence from the crime scene, the sources said. “A joint team of CFSL and of AIIMS Delhi are in charge of collecting forensic evidence from the site,” a CBI source said. “We have enough material evidence to back up the case,” the source said.

Asked why the investigators thought of a psychological profile in this particular case, a former CBI officer said the technique is used when either the accused or the witness is not forthcoming with information. “If the investigating officers think that there is more to the confession or statement of the accused, a psychological profile can be undertaken. The exercise is also undertaken when the accused is seemingly uncooperative,” the former officer said.

Besides the investigators, the exercise involves forensic experts and psychologists, who ask questions to the accused and gauge their response.

“In some cases, some questions could elicit an emotional response from the accused, which is noted to understand his character traits. If most questions elicit muted responses, it could be ruled that the accused has no empathy,” a CBI official said.

But psychological profiling is just one of the tools for assessing the character of an accused. The other methods of doing this include polygraph, brain mapping and narcoanalysis. These three tests need the consent of the accused, as per Selvi vs State of Karnataka judgment of the Supreme Court in 2010.  “The three tests can be used to collect further evidence in the case,” a CBI official said.

The CBI has not released any statement on its findings so far, though it has re-registered the FIR after taking over the case.

Does your LMV licence allow you to drive a tractor as well? Supreme Court will decide

The centre in November 2023 assured the Supreme Court that it would evaluate on including tractors in the ambit of light motor vehicles, but did not revert to the court in nine months.

Written by Ajoy Sinha Karpuram

New Delhi | Updated: August 23, 2024 12:36 IST

A farmer preparing and ploughing the fields with tractor before planting paddy in Patiala. (Express File Photo - Harmeet Sodhi)

If you have a licence to drive a car, could you possibly use it to drive a tractor — or perhaps a road roller? Yes, said the Supreme Court seven years ago — and the court is now ready to pronounce its verdict on a challenge to that ruling.

On August 21, a Bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud indicated that it is done waiting for the government to present its view on questions arising out of the challenge.

Nine months ago, on November 22, 2023, the Centre had informed the court that it would evaluate — and possibly recommend amendments to — Sections 2(21) and 10 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 (MVA), which deal with the definition of “light motor vehicle” (LMV) and the “form and contents of licences to drive” respectively.

But the government has not got back to the court since then.

How the matter began

In 2017, the Supreme Court was tasked with deciding if a person who held a licence to drive an LMV was required to obtain a separate licence to drive a transport vehicle. (Mukund Dewangan v Oriental Insurance Company Limited).

Under Section 10 of the MVA, every driving licence must identify the “classes” of vehicles that the holder of the licence is allowed to drive. The section identifies “light motor vehicle” and “transport vehicle” as two distinct classes of vehicles (along with five other classes).

The court held that anyone with a licence to drive an LMV can also drive road-rollers, tractors, and “transport vehicles” (such as goods carriers or school/ college buses) so long as the “unladen” weight of the vehicle is up to 7,500 kg.

Unladen weight is the weight of the vehicle without the driver, passengers, or any other load. Under MVA Section 2(21), an LMV is defined as “a transport vehicle or omnibus the gross vehicle weight of either of which or a motor car or tractor or road-roller the unladen weight of any of which, does not exceed 7500 kilograms”.

The Bench of Justices Arun Mishra, Amitava Roy, and Sanjay Kishan Kaul (all now retired) noted that “transport vehicle” had been introduced as a class through a 1994 amendment to the MVA, replacing four older classes of passenger and goods vehicles that were classified as “medium” or “heavy”.

However, the separate class of “transport vehicles” would not apply to vehicles falling within the definition of LMV, as it would have “absurd results”, the Bench said.

“Every time an owner of a private car, who has a licence to drive a light motor vehicle, attaches a roof carrier to his car or a trailer to his car and carries goods thereon, the light motor vehicle would become a transport vehicle and the owner would be deemed to have no licence to drive that vehicle,” the court reasoned.

Challenge to the ruling

In July 2011, the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal ordered Bajaj Allianz General Insurance to pay Rs 5,02,800 as compensation to an applicant in an accident involving an autorickshaw.

On appeal, the Rajasthan High Court held in August 2017 that the insurance company must pay the compensation as the autorickshaw was a light motor vehicle and a transport vehicle. In its ruling, the HC referred to the SC’s decision in Mukund Dewangan.

Bajaj Allianz moved the SC in 2018, and argued that the decision in Mukund Dewangan had failed to consider multiple provisions under the MVA that show the differences in requirements for operating an LMV and a transport vehicle.

In March 2022, the court held that “certain provisions were not noticed by this Court in its decision in Mukund Dewangan”, and referred the case to a Constitution Bench.

Before Constitution Bench

After hearing arguments for two days in July 2023, the court asked the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to present its position on the matter. Accordingly, Attorney General for India R Venkataramani appeared before the court on September 13, 2023, and argued that the Mukund Dewangan verdict “does not appear to be in accord with the legislative intent (of the MVA)”.

The AG also informed the court that the Centre was open to re-evaluating the legal position on the issue.

The court said “it would be appropriate if the entire matter is evaluated by the Government before this Court embarks upon the interpretative exercise”, and listed the case for hearing on November 22. On that date, the AG informed the court that the Ministry had begun consulting with stakeholders on amending the MVA. The court then directed the Centre to submit a “road map” for the amendments.

On April 16, 2024, the AG informed the court that a proposed amendment was ready but asked for the proceedings to be deferred until after the Lok Sabha election, so it could be placed before Parliament. However, when the case came up for hearing this month, the AG told the court that the amendment would be brought only in Parliament’s Winter Session (which commences in December).

However, CJI Chandrachud retires on November 10, and if the matter is postponed beyond that date, a new Bench will have to be constituted and arguments will have to be heard anew. To avoid this situation, the Bench decided to conclude hearings and close the issue.

Hillary Clinton says Kamala Harris could break the ‘glass ceiling’ with her nomination. What does it mean?

‘Glass ceiling’ is a metaphor used to describe the invisible barriers in front of women in reaching senior career positions. What is its origin and what made it popular?

Written by Rishika Singh

New Delhi | Updated: August 23, 2024 12:37 IST

U.S. Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris. (REUTERS/Marco Bello)

Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Vice President Kamala Harris’ confirmation as the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate will help break through the “highest, hardest glass ceiling”.

During her speech at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Monday (August 19), Clinton said, “On the other side of that glass ceiling is Kamala Harris raising her hand taking the oath of office as our 47th President of the United States.”

The term “glass ceiling” has long been invoked as a shorthand for the barriers women face in advancing to senior professional positions. Clinton has used it frequently, like when she became the first-ever woman presidential nominee from either of the two main US political parties in 2016.

After Clinton lost that election to Donald Trump, she said in her speech, “To all the women, and especially young women… I know we have still not shattered that highest and hardest glass ceiling, but someday, someone will and hopefully sooner than we might think right now.” Where does the term come from? We explain.

What does ‘glass ceiling’ mean?

According to the Encyclopedia of Race, Ethnicity and Society, “…The word ceiling implies that there is a limit to how far someone can climb before he or she bumps up against a barrier… To say that the ceiling is glass suggests that, although it is very real, it is transparent and not obvious to the casual observer. It also implies that what is on the other side is both visible yet inaccessible to those facing it.”

While there may not exist obvious barriers, like policies prohibiting women from advancing in a profession, something nevertheless keeps them from reaching higher-level roles despite possessing the qualifications.

Who coined the term glass ceiling?

The most frequently cited source is the late American management consultant Marilyn Loden. In an article she wrote for the BBC in 2017, she recalled using it for the first time in 1978, at a panel discussion on women’s career progression.

Loden was then an HR professional. She listened to the women panellists discuss possible behavioural reasons for women’s inability to climb the corporate ladder: “Deficiencies in women’s socialisation, the self-deprecating ways in which women behaved, and the poor self-image that many women allegedly carried.”

However, Loden disagreed. She wrote, “I argued that the ‘invisible glass ceiling’ — the barriers to advancement that were cultural not personal — was doing the bulk of the damage to women’s career aspirations and opportunities.” Citing examples from her career, she added, “My boss made a point of commenting on my appearance at literally every meeting… On several occasions, I was told that the advancement of women within middle management was ‘degrading the importance’ of these positions.”

Why did the term become popular?

The term came as American society witnessed the Second Wave of Feminism in the 1960s and ’70s. Women demanded equality across fields, including in the workplace. Laws were then introduced to deal with these issues, such as Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, 1964, which prohibited employers from discriminating on the basis of sex.

Even without overt discrimination, few women were appointed heads of companies, universities, or political parties. US President George HW Bush established a Glass Ceiling Commission in 1991 to investigate these issues. It found that although women made up nearly 46% of the workforce then and earned more than half of all master’s degrees, 95% of senior-level managers were men.

While advances have been made, the trend continues even in major economies. A 2018 working paper from economist Marianne Bertrand found, “In Europe, only 23.3 percent of board members of the largest publicly listed companies are women and only 5.1 percent are CEOs (European Union 2016), despite women accounting for 45 percent of the labor force.”

In politics too, this underrepresentation is visible. In 2022, women held about 29 percent of seats in the US House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the national legislature. This was the highest percentage ever.

Therefore, a common feeling of persistent barriers drives continued usage of the term.

However, the term has also been criticised for mostly centring affluent, upper-middle-class white women. It ignores groups who are less likely to even get a foot in the door, such as poor women or those from racial minorities. In India, it applies to women from backward castes, who have historically been denied participation in the formal economy.

Why does the glass ceiling persist?

Several theories have attempted to explain it. Sheryl Sandberg, former Facebook COO, argued in her best-selling 2013 book Lean In that women needed to be more assertive, have greater ambition, and make other behavioural changes.

Loden criticised this idea and wrote in a response article in The New York Times at the time, “While Sheryl Sandberg’s advice may pertain to a privileged subset of women with Ivy League educations, ‘leaning in’ is no solution for the gender bias, inflexible work schedules and pay inequities that many working women still face.”

Data points to how men’s and women’s earnings start diverging right after a woman has a child since it requires her to devote extra time to childcare or drop out of the job market.

In her 2021 book, Career & Family: Women’s Century-Long Journey Toward Equity, economist Claudia Goldin discussed this “problem with no name”. She argued that the real issue is how lucrative, senior-level jobs are “greedy”, meaning they require substantial time commitments. As long as these jobs remain inflexible and policies don’t allow and normalise time-offs for men, the difference in career progressions will live on.

How soon could Antarctica’s ice sheet break away and disappear?

Global warming is putting the continent’s ice at risk of destruction in many forms. But one especially calamitous scenario might be a less pressing concern, a new study has found.

By: New York Times

Updated: August 23, 2024 12:37 IST

A photo provided by the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration shows members of the British Antarctic Survey team boring a hole in the Thwaites ice shelf in Antarctica for deploying instruments under the ice. (Icefin/ITGC/Schmidt via The New York Times)

Written by Raymond Zhong

For almost a decade, climate scientists have been trying to get their heads around a particularly disastrous scenario for how West Antarctica’s gigantic ice sheet might break apart, bringing catastrophe to the world’s coasts.

It goes like this: Once enough of the ice sheet’s floating edges melt away, what remains are immense, sheer cliffs of ice facing the sea. These cliffs will be so tall and steep that they are unstable. Great chunks of ice start breaking away from them, exposing even taller, even more-unstable cliffs.

Soon, these start crumbling too, and before long you have runaway collapse. As all this ice tumbles into the ocean, and assuming that nations’ emissions of heat-trapping gases climb to extremely high levels, Antarctica could contribute more than a foot to worldwide sea-level rise before the end of the century. This calamitous chain of events is still hypothetical, yet scientists have taken it seriously enough to include it as a “low-likelihood, high-impact” possibility in the United Nations’ latest assessment of future sea-level increase.

A distant prospect

Now, though, a group of researchers has put forth evidence that the prospect may be more remote than previously thought. As humans burn fossil fuels and heat the planet, West Antarctica’s ice remains vulnerable to destruction in many forms. But this particular form, in which ice cliffs collapse one after the other, looks less likely, according to the scientists’ computer simulations.

“We’re not saying that we’re safe,” said Mathieu Morlighem, a professor of earth science at Dartmouth College who led the research. “The Antarctic ice sheet is going to disappear; this is going to happen. The question is how fast.” The speed at which West Antarctica’s ice disintegrates matters hugely for human civilization and the environment. A slower breakdown gives seaside populations more time to mount defenses or move inland. It gives coastal ecosystems such as wetlands and mangroves more time to adapt.

Still, there’s a lot of uncertainty about how ice breaks apart under stress, Morlighem said. So it remains hard to say with high confidence how much time the world has to prepare for higher seas. “We still have a lot to do to reduce these uncertainties,” he said. Morlighem and his colleagues’ results were published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances.

The West Antarctica ice sheet

The West Antarctic ice sheet is one of several giant systems in nature that global warming might be pushing toward collapse. Scientists are working to understand the possibility that once warming exceeds certain levels, these systems might be tipped out of balance, triggering catastrophic changes that would be impossible to reverse for centuries, even millenniums.

In their simulations, Morlighem and his colleagues used information from recently developed modeling that describes how an ice cliff cracks into pieces. They focused on the Thwaites Glacier, a Florida-size river of ice that is among the fastest receding and least stable in Antarctica. The researchers simulated two situations that they described as “worst-case scenarios” for Thwaites.

First, they tested what would happen if the ice shelf — that is, the glacier’s floating edge — completely disappeared today. (In reality, the shelf will probably melt away gradually.) Then they tested what would happen if the shelf vanished in 2065. This would give the glacier several more decades to retreat inland, exposing ice cliffs that are higher than the ones currently near the water’s edge.

In both circumstances, they found that, once the shelf was removed, the glacier’s ice started flowing more quickly out to sea. This prevented the cliffs at the end of the glacier from becoming so tall as to trigger a runaway breakdown.

Need for conclusive findings

Several researchers who study Antarctica but weren’t involved in the new study said its findings were useful but unlikely to be the last word on the matter. Scientists need to keep finding ways to ground their models in observations from the real world, said Rob DeConto, a professor of earth, geographic and climate sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

How strong or weak is West Antarctica’s ice by the time it flows from the continent’s interior to the ocean? How much damage does it sustain along the way? How much liquid water does it hold? How does that affect the way it breaks? “Those are all things that we need a better understanding of,” said DeConto, who was among the researchers who first proposed that ice-cliff instability could spell ruin for West Antarctica.

The problem — or one of them, at least — is that scientists don’t have enough observations of how ice behaves when it fractures, said Richard Alley, a professor of geosciences at Pennsylvania State University. Ice can collapse quickly, he said. If scientists don’t happen to be watching, they can easily miss it.

“The data we are getting now are not sufficient,” Alley said. Given how many of the world’s major cities sit on coasts, and given how much it could cost to protect them against higher seas, there’s a lot riding on scientists to get the projections right, Alley said.

Could Karnataka Governor have given sanction to prosecute CM Siddaramaiah? The issues before High Court

Karnataka Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot approved the police investigation into an alleged corruption case against the CM. Siddaramaiah has challenged this in the Karnataka High Court.

Written by Ajoy Sinha Karpuram

New Delhi | Updated: August 23, 2024 12:37 IST

Karnataka Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot in Parliament. (Express file photo by Praveen Jain).

The Karnataka High Court on August 19 placed an embargo on the trial against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, as part of the alleged Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) scam case until August 29.

On August 16, Karnataka Governor Tawar Chand Gehlot ‘sanctioned’ or gave approval for police to investigate the CM’s involvement, in response to petitions filed by three anti-corruption activists — T J Abraham, Snehamayi Krishna and Pradeep Kumar.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah challenged the Governor’s sanction before the Karnataka HC on August 19 and the case was heard the same day by Justice M. Nagaprasanna. What are the issues the court will have to consider?

What are the allegations against Siddaramaiah?

The activists claim that the CM’s wife Parvathi received 14 housing sites from MUDA in exchange for a 3.16-acre plot of land illegally acquired by the MUDA in 2021 during the previous BJP-led government’s tenure. This allegedly resulted in a Rs. 55.80 crore loss for the state.

Previously, the Governor had issued a show-cause notice to the Chief Minister over T J Abraham’s complaint on July 26, 2024. Karnataka’s Council of Ministers met on August 1 and passed a resolution “strongly advising” the Governor to withdraw the complaint. However, the Governor sanctioned initiating proceedings against the CM under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.

Ingredients for an offence under the Prevention of Corruption Act

Governor Gehlot referred to Section 17A of the PCA in the official communication. The provision deals with investigation of offences related to public servants, allegedly committed during the “discharge of official functions or duties”. This section was introduced through an amendment to the PCA in 2018.

To investigate any such offence, the police officer must receive the “previous approval” of the “authority competent to remove” the public official from office, or the Central or state government, depending on where the public official is employed.

Two issues emerge from this for the court’s consideration. First, can sanction be given when the complaint is made by a private person? Section 17A specifically deals with the procedure when the police seek sanction to conduct an inquiry. However, in this case, no police officer approached the Governor and sanction was given based on the complaints made by three anti-corruption activists.

Second, what were the “official functions or duties” being discharged by Siddaramaiah that are allegedly related to the allegations against him? According to the Chief Minister, the original 3.16-acre plot was purchased by his brother-in-law in 2004 and gifted to his wife in 2010. When the MUDA acquired the property in 2021 and granted 14 housing sites in exchange, the Congress and Siddaramaiah were not in power.

The role of the Governor

Article 163 of the Constitution of India states, “There shall be a Council of Ministers with the Chief Minister at the head to aid and advise the Governor in the exercise of his functions, except in so far as he is by or under this Constitution required to exercise his functions or any of them in his discretion”.

The Supreme Court has held on numerous occasions that the Governor of a State is “bound” by the aid and advice of this Council of Ministers. In the MUDA scam case, Siddaramaiah argues that the Governor is bound by the resolution sent by the Council of Ministers on August 1 urging him to withdraw the show-cause notice. Instead, according to Senior Advocate Dr. A M Singhvi who represented Siddaramaiah before the HC, the ‘friendly’ Governor gave sanction without justifying why the allegations require an investigation or a trial.

He stated, “The only ground he addresses is that there is conflict of interest and gives a one-para, en masse, blanket order saying the cabinet is the alter ego of the Chief Minister who is the accused”.

On the other hand, the prosecution has relied on a 2004 Supreme Court precedent in Madhya Pradesh Special Police Establishment v. State of Madhya Pradesh. In this case, the Governor granted sanction to investigate two ministers in the MP government after the Council of Ministers had rejected the same.

In this case, the court acknowledged that “The normal rule is that the Governor acts on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers and not independently or contrary to it”. However, the court found that the Lokayukta for MP (a former Madhya Pradesh HC judge) had conducted a detailed inquiry into the same case and held that an offence should be registered against the two ministers.

The court stated, “In this case, on the material disclosed by the Report of the Lokayukta it could not have been concluded (by the Council of Ministers), at the prima-facie stage, that no case was made out”. It then held “We have, on the premises aforementioned, no hesitation to hold that the decision of the Council of Ministers was ex facie irrational whereas the decision of the Governor was not.”

The court in the MUDA scam case will have to decide if the Governor was bound by the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers to withdraw the show-cause notice and proceed no further, or if the facts and circumstances show that the allegations against Siddaramaiah hold sufficient weight to justify going ahead with the trial.

What Justice Hema Committee report says, why its release was delayed

The 233-page document provides a damning indictment of the discrimination and exploitation faced by women in the Malayalam film industry.

Written by Anagha Jayakumar

New Delhi | Updated: August 23, 2024 12:37 IST

Mahila Congress activists stage a protest demanding a case against the perpetrators named in the Hema Committee report, Thiruvananthapuram, Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024. (PTI Photo)

The Kerala High Court on Thursday (August 22) ordered the state to place before it in a sealed cover the entire Hema Committee report, including sections redacted for confidentiality. This order comes while the court considers a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) demanding the initiation of criminal proceedings against the offenders named in the report.

The Justice Hema Committee report was released by the Kerala government on Monday (August 19), four-and-a-half years after it was submitted to the Chief Minister. The 233-page document provides a damning indictment of the discrimination and exploitation faced by women in the Malayalam film industry.

What led to the formation of the Justice Hema Committee?

On February 17, 2017, a leading Malayalam film actress was abducted and sexually assaulted in her car by a group of men. A prominent actor would later be implicated in the case which sparked outrage across Kerala, and brought under the scanner the discriminatory treatment faced by women in the Malayalam film industry.

The Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), comprising women actors, producers, directors and technicians, was formed in response to this incident. On May 18, 2017 the WCC submitted a petition to the Kerala Chief Minister demanding an inquiry into the incident, and larger gender issues plaguing the state’s film industry.

In July, the state government formed a three-member committee headed by Justice K Hema, a retired Kerala High Court judge, to look into issues of sexual harassment and pervasive gender inequality in the Malayalam film industry. After speaking to multiple women in the industry on a variety of issues, the Committee submitted a 295-page report to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in December 2019.

What was the reason behind the delay in the release of the report?

Many have criticised the delay in the release of the Hema Committee report. On Monday, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said “It is utterly shameful and shocking that the government sat on this report for nearly five years now”. Congress’ V D Satheesan, the Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, alleged that the Left government was protecting powerful individuals in the film industry. “Whose interest did the government want to protect by hushing up a chain of atrocities?” he said.

The government has, however, maintained that the delay in publishing the report was due to the sensitive information it contained, and the privacy concerns which it raised. “Justice Hema had written to the government on February 19, 2020, urging that the report not be released due to the sensitive nature of the information,” the Chief Minister said on Tuesday.

In March 2022, Kerala Cultural Affairs Minister Saji Cherian, while responding to a question in the state Assembly, had said that the confidentiality of multiple respondents would be violated if the report were to be released.

Why has the report been released now?

In January 2022, the Kerala government formed a panel to work out a plan to implement the recommendations of the Hema Commission report. This panel came up with vague draft recommendations in May 2022. Subsequently, five Right to Information activists and media personnel approached the Kerala State Information Commission (KSIC) for more details.

The KSIC on July 6, 2024, ruled in favour of a controlled release of the report to the petitioners. Sixty three pages of the report were redacted before its scheduled release on August 14.

The Kerala High Court stayed the report’s release following a petition by film producer Saji Parayil, who argued that its publication would violate the right to privacy of individuals (including himself), and possibly expose them to retaliation and harassment. This petition was eventually dismissed.

A plea to the High Court by actress Ranjini, who had deposed before the Committee, further delayed the report. In her plea, she said: “I have the legal right to know how my statement has been recorded on the report”. This petition too was dismissed, and the report was finally released on Monday.

What does the Hema Committee report say?

Some key takeaways from the report are:

* A culture of sexual harassment pervades the Malayalam film industry. The Committee reported the existence of casting couch (wherein powerful men demand sexual favours from women in return for opportunities in films), frequent suggestive and vulgar comments made by men at the workplace, and drunk male co-actors forcing themselves into rooms of women, among other things.

* A fear of retribution prevents sexual harassment from being reported. Justice Hema writes in the report: “Many who were examined before the committee were afraid to reveal things which they experienced… we realised that their fear is well-founded.” Beyond direct retribution, the report also mentions the fear of cyber harassment, especially from toxic fan clubs, as a means by which women are forced into silence.

* An all-male “mafia” of influential actors and producers calls the shots across the industry, and wields their power with impunity. “No man nor woman dare to utter any word which may offend anyone belonging to the power group, because such a person will be wiped off the industry by the powerful lobby,” the report says.

* A male-dominated industry has failed to offer even basic facilities to women, including the lack of toilets and changing rooms on sets. The report says that women staff on film sets continue to remain at the mercy of open spaces or shared bathrooms to relieve themselves, often risking UTIs and hospital admission.

* Lack of gender parity with respect to remuneration is primarily due to the absence of written contracts.

What Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has been accused of in the alleged MUDA scam

What are the allegations against Siddaramaiah for which Governor Gehlot has granted sanction to private individuals to seek investigations? What is the 50:50 scheme, and on what basis has the Governor acted?

Written by Johnson T A

Bengaluru | Updated: August 23, 2024 12:37 IST

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah (right) is administered the oath of office by Governor Thawarchand Gehlot in Bengaluru in 2023. (Archive Photo/Jithendra M)

Karnataka Governor Thawarchand Gehlot has allowed three private individuals to seek investigations against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on complaints of corruption in the allotment of 14 housing sites in Mysuru to the wife of the CM — in exchange for 3.16 acres of land allegedly acquired illegally by a local authority in the city.

The Governor’s order was dated August 16, and was communicated the following day. On August 19, hearing a challenge to the order by the chief minister, the Karnataka High Court paused “precipitative action” based on the Governor’s sanction until August 29, the next date of hearing.

What is the alleged MUDA land scam?

In separate complaints, anti-corruption activists T J Abraham, Snehamayi Krishna, and Pradeep Kumar have alleged that the CM’s wife was an illegal beneficiary of a controversial land exchange scheme that was devised by the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) in 2020 to resolve cases in which the authority had illegally acquired land without informing owners about the acquisition.

Siddaramaiah and the Congress party have denied the allegations. The Congress has pointed out that the launch of MUDA’s “50:50” scheme (to grant 50% of land in a developed locality in exchange for 50% of the land illegally acquired by MUDA), and the decision to allot 14 plots to Siddaramaiah’s wife under the scheme took place in 2020 and 2021 — when the BJP was in power in the state.

The three anti-corruption activists have questioned the original ownership of the 3.16-acre parcel of land, which was acquired by Siddaramaiah’s brother-in-law in 2004, and subsequently gifted to Siddaramaiah’s wife Parvathi in 2010 before it was “illegally” acquired by MUDA.

The activists have alleged that MUDA had already acquired the land when it was bought by the CM’s brother-in-law.

Land exchange scheme

Until 2020, the compensation for people whose lands were wrongly acquired by MUDA without their knowledge was three times the value of the land, as stipulated by the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Resettlement and Rehabilitation Act, 2013.

MUDA also had schemes for allotment of alternative land in the same undeveloped locality where it had wrongly acquired land at the rate of 40:60 (60% of land under development by MUDA for 40% of wrongly acquired land).

In one instance of wrongful acquisition of land in 2013, the land losers (Sundramma and others) did not accept monetary compensation, and the Karnataka HC directed MUDA to provide an equal measure (2 acres) of developed land as compensation.

According to former MUDA officials, the payment of three times the land cost as compensation (under the 2013 law) and the HC’s order to give 100% of alternative land to land losers became a huge burden on the Authority

MUDA then reportedly came up with the 50:50 alternative land allotment scheme under the Karnataka Urban Development Authorities (Disposal of Plots in Lieu of Compensation for Land Acquisition) Rules, 1991.

However, on October 27, 2023, Siddaramaiah’s government halted the scheme after the state urban development department said it violated the Karnataka Urban Development Authorities Act, 1987. District officials in Mysuru had flagged that the scheme did not conform to land compensation rules, and activists had alleged that even persons whose land had not been wrongly acquired were given alternative MUDA sites in developed localities.

According to the urban development department, a total 1,328 sites were allotted to individuals and organisations under the 50:50 scheme. Among them were the 14 developed housing sites that were given to Siddaramaiah’s wife in exchange for 3.16 acres of land. Several local Mysuru MLAs from the BJP and JDS also reportedly garnered lucrative MUDA properties through the scheme.

Allegations against CM

There are three specific allegations against Siddaramaiah. These are largely circumstantial in nature, and are not supported by documentary evidence.

ORIGINAL OWNERSHIP OF LAND: The 3.16 acres of land that was allegedly acquired illegally by MUDA around 2013 — for which the CM’s wife, Parvathi, got 14 plots in Mysuru in 2021 — had been purchased by B M Mallikarjun, the CM’s brother-in-law, in 2004. In 2010, Mallikarjun gifted the land to his sister.

It is alleged that Mallikarjun could not have bought the land (for Rs 5.95 lakh from J Devaraju, son of the original owner Ninga alias Javara, a Dalit) since it had already been taken over by MUDA in 2004. It has also been argued that under the Karnataka Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prohibition of Transfer of Certain Lands) Act, 1978, land that has been given to an SC family by the state cannot be purchased.

However, the land is now considered as not falling under the 1978 Act since the original owner, Ninga alias Javara, was not a land grantee, and had bought the land for Rs 100 in an auction in 1935.

The CM has also produced records that show MUDA had acquired the land in 1997 but had dropped the acquisition the following year on the recommendation of a high level panel of the urban development department. The land was subsequently wrongly shown as acquired by MUDA, which led the CM’s wife to seek compensation in 2014.

The activists have said that the 1998 denotification, the 2004 land purchase, and a land conversion by Mallikarjun in 2005, were all carried out when Siddaramaiah was Deputy CM — first in the Janata Dal government of Chief Minister J H Patel and then in the Congress-JDS government of Chief Minister Dharam Singh — thus suggesting a conflict of interest.

Siddaramaiah has said it is far-fetched to make these connections.

DEVISING MUDA’S 50:50 SCHEME: It is alleged that the scheme, though launched in 2020, had been devised by Siddaramaiah during his tenure as CM from 2013 to 2018.

It is also alleged that MUDA’s December 30, 2021 decision to grant the 14 plots as compensation to Siddaramaiah’s wife was done after meetings in which the CM’s son, Yathindra Siddaramaiah, who was a local MLA between 2018 and 2023, participated along with other Congress, JDS, and BJP lawmakers.

Siddaramaiah has said that his wife’s request was made when he was CM in 2014, “but I told her that it would be wrong for me to decide when I am the CM”.

VALUE OF EXCHANGED LAND: Activist Abraham has alleged that the award of the 14 developed plots to the CM’s wife resulted in a loss of revenue to the state. While the cost of the 3.16 acres is officially estimated at Rs 3.5 crore, the 14 plots are estimated to cost Rs 8.5 crore as per the official guidance value. However, according to activists, the market value of the alternative sites given to the CM’s wife is estimated to be Rs 55.80 crore.

Siddaramaiah has claimed that his wife would be eligible for a compensation of Rs 62 crore for her 3.16 acres as per the norm of giving three times the market value under the Compensation Act.

Governor’s sanction

Gehlot has allowed investigations against Siddaramaiah under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (PCA) and Section 218 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS) without giving specific reasons for the decision.

PCA: Following a 2018 amendment, Section 17A says that an inquiry against a public servant for alleged crimes committed in the line of their official duties can only be launched after sanction has been accorded for investigation.

The Karnataka government has argued that the Governor could not have given sanction to private persons, and that a police officer should have approached the Governor at the stage of the registration of an FIR on the basis of a court order, or through a suo motu decision by police.

Two of the complainants filed private complaints in court seeking investigations against Siddaramaiah prior to the grant of sanction by the Governor. One of these matters (T J Abraham PCR) is pending for orders; the second PCR (Snehamayi Krishna) is to be heard further.

The two complainants also filed complaints before Karnataka Police anti-corruption units seeking investigations prior to the Governor’s approval.

In the past, sessions courts have rejected private complaints for investigations against public servants in the absence of a sanction — including a corruption case filed in 2021 against former CM B S Yediyurappa by T J Abraham.

The HC had, however, said in this case that no sanction was needed for filing a private complaint; sanction was needed as per Section 17A of the PCA by the police after registering an FIR.

BNSS: Section 218 of the BNSS is relevant after a chargesheet is filed by the investigating agency. This section is similar to Section 197 of the previous Code of Criminal Procedure Act which mandated sanction by a competent authority for taking cognizance of cases filed against judges and public servants for actions taken in the course of official duties.

Business

- Inflation will gradually glide towards 4% target, but this would take several quarters: MPC member Jayanth R Varma

- Govt invites proposals for setting up e-commerce export hubs

- Cement companies plan Rs 1.25 lakh crore capex till FY27: Crisil Ratings

- Janmashtami weekend ahead, flight bookings, fares see an uptick

- Foxconn infuses Rs 1,200 crore in Karnataka unit

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Inflation will gradually glide towards 4% target, but this would take several quarters: MPC member Jayanth R Varma

Varma, Professor in the Finance and Accounting at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, said that growth in 2024-25 and 2025-26 would be in the ballpark range of around 7 per cent, which is below the potential growth rate of the economy.

Written by George Mathew , Hitesh Vyas

Mumbai | Updated: August 24, 2024 07:38 IST

“Restrictive monetary policy controls inflation by suppressing demand, and until companies see robust demand growth, they may be reluctant to invest despite reasonably high capacity utilisation,” he said.

JAYANTH R VARMA, one of the three external members of the Reserve Bank of India’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), believes that inflation will gradually move towards the 4 per cent target, but it would take several quarters.

In an interaction with GEORGE MATHEW and HITESH VYAS, Varma, Professor in the Finance and Accounting at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, said that growth in 2024-25 and 2025-26 would be in the ballpark range of around 7 per cent, which is below the potential growth rate of the economy.

He said that a reduction in the current excessive real interest rate would help in reviving private capital investment. “Restrictive monetary policy controls inflation by suppressing demand, and until companies see robust demand growth, they may be reluctant to invest despite reasonably high capacity utilisation,” he said. Edited excerpts:

Retail inflation has fallen to 3.5 per cent in July. Do you expect inflation to be benign in the coming months? Is the 4 per cent level sacrosanct?

I expect inflation to trend down in coming quarters, with transient spikes in between, primarily due to food inflation. As far as the MPC is concerned, the 4 per cent target is a statutory mandate and therefore sacrosanct. I am confident that inflation will gradually glide towards the 4 per cent target, but this process would take several quarters.

What’s your opinion on the proposal in the Economic Survey for exclusion of food inflation from CPI inflation?

I do not wish to comment on this as an MPC member. The MPC has a statutory mandate set by the government, and our task is to conform to that target. It is up to the government to change the target if it considers it desirable to do so. It would not be appropriate for the MPC to suggest changing the goal post when high food inflation is making it difficult to reach the target.

There is a view that since Indian inflation is not well measured, and could be over or under-estimated, too much precision with regard to a target is unproductive. What is your view on this?

The tolerance band of 2 per cent on either side of the target takes care of these measurement errors as well as the well-known difficulties in forecasting future inflation and the uncertain lags in the effect of monetary policy.

You said a reduction of over 50 basis points in the repo rate is needed within a short span of time. When do you think this should happen?

I voted for a cut of 25 basis points in the August meeting itself. The subsequent cut would be based on the inflation and growth outcomes over the next couple of months.

There is a view that the US Federal Reserve may cut interest rate in September. Will it have a bearing on MPC’s decision on reducing the repo rate?

I think India has sufficient monetary autonomy to formulate its monetary policy based on domestic macroeconomic considerations. India’s current account deficit is quite modest, and can be readily financed even if lower interest rates lead to lower capital inflows into our debt markets.

You have mentioned about the unacceptable growth sacrifice induced by a monetary policy that is excessively restrictive. Do you see GDP growth for FY25 to be lower than the projected 7.2 per cent? ICRA has projected growth to fall to 6 per cent in Q1 from 7.8 per cent projected earlier…

It is difficult to forecast growth rates to a decimal point of accuracy. My view is that growth in 2024-25 and 2025-26 would be in the ballpark range of around 7 per cent and this is well below the potential growth rate of the economy.

What are the three key factors that can help India in achieving the potential growth rate of at least 8 per cent?

First, multiple policy measures during the last few years including digitalization, tax reforms, and a step up in infrastructure investment are key enablers of rapid growth. Second, the demographic transition that is under way is bringing a large number of new workers into the labour force, and this also creates the conditions for non-inflationary growth. Third, a reduction in real interest rates can accelerate private sector capital investment and spur growth.

India witnessed a transient lull in the investment activity, especially govt capex, in Q1 FY2025. What are the reasons for private capital investment not picking up?

A major reason is probably demand uncertainty. Restrictive monetary policy controls inflation by suppressing demand, and until companies see robust demand growth, they may be reluctant to invest despite reasonably high capacity utilization. I remain hopeful that private capital investment will revive, but a reduction in the current excessive real interest rate would help.

Govt invites proposals for setting up e-commerce export hubs

Based on these proposals, further details, including software requirements for e-commerce export hubs (ECEH) to facilitate seamless and expeditious export clearances, will be finalised, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) stated in a trade notice.

Written by Ravi Dutta Mishra

New Delhi | August 24, 2024 04:00 IST

The main objectives are to ensure predictability and the shortest possible turnaround time for e-commerce exports, to facilitate easy re-imports for e-commerce returns or rejects, and to bring various cross-border e-commerce stakeholders under one roof.

After Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her Budget speech announced the establishment of e-commerce export hubs, modelled on similar initiatives in several Southeast Asian countries, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry has invited proposals to finalise the operational modalities of these hubs.

Based on these proposals, further details, including software requirements for e-commerce export hubs (ECEH) to facilitate seamless and expeditious export clearances, will be finalised, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) stated in a trade notice.

“In this regard, detailed proposal(s) for setting up ECEH may be submitted to this Directorate for examination, support, and guidance,” the DGFT said.

Initially, there are plans to set up 10-15 hubs across the country. These hubs would be designated areas, serving as centres with favourable business infrastructure and facilities for cross-border e-commerce activities.

The main objectives are to ensure predictability and the shortest possible turnaround time for e-commerce exports, to facilitate easy re-imports for e-commerce returns or rejects, and to bring various cross-border e-commerce stakeholders under one roof.

While Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and artisans in China, South Korea, Japan, and Vietnam have experienced a surge in exports through e-commerce, India’s exports via this route, at $5 billion, have only been a fraction of its total goods exports of $450 billion. In contrast, China’s exports through this medium alone have surpassed $300 billion.

A report by the economic think tank GTRI suggests that India’s e-commerce exports have the potential to reach $350 billion by 2030, but banking issues hinder growth and increase operational costs. India has set a target of $1 trillion in merchandise exports by 2030, and cross-border e-commerce trade has been identified as one of the avenues to achieve this goal.

Cement companies plan Rs 1.25 lakh crore capex till FY27: Crisil Ratings

“A healthy 10 per cent annualised increase in cement demand in the past three fiscals outpaced growth in capacity addition, pushing utilisation level to a decadal high of 70 per cent in fiscal 2024 and prompting manufacturers to press the capex pedal,” it said.

By: ENS Economic Bureau

Mumbai | August 24, 2024 04:00 IST

Cement demand outlook remains healthy with a compound annual growth rate of 7 per cent over fiscals 2025-2029, the report said.

By Agneya Veer Dhingra (Intern)

Cement companies are planning to invest around Rs 1.25 lakh crore as capital expenditure during financial years 2024-25 (FY25), FY26 and FY27, according to a Crisil Ratings study. The investment comes against the backdrop of good expectations about future demand for cement.

The projected spending is significantly higher than what has been observed in previous years, Crisil said. This is 1.8 times the total capital expenditure over the past three financial years put together, it said. The capex plan follows a spate of acquisitions by leading players like the Aditya Birla group and the Adani Group in the cement sector.

“A healthy 10 per cent annualised increase in cement demand in the past three fiscals outpaced growth in capacity addition, pushing utilisation level to a decadal high of 70 per cent in fiscal 2024 and prompting manufacturers to press the capex pedal,” it said.

Cement demand outlook remains healthy with a compound annual growth rate of 7 per cent over fiscals 2025-2029, the report said.

“The surge in capex over the next three fiscals will primarily cater to this growing demand as well as to the aspirations of the cement makers to improve their national presence,” said Manish Gupta, Senior Director and Deputy Chief Ratings Officer, CRISIL Ratings. “A total of 130 million tonne (MT) of cement grinding capacity (nearly a fourth of the existing capacity) is likely to be added by players over this period,” Gupta said. Over 80 per cent of the projected capex over the three fiscals through 2027 is likely to be funded through operating cash flows, resulting in minimal requirement of additional debt, Crisil said.

Moreover, existing cash and liquid investments of over Rs 40,000 crore will provide a cushion in case of implementation-related delays, Crisil said.

However, regardless of the fact that there is a large injection of capital being spent, Crisil said that they would still be able to maintain stable credit metrics within their respective businesses. This stability is attributed to their stable balance sheets, with businesses in the industry retaining profits for the financial year, Crisil said.

“The credit profiles of CRISIL Ratings-rated cement manufacturers will remain stable because capex intensity of the cement industry is still low and likely to remain range-bound at 0.7-0.9 time during fiscal 2025-2027 (similar to that in the past three fiscals), owing to the sustenance of healthy operating profitability and ramp up of newly commissioned facilities,” the report said.

Janmashtami weekend ahead, flight bookings, fares see an uptick

Average domestic flight fares have risen by 16.3 per cent compared to last year.

By: Express Web Desk

New Delhi | August 23, 2024 20:56 IST

Among the top destinations with increased air bookings, Kolkata leads with a 70.1 per cent rise. (File/ Representational Photo)

The Janmashtami weekend has led to a surge in domestic flight ticket prices. With August 26 falling on a Monday, many are planning for a long weekend.

According to Cleartrip, average domestic flight fares have risen by 16.3 per cent compared to last year. Among the top destinations with increased air bookings, Kolkata leads with a 70.1 per cent rise, followed by Hyderabad at 57.6 per cent, and Bangalore at 55.4 per cent.

Top destinations (Air Bookings)

Destination City

Booking Spike (YoY)

Bangalore

55.4%

New Delhi

48.9%

Mumbai

43.5%

Hyderabad

57.6%

Pune

54.7%

Kolkata

70.1%

Lucknow

39.7%

Bookings are up 16.5 per cent compared to the same advance-booking period last year. For a typical August weekend, there’s been a significant 21.4 per cent increase compared to other weekends.

Hotel bookings to popular holiday destinations and religious sites like Lonavala and Varanasi surged over the long weekend. However, prices for these destinations dropped, with Varanasi fares decreasing by 29.5 per cent and Lonavala by 22.5 per cent.

Top destinations (Hotel Bookings)

Destination City

Spike Fare (YoY)

Booking Spike (YoY)

Mumbai

12.7%

63.9%

Bangalore

-9.2%

12.3%

Kolkata

-3.3%

28.6%

Varanasi

-29.5%

115.1%

Udaipur

3.3%

31.0%

Pune

-4.9%

6.5%

Lonavala

-22.5%

109.8%

Foxconn infuses Rs 1,200 crore in Karnataka unit

The Karnataka government in a statement last week said Foxconn is planning to invest Rs 25,000 crore to establish a massive manufacturing plant near Dodda Ballapur that will create 40,000 jobs.

By: PTI

New Delhi | Updated: August 23, 2024 18:20 IST

With the fresh infusion, Foxconn Singapore has invested over Rs 13,800 crore in the Karnataka unit. (File Photo)

Electronics manufacturing giant Foxconn has infused about Rs 1,200 crore — approximately USD 144 million — into its Karnataka-based Foxconn Hon Hai Technology India Mega Development Pvt Ltd, the company said in a recent regulatory filing.

The iPhone contract manufacturer’s Singapore-based arm Foxconn Singapore Pte has bought over 120.35 crore stocks of Foxconn Hon Hai Technology India Mega Development Pvt Ltd at Rs 10 per share on August 21.

The Karnataka government in a statement last week said Foxconn is planning to invest Rs 25,000 crore to establish a massive manufacturing plant near Dodda Ballapur that will create 40,000 jobs.

“The unit in Karnataka will soon become the second-largest Foxconn plant after China’s unit. It will create 40,000 direct jobs, especially for middle-level educated individuals, and our investment will not stop here; in the future, we plan to explore other sectors also,” Foxconn Chairman Young Liu was quoted as saying in the statement.

With the fresh infusion, Foxconn Singapore has invested over Rs 13,800 crore in the Karnataka unit.

The Karnataka government has allocated 300 acres to Foxconn for its upcoming mobile manufacturing unit in the state.

Airtel’s High-Speed Wi-Fi Initiative Reaches 1,200 Cities, Driving Digital Inclusion

Airtel’s expansion of its high-speed Wi-Fi services to over 1,200 cities is a major achievement in its ongoing efforts to connect India.

August 23, 2024 15:17 IST

Airtel's High-Speed Wi-Fi Initiative Reaches 1,200 Cities, Driving Digital Inclusion

As our dependence on the Internet increases, so do the challenges associated with accessing high-speed connectivity. One of the most significant issues netizens face today is the lack of reliable high-speed Internet. Slow or unstable connections can disrupt work, hinder education, and hamper our ability to stay connected with friends and family. In many regions, even urban areas, accessing consistent and fast Internet remains a persistent problem. This digital divide creates a disparity in opportunities, affecting productivity and quality of life.

Enter Airtel!

Recognising this critical issue, Airtel has stepped up to address the problem head-on. As one of India’s leading telecommunications companies, Airtel has made significant strides in improving Internet connectivity across the country. Their efforts have been particularly focused on expanding their high-speed Internet services to more areas, ensuring that more people have access to reliable and fast Internet.

Expanding Horizons With Airtel

In a recent statement, CEO Gopal Vittal highlighted the company’s commitment to enhancing the Internet experience for millions of users. “While Airtel Wi-Fi has historically had limited availability, Airtel has worked towards solving this problem and now we have high-speed Wi-Fi available at present in 1200+ cities. This means that those of you who were unable to access high-speed Internet will now be able to do so. As a mark of this capability, we have now chosen to offer you even more value here,” said Vittal.

Airtel’s Vision for Enhanced Internet Accessibility

Airtel has introduced several plans and packages designed to cater to various user requirements, from basic browsing to heavy streaming and gaming. This flexibility allows users to choose plans that best suit their usage patterns, ensuring they get the most value for their money.

“This content delivered through Airtel Wi-Fi will give you access to 22+ OTTs and 350+ TV channels. In addition, to signal our gratitude to you, every time you choose to add a new Airtel service – Mobile, Content or Wi-Fi – we will offer extra value over and above your basic plan,” said Vittal.

In conclusion, Airtel’s expansion of its high-speed Wi-Fi services to over 1,200 cities is a major achievement in its ongoing efforts to connect India. The company is set to continue making strides in improving Internet access and ensuring that more people can benefit from the digital revolution. For more details, visit Airtel.

Disclaimer:

This content is sponsored and does not reflect the views or opinions of IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd. No journalist is involved in creating sponsored material and it does not imply any endorsement whatsoever by the editorial team. IE Online Media Services takes no responsibility for the content that appears in sponsored articles and consequences thereof, directly, indirectly or in any manner. Viewer discretion is advised.

Air India fined Rs 99 lakh for pilot-rostering lapse that had led to non-qualified crew operating flight

The incident pertains to a Mumbai-Riyadh flight in July that was to be operated by a training captain with a trainee pilot.

Written by Sukalp Sharma

New Delhi | Updated: August 23, 2024 16:23 IST

The DGCA had issued show cause notices to a few of Air India's senior officials on July 22, but the replies failed to provide "satisfactory justification" of the incident, resulting in enforcement action by the regulator. (Photo: X)

A pilot rostering lapse has cost Air India dear with the aviation safety regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) slapping the airline and two of its directors with fines totalling Rs 99 lakh.

“M/s Air India Limited operated a flight commanded by a non-trainer line captain paired with a non-line-released first officer which has been viewed by the regulator as a serious scheduling incident having significant safety ramifications,” the DGCA said Friday. The incident came to the notice of the regulator through a voluntary report submitted by Air India in July.

The incident pertains to a Mumbai-Riyadh flight in July that was to be operated by a training captain with a trainee pilot. A rostering change had to be made as the training captain scheduled to operate the flight took ill. However, instead of another training captain, a regular pilot was deployed instead. According to norms, trainee pilots are required to be paired with training captains when operating a flight. They cannot be paired with a pilot who is not a designated training captain.

According to sources in the know, both pilots operating the flight realised the scheduling goof-up during the flight, following which they filed a report with the airline, which then reported the incident to the DGCA.

“Taking cognizance of this incident, the regulator undertook comprehensive investigations into M/s Air India Limited operations including examination of documentations and spot check of M/s Air India Limited Scheduling Facility. Based on investigation, it was prima facie reveled that there are deficiencies and multiple violations to the regulatory provisions by several post holders and staff, which could significantly affect safety,” the regulator said.

The DGCA had issued show cause notices to a few of Air India’s senior officials on July 22, but the replies failed to provide “satisfactory justification” of the incident, resulting in enforcement action by the regulator.

“The national civil aviation regulator (DGCA) has imposed a financial penalty of Ninety Lakh rupees on M/s Air India…In addition, penalty of Rupees Six Lakhs and Rupees Three Lakhs respectively is imposed on the Director Operations and Director Training of M/s Air India. Further, the concerned pilot has been warned to exercise caution to prevent such occurrences in future,” the DGCA said.

The airline has so far not commented on this action by the DGCA.

Sukalp Sharma

Sukalp Sharma is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express and writes on a host of subjects and sectors, notably energy and aviation. He has over 13 years of experience in journalism with a body of work spanning areas like politics, development, equity markets, corporates, trade, and economic policy. Before joining The Indian Express, Sukalp had long and enriching stints at financial newswire Informist and the Express Group’s pink paper The Financial Express. He considers himself an above-average photographer, which goes well with his love for travel. ... Read More

Anil Ambani-led group stocks plummet after Sebi bans him, others from securities market

Reliance Power stock declined 5 per cent each to Rs 34.45 and Rs 34.48 on BSE and NSE, also its lower price band.

By: PTI

New Delhi | August 23, 2024 13:59 IST

On Thursday, Sebi barred industrialist Anil Ambani, 24 other entities, including former key officials of RHFL from the securities market for five years for diversion of funds from the company. (PTI)

Shares of companies led by Anil Ambani on Friday fell sharply after Sebi barred him and 24 other entities, including former key officials of RHFL, from the securities market for five years for diversion of funds from the company.

The stock of Reliance Home Finance Ltd (RHFL) fell 5.12 per cent to Rs 4.45 on the NSE, and 4.90 per cent to Rs 4.46 on the BSE.

Reliance Infrastructure shares tumbled 10.83 per cent to trade at Rs 209.90 apiece on the BSE. On the NSE, it plunged 8.89 per cent to Rs 214.76.

Further, Reliance Power stock declined 5 per cent each to Rs 34.45 and Rs 34.48 on BSE and NSE, also its lower price band.

In the mid-session trade, the 30-share BSE Sensex rose 57.32 points or 0.07 per cent to trade at 81,110.51, while NSE Nifty climbed 29.35 points or 0.12 per cent to 24,840.85.

On Thursday, Sebi barred industrialist Anil Ambani, 24 other entities, including former key officials of RHFL from the securities market for five years for diversion of funds from the company.

Sebi has imposed a penalty of Rs 25 crore on Ambani and restrained him from being associated with the securities market, including as a director or key managerial personnel in any listed company, or any intermediary registered with the market regulator, for a period of 5 years.

Also, the regulator barred RHFL from the securities market for six months and slapped a fine of Rs 6 lakh on it.

Passing the final order in the RHFL matter, Sebi found that Ambani, with the help of RHFL’s key managerial personnel, had orchestrated a fraudulent scheme to siphon off funds from RHFL by disguising them as loans to entities linked to him.

In February 2022, markets watchdog Sebi had passed an interim order and restrained RHFL, Ambani and three other individuals (Amit Bapna, Ravindra Sudhakar and Pinkesh R Shah) from the securities market till further orders, for allegedly siphoning off funds from the company.

Rupee rises 5 paise to 83.88 against US dollar in early trade

The domestic equity market witnessed heavy volatility in morning trade, the 30-share BSE Sensex which opened on a positive note was later trading 13.2 points, or 0.02 per cent down, at 81,039.99 points.

By: PTI

Mumbai | August 23, 2024 10:35 IST

The domestic equity market witnessed heavy volatility in morning trade. (File photo)

Rupee traded in a narrow range and appreciated 5 paise to 83.88 against the US dollar in morning trade on Friday, supported by easing crude oil prices and fresh foreign fund inflows.

Forex traders said significant correction in oil prices, which is hovering around USD 77 per barrel, is a major positive for the rupee, given India’s substantial oil imports.

At the interbank foreign exchange market, the local unit opened at 83.93 and then gained ground and touched 83.88, registering a rise of 5 paise from its previous close.

On Thursday, the rupee traded in a narrow range and settled lower by 3 paise at 83.93 against the American currency.

“Despite the dollar index reaching a recent low, the Indian rupee remains steadfast, showing little signs of strengthening. This resilience can be attributed to the central bank’s deliberate interventions, aimed at stabilizing the USDINR around the 83.90-95 range,” CR Forex Advisors MD-Amit Pabari said.

Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback’s strength against a basket of six currencies, was down 0.15 per cent to 101.35 points.

Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was 0.12 per cent up at USD 77.31 per barrel in futures trade, “In the near term, the rupee is expected to trade within a narrow range, with an upside limit around 83.80 and support around 84.00,” Pabari added.

The domestic equity market witnessed heavy volatility in morning trade, the 30-share BSE Sensex which opened on a positive note was later trading 13.2 points, or 0.02 per cent down, at 81,039.99 points.

The Nifty also witnessed similar movement, it opened on a higher note, but soon pared the gains to trade 8.25 points, or 0.03 per cent lower at 24,803.25 points.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) were net buyers in the capital markets on Thursday as they purchased shares worth Rs 1,371.79 crore, according to exchange data.

On the domestic macroeconomic front, the minutes of the last Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) released by the RBI on Thursday noted that the calibrated increase in policy repo rate by 250 basis points since May 2022 and subsequent change of stance to the withdrawal of accommodation have facilitated gradual disinflation over 2022-23.

According to Reserve Bank Governor Shaktikanta Das, the current policy rate of 6.5 per cent is broadly balanced, and any justification for policy easing at this juncture can be misleading.

Not against e-commerce, but seeking fair play, says Piyush Goyal

The minister reiterated the example of the impact of the e-commerce industry in the US, saying that the rise of e-commerce led to the disappearance of “mom and pop” stores in the country.

Written by Ravi Dutta Mishra

New Delhi | Updated: August 23, 2024 07:17 IST

Union Minister Piyush Goyal (File Photo)

A day after expressing concern over the use of predatory pricing strategies by e-commerce players in the country, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday stated that the government has no intention of halting online commerce but desires fair play so that small retailers can survive and coexist.

“We want to encourage online growth. There is no intention to stop online commerce. Online has tremendous benefits, and we recognise that. However, if there is a law of the land that foreign direct investment (FDI) is allowed in online services only when you do business-to-business (B2B), it is a well-thought-out strategy. The idea is that our small retailers can survive and coexist with online services. Unfair competition should not eliminate them,” Goyal said at an event in Mumbai.

The minister reiterated the example of the impact of the e-commerce industry in the US, saying that the rise of e-commerce led to the disappearance of “mom and pop” stores in the country, and that India’s efforts should focus on providing equal opportunities to an estimated 10 crore small retailers as India’s per capita income is not at par with Western countries.

“We are very clear that we want to invite FDI, we want to invite technology, and we want to have the best of the world. We are not against online commerce at all. Online e-commerce offers tremendous benefits, such as convenience and speed. What the government and the country desire is fair play, honesty for the customer, and honesty to the supplier, to ensure that our people have a fair chance to compete against such online businesses,” Goyal said. Citing data from a report on e-commerce, Goyal on Wednesday mentioned that the sharp growth of e-commerce, particularly in high-margin items crucial for retailers’ survival, could cause significant social disruption as half of our market could potentially become part of the e-commerce network ten years from now.

“Are predatory pricing policies good for the country? When Amazon says they are going to invest a billion dollars in India, we all celebrate. We forget the underlying story— that billion dollars is not being invested in any great service or in any significant way to support the Indian economy. They posted a billion-dollar loss in their balance sheet that year,” Goyal had said on Wednesday.

GST rate rationalisation: GoM not keen on tweaking current slabs for now, seeks more data

GoM members have sought more data on various items. Then they will make a presentation on rate rationalisation proposals at the GST Council meeting slated for September 9.

Written by Aanchal Magazine

New Delhi | Updated: August 23, 2024 07:21 IST

The GST has five key tax slabs: zero, 5 per cent, 12 per cent, 18 per cent and 28 per cent. A compensation cess, ranging between 1 per cent to 290 per cent, is levied on demerit and luxury goods over and above the topmost rate of 28 per cent.

The reconstituted Group of Ministers (GoM) on rate rationalisation under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime met for the first time on Thursday and broadly agreed to not make any changes with the existing slabs in the indirect tax regime. State finance ministers, who participated in the meeting, also said that the issue of reduction of GST rate in health and life insurance premiums was raised in the meeting of the GoM and it is being reviewed by the fitment committee.

GoM members have sought more data on various items after which it will make a detailed presentation on rate rationalisation proposals at the GST Council meeting slated for September 9. The GoM will then meet again in September-end, state finance ministers said. Bihar’s Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary, who is the convenor of the GoM on rate rationalisation said some members of the GoM were not in favour of any tweaks in the existing tax slabs under GST. “All matters were discussed. We will have further discussions. For now, every member has given their views. Some are demanding that there should be no changes in tax slabs under GST. More discussions will happen and then only a final decision will be taken,” he said.

On reducing GST on insurance, Chaudhary said there have been deliberations on it but no decision has been taken. Chaudhary said he has received representations from some associations such as beverages, online gaming, and they will review those and some will be sent to the fitment committee.

Other members of the GoM also supported the view of no change in GST slabs as of now. West Bengal’s Finance Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya said she was of the view that there should be no changes in the GST slabs. “That (changes in GST slabs) will not happen for now. Slabs will be retained at 5, 12, 18, and 28 per cent. This view will be reviewed by the Council now,” she said. When asked if there would be a rate cut, she said: “we have only discussed but no finality (is there).”

Karnataka’s Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda also emphasised on no need for a tweak in the tax slabs under GST, stating that it has broadly stabilised. “It (GST rate structure) has stabilised. So why disturb it…what do you achieve by disturbing it. We said in the next meeting we will discuss it (reducing slabs),” he said.

Gowda said the GoM had asked for a detailed breakup of data for some items, the implication on rates going up or down on those items and accordingly a decision will be taken.

Any such recommendation of tweaks in rates or tax slabs by the GoM would require final approval of the GST Council. Other members of the GoM include Uttar Pradesh Finance Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna, Goa Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho, Rajasthan Medical and Health Services Minister Gajendra Singh along with West Bengal Finance Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya, Karnataka Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda, and Kerala Finance Minister K N Balagopal.

In its previous meeting in June, Sitharaman had said in the next meeting of the GST Council, the GoM on rate rationalisation under Bihar Deputy Chief Minister, will give a presentation on the status of the work and aspects covered by the panel and work pending before the panel.

The GST has five key tax slabs: zero, 5 per cent, 12 per cent, 18 per cent and 28 per cent. A compensation cess, ranging between 1 per cent to 290 per cent, is levied on demerit and luxury goods over and above the topmost rate of 28 per cent. A merger of 5 per cent and 12 per cent slabs or 12 per cent and 18 per cent slabs has been deliberated upon earlier as well but has not been taken up formally for a decision.

West Bengal’s Finance Minister Bhattacharya also raised the issue of reduction in GST rate in health and life insurance premium, adding that it will be reviewed by the fitment committee.

Byre Gowda said the discussion on reducing GST on insurance was discussed in passing but it’s not clear if the decision on it should be taken by the GoM or the Council in its meeting.

Opposition leaders including Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee have demanded withdrawal of GST on life and health insurance premiums. Banerjee had also written a letter to Sitharaman for rollback of GST on life insurance and health insurance premiums. Earlier on July 28, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari wrote to Sitharaman, saying GST on life and medical insurance premiums amounted to taxing the “uncertainties of life”. Sitharaman had earlier this month said that tax was levied on insurance premiums even before the imposition of GST and that GST revenues are shared between states and the Centre.

The GST Council in its 45th meeting held in September 2021 at Lucknow had deliberated upon the revenue situation, after which a GoM was constituted under the then Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai to examine rate rationalisation. The committee had submitted an interim report in June 2022 suggesting changes in rates for some goods and services along with correction of inverted duty structure.

The concern of maintaining revenue neutrality has weighed on such discussions of rate changes earlier. Revenue neutrality is seen as a crucial factor as a study by the RBI had earlier shown that while the Chief Economic Advisor’s report had pegged the revenue neutral rate at 15.3 per cent, the weighted average GST rate stood at 14.4 per cent in May 2017, and subsequently dropped to 11.6 per cent by September 2019.

Aanchal Magazine

Aanchal Magazine is Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express and reports on the macro economy and fiscal policy, with a special focus on economic science, labour trends, taxation and revenue metrics. With over 12 years of newsroom experience, she has also reported in detail on macroeconomic data such as trends and policy actions related to inflation, GDP growth and fiscal arithmetic. Interested in the history of her homeland, Kashmir, she likes to read about its culture and tradition in her spare time, along with trying to map the journeys of displacement from there.   ... Read More

Sunday Eye

- What makes Stree 2 actor Shraddha Kapoor an Instagram sensation

What makes Stree 2 actor Shraddha Kapoor an Instagram sensation

After Stree 2's success, Shraddha has become the third most-followed Indian on Instagram. Unpacking her soaring popularity on social media.

Written by Alaka Sahani

Mumbai | August 24, 2024 07:00 IST

Shraddha Kapoor is currently basking in the success of Stree 2.

With her riveting performance as the mysterious spirit with a magical braid, actor Shraddha Kapoor ensured Stree 2: Sarkate Ka Aatank’s impressive box-office collection gives the Hindi film industry a reason to celebrate. A week after its release, she became the third most-followed Indian personality on Instagram, surpassing Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with many attributing this to the actor’s ‘relatable’ presence on social media and her ‘unpretentious’ posts. These major accomplishments revealed two different facets of Shraddha’s personality — that of a star and a girl-next-door.

When The Indian Express spoke to Kapoor last year and asked her to spill the beans about her social media popularity, she credited this to “the love she receives from her fans and followers”. The 37-year-old actor, by her own admission, is not at all hooked to her phone set. “I keep it as far away from me as possible. I don’t even like to check my WhatsApp. I am active on social media because of the love I receive there,” says the actor, who made her film debut in 2010 with Teen Patti.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Shraddha ✶ (@shraddhakapoor)

With successful films such as Aashiqui 2 (2013), OK Jaanu (2017) and Chhichhore (2019) to her credit, Shraddha is counted as one of India’s top stars. Yet, her public image is that of a simple and unassuming person. She often posts photos of eating ghar ka khana; enjoying a vada-pao, lazing at home in pyjamas; playing with her dog Shylo, and glimpses of celebrations at home. She makes public appearances without make-up; in jeans and tee or comfy salwar-kameez; and even seen travelling in an auto. Barring some rare occasions, nothing about her appearances points at ‘luxe’ or ‘couture’.

Though it’s unclear if the Stree actor consciously created this image or chose to stick to it after it proved to be effective, it has definitely helped her win legion of fans. Unpacking her social media popularity, a Mumbai-based publicity and branding expert who didn’t wish to be named, says: “Everything about her is relatable — from the clothes she wears to the brands she carries.”

Also Read | How Rajkummar Rao-Shraddha Kapoor’s Stree 2 success launched a PR war for credit: Whose Stree is it anyway?

Over the years, she has acquired a loyal fandom. “That has traditionally been the privilege of male stars since fans of female stars are known to admire more than one person,” the expert says. What has contributed to this fandom is Shraddha’s fun, interactive posts as well as her light-hearted response to fans’ comments. Unlike other stars, she is known for going through direct messages and responding to them, at times.

Shraddha seems to have established a bond with them, albeit digitally. When Shraddha bought a red Lamborghini and videos of her doing puja of the new vehicle went viral last year, many criticised her for splurging and showing off but her fans came to her defence. Their argument was that she was afterall a prominent star and has every right to indulge in something she fancies.

While determining the film she would do next, Shraddha keeps the audience as well as her choice in mind. During our conversation, the actor expressed her wish to be “part of great stories and play memorable characters”. For her, the story comes first. She says: “It starts with the question if the character would inspire and entertain me. Rest of the criteria follows after that.” Coming from a film family — her father is Shakti Kapoor and mother Shivangi Kolhapure — she feels blessed to be part of Indian cinema. “I have the privilege of entertaining people and putting a smile on people’s faces. It has been absolutely amazing,” says the actor, who has been making all her public appearances in red keeping her Stree 2 character in mind.

Even though she has been called a “bankable star” by people in the industry, she is more keen on knowing what the audience wants. “The audience has become picky. That will push us to make better and more entertaining films. People are not going to theatres only to see stars. They want gripping stories too,” she says.

Also Read | Stree 2 movie review: Shraddha Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao film dumbs down a sharp premise

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Voompla (@voompla)

Though Shraddha was recently seen driving co-star Varun Dhawan to Stree 2’s success party in her Lamborghini, she is rarely seen in parties. Is she more of a homebody? “I do attend parties but I try to stick to my bedtime. I also love spending time with Shylo; reading a book; and having haldi ka doodh before going off to sleep. I love waking up early and having chai with my family,” says the actor, who believes that “these simple things make life amazing”.

Tech Review

- Dell XPS 13 Copilot+ PC review: A flagship Windows laptop in every sense

- Vivo V40 Pro review: An all-weather smartphone with flagship cameras

Dell XPS 13 Copilot+ PC review: A flagship Windows laptop in every sense

The Snapdragon X Elite-powered Dell XPS 13 is easily one of the most futuristic-looking/performing laptops that I have tested this year.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Rs. 1,74,999

Written by Vivek Umashankar

Bengaluru | Updated: August 23, 2024 16:35 IST

Easily one of the best looking Windows laptops in the market. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

This looks like a laptop that’s straight from the future! That’s my first thought of the new Dell XPS 13 9345 Copilot+ PC, powered by the ARM-based Snapdragon X Elite chip. While this isn’t the first XPS to offer an infinite trackpad in the thin-and-light form factor, the combination of this futuristic design and a new chip makes it a wholesome package.

The Dell XPS 13 Copilot+ PC has been my companion for over two weeks, and here is the full review of one of the most compact Copilot+ PCs available in India.

A refreshing design that does compromise a bit on practicality

The laptop has a premium metal unibody design. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

I love the look and feel of the Dell XPS 13, and it has the charm of making almost any other laptop look dated. It not only looks great, but it is also one of the most compact 13-inch laptops, featuring very narrow bezels and a full-metal unibody design. For someone who prefers a MacBook over a Windows laptop any given day, the XPS 13 won me over.

However, the XPS 13 doesn’t come without its share of compromises. With just two USB-C ports, this is the first laptop that I have tested so far that doesn’t even come with a 3.5mm headphone jack. Unlike a MacBook Air, with both USB-C ports on the same side, the XPS 13 has one port on each side, which is definitely a relief, especially for someone like me, who loves to keep the laptop plugged into power and also to an external monitor, where in this case, I took the help of Honeywell USB-C docking station, which also added all the ports that I was missing on this machine, including RJ45 ethernet jack, SD card slot, USB-A ports, and even a VGA port.

If you are coming from a laptop with an extensive I/O, then adjusting to the XPS 13 will take some time. However, if you are already living the dongle life, then you will feel right at home.

Tandem OLED, but on a laptop

The screen on this laptop is bright and colour-accurate. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

Hands down, the Dell XPS 13 has one of the best screens ever featured on a 13-inch laptop, and it uses the latest Tandem OLED technology, similar to that of the latest iPad Pro M4. This multi-layer OLED panel ensures excellent colour reproduction and brightness levels. This is a 13.4-inch 3K (2880 x 1800) resolution touch panel with an anti-reflective coating, offering excellent viewing angles and brightness levels while consuming less power. However, the screen refresh rate on this machine is limited to just 60Hz, and if you want a variant with a 120Hz refresh rate, you have to settle for a regular IPS LCD panel.

From watching movies to making sketches, the OLED panel on the Dell XPS 13 is excellent, especially indoors. With a peak-rated brightness of just 400 nits, this definitely isn’t the brightest screen on a laptop. If you are looking for a compact laptop with a great touch display, the Dell XPS 13 is as good as it gets.

An infinite trackpad and a great keyboard

The trackpad makes this laptop look futuristic. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

What really sets the Dell XPS 13 apart from its contemporaries is its trackpad and keyboard. The trackpad on this machine has no physical borders, which gives it a very futuristic look, and the same also goes for the keyboard, which has very minimal gaps between the keys. While I took a while to get used to this setup, I started enjoying it in just a few days of time. However, I am not a fan of capacitive function keys, and these are as problematic as the discontinued Touch Bar on the Apple MacBook Pro.

An AI-first laptop that works flawlessly

The laptop offers excellent CPU and GPU performance even in battery mode. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

Performance and battery life aren’t an issue on the Dell XPS 13, powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon Elite X1E-80100 processor, which is slightly more capable than the Snapdragon X Elite X1E-78100, powering the Asus Vivobook S15 Copilot+ PC (review). The laptop also offers up to 32 GB of RAM and 1 TB of fast NVMe Gen4 SSD, similar to other laptops of this class.

In terms of performance, despite being smaller than the Asus Vivobook S15 Copilot+ PC, it outperforms it both in CPU and GPU benchmarks. When it comes to everyday usage, it performs as expected, and I did not notice any lag or stutter even when I was testing this machine on the battery. In fact, I got slightly better gaming performance while playing GTA: V with an average FPS of around 80 at 1080p resolution, which is strange but definitely a good thing, especially for gamers who are always on the go.

A dedicated NPU to power AI experiences

The dedicated NPU handles on-device AI tasks. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

The Hexagon NPU on the Snapdragon X Elite enables various AI experiences on the Dell XPS 13, including the upcoming Recall feature, which will be available exclusively on the Copilot+ branded PCs. On top of that, apps like Teams can also make use of this AI to generate custom backgrounds during a video call in real time. Co-creator is another app that lets you generate images; however, despite on-device processing, all these features do require an active internet connection.

A laptop that can last all day

The battery can last for more than a day. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

Since I have been testing the Dell XPS 13, it has replaced my work laptop, and can easily last for an entire day on a single charge. While I was not able to replicate Dell’s claim of 16 hours of battery life, in my testing, the device easily lasted for over 8 to 10 hours. This means, I can charge it once and don’t have to worry about battery life for the entire workday.

A powerful and premium Windows laptop

A compact and premium Windows laptop. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

The Dell XPS 13 is one of the most premium compact laptops of 2024, which even matches the performance and efficiency of a modern MacBook. Not only that, it has a great display and an excellent set of speakers, and its unique take on the keyboard and trackpad makes it stand out from the crowd. This laptop is not for everyone who just wants a laptop; instead, this machine is for those who value and appreciate premium products with cutting-edge technology.

Dell XPS 13 9345

Feature

Pros

Cons

Design

Futuristic, compact, full-metal unibody

Only two USB-C ports, no 3.5mm headphone jack

Display

13.4-inch 3K Tandem OLED touch display, excellent color reproduction and viewing angles

60Hz refresh rate

Performance

Powerful Snapdragon X Elite chip, up to 32GB RAM, 1TB NVMe SSD, good for everyday tasks and light gaming

AI features require an internet connection

AI Features

Dedicated NPU for AI experiences, upcoming Recall feature, AI-powered background generation in Teams

Capacitive function keys might be polarizing

Battery Life

All-day battery life, up to 10 hours on a single charge

Other

Infinite trackpad, comfortable keyboard, excellent speakers

Vivo V40 Pro review: An all-weather smartphone with flagship cameras

I tried the Vivo V40 Pro, which has built on its predecessor the V30 Pro with some notable improvements.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Rs. 49,999

Written by Bijin Jose

New Delhi | Updated: August 23, 2024 08:53 IST

The Ganges Blue Vivo V40 Pro glistening under a canopy of trees on a cloudy day in New Delhi. (Image: Bijin Jose/The Indian Express)

Along with being functional, a modern-day smartphone must survive rain, hail, and storms. I have been toying with numerous phones in the past year, but I haven’t come across a device that packs almost everything — a stellar camera, sturdy build, and a refreshing design.

For the last two weeks, I have been using the Vivo V40 Pro, which the brand claims stands out in an ocean of smartphones with its focus on superior imaging capabilities. In this review, I will explore what sets the smartphone, launched earlier in August, apart from its competitors and help you make an informed decision.

Slim and sleek

The first thing that caught my attention was the slim profile, and I feel housing a large battery makes it an engineering marvel. More so, I feel Vivo has done a great job, especially at reaching out to the segment of users who are averse to bulkier smartphones. With the V40 Pro, Vivo has managed to come out with a slim device despite packing a 5500 mAh battery. It is 7.58 mm thick, has a great design, and does not compromise on the battery life.

The Vivo V40 Pro’s camera island is huge. However, it is in no way obstructing the design element of the device. (Image: Bijin Jose/The Indian Express)

The review device I got was in the Ganges Blue shade, which the brand claims to pay homage to the holy river. The glass back is iridescent and under direct light, gives the illusion of the wavy movements of the river. The device comes with an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance, which should come as peace of mind for many users.

Another striking aspect is the comprehensive cushioning structure that enhances the drop resistance of the device. The Vivo V 40 Pro sports a high-performance Schlott glass for the screen. Overall, I feel that this is an ideal device for someone who is on the move and is more likely to drop their phones.

What a display

Essentially, the Vivo V 40 Pro builds on its predecessor the V30 Pro — a device that I thoroughly enjoyed using. However, there are some notable improvements. At the heart of all this is the 6.78-inch curved AMOLED display with minimal bezels. The screen offers a resolution of 2800 x 1260 pixels and a super smooth 120 Hz refresh rate.

The 6.78-inch curved AMOLED display on the Vivo V40 Pro offers the best viewing even on a bright sunny day. (Image: Bijin Jose/The Indian Express)

Besides, it supports HDR10+, making it ideal for your Netflix binge sessions. The standout feature here is the claimed peak brightness of 4500 nits, and during my usage I found the device to be significantly visible even on bright sunny days. I liked the vibrant colours and sharp details that the display showcased, especially while watching the 4K content.

Lights, camera, action

The camera system on the device is its main highlight. On the rear, it sports triple 50 MP cameras with the main featuring a Sony IMX921 sensor with Optical Image Stabilisation. Another highlight is the 50 MP ZEISS Telephoto Portrait Camera which offers 2x optical and 50x digital zoom, with OIS support. This lens is tailored for portrait photography, featuring the ZEISS Multifocal Portrait function, which provides multiple focal lengths (24 mm to 100 mm) with corresponding ZEISS lens effects, allowing for some cool artistic portraits.

Colours pop out in natural lighting. (Image: Bijin Jose/The Indian Express)

With the Vivo V40 Pro almost any setting can be a wallpaper-worthy click (Image: Bijin Jose/The Indian Express)

The camera module on the Vivo V40 Pro can be a delight for amature photographers. I am a novice, yet I could see the possibilities this device has to offer. (Image: Bijin Jose/The Indian Express)

Perhaps, the most interesting aspect of the cameras is how efficiently it captures the details. (Image: Bijin Jose/The Indian Express)

A towering building under the sprawling sky. (Image: Bijin Jose/The Indian Express)

The Vivo V40 Pro can be your perfect travel companion. (Image: Bijin Jose/The Indian Express)

The phone excels in portrait photography, offering multiple focal length options for versatile shots. Video capabilities are impressive too, with 4K recording at 60 fps available on both the rear and front cameras. Low-light performance is commendable, though some motion blur can occur in challenging conditions. Moreover, the ZEISS Style Bokeh features seven background blur styles, essentially mimicking high-end cameras. For selfies, the 50 MP front camera supports wide-angle shots with a 92° field of view, making it ideal for group selfies.

Performance

When it comes to performance, the Vivo V40 Pro is powered by MediaTek’s Dimensity 9200+ chipset paired with 12 GB of RAM. I found it to excel at both everyday tasks and some demanding games. While this cannot be called a gaming smartphone, one can easily play most games like Call of Duty, PubG, or racing games. The phone comes with a vapour chamber cooling system which helps it to manage heat during intensive use. During the review period, I never experienced any heating issues with the device.

The Vivo V40 Pro runs on Android 14 with Vivo’s FunTouch OS. While this may not appeal to all, I must tell you that it comes with an array of customisations. The device comes with three years of OS upgrades and four years of security updates, and this should keep the device running smoothly for a good long time.

Verdict on Vivo V40 Pro

The Vivo V40 Pro comes with some noticeable improvements over its predecessor, particularly in terms of performance and battery life. The versatile camera system makes it a solid choice among its peers. The device is the most durable in the segment, even though some may find the plastic frame uninspiring. Despite these minor issues, the Vivo V40 Pro can be a worthy investment.

Bijin Jose

Bijin Jose, an Assistant Editor at Indian Express Online in New Delhi, is a technology journalist with a portfolio spanning various prestigious publications. Starting as a citizen journalist with The Times of India in 2013, he transitioned through roles at India Today Digital and The Economic Times, before finding his niche at The Indian Express. With a BA in English from Maharaja Sayajirao University, Vadodara, and an MA in English Literature, Bijin's expertise extends from crime reporting to cultural features. With a keen interest in closely covering developments in artificial intelligence, Bijin provides nuanced perspectives on its implications for society and beyond. ... Read More

Science

- NASA to give update on Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore’s return today: How to watch it live

- NASA is monitoring 5 asteroids speeding towards Earth next week

- NASA to announce Starliner crew-Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore’s return path on Saturday

- Astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore’s return: Ex-US Army space commander shares 3 dangerous scenarios

NASA to give update on Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore’s return today: How to watch it live

Nasa will hold a press conference later today to give a key update related to the return of Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore, members of the Starliner mission stranded on ISS.

By: Science Desk

New Delhi | August 24, 2024 08:56 IST

NASA astronauts Sunita Williams, left, and Butch Wilmore. (AP photo)

With Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore stuck in space for over two months, the world is awaiting an official confirmation about their return to Earth. The duo, who were part of the first crewed Starliner mission by Boeing, were meant to be in space for eight days. However, now they are closing in on the 80-day mark.

Today, August 24, leaders from Nasa are expected to announce a crucial update related to the safe return of the astronauts. Nasa in its announcement is expected to share its plan of action on the safe return of the Starliner’s crew to Earth.

The press conference by Nasa is scheduled for 1 pm EDT, which is 10:30 pm IST. The conference will include Nasa Administrator Bill Nelson and other leaders who are currently deliberating on the return of Boeing Starliner.

What happened to Starliner?

Boeing’s Starliner marked a massive leap for private players in the US. Williams and Wilmore were launched to the International Space Station (ISS) on June 5 for a sojourn lasting eight days. However, owing to helium leaks and failures of multiple thrusters on the spacecraft, the duo’s return was indefinitely delayed.

Both Nasa and Boeing have gathered data from space and ground regarding the Spacecraft’s propulsion and helium systems to understand the technical glitches. The review slated for later today will include a mission status update, review of technical data, and closeout actions, as well as certifying flight rationale to proceed with undocking and return from the space station, as per the official statement.

Reportedly, Bill Nelson and Nasa leaders will discuss flight rationale with an internal Agency Test Flight Readiness Review to be held at Johnson Space Centre in Houston ahead of the press conference.

Ever since the astronauts have been stranded in ISS, Nasa has been considering various options for their safe return. Last week it was reported that Nasa was considering using Starliner as planned or bringing them back aboard SpaceX Dragon Spacecraft. Back then, Nasa leaders said that a final decision would likely be made towards the end of month.

NASA is monitoring 5 asteroids speeding towards Earth next week

At least five asteroids are on their way to cross paths with Earth. Although none of them pose any threat, this is a great opportunity for scientific observation.

By: Science Desk

New Delhi | Updated: August 23, 2024 16:35 IST

All asteroids approaching Earth vary in size and present a unique opportunity for astronomers to study their movement in the universe. (Illustration: Pixabay/Izhar Ahamed)

Between August 27 and September 1, at least five asteroids––which do not pose any immediate threat––are expected to fly by Earth. Asteroids, each time they cross Earth, offer significant opportunities for astronomers and researchers to closely study their components. Such closer examinations can lead to vital clues about the origin story of the Universe.

Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory actively tracks asteroids and shares vital information with the world. The laboratory has given some details about the asteroids that are approaching Earth.

Asteroid 2020 RL

The first asteroid named 2020 RL is expected to make its closest approach to Earth on August 27 by coming within a distance of 46.8 lakh km. This 110-feet asteroid is as big as a modern-day aeroplane. Nasa monitors such asteroids in its efforts to track near-Earth objects helping scientists assess the potential impacts and understand the dynamics of objects within the solar system.

Asteroid 2021 RA10

The 2021 RA10 asteroid is 92 feet and is also as big as an aircraft. This asteroid is expected to make its closest approach––within a range of 26.1 lakh km––on August 28. Objects of this size are commonplace and astronomers track their orbits to assess future risks. This kind of flybys allow scientists to study the characteristics and behaviour of asteroids, and help implement planet defence strategies.

Asteroid 2012 SX49

This asteroid is roughly the size of a house and has a 64-feet diameter. The 2012 SX49 will make its closest approach to Earth at 42.9 lakh km on August 29. Similar to other asteroids, this space rock will pass at a safe distance. Monitoring asteroids help scientists refine their predictions about future approaches and ensure that potential threats are identified well in advance.

Asteroid 2016 RJ20

It is 210 feet in size and will be as close as 69.9 lakh km to Earth on August 30. There is no risk associated with this asteroid which also is roughly the size of an aeroplane. Asteroids of this size and magnitude are fairly common.

Asteroid 2021 JT

This is perhaps the smallest asteroid approaching Earth at this point of time. The 2021 JT Asteroid will pass by at a safe distance of 63.6 lakh km. Scientists keep a track on this too, despite its small stature.

Can asteroids destroy Earth?

The damage caused by an asteroid is mainly dependent on its size. It needs to be noted that only an asteroid as big as Earth can destroy us. There have been no known dangerous impacts so far. However, small meteors keep crossing Earth on a daily basis. The Planetary Science Institute says that an asteroid needs to be at least 16 feet wide to land on Earth. Also, based on statistics, most asteroids have a high chance of falling into the ocean or areas of Earth that are largely uninhabited.

NASA to announce Starliner crew-Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore’s return path on Saturday

What was intended to be an eight-day mission docked to the ISS has been extended for months due to leaks in the capsule and failures of some of its thrusters.

By: Express Web Desk

Updated: August 23, 2024 10:29 IST

Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore have been in space since June (Source: NASA/X)

NASA said on Thursday, August 23, it will decide this weekend whether Boeing’s new capsule is safe enough to return two astronauts from the International Space Station, where they’ve been waiting since June. Administrator Bill Nelson and other top officials will meet Saturday. An announcement is expected from Houston once the meeting ends.

Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams launched aboard Boeing’s Starliner on June 5. The test flight quickly encountered thruster failures and helium leaks so serious that NASA kept the capsule parked at the station as engineers debated what to do.

SpaceX could retrieve the astronauts, but that would keep them up there until next February. They were supposed to return after a week or so at the station.

If NASA decides SpaceX is the way to go, Starliner would return to Earth empty in September. Engineers are evaluating a new computer model for the Starliner thrusters and how they might perform as the capsule descends out of orbit for a touchdown in the US Western desert. The results, including updated risk analyses, will factor into the final decision, NASA said.

Boeing said earlier this month that extensive testing of thrusters in space and on the ground demonstrated Starliner’s ability to safely return the astronauts. It was the company’s first astronaut flight, delayed for years by a multitude of capsule problems. Two previous Starliner test flights had no one on board.

NASA hired Boeing and SpaceX a decade ago, after the space shuttles retired, to ferry its astronauts to and from the station. SpaceX has been at it since 2020.

Astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore’s return: Ex-US Army space commander shares 3 dangerous scenarios

Former US Army Space System Commander has advised careful consideration of options for return while prioritising the safety of Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore.

By: Science Desk

New Delhi | Updated: August 23, 2024 08:53 IST

Sunita Williams and her peer Barry Wilmore were to return on June 14, however, the faulty Starliner capsule has indefinitely delayed their return. (Express Image: Nasa)

It has been over two months since astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore are stranded aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The Boeing’s Starliner mission was meant for eight days, and the astronauts were to return to Earth by June 14. However, owing to a fault in the spacecraft, their return has been delayed indefinitely.

The spacecraft was launched on June 5, and following a glitch in its thrusters, which is critical to propel the spacecraft, the duo has been stuck. Weeks later, it was reported that Nasa might consider SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, which will only return in February 2025, further delaying their space stay.

Even as Nasa considers alternative solutions to bring back the stranded astronauts safely to Earth, there have been speculations surrounding the return of the astronauts. From unsuitable spacesuits to deteriorating health on the ISS, the Internet is abuzz with reports suggesting more chaos for Williams and Wilmore.

At present, Nasa is deciding whether it should stick to the faulty Starliner or opt for the SpaceX Dragon, a rival to Boeing. Returning on the Boeing Starliner can spell doom for Williams and Wilmore. In a Daily Mail report, Rudy Ridolfi, who was a Space System Commander in the US military, outlined three dangerous scenarios if Nasa chooses to use the Starliner for the return.

Scenario 1: Too steep reentry angle

Based on the report, the scenario would mean failure of the thrusters, leaving the spacecraft with 96 hours of oxygen and power. If the Starliner’s service module places the capsule at too steep a reentry angle, the increased friction could cause the heat shield to fail. This would essentially lead to the capsule burning up in the atmosphere, vapourising the astronauts onboard.

One needs to understand that the main issue with Boeing’s Starliner is with its service module, which essentially is the control center for the entire ship. The service module has the systems that control the thrusters, water, oxygen for astronauts, and power. It is important that the service module is at a certain angle to reenter into the Earth.

Scenario 2: Too shallow reentry angle

According to Ridolfi, in case the reentry angle is too shallow, the capsule could bounce off Earth’s atmosphere and be hurled back into space. This would mean that the astronauts would remain stranded somewhere in the orbit, prompting Nasa to scramble to locate them and retrieve the capsule.

Scenario 3: Thruster failure on return

As we know, several thrusters have already failed, there could be a risk of more failing during the return. In case this happens, the astronauts could be left floating in space with limited oxygen and power. They would have about 96 hours to revive the thrusters and safely return to Earth.

In the report, Ridolfi suggested that Nasa should strongly consider launching a rescue mission with SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule. He firmly believes that this could be a safer alternative than the faulty Starliner. He also advised Nasa to thoroughly evaluate risks and consider alternative options that prioritises the safety of the astronauts onboard.

More about Boeing Starliner

The Starliner from Boeing reportedly costs USD 1.5 billion and is a reusable spacecraft that can carry five to seven crew members along with cargo. The spacecraft is designed to land on solid ground with the help of parachutes and airbags that cushion the landing. This is in contrast to SpaceX’s Dragon and Russia’s Soyuz, which do not land on solid surfaces, but in the ocean. The delay in return has been mainly caused by issues with its reaction control system, especially helium leaks. Helium is critical to pressuring the propellant that feeds the thrusters.

The Starliner is five metres tall and has a diameter of 4.56 meters, and weighs around 9,78,000 kg when fully fueled. The spacecraft has two main parts: a service module that offers power and propulsion, and a reusable crew module meant for the astronauts. It has a heat shield for re-entry protection and a Nasa docking system for access to stations.

On its launch, the Starliner was propelled using an Atlas V rocket in nine stages, which included booster separation and orbital insertion. During its reentry, the service module is expected to separate from the crew module. Following this, Starliner uses parachutes and airbags to safely land on the ground. The Starliners design allows it to be reused for future missions, given its systems are intact on reentry and landing on Earth.

Movie Review

- Alien Romulus review: There is Kill, then Overkill

- Kottukkaali movie review: PS Vinothraj, Anna Ben serve a triumph of independent story-telling

- Vaazhai Movie Review: An uncompromising, unadulterated, and powerful journey to the core of Mari Selvaraj’s mind

Alien Romulus review: There is Kill, then Overkill

Alien Romulus review: The film succumbs eventually to that commonest of crimes: where a bark will do, it bites; where teeth will do, it snarls; where one big monster is enough, it has thousands.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Written by Shalini Langer

New Delhi | Updated: August 23, 2024 17:49 IST

Alien Romulus is currently running in the theatres. (Photo: IMDb)

ROMULUS may have founded Rome but, as they say, Rome wasn’t built in a day. The Alien franchise too has certainly sweated its way here, nearly 50 years after Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripey first encountered extraterrestrial form in the iconic 1979 film. There have been ups and downs, but those messy, hungry, hunting aliens have not shown any loss of appetite.

It all comes down to our appetite then, for similar mayhem. With Ridley Scott, the OG director of the OG film, in the producer’s chair, Alien: Romulus certainly grabs our attention. Director Alvarez, who is also the co-writer and is a surprise choice for this big-ticket reboot that has names like Scott and James Cameron associated with it, preps the setting nicely. There is a conscious call to move away from the mid-career protagonists of the earlier films to boys and girls in their 20s this time, with the child-like Spaeny leading the pack.

However, Alien: Romulus succumbs eventually to that commonest of crimes: where a bark will do, it bites; where teeth will do, it snarls; where one big monster is enough, it has thousands; and where one scene of a creature crawling its way out of a human conveys the point, it has two.

There is kill, and then there is overkill.

Still, when it begins, Alien: Romulus has promise. Rain (Spaeny) and the android whom she considers her brother, Andy (Jonsson), inhabit a dreary, dusty, dark planet called Jackson where the corporates who run the show are working them to death. Humans are assigned bunk-like quarters, provided assembly-line food and warned against diseases, before being thrown into their assignments to fulfill their required work hours. When anyone meets those hours, the company simply changes the rules.

Rain, who dreams of returning to a planet where she can at least see a sun, realises this even as she is still mourning her parents who died of diseases caught working in mines, and looking after Andy who doesn’t have the social skills needed to survive such a place.

ALSO READ | Kottukkaali movie review: PS Vinothraj, Anna Ben serve a triumph of independent story-telling

The desolation of Jackson is striking, its dingy market milling with worn, weary crowds reminiscent of Blade Runner.

But, soon enough – with surprisingly no one in the ever-watchful company noticing – Rain and Andy have taken off into space with her group of friends to try and dock onto a decommissioned spaceship they have discovered is floating overhead. The idea is to use the spaceship to travel to a planet where the sun shines – and much more, one presumes.

If you have seen any of the previous eight Alien films – including sequels, prequels and mid-quels – you will know what likely awaits humankind on a mysteriously deserted spaceship.

Again, Alvarez takes his sweet time getting there, and it is a welcome suspense. You may wonder how the youths engaged in jobs like farming and mining on their planet are so well-versed in the whereabouts of a spaceship, but who knows? Maybe it is one of the bonuses of living on a distant planet in the distant future.

Both the vessel on which Rain and the others take off and the spaceship where they dock are rundown, rusted, barely lit vehicles, carrying the whiff of Jackson with them. They are also a maze. Somehow, the group has no difficulty with that, and it also keeps the audience off-kilter, wondering what to expect next.

But then the aliens come, and then they keep coming and coming, grabbing faces, slobbering acid, wandering corridors. Spaeny has too slender shoulders to carry the film on her own, though she is not bad, while there is only so much Jonsson can do when expected to act robot-like or dumb (he is no Michael Fassbender to pull off Alice: Prometheus or Covenant). The others are mostly mere fodder, which is fairly obvious from the start.

The most stomach-curdling aspect of the film does not even involve aliens, of any kind, including those born from the combined DNA of humans and them. It is the film’s decision to resurrect an actor from the first Alien. Not only is the actor now deceased, the film uses him in a manner that is, suffice to say, less than elegant.

Director: Fede Alvarez

Cast: Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced, Spike Fearn, Aileen Wu

Rating: 3 stars

Kottukkaali movie review: PS Vinothraj, Anna Ben serve a triumph of independent story-telling

Kottukkaali movie review: While the film is from the man’s point of view, our gaze never strays far from the woman. Being adamant can be a good thing.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Written by Shubhra Gupta

August 23, 2024 12:15 IST

Kottukaali movie review: Anna Ben’s playing of Meena, who wields silence as a retaliatory weapon, is terrific.

PS Vinothraj’s 2021 ‘Koozhangal’ (Pebbles), a stark, impactful look at how men steamroll over women and their basic desires, through the eyes of a father-son duo, never managed a release despite being feted at international film festivals. It went on to become India’s official Oscars entry in 2022, and found a streaming partner in SonyLiv.

I watched ‘Kottukkaali’ (The Adamant Girl) at the Berlin International Film Festival in February this year, and was again thoroughly impressed by Vinothraj’s command over his craft as he revisits the themes of patriarchy and misogyny in this deceptively simple story of an adamant girl who refuses to marry the man her family has chosen for her.

I’d asked the filmmakers if they would aim for the domestic theatrical circuit, given the earlier film’s fate. A hundred percent yes, said producer Kalai Arasu, and the film is out today. Do not miss it, if it’s playing anywhere near you, or seek and find it when it comes out on OTT: it is a triumph of independent story-telling, which refuses to call attention to its unmistakable style, while focussing on substance.

Anna Ben’s playing of Meena, who wields silence as a retaliatory weapon, is terrific. As is Soori’s Muthuchamy’s Pandi, whose mounting frustration at not getting his way — this is a man who is clearly used to doing whatever he wants, whenever he wants — keeps building till he lashes out with his fists, in an explosive sequence which leaves us shaken. The only one completely unmoved is Meena; as the camera takes in her bruised face, as well as her unbroken spirit, you know that this time around Pandi may have met his match. Or has he?

There are many strands left for us to unpack in ‘Kottukkaali’. It uses elements of a picaresque road-movie to shine a light on casteism, toxic masculinity, and damaging superstition: Meena is a ‘shameless, loose’ character both because she has dared to fall in love per se, as well as the fact that the man is from a ‘lower caste’. This has to be the work of an evil spirit, and the only way out is exorcism, which will beat the devil out of her.

We see Meena always surrounded by her family as well as Pandi’s aggreived sisters, as well as the relatives accompanying her on sputtering motorbikes through narrow country roads, with pit-stops at the shrine of the family deity and local hooch shops. The only time we see Meena on her own — a brief, dream-like sequence where she is looking back, presumably, at her lover — is also the only time we see her smile. The rest is given over to stoic, steadfast silence, which is louder than Pandi’s hoarse yelling.

ALSO READ | Stree 2 box office collection day 8: Shraddha Kapoor-Rajkummar Rao film has already broken this Kalki 2898 AD record, passed Rs 400 cr worldwide

There’s a puzzling moment in the woods where we never quite understand what the director is getting at, which is perhaps the only time the film hits a dry patch. And occasionally you wish that the parallel drawn between a rooster with his legs tied and the girl with her will stamped upon, is not so rubbed in. Nothing else mars this film, which showcases, like in ‘Koozhangal’, Vinothraj’s superb use of the rural landscape—the rolling hillocks and trees standing, from time immemorial, as witnesses to these processions of unequal gender power-plays.

There’s also a welcome infusion of humour (watch out for a big bull and a small girl) which leavens the grimness. And while the film is from the man’s point of view, our gaze never strays far from the woman. Being adamant can be a good thing.

Kottukkaali movie cast: Anna Ben, Soori Muthuchamy

Kottukkaali movie director: P S Vinothraj

Kottukkaali movie rating: 3.5 stars

Vaazhai Movie Review: An uncompromising, unadulterated, and powerful journey to the core of Mari Selvaraj’s mind

Vaazhai Movie Review: With brilliant performances, Santhosh Narayanan's music, and Theni Eswar's visuals, Mari Selvaraj's fourth film is his most personal, and hence, most powerful

Rating: 4 out of 5

Written by Avinash Ramachandran

Chennai | Updated: August 23, 2024 16:56 IST

Vaazhai Movie Review

Vaazhai Movie Review: They say the personal is political. The politics in Mari Selvaraj’s films is not just personal but also very purposeful. It isn’t like stringing together a few sentences, hoping the wind will take them to their rightful place. Mari’s films are well-planned, and well-executed, with a clear purpose for every beat. That is why, when he opens Vaazhai with the young Sivanaindhan (a terrific Ponvel) shouting himself hoarse searching for something, your mind goes in various directions. What is his search for? Why is he throwing a few banana stalks into the water? Who is this Mbaaaaa? Our overworked imagination starts conjuring up the kind of stories that we expect to see in Mari Selvaraj’s films. But Vaazhai isn’t just another Mari film. It is the film that needed a Pariyerum Perumal, Karnan, and a Maamannan to happen first. Vaazhai is effortlessly subversive, nonchalantly poignant, and characteristically uncompromising. It needs Mari to gain the experience of three important films, and the audience to connect with the filmmaker, and understand his process. What is his search for? Why is he dousing his raw anger with brief spurts of water through his films? Who is this Mari Selvaraj?

Sivanaindhan lives in a simple world. It includes his best friend Sekar (Raghul), his sister Vembu (Dhivya Duraisamy), his mother (Janaki), a job he hates, and a school he loves simply because that is where he gets to meet Poonkodi teacher (Nikhila Vimal). Vaazhai is Mari at his funniest, and it is beautiful how it required the filmmaker to reach his inner child to bring out the laughs. The scenes between Sivanaindhan and Sekar are the best we’ve seen in Tamil cinema in a long time, and the harmless ribbing of Tamil Nadu’s greatest superstars happens just like how it happens in our homes. Many conversations between Sivanaindhan and the people in his world feel extremely personal, and Mari points out how human emotions are constant in a world filled with divisions.

Take, for instance, the best-ever usage of Nayakan’s theme music in Tamil cinema. It is downright funny and appears as if the maker is inviting everyone into the kids’ world on one simple condition — don’t judge, observe. When we observe, we understand the abject poverty of the village and its inhabitants. They know they are being exploited, but they don’t have a choice. It is the late 90s, and there is no electricity in any household. They want their kids to study and make something of themselves, but the cruel clutches of the economy force them to take their children to work. As they say, flowers bloom even in a war, and amidst all the cacophony of everyday struggles, Sivanaindhan develops an unadulterated affection for his teacher, Poonkodi.

ALSO READ: Pa Ranjith at Vaazhai trailer launch: ‘Some don’t like Karnan because it shows the oppressed fighting back’

It is beautiful how Mari takes his time to make us understand love can’t be dissected. Sivanaindhan finds Poonkodi beautiful, but he always sees her as his teacher. It is a beautiful dichotomy that could have been an obnoxious thing in a lesser filmmaker’s imagination. But here, it is pure. Nikhila plays Poonkodi beautifully, understanding the undertones of her character, and the dignity of the relationship. The writing in these portions is Mari’s finest, and he ensures the smiles on our faces never turn into the slightest of grimaces. The same is true for every relationship explored in the film — be it the blossoming romance between Vembu and Kani (Kalaiyarasan), or Sivanaindhan’s relationship with his mother, there is an undercurrent of pain and suffering blanketed by love. In fact, that’s exactly how Mari weaves Vaazhai, which is taken from the pages of his own life. Knowing this is a true story makes the film all the more impactful, but extra points to Mari for making it effective even without this nugget of information.

Ponvel and Nikhila Vimal from Vaazhai

Vaazhai is built around the power of nature, the strength of love, and a human’s capacity to be cruel. When you see a young boy ‘stealing’ a ripe banana from your field, what would be your first response? When you get the opportunity to show who is the boss to people fighting for their rights, how far would you go? When child labour is normalised by every family member, and the educated teacherfolk in school, who do you turn to for help? Vaazhai poses these existential questions in a film that has Mari at his commercial best. It might seem like a breezier watch than his previous films. Yes, it does firmly focus on the systemic oppression of a community, and how brief spurts of resistance are culled to the ground almost immediately. The film, however, progresses on a different tangent, simply because Vaazhai, for the longest time, is a film shown through the eyes of the children. In some ways, it is Mari’s Children of Heaven, or Children of Puliyankulam. For Sekar and Sivananindhan, this labour is hard because it is hard work and keeps them away from school. They aren’t yet accustomed to the harsh realities of the world. But amidst all the humour, the light-heartedness, and the seemingly lush beauty of the locales, Mari shows Sivanaindhan gradually coming to terms with reality. The humour isn’t that funny anymore. The heart isn’t that light anymore. And that is when Vaazhai slowly sucks us into the vortex of heart-wrenching realities.

Guiding us in this journey through various realities is the brilliant music of Santhosh Narayanan. It is almost like the composer reserves his uncompromising music for Mari’s films. What makes this combination truly click is their penchant for silence, and it truly makes us appreciate the music that comes after a bout of nothingness. Another highlight of Vaazhai is Theni Eswar’s visuals. Despite the calming green surrounding their grey lives, the colours never merge; they are almost like concentric circles. The repeated usage of these expansive frames lets us in on the laborious nature of the villagers’ work, and the actors’ calibre comes through in the close-ups that relies on their expressive faces to paint a story where words don’t do justice. Talking about actors, Ponvel and Sekhar are the best thing to happen in Tamil cinema in quite a while. Their innocence is the soul of the Vaazhai, and they are ably supported by a superlative cast that gives it all in a film that needed them to be convincing to the hilt.

Ponvel and Raghul from Vaazhai

But at the end of the day, as the heart-wrenching realities hit us like a ton of bricks, we are reminded that Vaazhai, just like other Mari films, isn’t fixated on othering anyone. It invites you for a cup of coffee. It invites you to a dance in the middle of the night. It invites you to a political discourse on an even platform. It invites you to understand that there is a reason why banana sap stains dry up to be brown, just like blood. Vaazhai is an insight into the unsaid stories of the oppressed. It tells us that the personal is political. It tells us the stories of the ones left behind. It tells the reason why some people are more purposeful than others. And while telling and showing all of this, Vaazhai is also brilliant cinema… and that is probably who Mari Selvaraj is.

Vaazhai Movie Cast: Ponvel, Raghul, Nikhila Vimal, Kalaiyarasan, Janaki, Dhivya Duraisamy

Vaazhai Movie Director: Mari Selvaraj

Vaazhai Movie Rating: 4

Table of Contents

Indian Express

Daily Briefing

Daily Briefing: Modi and Zelenskyy’s conversation on war and peace; Angry Young Men review; and more

Daily Briefing: When Modi meets Zelenskyy; Latest findings by Chandrayaan-3; Survivors speak on Hema Committee report

Front Page

CBI gets Delhi L-G’s sanction to prosecute Kejriwal in excise case

Sit with Putin to find way out of crisis, India ready to help: Modi to Zelenskyy

Bus falls into river in Nepal, 27 pilgrims from Maharashtra die

India, US sign key defence supply pact as Rajnath Singh begins 4-day visit

SEBI imposes Rs 25 cr penalty on Anil Ambani, bans him from market for 5 yrs

Apologise to AltNews co-founder for comment, Delhi HC tells X user

Internship portal in the works, will match skill sets with opportunity

PM Modi in Kyiv today: Deep concern, offer all cooperation in returning peace via talks

Brij Bhushan case: Women wrestlers say police cover withdrawn, court steps in

In its last lap, UPA II proposed lateral entry at Joint Secretary level through UPSC

NC, Congress seal alliance, but a few seats in Kashmir still a hurdle

India

Assam minor gangrape case: Accused dies in police custody, cops say he tried to escape

As MP govt directs Janmashtami celebrations in schools and colleges, Congress, BJP in war of words

Two IPS officers face action for ‘interfering’ in elections, Odisha govt gives them a month to respond

Police prepare to thwart BJP rally in Jharkhand

BJP respects backward communities, Opp only makes claims: Shivraj Chouhan

Kolkata rape-murder case: Court allows polygraph test on arrested accused

ISRO: Chandrayaan-4 design final, samples from Moon by 2027

With silent prayer, PM places a toy at children’s memorial

Centre asks medical colleges to have local attire for convocations

India takes up issue of seized copies of Sikh scripture with Qatar

Subhadra Yojana: Rs 10k per annum for 5 years to 1 cr women in Odisha

First-time offenders to get retrospective benefit of BNSS Section 479

Pasmanda Muslim groups seek inclusion among SCs

CAG report subject to Parliament scrutiny, says Supreme Court

Brij Bhushan case: Miscommunication, says police after female wrestlers allege security cover withdrawn

‘You can stop Putin, put him in his place’: Zelenskyy tells India after meeting PM Modi in Kyiv

PM Modi departs after a whirlwind 7-hour visit to Ukraine

As rainfall reduces, preliminary estimates show Tripura has already faced losses worth Rs 5,000 crore due to massive floods

Insult an offence under SC/ST Act only if based on caste: Supreme Court

As teenage girl’s rape causes outrage in Assam district, CM Himanta Biswa Sarma says ‘indigenous people living in fear’

Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi visits Manipur, meets CM Biren Singh

New Delhi’s gift to Kyiv: 4 BHISHM cubes for emergency medical care

Mini-UAV inadvertently drifts into PoK, Indian Army seeks its return

‘Stray incidents… no power group’: Malayalam actors’ body AMMA defends film industry, but cracks emerge after Hema panel report

India-US together can ensure global peace, prosperity, stability: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh

Delhi Confidential

Delhi confidential: Kannada Confidence

Opinion

Why RBI’s attempts to control the Rupee can have adverse consequences

Why J&K assembly elections could end the domination of family-run parties

How not to tax multi-national corporations

Time to reset the GST system

Lateral entry scheme puts competence above quota politics

What a penguin’s death tells us about love and loss

In Kamala Harris’ speech, an American story — and a missing link

Application for cancellation of former CM A R Antulay’s bail rejected

I adopted my daughter. Recent changes in law could help others get the same happiness

My house is a Starbucks

Kamala Harris reaches out across the aisle — but points a finger at Trump voter

August 23, 1984, Forty Years Ago: Opposition Rally

Express View on Tripura floods: Don’t leave it all to the states

Express View: Lovebomber baby vs Taylor Swift

How to ensure dignity for the terminally-ill

Express View on ‘predatory pricing’: Market facts and spectres

Sanjaya Baru writes: Bangladesh crisis underlines the necessity of political risk management

Centre’s lateral entry policy corrects a historical wrong

UPSC-CSE Key

UPSC Key | India-Ukraine, Internship scheme, Tripura floods and more

International Day for Remembrance of the Slave Trade and Abolition: The memory of Indian indentured labourers

UPSC Essentials | Daily subject-wise quiz : International Relations MCQs on Nord Stream, Tower of Hercules and more (Week 72)

UPSC Essentials | Mains answer practice — GS 1 : Questions on Indian freedom struggle and waterspouts (Week 65)

National Space Day: All you need to know for UPSC Prelims and Mains

Conflicts in West Asia: Israel-Iran war of abrasion

UPSC Issue at a Glance | Mpox and Public Health Emergency: 5 Key Questions You Must Know for Prelims and Mains

UPSC Current Affairs Pointers of the past week | August 12 to August 18, 2024

Explained

Mandatory reporting under POCSO Act: Why FIR has named Badlapur school under Section 21 of the law to protect children

How polio vaccine triggered the infection in a child in Meghalaya

Assessing Ukraine’s deep incursion into Russia’s Kursk oblast: why, what happens now

Were Bangladesh floods caused by India releasing water from dam? GoI says no

What US Fed Chief’s speech in Jackson Hole symposium signals

Getting India into power play, Modi tries to bring Kyiv, Moscow to table

Why Modi’s visit to Ukraine marks three new roads: India in Europe, diplomatic space, and Delhi-Kyiv revival

Polaris Dawn: Another small step to Mars?

Explained: Story of Chicken a la Kiev, the dish that rose to global popularity

What is ‘Rail Force One’, the train PM Modi took from Poland to Ukraine?

3 key takeaways from Kamala Harris’ speech at the Democratic Convention

An Expert Explains: Why Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Ukraine is significant

What the first findings from ISRO’s Chandrayaan 3 mission tell us about the Moon

Kolkata Junior Doctor rape-murder: Why is CBI psychologically assessing the accused?

Does your LMV licence allow you to drive a tractor as well? Supreme Court will decide

Hillary Clinton says Kamala Harris could break the ‘glass ceiling’ with her nomination. What does it mean?

How soon could Antarctica’s ice sheet break away and disappear?

Could Karnataka Governor have given sanction to prosecute CM Siddaramaiah? The issues before High Court

What Justice Hema Committee report says, why its release was delayed

What Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has been accused of in the alleged MUDA scam

Business

Inflation will gradually glide towards 4% target, but this would take several quarters: MPC member Jayanth R Varma

Govt invites proposals for setting up e-commerce export hubs

Cement companies plan Rs 1.25 lakh crore capex till FY27: Crisil Ratings

Janmashtami weekend ahead, flight bookings, fares see an uptick

Foxconn infuses Rs 1,200 crore in Karnataka unit

Airtel’s High-Speed Wi-Fi Initiative Reaches 1,200 Cities, Driving Digital Inclusion

Air India fined Rs 99 lakh for pilot-rostering lapse that had led to non-qualified crew operating flight

Anil Ambani-led group stocks plummet after Sebi bans him, others from securities market

Rupee rises 5 paise to 83.88 against US dollar in early trade

Not against e-commerce, but seeking fair play, says Piyush Goyal

GST rate rationalisation: GoM not keen on tweaking current slabs for now, seeks more data

Sunday Eye

What makes Stree 2 actor Shraddha Kapoor an Instagram sensation

Tech Review

Dell XPS 13 Copilot+ PC review: A flagship Windows laptop in every sense

Vivo V40 Pro review: An all-weather smartphone with flagship cameras

Science

NASA to give update on Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore’s return today: How to watch it live

NASA is monitoring 5 asteroids speeding towards Earth next week

NASA to announce Starliner crew-Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore’s return path on Saturday

Astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore’s return: Ex-US Army space commander shares 3 dangerous scenarios

Movie Review

Alien Romulus review: There is Kill, then Overkill

Kottukkaali movie review: PS Vinothraj, Anna Ben serve a triumph of independent story-telling

Vaazhai Movie Review: An uncompromising, unadulterated, and powerful journey to the core of Mari Selvaraj’s mind